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Showing content with the highest reputation on 08/16/18 in all areas

  1. A side note on the importance of earning Eagle. When we went to Sea Base this year, 2 of our Eagles who just aged out went with us as adults. In the airport, someone noticed that one was wearing his Eagle badge and because of it, bought the crew a dozen donuts. So Eagle is all that and a box of donuts.
    3 points
  2. When unread “technicality” I immediately thought something like a Merit Badge was completed but not recorded properly, or paperwork was turned in but a signature was in the wrong place, or maybe he had an extended illness that delayed him. Those are technicalities beyond the Scouts control. There are remedies for those situations. But the time in rank is a well known and well documented requirement. That requirement nearly caught up with me more than 3 decades ago, it has nearly caught up with several Eagles I have mentored. It did trip up one I mentored. It is not a technicality, it is a
    3 points
  3. Encouraging scouts to plan and experience more adventure will help develop not just outdoor ethics, but also outdoor safety. The more we encourage scouts to push to the next level the better. We do a disservice if we hold them back and only allow plop camping and disallow exploration and adventure. While boys are naturally curious and adventuresome, they also have innate fears which help them take small steps instead of too big, but only if it is they who do the planning and execution. IMO, the worst thing bsa has done in the last 20 years is not gays or girls it is the requirement of adults o
    2 points
  4. Boy, if this requirement is challenging, .......... The struggle with legalism is that it distracts away from the true intention of the requirement. Remember, scouting is about growth of character and integrity. Don't concern yourself with the details so much that you can't see the benefits of the responsibilities. Learn from the scout how he served. When the SM ask the questions in the right manner, the scout feels encouraged to brag about their experience. Along with a quick call from the Den leader, you will have more than enough for a productive SM Conference. By the way, the way
    2 points
  5. Den Chief is a service to the troop. It promotes a healthy connection between the pack and the troop. It is rightly a troop leadership position and it is a key one. I would require nothing of the scout. But I might regularly email the cub master or the den leader to see how the scout is doing.
    2 points
  6. From a different forum thread, a Scout has been denied Eagle by BSA National because he missed the age deadline by two months. There has been community outcry and petitions over this. See https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/greenburgh/2018/08/15/boy-scouts-no-eagle-rank-greenburghs-hari-channagiri/996348002/ So if the CO, CC, and SM have a thoughtful organized dissent with BSA National over this issue, I guess it's ok for them to just go purchase some Eagle badges on eBay and award them to the boy anyway, right? We are justified in disobeying BSA National (over any is
    2 points
  7. 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
    2 points
  8. I think we're within the guidelines set out in the GTA. "4.2.3.4.3 Meeting Unit Expectations. If a unit has established expectations for positions of responsibility, and if, within reason (see the note under “Rank Requirements Overview,” 4.2.3.0), based on his personal skill set, the Scout meets them, he fulfills the requirement." Here's the note referred to: "The concepts of “reasonable” and “within reason” will help unit leadership and boards of review gauge the fairness of expectations for considering whether a Scout is “active” or has fulfilled positions of responsibility. A unit
    1 point
  9. But in 6 month's it will matter. You have set an example. You and your CO have appointed yourselves the judge of which rules should and should not be followed in an organization you do not run alone. Your Scouts, other Scouters and Scouts have witnessed this and may well model you and your CO. Perhaps they will not have your advanced wisdom to know which rules are good and which are bad. Maybe they choose to ditch some important G2SS or YPT rules, because they know better. I once had a discussion with a famous athlete who stated he was not a role model, and people should not choose to mod
    1 point
  10. That is an exact description of what my son did, except that he does not have a learning disability. He just procrastinated in spectacular fashion. Literally, if it had rained on the last non-school-day before his birthday, his project would not have been completed in time, and the issue would have been whether it was "complete enough," which would not have been a good place to be. But he made it by the skin of his teeth. Has he improved in the past eight years? Well, he graduated from a 4-year engineering program in 4 years, and now he has had a job with the same company for almost 4 ye
    1 point
  11. Simple, they do not earn the Den Chief Service Award. DCSA requires more than just showing up and meeting with the den. Requirements are here: http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/denchief.asp Serve the pack faithfully for 1 full year. Complete online Den Chief Training (or in person conducted by the council or district). Know and understand the purposes of Cub Scouting. Help Cub Scouts achieve the purposes of Cub Scouting. Be the activities assistant in den meetings. (lead five songs, five stunts or skits, five games, five sports activities) Set a good exam
    1 point
  12. I have encountered this same difficult situation. We had a Scout who was approaching his 18th birthday when suddenly he reappeared on the scene after years of inactivity in the troop. He had missed the deadline for his Life Scout board of review (it needed to be 6 months before his birthday). "Sorry fella - tough break", but he submitted an appeal to the council stating that he had been sick (he wasn't). The council approved his appeal. He then started asking the troop to schedule special campouts so that he could get his 20 nights of camping for the Camping merit badge (even though he ha
    1 point
  13. He wasn't just a few hours or days short of the requirement...he was TWO MONTHS short. He and everyone else knew this at his Life BOR and it should have been a topic of major discussion at that time. Sorry...the requirements were not met.
