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I've been re-reading a history book, created over 15 years ago, outlining the rich background of Scouting in my area. In one particular chapter, the author highlights some pretty cool things that took place during the "Improved Scouting" years, despite the changes that the National Council, BSA introduced in 1972. Dedicated Scouters gave countless hours to mentor, guide, and teach countless young people how to navigate the world and society. This is exactly what each of us is still doing today! I think the general malaise I feel from reading some posts on this Forum is due, in large part,

Last night we held our final troop meeting for 2018. Ours is an LDS troop that will go out of existence one year from now. We used last night's troop meeting to motivate by highlighting the Scouting journey that lies ahead in 2019, both in terms of rank advancement and outdoor adventures. We anticipate up to 14 new Eagle Scouts in 2019 (in a normal year, it's just 3 or 4). We compared our 2019 troop activity calendar to a rock band's farewell tour schedule. We will be revisiting many favorite camping destinations from past years. As we moved month-to-month through the calendar, their excitemen

How Trail Life USA is growing: BSA SMs who are failing -- nay, refusing -- to deliver on the promise of scouting. It's a tragedy for the leader as well. Scouting works on us. But we have to let it. That means telling your employer that you are responsible for scouts and need a weekend off. It could mean not making the $ you think you need, and other sacrifices to reap smiles. @sst3rd, if you've met these two girls and they and their parents are gun ho, move heaven and earth to make it happen for them. I can think of no better reward for you than their "thank-you" years from now.

@MattR I like your ideas , and the SM and I will probably start including the scout law on our permission slips, we recently developed a new 4 step system for campouts (1-Warning, 2- loss of privilege/ extra duty (depends in punishment, 3-Call home and 4-go home) The PLC came up with the idea at our last meeting, and plans on enforcing it. We will probably have to tell Grandpa he needs stay out off the way. I will suggest to the SPL that Adults leaders and Grandpa stay on the complete other side of the campground as grandsons patrol ( we have 3 patrols) and SPL, ASPL, and JASM camp separate fr

Waaaay back in my Scout day, I remember that our Patrol would just do what needed to be done. If the "spoiled kid" (and he was), didn't do his share, , well, he still ate, but he took home dirty dishes, and he sat around a lot watching all the others doing stuff. My advice, if the "spoiled kid" comes camping, he carries his own gear, camps in his own tent (which he pitches), eats with the Patrol (if he paid for his share of grub), and if he refuses to carry firewood or water or help clean, well, make sure that his stuff is his stuff. He can sit and watch, but he doesn't play with

"Okay gang, here is the duty roster. We will be at the Muddy Creek campground next weekend, and you all know what that means. Hauling in the gear, water faucet is aways to carry, campstove is HERE (show map).. Everyone pick a job (pass the roster around). If you are on the campout, ya gotta take a job. "A Scout is Trustworthy", we all do a bit, it all gets done. Jake, are you coming with your G'dad? He camps with the adults, right? You want to cook or clean up? No, you don't get served personally, EVERYBODY pulls his weight in this Patrol. Don't forget the Patrol Pitch ! We can win

Ingredients 1.5 lbs. ground beef 1 oz. packet taco seasoning mix 0.5 c. sweet onion, chopped 4 green onions, chopped 8 oz. package cream cheese 1 c. salsa 12ish small tortillas (we usually use wheat) 1 c. pepper jack or Mexican blend cheese, shredded 2.5 c. green enchilada sauce 4 oz. black olives, sliced (optional) Directions 1. Brown beef. Add taco seasoning and transfer ingredients to a large bowl, reserving drippings. 2. Cook both kinds of onions in the hot drippings until tender. Add to seasoned ground beef along with cream cheese and salsa. Stir the mixture

Then start writing. Seriously. You know it. You enjoy it. You want to share it. I mean this in the most respective and appreciative way I can. Write something that we can point people to. Write something that will not only explain how to do patrol method but why. One of the problems with the usual writing is the authors are trying to keep things short and not get into too much detail. The result is overly vague and not useful. It also has no emotion. We all get goose bumps when a scout first conquers his fears and starts leading his patrol. That needs to be conveyed in order to get someon

Eagle94-A1, This whole maddening situation will NOT change. The more you feel you are sucked in, the worse it will get. You've made the change to another troop. You are doing a disservice to the new troop by hanging on to the old. Make the break. This is toxic. Invite all of your scouter and scout friends to join you ASAP. Yes, the old troop may die, but as a former long time scoutmaster who made the same promise to my scoutmaster, I had to eventually let it go. The troop died after 2 years. I'm okay with it, as he knows I did my best. Your friends may want to hang on, but it's to the

"WWWHHH000000 BBBUUUDDDDDDDDDDYYYYY!" as Shug would say.

Try "NotEagleDad" for that complete disconnect. Just don't argue with yourself.

Our troop carries a balance from year to year for continuous operations. My daughter's troop basically starts from scratch each year. GSUSA troops seem to just be for 1-2 age groups that fade away when the girls get older. So they are always creating new troops.

