Leaderboard

Tomorrow I head off on my first Scout week trip since the summer I turned 19. Back then, the troop consisted of my Scoutmaster who had been in the troop since 1933, the ASM who had been in since around 1960, my friend and fellow 18 y/o ASM, me, and three kids we recruited out of the 5th grade class of our old school at the beginning of the school year. We had a great time at our old camp - water skiing, motorboating, pioneering, a float trip, an overnight canoe trip, and various evening activities. I haven't been to a council camp/merit badge factory since the summer before I quit Scouting in 6th grade. We'll see how this goes. It's my son's first one. I intend to keep my distance from him as much as possible. He'll need to be his own person at the end of July when he attends another camp.

If his Board of Review has been completed and approved by National, he IS an Eagle Scout. Whether he can remain a member of your Troop is another question. Sorry this has happened.

Well, we survived! Lots of learning by the adults and the Scouts. For our part, we learned that we need some new policies and procedures. Low hanging fruit is a cellphone policy. Phones were serving more as a distraction than a tool. Scouts sacrificed water bottles in favor of extra batteries in their pockets. Scouts ignored youth leaders and adult leaders while playing games or watching videos. We also realized that there are youth protection issues with cameras and internet access. So, a policy banning internet-capable, camera-capable devices will be in place shortly. We also realized that there is a major lack of Scout skills among the senior Scouts who have joined the troop. We are working out a plan to form a Junior Scout Patrol for every Scout under the rank of First Class. This will be divided into teams with an ASM assigned to each team. The focus will be on drilling the basic skills - knots, first aid, camping skills, cooking skills, etc. We will have an extra camp out each month as needed to put these skills into practice in the field. I completed IOLS, so that's out of the way. It was generally considered worthless for the content, but valuable for some connections made by those in attendance. We had 12 participants, 2 women, 1 never been a Scout, 1 Life for Life, and the rest Eagles from the 90s/early-2ks. We lamented the current culture focused on advancement over mastery. The Cherokee Scout Reservation in Old North State Council puts on a great summer camp. Their Aviation MB is top notch with about 8 decent gaming-level simulators in a room. They have a wonderful first year program called FROGS that covers many of the requirements on the road to First Class. They don't finger drill it either. The Scouts start each session with a full on flag ceremony and end with the same. They work at a skill until they are able to do it repeatedly with confidence. Consequently, they can't complete everything, but what they do get through is pretty solid. There is a lot of walking. I am going to add a hash mark to my 50-miler patch. I walked 54 miles this week. It's a mile from our camp site to the main area and another mile from there to the water front. You'll get your hill workout. The food was pretty good. The camp director really cares about the program and Scouts. He pulls no punches when dealing with transgressions. There are some hard and fast rules that will get you sent home immediately. There were troops who drove 3.5 hours to come to this camp.

Most likely the best case of action is to hold a scoutmasters conference. Let the scoutmaster get an idea of what is going on with the scout. You never know, maybe the scout was told something unexpected.

