Eagle707

You should be able to special order it through National Supply (or so I've been told). If not, you could create the strip yourself (with the approval of your CSE and National).

Mike Walton's site has a good summary:

http://www.scoutinsignia.com/preter.htm

You can register alumni in your council as merit badges counselors, BSA alumni, or Scouter Reserve (check with your council service center for details).

Also, with regard to YPT: you don't have to be a BSA member to take YPT. It is available through myscouting.org for anyone to take.

If his ASD would keep him from transferring to another pack, then my advice would be to have your friend call the local council and see about registration as a Lone Cub Scout. Because the Arrow of Light requires den activities, he either needs to do them with his own den or become his own den. Keeping this boy in the pack is a disservice to his devotion to Scouting. The AoL and the youth religious award are the two Cub Scout awards that transfer to the adult uniform: he should not be deprived of the opportunity to earn the Arrow of Light.

From the BSA's Lone Scout page:

"Lone Scouts include... Boys with disabilities that might prevent them from attending regular meetings of packs or troops."

I think ASD should qualify in this case: go directly to the council on this one and request that he be registered as a Lone Cub Scout (and his mother can be registered as his Lone Scout Counselor). Then once that's done, encourage him and his counselor to pursue supplementary Scouting programs:

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Cub_Scout_Awards

Also, because he's a Catholic Scout, there are many supplementary awards available through the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. Actually, because they come in multiple series and foci, I would almost encourage him to check these out first and share them with other members of his parish (it may give him a substitute "unit" atmosphere).

http://nccs-bsa.org/activities/index.php

The third thing he can do is keep earning belt loops. He can either get a second belt or he can get a display for the extras. ScoutStuff has a frame for this purpose:

http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/ItemDetail.aspx?cat=01RTL&ctgy=PRODUCTS&c2=NEW&c3=&c4=&lv=2&item=611318&SRC=HP&ET_CID=HP_RI_beltloop_holder

Then, as a final touch, consider this for December (after he's earned AoL and has turned 10): invite this troop's Scoutmaster and some other members to do a crossover ceremony for this young Scout. Go overboard if you want: you can get some logs and some planks from the hardware store to make a bridge for him.

Thank you for taking an interest in your friend's son. Check these out if you want to recognize him for his already impressive feats:

http://scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/SearchPage.aspx?page=LIST&free_text|=webelos%20super&answers_per_page=15

(This message has been edited by Eagle707)

I helped a Webelos den do this as a den aide: it can be done but it takes careful planning. Good luck to you and your aspiring AoL recipient. Also, just as a bonus motivator: show your Webelos a picture of the AoL knot. Tell him it's something he wears forever.

There's a section in the "Guide for Officers and Advisers" titled "Forming Lodge Chapters."

http://www.oa-bsa.org/resources/pubs/GOA-2010.pdf

I don't know your council, but boyscoutstore.com has a large stock of older council patches.

Good luck and congratulations to your son!(This message has been edited by Eagle707)

I haven't raced in the Raingutter Regatta but, as a former Sea Scout, I can tell you that "one-design" is the way to go here: multi-hulled boats have an advantage over mono-hulls every time. I don't know how many know of the 1988 America's Cup but that's a wonderful example of the mismatch (if a bit extreme).

If you have Scouts who really want to race the trimarans (it's about the kids, right?), run two different races. Otherwise, you'll be opening a can of worms.

The easiest way to do chapters is to assign a chapter to each district. Then, as the LA, you should send out an invitation to the Arrowmen in each district about meeting at Roundtable. During your meeting, you can explain the positions of Chapter Chief, Chapter Vice-Chief and Troop OA Representative. Make sure the adults are there too, so that you can select a Chapter Advisor

And in response to your timing question:

Sometimes Chapters help lodges thrive because Scouts get more opportunities to function as Arrowmen (in both of my councils the biggest problem was that the LEC meetings were over an hour away). If you keep in email contact with them (or even visit with the LC occasionally) that will be a great way to keep them involved.

The other thing: make sure that you have a representative from each chapter at each Ordeal. This way, your new Ordeal members can see who they will be working with locally.(This message has been edited by Eagle707)

In the Inland Northwest Council, we have our main office in Spokane, WA and field offices in Hayden Lake, ID (about 50 miles east of Spokane) and Clarkston, WA (about 110 miles south of Spokane). The other thing that we try to do is boost attendance at Roundtable and OA chapter meetings. Our DE also does a lot of driving both to Spokane and to work with potential COs.

I know that my old council (Chief Seattle) required Venturing leaders to wear the "suggested" uniform for Wood Badge training.

From the council's Wood Badge site:

"It is true that Venturing crews select their own uniforms. We do request, though, that Venturing people on course wear the green uniform shirt and gray slacks or shorts."

I wouldn't normally be one to recommend making "fake" patches but if you can get a scan of the knot, you can buy cotton printer pages so you can print the photo. If you attach the print to some canvas with fabric glue, you have a reasonably sturdy knot. Granted, it won't look as cool as the original but at least you'll have it on your uniform. Good luck!

College Scouter is a council position that is administered at the district level. By the same token, though, merit badge counselor is a district level position. I'm just mentioning it as a registration position: districts can nominate Scouters to the OA too.

