Eagledad

Yes, I think saying a troop that does MBs during a troop meeting means the troop is adult run is overstating without knowing the troop program. While MB activities during a troop meeting might be typical or indicative of a adult run troop, it doesn't mean it is an adult run troop. Our PLC once planned Car Show at one troop meeting where a dozen or so adults brought their hot rods and muscle cars. That was a very cool meeting for the scouts (AND DADS!). And it was under the theme of the Car Engine Maintenance MB. A dozen Webelos joined our troop because they visited on a night our troop w

>>I have had the reigns for a while now, and I am implementing these ideas one at a time. And my goal is "the easy chair", as Hillcourt put it. I am not sure that round table lectures will instill this.

I had a really good write-up on this that I did about 10 years ago; Ill see if I can find it. But in short, it is very dangerous to cap troops because that reputation can hurt in the long run. It is better to reduce growth by adding requirements for the privilege of being part of the troop. The way our troop tried to control it was through higher yearly fees. Even then we still grew larger than planned, but we had a lot of money to spend. The goal however is not to develop a reputation of being a special troop or a snobbish troop. I have seen several Troops in our district live and die by that

>>I have always said I would split the troop if we got that large, but with good support and experienced leaders from this our troop's "Golden Age" returning to our committee, I am slowly warming to the idea of a larger group. There are plenty of strong troops in our immediate area, it is unlikely we can grow that big...

>>This will be great for round table -- thanks for sharing!

I think you have written a very good guide and I don't want to take away from that, but I think its too long, and here is why I say that: When I was the District Boy Scout trainer, I used to poll adults all the time to find out what materials they were using and I found that less than 40% of the scoutmaster even read their SMH. I think it was actually far less than that. And I found that the ASMs were half of that. The thing is that most adults think they already know most of what is being presented or written, so they may glance of gaze through it, but they aren't going to give th

Is this for a troop staff or District training staff? Barry

Baden Powell suggested scouts find God in the outdoor environment. I used to give a (sermon?) at Wood Badge called the Wow god. The point was we needed to provide the kind of experience where when a scout experiences something new in nature, they would react with Wow. There are somethings that just can't be explained in words, so a Baden suggest, we let nature do it for us. I actually saw this a couple times, one was after we reach the top of Mount Phillips. The view from Mount Phillips will catch your breath, especially if there is snow up there as well. The other experience was at summ

Well Im pretty excited to watch your program. I think your scouts are going to have a great time. A few thoughts: The largest group of new scouts we lost had camped every month as Webelos. They knew their Boy Scouts stuff better than our 2nd year scouts and just got bored. Most Troops are prepared to deal with new scouts who have very little if any outdoor experience. Yes, we would like them to have some camping experience, but they certainly dont need to be expert boy scouts. After doing it a few years, I found that three campouts a year was plenty for our Webs: We did o

Its a trick question Sherm, Scouters aren't atheist. Barry

>>I simply state that to be "reverent" one need to revere. Now, what does it mean to "revere." For some, yes to worship a higher being (i.e. God), but for others, one could revere a mentor, a parent, etc. So, an atheist could easily satisfy that requirement.

>>Some of his comments are thought provoking, but getting into an exchange with him is exasperating. I think I've finally learned to stay out of his discussions.

If you have not been to an Eagle project review board, its worth a visit. I have seen a scout hand the board a one page hand written plan. It actually looked scribbled to me, but I didnt read the details. Now in my world, that doesnt disqualify the scout, in fact that might have been more the norm before the computer. We train our scouts to write a plan that typically requires several pages with pictures. So I would have to really interview the scout to make sure that he knew what he was getting in to. Im not sure if this fence project would pass in our District until I saw his plan in person.

>>In today's scouting, how do you handle the Buddy System with a group of scouts at night? With 18 scouts, we will be in a fairly "confined" area of a few acres around the old campsites of our primitive campsite.

Since the old fence has to be removed, it looks to me like a pretty big project. One of the trends I've seen in the past is Districts or Councils protecting their reputation of completing Eagle projects. Believe or not there is no requirement that the project must be completed to be considered successful by the EBOR. I seem to remember a district somewhere in Kansas that had a few ambitious uncompleted projects in a short period of time. One of these projects left an eye sore in the community, which led to an investigation by the local paper followed with an embarrassing article for the

>>The overwhelming majority of unit leaders have probably never even heard of, or read in full, or thought about, the DRP. In reality for many units then, it becomes a non-issue.

>>Solutions? Perhaps something to encourage packs to treat Webelos as more of a special program and to encourage specialized Webelos den leaders who stick with that program. If national wanted to make a really bold move, perhaps Webelos could be made a separate unit. Or attached to Boy Scout troops instead of Cub Scout packs.

Im a pretty open and critical of the parts of BSA programs that I don't think work very well with our youth and how they keep scouts in the program. I am not a fan of the Tiger program or the Venture Patrol program. I have been a Webelos leader, District Membership Chairman and a Member of the Council Training committee. My nature (also my job) is analyzing and deveoping solutions to improve those things I analyze. That is what I do. Of the 16 Webelos in my last den, all 16 crossed over into troops and 12 became Eagles. I preface all that to say I believe the Webelos doesnt need an

I guess I was looking at Lisas point a little different. I thought she was saying that the Scoutmaster, Cub Master or the master of any of organization are viewed as the got-to-guy (person) simply because of the title. It doesnt matter if it is a boy run, adult run or even run by sheep herders, when folks need to say something urgently, they will likely go to the one person they think is required to listen and act on their need, and that probably isnt fair. I agree it isnt fair, but I think a person in those positions needs to understand it. My story was only emphasizing that point, a mo

>>But, as unfair as this sometimes is, isn't that kind of the nature of the position? The "buck" has to stop somewhere in the program when it comes to making tough decisions and acting on them.

>>As to governments requirin' purchase of a product, seems like that's what my state (and many others) do with auto insurance, eh?

>>Afterward, however, I had second thoughts, and decided I would not do that again, as in my opinion, it clearly violated the intent of the "no alcohol" policy in the G2SS.

HI Scoutfish Let me preference this response by saying that a student of the bible doesnt have to be a Christian, Jew or even religious. That being said, Ive not heard very many students of the bible make the claims you make, which suggest to me that you are not a student of the bible, just making some points you base from what youve heard. The bible claims that God is all knowing, all present and powerful. As a Christian, how can you conclude that God couldnt guide men to write His words as He wants us to read them? Ive not heard by, students of the bible, that the bibl

Since the alcohol is burned off in the cooking, I don't see it different from any other spice and would treat it that way if asked. Barry

>>So Barry, if I understand your arguments, they are essentially that 1) There is a written rule (in the bible) and people ought to follow this written rule, and