We have a summer camp in the area that flooded badly last weekend called Bear Creek. The only people up there were the Ranger and his family, because the camp is shut down for repairs this summer with all Alamo Area Council activities moved to McGimsey Scout Park in town (and a lot of folks going out of council this year). The eponymous Bear Creek is a tributary to the northern fork of the Guadalupe and it did flash flood, but in the wider context the camp just needs some cleanup. Images council sent out attached. Debris in the Order of the Arrow ring (amphitheater-style seating for campfires) and on the wires for the slides. (We have a swimming area in front of the boathouse (on Bear Creek itself of course) with waterslides and zip lines and a floating dock, but the water slides themselves are only on the river during camp sessions, so they weren't in the river when the flood came.) Our floating dock has been lost. Water entered the Dining Hall from runoff coming down the hill; cleanup will be required. (The dining hall is pretty high up on a hill, where the campsites are also located, and it's a pavilion with rolldown closures of openings rather than real walls.) The Eco Pavilion appears unaffected, and all canoes and kayaks remain in place. The road below the Dining Hall has been washed out, exposing a water line and currently preventing vehicle access to the Valley View campsite. Water also entered the Main (storage area behind a novelty facade of an Old West town at the entrance) and the Ranger’s porch, though thankfully not the Ranger’s home itself. Some fencing is down, including a fence belonging to a neighbor near the rifle range. (The rifle range is located in the creek valley.) I think a lot of us in Alamo Area can't help but put ourselves in the shoes of the parents who lost campers on and off. And in those moments, other than working with other unit leaders to make sure we're Prepared(TM), I often become very proud of Scouting America and scouting. As you may know by now even if you're not in the area, Hunt is geologically very prone to flash flooding and is part of an area colloquially called Flash Flood Alley. Just like heat, severe flash flood risk is baked into the experience of camping there. (This is not the first time campers have died in flash floods outside Hunt.) So, this requires Being Prepared. And all the campsites as well as the staff housing is located near the tops of the hills. The entire valley below would have to fill for campers to be washed away in the middle of the night. That's good, because cell phone reception at Bear Creek ranges from none to text messages only at the hilltops. Had Bear Creek itself risen as much as the entire Guadalupe did at its worst, scouts camping at Bear Creek would probably have had their camp week ruined but they would be alive. Camp Mystic (not accredited) had cabins in not just floodplains but floodways, and we have no people sleeping in even floodplains other than (for some inexplicable reason) the Ranger's house. Source: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/2025/texas-camp-mystic-guadalupe-fema-floodplains/, for reference Bear Creek is really close to Camp Waldemar which is marked on the map. The floodway that goes upwards to the left left of Camp Waldemar is Bear Creek the creek.) Apparently FEMA and Camp Mystic argued about flood plains and cabin locations repeatedly, including when they last expanded Camp Mystic in 2020. (Source: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/12/camp-mystic-flood-plain-FEMA/) And we didn't even get close to needing to do anything like that - we just put our campers well away from flash floods and make them all hike up and down hill instead. Good for the folks who planned this camp! Is it irritating to have to hike up and down steep hills in the heat when you're down in Program Valley and realize you forgot something you really must have at your campsite? Yes. Does "Cardiac Hill" deserve its nickname? Maybe not. We are in the physically fit business, after all. But is all the up and down worth knowing that you and your scouts aren't going to die in a flash flood? Absolutely. Safety rules are written in blood, let's not forget. May we all learn to respect the power of nature and be mentally awake enough to recognize when advance planning is the difference between life and death.

Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result.... the definition of insanity 😜

What do these people do at work when they need to train someone? Do they just go "hey Jimmy, find someone around here to teach you!" or do they pair Jimmy directly with a mentor, or themselves as a mentor.

That's exactly where we are right now. Most of the adults in the troop were not Scouts. They took the youth lead concept to an extreme and now we have a patient that is sick. I'm trying to avoid getting to the life support stage, much less CPR. The oldest Scouts have succumbed to sports and the fumes. Half the troop is under the age of 13 and a quarter is under the age of 12. We are going to have to actually teach the PLC, such that it is, how to do the skills and then get them to retain the information long enough to teach it to their patrols.

So we have a framework right. It's clear that adult leaders have to step in and instruct the senior scouts when there is a knowledge gap or lack of retention. This goes back to BP and his original Aids to Scoutmastership. The program has always allowed for adult leaders to step in; how we step in is critical though. My advice, which I would say is backed up by the solid century+ of the program and going back to the root (BP) is, in the absence of capable elected youth leaders, adults step in to teach those youth leaders and get them to the point where they are capable. In short it's a 2 part solution. Part 1) Adults are on hand and always willing to teach the PLC members what they need to do to teach, mentor, and lead the rest of the troop. Part 2) Constantly assessing if you're not being a lazy fat slob by flopping on the phrase "Have you asked your SPL".

In the two years of fumbling it took us to get enough girls to start a girl troop, we lost five kids (two sibling pairs + 1 friend of of one of the families) from out of our own pack to a neighboring town because they had a functioning linked boy troop and girl troop. We managed to get our stuff together to charter a girl troop with minimum #s that next year, but by year's end one aged out and one of our female adults moved. We were down to four girls going into 2024 and knew one would age out over the summer, so the mixed gender pilot was the saving grace for 2025. Very doubtful that BSA is going to drop that, and would bet the farm that by 2026 it is just one of the membership options that any unit can use.

