Eamonn

While there are no age requirements on merit badges and we need to treat each and every Scout as an individual. There are as they say different courses for different horses. Some merit badges that a Lad can go for and earn with having just an interest in the subject. I can't see any reason why a Lad who has an interest in dogs can't work on the requirements and earn the badge. I don't think most troops are going to use dog care as a theme for the month (They of course could.) However the camping merit badge touches on so many other aspects of the program that almost every outdoor activity scouts do is encompassed in the requirements. While it might be OK for a Troop that is about a year old to use the night count toward the Camping Merit Badge, the requirements are a little more detailed and a step above the requirements needed for First Class rank. Merit Badge Counselors can come from within the unit or from the District, but all must be passed by the District Advancement Committee. Nearly all the Troops in the District I serve have a "In-house Merit Badge Counselor" for the camping merit badge. While I feel sure that there are Troops that download the worksheets from the net and then work their way through the requirements, which is "Legal". I think that they are missing a great opportunity to use the merit badge and the requirements to make their troop meetings more interesting and keep the older Scouts active. When I see a Scout with the camping merit badge, I assume that he is a first rate camper, with a fair amount, if not a lot of camping experience. It would be a rare find to see a Lad who has only been in the Troop for a year with this experience, not impossible but rare. If we play our cards right the Scouts will be with us for approx seven years, I don't think we need to rush things. I also have some concerns about little Lads maybe not really understanding or respecting how dangerous things like liquid fuel stoves can be. Again this depends on each individual Scout. Eamonn.

I'm sorry that you are troubled. While any Lad is free to come along and say "Hi Mr.Gardner, I want to work on my camping merit Badge". If we the adults plan the meetings and the monthly activities around a theme many of the requirements will be met along the way. For most Scouts the 20 night requirement is going to take about a year. Almost any theme I can think of will at some point touch upon the camping merit badge: First Aid. Winter camping,map and compass,cooking,lightweight camping,hiking,bicycling,canoeing,climbing and rappelling. A lot of the theory behind this can be done at the troop meeting.While the younger Lads are working toward First Class, the older Scouts are following the same theme but at a more advanced level. You might want to look at Troop Program Features as a guide to how to plan Troop meetings. While some merit badges are badges that an individual can work on and earn. The camping merit badge is dependent on the Scout working with the Patrol. I'm troubled by the fact that the Camping Merit Badge Counselor didn't know the answer. If I found out that a counselor didn't know the answers I would be on the phone to the district advancement chairman. Having six Lads that want to earn the badge is wonderful, but trying to rush through the requirements is not so great. There is nothing wrong with telling these Lads that this is a merit badge that takes a lot of work and a long time to earn. Sure this entails careful planning and good record keeping, but at the end of the day the Lad should be able to say it was hard but it was worth it. Eamonn.

Cook for your patrol a trail meal requiring the use of a lightweight stove. If we stop thinking about the merit badge class and start thinking about a balanced program things become a lot clearer. Where would the best place be to cook a trail meal for the patrol? On the trail!! If hiking was the theme for a month incorporating requirements like this one and the different stoves are covered. It's when we start chasing the mighty merit badge that things get out of whack. Eamonn.

Thanks Fred, I do visit the UK Scouting Library from time to time, but somehow had never read the Cub Scout History page. It made me feel really old!! I was in Wolf Cubs when we worked on the stars and the leaping wolf. As a young Assistant Cubscout leader I was around for the The Arrow Scheme. I didn't know that the Link Badge had gone.When I was Scoutmaster (Scout Leader) this worked really well as a way of keeping the little Lads in Scouting. I just read the Scout Membership Badge. I was really impressed by: The Scout Membership Badge is passed under arrangements made jointly by the Scout Leader and the Patrol Leader, and is awarded by the Patrol Leader's Council. Eamonn.

