Eamonn

Back home in the UK when I was scouting there we used six man tents. Six being the size of most Patrols. It worked well. One good thing about some of the Patrol members not attending a weekend camp out was that there was more room in the tent. I was looking at some photos that someone had posted on the MSN Scouting site of a Troop camping at Gilwell Park and it seems they have moved away from the six man tent, but Shop Shops UK still sells them. As for Virtual Patrols - Never in Real Time. It really is a big deal. Eamonn.

Seabear, I'm sorry I disagree. Well at least I think I do? Maybe if the Lad wasn't in a troop and was in a Venturering Crew and the Crew had kilts, or whatever he might be able to wear what ever the Crew uniform is. However the Boy Scout Uniform is still the Boy Scout uniform. No kilts, no jeans just the Boy Scout uniform. While some Wood Badge Staff at one time wore kilts it has never been the uniform of the BSA. Eamonn.

The Patrol method only works if we the adults want to make it work. At times it is a lot more work for us and just bunching a group of Lads from different Patrols together does make life a lot easier. At times just doing stuff that the Lads ought to be, should be and could be doing is a lot easier than taking the time of guiding, teaching and showing them how. I'm a great cook, heck I'm a CEC, but my doing all the cooking might mean that we all eat well, it does very little to teach anyone anything. Poor attendance at events in most (Not all) cases be blamed on poor planning. When I read the Training and Wood Badge Thread, I see so many people post that "I used to be a Bear" or whatever other Wood Badge Patrol they are so proud to belong to (Bears are best.) One reason why Patrols are so big at Wood Badge is that the take home message is hey this works!! When we get our Scouts to have the same Patrol pride that we have no self-respecting Patrol member will want to be part of "That other Patrol". Eamonn

No way is a kilt part of the Scout uniform. If the Lad wants to wear his kilt thats fine as long as it isn't with a Scout uniform. While it might be OK for Scouts in Scotland or other parts of the world where kilts are part of the Scout uniform, it isn't OK in the BSA. While it is his COH, the uniform is the uniform of the BSA that uniform does not have pink pedal pushers, kilts or grass skirts. Sure he can wear what he likes but the official uniform is just that the official uniform. If he wants to have his Eagle Scout pin, pinned on he needs to be in full uniform. It is the only place to wear an Eagle Scout medal. Eamonn.

Back when I was an Alter Boy we used a warm iron and a brown paper bag to remove candle wax. Not that we ever would play with the candles. "Who ME!!" Eamonn

Hi and Welcome. I have to admit to not understanding what you mean when you say "so as to not hold back the other scouts". All advancement and almost all recognition in Scouting is done on the individual basis. If these Lads want to come back, I would welcome them. They then can choose to do everything that they can to make up the requirements that they have missed or they can just join in with whatever the Den is doing, knowing that when the time comes they will cross over into the Troop without the AOL. I think a chat with their parents would be a good idea. Eamonn.

Over the weekend I was invited to attend two Eagle Scout Rank COH's. I have known both Lads from when they joined as little fellows. I really do like both of them, they are both super kids. It was strange to see the differences in the two Troops. Both Lads were the sons of the Scoutmasters. Two very different men. On Saturday we went to the Troop where OJ had been a member. Sad to say it is dying. There were a lot of adults there but only one Boy Scout youth member. Dad the SM, is a willing soul who came in a couple of years back when there wasn't a SM. He took whatever training he needed to get by, but there never was any real fire in his belly. In the background they have an old ex-Scoutmaster, who was in another troop. It seems that he has forgot everything that he ever knew about how the program works and has a goal to make every Scout an Eagle. Still he was the only person at the COH in full uniform. It was very clear from the start that everyone was looking to this guy to lead the way. The ceremony was OK, but nothing to write home about. A bunch of adults reading stuff, some of which was emotional hogwash. Sunday we went to the other COH. The Troop is a small one, I never remember it being any other way. They have about a dozen Scouts. But it's a good little troop. Many of the Scouts had just returned from our Council Religious Retreat and most were in full uniform. The Scouts did the ceremony. I don't remember ever seeing so many candles!! It was so much nicer. OJ went with me on Saturday, he knows the Lad and they were at one time pals. Strange thing was that he didn't come on Sunday - He was working on his Eagle project!! The Lord moves in mysterious ways. Eamonn