I can add that in my area a couple of hold out packs decided that they wanted to be boy only. A couple of packs tried to do single gender dens. In both scenarios everyone watched as those units shrank, and shrank, and shrank while the family packs maintained or grew. The last couple of hold out packs are basically cookie cutter of each other now, 5-6 scouts with 5 adults; everyone in the district knows that those packs are folding when a member of the Key 3 crosses over with their AOL. My buddies pack tried to stay boy only until they got down under 10 scouts; they went to district and some of us peer leaders at other units for help and the shock was insane. I had to tell my buddy that I was not wasting my time trying to help him recruit when he could easily pick up another 5-10 scouts by just letting the sisters that were tagging along to meetings and participating join the pack. The COR of that pack, his head, it was deep raspberry with rage, I thought he was going to burst a blood vessel in both of his eyes; he really didn't like me telling him to his face that he was killing his pack by being sexist.

This is absolutely correct. Also note that there are height restrictions beyond just weight. I know of 1 person that was denied the ability to go to Philmont due to his height; he was told that his total length when prone exceeded the capabilities of the rescue helicopter cage.

The trust is going after the non settling insurers but there still won’t be enough to fully fund.

And this is not too uncommon among really young eagles. A couple of ideas pop in mind. As for the COH, there may be minimal participation by those offended during the weekend. Without publicly boycotting the event, a heads up to the parents is in order. If someone feels he is not representing the Eagle rank, they can bow out. I've seen this many times. I wonder how the other troop Eagles reacted or will react to this behavior. Definitely a leader/committee-to-parents meeting is needed. Without hearing the Scout's side, not sure why he would not help out. If he is the oldest member of the troop and highest ranking, I can see where he may get a big head with "I'm an eagle, I don't have to do it" mentality. Worst case as stated above, may be time for him to perform or join a different scout unit such as crew or ship where older, more experienced scouts may change the behavior.

Thanks for your volunteer service. At some point, the uphill battle becomes too steep to continue. If you have no other options, discreetly find a good home you can recommend to your Scouts, and get them transitioned there ASAP. Recommend you not wait until the Troop does not recharter, then do the transfers... that could cause a break in continuity that may cause some to drop all together. Do you already have a solid unit they could go to?

Let's see... Cub Scouts? maybe... Camping? ummm no.... Scoutmaster Minutes? nnno... Working with Kids ! ,,,, Okay, Open Discussion, by default..... https://www.gocomics.com/thebuckets/2025/06/16

Hmm, nothing like adults meddling in scouts business. Merit badge requirements are between the scout and the counselor. Also, when adults start talking about shortcuts, they are mentoring shortcuts to the scouts. We must be careful that we don’t teach advancement over adventure. Sounds like a great campout. I’m jealous. Barry

Maybe it's that I was a scout, maybe it's that I'm from a country with high accountability expectations for politicians, maybe it's because it was my job for many years to foresee and prevent problems so that we delivered to spec on time... But it blows my mind that people keep doing this. Both that the government allows it and that people don't learn and so many act like this came out of left field. It absolutely did not. It's one thing to not know. Even if perhaps you should have been more curious or critical or something. It's something completely different to know and not act. And it sure wasn't the responsibility of children to do floodplain management.

