Eamonn

I just read " The Last Child In The Boat?" an article in Boat/US Magazine. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQK/is_6_11/ai_n16881636/pg_1 As yet I haven't got around to reading Last Child In The Wood: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder. I think maybe because I was born and raised in a big city or maybe because as a kid I was packed off to spend most of the summer at my Grand-parents farm in Ireland? Or maybe because I was a Scout? I really enjoy the outdoors. Sadly this love doesn't seem to have been past on to my son. Sure he has been in Scouting for a very long time, but going to camp was more about spending time with his mates than anything to do with nature. He looks upon an invitation to join Rory and myself on our big long walk as if I was trying to push extra chores on him. I love to hike. He thinks parking the car in the next aisle is a waste of his energy. Sailing would suit him better if there were more horsepower. Winter is cold, water is wet,grass makes him sneeze, summer is hot. "You don't think I'm pooping there?" Farms are smelly, zoos are boring! The list goes on. Sadly I can't help thinking that unless he makes me a Grand-dad while I'm still in good fettle, his kids are never going to get to enjoy the great outdoors. I can't help thinking that somehow I failed him? Maybe we all failed him? Maybe if the time spent at summer camps hadn't been about rushing from merit badge to merit badge? Maybe if the programs hadn't been so programed? Maybe more time spend in muddy puddles or making mud pies? Maybe I can do a better job with the Scouts I now serve? Ea.

Coming from the UK and having spend a good many years as a leader in there. I know that a Scouting program can and does work without having the number of pros that we have in the BSA. The amount of time spent by the pros organizing FOS, Popcorn sales and fund raising events is a lot of time.As is the time and energy spent by volunteers. While I might well be a few fries short of a Happy Meal? It seems to me that as the membership continues to decline, we have less families supporting FOS Family Campaigns, less popcorn sellers and as local businesses are being replaced by multi-national corporations who if they support Scouting tend to do so at the National level. Something has to give. When the local United Way announced that the local Girl Scout Council was no longer going to receive funding from them. They packed up shop and were gone! Our "Local" Girl Scout Council now serves an area which covers several states. The one we had served one county! It seems after a quick glance at what Girl Scout pros earn compared to the salaries paid to Boy Scout pros, that the Girl Scouters earn a lot less. Over the 20 years I've been in the states. I have seen nearly every position in the Service center change: different Scout Execs, different FD, the Assistant Scout Exec, position was done away with, he remained as the LFL Director and DE's have come and gone. The units that had a good strong program 20 years ago still have a good strong program. I really don't think that the pros, good or bad make any difference to the program that our youth receive. As times get tougher they will spend more and more time trying to raise money just so they can get paid!! Eamonn.

While we might not to admit it. Most units seem to in some ways follow the interests of the adults. Back when I was a SM I know my want to get out of town at weekends led to the Troop camping as much as we did, my love for messing around with pioneering projects led to us doing pioneering. We have one Scout Troop in the Council where it seems that their entire program is built around going to Philmont. They have an older SM who openly admits he would like nothing better than to die on the trail!! Even as a Cubmaster I know I was far more shall we say sympathetic and understanding about soccer than many other Cubmasters because I was a soccer coach. I'm very much in favor of there being more events and opportunities open to and for our older youth members. In fact I think we as an organization don't do a very good job of meeting their needs. Many Boy Scout Troops are happy to follow a program that really doesn't change much from year to year and requires little planning and even less imagination. Attending the Council summer camp doesn't need a lot of youth leadership either before the event and in a lot of cases even at the event. A fair number of the older youth look upon this same old, same old as being just that the same old, same old. They want to do what ever it is that comes next. While maybe? Planning all of a Super Activity, if indeed it was really super? Might be a lot to expect. Again referring to the conversation with my friend. It seems one of the adults planned a weekend activity and set a deadline. After the deadline had gone by, only a couple of members had signed up. He said that this was to be expected and they (the adults had made plans expecting a far greater number to attend.) I'm happy that the members will get to participate in the event. I'm sure once they are there doing what ever it is they are doing they will have a good time. But ... (You knew it was coming!) What is the life lesson we are teaching? Is the lesson more important than the event? Should our focus be on staging events or is their more to what we do than just provide a bunch of activities that are enjoyable? At some stage doesn't what we do come back to what the words in the Scout Oath and Law mean? If we don't ask the youth to step up and take responsibility, even for themselves? Surely we will become little more than some sort of theme park. Ea.

