Leaderboard

I have been reluctant to reply as I was unable to attend NOAC. I did however have a long conversation at last weekends Vigil inductions with a friend who has been performing / advising ceremonies for over 40 years, and has often served as a NOAC judge as well. It seems there was a one hour seminar devoted to this subject, that ran almost three hours. So as best as my sleep deprived brain can recall... National was receiving 4-6 phone calls or emails a month complaining of cultural theft. That's 48-72 per year out of how many thousands of AoL ceremonies? But this is National.

Semi-related reflection: I've been a member on several Eagle boards over the last few years.... Looking back, only a couple of the candidates could really stand on their feet and tell their story. The others were at a loss when asked specifics about their leadership experiences, their project, etc. Even easy/softball-type questions about their experiences on the scouting trail would bring about mumbling and vague answers. Without mom/dad/SM in the room feeding them the answers, they were at a loss. The board wasn't a big event for them, a chance to shine. No. It was just another th

$100 bet? I'm shocked...shocked to find gambling is going on here.

Well if he learned anything in Scouting, maybe it will be to follow rules and meet deadlines. This learning experience should prepare him for RPI and an engineering career. My $0.02

It has been my experience (during my 32 years as an attorney) that when a lawyer makes an absolute statement like that (BSA can do as they please), which isn't really true, what they are really saying is that they don't think you have a good case, and/or they don't think they can make a profit from your case. But they don't want to tell you they don't think you have a good case, and/or they don't think they can make a profit from your case, so they tell you the BSA can do whatever it wants. I have seen attorneys tell potential clients all kinds of not-quite-right things (and occasionally jus

Mac, your words really resonate. I was a shy, clumsy, disorganized scout. I really had to work hard to stay on track and earn the rank. On the trail to Eagle, I was in 3 different troops, with 4 different SMs (post Eagle, add 1 more troop and 3 more SMs). I spent a lot of time reading my handbook, and in my own way, figuring out what to do next. One benefit of the much-maligned 8th edition of the BSA handbook: all of the requirements for all of the merit badges were printed in the back. And unlike present times, National didn't feel the need to constantly change requirements. Coll

Any life scout who wants to do an Eagle project may do so. There is no reason deny him that privilege. I certainly would never say to a boy, "You can't do a project. You earned Life rank at age 17.51." I might say, "You know that no matter how awesome this project is, you will not qualify for Eagle rank. But, you'll have something awesome to be proud of. And, if this is a conservation project and you think you'd like to do four more of these, come talk to me about the Hornaday award." Nobody besides the scout needs to pay attention. Nobody should. Even if nobody else is paying att

I don't know the details as I haven't seen the article, but...get ready for it...When I was in Scouts I constantly heard the SM and ASM reminding, warning, and generally nagging the older Scouts to get to work, to pay attention to their time qualifications. I was a fairly timid kid and this stressed me out. I was always looking ahead...admittedly I was not the most organized person but I tried to stay on top of things as best I could. Eventually I got my Eagle at 16 and was pretty proud of myself. Having low self-esteem most of those teen years, I felt if I could do it then surely anyone else

We're doing the same here, using the new "Scout Me In" stuff in local stores, libraries, etc. In trying to maximize exposure with limited budget, doing a short print run of color flyers that can be posted in public places puts a lot of eyes on our Pack info without doing a 1-flyer-1-family ratio. We targeted local places with high traffic and/or high numbers of kids and parents, like the community center, libraries, ice cream shops, supermarkets, etc. We're putting up posters in schools (5 schools, 5 posters, it's fairly inexpensive), digital flyers are send home through the school distr

Oh, we did a 60-second COH Monday night before the meeting. Outstanding kid, too. He was headed to college on Tuesday. We called the mother and son up before the whole troop, she pinned the medal on him, he gave Mom the parents' pin and Scoutmaster said a few kind words. And all the Crossovers and their parents were there. Pretty cool, if you ask me. The one time Crossovers were quiet. Please don't let these idiot leaders rain on your son's parade.

It sounds like your Pack and Den are active, involved, "For the Cubs". That is as it should be. But the Cub Den should be the "Gang" the kid (be they boy or girl) wants to hang out with. Camping is great, gets the kid ready for Boy Scouts, but there should be other stuff for the Cub too. Go to the zoo, go to the museum, the Police Station, the dad's work site, that model Railroad, camp out on a ship (Baltimore Harbor has this), visit a County Maintenance Garage, the State Environmental Protection Agency Lab, a newspaper printing plant, the Bus Transit Garage, anywhere tha

The purpose of goals is to provide an encouragement, a shove to learn and achieve and do. Back in my Scout days, I joined a Troop that went places and hiked and camped and did Scout things. The older Scouts (all boys back then, of course) did the planning and dreaming of going places they had heard of or took the suggestions of the adult leaders, who had "been there and done that" themselves to look at the calendar and meet together to decide things. We had parents and grandparents who would take the time to drive us places, sometimes LEAVE us there (!) to come back in few hours or a

I have to strongly disagree with this assessment RS. He broke no rules and missed no deadlines. You imply he did something wrong or did something late that he committed to doing sooner. But neither of those are the case. Sounds to me like he conducted a good service project for his community and achieved a notable rank in scouting. He then apparently followed all the rules in appealing the decision, and in fact the local Council supported his appeal. And in the end he seems to have accepted the final decision with maturity and magnanimity.

