dScouter15

Yeah, that age requirement is pretty tricky. In the past, we have tried waiving it for specific scouts who asked to attend, even though they were too young by about a year. In EACH case, the scout had left mid-week due to homesickness. Its tricky...

It seems appropriate to mention today's events at Virginia Tech, and to remember the more than 30 people who were killed. Its hard to imagine the fear that the members of the community must be experiencing, and the grief of the family of the victims. Not to sound flippant, but the only thing I can think is: what the heck is happening to this world??

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience staffing a council NYLT course. In my council, we are having difficulty recruiting scout participants to attend the course. Each year we seem to receive less, and, as a result, our staff is decreasing in number as well. A few years ago, the course ran three troops simultaneously. For a couple years now, we've been down to two, and it looks like we might be down to one in another year or two, if the trend continues. We one of the largest councils in the nation, so it seems like we should have greater representation. Our recruiting consists of

First, a quick disclaimer: I didn't intend to beat a dead horse, or open a can of worms, or *insert other negative metaphor here* so I hope no one's offended. Secondly, thanks for the responses - they mostly echo what I've seen within my own troop, and other highly-functional units. It always surprises me when some units seem a little too strict, with leaders making scouts run laps, do push-ups, etc for relatively minor infractions. I guess some boys may actually respond positively to that type of disciple, but I have always thought there was a better way, and the responses have confirm

I have a question - this isn't related to any specific issue that may have occurred, I'm just interested in how various troops address behavior problems. Frequently, all it takes is a private, quiet conference with the SPL and/or the SM (keeping youth protection guidelines in mind, of course). Sometimes, though, this just doesn't work, and something more drastic must be done. So - in what ways does your troop address more serious behavior problems, or scouts who are "repeat offenders?" In my troop, at summer camp one year, our SM came up with what I think is a good idea: the "Dice of

In my troop, we found that the fundraisers work best when the ideas originate with the scouts. Last year, the PLC and Troop Committee felt that it would be beneficial for the troop ton try to subsidize some of the summer camp fee - we wanted to have a coach bus transport the troop to camp. The troop's main fundraiser had been popcorn sales, which the scouts have never really gotten into, but it generates enough to keep the council happy and cover most of the troop's operating expenses. The troop also does a few other fundraisers periodically, with most of the proceeds going into the scouts'