Leaderboard

I teach SMs to guide their scouts to at least use an agenda because it keeps them on track from a starting to an end. Without an agenda, meetings tend to run really long because the leader will jump to what they remember in the moment. I let my SPLs run a couple of meetings without agendas just to prove me wrong, but they have always admitted agendas are the greatest thing since internal backpacks. The participants of our NYLC course planned at least 12 meeting agendas, and lead 3 during our course. I believe the SPL Handbook, or PL Handbook has a simple agenda. Basically: Officer and PL reports Old business New Business Closing if you need one. You could add Roberts Rules and let the Scouts work out what they like to use. Our SPL plans and runs an averages of 50 meetings every six months. They get quite good at them. Barry

I reiterate my previous opinion. This is NOT a PLC decision, but one that should be made at the Patrol level. Each patrol needs to decide how their patrol will operate during patrol meetings/activities. The PLC should be a place where the PLs can report on their progress as a patrol, seek advice from other PLs and make TROOP level decisions. The PLC should not dictate how a patrol decides to operate.

Can you believe a youth leader with a some youth help, built a castle for his group? During WW1, Harry Delos Andrews was stationed as an hospital administrator in Chateau de la Roche in southern France. The posting left a lasting impression. "In the 1920s, one of Andrews’ projects was his Boy Scout-esque troop, which he named the Knights of the Golden Trail (KOGT). The group often camped along the shore of the Little Miami River, which bisects Loveland. The two plots where the group stayed were donated by families of the scouts, who obtained the land through a subscription promotion held by the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. The KOGT spent so much time on the site that they began to leave their camping gear there, leading Andrews to want to build two stone structures as shelters. Of course, the combination of knights and stone abodes led Andrews to decide that a castle needed to be built." The Knights of the Golden Trail were said to be like a boy scout troop but based on the Ten Commandments and a Knights Code of Chivalry. Andrews refused to sell castle to Elvis Presley, and ultimately willed the castle and its ground to the Knights of the Golden Trail, who maintain it to this day. "Nothing that God ever made on the earth is more awe inspiring and heart warming than the sight of a noble youth just budding into manhood, Any man of high ideals who wishes to help save civilization is invited to become a member of the Knights of the Golden Trail." - Harry Andrews More at sources: http://mentalfloss.com/article/68755/ohios-loveland-castle-was-hand-built-midwestern-medievalist http://www.weirdus.com/states/ohio/personalized_properties/loveland_castle/index.php https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9795 I could find no current contact information for the Knights of the Golden Trail.

I live in that council, the Castle is fairly close to our council camp. I have never been, I'll see what I can do as far as hunting down more information. Found a bit of info here: http://www.lovelandcastle.com/

I would not put it into the by-laws. I would, as the GTA states, designate persons who you know are trained and understand advancement as a method and have embraced your vision of the troop. In other words, no blanket "prohibitions" instead use specific designations. Utilize your ASM corps, and PLC as the field to which you designate. A brand new scout parent who is a first year ASM is likely not to be designated by me as someone who could sign off any scout requirement. It is vital the adult understands the advancement method and knows the expectations of it. IMO, to be designated by the SM : 1. the adult learns, 2. the adult is tested, 3. the adult is designated 4. the adults may sign off.

First I've heard about something like this.....sounds like a cool (and profitable) idea! https://buckrail.com/boy-scouts-antler-auction-rakes-in-big-money-for-racks/

Maybe we should let Amazon stock the drugs. Seems like they can deliver within 2 hrs for a nominal fee. Just send it by drone.

Welcome to adult leadership. Unfortunately, there are those in Scouting that want to do Scouting THEIR way or just cannot manage to play well with others. Some options: Lead them. Easier said than done, but by setting expectations and leading by example, advising and guiding you may be able to get through. Continue to have discussions with them and let them know why you have certain expectations and how they can help you and the Cubs by following them. Hard, but really the Scouting way. It's your sandbox, your rules. Now that you are CM you have push back on certain behavior. Set the expectations and let everyone know what those are. Let them know if those expectations cannot be met you will look for someone who can meet them. The problem is you risk the Scout being pulled out of the program which is what you do not want. Walk Away. There those that suck the joy out of Scouting. I prefer not to be around these people as little as possible. I have walked away from non-critical positions at the end of my term because of people like that. Unfortunately CM is a critical position and not something you can just move on from without consequences to the youth. It's much easier to do that with something like district training chair,. SO not really a viable option here. Get them some help. Assign someone that can work well with them, that knows the program and will follow your lead. Maybe that person can figure out how they tick. Overwhelm them. Load them up with work that the pack needs. Sure they will screw it up, just give it back to them and tell them to fix it, but put enough weight on them as you can. Make it the least desirable work also. And hope they start pulling back because every time you see them you have a task for them. Kind of counter to Friendly, and again you risk loosing the Cub, but nothing makes people run from you like giving them more work every time they see you. Suck it up. Sometimes you can't change people (either their attitudes/habits or by moving them along). So you just have to learn to deal with them for the good of the Scouts. I am not sure there is an easy way to do this other than always greet them with a smile and move on from them as quickly as possible and focus on the youth. Just a few ideas. Hope it helps.

I read this and reached excatly the same conclusion. There is nothing in the G2A the prevents or discourages what Ms. Ireland did in any way. It may be a very unique, and I'm sure unimagined, applciation of the rule - but it's quite legit. What I also find somewhat hard to believe is that she joined Scouts Canada so that she could "game" the BSA advancement system down the road. It really seems to me like she's a kid that really just wanted to be a member of a Scouting program like we have in the BSA. I can't help but feel if she were a boy and was this passionate about Scouting we'd all be putting her up for awards and accolades.

Just following up. So we are respecting the vote taken by the PLC for now. I may ask the SPL to request a new vote sometime in the future since it seems they did not follow proper rules of order. We are training the PLC on the use of Robert's Rules.