Isn't there an approval process before you start? I would the troop or district would say something. At the end of the story her proves he a true scout by saying "I accept the National Council's decision. No regrets"

Being an Eagle is more than checking off requirements on a form. Good judgment and self initiative are vital qualities for achieving anything in life. Many scouts learn early on that a parent or scouter will nag, remind, scold, push, and if necessary, drag them across any goal line. This ultimately hurts the scout, because they'll have to learn some hard lessons at age 18 that they should have gained at 12/13. Too many scouts, of all ranks, have figured out that scouting is adult-directed. They just float along.

We see this in the UK quite a lot as well. Our highest mountain Ben Nevis, modest by your standards (4400 feet), is very easily accessible from the town of Fort William unlike many of the more remote mountains. There is also an easy to access and navigate path to the top which was built in the 19th century to service an old observatory that was built at the top. The combination of the two means that we get many people hiking to the top who simply don't understand the potential dangers. The summit is lost in the cloud typically 300+ days a year and is typically 12-15C colder than the town

If there is one thing I'm a stickler for, it's standards and requirements. " I did all the things you're supposed to do to become an Eagle." No you didn't. Plain and simple. Perhaps someone should ask this scout which other requirements he feels are optional, or how comfortable he would feel if someone else was awarded the rank having not completed a requirement that he did. Eagle project? Number of merit badges?

Once again, we are losing sight of relative risk. Eight fatal accidents since 1992, a 10-fold increase in visitors. It sounds like the rate of visitor fatalities is plummeting. Kudos to the rangers' hard work. I think it is important for the public to know of fatalities that have occurred in a given area. High traffic areas need to be hardened. But, I think we need to soberly recognize that with more people comes more adverse events ... albeit fewer per person. For our scouts and scouters, I think there is something to "safe photography" training. We need to show them how Be

The only two caveats I would have for going an "alternative route" would be to have a serious review of your Crossover/AOL ceremony to ensure that it is appropriate and does not use or promote stereotyping of N/A culture; and, make sure that any regalia is as spot on as possible for your local area. The ubiquitous 'ribbon shirt' is certainly okay in a pinch or where the local custom (due to climate, etc.) is to go bare-chested and wear a just a breachclout - use your judgement and common sense. Some of the worst offenders I've seen on things like YouTube is when all four Principals appea

Thanks Oldscout448 for the 'recap' of what was discussed at NOAC. I'm pretty sure National gets a few e-mails monthly with respect to "cultural appropriation" - I suspect, given how some Lodges approach AIA/Ceremonies, etc., some of the complaints are legit, but I also suspect that some are from people just trying to make a point, as it were. As some have stated, it should have been more of a development of a set of rules and guidelines rather than entirely eliminating what in most cases can be a powerful experience. Our Chapter is currently on 'summer hiatus', but once things

If the BSA simply "blacklists" someone without making any comment other than the person is removed and barred from Scouting, that would not rise to the level of character defamation. If they were to make pronouncements on what led to a Scouter being removed from Scouting and there is no legal proceedings that support their statements, that could be considered defamation. For example, if the BSA were to announce that they were removing Russell Henderson from Scouting because he was convicted of murdering someone, that wouldn't rise to defamation - there are facts behind the statement. On the

Maybe. I think the troop needs to be talking with the institutional head of the church- the pastor. You might want the church to say - Scouting is good, please meet here all you want. But, that's a pretty big ask. The church pays for the facilities and the utilities. It is supported by the donations of its members and what it can augment. If encourage the troop to think about the value it brings to the church beyond free labor - such as providing programming to the churches members or bringing new members to the church. That's a conversation for the pastor - not the finance chai

IMO, every scout a swimmer should be program. Fix the problem, get it done (yes it is hard), and done right. My younger son nearly drowned at a pool (not BSA). He was underwater in the unmarked deep end of a new pool when rescued. I wasn't there for him (Dad wasn't there). Years of anxiety therapy ($$$) were needed before he would go near the water to just fish. He would take a bath but not a shower as he became terrified if his face got wet. We tried private swim instruction - myself, his older brother who was on a swim team, BSA, Red Cross, and the Y swim instructors without success.

Well, no, it doesn’t answer all my questions. But that’s OK. In your answer you’ve insulted a committee member, made excuses for your son (he’s too thin to do physical activity???), brushed off someones battle with cancer, and said you had to take over his Eagle workbook. It sounds like your son and his Troop had come to a mutually toxic relationship. Better to do an ECOH on your own and move on to the next chapter. I can’t imagine how this could end in a way that satisfies all parties.

As one who has worked camps and currently working with a large troop, your expectations to involve the staff in the visitation issues may be a challenge. If there is a court ordered restraining order, then entirely different set of circumstances. I have had families with those, it was not pretty. In the first week you advised you did not want the mother at camp. No mention of court orders, visitation documents, or custody paperwork being presented to the camp. Just that you did not want her at camp. On the second week, you did present some documentation, but expecting all of the camp

I'm a bit unclear about something. The 2003 NOAC "trader" patch. Was it issued by your son's Lodge or was it issued by another Lodge? If it was issued by your son's Lodge - then it could be worn I suppose but you better prepare him for the inevitable questioning he's going to get from people who see a 2003 NOAC flap on a Scout who just became an Ordeal member of the Lodge in 2009. Frankly, unless there's a good (true) story to go with it (like this was my brothers Lodge flap, the one that was killed in Iraq last year), then it would probably be best if he wore his "plain jane" Lodge fl