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As a non-Wood Badger, but with 20+ years of scouting experience, just remember that scouts don't know or care about Wood Badge. They only care about what you say and do, and how you treat them. So, use your training wisely, and remember that this journey is not about you, it's about developing tomorrow's leaders.

Found a few things while browsing old threads, but could use some specific tips for recruiting. I recently agreed to take on recruiting, as we haven’t had much luck in finding another adult to step into a formal recruiting position. Here’s a little info about what’s up in our troop. We had previously drawn from two towns, but the neighboring town has been able to get its own troop up and running, and they seem to be doing well. As a result, we won’t see any new scouts from that town. In addition, the packs in town have been going through some pretty major changes, and have seen their

The topic is "recruiting for Scouting". If the folks on this eDebate are , as I must assume, of the opinion that Scouting is one of the best opportunities a kid may have , one must consider three things: 1) What is "Scouting" ? What EXACTLY sets this activity apart from , say, 4H, MYF, Boys/Girls Club, school drama club, intermural football, SoccerUSA, etc. ? 2) How would any kid (and his parents?) learn of this "special" opportunity? 3) How can we , old fogies, help with #1 and #2 ? And yet NOT limit #1? Let's get personal. I joined a Cub Scout Pack ,

Fulfilling the vision of the pinnacle experience hiking and camping independently with your mates ... this has several implications, one of which is becoming epic. When I talk to veterans who weren't in scouting, for example, they will often tell me about "those Eagle scouts" who handled basic training so much better than they did. There is a bit of a swagger to a 1st class scout (the concept, not the patch) that cannot be denied. I've seen it in my adult children, so I know what these guys are talking about. But, there's also the other thing: consecutive hours in the elements. Football p

Interesting that you think the BSA will survive. I'm not so sure. They certainly don't have the resources of the church. If the BSA does survive, the program won't be recognizable as the traditional youth camping program of the past. I guess it's more a matter of what level of sacrifice is satisfactory justice. Barry

There are very good reasons for Statutes of Limitations. Some of them were previously too short regarding this issue. It's a close call to me whether a "window" law like NJ's is a good or bad idea. But, and I say this as a Catholic serving a Catholic unit, what's really going on here is all of us paying for the sins of the Church. For decades, and as near as we can tell universally throughout the Church, the leaders of the Church actively protected members of the clergy who they knew had raped and abused children. This isn't some modern view retroactively applied to past acts. Thes

My point is that camping, etc. are just different kinds of fun activities. If your appeal is to a youth's interest in having fun by offering them fun activity type (C), you are directly competing with the fun offered by other organizations doing activity types (A), (B), (D), (E), (F), and so on. That's fine -- youth have lots of different likes when it comes to fun activities. I'm suggesting that to really set Scouting apart, offering just another type of fun activity isn't enough. You have to go beyond the youth's interest in doing something fun. You have to appeal to some other interest

The "most notable changes" from the web page: District functions will be narrowed and re-focused on building strong units through two things only: coaching, and recruitment/membership support. All other current district committee members will be invited to be part of a centralized council committee - activities, advancement, camping, communications, FOS, OA, popcorn, roundtables, or training. All 16 district boundaries will shift to create 13 new Scouting districts that coincide with school districts. That first point really gets to the heart of what is (in my opinion) th

I would just call district first, and then council to ask for contacts with a lot of Northern Tier experience. Then go from there. We did all our training with someone that has 30 years of Northern Tier experience and some of that wasn't even near the water, like how to pack a canoe correctly or how to lift a canoe over your head. You might learn of more contacts who have access to canoes from the first contacts. All that is good, but unlike rivers with a current, wind is the big driver of fatigue on large lakes. I don't understand the science, but it doesn't matter what direction you

@ianwilkins, I thought it was because he was a sneaky son of a gun of an intelligence officer who caused panic German Intel folks during WWI. Abwer were seriously concerned about him, evan at his age.

Let's have that diary quote in full shall we? You know, so that no-one misrepresents history or anything... "Lay up all day. Read Mein Kampf. A wonderful book, with good ideas on education, health, propaganda, organisation etc. – and ideals which Hitler does not practise himself."

I can quote my own southern Ky ancestors that the "War of Northern Aggression" was aimed at slavery. My late fraternal grandmother was National Commander of the Daughters of the Confederacy, so I've heard it all ("War is not civil!" is a favorite.). But there is no need to quote her as the Confederate Constitution expressly makes enslavement of the "negro" a civil right of the so-called "White Race" and the rebel leaders were explicit that the threat to the preservation and expansion of chattel slavery of the "negro" was THE casus belli: "No bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law

So did I. Present situation does not permit. But here are the guidelines.... How to Heat with Wood for Free! It is easy to heat your home for free with wood! I have done it for many years , and I have been asked by many to detail the economics of it. Here, then, is my accounting of heating with wood over the last few years! Wood is available for free from many sources. Neighbors may need a tree cut down. Road crews leave wood by the road for picking up. Untended lots need thinning. One just needs a little equipment. Build wood rack

Eh... The War of Northern Aggression was not started over slavery. It was an economic move to force Southern states to support a fledgling Northern industrialization. The slavery issue was used as a crutch long after the war started to justify conscription of the unwilling. Read the newspaper editorials of the times and check your dates. (Conscription Riots) If slavery was the focus of the war, why did Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation free only the Southern slaves and not those remaining in Northern territories? To foster a slave rebellion that he hoped would siphon off troops.

Baden Powell was also an avowed fascist. He admired Hitler's youth movement and called Mein Kampf a "wonderful book". Winston Churchill hated Hindus and Palestinians and wanted to use poison gas against rebellious native indigenous populations. His stalwart defense of Britain helped stem the tide of WWII, but it was based on his vision of the preservation of the British empire. FDR opposed anti lynching bills and put Japanese Americans in concentration camps. LBJ is credited with language so racist and disgusting that it's hard to read modern day despite the fact that's he's credited with som

Hiding history doesn't change history. It just makes you ignorant. And political correctness hasn't done Scouting much good so far.

It's only silly if you haven't bothered to educate yourself about what companies like Facebook and Google are actually doing and if you do not care at all about your own personal privacy. Speak for yourself. There are many of us who do *NOT* use Facebook precisely because we do not agree with their socially irresponsible terms and conditions. Instead, we advocate for government to step up and enact RESPONSIBLE privacy laws and date security laws. In the EU, baby steps in the right direction have taken place, and companies and software professionals talk about how they will respect ne

For the life of me, where does a families permissive or non-permissive sexual ethic come into BSA? I do not equate being an inclusive organization as being a reflection of any sexual ethic.