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I had a rough drive to work this morning, thanks for bringing me calm. I believe Kimberlee's article is profound for scouting. Independence is the path to confidence. Confidence leads to initiating actions and making decisions toward set goals. I am amazed with the number of boys who join our troop that lack the confidence to step forward with any decisions. Scouting develops self-confidence through the path of independence. We watch it everyday. Adults today understand how independence leads to self-confidence, but they don't trust it. They put independence off until they feel thei

A Scout is thrifty! Sounds like a great plan. You will want to read (edit - RS) about the two requirements where I noticed changes since she will have to use those updated requirements when ranking up. I have the new book in my hands because the Scout Shops are now selling them, which is a bit earlier than I had hoped. A quick rundown of the changes: All images of Scouts were updated to be girls. Several other photos containing people were changed to use females or are simply different. They still all have the same theme and often very similar poses. Colors behind headers, like

As a swimming and first aid MBC I have a couple of reservations with scouts taking these badges in their first summer camp. First, can they actually swim and will they be successful in the swimming MB. Many parents/scouts/SM think swimming is blow off badge and are disappointed when Junior doesn't complete the class. Liking the water and playing Marco Polo, aren't the same as actually being able to swim well enough to pass the required distances. Also, will they swim in a lake if that is where the MB takes place. It's amazing how many good swimmers freak out about being in a lake with fish, bi

Even shorter than @ParkMan's, I would say ... This is definitely one of those "less is more" situations.

Eagle94-A1, If you send it to her, I think she will read it, get fired up and retaliate. Maybe she'll just continue to mess things up in your old troop, but she'll find a way to respond. If writing the letter brings closure, then close it. I know you won't, but it was a thought. Your letter was eloquent, detailed, and masterful. But you still won't let it go. For the sake of your sanity, put all of your scouting time into the new troop. They really do need that passion that you show for scouting. Don't shortchange your new troop. sst3rd

I'm not sure people have changed so much as the technology has made "think first, open mouth second" harder to do. Remember the old days when we had editors for newspapers? Now it's a bunch of kids/folks with cell phones posting on social media and the news media playing catch up. There is a lesson in here for our scouts. Those two stars on the scout badge mean something important.

Hey all! When I was reading the Feedback for Adult leader thread I was thinking about resources that have helped me learn more about Scouting and grow as an adult volunteer. I'm hoping members of the forum can contribute things they found helpful here so that we create a wiki resource for folks visiting the forum. As I said in that thread, I think the resources for folks to learn more about Scouting are out there, but people may not know where to look for them. Suggested materials (books, videos, podcasts, websites, blogs, ect.) to post: Any official BSA resources you've foun

If she decides that I suddenly have knowledge worth sharing and asks me, my recommendation to my daughter will be to take no merit badges at camp this summer. Go to the sessions; ask a lot of questions; follow up with open periods in areas you like; visit the areas during evening program; learn plenty of skills; get plenty of practice; try things that you wouldn’t get a chance to do outside of camp. But heavens to Betsy, don’t take any “merit badge classes”! If you really want to earn a badge that piques your interest, take what you’ve learned during this week and find a counselor ba

@Kudu impressive collection of program information and advice http://www.inquiry.net Enoch Heise, traditional Scouting values blog http://scoutingrediscovered.com Scouting History: https://www.pinetreeweb.com http://troop97.net/bsahist1.htm

Which merit badge courses should he take? Easy - the ones he wants to take. This is how Scouting works. A boy looks for activities he finds interesting, and invests his time in making them happen. If he wants to work on advancement, he'll want to work on required merit badges. If he wants to focus on activities only offered at camp, he'll take those courses. But if he just wants to do merit badges that he finds fun or interesting, he doesn't need to do anything else. Too often we as adults want to steer a Scout's schedule towards what we think they need, and we don't really trust the