I like ice cream, I really enjoy soft serve ice cream. Most of the time I'm very boring and am happy with plain vanilla ice cream. There is an ice cream company in Pittsburgh that for a very limited time in the fall makes a Southern Apple Pie ice cream, the bad thing is that the smallest amount you can buy is a 3 gal drum of the stuff. Bruster's a local franchised chain has something close, but not as good. I don't like chocolate ice cream and will not eat anything with peanut-butter in it -Yuck!! I was talking to the owner of the company who makes the Southern Apple pie ice cream and asked him how they made it? He said it was just the regular vanilla ice cream but they added uncooked frozen apple pie to the mix. I don't know very much about ice cream but I really enjoyed talking with the guy. He said the reason why they don't sell my favorite ice cream in smaller units is that they can't get space in the local supermarkets to sell their ice cream and have concentrated on the wholesale market. I didn't know but at one time in Pennsylvania there were a lot of small ice cream manufacturers.Penn State University, it seems is a educational mecca for ice cream. Must be because we have such happy cows. Still sad to say the small dairy making and selling ice cream is going to go the way of the small brewery. One reason I have stayed in Scouting for as long as I have done is that I like the people that are in Scouting. For the most part I find that we have a lot in common, we share similar values and most of us can spend countless hours talking about Scouting. I really enjoy the kids that we serve. Watching a little Lad in Tiger Cubs go through the program, seeing him at Day Camp, Parent & Son camp, Summer Camp and Camporees is almost magical. I was up at camp the other week, where a new Nature center/building is going up. There on a ladder was Joey, nail gun in hand. I remember how at the first pack meeting he run out of the church hall crying his eyes out. He didn't like being around that many people. He moved to the other end of the district. He was a handful as he suffered from ADD. As luck would have it he landed in a troop where the SM is a medical doctor. I sat in on his Eagle BOR, we discussed how he had worked so hard to overcome his problem. He went to the Vo-Tech and is now learning heating and refrigeration. Many of my nearest and dearest friends are in Scouting. Some are in England, but a lot are now in the same Council as I'm in.Nearly all of them are people that I have worked with either at the unit level or doing something that was hands on at the District or Council level. Someone once said that you really get to know someone if you share a tent with them for a week. I think I know just about every adult leader in the District, there might be the odd den leader that I don't. Just about all of them are really nice, I'm sure there are a few who think that I'm a real twit, but they are kind enough to not say it to my face. When it comes to the Council, there are one or two people that I just can't stand!! They are up there with peanut-butter ice cream. I try really hard to do anything and everything I can to avoid them. Looking at this group the thing they all seem to have in common is that they all tell me how good or how great they are. Once they get that done, they start moaning and groaning. They never like anything the Council is doing, the Scouts today don't seem to measure up to the Scouts that were around when they ruled the world. I try and really have to try hard to be as polite and as friendly as I can be. I have never said to any of them "If you are so unhappy, why don't you just quit?" Of course I have never said " Don't go away mad. Just go away!" Just like chocolate and peanut-butter ice cream, someone must love these people. I just can't understand why? Eamonn.

Yes the countdown has begun!! Boy how time flies, it doesn't seem that long ago that we were in the hundreds of days. I dug out the footlocker yesterday and started sorting things out. The Emergency Preparedness Awards arrived in the mail on Monday. Having the National Newsletter on the Jamboree site was a big help this time, in 2001 it seemed by the time we got them, every deadline had been and gone. The Scouts in Troop 412 are excited and can't wait. There is a very remote possibility that I might not make it. I'm hoping and praying that I do!! But really my part is about done. I hope that we have brought 36 Scouts and 4 leaders from different Troops together and developed them into being one Troop. I think that they are a great bunch. I know that they are going to have the time of their lives. If I do get to go I will have to be on my best behaviour, it seems that I know just about everyone who is serving on the Sub-camp staff, even the Chaplin was the SPL on NE-IV-153. He just recently got his doctorate and I have been teasing him about it. The Sub-camp Chief serves on the Area Committee with me and Action Center D has the Area President as the person in charge. OJ will now be working in the COPE area, my best friend is working with the bikes. Our good friend Hops will be on the Tower with Wagionvigil in Action Center D. I'm very much looking forward to meeting as many Scouter.com people as possible. (22 days 15 hours and 14 minutes) Eamonn