Having never had a lot to do with the YMCA, I can't really comment on what they do or how they work. The Ship was working on a new mission statement. When they get the bugs worked out I'll post what they come up with. While they were working on this a couple of us old folks were chatting. Someone asked me about my short term goal for the Ship and the Scouts. I said that my goal was to have all the Scouts have great tans and be able to have fun messing about in boats!! The tans will come from them participating in lots of outdoor activities and before they can really mess about in boats they need to master the skills. Coming from land locked Pennsylvania,about three hours from the big lake. Most of the youth we have join have little or no experience being anywhere near a boat. Learning the skills does take time and does require a commitment. The friend I was talking to is involved in a Crew. Which as far as I know has been fairly successful. This summer they will say goodbye to the original group that were there when the Crew started. They are thinking of adding a Ship to the Crew, in order to offer a wider range of activities for the youth. Some of it might be a PR move. My friend says that a group of well turned out Sea Scouts in uniform will attract more youth!! I don't know about that? I think there is a difference between being able to sail and just going on a sail. While taking new members out is fine and dandy and it might be fun and a bit of an adventure. I think it lacks the challenge. Without the challenge of mastering or at least getting good at anything it gets old real quick. Of course some youth love to be in the limelight and center stage, while others shy away from doing anything. Still when we as an organization shy away from teaching both types how to be real leaders we will have missed out on a lot of what I see us being about. Ea.

Have been talking with a friend who has different idea that me!! (Yes we can still be friends.) Talking mainly about programs for older youth/ young adults. He seems happy to take what ever leadership they will offer. I tend to take the high road and am willing to cancel an event or not do anything that they don't get involved with and do most of the work for. He is happy if a youth just wants to participate in what ever they want to participate in. If this means they only attend one event a year. That's fine with him. I'm having a hard time with that one. Still I kinda think at the end of the day -He is going to be on the winning team and me and my old stick in the mud ideas are going to be left in the dirt. I see what he is doing as being more of a "Club" than what I might call Scouting. Where as he is happy to organize an event,and allow anyone who has the time to just show up with no real dead lines or youth planning -I'm not sure if this is the organization I want to be a part of? While our conversations have been about Venturing and Sea Scouting, more and more I see this sort of "Hey if you are free come on down!" program being offered to older Boy Scouts. While I'm not big on rules that set attendance levels. I do kinda, expect some level of committment. I'm a little unsure if this Activity Club is the way to go about reaching our vision and mission? Ea.

Sea Scouting does have as part of the Advancement requirements. Ordinary requires:Attend 75% of the Ships meetings and activities over six months. Able requires:Attend 75% of the Ships meetings and activities over one year. Quartermaster Requires:Attend at least 75 percent of your ship's meetings and special activities for 18 months (including previous service of Apprentice, Ordinary, and Able). To be very honest we are finding that these requirements get in the way and do more harm than good!! Much as I hate to look for loop holes these attendance requirements have made us look really hard at what is a meeting? What is an activity? We have a few Scouts who never ever miss anything. But we have Scouts who for one reason or another can't get to the meetings. One girl has had driving lessons on Monday nights for the past six weeks. She will be away all Summer.She missed the Quarterdeck Training, due to something going on at her church. Holding her back doesn't seem right to me!! The Quarterdeck now lists what activities and meetings are "Ship" meetings and activities. Of course some of our Scouts don't care much about advancing and that's fine. I have set minimum numbers for events that I'm willing to attend. I'm unwilling to give up my weekend and drive several hundred miles for two or three Scouts. If they can find the needed adult leadership? The event can still go ahead. (Most times it doesn't!!) Some people might think that this is unfair. But even a weekend trip for me entails making sure someone is around for Her Who Must Be Obeyed, taking th time and spending the money to put Rory in a kennel and most times me using one of our vehicles. Some events just fall on the wrong day!! Sadly the Japanese knot-wood service project that an outside organization planned is the day after the HS prom. The Scouts would have gone but the date just didn't work. Only 2 Scouts signed up. Rightly or wrongly? I'm unwilling to give up an entire day for 2 Scouts. At times I get peeved when the participation doesn't live up to my expectations!! That's when I try really hard to remind myself that it's their Ship. Eamonn.

What follows is still kind of fuzzy!! While maybe not having a vote as to who gets the job. This time could be looked at as an opportunity for the PLC to take a long hard look at what the real role of a Scoutmaster is. In doing so I think maybe they will discover what their role is. It could be used as an exercise in Ethical Thinking. To protect the innocent it might be wise to not use the real people who are interested in the job. The COR and the CC might want to get involved, by explaining what they see as the qualities they would hope to find in an ideal Scoutmaster. Maybe one quality might be improving the relationship with the CO? It's easy to quote the by the book stuff!! Saying that the real job of a SM is to train the youth leaders. But we know that a good SM is faced with more than just that. One of the Troops in town has a good SM. The Scouts really seem to like him and he gets on well with the Scouts, but for some reason the parents just don't like him. Sadly the "Word is out". This year due to adults not being as kind as they should be the Troop only seen one little Lad cross over into the Troop. A super nice guy. A good Scouter, but if he remains the Troop will not survive. What to do? There are several ASM's, none seem to be as good as him, but the parents seem to like them better. I'm glad I'm not on that committee!! I know when I was a young SM (yes the memory still works!) I was driven by my ego, I somehow managed to get the Scouts to buy into my ego. This wasn't all bad, but at times it had little to do with real Scouting -More about just winning. Of course the Scouts like to win and be part of a winning team. But thinking back at how many upset little lad's I had when we didn't win -It just wasn't the way this game should be played Eamonn.