There is one more position for Scouters between 18-21: College Scouter. Despite reports of its untimely demise, I called National and learned that College Scouter is still a valid registration title (position 92).

I know that this issue is a moot point (congratulations to Eagle732!) but I'm going to post this in case anyone stumbles on this thread in the future.

Adults wear the knot at all times and the medal when appropriate (and your son's ECOH is one of these).

Here's a line from the IG that should help clarify National's stance on the Eagle rank (and one I rarely see cited):

"Embroidered knots are representative of pin-on medals or around-the-neck awards and are

designed for the convenience of the wearer."

From this, we can conclude if you can wear the knot, you can wear the medal. The line that people cite is about "youth awards" but National has made Eagle something more with the square knot. The "youth awards" line is about keeping adult leaders from wearing (for example) Star or Life patches.

More here: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Media/InsigniaGuide/10K.aspx

rdclements:

Thanks for the tip about the Red Cross! I'll definitely be working on developing a connection with our local office. I also meant to refer to WFA as "the answer to everything" facetiously but I could hardly expect that to translate into text. In all seriousness, thank you for noting my mistake and thanks again for the Red Cross info!

I always make sure to keep my CPR and First Aid certs up to date. As far as WFA, while it sounds like the answer to everything, here's what the American Red Cross has to say about its own WFA course:

"The course is based on the Boy Scouts of America Wilderness First Aid Curriculum and Doctrine Guidelines "

I absolutely think that, because this is based on our materials, councils need to work with the Red Cross to make the formal (certified) training accessible to all leaders. Until then, the best thing to do is review the Boy Scout Handbook and make sure we know how to handle all of the emergencies that a First Class Scout should be able to recognize. If we're the foundation for the Red Cross, then let's build that foundation. That being said, if you have access to additional training, take it!

Scouts New Zealand is definitely a different experience from BSA's Scouting program: it is co-ed at all levels and Rovers (the oldest group) goes until age 25.

I was in the Calliope Sea Scout Troop in Auckland at the age of 11-- even from a young age, sailing programs are available for youth-- and, in general, it was more laid back than BSA programs but I think that reflects the culture.

The principle of Scouting is universal though, and that's what's important.

You state clearly and unequivocally that they CANNOT adopt this requirement because it is a violation of BSA advancement standards. Youth-led refers to decisions that the PLC has influence for: anything set out in national guidelines cannot be changed.

Or, to put it another way, have your PLC members find where it is written that a unit can choose to vote on whether a Scout is worthy of Eagle rank. BSA has not said that a PLC can so they cannot edit these requirments.

We do NOT edit Eagle requirements. Ever. National provides us with requirements- not guidelines-and we need to follow them to the letter: Call your district executive to confirm this. The fact that every Eagle follows the same requirements is why the Eagle rank is universally respected: Everybody knows what was expected.

If you PLC wants to vote on "quality Scouts" then encourage them to hold an OA election. Elections are for the Order of the Arrow; Eagle is EARNED. If you implement this election process for Eagle, your Eagle candidates can appeal this to the district/council, it will be overturned, and your troop will be embarrased. Avoid the situation.

This thread has gone on for nine pages so far and, yet, this "Ask Andy" column sums up the debate rather nicely in a much smaller space. Has anyone read this, per chance?

http://netcommish.com/AskAndy67.asp

Personally, I have three knots and wear all three knots: Eagle, Arrow of Light, and the Youth Religious award. I'll probably add more later but I'm comfortable with just having three. I've never seen knots used for intimidation either... and I've been in Scouting in two countries!

Knots are a timesaver too: Seeing what knots Scouters have earned summarizes their Scouting careers much faster than they can.

ScoutBox:

It is possible for Scouts who earned the highest rank elsewhere to wear their awards on their uniforms (provided it does not take the shape of a rank patch).

The Insignia Guide addresses this in a section called "Awards from Other Scout Associations."

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Media/InsigniaGuide/03.aspx

Granted, it says that such medals should be worn only when a Scouter from that country is present but, if they earned it in that country, they're a Scouter from that country right?

Also, if you have active Scouters who earned Wood Badge in another country, it can be transferred to a BSA uniform- just make sure they take the relevant US training too.

The easy way would be to buy a new one, liberate the ribbon and transfer it to your old arrow.

The other option would be to go to a fabric story and buy really short lengths of gosgrain ribbon, which is the material that the modern ribbons (and shoulder loops) are made of. You could also just buy a red/white ribbon drape (also gosgrain) and pare it down.

Meet with your Charter Organization Representative and tell him or her that you wish to keep this Venturer in your crew despite her pregnancy. This meeting should be a private meeting between the registered leaders (adult and/or youth) in the Crew. If she is truly an asset as a leader, make this clear to your COR and stand by your Venturer. Scouting gives support to members who might otherwise not have a strong support network at home: this is your chance to prove the mettle of your crew.

According to the OA handbook, you can be registered as a member of the College Scouter Reserve or as a merit badge counselor. Both are sufficient for the purposes of maintaining OA registration. Generally, you can register as either at 18 years of age though some councils require merit badge counselors to be 21. The position code for "College Scouter Reserve" is 92. I am a current College Scouter so I assure you that it is possible: our council also submitted a template for the CSR to the BSA Innovation Engine so we may have a more usable option soon. Good luck!(This message has been edited by Eagle707)