Eamonn

Hi Bobwhite Jeff, Welcome to the forum. From both your postings I can tell that you have not long left the "Happy Land." If there is no one from one of the patrol on the course we skip that critter. If there is someone on staff who is the only person from a patrol they get to sing solo. A Course Director can choose not to have one patrol as part of the course for any reason of his choosing. If he doesn't want to have a let's say a Beaver Patrol. There is no reason why. Maybe he just doesn't like Beavers. While the song and the Patrol names are fun and fun is an important part of the course. In the grand scheme of things what Patrol you are from or not from and the song are not important. Understanding how Leadership and team development work and getting your vision and mission worked out are very important. When your time is up and you pass through the pearly gates, you will leave your legacy. Would you sooner when you look down and hear what people are saying hear them say "Jeff was a Bobwhite." Or "Old Jeff was a wonderful fellow, the greatest leader I ever met."? Enjoy being a Bobwhite, enjoy all the fun that comes from the playful banter. I hope that one day you get back to Gilwell and get to sing "I used to be a staffer and a good old staffer too." Again Welcome And I will try not to hold it against you that you are not a Bear or a Cuckoo. Eamonn.

Yes Region 7 Guy I was thinking in English!!It happens every now and then. Thanks for the translation. All that talk about Cricket must have muddled up the little gray (Grey)cells!! Eamonn.

Like the Gent from NJ and OGE, I am a little unsure who or where the big camps are. Where we are in SW-PA. This isn't a problem yet. Our Summer Camp has about 1,500 campers a summer. While there is a few out of council troops, most of the campers are from our own council. Our next door neighbor is a metro council which owns and operates two camps within our council boundaries. I don't know how many campers they have. As the camp is in our council, some troops from our council opt to camp there because it is closer. They do have a bigger lake then we do and offer a few activities that we don't, most of these are water activities that have to do with power boating. In our area (Area 4 NE)There are a lot of small councils. All own and operate a camp or like us have a camp within a state park. If we push sentiment aside and look at Scout camps as a business they just don't seem to be such a good idea. Even though our camp is in a state park we have to do the maintenance.Two years ago the pool needed to be sand blasted and repainted. It wasn't sand it was something else and the paint was some special stuff the final bill was $52,000. There are 27 building on the camp that have roofs average life time of a roof is about 10 years. The Summer camp runs for seven weeks. The life of a tent is less then 10 years. The campers stay for six nights. The tent if it is used every week will see 60 nights of use.The tent costs about $350 that works out to be over $5.00 night. The new building that was just build went way over budget and has cost over $300,000. As I travel around different councils I am surprised at how many new buildings I see. Some Councils are lucky in that they can use their camps year round. We can't get in after the first snow and have to wait till spring thaw.If we were to look at the costs of running a camp with a real business eye we would get out of the camp business lickety-split!! We would have to charge such a lot that the scouts could never afford it. What can the small camps do better then the big camps? While you don't want to mention program I think that it has to be looked at. I think that the everyday program would be better at a smaller camp. The Scouts should be able to get more attention from the staff at a small camp. If you are out to beat the big guys you need to do things better than they do. Make sure the staff at camp understands that each and every Scout is a paying customer. First impressions mean a lot. Have a staff member in the parking lot to welcome the Scout and his family as they arrive. He or she needs to smile and offer any help that is needed and say "Welcome to Camp Yoyo." When they check in and meet the next staffer he needs to say "Welcome to camp Yoyo" The food in a small camp ought to be a lot better then the food in the big camp. The staff need to be trained. I can't get over how well trained the staff were at Philmont. I didn't meet one "cocky" staffer. They all seemed to be there to help everyone. I never once seen the "I'm the staffer - I'm better then you" thing that I have seen at so many Scout camps. Inter troop activities should be easier to organize and run with smaller numbers. While I disagree with it, because it doesn't allow the PLC to do their job- Early sign up will bring them back next year. Most of the troops in our council sign up for the same site for the same week next year. They pay a very small deposit and are warned that if they can't fill the site they might be moved or have to share. There are a lot of activities that a small camp can offer that a big camp can't. Finding them and making them happen is the hard thing. Of course the worst thing that a small camp can do it over sell the weeks. Scouts don't want to wait for ever to do stuff. If the camp capacity is 250 don't allow 300 Scouts in just to beat the big guys. Eamonn Are you going to the meeting in Bedford in November??