Should the scouts have a voice in choosing the SM? I think it depends on what you mean by voice? I would hope that the Nominating Committee would take into account the feelings of the Scouts. But I don't think a vote is such a good idea. How will they feel if the guy they vote for doesn't get the job? OJ has started working at a local pizza shop. Which is owned and ran by the son of the guy who was District Chairman before me. I maybe know a little more about OJ's boss than I'm willing to say. The guy is 28 years old and OJ hero worships him! It seems all I hear is "Dave this" and "Dave that." "Dad I need an Apple laptop" (Dave has one) "I'm thinking of buying a Honda" (Guess what Dave drives?) Dave is a nice enough fellow. But when OJ cut his hand at work and needed to go the ER for a few stitches. Dave doesn't have Workman's comp insurance on his employees!! Sometimes the best person for the job is not the most popular person! Maybe when the elected SM does something that might displease the PLC, the come back could be ? "We voted you in and we have the right to vote you out!" I think this is a can of worms best left unopened!! This is why we have nominating committees. Ea.

Along the same lines as scoutldr has laid out. We kinda know that most pros are not going to be around for very long. (There are of course some that are around for a very long time!) When I first became a District Chair. My first thing to try and get under way was building a strong District Committee. I used the word Team. Some people thought this wasn't right? Selecting the right people is not easy and at times the wrong person was selected to do the wrong job. The DE at the time was (and still is) a very nice person, but she didn't know the people in the District. I thought I knew everyone!! But by using a Nominating Committee, people either I didn't know or had missed came to light. Our DE was a first class administrator. When she first came on board her only knowledge of Scouting was from being the mother of an Eagle Scout. Working as a team we build up a good committee, the really hard thing is finding and starting to train the committee that will replace them. Paying someone $16 or $17 an hour to organize a District event is not spending our money to it's best use. As a small Council we can't afford a Finance Director.Maybe $35,000 a year isn't a lot? One of my goals was that we as a District did raise enough money to pay the salary of our DE. I'll admit I looked at her as working for me. I wasn't happy when "They" wanted her to do stuff for "Them" She was "Mine". Last summer some bright spark had the great idea f having the Program Director and two DE's work up at camp. The three of them cost about $22,000.00. The camp served about 1,100. Of course while they were up at camp things that should have been done, didn't get done! Then the SE moved. He didn't do anything after July 1st. There wasn't a pro to be found in the Service Center. The golf outing that the District had worked so hard to make a ongoing success was a disaster. All the information is on the computer in the Council, this is where the invites are sent from. The invites didn't get out and an event that had brought $12,000 in for the Council only made $3,000. The Doctor who started the event and for whom it is named after. Who really has put a lot of time, effort and money into it being a success was embarrassed and upset. We the volunteers need to know what the real duties and responsibilities of the Pro's are. How can we really blame someone for not doing their job, when we don't know what their job description is? Ea.

Without wishing to seem rude!! Swearing and bad language is less accepted here in the USA than it is back in the UK. While some words are just plain bad, at times they get lost in the translation. I remember all the fuss there was about a Sex Pistols album with a naughty word in the title and how the Virgin Record Store in Marble Arch displayed the album and the manager was very nearly arrested. Some words which were once considered naughty seem to have slipped into everyday conversation and while maybe not fully accepted are it seems no longer as bad as they used to be. I have been known to turn the air a little blue myself at times!! I do when I'm around Scouts use my "Sunday Manners." Kids are exposed to a lot of foul language. Some of the Rap songs are nothing but swear words. I think maybe for the shock value? It seems to work, they sell a lot!! If the Scouts come from homes where swearing and bad language are the norm? Maybe rather then telling them to stop, you might be further ahead trying to get them to grasp the idea of a time and a place for everything. Maybe it's OK to talk like this at home? But would you talk like this if you were visiting the Queen in Buck House? No! Of course you wouldn't!! Well the same goes when your on a Scouting activity. Why? Because bad language upsets some people and as Scouts you have promised to be Friendly and Considerate. Stress the Scout Law: A Scout is to be trusted. A Scout is loyal. A Scout is friendly and considerate. A Scout belongs to the worldwide family of Scouts. A Scout has courage in all difficulties. A Scout makes good use of time and is careful of possessions and property. A Scout has self-respect and respect for others. Explain that when they use bad language that they are letting the Troop down and worse still they are letting themselves down this goes into the area of respect. I have a look -Which I shoot at offenders. When they see it as a rule I get a "Sorry Skipper" If I hear it again I have a "Hey Guys!!" This at times can be followed by a "Hey Now -That's Enough" Very often swearing is used by the Lads who are 12 -14. I think they use bad language as a sign to everyone that they aren't little kids any more!! Like many things it's a phase that does in time pass. You can help phase it out a little faster!! Ea. PS Do you remember Ronnie Barker in Porridge? The script allowed the prisoners to swear without offending viewers by using the word "naff". It was used in place of ruder words ("Naff off!", "Darn your own naffing socks", "doing next to naff all"). What Great TV!! "Norman Stanley Fletcher, you have pleaded guilty to the charges brought by this court, and it is now my duty to pass sentence. You are an habitual criminal, who accepts arrest as an occupational hazard, and presumably accepts imprisonment in the same casual manner. We therefore feel constrained to commit you to the maximum term allowed for these offences you will go to prison for five years." A sentance like that might stop the swearing!!