I don't know anything about daughters. We only have the one boy child. All three dogs were males at one one time!! I'm not so sure parenting is that hard. Her Who Must Be Obeyed,was never a great lover of kids and didn't like babies that much. When she found out she was going to have a baby she said that she wanted a boy with blue eyes. Her eyes are green and mine are brown. OJ was the baldest baby ever,when he did finally get hair it was blond and went well with his blue eyes and his dimple. I remember one day when she was in my bad books, I was cross and said that even God wasn't going to go against her!! His hair is now brown, but somewhere he has managed to get a mop of curls. Neither of us know where they came from. When he was little people told me I was spoiling him. At that time I was so far in debt I wasn't able to spent very much on him and I am certain that you can't hold a child too much, kiss him too often, talk to him too much or play with him enough. This is the first summer that we have not been at home together. He is working at camp, then he is off to the Jambo and then off to New Mexico. I really miss him. He is 17 next week and is now almost a man.He has his own way of doing things, which are not always the same way as mine.Everyone compliments me on how polite and well mannered he is. I lap that up! His friends all seem like nice kids and they seem to enjoy spending time at our house. He passed his driving test a couple of months back and that is the only thing that worries me. I can't ever see him doing drugs, or drinking. He wants to become a teacher and teach math. He really does put his heart and soul into his school work. All in all he is a great Lad. I give thanks for being allowed to be his Dad. I will keep Kyle in my prayers. Eamonn.

A lot of the problem isn't the guys and girls who come home from trainings, they really would like to at least give doing it right a try. Unfortunately when they get back to their home units they are never given the chance. The Troop that my son is in has a lot to learn about using the methods of Scouting. The Scoutmaster has been there for a very long time and has adapted parts of the program to "His way". The Troop has 16 ASM's, nearly all have attended training. But they never get an opportunity to put any of it to use. There is one outstanding guy who is an ASM, he took Wood Badge in 2000 and served on staff last year, he is in his own little way trying to change things. The Troop does not send any of the members to JLTC, it never has, but OJ my son was asked to serve on staff last year and the year before.Last year he served as SPL for the Troop and with him and this ASM working together some things did start and are starting to change. The Scoutmaster is Wood Badge trained (Yes Ed He went to Twin Echos for the old 3 weekend course!!) The youngest troop in the District, is only six years old. The Scoutmaster (Who served as Assistant Cubmaster to yours truly) was never a Scout, in fact out of 5 ASM's only one was ever a Scout. At Round-table one night I overheard someone say "They only do it by the book because they don't know any different!" I am not for mandatory training. My feeling is that if someone wants to learn and do the job right they will attend. If they don't they are just wasting their time and the time of the training team. Do leaders need to attend training to know that we have a uniform? Do Leaders need to attend Training to know not to add a bunch of stuff to the requirements? Of the 16 ASM's in OJ's Troop over half don't wear full uniform and the main reason for them being there is to keep an eye on one Scout - The one that calls them Dad. They sat through training knowing that no matter what was said their Scoutmaster was doing it the 160 way!! The Troop is in a small town: Population (year 2000): 842, Est. population in July 2002: 821 (-2.5% change) Males: 418 (49.6%), Females: 424 (50.4%) Ancestries: Polish (33.7%), German (15.3%), Irish (11.8%), United States (8.9%), Italian (6.9%), Slovak (3.3%). High school or higher: 74.8% Bachelor's degree or higher: 7.2% Graduate or professional degree: 0.5% Unemployed: 2.8% The Troop and the Scoutmaster are one of the biggest things going for the entire town. The Scoutmaster is looked upon as a local hero. Eamonn. With committee members they have approx 5% of the men who live there involved in the troop!! (This message has been edited by Eamonn)

I do agree Bob, I do however think that along with good presenters we need knowledgeable people who are well versed in the program, that could or would go into the unit to work with willing new leaders. There are people who are outstanding presenters, who can stand up before a group of people and present the course material, while knowing Little or nothing about the program. For the sake of discussion lets say that our truck driver is not good at presenting. He might however have a wonderful understanding of the methods of Scouting and be a whiz-kid knowing and being able to show a new leader where to look for or go to for resources. At present I think the mindset of Training Teams is once they have got the new Leader wearing the Trained Patch, that their work is done and they move on preparing for the next course and the next new leader. I think that we need to look at the Trained Patch as being the bare minimum that a leader needs to get by and while Leadership courses are great, we do need to ensure that this new leader is given the skills that he needs to deliver the program to the Scouts he serves. Self-study can and does work, but very few books can pass on "Imagineering". Reading about ropes, number 10 cans and old inner-tubes, can't make the number 10 can into an atomic isotope, surrounded by a toxic marsh full of man-eating alligators. Sure this stuff is old hat to some of us white haired old geezers, but it is new to the new Leader and at this time we don't do very much to pass it on to the new guy. I don't know how we can impress upon new leaders how important planning is. Over the weekend I was invited to brunch at a friends house. The guy is a very nice fellow, in fact he was the Cubmaster of the Pack I was Cubmaster of (The second one) As ever we ended talking about Scouting. He made the comment that the motto for Scouts is be prepared, but the motto for leaders is we'll get by!! He serves as an ASM. The more we talked the more it became apparent that the only time they planned anything was when they were presenting a merit badge class. I honestly believe that the reason why so many troops spend so much time on these darn merit badges is because everything they need to do is clearly laid out for them and requires little or no imagination. Eamonn

