Eagledad

>>Any comment? It begs the question of how they handle a prospective merit badge counselor who is not registered with a troop.

>>"Hi, I am Proud Eagle. I have a problem with always saying, 'yes'."

I guess I saw this subject differently. I felt in the words of the writter, and still feel, there is a general attitude against helping others unless they got something from it. If I'm wrong, great, but if I could desribe the twelve points of the law in one word, it would be serving. Of course not all scouts are going to help at all projects, but none? Barry

>>If there are no volunteers in place, it's no wonder the Program Preview was a little lacking in program. "Council" has nothing at all to do with that.

>>Boy led troop or not, you need discipline from the adult leaders, otherwise the boy leaders are not only the first line, but also the final line. It won't work. If the SM is not a disciplinarian, fine. Not everybody is. No reason one ASM (we had one nicknamed "Mad Dog") can't be the disciplinarian.

>>...unless of course there is an intrinsic difference in the posession and use of toys vs something that smells strangely of education, knots and work...

>>Is our program BSA perfect HECK no! But we try. Are we delivering the scouting program...I think so, but some of the members of this forum might not. But as long as we continue to help "grow" good young men, and a stronger local scouting program, I am happy; (satisfied? no, but that's human nature), gotta go...is that the sound of the BSA Police knocking down the front door???

>>IMHO, the root of this problem is the poor way this troop implements the patrol method.

>>An Eagle project isn't a Troop project. There is no requirement for the Troop to help out.

>>I'd recommend both the SM and the committee read the Troop Committee Guidebook.

>>The most difficult thing for us right now seems to be getting the Scouts to organize their PLC and have regular meetings and program plans.

I think a positive sign of a boy run troop is that changes are slow. But change is also visibly constant. See, what makes adults so different from boys and also makes the program so valuable is personal experience. YOu have it, they don't. Boys changes are slower because they have to first learn how to create, plan, and practice the process of actions that make change. Its a no-brainer for us because we adults have been there and done that so much that we just do it. As you get more experience in this job, you will find that developing the habits required to create, plan and institu

>>Lets not get hung up with what we miss about the good old days when we were in Wood Badge or other trainings which no are no longer being presented. The program has changed, and it will change again.

>>This may be OK for Scouts but it hardly conforms to safe activities that one would plan for Webelos. In fact, I would restrict it to Boy Scouts 13 and over (much like climbing a tall wall and such).

>>And I firmly believe that working the ticket is a Scouting career project. I don't think my ticket will ever truly be complete. I might earn the beads... but my vision will always need to be worked.

>>My only question is .... How can one go thru Wood Badge and have no Desire to work a ticket.... Hmmmmmmm...

>>But what a relief to get that ticket approved. I only had to rewrite mine once and it was all small stuff that needed to be zeroed in on or refocused.>Our Troop guide emailed all of us between sessions to get us started on our tickets too...so that was very helpful.

>>Laid back "adult approaches" usually mean troop chaos of varying degree, with weak planning and program. As well as a lack of program direction

Our Troop once hiked a mile from the parked cars to the campsite. The reason given to the scouts was so they needed to practice packing everything in a backpack. The real reason was we had the older scouts simulate a car wreck a half mile down the dirt road. They had studied how to simulate different wounds, broken legs and things like that. It went very well, but a long story short is two months later our Troop of about a dozen cars filled with about 60 scouts drove up on a real wreck within a mile of the summer camp we were attending that week. Every scout that had been on that first-a

>>We have a committee meeting tomorrow and will be discussing this whole issue, together with the broader issue of respect and discipline.

>>The old schoolers felt and reciprocated our newbie enthusiam and desire to do things even better than they had ever been done before. I can't imagine a better, more enthusiastic staff than we had.

EagleinKy gives some great responses. I think you have to be proactive here at first because boys of this are not use to adults giving this type of permission, much less allowing it. We did little things at first like adults going to bed at a reasonable hour during all-night lockins. At one campout out we let the scouts go on a hike by themselves and on another we let the scouts take a five-mile bike trail without adults. I remember once when we did an indoor climbing wall activity in downtown Oklahoma City. After we were finished, the Troop planned to eat about six blocks down the street at a

I used to be a Bob White, and a Good 'ol Bob White too, But now I'm finished Bob White, I don't know what to do. I'm growing old and feeble and I can Bob White no more So I am going to work my ticket if I can Back to Gilwell, happy land; I'm going to work my ticket if I can. SR-197

In general, most in our council are happy to see the restrictions. The few adults who headed the old Wood Badge were so dug in, many felt it was easier getting the Silver Beaver than an invite to staff WB. The same adults started off with the 21st Centry WB and they did a good job. But there was the expectation of the same-ol club controlling and running the course. They were basically forced to loose their grip on the course and we are getting some really great fresh new staffs now. On Another note, the group I've personally watched benefit a lot from the new WB are the Cubs. I have pe

>>As an aside, I just spent an evening reviewing PL responsibilities with newly elected PL's (at the request of the SM). I used the PL handbook as my guide.