If we happened to be passing a Fish & Chip Shop. It always seemed a shame not to check it out. Canned Spaghetti or pasta in tomato type sauce was always big. Baked Beans were a staple especially for breakfast. We do manage a few weekend hikes eating only Kendal Mint Cake. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendal. For a while we got into TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) That stuff was just nasty!! Cornish Pasties which always ended up smashed into bite sized pieces were a good stand by. Bovril Cubes made with hot water and chunks of crusty bread was and still is wonderful. In fact anytime I hear of anyone going home I have them bring me back a few jars. http://www.unilever.co.uk/ourbrands/foods/bovril.asp That and Rose's Lemon & Lime Marmalade. Boy this thread is making me hungry! Of course being a great cheese lover all to often we had a Plowman's Lunch (Minus the ale of course!!) Some really good Stilton or a big chunk of Wensleydale. I never acquired a taste for peanut butter, but bread and Marmite was a good stand by when the cheese was gone. Ea.

http://www.1stnewquayscouts.cjb.net/ Is the web site of a local Scout group in the area. It seems that there are problems with the Cornwall County Scout Council site you might want to try it later http://www.cornwallscouts.org.uk/index.htm. Devon and Cornwall are just two beautiful counties in England. Sadly they get very crowded in the summer months. Even hiking on Dartmoor can at times seem like you are in the middle of Piccadilly Circus! If you are going not with a Scouting group? I would try and avoid July and August when the schools are out. The moors can be nasty in early spring and in the fall. Still a great place to visit. Dorset is nice as well, rich in history. The best place to get any map of any place in the UK can be found at. http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/ I love the maps they have -Really great for hiking. Ea.

Come gather round people wherever you roam And admit that the waters around you have grown And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth saving Then you'd better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone For the times, they are a changing Come writers and critics who prophesize with your pens And keep your eyes open, the chance won't come again And don't speak too soon, the wheel's still in spin And there's no telling who that it's naming Oh the loser will be later to win For the times, they are a changing Come senators,congressmen, please head the call Don't stand in the doorway, don't block up the hall For he that gets hurt will be her that ha stalled The battle outside ragging will soon shake your windows And rattle your hall FORTH times, they are a changing Come mothers and fathers all over this land And don't criticize what you can't understand Your sons and your daughter are beyond your command Your old role is rapidly aging Please get out of the new one if you can't lend a hand For the times they are a changing The line, it is drawn, the curse, it is cast The slow one will later be fast And the present now will soon be the past The order is rapidly fading The first one now will later be last For the times, they are a changing. Bob Dylan - Times They Are A Changing. I like Dylan!! I suppose I might have used "Under Pressure" by Queen & David Bowie. I think most of us will agree with Beav about there not being a money tree. We all understand the need for cash and understand that any organization that isn't growing is in fact dieing. I have never really known if the Normal Rockwell illustrations really were a fair commentary on how things used to be? I live in "Small-town USA". The values of the people who live there are great. They support things they deem to be good. I have watched our small town change. The local businesses that not only supported Scouting with financing, but provided people who had a network that they could call on to support moved from the town to the Strip mall, from the Strip mall to the big Mall and were replaced locally by the giant stores like Wal-Mart. Our Council Executive Boards once full of local people with deep roots in the community have been replaced with mid-level Company Executives, who seem more interested in building a resume than doing anything and if the truth were to be told really don't have the power or the authority to do very much. More and more we as an organization have had to look for funding from the volunteers and from outside foundations. Sadly the people who work for us have little or no training in bringing home the sort of money that is required. Council budgets run into very large amounts. The Scout Executive has worked his way up from being a DE. Many only went into Scouting because they were unable to find any other employment. We don't seem to know what we want them to do or what we should expect from them. Many pros have felt the need to lie and cheat in order to meet goals. Often the guys who tell the lies and do the cheating are rewarded by being promoted. One of my best friends is our Council Program Director. A super nice fellow and a very good friend. I knew him when he was a DE earning less than $15K, hanging around the homes of volunteers at supper time hoping for a free meal. I don't in anyway begrudge him the $60K that he is paid or the company car. I do dislike the fact that he thinks he works so darn hard and should be paid more. More and more I can't help thinking that we do have two organizations. The real Scouting which happens at the unit level and then BSA Inc. I don't like BSA Inc. I feel at times it seems more worried about looking after and protecting the people who work for it than serving and meeting the needs of the members. I'd be happy to have a SE that knew squat about Scouting, who was rarely seen, but was brining in huge sums of money to the Council. I'm OK with guys like my Program Director pal who understands Scouts and volunteers and can help organize events. Sadly we seem more and more to be served by people who really are not good at anything. They get away with this because the Executive Boards don't know much about Scouting or the community. I used to be the "FOS Guy". Now more and more I find it sticks in my throat to ask families who have a household income of less than $40K to pay the wages of a guy who is making more than twice that amount and just isn't doing a very good job. I have as a District Chair. Played the lets make a deal game with District Goals. I was sad when it seemed that we faced a total lack of understanding. The goals we were forced to accept didn't take into account what was happening in the community. The very community we are supposed to be serving. Yes the times are changing and maybe the days of Scouting as seen through the eyes of Norman Rockwell will never be real. But the days of the SE making amounts that are just unrealistic just can't continue. We need to look at how we hire the top guns. Find out what we really want them to do? Hold them accountable. Get more program type volunteers on our boards and then go out of our way to bring back the image of the real BSA, not BSA Inc. The image which the pros have made full of lies and cheating. If telling lies and cheating is what is required to be one of them? I'm happy to remain one of us. Ea.

