Leaderboard

Totally agree with this. When somebody says "Leader" the streotype that comes to mind is the President, a Sports coach, or a military leader in the front of a group of soldiers storming the enemy. Scouting does tend to bias towards streotypical extroverts, because Scouting is a team and social activity. There is a stereotyping for youth and adult leaders to exhibit what we consider extroverted traits, but that's a cop out. These sterotypes get drawn on too much. We make excuses for people not just in Scouting, "They're an (Extrovert/Introvert) it's just the way they are." I don't believe that'

You seem to be saying that CIS being different from other required merit badges is disqualifying criteria for it being required. I'll wait for the irony to hit.

Is this for Cit in the Nation, 2c? It's worth pointing out that Cit in the Nation requirement 2 has the structure of of pick two out of four requirements, so you can do the others. Also, a US embassy or consulate would qualify as would potentially US military bases (though that's tougher). I would also potentially consider a virtual visit to be acceptable within these constraints, but ask your merit badge counselor.

As this long saga plays out my attorney let me know that my case has been filed in California State Court. Yes, I know that there will be a stay on it because of the bankruptcy but still I feel better having it filed.

MattR: These situations are always fact-intensive and it is impossible to understand the detail of Mr. P's accusations or the fullness of how such accusations might impact the future of the person unfairly accused. My view is very simple. If a Scouter believes she or he has been subjected to unfounded accusations of the horrible crime of child abuse, that person should involve the CO in any investigation the BSA will perform. It is the only way a person can potentially obtain a written exoneration (from the CO) of this terribly damaging accusation (short of filing a defamation law suit

This is a big problem, I agree. I believe a big part of the problem is adult leaders who never had a youth scouting experience. Without the experience of adventure and the social dynamics of camping in the woods, these adults have to rely on measurable experiences, which is advancement. Advancement drives annual schedules and shapes scouting activities. Character development is a function of rank and advancement sing-offs, not scouts’ choices judged within the interpretations off the law. Theses adults are afraid to let any scout not earn the Eagle. And you can’t blame these adults, trai

Introverts' box is "behind the curtain" and maybe background vocals. We introverts excelled more in the writing and production which complemented the stage presence and theatrical talent of extroverts. So at the start a summer camp week, the camp songmaster would sing a familiar song, e.g., It Ain't Gonna Rain No More Chorus: Oh, it ain't gonna rain no more, no more It ain't gonna rain no more How in the heck can I wash around my neck if it ain't gonna rain no more He then challenged patrols to write new verses... and were off using the Patrol Method to write verses

My apologies for replying so late. I don't think an explanation would be futile. In fact, stories of how to deal with introverts can help other scout leaders in the forum. Introverts can have anxiety from any personal communication with strangers or even known acquaintances if the subject subject mater is challenging. And challenging can even mean something positive like a boss asking the introvert to come to their office to present them with a raise. Introverts struggle with making choices of meeting people to knowingly advance their personal situation, or to not meet that person to ease the

How about replacing all of those with the only one that a scout can actually do - Citizenship in the Patrol? Elect a new PL. Solve a problem. Decide on something fun to do. Do it. Talk about how it went. Really easy if the patrol is run well and a tool to use when it's not. Why are nearly a quarter of all the MBs needed not supporting the fundamentals of learning by doing? You can't do Citizenship in the World. No matter how noble it is to understand this subject it's a square peg in a round hole. Scouting is supposed to be a microcosm of the real world where a scout can learn and take sk

IMHO, community service projects may be a better approach to developing good neighbors and citizens, i.e., part of the program as opposed to part of advancement. My $0.02,

As a SM, I was called at least once a week by a parent with an opinion of something they saw that bothered them. Sometimes more than 1 a week, rarely less. And you would be amazed of what bothers parents. Every SM has a strong opinion to someone, especially if they firm with how the program is run. All I can say is if SMs, or strong leaders, don’t learn the art of listening, they will have continued frustration and drama. Add the skills of patience and humility because sometimes the SM, or strong leader, is wrong. Barry

I was talking to our commissioner and he said it was a good thing the bankruptcy was over. I said no, it wasn't. He was surprised and that someone told him it was over. I told him the BSA was still paying lawyers and the judge hadn't finalized it yet. So, basically this is the new normal. We're more on our own than before. It's more important than before that we put on a good program.