Aquatics guide is now available digitally: https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/Outdoor Program/Aquatics/pdf/Aquatics_34346.pdf?_gl=1*o4y99g*_gcl_au*MTQ1MzU5MzYwOC4xNzQ5NzM1MDgw*_ga*ODM0ODQ1MjkxLjE3NDk1ODQ2OTI.*_ga_20G0JHESG4*czE3NTI1MTMyNTAkbzMkZzEkdDE3NTI1MTMyNTckajUzJGwwJGgw&_ga=2.213894036.1402502429.1752513250-834845291.1749584692 All swimming and activity afloat must be supervised by mature and conscientious adults, age 21 or older, who • understand and knowingly accept responsibility for the well-being and safety of youth members in their care, • are experienced in the particular activity, • are confident in their ability to respond appropriately in an emergency, and • are trained and committed to the nine points of Scouting America’s Safety Afloat and/or the eight points of Safe Swim Defense. The Den Leader, Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, crew Advisor, or Skipper who accompanies the unit on an outing is responsible for the first and last bulleted points. However, Scouting America policies do not specify that the unit leader must be the one who satisfies all of the above criteria. Under appropriate circumstances, the unit leader may delegate responsibility to others. For example, a Scout troop at a water park with trained lifeguards on duty need not assign separate unit personnel to perform water rescue. A Venturing crew on a whitewater excursion may rely on a licensed outfitter to provide the necessary equipment and trained guides. As the above examples demonstrate, a unit can participate in fun and challenging aquatics activities even if unit leaders lack the knowledge and skill to conduct the activity themselves, provided leaders ensure that others, such as venue staff, provide the required components. On the other hand, a troop on its way to a jamboree need not forgo the use of a hotel pool just because the facility does not employ a professional lifeguard, provided unit leaders are properly prepared.

Hi everyone, I am a parent of two. My older son joined Rip Van Winkle Council Troop 16 last year. I've been an adult leader on several campouts since he joined (most recently at a week of summer camp), and am also a fully trained Troop Committee member. [Definitely not bragging or anything, just trying to give the kind of introduction information that might be appropriate here.]

Maybe I'm just overly cynical, but that sounds like someone in your council fighting the success. It could just be poor job performance, of course. But the kind of stiff, emotional resistance to girls and women being a full, authentic part of Scouting America that some people in the organization have doesn't just evaporate in a year or even in the face of evidence. For them, it's not about success for the organization, it's about forcing the world to be a certain way. In this case cooties-free. It could definitely be that your council's policy is a result of an internal struggle between people who wanted coed and people who didn't. Did you see Scouting Maverick's take on postponing coed in Scouts BSA earlier? https://scoutingmaverick.com/2025/01/21/celebrating-a-sexist-scam-linked-troop-wood-badge-highlights-sas-cultural-rot/ Your example of a CC who is so invested in no girls that he's going to de facto let his unit die rather than go coed isn't the only one I'm sure. Actually, you mentioned several such units, so... They're going to keep shrieking until it stops working, which seems to be roundabout now or soon. But some won't stop shrieking because they realized it's actually fine, they will still sabotage what they can. Meanwhile in my corner of my female-friendly council, many leaders are working together to build out a coed pipeline from Cub Scouts into Scouts BSA. Not coincidentally we're about equal numbers of men and women. And it's working - all of our units are growing. If we keep working, Scouting America is going to come back from cultural oblivion in a decade or so.

I get what you're saying; I would counter though that national should have been able to see that and should have planned that timeline to release the coed program earlier. So right now female membership growth is significantly outpacing male membership growth (I think the NAM numbers were 3x the number of females are joining right now), and most of us have no where to send our female AOLs. I don't know about you guys but my council adopted the dumbest policy during the coed pilot. Only existing linked units from prior to the coed policy can be coed, so we have female AOLs just dropping from the program. Who could be so stupid to think retention of female scout was going to go up in some of these councils where we're stuck telling parents that if they want to keep their daughters in the program they will have to continue to drive an additional 10+ miles just to go to a troop meeting when their sons are swinging around the block for a meeting?

They aren’t teams, they are patrols. They aren’t junior scouts, they are scouts or new scouts. They aren’t lead by an ASM, but by a PL and a troop guide. It’s been awhile, 31 years, I suggest reading the PL, SPL, and SM (Unit Leader) handbooks again. Words matter.

Be advised, the max weight allowed for HA is also the maxed weight civilian med evac helicopters have. Too bad the HH-47 Pedro are no longer active.

BMI is a litmus test. Fun fact, you can be 300lbs of fat or 300lbs of muscle; regardless, your heart is getting TAXED hard from the body mass. If you don't meet BMI it doesn't mean you're trash, it just means a deeper discussion and more accurate tests are merited by a doctor.

Hopefully the WiFi is so bad that you won’t read this until the week ends. Have a hand time!