Her Who Must Not Be Ignored (Mother of Her Who Must Be Obeyed) asked if I would drive her to a funeral. I agreed. Me coming from good Irish Catholic stock have more Aunts and Uncles that I can keep up with. My Mother was one of eight children and Dad one of seven. Of course I have more First Cousins than I could ever hope to keep up with. Both parents of Her Who Must Be Obeyed were only children, but somehow we manage to come up with cousins? The funeral was for a woman who was a cousin of HWMB Dad. The Preacher didn't impress me. I'm not keen on modern translations of psalms. I was a little surprised when he said that this Lady had been in Scouting. After the services I found out she had been a Den Mother. Her five sons were at the funeral. They had al been in Pack 150. A Pack that folded a long time ago. There is a Troop 150, but its down to a handful of Scouts. I heard a great story of how the Pack Committee Chairman a local doctor had promised that he would deliver any babies that the Den Mothers had for free. This Lady really got value for money. She went and had twin boys!! I don't know much about the family. The husband works nights filling shelves at the local supermarket. None of the boys went to college. They live in a rented house. Hearing what was said it would seem that they have had to make do over the years. Life has at times been tough, but they managed. I couldn't help thinking how hard it must have been for a mother of five to be a Den Mother? How sad it was that no one from Scouting had sent a flower a card or even knew that one of our own had gone. No one said anything and I don't think the thought even crossed their minds, that maybe some sort of a thank you from someone would be in order. I'm sure if the family had given big donations to the Council or if She had served as a Council President that something would have been done. Still for a mother of five kids to make the time to serve not only her sons but the sons of others in the community to pass un-noticed is sad. I'm thinking of setting up a flower fund, asking the active volunteers to donate a few dollars each year, so that when we do hear about the passing of a Scouter, we can do something. About five years back an old fellow passed on. I missed the announcement in the paper and missed the funeral. I didn't know Max the fellow who died, but I remember him being the dinning room steward at summer camp back in 1977 and him taking 1000's of photos. Any kid that passed by was lightly to be stopped and have his photo taken. Max had taken a few snaps of my ugly mug which he mailed over to England for me. At the time of his death I was District Commissioner. I sent a letter to his brother, Max had never married. I said how sorry I was for missing the funeral and recounted a few memories that I had of Max. Soon after in the mail I received a very nice letter and a check for $1,000.00. The family also had thousands of pictures of Scouts that they had no idea what to do with. I put them in contact with a fellow in the Council who is the un-official historian. He picked up boxes and boxes of photos. Soon after he mailed me a copy of a photo of me taken in 1981 when I had brought the Troop over from London. I suppose the legacy Max has left will be his photos and the legacy this cousin left will be her sons. I do think that we need to find a way of saying thanks to the people who have served and laid the ground work for us. Ea.

