Leaderboard

This is an old thread, but I found this sentence to be the crux of the matter. I did the mile swim last summer in the ocean at Emerald Bay Scout Camp. It wasn't for any patch, or for accolades or to prove anything to anybody but me. I did it because I wanted to see if I could do it and I had the chance to do it in the ocean. I'm 51 and out of shape, so it took a long time (1:15 to be exact), but I made it and that's all that matters. You can't keep from aging, but you can keep from getting old. If you do that, living with your self judgements isn't so bad.

SMs like this drive me insane. Why not simply coach the Scout on how his project needs to have its own identity and let it go? If he goes out to the site and sees a lot of crossover, then he can complain. We are supposed to help these Scouts. It really is that simple.

This was the old normal. In 2011, BSA created the new Eagle Service Project Workbook and updated the Guide To Advancement. The whole intention of that 2011 re-design was to reign in out-of-control expectations and create a clear consistent set of expectations for all scouts. Too often the emphasis was put on the paperwork and making the scout jump hoops to advance their project. The paperwork became more difficult than the execution. Bureaucracy was valued over service to others. After 2011, the proposal signatures are to reflect concepts, general plans and would such a project fulfill BSA project requirements. Further, a reviewer should also consider whether you will succeed and have a good experience. Reviewers should NEVER expect exact work days, detail meal plans, itemized materials or an architectural diagram. Those can help the reviewer get confidence the scout will succeed, but it's not required at all. The SM is using old habits and he is in conflict with the current defined process. My question to you. Can your scout survive this and move on? Can he find a way past these things? Or, is this a deal breaker causing him to switch troops or give up on Eagle ?

My son passed his BOR with flying colors last night! He is now an Eagle Scout.

I currently reside in the Mid America council (MAC) but I started going to commissioner colleges when I was an ADC in Spirit of Adventure on the east coast. Here in MAC, we partner with two other councils (within Nebraska) to run the college. It is of course open to any. They are going through the program to make it more interesting, useful and exciting for people to WANT TO COME. We will see how it goes. When I was living around Boston, I attended the Western Mass Council in Springfield MA every year. This was an incredible experience. It is done so well I have heard that National allows them to test classes to see if it will be implemented nationally. They have their stuff together. I find these schools useful. Yes we may have had similar training elsewhere from the topics that are presented, but you do get a lot of time to speak with others on issues and topics. It is a great way to meet new people and build your network. There is always something new you can learn that may help you in the future. I have my masters degree and going to work on my doctorate degree soon. I have an idea for a thesis/project but nothing concrete. I'm looking forward to future colleges. A good learning opportunity. If you are up around Springfield MA, go to the theirs. You will not be disappointed.

I am in the Longhouse Council in Syracuse, NY. We have had a Commissioner College for as long as I can remember. Over the last few years this has evolved to an area event covering NE region area 3 and the councils take turns as the chancellor and finding staff. It has been held at a school hear is Syracuse for a number of years. We must be doing things right as they have had attendees in the past as far away as Cleveland, OH I only got as far as a bachelors degree but taught classes at this in the past. I have plans to attend his year as they are offering the Powder Horn Course directors conference which our council has been trying to hold for a few years

Really??!?!? Are you serious? If they changed the Boy Scout book to add some pictures of girls and changed some pronouns you would have went nuts claiming they “changed the program”. They are adding a girls book with picture of girls and adding “she” instead of “he”. They did this in a separate book so they don’t upset the existing boys and their leaders... and that is now an issue? WOW! Perhaps we need to add trigger warnings to any BSA announcements going forward so existing leaders can go to their safe spaces prior to hearing such things like there is a scouts BSA book with pictures of girls or uniform pants that come out and are sized for girls. Oh, the humanity! 😀 There is a lot to complain about but having a separate book (as long as gender is the only delta) makes sense given how they are introducing the program as non coed.

Well, when I did my mile swim practices, one of the scouts thought that the mile swim was done that way--that you could swim the mile a few hundred yards at a time. He quit when told he had to do it in a single swim.

This whole thing precipitated because the GS/USA narrowed its lane to deny many girls some desirable programs. I would rather endure the semblance of co-ed if it lets the one "side" see that the other "side" is playing from the same book. If Venturing is any indication, girls in Scouts USA will avoid any whiff of being pandered to. Any girls who ask me to SM their troop better be prepared to only by the "boy's" book.