NEPA? Eamonn

Hi 89camper, Welcome to the forums and thanks for allowing us to see the other side of the story. While seeing a place that stirs fond memories go, is never easy. I do hope that improving the other camps will help attract more youth members and in time they will be the guys remembering all the fun that they had at camp. Eamonn

Ed, While the work done by volunteers at Council owned camps and the like, is very much needed, required and necessary. I have to admit to having a problem with those who use this an an excuse for not supporting the finances of the Council. While I am not gifted in construction and at home am happy to let my fingers do the walking. I like to think that I hold up my end of supporting the Council. Rarely if ever do I hear the guys and girls on the Training Team say how much they have had to spend of their own hard earned money to present Training's. I have never yet heard a Commissioner complain about the money he or she spends on gas, in order to attend meetings. I just don't buy into the idea that performing cheerful service at the local Scout Camp, lets anyone off the hook from supporting the Council. I am in no way trying to put down those who are unable to afford what others might give. Hopefully we would all do what we can. Still when those who make a point of telling me about all the work they do at camp and how much money they save the Council. I can't help feeling that those who dig into their pockets have paid for the materials that are being used. Taking a popcorn order form to work is no big deal. Buying a few boxes in the knowledge that it is going to help fund what I see as my hobby, not only keeps Her That Must Be Obeyed in good sorts. It also is a very painless way of helping support the organization that I love. Even if it does cost a few bucks more than the stuff Wally World is peddling. I for one am happy to spend the extra. Eamonn.

I am a little unsure what positions you are talking about? If the requirement is to serve actively for a period of time and the Scout does so. The requirement has been met. Adding an attendance requirement - Is just that -Adding a requirement. Of course having a Patrol Leader who is not attending the meetings and is not doing anything to show leadership with the Patrol is not meeting the requirement. (He might be able to do this without attending the meeting.) But a blanket rule that states that Scouts have to attend a percentage of the meetings is just wrong. Eamonn.

My 2 Cents. I don't eat popcorn. I don't like it. Her Who Must Be Obeyed really likes the Kettle Corn, Rory seems to like it as well. I can't remember what the box costs. $15.00 ? $20.00? I don't know. I seem to remember reading that 60% went back to support Scouts and Scouting. Take out the prizes, take out the money each Scout earns and take out the money the Council (Yes it's the Council, not the District) receives. That $15 or $20 is doing a lot of good. I don't know how much the corn, the packing and all that other good stuff costs. I do know that a lot of times I don't give much thought to what something costs. My local gas station is running a special on fountain pop. Any size for only 79 cents. Hey I know the real cost is less than ten cents. I seen a big sign outside of a bar the other day "Happy Hour All Drafts only $2.00" They were ten ounce domestic drafts, I know that the cost of the product was about 21 cents. I know that there is overhead and that the bar owner has to make a buck. I'm happy to buy Her Who Must Be Obeyed her kettle corn. She buys me Girl Scout Cookies!! I do think that the Council who is saying that unless you sell the popcorn, we are not going to sign money earning apps. Is out of line. Still in these days when money is so very tight, maybe it's sell popcorn or we will see some sort of Council Membership Fee? No - I have not heard of such a thing, but it would seem to make sense!! Our Council is being de-funded by our local United Way. They are doing this to 39 organizations in the area. The only thing they have in common is that they all have endowment funds. By 2008 all $86,000 that we now get isn't going to be there. Even with LFL we only have about 10,000 youth members. With so much money going to help the Red Cross and the victims of the hurricanes (Which I do of course support) I think we are in for a very tough year when it comes to raising FOS Dollars. So for now I'm happy to give Happy Hour a miss and keep Her Who Must Be Obeyed stocked with popcorn. Eamonn.