I don't like lies. The Resident Cub Scout Camp Director at our Cub Scout camp used to tell all the Cub Scouts that the pay phone outside the admin building didn't work. It worked fine and it took the little guys less than half a day to find out!! While her intentions were good, she was trying to avoid homesickness. The Cub Scouts didn't trust her. This isn't the example we need to be showing to our young Lads. As for coffee, I drink a lot of the stuff and at times can be a real coffee snob. I hate the flavored stuff, but do enjoy good Kona and most dark roasted coffee. Coffee has been a medical whipping boy for so long that it may come as a surprise that recent research suggests that drinking moderate amounts of coffee (two to four cups per day) provides a wide range of health benefits. Most of these benefits have been identified through statistical studies that track a large group of subjects over the course of years and match incidence of various diseases with individual habits, like drinking coffee, meanwhile controlling for other variables that may influence that relationship. According to a spate of such recent studies moderate coffee drinking may lower the risk of colon cancer by about 25%, gallstones by 45%, cirrhosis of the liver by 80%, and Parkinson's disease by 50% to as much as 80%. Other benefits include 25% reduction in onset of attacks among asthma sufferers and, at least among a large group of female nurses tracked over many years, fewer suicides. In addition, some studies have indicated that coffee contains four times the amount of cancer-fighting anti-oxidants as green tea. I wish I could post the benefits of smoking cigarettes, but no such luck. I admit that I'm hooked. I do everything I can to be as polite a smoker as I can. I understand and respect the rights of non-smokers, I follow the rules whatever they might be!! You will find me out side on the second floor balcony on the coldest days of winter. The balcony is the designated smoking area for my work place. So I'm there puffing away with a cup of coffee in the other hand, maybe the coffee will offset the harm I'm doing with the smoking? Eamonn.

Hi Barry, You know how much I enjoy our little chats. I suppose that I should really spin off, but what the heck. I share your concerns about adult Leader development and growth. Maybe I should point out to everyone that this list of 11 Leadership skills was for a long time the basis of the Boy Scout Wood Badge course and it's not anything new or something that I put together. I'm really not that bright. As you know I am not in favor of mandatory training. I believe wholeheartedly that trying to train a adult who is only attending training's because he has to, is up there with trying to teach a pig to sing. In another forum there was a very long and very interesting thread about what sort of people make the best leaders? Some people thought that Eagle Scouts were the best, while others thought that Eagle Scouts made the worst. My feelings are that the leader who understands that he is in business to serve the Lads or in Venturing the Lads and Lassies, is the person who will make the best leader. It does seem that I along with a few others are at times a little to quick to blame the Scoutmaster for all the woes that happen. Maybe we need to take a long hard look at the Training team. While it may seem unimportant, I think it's a shame that we don't have a position patch for Trainers. I have read and do have a fairly up to date copy of the Leadership Training Committee Guide (#34169E - 2001 printing) I have read that the individual is asked to perform a service. It is an ad hoc,short term role. I do not agree with this. In my opinion we need to grab hold of the best trainers that are out there and get them working. At the bottom of almost every page it states: "Your job is training leaders - not running training courses" I have served as both a District and Council Training Chair and have to admit to being guilty of being a "Course runner" more than a real trainer. Some might say that one on one training at the unit level is something that could be left with the Unit Commissioner. I really don't think this would work, but I'm willing to say that there are some wonderful UC's who would and could do a great job. We have in this forum looked at Commissioner Service at length and it seems that this is an area that does need some attention. One reason why Wood Badge works so well is that the participants come away with a plan (the ticket)and if the system works, which it seems to most of th time they get to work with a ticket counselor. While I'm not sure that we need a ticket for all training's (OJ did have something very similar after attending the OA NLS) I do like the idea that of assigning a training team member to work with participants after they complete the practical training. If they are willing to allow the trainer in. Leaders who attend our Council Summer Camp are not over-worked, in fact many do very little for the week they are in camp. We do offer a First Year Camper program for the Scouts, maybe we need to offer training's for our adults. I would love to find out more about GPS and be shown where the resources are so that once I get to know what the language is and what the heck people are talking about, I could find out more on my own. We have a trading post that could be selling all sorts of Literature. I really enjoyed watching the faces of the adults light up on the old WB course when they finished making the belt with the splices. We have Camporees and at long last we are seeing a lot more involvement in the running of these by the SPL's from the Troops in the District, this again frees the adult leaders, who could use this "Down-time" to brush up on or learn a new skill or understanding of the program. I know that during my stint as Training Chair. My main concern was making sure that courses were available and staffed. The courses are good and do touch on a lot of stuff, maybe a little too much? I have not forgotten Round Table meetings, these when done right are wonderful. However when they become 60% Announcements and less than 40% program they lose a lot. Eamonn.