Schism is a new word for my vocabulary! I don't think there is as much "Cut and Paste" in Cub Scouting as there used to be. I hope I don't come off sounding sexist in any way. But from listening to the tales my Mother-in-law tells about her time as a Den Mother and seeing how much more active and "Outdoor Oriented" the female leaders of today are. Things have changed a lot. For the better!! Sadly it seems even with the decline in Cub Scout membership, over-sized dens seem to becoming the norm. Dens of 12 or even 14 are not unusual in our District. Dens no longer seem to meet at the Den Leaders home and we have some packs that have multiple over sized Dens meeting at the same place and the same time. I have to admit to not being a big fan of having everyone crossing over at one time. Many of in fact most of the Troops in our area are small (Under 20 Scouts) Even the big ones are not that big. So having 12 or more young Lads join at once is a lot. I'm not sure if it's a fact? But it seems that the average age of the Scouts in the Troops is younger than it once was. Having older Scouts that these little guys can look up to and hero worship? was a good thing. 11 year olds joining a Troop of 12 and 13 year olds does impact the program. Most of the SM's in our Council have been around for a very long time. They tend to be old and set in their ways. Not that this is always a bad thing!! But they really dislike change and some refuse to change. You wouldn't believe the hue and cry they made when the Council changed from a paper news paper to a electronic e-mailed news report. Leaders cross over from the pack and are soon informed that "We don't do it that way!!" Very much a case of "My way or the highway." Many have closed their minds and anything and everything new is just no good!! New leaders toddle off to training's return to the units with the "Training High" only to be put down and hear the "We don't do it that way" speech! Of course there are still Cub Scouter's who look upon the Cub Scouts as "My Boy's" and seem to have forgot that Cub Scouting is about preparing the little Lads to become Boy Scouts! Some are guilty of mollycoddling. But to be fair I know of SM's who are either guilty of being mollycoddler's or seem to think because they spent time in the SAS that what was good for them is right for 11 year old boy's. It all started when kids started playing soccer! Ea.

Advancement in the BSA is not a group activity. In Cub Scouting until the Lad becomes a Webelos Scout, Akela is the person who should be doing the signing off and ensuring that the requirements are met. In most cases Akela is the Lad's parent or parents. When we look at the methods of Cub Scouting they are based on strengthening family understanding as adult family members work with boys on advancement projects. When leaders no matter how good their intent might be act as road blocks they do both the Cub Scout and his family a disservice. Making a Cub Scout wait to be recognized is not the way things should be done. Maybe taking the time to read and take a long hard look at the methods of Cub Scouting might be in order? Ea.

OGE, While I agree that seeing how things work or don't work?? Elsewhere is interesting. I do get a little shall we say peeved? That we as an organization are supposed to have a system in place which is supposed to work. As I have posted I'm not a great lover of tweaks and people making alterations to the program. No!! I'm not going to mention Fast Food or hamburgers!! But it irks me that so many Councils and Districts have for some reason decided that they know best and opt to do their own thing. Of course there will be times when things just don't seem to work. But surely we have systems in place to know when something isn't working? If the District doesn't have a an Advancement Chair? Someone has to know. If they know they need to do something. When I was Council Training Chair. I knew all the District Chairs. If a District didn't have one we pushed till we found one, at the same time myself or a member of the Council Training Team stepped in and made sure that the job was being done. The people working with the youth need and deserve what they are promised and these promises are found in the publications that the BSA puts out. Ea.

I had sat on our District Committee for a number of years, hearing and knowing that list just didn't work. Over the years more and more names had been added, but none had ever been removed. Some of the Counselors listed had moved, some were no longer in Scouting and a few had gone up to visit the Great Scoutmaster. There are very few restrictions on MBC's. As we have discussed in the forum, a MBC can be the MBC for his or her son and is allowed to be the MBC for any number of badges. We had one guy who was MBC for over 30!! The list was past saving. We decided the only thing to do was scrap it and start fresh. We bought the Troopmaster Merit Badge software found a willing Dean of Merit Badges and had anyone who wanted to be a MBC apply. We also explained that the term of office was a year and if they didn't contact the Dean, they would be removed from the list. The Dean also sends out reminders via a postcard. We also recommended that no one be allowed to be the MBC for more than 5 badges. While this all went well and continues to do well, the sad thing is that the staff in the Council Service Center claim they don't have time to check the blue cards. So a blue card signed by Father Christmas will get through. If you are willing to take the time the people you need to talk to are the Council Advancement Chairman and the Council Vice President of Program. Explain the problem to them. I'm a firm believer in volunteers talking to volunteers, involving DE's and the other pros is not the way to get things done. In fact a lot of the time they really have no idea of what should be done, how about getting it done and in the end they end up talking or asking a volunteer anyway. A note to the District Chairman or better yet having your COR attend the next District meeting to express the units disappointment that the District is failing to serve the Scouts in the District by not having an active Advancement committee might be what's needed to get things moving. Be careful not to go yourself as you run the risk of being asked to become the Advancement Chair and if that happens it will take you away from the Ship. Eamonn. PS- You had me worried! When I seen the title and then your name I thought you were ready to give up the Ship!!