Hang On There Beav, We have a small room that I rarely enter. In this room sits two machines. One that is hooked up to the water supply and the other one isn't. The one that isn't is fairly easy you just unload the stuff from the wet machine into this one, throw a couple of smelly sheets in. Wait about 20 Min's. and that Scout shirt is ready to go. The wet machine requires a lot more organization. If you don't sort the white stuff out from the other stuff, the white stuff turns pink. You can throw a few jiggers of bleach in with this white load. Then you have to sort out the dark stuff from the light stuff. There is something that is like bleach but isn't bleach that you can add to the light stuff but not the dark stuff. The wet machine has all sorts of dials and buttons. You also need to add some powder to all of these. The scoop that comes with the powder makes a great toy. Now you want to sort out the cotton stuff from the non cotton stuff so we can ensure that we have good quality lint!! Don't you think propane would make life a lot easier? Eamonn. (Joking.)

I wasn't really spinning off your posting John,I just seen this in a copy of USNWR and thought that in a very loose sort of way Failure, Participation and kids rule all came under the same umbrella. Eamonn. Good Luck with the surgery.

If you want to get ahead get a hat. If you want to get a hat get a head. Eamonn

Understandably security at the National Jamboree is going to be very tight. I am all for it, anything that keeps the Lads that attend and little old me safe is fine with me. I have heard and don't know how true it is that this time the buses with the boys on board and the equipment which is normally in some sort of a truck (We use a furniture removal van) All have to report at the same time. In the past the truck was allowed to arrive as much as 24 hours ahead of the Scouts. The truck will be X-rayed and checked out before being allowed in. This will not cause us too much of a problem as we can form a convoy of the two troops in two buses and the truck. It might be a little harder for troops that have their gear shipped ahead and then hire buses from the airport or where ever they are at. I think I remember reading that there was something like 550 troops attending. This seems to me like a giant traffic jam in the making. One way of controlling it would be to give the troops a scheduled arrival time. While no one would want to be last. I would sooner know when to arrive than sit on a bus with the Scouts who will be excited and keen to get this show on the road. Eamonn

Welcome. While I'm not a native Pennsylvanian, PA. Has been home for the past 20 years and I see no signs of them deporting me just yet!! Tiger Cubs are a lot of fun - Enjoy the ride. Eamonn.

Girls playing cricket!! I nearly swallowed an entire crumpet whole!! I am still a member of the Putney Cricket Club. Being more of a Rugby and Soccer player, I have always been more of a social member. Many a Sunday we would eat lunch at one of the restaurants on the Lower Richmond Road and then nip into the club house for a couple of pints. Then take a pint outside to watch the game, making trips back to the club house as refills were needed. One Sunday I fell asleep. It was one of the very rare occasions when it was a hot day. I got the worlds worst case of sunburn. I think that I must have ate too much. Eamonn.

