Eamonn

Having just come in from "Our Big Long Walk". Yes even though I hate the cold and don't like winter!! Rory still expects his BLW. Today the cold was just nasty 4 degrees with winds of 18 MPH. We walk about five miles everyday!! Thinking back to last summer and the warm days does provide some relief. Bob and Gus are two really nice Scouter's!! Bob was a little worried about our female Scouts. But everything worked out well. Both Bob and I were really taken back when we seen how quickly the two groups came together. In less than a day it seemed like they had known each other and worked together for a very long time. Last I heard one of the Scouts from Bob's Troop was returning to Blue Heron, along with two Sea Scouts from our Ship. One male and one female!! Having seen the photos you can see why Her Who Must Be Obeyed tells everyone I have sexy knees! I did invite him to join us this year in North Carolina. But it seems they are doing part of the Appalachian Trail. If you bump into him again you might tell him that I'm still finding all the packets of grits that were hidden in my car and packs. He really is good people. The Sea Kayaking at Blue Heron is a real nice summer activity -Better this year with two Sea Scouts on staff!! Ea.

I like to think that all of us want to do our best to serve all the youth. Talking for myself -I really want to see us adults help the Vision and Mission statements of the BSA have real meaning and succeed. I'm willing to accept the responsibility for the quality of the program that the Ship offers the youth members. While the Ship is youth led, much of what they want to do is dependent on little old me. For example there is a Ski day coming up. I don't ski and hate being out in the cold. I'm happy that some of them want to go, but I let it be known from the get go that it just isn't my cup of tea and they need to find someone else to drive them. Much of the training I have taken is about things that I find interesting. In October I took the LNT Instructor Course. In part because I thought it might in some way at some time help the ship, but mostly because it was something that I wanted to do. I happen to like and can understand the Sea Scout program. There are parts of it that I'm not very good at. But I'm willing to work on getting better at them. At this time we seem to be in a slump. I'm willing to work with the Scouts about fixing that. I believe it can be fixed and we can overcome the obstacles and fix it. I don't know if some of the obstacles in other programs can be fixed. I don't know what is happening elsewhere? But it seems in our District we do a good job of recruiting Cub Scouts. Starting in May the little Lads who are about to graduate from kindergarten are signed up, then again at School Night in September more are signed up. Sadly it seems by Christmas many have decided that Tiger Cubs isn't for them. Dens with only two or three are the norm or in the bigger packs it seems that they go the other way with Dens of twelve or fifteen. I hate to sound like Goldilocks and the three Bears, but one is too small to be workable and the other is just too big. I know nothing about the new Lion program that is being tested. But I can't help feeling it is a way to boost the membership numbers. I'm informed that we lose most of the Cub Scouts we do lose when they get to Bear. I have no idea why. Back when I was a Cubmaster, soccer was very big in our area. In fact I was a soccer coach. It was at about this age some Lads seemed to show promise, while others seemed to be not that great. Very often the Lads who were good were invited to join traveling teams, which really took up a lot of time. Maybe? At this age the Lad starts to have a voice and is able to inform his parents what he wants to do and not do. I know we had Cub Scouts leave the pack because parents said that their son was given the choice of three activities and when the Lad made a choice Cub Scouting didn't make the list. Nearly all the Cub Scouts who cross over seem to be excited to be joining the Troop. They grab hold of the Boy Scout Handbook and can't wait to get started. It seems that after three years this enthusiasm has gone. Things like learning to cook, erect a tent, first aid which were once a joy are now seen as work. The Summer camp which was seen as a great adventure is now seen as "Oh no!! Not there again!" The Scouts who remain do well until they move from the junior high to the high school. Once they make that move they become Troop Visitors. They look in as and when they feel they have the time and work on completing their Eagle Scout rank. It's not unusual to see a Troop in our District double in size after B&G Season. Twelve or fifteen new Lads all join up at the same time. So we have a dozen or more 10 & 11 year olds, but we only have about a dozen Boy Scouts from age 12 -18. Meeting the needs of the new Scouts seems to become the main focus of the Troop. The older (15-18 year old) Scouts aren't around. The 13 and 14 year old Scouts are expected to look after this little Lads. I have lost count of the number of times I have heard "I don't like working with the little kids!" I know this is not the way things are supposed to work but it is what is happening in our area. Soon the 14 year olds get fed up and either quit or join the other older Scouts as Troop Visitors. Many remain active because they enjoy parts of the program. With my son it was the OA. Then along comes the idea of a Ship or a Crew. The promise of new things to do, new challenges and new adventures is wonderful. But many Ships and Crews fail to meet or live up to the expectations of the youth. Without wishing to come off sounding sexist, it seems that the girls do better than the boys. The boys have got used to the idea that they really don't need to be an active participant. That it's OK to just Visit as and when they have the time or feel like it. Why shouldn't they feel this way? After all it's what they are used to doing. In the Ship it seems the age when Boy Scouts want to join is about 16. This means we only have about two years till they go off to college. Of course we get the youth who are deep into the program, but we also get the youth who are busy and do try to attend when they can. This might be OK if we had large units, but with the average size of a Crew or Ship being under twelve, it makes trying to deliver a quality program really hard. Ea.

