Eagledad

Well here a few random thoughts: >>I'm torn as to what is really best for the youth.>If I were to accept the SM position I would likely step down as a UC.>I belive that in a Troop the CC is almost as important as the SM>If I change positions I should do so before I answer the 20 questions.>The current SM and myself have worked to change the troop in the past year from adult led to youth led, which was one of my main concerns when I accepted the CC position.

Our troop planned their own triathlons where the troop would hike, bike and canoe in one outing, but I have not heard of an organized version. That would be really cool. Ideally the crew changes camp every day by hiking, biking or canoeing to and from camp. Depending on the requirements like what you can carry, biking could be the hardest for a crew if they have to carry all the gear. But, a following crew of cars can solve that problem. Takes some long term planning to get all the gear and get prepared for using it. It was a perfect program for a troop because it required learning so many skills and learning a lot about setting up the equipment. An organized outside program would help that a lot. Sounds like a great trip, please keep us in formed how it works. Barry

>>Aside from the book keeping issues that might be involved, these are the two arguments I'm anticipating. (And if you do get these, how do you combat them?)

Sounds to me like you are already doing a pretty good job getting ready. Since you have knee problems, I would suggest you look at hiking poles to go along with your knee brace. Hiking poles look very much like ski poles and are used about the same way. They are made of light weight material so they dont add a lot of weight to your load. Dont worry that you will look nerdy, there are usually a few hikers using them in most groups at Philmont. When used correctly, hiking poles can take as much as 80% of the stress off your knees, especially hiking up and down inclines. Im told by my friends who have bad knees that going down hill is murder and that the hiking poles make a night and day difference as far as taking impact pressure off the knees. Do some research to make sure you learn the best technique for using hiking poles. Wear the knee brace and boots with good ankle support. Do a few miles at home with all this gear including a backpack until you get used to it. Philmont isnt really that strenuous as mountain hiking goes. Usually the altitude is the main problem. The best way to prepare for that is aerobic exercise. If you cant run, use the cross trainers. But even for the most fit, some times it is the mental toughness that struggles the most. Have a wonderful trip. Barry

This might be a balancing experience for your troop. I know that one of the spring boards that gave our troop a huge jump in numbers was our adventurous outdoor program, much the same as yours. New families always knew what they were getting in to when they joined and they were either financially willing or prepared to work hard on fundraisers. I cant ever recall anyone telling us they didnt join our troop because of cost. I can also say as things got more expensive, we started going every third year to council camp. That was about as much as we could stand. Im betting your troop will pull things in just a bit, but your new scout numbers will remain consistent. Im not really in favor of subsidizing new scouts as that could lead to other issues. Providing fundraising opportunities was usually enough for most of our scouts. We did have funds for hardship families and used them often. If you allow Webelos to earn money in funraisers, be prepared and state up front what will happen in case they don't join your troop. Barry

>>So, the good kid, in order to gain the attention he feels he deserves from his parents, strikes his sister whos perpetrated no wrong against him. Hmmm. If youre trying to convince me that this kid is inherently good, this example doesnt do it.

Rooster>>I think when a three year old smacks his younger sister because she has the audacity to pick up one of his toys; it has nothing to do with survival. Its just a kid acting out and being selfish.>Explain a >50% divorce rate and the amount of child abuse thats reported here in the U.S. and elsewhere. What happened to all those great kids did they do through another developmental stage?>Yah, Rooster, Lord of the Flies is a work of fiction, not a documentary. Yeh might as well cite Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to justify believin' adults secretly turn into hairy monsters at night.

>>eventually, it's not about development...it's just about ourselves. My vote - we're inherently bad (i.e. prone to please ourselves...prone to sin).

So many questions. The best answer for these questions is Religion has stayed pretty consistent over time. Interpretations vary some through time but usually seem to get back to the same basic alignment, which is why history repeats itself. Have a great day. Barry

>>Eagledad, which religions have been consistent since their inception in moral teachings about slavery and homosexuality?

>>We are all animals and thus we wish to procreate with the fittest and we wish to survive. Working together, getting along, etc have little to do with those urges. Criminal behavior (that will often refer to as base) is more close to our innate behavior. Thus, the key to the other laws is a sense of reverence. I do not think that the program would be the same without the 12th point.