1) What was his record before the camp? Was he a "Scout" in the (minimum of how many years?) before he was passed as Eagle? 2) what was his "attitude" before the camp? Is Scouting something he does to please his dad/mom? Is it because he is (was?) trying to beat his brother/sister? 3) Family dynamics (see #1,#2). Are there mom and dad issues? 5) Would he rather be (sport/gang/Marines/anything but this sissy Scout stuff)? I once helped a dad (newly divorced, it turned out) plan the Eagle CoH for his son. I only knew the Scout by sight. The dad had a nice but simple affair planned, formal invitations to family, friends, Troop. The Scoutmaster was military and could not be there that day, but the ASMs did the good job. I really have no idea why, but we had only about 15 people there, theoretically could have had thirty or forty with Scouts and family. Words said, thoughts expressed, Scout/Eagle Promise made, cookies eaten, and boom everyone left. We never saw that Scout again at our Troop activities, altho he was only 16. Thinking about it, I could envision this Scout basically saying to the dad: "There, I did it, now get off my back."

I would not recommend taking a break. Lower intensity, yes, taking a break, no. Cancelling anything is the kiss of death, skipping meetings leads to inconsistent attendance.

fred8033 is 100% correct in his post. Too often national takes forever to finalize paperwork where it can take months to receive anything back. Also, the ECOH is what the scout decides as formal as wanted and timing to their liking. Pretty much the family wants in conjunction with the troop. Most of the time the ECOH will review the scout's adventure on the trail with a story, display, location, and acknowledge the mom/dad pins, mentor pin(s), any neckerchief/bolo/slide, and gifts from scout friends. Hope this shed more light on your situation and gives you some backing on what actions you wish to take.

Not a comment about the scout and more a comment about Eagle Courts of Honor. ECOH are a show. The scripts are usually over-the-top. Specific parts of the scripts are almost always "wrong" as no-one is being awarded a rank. Maybe, "given" as here's the rank you were awarded two months ago. The scripts usually have something like ... "Now, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the National Council of Scouting America, I hereby award the rank of Eagle Scout to you." ... The person saying these words has no "authority" to "award". Worse, the scout has already been awarded the rank and should be wearing the Eagle rank on their uniform. Your choice is whether to attend the Eagle Court of Honor and / or participate in the ceremony.

I'm curious how other councils number girl troops, and the reason. Ours takes the same number as the associated boy troop, which is confusing. To unofficially (not on beascout) separate the two, a G is added to the girl troop. To me, they are separate entities and should have different numbers. It's becoming more of an issue as the troops develop different styles of leadership. We had a summer camp adult leader huddle tonight to go over the rules of summer camp. Apparently, our CC (for both units) has had to deal with council investigations one every summer trip for the past couple of years. While the CC was talking, the boy troop adult leadership stood quietly, dressed in uniforms. The girl troop leadership had the SM in uniform and the other two adult leaders dressed in random assortment of clothing, cracking jokes. The girl's troop is the one that seems to be the driver of the investigations. I don't want to be associated with that sort of organization.

One of the things that set this sentiment off yesterday, is I got a call from our 2nd summer camp adult asking if it was possible to either get a replacement, and when I told him that might not be possible, or only come for half a week. Guy has known for several months that it was just going to be me and him, and was reminded a few weeks ago. While his physical states he has no limitations, he didn't tell his MD he was going to summer camp. And with the issues he is having, he should not be going to camp at all IMHO. I may have a replacement, pending getting registered. But to do that, the troop is paying his registration fee, normally adults and scouts are responsible with fundraising paying for supplies and camp outs. And I am paying for his physical at an immediate care since he cannot see his PCP before we leave Sunday. This made me realize that without adequate adult support, we cannot have the program the Scouts want. They want to go whitewater rafting. They want to go backpacking. They want the adventure. But If we cannot get 2 adults over 21 to do them, is it worth keeping the troop alive to say we are alive? I do not think so. After summer camp, I want to meet with our COR. past SM, and if he is willing the CC (CC is ticked off at a decision I made. Stated he will no longer go camping with the troop, and has not been to any meetings, including one where 2 BORs were being held). Topic will be to fold the troop. I know the immediate SM's response ( whatever you decide I am fine with) and the CC's response ( Hell no we are not folding). But I want the COR involved in this, and to come up with a plan either way. The point may be moot anyway if we do not get a 5th Scout before December.