To paraphrase a famous quote "I think that the rumors of Venturings demise are greatly exaggerated." OK I wonder what the numbers say? The last membership numbers I have are for November numbers - 217,343 - down 3.3% from November 2005. The 2005 numbers were down 10.9% on 2004. Take a look at 2001 the Venturing numbers are listed as being 315,296 While not dead it would seem that from 2001 till last November almost 98,000 Venturers called it a day!! I'm always happy to hear about any unit, District or Council doing well. But it seems clear to me that when about a third of the membership just isn't there any more that we have a problem -A big problem Ea.

FScouter, The $2 for the Insignia Guide. Is now $4.99 and if you order it from Scout Stuff it costs $5.50 for ground Shipping. $15.50 for 2 day shipping and if you really are in a hurry you get have it shipped overnight for $20.50. Ea.

Like you I don't know much about either team. Because of WB -I'll have to go with the Bears!! That along with the fact that I have always liked the SNL sketch. It's strange, this time last year all the communities in our area were awash in a sea of black and gold. It seemed that 75% of the local newscasts were about the Steelers. No stone was left unturned before the kick off we knew the average shoes size of the players and the average age of their Grand-mother's. Everyone seemed to be dressed in black and gold -Bank tellers, students and senior citizens. Wal-mart now has the shirts on the reduced rack. Local TV ads with players endorsing everything from used cars to soup have been replaced with cartoon characters. The Steelers getting to the big game did a lot to brighten up the cold winter days and it was a lot of fun. Strange what a difference a year makes. Ea.

Considered how important it is to speak clearly and concisely about something, so that the other person is in no doubt about what you mean. Sometimes we may have described something accurately but have said it in such a confusing manner that the meaning is totally unclear. Let me explain what I mean with this little and very accurate definition of the game Cricket. CRICKET - As explained to a foreign visitor. You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in, goes out and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When both sides have been in and out including the not outs. THAT'S THE END OF THE GAME. For any of you that know how to play cricket will know that this is a very accurate description. But it gives the other person no idea at all of what the game is about and how to play it. Think before you explain something to be sure you convey your thoughts clearly before you make a fool of yourself and get stumped! Ea.

Good Luck. Best Wishes And God Bless. Ea.

I was active as a Scouter for about ten years before I married Her Who Must Be Obeyed. If it wasn't for Scouting we would never have met. Nearly all of my closest friends are Scouter's on both sides of the pond. I enjoy their company and we seem to share the same values and have a lot in common. I used to think that I enjoyed the company of young Lads, but having now worked with a coed unit I find that the girls are every bit as much fun as the boys. I know a good many Scouter's who never married. They seemed happy to look upon the Boys in the units they served as some sort of a extended family. A few years back I had the bright idea of honoring a Scouter from our District with a James E. West Award. Pete Rice, had served Troop 133 for a very long time. He loved that Troop. Even the number plate on his truck was TROOP 133. He had never married, but even in his 80's could remember the names of all the Scouts who had ever been in the Troop. I sent out a letter asking for donations hoping we would raise the $1,000 needed for the award. Pete already had the Silver Beaver, and was a Vigil member of the OA. We ended up with over $5,000. The letters from his ex-scouts were real tear jerker's. We read them at a District Dinner -There wasn't a dry eye in the house. A month or so later Scouting Magazine was doing an article on inner-city Scouting in Ohio. They interviewed a SM who was doing a good job working with these inner-city Scouts. This Scouter said that everything he done was due to his "Old Scoutmaster -Pete Rice." I was really pleased that we managed to name one of the buildings at camp for Pete and we did it a few years before he passed away. Scouting and Troop 133 was Pete's vocation and he did a splendid job. Ea.

