dsteele

Thanks, Ed. They did do an outstanding job and have been congratulated for it. They also received raises, etc. My only problem with doing nothing (other than the fact that I am as angry as any of the female volunteers who heard his comments,) is that some key volunteers have the expectation that "the council" will deal with this individual. DS

Onehour: Argue with me all you want, it still sounds like you did a great job as Cubmaster The previous sentence was meant to be complimentary. Here's the hard part in my advice to you -- stop showing up. Make sure the new Cubmaster knows that you're giving him room to grow. The example I'm about to provide applies to a Scout troop, not a Cub pack, but they're pretty similar. When my troop changed Scoutmasters from a much beloved one to a new one, the old one told us boys he was going to take a few months off. Then he did. He was gone (as far as we were concerened bec

Also forgot to add -- The guy in question never set foot in camp during the Cub Scout camping season. Never contacted myself or anyone else regarding camp problems. Never brought up anything specific other than his comment about females being unfit for camp leadership. DS

Thanks for the response. I meant to address the camp problems, but forgot. Each period at camp is evaluated by the adults. Each evaluation was read by the Scout Executive, myself, the council camping chairman and the district camping chairmen. There were few problems at camp -- no more than usual -- and each person filling out the evaluation had a chance to be contacted personally. I called many within one week after their camp experience. The camping committee contacted the rest. There really weren't many problems at camp other than complaints about bugs and heat. The

Laura: eisely is correct -- especially the part about unfolding the form! The health history is retained by the troop. I advise every unit leader (or tour leader) to have all the health forms in hand on every trip. The reason is that it contains parental permission to treat the kid if he's injured on an outing. There were several times as a DE taking a Scout to the hospital for an injury sustained during a camporee that we had to wait for hours before a parent arrived and gave the hospital permission to treat the kid. If the SM had had the form, we wouldn't have had to w

Hop on the phone and tell this guy how you feel! He probably does feel like he's being punished by lack of attendance and could use some encouragement. It's been my experience that changes in leadership often result in a dip in attendance. The past CM is proably the only CM most of your 90 kids and their families ever knew. They may have felt loyalty to the past guy and have allowed his absence to be an excuse to miss outings and pack meetings. I would advise the new CM to keep up a great program and let it "take root." Even if the old families choose to skip out, new ones will c

I'd like some input on a situation I need to deal with involving a volunteer. At a recent roundtable (I was not present as I was in another district covering a roundtable for a DE who reports to me who was sick,) a volunteer stood up and said that the problems we had at our cub scout camp last year were due to the fact that it was run by women. He went on to say that we're supposed to be teaching boys to become men and that the job shouldn't be done by women. Several female leaders left the roundtable. Several good volunteers sent the Scout Executive and myself emails demanding

I love the posts in this thread! Thought you might want to know what an Assistant Scout Executive has in his trunk . . . I have the Career Interest Surveys that have been processed and reports delivered to the school. I also have my performance reviews from the last 13 years -- don't know why they are there. Usually I have golf clubs in my trunk but I put those in my basement when I realized I only played once last summer. Instead of maps, I have a road gps with all the informaiton (including every address) in my entire council in its memory banks. Too bad most DE's can't af

KS -- If I knew much of anything outside of Scouting, I'd have a real job. But I do know that I pray for you and for the health, well-being and safety of all who live in troubled areas of the world. I fully support the actions of our nation, but that doesn't mean I don't fear for those in harms way. God Bless you and your family, KS. Keep safe and keep Scouting. DS

I'd be the Scout Executive in Kalamazoo, Michigan. DS

Buffalo2 -- I honestly thought your question would prompt more responses and wanted to wait until I saw a few before responding myself. You asked for input from the professionals, and here it is. I love the Venturing program and want to see it become as strong and healthy as Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting. We need to remember, however, that this program is less than five years old. I've had a lot of volunteers in the past five years tell me that we should have a V.P. of Venturing, put on a week of summer camp just for Venturers, have Venture leader training (that one I agre

Hi folks: I'm posting because I did earn the rank of Eagle at the age of 13. I don't mean that my parents did it for me, although I will admit that my father counseled Architecture merit badge (he's an architect) and my mother counseled me on gardening merit badge (she wanted me to do all the work for the summer.) Other than that, I worked my little tushy off and would lay awake in bed at night dreaming of my next rank. When I came home from my second or third troop meeting, I announced to my parents that I could make Eagle at age 13. In those days, there were time requirement