In your council. Our council the packs, boy troop, girl troops, and crews all have different numbers.

I believe I have found a good home for them. The troop has a similar philosophy regarding advancement, and they have an active Cub Scout pack.. So they have future. And their program is strong. Talking to the UC, that unit and ours were not the ones he was worried about, until I told him the situation. The reason for waiting until the end of the charter year is that we do have some money to spend in the unit account, and I do not want that money going to council. Under the new Charter Agreement, they are supposed to get that money, and they put us into this position. I really want the money to stay with the church in the hope they can restart the troop in the future. I didn't think of that, and that is a good point. We will probably end a month before recharter, as we have an activity planned that no one will want to miss.

Philmont and Summit won't have (or provide) NYLT materials. The NYLT course director needs to attend a Course Director Conference. That is where they should receive info about accessing the Scouting-U / National provided materials. When I was director (4 years ago), we got access to the Scouting-U NYLT Google drive with all the materials.

"Even though the water was only a few inches high, it was flowing quickly into the nearby creek. So, rescue crews strapped helmets and life jackets on each child and carefully guided them across."

Now for something completely different. The Scout Association of Japan is teaming with Pokémon to host a “Become a Pokémon Trainer!” program for kids in Japan! Aspiring Trainers (scouts) "will go through a variety of missions to learn what it takes to become a Pokémon Trainer. With lessons in teamwork, respect, and discipline, there’s a lot more that goes into it than just catching Pokémon. The program is available across many regions of Japan, with limited spots for those who want to apply." Sources: https://nintendowire.com/news/2025/06/16/pokemon-is-launching-a-special-boy-scouts-program-in-japan-where-kids-can-become-trainers/ https://saiganak.com/event/pokemon-scout-2025-summer/

I think that it all comes down to the system being maintained and the navigation points being accurate. The big problem with geocaching are all of the garbage caches that are not maintained, not accurately placed, and not placed in a clearly meant for geocaching container. My kid is into geocaching and the number of geocaches found by accident by me because I thought it was a piece of trash while he is searching is equal to the number of caches he has found. Every time I see a nature made vitamin bottle I now think of all the hobo geocaches.

They have 90 days to appeal to SCOTUS which I believe expires on/around 9-11-2025. They could repeat like the "en banc" appeal and file on the very last day causing further delay. However, the consensus seems to be SCOTUS will reject their appeal, if filed. Based on the latest information from the Trust on claims processing, matrix and IRO claims could be completed by December 2025 (at least in terms of evaluation and award determinations). I would think a second disbursement would not occur until early 2026. I am sure the Trust has a lot of data collected on claims and could possibly have a 2nd disbursement before 2026, but until the SCOTUS appeal is fully resolved, that for sure is going to delay a 2nd disbursement.

This past saturday, I was on the porch of our Meeting House, tending to some maintenance, when I looked up to see a young man walking by (we are at the north end of a county "history " trail. ), and I said hello. He was carrying a backpack, looked to be fully equipped, he had two hiking "sticks". We spoke for awhile. He said his Scout Troop (!) was going to Philmont, and he knew he had to do some "training". We talked about gear, distance (he did not know the trail he was on , except it was "in the neighborhood". It was the first time he had been out with his new pack (it looked new!). I shared some of my hiking history, and counseled him about the distance of this trail (you can do a five mile loop, good for the Second Class requirement), and encouraged him to "get tired now" so you won't be as tired later. It sounded like his Troop was going the last week in July.... I

And a new countdown begins…..great news.

It does, indeed: 10. Following the Leave No Trace Seven Principles and the Outdoor Code, participate in at least three backpacking treks of at least three days each and at least 15 miles each, and using at least two different campsites on each trek. Carry everything you will need throughout the trek. @ScoutsMama I hope the Scout enjoys this weekend, but don't get bogged down of whether "it counts for anything". Many, many youth in the program don't even experience more than a single overnight backpacking these days, so take the experience as an "intro" to backpacking of sorts, and cherish it.