I was looking for something else and came across this on the Sea Scout site: All boats under 26 feet or under 40 horsepower are automatically covered through the BSA general liability program. Boats 26 feet and/or over 40 horsepower owned by the council must be scheduled with the national office as there is no insurance coverage until an additional premium is paid. Vessels owned by chartered organizations or others and used in Scouting activities should carry their own insurance. If the chartered organization does not carry primary liability insurance on the boat, then it should be scheduled the same as a council owned vessel. Watercraft in the category of 50 feet or more are specifically excluded from BSA umbrella liability coverage and must be scheduled on a separate policy and an additional premium is charged. Don't know if it helps or not? I'm still trying to work out why the National Web Site provides a link to the Sea Scout web site and points out that it's not an official web site?? Still what I have pasted is at the bottom of the page about cruise plans and that page is on BSA letter head. However it is dated April 2, 1996 and is from Don Winston, Director, Exploring Division, so it may be out of date. Eamonn.

acco40 Are you sure that you are not adding requirements? If you are sure, that's fine. If not maybe it's time for a rethink? We have in the past spent many happy hours discussing what "Active" really means. Maybe we need to agree that Active has to be what the Scout and the SM or better yet what the PLC decide it should be, hopefully on an individual basis? This to my mind goes much further to help with "Making ethical choices". Eamonn.

Merit Badge lists have been the area that has caused me the most headaches during my term as District Chair. First I really do think that the District Advancement Committee do need to select MB Counselors. If at times this means saying no. So be it. If the feedback is telling them that someone is not doing the job right and they refuse to do it by the book, they are not worth keeping. I think I have in these forums posted about the phone call I got from a very unhappy Mom. Her little Lad had done all the requirements for Dog Care (Well almost). He called the MBC on the phone and they went to his house. The MBC asked do you have a dog? The Lad did have a dog and answered correctly. The MBC signed the card on the doorstep. Mom was unhappy that it was just to easy and was unfair that her son had done all this work for nothing. I did point out that before starting the MB he should have met with the MBC. That guy is no longer on the list. Eamonn.

I kinda think that you might be a little too close to the Pack and the Troop to be an effective Unit Commissioner. What would happen if there was a problem with the Tiger Den Leader and the Cubmaster? Eamonn.

acco40 You are never going to get any argument from me about boys meeting requirements. Life isn't that hard you have either met the requirement or you haven't. Still we have units that insist on some sort of participation level in order to advance, even if the Lad has met the requirements. Eamonn.

Bob, While I see where you are coming from and I agree that once the Scout has the signed card in his paw it's too late to take back what has been done. I do however think that both Council and District Advancement Committees do need to and do in fact rely on feedback from the adults in the program. Feedback is a gift. I seen that written someplace

I think that we all want to do what we can to help. I did give some thought to having a patch made or maybe one of the silicone bracelets, that seem to be so popular. However at this time I think our efforts need to be put to use helping those who have lost everything and are in need of the very basics. I remember reading how many Councils have lost their Service Centers, while the "Adopt A Troop" idea does have merit, maybe it would be better to hold that thought until the Councils that were damaged by this come back and are able to coordinate the effort. Sending a lot of stuff to units that have no place to store it or keep it would seem like a waste. For now I really think that supporting the Red Cross along with the other agencies is the best thing. While Scouts and Scouting is important, I feel that having schools and rebuilding the places where Scouts meet needs to be a priority. Of course to each his own, but my feelings are that we need to hold that thought and be willing to help when things are a little more organized. Eamonn

Someone help out. I see: Tell someone who is eligible to join Boy Scouts, or an inactive Boy Scout, about your troops activities. Invite him to a troop outing, activity, service project, or meeting. Tell him how to join, or encourage the inactive Boy Scout to become active. As a very good thing. I have for a very long time thought that if your Scouting isn't contagious then maybe it's contaminated! If adding a requirement to First Class to meet the vision and mission of the BSA I'm all for it. If it helps units, districts and councils make quality so much the better. Who was it who said that the only problem with Boy Scouts is that there aren't enough of them? Eamonn

Hi orennoah, If you need the services of a food taster I know a really good one. - He even talks funny and is a diverse old Lad. Eamonn.