I can't help but think we have not had a handle on understanding youth dating back to Cain and Abel. I sometimes think that maybe we are a victim of our own success! While some will say that Baden Powell used ideas from other organizations that were around before Boy Scouts. The appeal of Boy Scouting and the "Outdoor Classroom" at the time it started was new and seemed to work well. So well that many other organizations now use a lot of the basic ideas. I don't claim to have any of the answers. I do remember back when I was a Cub I couldn't wait to become a Scout, so that I could go camping. Back when I was a Scout I couldn't wait till I joined the Venture Scout Unit (this was in the UK.) to do the high adventure activities at age 16. Now it seems there is no wait, Cub Scouts are camping from Tiger Cubs and High Adventure starts at 14. I know what I'm about to say will not sit well with a lot of people but... I do feel that we might be guilty of over rewarding our youth and not teaching them enough about life. We hand out beads for every little accomplishment, we never want to see a kid lose! Pine Wood Derby's give every Lad that enters some sort of reward. Merit Badge Counselors cut the Lad a break or hand out badges for just sitting through the class. We the adults seem afraid to say "I'm sorry you need to go back and get it right!" We don't teach the basics and without these basics and these skills the youth can't take the next step. They are not going to hike because they don't know how to use a map and a compass, they are not going sailing because they can tie the knots or they know deep down that the swimming merit badge was never really earned. When we cheat the system, we cheat the youth we are supposed to be serving. Venturing as it stands now is never going to work. Just about every crew I know (And I'm sure there will be exceptions -but I don't know them!!) is connected to a CO that also charters other Scouting units or has adults that came from Scouting units. The idea that we (the BSA) can offer something to non-scouting groups, just doesn't work. The Venturing specialties is never going to work, mainly because youth get into new things all the time, so while First Aid might be something that holds the interest for a while, next month it could be flower arranging or scuba. We need a program that brings youth members together regardless of specialty and allows each individual an opportunity to follow and pursue what his or her interest is at that time, while remaining a member of the group with their pals. I really think that the time has come for us to take a long hard look at the age groups. Is it realistic to have a program that runs from 10 years old till 18 years old? Is it realistic to have a program that runs from 14 till 21? We might also want to look at the size of our units can any unit with only five members on the charter effectively deliver a quality program? When we know how busy parents are is having our first program be a Parent (Adult Partner) Son program such a good idea? Any and all changes are going to be met will those who agree and those who will think that any sort of change stinks!! I suppose the big fear is that if too many people think it stinks we will lose our volunteer base? Still if we are not meeting the needs of the youth we are supposed to be serving, will we need all the volunteers? Many volunteers seem to have lost their faith in the BSA. They don't trust their local Councils and see the BSA as being more like the "BSA Inc." Council Executive Boards are no longer full of well meaning people who put the youth first, these nice people have been replaced by business men who know how to read the bottom line, but have no idea what a kid is. Sure it makes sense that camps make money -But that isn't why we have them. Many of us old geezers (I include myself) need to try and gain a better understanding of todays youth. They are taught in a different way than we were. They not only accept technology, they expect it!! We need to look at who we are trying to sell our product too? Sure, all this talk about values and character is great for adults but youth don't join because of the values or because they need a character rebuild. They join for fun, adventure and challenges and maybe because they have friends in the program. It seems to me that we place way too much effort into talking to adults and not those who we want to join. Ea.

I really have no answer or quick fix!! Last weekend we were in NJ for Quarterdeck Training. There were about ten Ships from four or five states there. Part of the training was going over the Petty Officer positions in a Ship. When the trainer got to Crew Leader he must have noticed he was getting that deer caught in the headlights look. When he asked how many Ship's had Crew Leaders, no hands went up. It turned out that the average size of the Ship's there was about 10 Sea Scouts. Talking with the Skippers from other Ships at the Winter Training Weekend, it does seem that Hills and valleys are the norm. Some of these Ship's have started Boy Scout Troops, where once a Lad reaches 14 he moves into the Ship, some are only accepting Lads of 13 and keeping them until they are 14 and have met the requirements for First Class and then move them into the Ship, so they can work on Sea Scout Advancement and Eagle Scout rank. Some have started Mariner Troops working with the Girl Scouts. I really don't have the time or the inclination to start a Boy Scout Troop and I traumatized by an English Girl Guide Leader, so I don't see me rushing off to join the Girl Scouts!! When I was trying to track down our charter renewal packet I called the DE. A nice enough kid but has no idea what he is doing. I said that I wasn't sure if a Ship or Crew could survive without having a strong relationship with a strong Boy Scout Troop. He said the problem is that we don't have very many strong Troops, in fact there are only three troops in the District with more than twenty Boy Scouts!! Most of these tend to be the younger Scouts. I know the youth are out there. I like to think we have a good program. The market is there, the product is good, I just need to find the way to the market. Ea.

A couple of things that come to my mind. I'm happy that you have not allowed yourself to be bullied into doing things that your heart isn't really in. I'm not proud of the fact that I bullied people into serving in positions that weren't a good fit and the end result was that in time they just had to walk away. It seems some people are not happy unless they are calling yet another meeting!! Of course some meetings are needed and are worthwhile. A little time back, I was out almost every night at some sort of a meeting. Needless to say this didn't sit very well with Her Who Must Be Obeyed. I really dislike Dinner meetings!! Driving for two hours to eat expensive bad food with everyone playing Boy Scout (Not even a glass of wine!!) To accomplish next to nothing and then drive home again. Really is a waste of time. Why not just set up a conference call? I'm not sure where a central location in the Northeast Region might be? But I used to get mad that so many meeting were in New Jersey!! I couldn't help thinking the reason was because it was convenient for the Regional professional staff. Some weekend conferences were just a total rip off! Breakfast meetings with $30.00 for breakfast. I can't eat $30.00 worth of food that early in the day add the cost of the room and dinner and I could fly to England for about the same cost!! (Not to mention the fact that I had to take a day off work.) Ea.

