Eagledad

Hi All I think this is good stuff and I enjoy reading other folks opinions in an area I have so much passion. If I may, the fallacies I see in the results are that they are basically opinions of a few, if not one adult. Not data or facts based from polls or questioning of groups and individuals. I mean to say that uniforms are basic reason boys rather go somewhere else like sports, or girls really makes no sense in a program where they can go rapelling, canoeing and even scuba. But I see these kinds of subjects come up all the time, we have our opinions and we want to do better in an orga

I think our troop is above average in high adventure. When I look at all the adults involved in the past, I would say just about all of them had little or no experience starting out. When we wanted to do a trek, we went on an established trek or found an adult who trained us. Ask other Troops if your scouts can go along on a trek or arrange a trek with another Troop that may have the experience. The adults are out there, you just need to find them. I am no longer active in my troop, but I have been asked to train and lead a trek to the Northern Tier next summer. I'm going to ask the guy the tr

>>If the boys are used to troop cooking or adult cooking then this might be a hard thing to wean them from. But I've noticed that, while my son doesn't love cooking for the patrol and detests the shopping part, it has taught him organizational and leadership skills (as well as cooking skills) although I'm not sure he'd see it that way. Not to mention, he appreciates a "mom-cooked" meal so much more! So I'd say it is worth it.

Wow! Eamonn, that was really good. I wish we had a course to teach that kind of scouitng stuff, but I'm afraid that Wisdom 101 is a prerequisite and that takes time. Barry

"My take is that it probably isn't better or worse, just different." I agree with everything Lisabob says, and not because my name was Barrybob in my first course. The old WB course also taught leadership skills, but they were pretty much were all personal skills. The present course, while spends some time on personal skills, spends a lot of time on team developement skills and team leadership skills. To me the main difference is the new course teaches concepts that apply equally to new units struggling to get get momentum as well as the units already cruising from successful leaders

Anyone who is creative and likes to work with their hands will really enjoy this badge. In fact, I think it would be one of the most popular crafts badges at summer camp because you can make so many things from composite type materials. Scouts will learn that much of the exquipment from back packs, canoes, bows, tent parts to boots, climbing gear, most water sport gear, bikes, even tools like axe and saw handles. Its easy to shape and the chemical processes is fun to watch. It is an area where Engineering is really expanding. Barry

>>is it actually complete since a requirement wasn't done? I say no.

>>CalicoPenn, I understand the idea that the MB is "completed" when signed by the MBC, even if no actual work was done...but would you really sign an advancement report including such a MB if you actually knew that no work was actually done? If I did so, I would be making a false statement--that the record met the "standards and requirements" of the BSA.>I hear this grumble all over. IMO I think National needs to address this. Time to put the values back into scouts.

This is an interesting subject. I was just having a conversation with a good friend of mine who I think was the best CD our council has ever had. I mentioned a couple future course directors that I would have thought needed some time yet before they took on that responsibility and I asked him why they were selected at this time. Now don't get me wrong, when I think of the best CD, Eamonn comes to mind first and I compare all CDs to him. The folks I speak of are like Eamonn and will lead a good course, they just have a lot going on now in areas of scouting that I think should have the ful

Thanks for all the kind replies. Your words Beav really ring true. Everytime I read your post, I think our Council has a great future. Eammon, I always enjoy your words because in many way I feel we came from the same mold, but I was the sent to the states. I can't think of who I would have said was my role model back in college. Looking back now, I can pick several. My dad is on that list, but I didn't understand that until I was a father. I have noticed my 23 year old starting to understand our family as well. In a time when many of his friends come from divorced families, he has

HI All I had a wonderful weekend last week. I was invited to present a scout his Eagle during a troop Eagle COH. That is unusual for our troop because even though our scouts and their families plan the COH to their taste and needs, usually the father presents the Eagle with a short tribute following. This all started years ago when one father gave a very tearul tribute to his son and now all the moms since have forcefully incourage the same for all the scouts. I didn't ask questions, I only replied that I was honored. But I did wonder why this family was breaking tradition. To add t

>>This year at summer camp we had a leader in our site that flew the "Jolly Roger" (skull & cross-bones).

This is a strange thread to me because my Patrol when I was a youth was the rebel patrol. That was in the early 70s , what about 15 years ago, and no one ever thought anything about it. Our patrol flag was a small Confederate battle flag. Sometimes its sad how times change. The BSA even offered a patrol patch with a rebel flag on it. I still have a shirt with that patch. Barry

Do a Google search on NEA gays. Barry

>>Make sure your meetings are fast paced, no more than 10-15 minutes on any one task.

Hi All Seems like everyone except the forum is getting blamed for this mistake. But the job descrition of the BOR is to verify the scout completed all the requirements, so that is where the cog failed in the machine. Clearly the scout needs some counseling if he didn't say anything and the adults need training to understand their role and policies of their responsibilities. I'm not sure why having a scout arrange the BOR for himself is like bypassing the SM, he still has to prove he completed all the the requirements, which includes a SM signature. Arranging the BOR doesn't me

After a few years of working with parents, we learned to put the new leaders in kind of a troop training for the first couple of months. It pretty much is what Venividi is suggesting. The SM or a very experience ASM usually has coffee ready for the new leaders at meetings and holds them together to discuss troop proceedures. I like the pie idea. It is better with the SM because it shows how well the Troop functions under the leadership of the SPL and PLC. But the SM has confrences to attend also so a good ASM is needed. We spend time watching a PLC meeting and discussing how it worked, who led

I don't think that is a train coming, it is opportunity with a flash light coming to help. Now is the time to teach why you do scouting the way you do. The SM carries the torch of philosophy for the troop. Most folks do not want that responsibility, so they take a part on the committee. But most people get excited to be part of a program when the philosophy make sense. I like to teach that a successful SM spends at least 50% of his/her time talking with the adults because troops run so much better when everyone feels a part of the SMs program. Yep, most SMs would love to see that light c

This is one of those kinds of situations where I think all the leaders need to sit down and understand their role to the pack. I'm not trying to push Wood Badge, but this is where the course teaches the Four Phases of Team Building. Step one (Forming) is getting organized and understanding 1. the goal of the pack, and 2. what each person's role is toward that goal. Step 2 (Storming) which is usally where the team hammers out each others boundaries to their roles or jobs. The more your team understands the team goal and their specific part to the team at the begining of the team building, the l

>>Scoutmaster and Committee Chair need to get their act together and then talk with this parent together.

>>Its often easier to admit to misbehaving than admit to being dumb.

>>Mission statements and visions are nothing more than fluff

>>When it finally comes to a head the adults, being human, are just not willing to listen to an explanation from the boy who just stepped on their last nerve and is having a run in with a boy that has not caused any trouble at all. It is not fair but it is understandable.

I always wondered why baseball managers got away with so much before getting kicked out. Its because some bad behavior is OK, just now all bad behavior. Thanks for the explanation. I have one too. Our local soccer association had trouble with the refs not calling bad language. Most of the problem occurred from the older teenage refs who also played the game. It was found they allowed the language because they like to use it themselves. The refs said it was hard to punish players on some words while not on other words, so they pretty much left that rule alone. The parents had a different

I think we adults don't carry the baggage of adolescences like competing for position within the group and working past the urge to sit when voluntarily helping a patrol mate cook or do KP makes the patrol method more fun for the group. It is easy for adults because we want a functioning team and we are willing to make that happen. Youth struggle with the idea of their friend telling them what to do. I think what is really important is taking the feeling of the experience and working to find that within your scouts. Dont duplicate your experience, but instead work the patrol the boys meth