Update 6/10/2025: "The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) , which purchased the 1,776-acre property for more than $7 million from the Mid-America Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 2023, announced May 30 that the expansive ranch will become officially a part of the Loess Hills State Forest through a land transfer with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources." More at source: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2025/06/10/little-sioux-scout-ranch-deadly-2008-tornado-iowa-dnr-loess-hills-state-forest/84131622007/

Yesterday my attorneys contacted me and informed me that my claim amount had been determined. After years of anxiety about what the outcome (I truly believed I deserved the maximum amount) my claim came in at 2.67 million. Yes, I know I will most like only get a fraction of that amount but the fact that my pain and suffering was valued at that amount is the most important aspect. In all honesty I cried, just like after 50 years of telling not one soul I finally opened up about what had happened to me. With the appeals and the court cases that may come up I know that this is not over yet, but I finally feel like I have crossed third base, and I am on my way to home plate. Over the past 22 hours I have thought quite a bit about how I have survived these past 6 years and the people that have given me moral support. I have reached out to those folks and thanked them. I now want to reach out to my survivor community on this forum and say thank you, without all of you I do not know how I would have made it. Thank you to Scouter Forum for giving me a place to vent my frustrations, state my opinions and allow me to interact with other survivors and not kicking me off the site. Thank you, moderators, for your patience. I am sure some of my posts made some of you cringe. I want to thank @ThenNow for always having my backside no matter how outrageous some of my posts were. Our DM's to each other always made me feel like I had a brother standing next to me. I want to thank the TCC (I am sure there are members here on Scouter Forum). I know that all of you took on an almost impossible thankless task that was never going to please everyone. One last thing (at least for now) @skeptic please no sad or confused faces. Maybe this will be the one post that you can give a green up arrow to that I have written. Thank you all, John

My father was an industrial arts teacher for decades. Back in the 1980s, instead of sending kids who were interested in trades to his class, they sent the kids who couldn't behave. Over time, unfortunately, most kids who could behave were shuffled into college prep classes. As those changes occurred, schools began to stop investing in that equipment. Long story short ... many schools may not actually have that equipment. Perhaps the labor shortage in the trades/truck drivers/etc. is an indication of our failures over the last 20-30 years to encourage the trades as much as we encourage generic college degrees.

I have been fighting this battle for some time. The troop is now down to 4 active Scouts. Council will not help with recruiting, I have asked them for help, and was told no. Then they wonder why we have not participated in council sales or do FOS.. Trying to plan next year, and 2 prime camping months are taken up by an activity 3 of the members are in. Plus there will be last minute stuff popping up causing us to postpone, or even cancel trips. This year we were lucky, but last year we had to cancel multiple trips. And finally we have are starting to have a challenge with having enough adults. All of the adults have some health issues, and also limits what we can do. And I was just informed today that my second adult for summer camp may not be able to make it. We leave Sunday. I will be having a more detailed conversation tonite. I'm tired and burnt out with the troop. And I am also very frustrated with the council. I used to be active on the district and council level. When they needed something, and I was able to help, I did. Heck they told me I was in charge of an event with 60 days get it up and running. And now they cannot help us with recruiting. And before you say we are responsible, we have done everything we could. In fact I have recruited more girls for the only girls troop. But worse is that they are upping the council fees. In addition to the national charter and registration fees, council is now charging each Scout an additional $50 council fee, and each unit $112.50 PER SCOUT council "fair share" fee. We have families that need help, and they keep adding fees. I think once the charter is finished, so is the troop.

It should all be available through your council training committee. NYLT is standardized by national, course directors and program directors are not allowed to deviate from the program or make their own materials. If the new leader is not getting anywhere dealing with the council, have them reach out to Philmont and Summit for materials.

July 1 update: average $574,579 per TDP claim. [Still going up, could it be from the inflation increase?] For the TDP, 60% claims determined and 34% paid (19,778 paid) For the IRO, 33% claims determined and 14% paid (28 paid) Without factoring in non-Matrix IRO payments, it's settling in around $33B needed to be fully funded. The Trust of course, having determined 63% of the claims, could probably give a better estimate. If they keep on the pace of 5% of all claims determined each month, just seven more months plus or minus to be finished.