Seems I'm a little out numbered!! I'm all for someone who enjoys doing what they are doing and are good at it being allowed to keep on doing it. Especially Cubmasters!! I took the CM position when I did because it was the least demanding job/position in the Pack. One of the best CM's I knew served for 26 years!! The Cub Scouts seemed to look upon him as a Grandfather, many of the Dads in the pack had him as there CM. It worked just fine. Ea.

"How good where these scouts at planning before they joined the Ship"? Planning is part of leadership. In the Ship we have several Scouts who not only attended the old JLTC,they served on staff. We have a couple of Eagle Scouts. I would have thought that with all of this these Lads would have picked up something? Strange thing is the girls who have no type of Scouting background are far beater at planning. Part of the "Blame?" lies in the fact that many come from Troops where the POR's are filled with PW's (Patch Wearers) Looking at OJ's Troop. The fund raising events are completely in the hands of the adults. Summer Camp is the Council Camp, same site, same week each and every year. Plus the summer trip (Washington DC, Gettysburg and the Air Force Base in Ohio? On a rotation. -All planned and led by adults)Summer camp and this weekend trip is the summer program. For June till School goes back in September. They have some land that someone lets them use so camping there and District Camporees fills out the rest of the year. The Scouts never get the opportunity to plan anything. While about 75% do attend summer camp, the Scouts aged 14+ don't think or find the weekend campouts to be very interesting so they don't go!! I can drive to the summer camp in less than 25 minutes. Not much planning needed for that one. Our female Ship's Mate works for Home Depot. They donate a lot of building materials for Eagle Scout Leadership projects. She is real big on only talking with the Scout and telling the parents to go take a walk!! She informs me that nearly all the projects seem to not belong to the Scout and when Dad isn't there with his list and his ideas the Scouts have little or no idea what is going on. Dave, part of the problem is that the unit is so new. Everything the Scouts do is new, they can't fall back on how it was done last time or tradition. For many of them this new Sea Scouting thing is just something they kinda think is a good idea and might be worth trying!! In fact just another activity to add to the list of all the other activities they do. Over time this will change. Already I see that we are starting to attract younger members, in fact we have a few 13 year olds waiting to join. My hope is that these younger youth will get so involved that over time they will plan other activities around what the Ship is doing. The Lad planning the Kayaking weekend is only 14. Him and his parents can't get over how much more the Ship does and how much more we offer than the Troop he is in does. The kids waiting to join are his pals. We have one Lad who has applied to attend SEAL. Sadly he turns 18 this year and he is very involved in Venturing - He has also turned an application in to be the NE-Region Venturing President, if he gets that he may well run for National Venturing President. We would have had two more but they are going back to Georgia to work on the Sea Kayaking program we did last summer and the dates just don't work out. One will be a senior next year (Sarah my knot girl and TJ, my head banger. - Who you met at the Training weekend)TJ, will only be a junior. I was SM of the Troop in London for over 11 years. It took several years for me to work out what "Youth Led" really meant. It took another couple of years to set up a system that worked. There were years when it worked just great and years when I was pulling my hair out. This sort of thing isn't easy with an established unit, where the members have had the chance to see how things work, how you work!! It's ten times more difficult with a new unit, worse still with a program that we are still feeling our way around. Don't give up the Ship. One new Scout is going to join and he or she will change everything!! He or She will have pals who will have you asking yourself "What was I worried about?" And telling yourself "Man this is just great" -Maybe not tomorrow or next week, but it will happen. I promise. Ea.

3.6 cents per second!! Ea.