At times I do wonder if some Boy Scout Troops have forgotten about the outdoors method. It seems to have been replaced by the Merit Badge Class. The reason for this is that the adults don't have any imagination. They are great at reading a merit badge book and covering the requirements. Given enough time we could dispense with the leaders completely. Groups of Scouts could be assigned classes to attend check out the DVD watch it in the church basement. One guy could turn the DVD player on and ensure that it's not upside-down, we will call him the PL of course the DVD player needs a TV so someone needs to turn that on, set the volume and make sure the set is on channel 3. A lot of responsibility there we will call the guy who does that the SPL.He could train a couple of the guys how to turn the equipment on and off. This could pass as a healthy dose of leadership development. Everyone will need to pick up the blue card from the Scoutmaster's wife, that is adult Association. If we can get a couple of guys in camo and scout socks while they watch the show, that has to be uniform. We could arrange the chairs in groups of 6 or 8 or 16 the lad on the first chair will be in charge, heck sounds like a Patrol to me!! The guys will see things that they never seen before and will advance this covers the advancement and personal growth method. Maybe we could have a talking head on the screen rush through the Oath and Law, that covers the ideals and of course being that we didn't burn copies for each scout and mail it to them, they had to leave home and go outdoors. We covered all the methods and a merit badge to boot. I was of course being silly!! There are Lads that don't like doing outdoor activities and I don't think that they join Scouts. I think one reason for declining memberships in troops is that they don't do enough outdoor activities. "He who hath smelt wood smoke" Eamonn.

