Eagledad

Well you guys can count on me to be as fair with Obama and give him as much respect as the Democrats and liberals have given Bush. Im there for ya. As for Colmes and Hannity, IMHO, they are both loud mouth extremist that only appealed to the emotions of their viewers. They werent voices of logic even when they balanced each other. Ive been watching these programs for quite a long time and Frankly, I feel the day of attempting balanced political discussions ended the day that David Brinkley retired. I would like to say cable news political commentary and discussion are all junk, but Natio

>>I think the idea of taking "strangers" of boys and tossing them into a patrol would be good for a Junior Leader Training Camp, but not for a campout.

>>Yah, I think yeh need to give some pointed feedback to your council folks, eh?

If I may eghiglie, I think you are asking the wrong question. You should be asking; How do I get my scouts to be more efficient with their time?. The answer is agendas and schedules. Scouts need targets and goals to shoot for. All the other replies are good except they dont include the motivation to change. The agenda is the most important tool a SM can give scouts so they can develop independence, planning skills, creativity and spontaneous reorganization. I learned at our JLTC that only about 10% (give or take) of the SMs in our district teach using agendas. Dont blame the BSA bec

>>Isn't having the leadership skills needed to get a job done more important than teaching skills that might only be used by a number of the participants?

>>Sure they are. If you can not discuss Scouting topics like Baden-Powell's 100 yard distance between Patrols, then discredit the idea by attempting to discredit the person.>I suspect that male obesity is THE primary force supporting the "re-invention of Boy Scouts."

Observations are not personal attacks and humility is the greatest trait that a boy can witness from his mentor. Barry

That was a personal poll I took for about three years in my Scoutmaster Specific Course and two Wood Badge courses. I'm one of those kinds of people that when I see a trend that needs to change, I try something new. I was catching a lot of heat from District for requiring all the SM Specific participants bring a SM Handbook. So I started polling with the intention of proving how much difference using the Hand book made. Well I was shocked by the numbers. I couldnt prove it made any difference because nobody was reading it. I will say the 5% who did read the whole handbook were typically

Hi All I used to teach my scouts that your true character is how you would act when nobody is looking. I like to monitor scouting forums because scouting is my passion. But I also glance at other forums for various reasons and it seems like there is a trend that folks are getting down right rude and obnoxious. I even see more of it here on this forum where I think folks behavior would be at a higher standard. It got me wondering that maybe we are seeing the character of people of when they feel nobody is looking? Are folks starting to think it is OK to see the worst of them because w

I cant express the pride I feel for you folks when reading these post. Its what makes me love this scouting stuff. Barry

>>he confesses he has no outdoors other than how to program a Garmin, would any version of the elder Wood Badges have taught him in 6 days all the skills he needs?

If PETA mock the LDS, then is it ok to mock PETA? I have no respect for PETA, they openly support domestic terrorism for their cause. That is not very scout like. Barry

>>I suspect that male obesity is THE primary force supporting the "re-invention of Boy Scouts."

>>Guess I am asking - any advice? for the older guys to not feel like glorified babysitters.

>>I would like to see a recognizable senior patrol leader and patrol leader, boys leading activity's.

Hi All My son's troop visits are the reason we decided to start our own troop. We ended up taking over a dead troop of six scouts, but it was for the reason that we didnt like the way troops we visited were running. Most of the troops in our district have a CS campout as well, but our troop doesnt plan campouts or troop meetings specifically for recruiting. Our goal is every campout should be a great one and we tell the Webelos leaders that when they are ready, give us a shout. We just ask for one weeks notice so a Troop Guide will have time to help them prepare. Sometimes we ddidn

>>Example: Troop base camp on Fri night. Patrols spread out as local conditions allow. Program during the day. Mid-afternoon the PLs are given instructions to relocate their patrols to new locations. Sometimes this is using map&compass, sometimes they're just given GPS coordinates. They pack up and head out to set up their solo patrol campsite for the evening. The guys love it. After dark, adults and/or SPL usually sneak around to check on things. If conditions are really rough (severe cold, rain, etc.), we might openly visit a campsite for a few minutes. For a different twist, we'll

>>Yah, easy there, Hal. I didn't really catch that you were tryin' to ask any of us how to run independent patrol treks, eh? More that you were fearful of 'em and arguin' against them. Maybe Eagledad and I both missed it. It's just that folks who really do run units with independent patrol outings think it's normal, and don't really see your worries and objections in the same light.

>>Each Scout leader needs to decide where his or her bravery line is drawn in permitting independent youth activities.

So Hal, are you saying the answer in your troop is NO? Barry

>>I have read many books from the early years of scouting and it was always the responsibility of the patrols to recruit their own members to fill out their 8 man patrols.

>>What level of first aid training do the scouts have, what are they carrying as a first aid kit, what are the "bail outs" along the trail, how would you get help if you needed it?

You can go as far as you want really. Or troop sometimes looks for a place where the Older Scouts take off in one direction and the rest of the troop go the other direction and rendezvous somewhere in the middle to camp. We brake camp in one location and move to another. Start small like letting your scouts out a mile or so away from your camp site on monthly campouts and have them meet you there. Next time do the same thing only have them carry their packs. Next let them out three miles away or just get creative. Look for opportunties for the scouts to hike without adults. Like summer c

>>As a point of interest, how do your Scouts follow the MB sign-up guidelines (get a list of counselors, contact counselor, set up meetings, etc.) at summer camp?

>>When in doubt, ask the Scout. You will be amazed at how often the solution will be simpler and fairer than anything you could think up on your own.