Mrs. P. is correct. DS

Mr. Potlatch -- I say that with affection and hope I don't offend. What a great monicker! Anyhow -- I'll stand by what I said earlier. I envy you and wish I could attend Wood Badge for the 21st Century. The old course was great, but the new course looks even better. To the other guys -- I can't find the 6 months minimum anywhere, either. I thought that was a good rule. The new ticket worksheet begins with a vision statement that reads "in 18 months . . . " and seems to imply that it will take 18 months to work the ticket. I sense a philosophical change. We do have those fro

Let's talk about Exploring (response to previou reply by Dan.) In 1998 the Exploring Program, which until then had been a traditional program of the BSA, moved to the Learning for Life subsidiary corporation. In the past (I want to say late 50's, early 60's, but Dan can probably correct me) Venturing and Exploring were two seperate programs. The Ranger Award is not new, just re-vamped. In 1969, Exploring went co-ed. The focus shifted from senior Boy Scouts (which was a program) to a more career-oriented focus. By 1998, most Explorer Posts had a career interest affiliation

The teleconference broadcast was a good broadcast. Each council got a copy of the tape for backup reasons -- in case the telecast was interrupted. Most of those giving Scouting testimonials were the heads of organizations that are our largest charter partners -- and few of those "Institutional Heads" are female. I really don't want to open a can of worms on females in the Boy Scouts of America (having said that, I'm sure I will,) but I'm all for it! I worked with several District Chairmen (that's still the official term) and the very best was a female. She really got the job

Here are the answers to the "Title Challenge." AD Activities Director ADFS Assistant Director of Field Service ASE Assistant Scout Executive BSA Borough Scout Executive BM Business Manager CD Camping Director DCS Director of Camping Service DE District Executive DFiS Director of Finance Services DFS Director of Field Service DiD District Director DLFL Director of Learning for Life DSS Director of Support Services ED Exploring Director EE Exploring Executive EnD Endowment Director ExFD Exploring Field Director FiD Fina

Yeah. They keep him in the basement and shove food at him with a stick. DS

Bob's right. That's what I get for answering from memory instead of looking it up. I found the 18 month thing in the syllabus and course director's guide. However, I can't find the 6 months minimum. Did that go away, too? Or am I just looking in the wrong place? It doesn't happen often, but it happens. DS

Hello . . . resident professional dropping in ... (LOUD THUNKING NOISE) Volunteer responsibilities vary greatly from council to council, as Bob pointed out. If you're curious about specific programs, fund-raisers, etc., your best bet is to call your council service center and ask to speak to the staff advisor of (insert whatever here.) You'll be directed to the professional "in charge" of whatever. It may be a DE, or any other professional. They'll be able to tell you who their volunteer in charge is. DS

If you're interested enough to read this far, you might be a candidate for the "Title Challenge." Here is a list of abbreviations for local council professional positions. In a later reply, I'll list the answers AD ADFS ASE BSE BM CD DCS DE DFiS DFS DiD DLFL DSS ED EE EnD ExFD FD FiD LFLD LFLE PD PRD SDE SE SEE SLFLE SPP TD

Gotta agree with you on the above, Bob. Check out the "title pop-quizz" on schmoozin' with the pros . . . We don't charge for advertising threads, do we? DS

The ticket is simply a set of goals you develop for your position in Scouting and will accomplish using the skills you learn on the course. There is a minimum amount of time to accomplish these goals and a maximum amount of time. The ticket should take no less than six months and no more than 24. Ticket items (individual goals) can be changed or modified after the course if there are changes, in position, marital status, and other things along those lines. During the course, make notes of ideas that you would like to implement in your position. When it comes time to write your

In Southwestern Michigan, one of the finest -- and least known -- sources of information can be found in the Michigan History section of the Kalamazoo Public Library. DS

Dan's right. I couldn't write a ticket for someone else and for a unit about which I know nothing. I didn't see it as casting stones, Dan. My comment was off the cuff and I'm glad you called me on it. The Wood Badge ticket is, and ought to be, an individual thing. A counselor will be assigned following the course to assist people in completing the items successfully. DS