>>He may start planning his court of honor but must wait until the certificate arrives before scheduling it. But as of right now, YOU ARE AN EAGLE SCOUT! Well done man!

>>Stosh - I hate top throw water (!) on your Whitewater canoeing example of a patrol activity, but don't forget the first point in Safety Afloat is "Qualified Adult Supervision", someone over 21 accompanying the group in a 1:10 ration.

>>I also wonder if pack and Beavah and yes, me too, might take greater offense at this in large part because we work in fields where freedom of expression and freedom from censorship are highly prized cultural practices in their own right, regardless of the content.

I'm sorry, what was the question? Barry

>>I think that about the only thing that other scout traditionalists and I don't match up exactly on is the principle of Servant Leadership. I am under the premise that SL is the basic building block upon which leadership is built and not just "part of" a bag of magic tricks that teach leadership skills.

>>Your focused on the lie when the focus should be on the inappropriate action by the group.

>> In both the NYLT matter and the NESA lifetime member knot, National's solution has been: "Gee, let's give away a bauble incentive." That's bribery, imo.

>> Must admit the chance to spit off a lighthouse would be mighty tempting to any boy

>>Plus who is brave enough to sit as the judge.

>>Our Troop used NYLT as a requirement to serve as PL or SPL. It worked better than an age or Rank filter because when I noticed a Scout with potential, I could move heaven and earth to get him to NYLT, thereby entering him in the small pool of candidates. Lazy and self-centered Scouts never got around to going.

>>Now this is just wrong! If this was the only thing holding the Scout back from having his BOR, there is a big problem in the unit!

I certanly understand the the excitment of scouts who staff NYLTs. When I was the Council JLT Chairman (In Beaver's Council by the way) we were developing what was then our council leadership development (JLTC) ladder that funtioned as one of the stepping stones in the whole BSA Junior Leadership Development Program. The steps went something like this: 1. Den Chief Training DCT First Year Scouts 2. Unit Leadership development experience 11 thru 14 years old 3. JLTC Senior Leadership Level Training (Minimum age 14) 4. JLTC Staff Unit JASM Development Training 5. NJLIC at Philmont Training for JLTC Youth Course Directors The objective was to encourage a specific purpose for each step of leadership development. We were trying to train the Scoutmaster how each step worked so that they could continually push their scouts to another level as they matured with experience. Staffing the Council JLT course is almost perfect for JASM development because the youth staff is trained to observe and teach the scouts leadership skills. It is also a great place to learn how to mentor or coach. Something that takes time and practice when the adults let their scouts do it. The ladder allowed us a way to present the Scoutmasters wiht expectations of what to do with their Scout when the course was done. We clearly advertised to each SM that any scout who graduated from JLTC should plan, teach and lead ALL Troop JLT courses. We advertised that any Scout who staffed a JLTC course had the level of training to be a JASM. And we even specified the skills they should be allowed to perform in the troop. One of the reason Scoutmasters struggle with council JLT training is because they dont know what the scout learned. So they dont know where to let the scout lead. We required a unit adult to attend the last four hours of the JLTC course so we could instruct them on the very thing. If the unit couldnt commit an adult to the training, their scout couldnt participate because it was a waste of time. As far as I know, we never had a single troop decline because of that. In fact, some troops actually like the adult training part so much; they sent more adults to the next JLTC even if they didnt have a scout in the course. The last thing we did was have the adult and the scout sit down together. There they created a plan to how the scout was going to use his new skills for reaching his goals that he wrote during the week. I know our Council doesnt run the course like that anymore. But, I can certainly understand why scouts who staff these courses are different when the come back, and want to repeat the experience several times. I would like to add, once a scout has staffed two council courses, he needs to go to Philmont. Scouts who came back from Philmont were outstanding in every way. That is why they became Course Directors in our council. Good stuff. Barry

>>Barry, don't tell me you think that the twin cities police are not likewise spending large amounts of money in preparation for the Republican convention. Any big gathering attracts its share of shouting idiots. Balancing 1st amendment rights against public oder has never been an easy task but let's not delude ourselves into thinking that either party's followers (or detractors) are, as a group, more well-mannered than the other.

>> If you believe you are right, sometimes you have to keep shouting from the rooftops even if everyone ignores you.