you might want to look at the G2SS before you start using liquid fuels. Eamonn

Came across a copy of U.S. News and world report. The cover had President Bush and John Kerry and in the corner was a smaller headline : Why Kid Consumers Rule. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=5&u=/usnews/2004908/ts_usnews/kidpower I like to think that I am a very fair a giving Dad. Her That Must Be Obeyed and Number One Son, tell me that I'm cheap. I inform them that I'm not cheap I am just frugal. As Number One Son is the only child we have people expect him to be spoiled. I am still working on that one. I firmly believe that holding, kissing, playing, talking and spending time with a child is something that can't be over done. Of course as they get older and bigger some things get harder and you have to pick your spot in order not to cause too much embarrassment to the child. None of this is in my book spoiling a child. When he was a little fellow I enjoyed bath time, bedtime stories and all that good stuff as much as he did, maybe more. We have friends that have kids that are a little older then he is and when their son grew out of clothes they would pass them down to us and he would wear them till he out grew them and then if they were any good we would pass them on down to friends that have younger boys. We didn't do this because we couldn't afford clothes, we did it because it was good sense. TV has never been that very important in our house. I think that I watch more than anyone else. I am not a TV snob. But I only watch what I like. When all the sitcoms ended last year I didn't feel bad. I can put my hand on my heart and say that I had never watched a single episode. I stopped watching sitcoms when that Fat Lady was a "Must See" I turned it on and the story was about the young son masturbating. I didn't find it funny and thought that if this is what prime time has come too? I don't have any use for it. Her That Must Be Obeyed, likes TV Land. For a good many years OJ's favorite shows were I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke show. I can't remember how old he was when he finally got a TV in his bed room. I do know that he was a teenager. We did buy the Nintendo and after we were unable to find a new control for it we bought the Super Nintendo. Both of these were Christmas presents. When all his pals started getting X-Box and Play Station. We didn't mainly because he didn't use the Nintendo that much. Two Christmas's ago I did buy him a lap top computer. I thought that it would work out cheaper in the long run then buy a Play Station and all the games. We have a wireless network in the house so he can do his home work and I'M his friends as well as play games. He used it a lot when he was the Brotherhood Chairman in the OA. He still takes it to some OA Board meetings, but I don't know how much he uses it. When there was free music sites he did down load a lot of music. Some of which was full of swear words. So I deleted it. He is aware of brand names. He finds the shoes that he wants on the net. I refuse to pay more then $40.00 for shoes. So far he has never gone over this limit. I might be worse then he is. I like Timberland Shoes and Columbia clothes. He does have a cell phone the sort with a prepaid card he buys his own cards and $20.00 seems to last him about six weeks. Some of our friends did buy their children cars when they reached 16. We got him his driving permit and informed him that if he was going to drive any of our cars he would come up with the money to pay for the insurance. He has a job at MacDonald's. He has to pay half of all his Scouting trips if there isn't enough money in his Scout account. The most expensive clothes that he owns are his Scout uniforms. We live in the country, so we do need to chauffeur him to where he needs to be. We do not allow him to travel in cars with youth drivers. While I enjoy kids who act like kids, manners are very important in our house, as is respect. We are the adults and he is the child. We don't ask for any input from him when we are buying a new car or other big items. He never stops eating and other than eggs which he can't eat he eats anything and everything. I don't do the grocery shopping. We do eat real food stuff that you have to cook. So other then chocolate milk and yogurt his opinion is not asked. When he comes home with some new idea,I have to admit to asking "How much is this going to cost me?" Maybe in some peoples homes kid consumers do rule, but it is never going to be the rule in our home.

