Eagledad

Hi all We saw this coming several years ago and made two changes. First we got rid of patrol boxes and now all patrol equipment fits into a small milk crate. Then we bought a smaller lighter trailer that mini-vans can pull. I admit as the SM at the time, I wanted to be a backpacking troop anyways, so getting away from the patrol boxes fit right into my cleaver scheme. The second largest troop in our District (120 scouts) has a fleet of five small minivan size trailers. They just take as many as they need. My goal, which we never achieved, was for the patrols to pack ever

Another Beautiful Oklahoma Day all >>If he had seen that the food wasn't there he should have said something. Sure I learned a good lesson, but I think that the price was too high.

Hi All Wow, a lot of good responses. Some of us have been there and have a ragged old T-shirt to show for it. Several good replies but I feel Mike F said it best. You have reason to be concerned because in general, when a troop grows more than 40 percent, the program has to change to keep up. That is the scary part, now for the glass half full part. The sooner your adults get together on a game plan, the better off you will be at maintaining a quality boy run program. Dont get in the habit of talking about the worst; instead get it in your minds that as problems crop up, attack them.

>>I will go directly to the parents before taking it to the troop committee. I believe most parents would like to have a shot of handling the situation from home before it becomes a topic of discussion at next month's committee meeting.

Hi All Last night the topic of how the high gas prices are really biting into personal budges for troop travel. This will be a topic at the next committee meeting. Have your units felt the pressure as well? Are you doing anything to relieve the pain from gas, so to speak? Barry

Wow, that was really good. I think it's time to change your name from Twocubdad to boyrundad. Barry

Hi All >> it puts the SPL in an incredibly awkward situation. Now we have a young man placed before a committee of his elders, trying to defend his prerogative to run the troop his way, without being disrespectful (Now the parents whose children lost the SPL elections are beginning to question him more...)

Happy Friday All >>The SPL should NOT be asked to sit in the Committee meetings. This can quickly turn into an interrogation about "whose ideas these were." He is suddenly pressured by parents' ideas about things from all sides, too.

>>He was telling me that he has been explaining to the adults in his new troop that he gained his knowledge of how to do it right by watching it done so many times in my troop.

Hi All EagleKY. This is not really a PLC problem, it's a SM problem. I'm assuming you are the SM. The SM by design is the philosophical head of the program. While the committee supports the program, the program is basically the SM because the SM is the one adult in direct contact with the boys both physically and philosophically It's not that the committee or even the parents are wrong; they just havent been completely educated yet to the benefits of letting the boys run the program. Use these situations (struggles) to strengthen your understanding of the power of boy run. How

Beautiful Oklahoma Day All From Eamonn >>Scouting is for Boy's. Our job as Scout Leaders is to provide a Scouting Program for the youth in the program. We are not out to save the world or the families of the Scouts>My perspective on the difference between a scout leader and a quality scout leader is the difference between a horse, and somebody who is dressed up like a horse. A quality leader takes time to learn the program, time to understand it's methods, aims, and mission.

Wonderful Friday All >>I am thinking that trying to put one method above the others is like asking a Scout which Scout Law is the most important. Still I can' help thinking that the ideals has to be top of the list.

Hi All Like Beav (SR540Beaver), this tradady has weighed heavily on my mind. I can't know the horror everyone involved is going through and I pray a lot for them. But, we were discussing this at the meeting the other day, and we can't see how it happens. Please understand that we are flatlanders in Oklahoma, so we don't understand how with todays technology and manpower that this boy couldn't be found. It's not that we don't have any experience in this kind of territory, our troop averages at least two trips in the deep Wilderness areas of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Canada. So

Our Council has been testing this for a couple years. The paperwork still has to be turned in. I was directly involved a few years ago, but not the last couple years. The intention of this a few years ago was that while the papar work still has to be turned in, the objective is have the unit data put directly into the Council database thus skipping the errors from the middle man. This was our intention a few years ago anyway. You should be able to print the paperwork directly from your computer. Sign it and turn it in with lots of money. If all goes as intended, at least in our coun

Hi All Ask your SPL what he wants from the group. I know it seems simple, but I find most youth leaders want respect without really understanding that requires them to demand it. I ask them, what is the best way to have an orderly meeting? Take out the annoying part. If a scout is disrupting the meeting, take control and explain he has a choice, if he doesnt want to be in the meeting and is going to continue to disrupt it, he can leave. Otherwise he can stay and help with the meeting. If the scout disrupts the meeting again, and they usually do at first, the SPL then ask them to leave the

>>I also enjoy the camaraderie of fathers and sons, and the passing of wisdom from one generation to the next.

Hi all >>When it is made known that parents are not welcomed to attend PLCs and/or allowed to participate by offering advice, I feel we do our Scouts a huge disservice.

Hi All >>I don't know why a parent's presence at a PPC would inhibit a boy's input.

Is this the same stuff the outfitters give out that says can be used from washing dishes to brushing teeth? No I didn't, but it says you could. Hmmm, learn something new everyday. Barry

Hi All >>OK One-hour How about this. Meet only with the PLC. Give them the G2SS section covering the water activities and a float trip planner. Explain in an overview how to tell required policies from suggested practices. Then tell the the troop wants do do this activty and will, just as soon as they make a plan that covers all the required policies.

>>Why wouldn't you bring soap? We brought biodegradable soap that was used for cleaning ourselves and cleaning cooking gear. In both cases we were careful to keep soap way away from the lake.

I will throw in another fun Winter weekend our troop goes to now and then. Trappers Rendezvous just north of Wichita Kansas. It's on a three-day weekend, January 16 thru 18. It's well worth the trip and a lot, a lot of fun for the scouts. Over 3500 scouts the last time we went. Here is the address for their web site. http://www.quivira.org/Trappers/ It is not a warm campout like in Southern Texas, but something different and fun. Lots of mountain men and women rein-actors to trade all kinds of stuff and to demonstrate skills of mountain men. We adults find it very relaxing. If

OK! Took a little longer than I thought. Two moments? JBKHIKER answered the question, but here is a little more from Calvin, SM in Texas. Tell him to e-mail the Philmont camping department and ask for a Kanik brochure. The brouchures for the 2004-05 Kanik program have been available for about a month. The e-mail address is: camping@philmontscoutranch.org I've been on three Kanik adventures, including one during our Spring Break in March. The best one was in 2000 as we had more snow that year than in '02 & '04. He can read about (and view a slide show) our 20

HI All It's time for an adult meeting and you have to be frank about the damage it is causing. You can't make a person feel guilt, it has to come from them. So put it to them, explain how their personal agenda is hurting the agenda of the other 20 or 30 scouts and you need their help or the troop will suffer. I'm one that doesnt care much for the BSA's present Venturing Patrol idea. It tends to divide a troop more than it helps hold on to older scouts. I have always like the idea of a temporary Venture Patrols. Patrols that only exist for that one outing. The idea requires at least t

OK, good question. I know of several troops in our area that go, but I've not done it myself. So I don't know who to ask. I do have a friend I will contact. One moment please. Barry