I have to admit to wishing that the phrase "Boy Led Troop' wasn't used as much. This doesn't mean that I'm in any way against the Patrol Method or not in favor of the PLC being the driving force that makes things happen. Troop Elections are strange animals. I have stood and seen the Lad that I (Yes me, myself) didn't want to be elected,voted in and do a fantastic job, while the Lad I would have bet my last penny on has turned out to be not so hot. I have never ever asked a PL or an SPL to stand down. I have had Scouts that were elected ask if they could. This was normally because some unexpected activity like a school play came along and the Lad got selected. Trying to do everything just wasn't working for him. I have a very vivid imagination! At times when I read these forums I see the Great Scoutmaster sitting with a group of Scouts telling them that the Troop is now a Boy Run, Boy Led Troop. The Scouts look like something from a Rockwell painting and they all have a look that is very similar to that of Deer caught in the headlights of a car. Every job that I have ever had I have needed to know that there was people behind me to train and support me. Even working for myself, I used a lot of people. I used my accountants, my bankers, menu designers, other people who were in the same line of business and I used Her Who Must Be Obeyed, to bounce ideas off and at times to tell me that I was being an idiot. I held meetings with the people who worked for me to get their input and ideas. Sure I was the Boss, I was paying nearly all of these people. I trusted them and they trusted me and I had the final word. In Scouting I seen the members of the PLC as a management team. As Scoutmaster I used leadership skills and did everything that I could to pass on the skills to the SPL and the PL's. Unlike learning how to tie a knot, these skills are not something that once you learn one you can sign off and move to the next. Some Lads were really good at some of the skills and not so hot with others. The skills we stressed were: 1.Communicating: Receiving and giving information. 2. Knowing and Using Resources:Knowing what a resource is, where to look for one and how to use it. 3. Understanding the Characteristics and Needs of the Group and Its Members:Knowing the people that you are leading, what are their strengths and weaknesses, knowing what help they will need and understanding that each member of the patrol is an individual with his own wants and needs. 4. Planning: Showing why planning is so very important, how to go about making a plan and using it once you have it written down. 5. Controlling Group Performance: Showing how to get the Patrol to get the job done, using different styles of leadership. 6. Effective Teaching: Some people call this Management of learning. It is all about finding out what needs to be taught (Guided Discovery) and looking for effective ways of teaching it. 7. Representing the Group: Members of the PLC are there to represent the group that they lead. To be successful at this they need to know what the group wants. They need to look at how this comes about. They also need to know and understand that just because the group that they represent want something doesn't mean that it will be what they want and at times the Patrol Leader may have to go back to the Patrol and sell them on what is! 8. Evaluating : I really like and enjoy Reflections and used them a lot, at camp-outs and after meetings and at the PLC. Patrol Leaders need to meet with their Patrols and as a group look at what worked and what didn't and look for the reasons why it worked and why maybe it didn't 9. Sharing Leadership: I have had Patrol leaders that have not been good at delegating or sharing leadership, either because they weren't good at using these skills and they ended up doing everything or because they didn't trust the other patrol members to get things done. 10. Counseling:Looking for ways to work with each individual member of the group in order to show him or at times advise him in different areas. 11. Setting the Example: While this seems like a given, it is important that members of the PLC know and understand that they are the leaders and that they set the tone. This is a list of the skills of leadership that we have used in Scouting for a very long time. It is a list of skills that I have been trying to perfect for almost 30 years!! It is not that I'm a slow learner, it's like the Scout Oath and Law a work that is always in progress. As a Scoutmaster I seen Lads who were PL's and were outstanding at just about all the points, but maybe were not so hot at communicating or maybe planning. When I seen or better yet when we both seen a soft spot we would work on that. We used reflections to see how we were doing, and to look for improvements. We used the PLC meeting as a place to learn, not just jot down ideas. The Agenda for the meeting was not something to be taken lightly, while the SPL crafted it, he did so with the help and support of the SM. While I like to think that I was close to all of the Scouts, I was very close to the Lads who served on the PLC. I know that I counted on them being friends and friendly with me as a way of getting the job done. I trusted them to do a good job. This doesn't mean that I one day said "OK Lads, your all trained" and then cut them loose. I was always around to help and support them. Even when they went off on a Patrol camp-out, I checked the plans they had made went over lists and menus and at times sat down with the PL and talked about problems that might come up. The weekly Troop meeting was the place they practiced these skills, the adult leaders and myself were happy to allow the SPL to follow the meeting plan. We let him hone his skills and the skills of the Patrol leaders at the Troop meetings, but it was at camp where the skills of the SPL and the PL's really got put to use. Because there was so much and so many things that needed to be taken care of, some of them things that were not a lot of fun, this was where real leadership was needed. This was where the adult leaders had to allow the SPL and the PL's to do their job and lead their Patrols. Sure there were times when I wanted to jump in and sort things out!! But this wouldn't teach anyone anything. Sure there were times when a PL or SPL came to me complaining. The complaint I think I heard most often was "They aren't listening" Again the temptation to jump in and give the Troop or the Patrol a good talking too was great, but Counseling the PL or the SPL, giving him a few pointers about how to worked a lot better. Of course there were times when a Lad in a Patrol was being a real little toad and was out of control, when this happened and it became apparent that he was too big of a problem for the youth leadership, I would have a word with him. But I found that the better I became at training the members of the PLC, the less I had to do this. Trust them and Let them lead, doesn't work without training them. Nearly all the Scouts I have ever met are anxious to please, they want to do a good job. We the adults need to tap into this and give them the tools to do a good job. If we use the 11 skills listed and train the PLC members to use them, I fail to see how there could be a "Bad Patrol Leader" Eamonn

I noticed that they were still selling 2001 buckles in this years catalog. I wasn't there in 97 but was told they did sell out early. I would think if he got to the TP one day one he should be fine. Eamonn

I was tempted to reply to juris!! However instead I think the best thing to do is to take plenty of no notice. It just isn't worth it. Eamonn.