The Ship is now just over a year old. Looking back over the past year I think we have come a long way. From a dream to a Ship. Not bad in a year! Some of the ideas I had in mind when the Ship started just don't seem to either work or be true. I had thought that we might be able to pick up Boy Scouts who were bored with Boy Scouting or who had quit. This wasn't for the most part what happened. We ended up with the really active older Boy Scouts who wanted more. The down side of this was : Much as they liked Sea Scouting and the program, they were and are very busy. Some have wanted to remain active with their troops in order to complete their Eagle Scout rank requirements. Some have a lot going on at school and have jobs. Many are very active in the OA. They seemed to look at the Ship and Sea Scouting as something they would do if they were free and nothing else was going on. I was happy that the Ship was/is there for them, but they seem unwilling to commit to doing things, which makes planning and getting anything done really hard. I only have to look at OJ (my son) to see how busy these kids are. I really am trying to be as understanding as I can be. Still, it's almost impossible to do anything when most of the members are "Visitors" and I never know when they are going to visit. Last year five of the Sea Scouts left for college. They had every intention of keeping in contact or at least said they would! So far even though I send them information about events and what is going on. I have yet to hear from them. Four quit after the summer. Sadly with so many working at Summer camps trying to do anything from early June till the end of August didn't work and then I cut back on what I was doing due to circumstances at home. The end result was the list of visitors grew and some of the active members started to fade away, some have turned up for bowling nights when they had nothing else on. A couple have said that they are "Taking a rest!!" They feel that they just became overwhelmed doing what they do!! I really do want to be as open and user friendly as I can be. Still for the Ship to survive, they need to recruit new members -That isn't happening. Participate in raising money for the Ship -That isn't happening. Pay their Dues -Again that isn't happening. If I sound full of doom and gloom? It is because the recharter pack arrived in my doorway on Monday. (Only 3 months late. But that's another thread!!) As I go over the list of names, I see we only have about ten active Scouts! Of that ten only about half are making it to our weekly meetings. We do have a few youth members who really are into the program and at times I feel that the Ship and I are not meeting their expectations. While I'm not happy with where we are at. I'm trying hard to remind myself that where we are at is normal!! We have moved from the Forming Stage and are now in the Storming Stage. All I have to do now is find a way out!! Ea.

I'm a little unsure how a thread about a Troops program morphed into a discussion about Wood Badge beads and Scout uniforms? As I look at the Troops in our District, I see the Troops that have a terrible program. They meet weekly for some sort of chat, talk about things they might like to do, but never get around to doing it. Is this the fault of the BSA? I see Troops that don't use the Patrol Method. Sure they hand out patches and the SPL does at times start the meeting with a very half hearted recital of the Scout Oath and Law. There is no PLC, no youth leader training, the Scout have no real responsibility and are never given the opportunity to lead. Is this the fault of the BSA? I see a Troop that does attend the Council Summer Camp and does make full use of the opportunities the camp offers, but they also have a week long adventurous trip, last year it was canoeing in Canada. The Troop doesn't seem to "Produce" many Eagle Scouts. The Scouts they have seem to be very active and from what I see have a good time. Is this the fault of the BSA? I see a Troop where just about every Scout who sticks with it until he is 15 years old is going to make Eagle Scout. Is this the fault of the BSA? I see Troops that are growing, attracting new members and retaining the older Scouts and I see Troops that somehow each year manage to find the five Scouts needed to recharter, but when rechartering comes around next year the five names will all be different. Is this the fault of the BSA? I see adults who are skilled and gifted with outdoor and Scout-Craft skills who for some reason don't connect with the Scouts. I see leaders who have a hard time with a square knot who the Scouts idolize. Is this the fault of the BSA? Some Council Camping Committees offer high adventure camps, which sell very well, other Council Camping Committees are happy to keep playing it safe and offer the summer camp with 101 merit badges. Is this the fault of the BSA? Some adults will read and hang on to every word that Bill Hillcourt every wrote, while other may have no idea who he was. Is this the fault of the BSA? Ea.