If asked I freely admit that I think of myself as being a Lazy Toad. I love to read, watch old movies, write letters and talk to old friends. When we hand out the Silver Beaver Award at the Annual Recognition Dinner, I sit in awe of all that the people who receive it are doing. They seem to be active in so much and doing so much. I seem to remember that when I received the Beaver, it said in the program that I was a member of my church. Which as I'm R/C is no big deal, sit on a few committees again not that big a deal and that I was a dedicated Scouter. Again I think the Den Leader who has a gang of little Lads on the doorstep every week does more than I do. Still I accepted the award. I was talking with Wagionvigi who has only posted here a few times but is active in another forum. He sits as the Venturering Guy on the NE-Region Area 4 Committee. I was saying how busy the youth of Venturering age are. We both went on to talk about what these young people are doing. In his real job he is the Band Director for a High School Band. Yes one of them there guys who gets in the way of all that we want to do!! (A Joke!!) After I put the phone down I gave this some thought. I as a rule don't ask adults who never do anything to do something. Maybe because I never see them. Also because they are so busy doing nothing that they never seem to have time. I think this is true of our youth members. The youth that want to be involved in what we offer are the youth who are busy but want to be busy. These Guys and Girls want it all. They are not the couch potatoes. Of course at times they are so busy that they just can't fit everything in and they have to make choices. Sometimes Scouts and Scouting will be what they can do or what they choose to do. Sometimes other events or other people will help their choice. Right now OJ is in the middle of Soccer, the coach has made it very clear that missing a training session or God forbid a game is just totally unacceptable. When this is done the School Play will be about ready to start. Him being a up and coming thespian, means that he will be in that. Add in the stuff that he does with the OA homework, and stuff around the house the Lad is a very busy fellow. I do think at times we the adults in Scouting do need to take a step back and look at how busy the youth in our programs really are and try and be a little more understanding. Who knows if OJ keeps on doing what he does he may grow up not to be a Lazy Toad like his Dad. Eamonn.

What the heck - I never read that Scout stuff anyway!! (Just Joking) Eamonn.

While I admit to never ever having to work a Ticket with the Diversity requirement. I have see a lot of tickets. Many have looked at looked at religion and have tried to gain or pass on a better understanding of different religious beliefs. Some have looked at disabilities or disability awareness. Working with groups like the Special Olympics. One Cubmaster who serves a very rural pack, linked up with a inner-city pack. You might want to take a look at the OA Scoutreach Mentoring program? Much as at times I hate the term thinking outside of the box, this might a good time to do it. I like the idea of Food Diversity!! Either using the ethnic groups that you have in the Troop or just looking at food from different parts of the world. On my own time and with nothing to do with Scouts or Scouting I have enjoyed eating and drinking different ethnic foods and adult beverages. Diversity can be fun!! Eamonn.

Talk about the gift that keeps on giving. I became a Scoutmaster when I was very young.At times I really was more of an older brother to the Scouts in the good old 17th Fulham (Pioneers) - Change that!! I was the older brother nearly all the time!! I was SM for almost 12 years before moving across the pond and have now been here for over 20 years. Still I keep in contact with some of the "Lads" who went through the Troop. Of course they are now middle aged men now, many have kids of their own. Some have came back into Scouting to serve in Troops near to where they live. When we talk it seems that the big topics of conversation are not the things that went like clock work but the things that went wrong. Of course we have over the years been there for each other sharing times of joy and times of sadness. Add these young Lads to all the other great and fine people that Scouts and Scouting has added to enrich my life and there just isn't enough money. Eamonn.