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I have been very impressed with the courteous and respectful manner in how you've handled the situation from the beginning. If nothing else, they are loosing the role model of an Eagle Scout. Barry

First, you did the right thing and made sure the scout was safe and assuming you had the other adult with you during the dropoff, you followed the YPT rules. I agree that a conversation needs to occur with the parent. They need to understand that this can't happen again. Either make arrangements for someone approved to pick up the kid, or the kid doesn't go.

I don't even have words to express how upsetting it is to see videos like this trying to make the admittance of girls into Scouting look like some wonderful thing. And the mess it has caused with Youth Protection issues is only the tip of the iceberg; the organization of the Boy Scouts of America is coming apart at the seams, and there is no uniform on Earth that will withstand the impending troubles that I forsee coming to it down the road. Every time I see a video, advertisement or promotional image of girls in Scout uniforms, my stomach knots up. I believe in Scouting. I believe it ha

If this kid was getting kicked out of summer camp early, that's probably the same reason they went to Disney without him

When Worf in Next Generation Star Trek started wearing the sash I always thought it looked like he had joined the Girl Scouts...(Today is a good day to sell cookies) On Scout Sunday we have Cubs, Boy Scouts, and the Girl Scouts at the church. The Girl Scouts always look a little random, vest, sashes, not sure.. The uniform is part of the identity of the Boy Scouts. Wearing the uniform is an outward and visible sign of the membership in the organization

I took the scouts home with me so I would meet the parent. The hard part about being the adult leader of any youth group is the disappointment of seeing other parents behavior. Church youth groups, sports, after school activities, and scouts; given enough time, parents show their worst. Of course there is the upside of meeting wonderful people as well. Barry

I am in the Atlanta Area Council. It's been my impression that Cub and Boy Scout enrollment has been higher than in some other parts of the country for years. I know that Atlanta has a population boom, as we see it in all our schools. So, it's logical that there is growth in Scouting as well. Oh, and we are in the Bible Belt. Many churches have strong youth programs, and Scouting is one of their programs. True, not all units will sponsor Girls in Scouting Troops (Scouts, BSA), because of that same Bible Belt influence. The growth in Cubs may not translate to the Scouts, BSA program.

Actually, you were talking about masculinity. Your points all have to do with the fundamental changing nature of the Scouting movement in the United States, and nothing to do with the modern Scouting program. Perhaps I’m wrong, but understanding is that there has been such a decision. All the threads that I’ve seen discussing the creation of Scouts BSA have been in I&P. That is the appropriate place for @The Latin Scot and others who want to debate and express their opinions, ideology, and viewpoints. This is not that kind of thread. I&P-style discussions about the fu

I would have taken the scout to my home, assuming my wife was there, and put him to work helping me unload stuff. An opportunity to get to know him better. And when the parents show up I'd gently confront them on the fact that I had talked to them and they did say they were going to show up, and trustworthy means something. Then I'd drop it. Do all that in front of the scout and you'd embarrass all of them to the point that it would never happen again.

Lyft and Uber offer ride alternatives to absent parents.

Just from a Pro's perspective, I always take numbers with a huge grain of salt. You wouldn't believe how badly Council-paid membership programs (i.e. Scout reach) can be abused. Plus, With how Politically Liberal GSUSA has gotten, I could see a lot more parents choosing the BSA, as it is historically more conservative and in line with their own values.

Well, there are safe spaces and then there are safe spaces: Safe space: a space set aside from the normal pressures of social life where people are free to experiment, fail, dust themselves off, and try again, under the guidance of trusted mentors, without fear of embarrassment. Safe space: A space where grown adults run for coloring books and stuffed animals because someone said something that contravenes their world view.

We required the same of these parents. Without getting into the long story, their lawyer persuaded us to find other alternatives. I know, I know, we could have done a lot of things. Some parents have more money than sense. On the positive side, the scout earned Eagle. Barry

Actually, your post just gave me an excuse to ask a question. I was more thinking along the line of a patrol wanting to hold a patrol meeting with as little adult interference as possible (within the confines of BSA rules). If one of the scouts has both parents registered (committee member, ASM, unit reserve scouter, merit badge counselor, whatever) then could the patrol hold its meeting at that scout's house on a Saturday morning or weekday evening when both parents were at home but were doing their own things elsewhere in the house?

That is so true. A troop is not all things to all people. Do what you can but also recognize the limitations of what you can assist with and where you can provide support for within the troop.

We had a couple of scouts in our troop with behavioral issues. We required a parent to come to any event the scout attended as these issues were beyond what we felt we were capable of handling without a parent. One came to summer camp with his dad. His dad had to go into town to log in to get work done. We told him he had to take his son with him. He did the first time. Then he went again and did not take his son. Well, his son used some very inappropriate language with a mom who came to camp that year while the dad was away. We made it abundantly clear that this would never happen

Eagle Scout from Lower Lake California. Troop 44. Left Home to join the Army and came back with a family. My oldest boy crossed over from Cubs and had a great year at summer camp and earned his Scout badge. I am trying my had at the committee and want to make the Scout program as enjoyable for my kids as it was for me.

The Girl Scouts organization was taken over in the 70's by the women's rights movement and they lost their identity of purpose. Their uniform change ironically symbolized that loss. Our town has a huge 4th of July parade every year and the Boy Scouts lead it holding a 100 foot long American Flag. I don't really know the numbers, but probably between 750 to 1000 Cubs, Troops, and Venturing scouts leading the 4 hour parade. It's very cool. Right behind the Boy Scouts are roughly 75 (if that many) Girl Scouts in shorts and t-shirts. The only thing uniform about them is their sash, if t

Just as they sang "Softly Falls" and "Ging Gang Goolie" as Girl Scouts, will the girls still be able to sing "On my honor" as Scouts BSA?