I am a wee bit puzzled as to what was taken? If someone has taken something that isn't theirs they need to return it. The Chartered Organization does need to be informed either directly or through the COR. The Chartering Organization have some options open to them. I would hope they would want to remove the Committee Chair. From the Unit. However they do not have to. They might be happy to leave this in the hands of the Committee. Or they might decide to take whatever action they deem to be in order. If it comes back to the Committee the committee need s to decide if they want to try and recover the money. If so I would send a letter by certified mail asking for the return of the money in a timely manor. In the letter I would say that if the money is not returned that Legal counsel will be taken by the committee and that this will be added to the amount owed as will all fees legal and non legal. I would add the cost of the letter to the amount owed. While this is a unit problem and I can see why the District and Council do not want to get involved (They don't have the power or the authority to do anything anyway !) I would talk to the DE or better yet the SE and inform them that this person has taken the money. The SE can revoke the membership of this person and make it impossible for them to go to another unit. But that is up to the SE. While it would seem like bolting the door after the horse is gone the Committee does need to take steps to ensure that this never happens again. You might use this ill wind to help the unit improve the relationship with the Chartering Organization. Eamonn. PS. While I was serving as Cubmaster we had one family that went MIA with their popcorn money. We hired a debt collector, she charged 30% which we added to the outstanding amount. We recovered the money, but lost a Cub Scout even though we made it known that the boy was welcome to return to the pack. I have been in business for many years and do go after all money that is owed to me. When I first started renting out houses one guy owed me a little over $1,000.00 I took him to the local Magistrate, who is now a friend of mine. He gave me a real hard time. He asked why I bought the houses in the first place? Was I trying to make money or run a charity? We still own a number of houses but we never ever allow people to fall behind. Some times we all need to be hit over the head with a 2x4. I owned and operated a couple of restaurants for about 16 years,when we first started out our goal was to make the best food possible. One day in a trade magazine I read that there was something that every restaurant should make and make well and that was money. When we started making money life was a lot better. You guys have been raising money for the Scouts, not for the Committee Chair. I know that allowing him to get away with it would happen over my dead body.

I have seen them. Idon't know where you would get one. They are not an offical BSA patch for wear on the uniform. But being a Bear you knew that!! Eamonn

Hi Bill It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the forum and inform you that you passed posting 101. At this time we are unsure if this a participation test or an accomplishment? If we ever get around to making coffee it might be from a Coleman coffee maker or maybe a French press. The trip up the Orinoco has been replaced with a trip which will either go up or down the Mississippi. You will need to have your face painted attend all Tiger Cub meetings. Apply for a permit that might or might not be free depending on the political climate at the time of applying. Your Paws must be clean at all times. If you opt to wear a Campaign hat? We might be able to get you a real deal. Welcome. Eamonn

I don't like Hazing. Don't know how many kids that we lost from Cub Scouts due to a very stupid initiation "Ceremony". In fact the actual ceremony wasn't half as bad as the horror stories that were told each story worse then the last. Still the story was enough to scare young Lads from joining the troop. I like to think that I am not an old misery guts. I enjoy a good laugh and having fun as much as any one does. Still laughing with someone is a lot kinder then laughing at someone. I don't think that has changed over the years and goes in the North, the South and even across that big pond. Eamonn.

Last week in this forum we seemed to be in total agreement (Yes and pigs can fly!!) that failure wasn't a bad thing. Little Tim goes to the pool tries but is unable to meet the swimming requirement for Second Class. We if we are doing what is right will not pass him because he has not met the requirements. Sure he was there, sure he gave it his best shot but no he didn't meet the requirements. I do not have a problem recognizing participation. I do have a problem when participating becomes the goal. No!! Change that. Participation should be recognized all the time. I have a pin that recognizes how long I have been in Scouting I don't wear it very often as I'm afraid that it will get washed and harm the washing machine. I was proud to receive it even though for a number of years I wasn't that active. I do think that our very little fellows do need to be recognized for participating. But there comes a time when everyone has to take ownership of themselves and what they are doing. OJ my son is very active in both the troop and the OA. The OA saw fit to honor him with Vigil honor. I thought that he had done enough to merit it. Not that what I thought came into it. He seems to be doing a good job as SPL in the troop. He has been a Life Scout for ever. He hasn't made time to do his Eagle project. Great kid, good Scout. But he has to make his project his goal and go do it. Eamonn. Many Thanks for the link KY-Eagle. Echo used to be a brand name for something?(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