I have a success story in the making! A female Webelos - the only one in her pack, recently visited my son's troop to satisfy one of her AOL requirements. She visited us from the next council and county over. As the den leader for my daughter's AOL den (in yet another council and county over in the other direction), we invited her join us at our den meetings. She earned her Looking Back Looking Forward elective with us at our last meeting and will be joining us tomorrow to satisfy Build a Better World #4 - when we are visiting with yet another local pack who has invited the local school b

That doesn't make any sense. First, the vast majority of BSA units are also part of non profit orgs so that would have to somehow apply to BSA units also. Additionally, non profit organizations operate continuously just like all other organizations. There's no requirement that a non profit "start from scratch" every year; other than having an arbitrary date for financial reporting there is no start or stop necessary for any ongoing financial practice.

...why have I never thought of this before!

Hi Denise, To me, the most important aspect of Scouting is THE PATROL METHOD, followed closely by THE PATROL METHOD, and of course then followed by THE PATROL METHOD. Did you catch my drift? This is the easiest thing to say, but in many respects the hardest to implement and facilitate. But going back to Baden Powell and on through Green Bar Bill, this is the most important thing. I got some good stuff from Bill Hilcourts Scoutmaster Handbook from the 1930's and 1940's. There is a section at the beginning of the book that fairly well explains the subject. How do you start? The

Lots of ideas I agree with . The organization, the Scout Led, the opportunities... Make good contact with your local Scout Commissioner Corps (see the District webpage). And the most local Scout Camp. Hereabouts in Maryland, we have several Scout Camps in driving distance with cabins available for winter camping and activities. Get your scouts OUTSIDE and hiking and observing. Make contact with local naturalists, park people, bird watcheyour Scouts reading the handbook and working toward First Class. It is do-able in the winter. As your adult ideas sink in, let the Scouts take over

This scout won't listen to scout leadership or adults. In other words, he just doesn't understand teamwork. I don't know his age but my guess is he's 11 or 12? One option is, on the permission slip, have a copy of the scout oath and law. Explicitly state that if a scout does not follow this then they will be sent home. Since grandpa is there it won't be a problem. The important part is that you follow through. Another option: I've never done this before but you're welcome to try. Before the next campout tell everyone in the patrol that without teamwork they may as well be in cub scou

@Oldscout448 I wish we could do that but we can't that because one of the snowflakes parents is always at a campout so he will just feed him, and second because Im pretty sure that violates G2SS. @Eagledad I like the idea of making them work as a team, but it is difficult due to opportunities, one thing that seems to work for us our Councils Klondike at a summer camp it is held in February and requires the patrols to sled in and working as a team kind of like a winter camporee One idea the SPL and I had to create bonding between the patrols is separating them patrol A is 100m away fr

He who will not work neither shall he eat. II Thes 3:10 it worked in my troop back in the day. A less harsh version might be no s'mores or cider on Saturday night.

We solved it with patrol inspections. If the patrol had dirty dishes, they were hit hard. The prize, I don't remember what it was, has to be worth effort. However, this may be indicative of a bigger challenge for you; your patrols are not bonding into a team. I'm sure this is a problem in other areas as well, it just hasn't risen to the level of adults yet. There a lots of reasons for patrols not bonding, but basically the activities your troop is doing isn't demanding a team effort. I'm guessing your troop activities aren't really requiring the patrols to function as patrols. Building a

Chief - one way we solved this was by having the PL write the duty roster a week before the campout, SM or SPL signs off on it then PL runs the duty roster back through his patrol and asks for objections, Everyone inthe patrol must agree the roster is fair before they go on the trip. Once you are on the trip there is no more debate or argument - Snowflake had thier chance to dispute before they left.

Lots of COs already do. If you're sponsored by a Catholic Church or school for instance, you almost certainly are being asked to agree to a background check conducted on behalf of the diocese. I'm not sure there's any extra value to having a second background check, there's no real reason to think it would turn up anything new or different from what the BSA does. It's important to understand what a "background check" is; first, it's not really any sort of investigation the way say a security clearance might be, rather, there are a number of companies who take the information provided, l

Naturally the material is the same regardless where you take WB. And, of course, no two WB experiences are the same because they are run by different staff at different location etc. The big benefit to attending in your own council is that you will meet and become friends with other Scouters in your own council - the people you will cross paths with at roundtable and at summer camp, on a district committee or an OA event.

I know I am on the outside looking in on this one: This Jew Scouter has sat through so many "Interfaith" ceremonies that are 99% Christian and include divisive proverbs and songs grows tired of explaining to my son about that is their religion and he should learn to just be respectful and not interfere. When we practice our religion we do not get the same respect that we give others, that is just the way it is. Living in the bible belt is an interesting experience for Jews. People here have hard times being respectful to other forms of Christianity, let alone Jews, Muslims, Mormons(Yes

I've been mentoring a new scoutmaster for just over a year. I was her sounding board, reference guide, and friend. Their pack and troop meet on the same night, but different times and classrooms (at a church). She's taken her training and I hope that I've helped her apply it to a real world example, their scout troop. They're missing three big things: 1) more adult trained leaders, 2) camping every month or so, 3) a patrol with a working patrol leader. Yep, these things are pretty fundamental to a successful program. I gave it all I got, but it wasn't enough. I've decided now, at the