And the plural of "y'all" is "all y'all". I would agree with @KarenZ that AAC has always been a powerhouse and one of the largest councils. That's where I started Scouting in 3rd grade as a Bear in Norcross, GA.

I believe it is all about scholarships. People are desperate to be able to afford the price of college these days and I hear people talk about scholarships 100x more than anyone ever did when I was young. Pretty much the same reason that is having a bad impact and cheapening the Eagle award.

Son #1 is sewing on his own merit badge for the first time. Then he will do is new position patch.

There's more where that video came from. The BSA communications Youtube site is cranking out a few that can be clipped for boys, girls, or both, as well as leaders. I think I like this one best so far. It's a little bit much on the big zip-lines, but it ends with astronomy. Always a win for me.

No one’s eliminating anything. You are not being censored. I’m simply asking that the same standard be applied to discussions of the BSA program now that it is accepting girls as was applied when it was rejecting them. Comments of the sort you are making were spun off into I&P threads in years past when they were on the other side of the fence. As to my misunderstanding of your comments - sir, two of the sentences in your original post referred to the video. The others were about how the BSA has changed. That speaks for itself. Please let those of us who want to discuss the progr

Ah, finally. A profound statement that will be used in a lot of future discussions. Barry

I appreciate your candor, but ask you and any mods reading this to consider this with deep thought. Many threads from here on out will be about the Scouts BSA program and discuss girls. They will be about YPT, adult leadership, girls’ uniforms, the girls’ handbook, linked troop operations, girls at summer camp, recruiting and marketing to girls, and much, much more. If those threads on aspects of the Scouts BSA program and unit leadership can be detailed and taken over by people who simply oppose the direction of the program, that will be to the severe detriment of this forum and its

I would very much welcome a policy decision by this moderators of this forum that posts continuing to debate the merits of girls in the BSA get moved to I&P. I'm perfectly fine that you all continue to debate it. I just would like to have a place focus on the mechanics and best practices of the Scouting program itself.

I've got a 9 year old daughter and a 14 year old daughter. They are both active Girl Scouts. This video captures exactly the things that they like about Girl Scouts now. Hiking, canoeing, archery, climbing, roasting marshmallows, camping. If anyone thinks this is too masculine for girls, then you've not met my daughters, their friends, or their Girl Scouts troops. A very good video.

We may disagree on things related to Star Wars, but I couldn't agree with you more strongly on this. Very well said.

I am not talking about masculinity. You missed the point of my earlier comment, so I will make it clear for you. I am talking about Scouting, and what this video is trying to communicate about it. This video wants people to believe that the program of Scouting, as it currently exists, will have just the same effect on girls as it does on boys. I think that is absolutely false. I think the video is an attempt to convince parents that the traditional Scouting program can be made to fit girls just as well as it fits boys. But I believe girls and boys are inherently different, and a program t

It's good that a parent/den leader who was trained (likely YPT) raised the concern! This is an example of YPT working, not perfectly, but it worked to prevent future boys from having their privacy compromised by this creep. Note, that camp director needs to be fired and perhaps we need to write to the council about that.

The video is selling the fun, which is, IMO, the right way to promote Scouting.

Just FYI, on Tuesday evening, I stepped down as Scoutmaster of my son's Troop to become the Scoutmaster of my daughter's Troop. It is a linked Troop (well, it will be on 2/1/19), using the same chartering org and Troop Committee. My wife is the ASM. I will be posting the heck out of this video and the other info on the new BSA branding site on local social media and getting articles in the local papers and school communication portals to recruit. I am also getting a head count from my DE of the Webelos 2 girls in all teh surrounding towns that don't have a planned Scouts BSA program for them t

What position(s) do you hold in the pack and troop? It sounds like you are probably an Assistant Scoutmaster in the troop, in which case it is not your responsibility to know where any Scout is in his book. In the pack, if you are the Den Leader or an Assistant Den Leader who has been specifically designated to keep track of the Cubs' advancement, maybe it is your responsibility. If you are a committee member, not. It is not clear from your post whether you are 21 yet, so I don't know what positions you are eligible to hold.

What you are facing is normal, this is what almost all new scout troops face. The boys need to be trained, before they can lead. The scout master is the key person that needs to get the SPL trained and up to speed. There are some books that would really help your new scout master with some much needed insight, I suggest: The Scout Masters Handbook The Boy Scout Handbook So Far, So Good! A New Scoutmaster's Story by Clarke Green The Scouting Journey, by Clarke Green The Scoutmaster's Other Handbook, by Mark A. Ray

As a stay-at-home dad, it's amazing how much of the work supporting my sons' Cub Scout Pack goes on during the day. Trips to our Council office to iron out problems or pick up supplies (advancement or otherwise) from the Scout Shop. Running over to the school where we met to deal with scheduling issues and access our things in our storage closest. Going to our school district offices for usage agreements for the school spaces. Deposits to our bank. Popping into our local Park District to reserve shelters for our outdoor events and our annual pool rental for family swim night. If a few of

I'm a push mower parent. Not nearly as loud or obnoxious as a lawnmower parent and I can also cut the lawn at 7am on a Sunday and not bother the neighbors.

Speaking of Magic.....