I doubt this is news to the more avid members of this forum, but the "Bryan on Scouting" blog is simply indispensible. It's got a great variety of themes and issues, its timely and consistently updated, and it is presented with charm and authority. See https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/

Every year, parents of first year scouts ask, "What merit badges should my son sign up for at summer camp?" Every year, I hear different responses from the SM and from the different ASMs. Some of the responses make sense. Some don't. What I usually recommend is a 3-point approach: Swimming merit badge Pick fun, outdoor-oriented merit badges that aren't easy to do back home using local troop merit badge counselors or local merit badge workshops. Good choices include: - Archery - Canoeing (or another boating activity) - Rifle Shooting - Horsemanship - Wood C

I largely agree with @sst3rd. My letter would be something like: Best of luck!

At this point it is very much not your problem, and I agree that at this point your best response is to ignore the old troop (or at least its problems) is the best answer. But I still don't understand the goal of the parents to family camp in the troop structure. If they want to go camping on only their terms, just go camp.

An old copy of the Handbook for Patrol Leaders. And by old I mean a printing stemming from the 1929 version (eg, 10th printing is from 1941). Also, an old copy of the Handbook For Scoutmasters. I just have volume 1 but the original printing is from 1936. These books are dripping with enthusiasm and common sense. Hillcourt wrote them both (and likely the 2nd volume for SM's). For more information about Hillcourt, go to the home page.

E94, NO! Just no! This is not about her. (Well it is, but that's between her and the Almighty.) Just talk up what your boys are getting in the new troop (i.e. the promise of scouting) that wasn't being delivered in the old one. And tell her that if she wants to roll out the red carpet for the next leader, she'll work on delivering that promise to all the scouts in her troop.

As a Red Cross instructor, I completely agree. I made that same comment to a SM a couple of years ago when two of his scouts were 'teaching' First Aid at Webelos Woods and told the boys that the first course of action for bleeding was to apply a tourniquet, and that the first step in case of cardiac arrest was to elevate the feet and pack the person in ice. First Aid is not one of those things where close is good enough. When my nephew took FA at our troop's second summer camp last year, I sat off to the side observing, and was very pleased with how well the young man teaching the class

Where is there a restriction against Googles or goggles for Swimming MB? Our camp Waterfront Director checked a couple years ago and found no restriction against goggles for swim test or swimming MB.

True, but who goes where and when can be confusing for unit level volunteers. One example is the Webelos requirement to fill out a Troop application and talk to a SM. Not a big deal on the surface, but some Scoutmasters might submit those applications, not realizing (or don't care), that the Webelos is no longer a member of the pack. And officially the scout can no longer earn anymore badges, like AOL. Luckily, council goes in a fixes the problem. But, the numbers are shifted. That's not too bad, but where the numbers really get messed around are the new Scouts joining the troops. In real

Good or Bad? The discussion isn't about making good or bad decisions. It's about the accuracy of information being provided for making decisions. Barry

http://meritbadge.org - Annotated advancement requirements. Don't skip the footnotes, they're the most useful part. https://www.animatedknots.com/ - Needs no further explanation. http://www.thedump.scoutscan.com/dumpinventoryview.php - Scans of all kinds of material from the golden age of scouting. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29558 - The original BSA handbook. Subversive anathema in our modern age.

My take: people of various affiliations who gathered together on a national plaza expressed their dislike for one another's associations. Nobody was shoved, punched, stabbed, blugeoned, or shot. It was a good day for freedom of expression in America.

I have been to pro-life activities with teens. This is exactly what they are taught to do when confronted by hostile and aggressive opponents. Smile. Say nothing. Do nothing. Just hold your ground and say/do nothing until the police arrive. The boy might not have intended any disrespect. His so-called "smirk" might have simply been his attempt to smile (as instructed) while being faced with a very uncomfortable situation.

https://www.whec.com/news/police-suspects-charged-in-bomb-plot-were-former-boy-scouts/5218855/