For my sins I'm one of dem-dare 4 Beader types. I could I suppose go into one of my long chats about how this came to be. But I'll save that. I know about 20 or so other people who have four beads. Some from the new course, some from Cub Scouter courses and some from the old Boy Scout course. While I'll admit I have asked them if they were ever asked for their opinion about changes in uniform? I know for a fact that no one ever asked me. Yes, when the poll was on the Scout Stuff Web Page, I did offer my thoughts, but they never asked how many beads I had. Some time back in this forum there was a thread about what we thought the uniform should be? I'd be happy for it to be some sort of polo shirt with whatever pants a Troop settles on. I'm sure that is not going to happen. As we often see in this forum, uniform and uniforming is a hot topic. I have to admit to not being an expert on materials and cloth, and with that in mind I'm happy to leave that sort of thing to the people who know about that sort of thing. I'm guessing that sales has a lot to do with what Scout Stuff sells and doesn't sell? From visiting Scout gatherings it would seem to me that the Scout pants were not selling, so the new pants are a way to improve sales? I don't know why they changed as I say I was never asked. As regards the 21st Century Wood Badge course. I think maybe in trying to keep everyone happy the course has become a little confused?? I'd be happy if it wasn't called Wood Badge and I wouldn't be upset to see the "Critters" say good bye. My thinking is that this new course is not the old course, it was never really intended to be. It is a Leadership Course. For adult leaders across the organization. A council president who has never served and most lightly will never serve as a Boy Scout Leader, does need to know how to lead, but has little use for the Patrol Method. Some Cub Scouters are happy to remain in that program, so again why bother with Patrols. I'm 100% behind having all of our leaders who work with our youth members become better at what they do. I'm not a great fan of the Training's offered to our Cub Scouter's and I'd like to see the Boy Scout Training's bumped up with more time spend on the methods of Boy Scouting and practical Scout-craft. Being as I'm now a Sea Scouter, unless I'm wearing a Boy Scout uniform, which I still do as a member of the area committee, I rarely wear my beads. Having the fourth bead has not opened any doors for me, I still can't walk on water, I still put my socks on one at a time. But gold loops?? Now that's different!! (Joke) Ea.

I'm sitting here trying to remember how many new units I have been involved with starting? The truth is - Not very many!! In about a ten year period I can come up with less than ten. What made remembering so hard apart from my advancing years! Is the number gets jumbled up with the number of calls I made and presentations I made to organizations trying to start new units. I live in a very small town, with a population of under 5,000. At one time thanks to steel and coal the town was very prosperous. It has been said in some guide books that we have some of the best Edwardian Architecture in the US. We seem to have a lot of churches for a town of under 5,000. I attend the local Roman Catholic church. The services have been cut back due to not having enough priests. So if you are not there early, you aren't going to get a seat. Sadly a lot of the other churches don't have this problem. When I have visited they seem to have very small congregations and the people seem to be older people. I don't see very many families or middle age people. These congregations and the Church Councils, all seem to like Scouts and Scouting and will talk your ear off about how their son made Eagle or how they were in Troop number whatever. But they feel they are too old to get involved. Going in asking them to Charter a new unit is met with a fair amount of enthusiasm, until you ask them to be actively involved as Executive Officers or COR's. Then things change and the answer is no. I look at what is being posted about Summer Camp Staff being Crews and I have to wonder; why the heck did I waste so much time. If the Council can be? Or is the Chartering Organization, why are we wasting time with all this Chartering stuff? Heck- Why not just have the Scout Executive be the Executive Officer of all the units in the Council? The COR and Committee can all be other Professionals. Wait a minute aren't Camp Staff paid to be on staff? So why not pay the kids who join the Council Chartered units. If nothing else this might help fix the declining membership. Saying we have Camp Staff Crews to meet a National Camp Standard, may well be a fact, but pulling a kid off the street sticking him or her is a uniform and signing him or her up to a unit that will never use any of the methods of the program is absolute poppycock. The standard is there to try and ensure camp staffs have some idea of what the program is supposed to be about. This "Camp Staff Crew" is bypassing the rule and harms the campers. They are not being served by people who know what they are doing or have an understanding of the program. It harms Venturing. I keep hearing that Venturing doesn't have "Critical Mass" -Having fake members only makes this worse. Saying that most of these Staffers are Boy Scouts or in other Ships or Crews, still doesn't change the fact that the Council, who if anything should be setting the example and be beyond reproach is still cheating. Boy Scout camps are just that having a staff of people wearing green shirts only takes away from the fact that they are Boy Scout camps. Saying that they need to look different than the staff or the staff has to look different than the campers is bull. The staff at the National Jamboree wore the uniform of the program they were in and could be identified by a cap!! While I would have to look it up I feel that a Council does not have the right and should not ever be a CO. They may well say that the Camp is the CO, but who runs and operates the Camp? After all the fuss we have seen with inflated membership numbers, I would have thought that this sort of abuse would be the last thing a Council wanted!! It seems some people never learn. Ea.