Thanks Mrs Red Feather, You hit on a lot of the things that I missed. I have never been one to use the term "Kids Of Today". As I read the paper and see all the bad stuff. I really want to guys who write this to go out and write about all the good stuff. We who serve as leaders or in any position in Scouting are very fortunate that we not only get to see the good things that kids of today are doing we get to be part of it and they allow us to share their good stuff. I still hold fast to the idea that getting a Lad and putting him in a Scout Uniform does not in any way make him an Angel. Which is just as well as I never was much good at playing the harp. While we as adults in Scouting try to set a good example to the youth in the program. We as parents have a much stronger or bigger obligation to pass on our values to our kids. I thank the good Lord that my son has two parents that like and love each other.When it comes down to what is right and what is wrong we both tend to be in total agreement. We both have a zero tolerance for certain behavior that we deem to be wrong. If I were to try and list what is acceptable and what isn't the list would go on and on. We know it when we see it or hear it!! I do know that our son "Gets away" with a lot of things that I never did!! My Mum was a very quick tempered little Irish Lady, who didn't stand for any nonsense. Dad was a soft spoken man, who didn't get excited but when he did lay down the law it was the law. Maybe we allow our son to work out some things for himself rather then just laying down the law. I do know that he is fed up hearing me go on about: Stop, Think, Act, Reflect. A lot of the tools that I got from Scouting and BSA training's have helped me a lot in trying to be a better parent. John, I think when you look at the Ticket that participants of a Wood Badge course work, you will see that they are out to accomplish a set of goals that will help them meet their own mission in Scouting. The mission and vision that they have is very much guided by their own values. If they fail to meet these goals they don't get to wear the Wood Badge. Eamonn.

I caught only part of the story that aired on 60 minutes. From the bit that I did watch it seemed to be looking at the youth of today. A group of teenagers described them selves as the "Now Generation". They explained this by saying that when they want something they want it now. Some learned professor or something said that young people entering the work force are very ill equipped, they are not capable of thinking long range and are not used to thinking for themselves. Someone else had this theory that I had a hard time following. It had to do with how the birth control pill made parents look upon their children as being special because they really wanted the kids that they had. To qualify all this the program went on to say how we needed kids so badly as trophies that we went all over the world looking for kids to adopt!! As I say I didn't catch the whole story. I will see if I can get a transcript or video tape. One part that got to me was a young teenage girl said that every kid gets a trophy for participating. At the end of the year they line up all their trophies. They don't have to earn or accomplish anything to get a trophy, just participate. A couple of years back I was reading over the changes that the UK Scouts were making to their program.They had stated that they wanted to move away from the idea of Scouts earning badges and move toward Scouts being recognized for participating in the program. When I first read it I thought it was a good idea. Looking at it again I'm not so sure. I really dislike when people misuse Scouting and the methods of Scouting. Scouts who sit through a Merit Badge class or classes may well be participating in the class but have they earned the Merit Badge - Not in my book. I don't have a problem with young little fellows being recognized for participating. Sure give each and every Tiger Cub a ribbon or whatever for participating in the Pinewood Derby. Give every Scout who attends the camporee a patch that tells the world that he was there. I still think that allowing a Scout to accomplish something is worth while. While I suppose an argument can be made that a Scout who just turns up and participates is still experiencing personal growth. I am of the opinion that a Scout who sets goals and learns how to do things step by step and maybe falters along the way, but picks himself up and restarts will get a lot more out of Scouting. Maybe the bottom line is Participation Verses Accomplishment. I go with accomplishment. If we ever start handing out the rank of Eagle Scout to Lads who have just participated, I will hang up my Wood Badge beads. Eamonn.