Strange!! I was talking to Noel Guzman about this very thing last week. We had met at the Liberty Flotilla Quarterdeck Training Day in New Jersey. Kinda funny how things worked out!! At the training (Much of it was the stuff I e-mailed to you!!) The presenter was going over the Petty Officer positions and explaining what they did. No real big problem with the "Big" positions. Just about everyone knew what the Boatswain and the other officers did. But when we got to Crew Leaders? The light just didn't go on. There were about 10 may 12 Ship's in attendance from five or six states. A quick inventory showed that most of the Ships were small with only 8 -12 members. Ships filled all the big roles: Boatswain, Boatswain's Mates, Purser,Yeoman, Storekeeper. But didn't have enough members to really fill or use Crews!! For our non-sea Scouters -Imagine a Troop with all the POR's filled but with no Patrol Leaders and no Patrols!! Noel and I came up with the idea of giving everyone in the Ship something to do!! I thought I'd test it to see how it worked. We had a hoagie sale coming up. The Quarterdeck had said that they wanted one. I had got the permit from the town hall. They had talked about either making the hoagies or just buying them and selling them. Which they did. So before the next QD-Meeting I got the Boatswain and asked him to ask someone to be in charge of the sale. To be honest there wasn't a lot to do. Our Storekeeper volunteered to be in charge. He asked the Yeoman to make signs. The purser ordered the hoagies. As a group they decided how the money would be spent. The Storekeeper got a count of how many Scouts would be out selling. The sale went well. I praised the heck out of all of them!! Right now, our newest recruit is organizing a weekend kayaking trip, someone is making recruitment flyer's, someone else is working on cosmic bowling, someone else is working on rock climbing! I got stuck with the NE-Region BOH and Ball and the service project. The ideas have to come from them. You have to be willing to coax someone into being in charge (even if there isn't a lot to do. They still get used to the idea that they are in charge.) Be willing to accept that things might not go well. Or might need to be changed -Remember the Halloween Dance we had in February!!) Follow up and follow up and follow up some more!! Ask what is happening? Find out why it's not happening!! Talk to the Boatswain. Offer suggestions. Last week something wasn't happening. I asked the Boatswain why? He said he didn't know someone wasn't answering his e-mails. I asked if he had tried phoning? His reply was "Gee I never thought of that!" When things don't go as you might like? Whatever happens don't beat yourself up about it. It is their Ship. They own it (Well kinda!!) Every now and then something not going as it should can be a good lesson. Ea.

We at times talk about having a "Tool Box". One tool I think we all need is a good memory!! At times it's all too easy to come down like a ton of bricks. While of course there are things that are just not acceptable and the bricks need to fall!! Still trying to look at things through the eyes of the youth we serve and remembering that we at their age kinda, sorta were guilty of the same sins, does help keep things in perspective! We all of course don't want to see anyone hurt or harmed. Still it seems at times "Boys will be boys" is now looked upon as being a really bad thing!! The truth is that Boys will be boys and done right and managed right we can use this to our advantage. Sure at times this might involve a little more risk or a little more uncertainty. As I have posted many times I'm not a great lover of rule books and am happy to fall back on the oath and law. But even this is a work in progress and under construction. I wonder how many forum members can honestly put their hand on their hearts and claim that they were little angels who never messed up? Ea.

Wow!! The guy who just left us didn't do so well -Only $99,873.00. We are a small Council with about 5,000 traditional members. Almost $20.00 per youth per year!! (Hey Ed -You have him now and he is getting more) Sadly the day is coming when they price themselves out of a job. This year rather than donate to FOS I donated a LCD Projector! They / We needed one anyway and I know how my money was spent. Ea.

I'm not an expert on materials. Seems to me that cotton is getting a bad rap? Maybe rightly so? I do think we need to remain a uniformed organization. I'm just not sure what the best or what the right uniform should be or could be? I'll leave that to the people who know about that kind of stuff. For the most part I'm happy to wear whatever uniform the uniform is or becomes. Yes about a hundred years ago when the Scout Association in the UK, went to a dress type uniform, I went to the tailor and had a pair of Scout pants made that were flared! They looked great with my platform shoes! And no I'm not joking!! My big gripe about the uniforms has always been the cost!! I don't know much about how much it costs or what costs are involved in making a uniform? My heart goes out the families where everyone is in the program. Fine for me to shell out for OJ and me, but I know of families where there are six family members all in uniform. That's some big bucks!! Much as I hate to say it -But I can't help but think that someone some-where is making a lot of money from BSA uniforms. Worse still at times I wonder if the BSA is in the business of providing a great program for our youth or if some how we have morphed into some kind of retail organization! I have I think heard just about every argument for and against uniforms. As a follower of the rules. I am happy to wear the uniform, but I'm not happy spending what they cost. The old "Union made in the USA" was a reason that used to be given for the high cost. But if they are no longer union made in the USA? That reason no longer seems to be valid. I know the Scouting V Sports argument is often used. Still when I can nip down to the local store and buy five pair of shorts for the same cost as two pair of BSA Boy Scout shorts. I'm just not happy. I kinda feel that if the uniform were to be redesigned. A lot of people would moan and complain. I think we are always going to have: Those who are full and correct uniform wears, partial uniform wearers and non uniform wearers. Good thing is that as your kids get older -They get jobs and buy their own. Strange thing is that my kid is a lot more concerned about correct and proper uniforming now that he is 18 than he ever was before!! As for how we can afford new uniforms? Everyone tells me that when it comes to birthdays and Christmas I'm hard to buy for? I was happy to receive the red wool jacket a few years back. OJ wanted to more expensive wool type uniforms. I said if he gets elected OA Section Chief , I'll pay half. Most Councils will sell uniforms to camp staff or training staffs at cost. So quit your job take the summer off, work at camp. Get the discounted uniform, sell the cars, lose the cat and put the family on a diet!! Wait don't -If they lose too much weight you'll end up wanting to buy smaller uniforms!! Oh well -Back to the drawing board! Ea.