    1 point
  14. We had a scout do his eagle project a week before his 18th birthday. He has a mild learning disability, but he did complete everything just in time. I hope that he'll get better about not procrastinating, but he didn't complete all of his required paperwork for Sea Base this year until the night before we left. I was close to telling him to not come to the airport, but he made. it. For some scouts, it's difficult to convince them that they need to make completing these things a priority as earning that Eagle is something you carry for life.
    1 point
  15. There currently is no planned/organized presence for the OA at WSJ. To my knowledge the OA was not invited as it is a uniquely a U.S organization.
    1 point
  16. Still recovering from the Ordeal. Tired, sore but smiling. I just watched a young Arrowman drape a brotherhood sash over his fathers shoulder just a few hours after he gave his younger brother an ordeal sash. His older brother, who was the head elongomat for the weekend, was standing nearby watching and smiling. That should keep me going for a while.
    1 point
  17. Thanks all y'alls for the enlightening information; I'll make sure to change the name on our flag and den equipment accordingly.
    1 point
  18. "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." No doubt that any Life Scout can do a project - is it still called an Eagle project if he has no way of earning Eagle? "Nobody besides the scout needs to pay attention. Nobody should. Even if nobody else is paying attention, he should read his Handbook." True nobody needs to pay attention but a scout is Friendly and I would have had him do the math when he became Star Sc
    1 point
  19. 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
    1 point
  20. 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
    1 point
  21. Sadly been that way for a little while. When I was a DE, one of my coworkers had his entire district advancement committee quit in protest. They denied a Scout Eagle, wrote up a plan for him to rectify the deficiencies, etc. He had plenty of time since he was 13 or 14 years olds. Grandfather (SM) Dad ( ASM) and Mom (COR/CC), blew a gasket and appealed to council. Council held up the decision, and it moved to national National rescinded the decision and gave him Eagle. I met the kid in question a few months later. From my conversation with him, I can see why he didn't receive Eagle initially
    1 point
  22. $100 bet? I'm shocked...shocked to find gambling is going on here.
    1 point
  23. 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
    1 point
  24. Ageism raises its ugly head again. But, some pro's should grow a pair, and speak plainly with a sentence like, "He didn't meet the requirements for Eagle, but he's a fine Life scout." No passing the buck to National. Call a spade a spade and then give the reporter your FOS speech and a pledge card. Don't feel bad for any Life scout. Ever. This scout could proudly announce that on any resume or bio sketch. I disagree. Always encourage a boy at any rank to take on any service project he desires. It's a pity this fella didn't donate twice as much and take on two service
    1 point
  25. I don’t doubt there were complaints complaints (just go to powwows.com forums and search on Boy Scouts or Order of Arrow). Instead of outright banning the ceremony I wish they setup some rules or guidelines along the lines of working with a tribe. There is very little taught about NA culture in our school systems. OA and aspects of Boy Scouts should be used to teach accurate aspects of their culture (both past and current). If a OA chapter doesn’t want to be part of this... no problem. But if an OA chapter and tribe work together, it would be a powerful experience. My limited O
    1 point
  26. It's not? Now I know where I've gone wrong.
    1 point
  27. Clueless is am understatement. 16 for Venturing? 10 months to earn Eagle? Segregated patrols instead of troops (oops I forgot "Linked Troops"). And if members were so for it, WHY DON'T THEY PUBLISH THE ACTUAL TOWN HALL MEMBERSHIP SURVEY RESULTS? (emphasis)
    1 point
  28. If I am not mistaken, the new rollout of girls in Troops does not start until 2019. This is not a good example to be setting for these girls wanting to become part of this program. It appears that from the top down in your Troop, you are telling these girls that if you don't like the rules or policies they don't have to follow them. Just make up your own. That is a very dangerous road to go down. What are you going to do when the first girl gets injured or files a complaint? They are not a registered Scouter. I am not sure the Charter Organization would like to hear that they are being
    1 point
  29. I have mixed feelings about bringing in girls early and going coed. I think that following the rules of separate troops and dens is good. I think giving girls experiences is also good. When you decide to skip the rules it gets a little confusing to go on your own. I think it's interesting that this CO said, "push the boundaries". I wonder what kind of CO would do that? I guessed this was in California, but it's in Minnesota, which is too close to home for me! If I had daughters, I think I would want my daughters in a troop that follows the program. Because if a CO is winging
    1 point
  30. @oldbuzzard If your troop and pack are determined to ignore BSA rules about girl membership, why not just buy a bunch of Eagle Scout awards on eBay and hand them out to any girl who wants them? Who cares if the girls meet the requirements - just do whatever you want (sounds like that's how you roll anyway, right?).
    1 point
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