Last summer two scouts from our district were caught stealing things from the tents of other scouts. Both were members of the camp staff. They were fired on the spot and their parents were asked to come and get them. Neither the Scout Exec. Or the CO asked these scouts to leave. Both were from the same troop.I was a little upset that both were and are attending the jamboree. I voiced my opinions at the time. I happen to know both of them and do like them. One played on the same soccer team as my son and I had been part of the team that had trained the Mom of one of them when she became a Den Leader. Once the dust settled this ex-den leader met me and asked what would happen about her sons Eagle. It seems that he was about ready to start on the project. I explained that the BOR had to be unanimous and if I was asked to sit on the board that I would vote against her son becoming an Eagle Scout. She became very upset and wanted to go over what had "Really" happened at camp. She was crying. I don't manage crying Moms very well!! When she calmed down, I said that there was still lots of time and if her son really tried and didn't get into anymore trouble he might be able to show everyone that this was just a mistake. Both are attending the Jamboree, their home troop SM is my ASM. I haven't had any problems with either of them. However I heard from OJ, who is working at summer camp that one of them did cause a problem at summer camp. I think that a Lad making a mistake or an error in judgment does happen. I also think that being as both these Lads were allowed to continue in scouting we have to give them every opportunity to do right. Maybe telling the Mom what amounted to "Lay low" for a while is not good. If I'm asked to sit on the BOR,either of these Lads I will bring up the summer of 2004 and depending on how they answer and how they show me how much they have grown is what I will base my vote. Ea.

"National has banned the Scouts from the coffee urn" Help me out I missed the memo. Where will I find this new ruling? Eamonn.

Thanks Mom, I was told that this card was only for people over 16. I should have checked!! God Bless Governor Casey's little cotton socks. Eamonn

I checked with the guys in the NE-Region and they said that the laminated membership card with the photo will be fine. Like many of the Troops that are close we will be among the the early birds. The adults will have other ID. Ea.

After the Flying Toasters in 2001, this time the Patrols from Troop 412 will be the : Flaming Flamingos. The Elite Forces. The Psycho Dragons. The Umpaloompas !! Have to admit that I liked the Flying Toasters. Ea.

You guys out west have it made. PA has no such card for young Lads. Big thing about this is it is cheap. Ea

Kudu Posted: "Simply put, there is no scientific proof that Scouts make better citizens, are more fit, or exhibit better character than boys who do not get involved in Scouting. In the end, we take that kind of thing on faith too. Scouting is a game, not a science. If this is true we are all wasting our time we might as well pack up shop and go home. But before we all quit and cancel the upcoming Jamboree maybe we should take a look at: A Year in the Life [PDF] This independent study finds that Scouting program has positive benefits for youth, families, and communities. Which can be found on the BSA web site. Scouting information center. Research Reports. Eamonn.

As we all know everyone needs a photo ID for the Jambo? Most of the Scouts in Troop 412 have school Student IDs which are acceptable. But we have one school district that doesn't use them. I have asked our Council service center to make copies of the Lads membership cards, I sent them a photo of each Scout and the service center is going to laminate the photo to the back of the card. This is acceptable. I had them make one for me. I think it will be neat. Ea.

Hey Beav, There goes my allowence!! Her Who Must Be Obeyed isn't going to like it!! OJ,and I did buy a fair amount of stuff from the Jambo site, only snag was that he never did get a catalog. I really liked the foot-locker till I seen the price tag! That was a bit too rich for me. Eamonn.

With all the respect in the world Kudu, I really wonder when I read: In my version of the game of Scouting Likewise, we use our own version of the Uniform Method The BSA's mission statement is about making ethical and moral choices. If it had any real-world I always explain to my Scouts I asked one of my 11 year-old Scouts to explain In my Troop, every Patrol Quartermaster I am involved in designing a small, highly- specialized international youth program that is similar to what you call "Scouting," I don't see the Patrol Grouping Standards as a necessary, or even helpful function I hate "Camporees." For one thing they violate my first (and most important) rule of Troop car-camping, That being said, my younger Scouts if you and I belong to the same organization? What ever became of servant leadership? I'm a big fan of Baden Powell, I served as leader to a UK Troop for a fair amount of years, but that was there and that was then. We can not turn the clock back, we serve the youth that are in the programs today and prepare for the youth that will follow. We do so as members of the BSA. If everything starting with the mission statement is the wrong fit for you? Maybe it is time for you to devote more time and become more involved in designing a small, highly-specialized international youth program that is similar to what we call Scouting. Eamonn.