Sea Scouting isn't very big in our area. We are the only Sea Scout Ship in our Council. The Council next to us on one side doesn't have a Sea Scout Ship and it seems the big Metro Council has two Ship's that are not active? Whatever that might mean. About 3 months back, I was contacted by the father of a Lad who wants to join a Ship. Hey!! "Come on down" was my answer. Talking with the Father it turns out that they live in the big Metro Council next door and the plan is to start a Ship that does Sea Scouting in that Council. I honestly believe that anything that can be done to establish a Sea Scouting presence in our area is a good thing. I met with the Lad. He is a really nice 17 year old. His Scouting resume is just outstanding. He is an Eagle Scout. He has earned Venturing Silver and along the way done a great deal of courses and Scouting type stuff!! Within minutes of our first meeting he let me know that his goal was to reach Quartermaster. I let him know that it wasn't going to be easy and that time wasn't on his side. - But it could be done. He in fact has already met some of the requirements: Safe Boating Courses, First Aid, Lifeguard. All passed by BSA approved outside organizations. Not long after joining the Lad found out about SEAL Training and said how he would really like to attend. The course requires that a Scout must be Ordinary Rank by June 21st of the class year. I sat down and talked with the Lad, telling him that it really would be pushing it!! I mentioned that him living so far away wasn't going to help. I mentioned that his school work and exams shouldn't suffer. I in no way sugar coated it and if anything tried to paint a very dark picture. I ended by telling him that I wasn't willing to cut corners or skip any of the requirements. I was however willing to do everything I could to help prepare him for the course and support him in his goal to earn Quartermaster. Sadly talking with some other Skippers who have never met the Lad, it seems that they hold his past achievements against him!! "He is only after the big 3" was one comment. "He is too old for Seal." was another. I pointed out that we have a program that is supposed to be there till the Lad turns 21!! I don't know how other people think? But to my mind we best serve the organization and the Scout when we deal with each and every Scout as an individual. Our job is about helping him or her meet the goals they set and if we get it right we manage to install the good stuff at the same time. Ea.

Anarchist I agree with just about everything you posted. My problem with the "Deathbed" thing is that it comes off sounding very judgmental. I see my role as an adult in this organization as serving the Scouts and doing what I can to help this organization meet its aims. I don't serve anyone if I cut corners or cheat. In fact I'd be guilty of a disservice. I'm happy to work within the rules and the requirements. Sad as it maybe if a Scout needs to meet a requirement that takes six months to meet and he is over 17 1/2. He isn't going to make Eagle Scout rank. Eagle Scout is a very personal thing. It belongs to the person who has earned it. Some very young Scouts, see it as a goal they want to reach as quickly as they can. I have read that the average age of an Eagle Scout is now 14 years old. I don't know if this is true or not? If a Lad of 14 has made becoming an Eagle Scout a goal and has met the requirements? I say more power to him. But in my opinion it's a lot harder for Lads who wait to reach the goal due to the fact that as they get older they get involved in a lot more and take on more responsibilities. I also feel that these older Scouts have more ownership of the goal. Younger Scouts might see reaching the goal as a way of pleasing others? Older Scouts are moving toward being independent and some of them no longer feel the need to have the approval of adults. One reason why OJ held back was that he seen a Scout that was in his Den in Cub Scouting become an Eagle. The Lad's Dad is the Scoutmaster. Dad is a very nice fellow, sadly the Lad is just not a very nice kid. He is a bully,always seems to be in trouble at school and in front of the local JP and very vocal about how much he disliked Scouts! When he became an Eagle Scout, OJ said to me that if they give it to him they will give it to anyone and it's meaningless. OJ and I had several long chats about what being an Eagle Scout really is and what it means. I might have been guilty of giving him the odd prod! Her Who Must Be Obeyed had bought all the plates and napkins and wanted to empty the cupboard. (We haven't had the COH, due to her being ill and she is hoping that her hair will be back in time for the ceremony which is planned for mid April.) So she may have pushed. As his Skipper,I did sit in the back of the room when he went for the BOR. I was very proud of my kid. There in his white Sea Scout uniform. I'd sat on a lot of EBOR's and he did a wonderful job. After I talked with the guys who were on the board. They commented on how nice it was to be able to have a mature conversation with a Scout who knew what he wanted and where he was heading. We all one day will head for a deathbed, but listening to OJ at that EBOR, he has a lot of things he wants to do before he goes to bed. The term is derogatory and I find it abusive. It puts these Scouts who may or may not? Have worked their tails off to reach the goal. I would hope that we never ever would want to put a Scout or young person down, let alone one who really might have overcome all sorts obstacles to reach his goal. Just as we would never call a Scout a "Bonehead or worthless" I think this name calling is just plain wrong. Ea.

Bulldog? Unicorn? Ea.