OK, so BKM, is Best Known Methods. What is SRO? Eamonn

Pow Wow Chairman, is a really tough job. Most other BSA training's have a syllabus that you can follow. Ideas are fine but having the people who can pass on the skill or can teach the class is something else. Where possible we tried to follow the themes that are in Scouting Magazine. A few things that we have tried that worked are making paper. Leather Work, Rubber Stamping. We had a Lady that operated a store come in for the Rubber stamping. Every one said that a Leather Company I think it was Tandy would be willing to send someone but when we asked they said that they didn't do that any more. So we used a lot of the equipment that Summer camp uses. We had a lot of luck getting people that did American Sign. They didn't want to spend the day but were willing to do two sessions back to back. We also have done a meet the pro. And meet the team as a session. Here the Scout Exec. Did something along the lines of a Fireside Chat. Meet the Team was almost the same thing but with the Council Key3. A few years back we did a session on Scouting on the web. In those days not everyone had a computer and the Web wasn't used as much as it is today. I still think it could be a worth while session. While the same old same old is boring for the hard core Pow Wowers, a lot of the people are new. Maybe a session on what is in the books would be worth while. Covering the Cub Leader book, the guide to safe scouting. The How Too Book. We have done sessions on Training What Lies Ahead. Covering different courses that are available locally: CPR, Lifesaving,and craft classes that are offered by the Community College as well as the Scout Courses. Baloo Webelos Scout Den Leader Outdoor Training, Wood Badge and Specific Training. The Council Training Chair is just the fellow to get to do this. Other ideas are: How to go about the Annual Planning Meeting. Why Cub Scout Resident Camp is the High light of the year for a Cub Scout. How To Make Webelos Scout Transition Painless. What The Heck Is Ultimate Frisbee? And How To Play It. 101 uses for a coffee can. Relationships. What the OA, The Boy Scout Troop, The District and Council can do for the pack. Foot Puppets!! Leave No Trace For Cub Scouts. Cub Camping - Buying the right gear for a Cub Scout. Eamonn

We had hoped to have sold our house and have moved some time last spring. Her Who Must Be Obeyed, packed boxes and sorted through clothes. Bags and bags of clothes went to goodwill. I swear that every person who visits a Goodwill store for the next ten years will come out wearing one of my sweaters. Her Who Must Be Obeyed, hates to shop. To her the word Mall, is a four letter word. Me I love to shop and buy stuff. At times I do buy stuff that I don't really need but I like and like it more if it is on sale. Her That Must Be Obeyed, tells me that I'm a pack rat. While we thought that the sale of the house was pending, we didn't do some of the stuff that needed doing, thinking that the new owner would want to redo it any way. When it comes to doing stuff around the house, I can do it but find lots of reasons (excuses?) not to do it. Top of my list of things not to do is painting. I hate to paint.Six years ago I painted our kitchen and living rooms, it took me three weeks. The rooms are big!! Her That Must Be Obeyed, got a bug and before I knew it had called a painter to come and give us a quote. I may love to shop but at heart I am a classic "El Cheapo". In preparation for the quote Her That Must Be Obeyed, laid the ground work, telling me that when her best friend had a paint job done it cost $1,000.00. And their rooms were no where near as big as ours. I was thinking that a thousand bucks is a lot of money. She told me about how bad my back is, and how she didn't want the house turned upside down for a month. She was good. The Painter Guy arrived, looked around for a few minutes and quoted $350.00 if I supplied the paint.I was taken back and showed him how high the ceiling is in the entry way and told him that six years ago I had to rent a scaffold to do it. I made sure that he knew that there is a passage off the kitchen. He however was firm I was unable to get him to increase the cost. So I agreed to pay the $350.00. I asked when he could start he said how about tomorrow? I asked how long did he think it would take him and he said about a day. My pride was hurt. He did come the next day and it took him a day and a half. Her That Must Be Obeyed had bought me a new desk for Christmas. We hadn't put it together because we were moving. Still She thought that now would be a good time to change desks. I took my computer to the store and had a new hard drive put in and a few other bits added. The painter left. He did a good job Not as good as I would have done, but he used a lot less paint. The new desk was assembled the computer was back in working order. But there was the old desk. The drawers were full of Boy Scout bits!! Patches from Pow Wows, Camporees, wood Badge courses. Photos of people that maybe I used to know. We also changed from two small, two drawer file cabinets to one. There are big file cabinets in another room which houses more Scout stuff then what we have in our Council Scout Shop. There were papers with Scoutmasters minutes which I had kept. Programs from Blue and Gold Banquets, one from 1975!! I have no idea who I got it. I didn't even visit the USA until 1977. Under the watchful eye of Her That Must Be Obeyed stuff was looked at as she sat with garbage bag in hand. Papers that I had collected at Philmont were disposed of. Photos of me handing out awards to Cub Scouts were looked at if we knew who the Cub Scout was and we knew where they lived we mailed them to the family. In all we ended up with three black garbage bags of stuff. Many of the patches were added to those that live in the Tupperware boxes. I have read of a document scanner, I will have to look into buying one. I'm not sure if I am just lacking organization or if I really am a pack rat. Most times when people can't find something they know that I have it. It might take me a little while to find it. This is only because Her That Must Be Obeyed has moved it. This leads me to believe that everyone else is either more disorganized then I am? Or they just don't keep stuff the way I do. I am starting to see that CD's are taking over. They find their way into my cars, my work briefcases, just about everywhere. Kind people burn copies of stuff for me and don't write anything on the CD or the case and I am left with all this great stuff that if I don't write what it is straight away, becomes useless. How do you keep all of your Scouting "Treasures" in some sort of order? Do you have a Her or Him who must be obeyed that every now and then forces you into a big sort out? Eamonn.