I really dislike the term "Deathbed"! OJ,was a Life Scout for a very long time. He completed his Eagle Leadership Service Project and EBOR about a month before he turned 18. Just about everything else that could be done to meet the requirements had been done. He had served as the SPL for his Troop two years before the BOR. While he hadn't been very active with his Troop, he had: Served on Staff at the National Jamboree. Served as Vice-Chief Administration for three years in the lodge. Go on the Philmont Trail Crew. Served as Section Secretary for our OA Section. Captained the HS Soccer Team. Acted in two school plays. Been a member of the HS Track Team and choir. Joined Sea Scouts. Taken his SAT's (Twice!!) Served on Summer camp staff (Twice). Learned to drive and passed his driving test. Got a job. Got a girl friend. Dealt with his mother having cancer. The Eagle Scout rank is NOT A Troop award it belongs to the individual. If "In the 12 month period before your Eagle Board of Review serve actively in your troop, and serve at least 6 months in a POR approved by your SM." Were to be added -Clearly he would never have made it. Much as we might like to see Troops hold on to the older Boy Scouts, it isn't always possible. In the Troop OJ was in the main focus seems to be meeting the needs of the new and younger Scouts. The leadership has no idea of catering to the needs of old Scouts and there isn't the numbers for a Venture Patrol. So while a requirement like this might work for a 14 year old, it is never going to fly for many of the older Scouts who are so darn busy. I don't know how the heck they manage to get so much done. OJ leaves the house before 7:00 AM for School and at times doesn't get home till gone 6:00 PM!! Once he had made up his mind to complete the project, the big problem was just finding time to fit it in. Ea.

I have to admit to liking a lot of the songs that Neil Diamond has done over the years. My sister was what might be called a fan. She would rush out and buy every new album soon after it was released. She was always a little disappointed that about half the tracks were on just about every other Neil Diamond album. That isn't to say that these tracks were bad or that there was anything wrong with them. But who needs 15 albums with "I am, I said." on each? I'm starting to see this sort of thing happening in our BSA training's. Over the weekend we went for the Sea Scout Quarterdeck Training. Sure enough the very first thing they talked about was the Vision, what it is, why it is important and ... The Scout sitting in front of me shook his head and said "No! Not again!!" He'd sat through the "Vision" at NYLT and the OA Training's. He'd staffed NYLT. In fact he'd seen and heard so much about Vision he was becoming hearing impaired!! That isn't to say that vision is bad or that there was anything wrong with it. But who needs 15 courses with "Vision and Mission" on each? It was nice to see the changes in the WB course, but please come on! Surely we have more imagination than to just flogging that poor old horse? The next batch of 18 year old WB participants will be experts in Vision and mission, they will have been making rockets out of Pepsi bottles since they were in Cub Scouting, but sadly still will have problems tying a square knot. They will have the vision and the mission, but without the skills to see it through the vision will remain a dream. I'm happy to be a dreamer, but the Scouts who join Scouting didn't join to just dream. Ea.

Yes there are spots open. In fact the spots for Venturers are wide open!! Sadly to fill a Venturer Spot you have to be under 18. It seems that the price of the event has been perceived by many as not being value for money. Ea.

I very reluctantly no longer use the term Safe Haven and have moved to Controlled Risk. I really wish that Scouting was a Safe Haven where no body got harmed in body or in spirit. But I accept that this is just wishful thinking. I want the Scouts in the Ship and all the kids we serve to have fun, face new adventures and challenges.My thinking is if we can provide this the other part of Scouting (The Purpose) will follow. I know if we don't provide this that the Scouts will become bored and quit and any chance of getting to the "Good Stuff" is lost. For the most part I think the BSA has done a good job in helping to control the risk, with the rules, regulations and guidelines that are in place. I have to admit to maybe wanting to see more hands on practical training's and as yet I'm not a lover of some of the on-line training's. I fail to see how sitting in front of a computer really does prepare anyone for Safe Swims or Safety Afloat? But maybe I'm just of an age that this new stuff? Doesn't sit very well? Still I'm sure if we started to require people to attend more training's and become certified with a practical training the program offered to the Scouts would suffer. Even if the risk was more controlled and lessened. A lot of the forms and paperwork we use is supposed to help control the risk. I see how some of it does make the Leader in charge more aware of what is going on (I'm thinking about Health Forms) and this is a good thing. I see how they (the forms) do make the person in charge sit down and do some planning. I fail to see how a Tour Permit for a weekend camp-out does anything more. Councils don't have any way of checking the information and it seems no one outside of Scouting knows that something like this is in place. If God forbid anything should happen. The tour permit is of no use. - Try calling your Scout Service Center outside of office hours. The parents of the Scouts we serve place a lot of trust in us the leaders who take their kids away. I at times have joked that I want to bring the same number of Scouts home as I take away, only I can't guarantee that they will be the same kids. To date other than a few minor cuts and bruises and one broken leg (Followed by a nasty bang on the head -When the Scouts visited the Lad in the hospital!!) I have managed to bring them home in good shape. I'm not sure if or how I would manage dealing with having a Scout get seriously harmed or injured? Controlling the risk is very serious business, it encompasses just about everything we do. Maybe? That's what BP had in mind when he came up with "Be Prepared". Ea.

Gonzo1 Not sure what part of Georgia your in, but last summer the staff at Blue Heron fixed a very nice low country broil. We had spent five days on the water. Evening meals were great but at times what we had for lunch was new to me. Ea.

My opinion? I think there is a National Quartermaster Association for Sea Scouts who have earned Quartermaster.(Last time I looked their web site was under construction) From what I have seen and heard it is not unlike The National Eagle Scout Association. Of course it's a lot smaller.Both Associations serve as a fellowship and communications board for Scouts who have earned the respective rank. To be very honest I don't think hear the youth members calling out for a Honor Society. Sure some of the female Sea Scouts seem a little unhappy that some of the males make a big deal about the OA and the Lodge. I think part of this is due to the fact we have had the past 3 Lodge Chiefs in the Ship! Life is hard enough for a newbie Skipper (ME!!) trying to plan a program around all the things that the Scouts have in place already, without adding more. We just don't have room for more stuff!! Ea.

I Am the American Sailor - Hear my voice, America! Though I speak through the mist of 200 years, my shout for freedom will echo through liberty's halls for many centuries to come. Hear me speak, for my words are of truth and justice, and the rights of man. For those ideals, I have spilled my blood upon the world's troubled waters. Listen well, for my time is eternal - yours is but a moment. I am the spirit of heroes past and future. I am the American Sailor. I was born upon the icy shores at Plymouth, rocked upon the waves of the Atlantic, and nursed in the wilderness of Virginia. I cut my teeth on New England codfish, and I was clothed in southern cotton. I built muscle at the halyards of New Bedford whalers, and I gained my sea legs high atop the mizzen of Yankee clipper ships. Yes, I am the American Sailor, one of the greatest seamen the world has ever known. The sea is my home and my words are tempered by the sound of paddle wheels on the Mississippi, and the song of whales off Greenland's barren shore. My eyes have grown dim from the glare of sunshine on blue water, and my heart is full of star-strewn nights under the Southern Cross. My hands are raw from winter storms while sailing-down around the Horn, and they are blistered from the heat of cannon broadsides while defending our nation. I am the American Sailor, and I have seen the sunset of a thousand distant, lonely lands. I am the American Sailor. It was I who stood tall beside John Paul Jones as he shouted, "I have not yet begun to fight!" I fought upon Lake Erie with Perry, and I rode with Stephen Decatur into Tripoli harbor to burn the Philadelphia. I met Guerriere aboard Constitution, and I was lashed to the mast with Admiral Farragut at Mobile Bay. I have heard the clang of Confederate shot against the sides of Monitor. I have suffered the cold with Peary at the North Pole, and I responded when Dewy said, "You may fire when ready Gridley," at Manila Bay. It was I who transported supplies through submarine infested waters when our soldier's were called "over there". I was there as Admiral Byrd crossed the South Pole. It was I who went-down with the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, who supported our troops at Inchon, and patrolled the dark deadly waters of the Mekong Delta. I am the American Sailor, and I wear many faces. I am a pilot soaring across God's blue canopy, and I am a Seabee atop a dusty bulldozer in the South Pacific. I am a corpsman nursing the wounded in the jungle, and I am a torpedoman in the Nautilus deep beneath the North Pole. I am hard and I am strong. But it was my eyes that filled with tears when my brother went-down with the Thresher, and it was my heart that rejoiced when Commander Shepherd rocketed into orbit above the earth. It was I who languished in a Viet Cong prison camp, and it was I who walked upon the moon. It was I who saved the Stark, and the Samuel B. Roberts in the mine infested waters of the Persian Gulf. It was I who pulled my brothers from the smoke filled compartments of the Bonefish, and wept when my shipmates died on the Iowa, and White Plains. When called again, I was there, on the tip of the spear for Operation Desert Shield, and Desert Storm. I am the American Sailor. I am woman, I am man, I am white and black, yellow, red and brown. I am Jew, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist. I am Irish, Filipino, African, French, Chinese, and Indian. And my standard is the outstretched hand of Liberty. Today, I serve around the world; on land, in air, on and under the sea. I serve proudly, at peace once again, but with the fervent prayer that I need not be called again. Tell your children of me. Tell them of my sacrifice, and how my spirit soars above their country. I have spread the mantle of my nation over the ocean, and I will guard her forever. I am her heritage, and yours. I am the American Sailor. Someone gave this to me. It doesn't say who wrote it? But I thought it was good and food for thought. Not just for Sea Scouts. Ea.