I'm with the wise OGE on this. Looking at some of the lists that some troops don't allow, I think if I was a Scout I would give a lot of thought to forming an escape committee. Some of the biggest problems that I have had to deal with are caused by Scouts who want to carry humongous amounts of cash. At long term camps we offered a Camp Bank, where the adults took charge of excess cash. But some Lads opted not to use it. The problems came when they lost their money. Have you ever noticed when a Scout loses some thing the cry that goes out is not "Hey I lost my underwear." The cry is "Someone stole my underwear." Eamonn

Hi and Welcome back, New units are always welcome. The more youth we can get into our programs the better. I have served as a Scoutmaster for a troop of over eighty Scouts. Even with seven active ASM's I found that it was just too much for me to manage and it was becoming almost a full time job. Not knowing the SM or how much help he has I don't want to say that a troop of eighty is wrong or unmanageable. Just that I wasn't up for the job. Cub Packs of over eighty are common and with enough Den Leaders ought not cause too many headaches. I think when you say "Adventure Units" You mean Venture Crews. The only Crews that I know of that are that big are Crews that were started in schools. I question if the program that is offered is a Venturing program? I am also unsure why a group of concerned adults would take on starting new units? Very often when this happens the units are not really Scouting units, more youth groups that meet and at times do Scout like activities. Eamonn.

CW, I feel sure that you are a very nice chap. I also feel that you need to slow down a bit, and think about your new role as an ASM. If you were my ASM, and I was the Scoutmaster. I would want and expect you to support me and the troop. That includes the Troop Committee. You are now an adult leader. While the words of the Scout Oath and Law have not changed, people will now expect you to live up to the words working in your new role as an ASM. While you were a Scout,it was hoped that you would grow into the Law and Oath. When you at times not have done as good a job as maybe you could have, people looked at you as a youth member. Those days are gone. You are now supposed to be a shining example. If you find that you can't work with the Scoutmaster or the Committee members then maybe you need to give some thought to moving your Scouting elsewhere, maybe to another troop or maybe you could join a Crew? If you decide to stay take a long hard look at the words in the Scout Oath and Law and ask yourself "Am I really living up to these words?" Eamonn

I read in this months Scouting Magazine, that the new JLTC is ready to go to the Councils. From what I read in the article it sounds that the new course is in many ways like the 21st Century Wood Badge. We as a Council are sending two guys to Camp Alpine, sometime this month to get trained for next years JLTC. I'm not sure if they will be using the new course syalabuss or the old one. It is a shame that I'm busy next year with the Jamboree. I truly would love to see this new course in action, and maybe be one of the adult staffers. Still that will have to wait a few years. OJ, has staffed the previous two JLTC's that the Council has ran. So maybe I can help him prepare for the next one? He will be over 17 by then, and a lot can happen from now till then. He is looking at going to Philmont as part of the OA Trail Crew, and is staffing the Jambo. That might just be enough to keep him out of mischief. Eamonn