Eamonn

The Cankerous Overweight Gent asks:"Where the heck are Leaders supposed to learn about how the Patrol Method works?" Take a look at the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Specific Training and the outdoor skills course. It is all in there. Eamonn

Wow!! I have a problem finding the end of the duct tape. Did have an old Scout Van that I repaired the muffler with a coat hanger and a coke can. Back home when I found myself not where I thought I was supposed to be I would reach in my pocket and see if I had any pictures of the Queen then head for the nearest ale house. At times this could be a lengthy procedure. Eamonn

Strange as it may sound I have yet to meet a Venturer in our District who knows anything about Exploring. Most of them don't know or care that Paul McCartney played in a band before Wings. A lot of the stuff that we do in all of our programs is stuff that has been around for a long time. The youth members don't give a tinkers where it came from they just want it to be challenging and fun. While I see no harm at looking back over old stuff and every now and then giving them an airing (A couple of years back we held a Camporee doing the Scout Skills of the 1930's.) While I can't speak for all the youth in the program. But the one I have at home hates when I start on about "The Good Olde Days". His answer to this is "Please Dad Give it a rest." Eamonn

Please keep us updated on this. I do hope that everything turns out for the best. Eamonn

Six beads used to be the Director of Leader Training at Gilwell Park. Eamonn

My Dear Proud Eagle, I can only hope that you are not as depressed as your posting. Sure things change, people come into our lives and move away. Some just down the road, some to a better place. While we mourn our loss, we must take stock and celebrate what they have given to us. Many if not most of us have stood at the cross roads of indecision. Not knowing which road to take. At times the reason why we end up there is a result of past bad decisions or bad choices. We could sit back and lick our wounds while we wait for a sign. The signs are there, but don't wait for a flash of lightning or burning bush. The Good Lord is there next to you whispering in your ear. It takes a little work to hear what He is saying. He will work with you and help you on your way. But the choice is yours. I don't think that you have got this far without his help. Was it just by chance that you became a Scout? Was it just an accident that you became an Eagle Scout. You could have walked away from this program at any time. But you are still here. Sometimes the goals that we need to set for ourselves don't need to be that big. There have been times when things have been overwhelming and I have sat on the side of the bed thinking how nice it would be to just jump back into bed and pull the covers over my head. I have sat there thinking what to do? -What to do? The goal I set was to put my socks on. My past bad choices and mistakes are now looked upon as part of me being me, in fact my real education. I celebrate my good choices and give thanks for them. I have no idea what life would be like without the love of my family. All my family, my wife and son in this house and others all over the world. We don't need to see each other or speak to each other to know how much we care and love each other. The seeing and talking is a bonus. Both my parents have passed away yet I still bask in the love that they gave me. I still live each day doing my best to make them proud. I'm raising my son following the blue print that they left behind. While I love my church and Cherish my religion. I don't need the walls, the priest or rites to lead me down the right path. These things help and I do lean on them, still I like to think that I have a good relationship with the Good Lord. I take great pride in my heritage. My Grand-Father was a part of the Easter uprising in 1916. My Parents left Ireland with no money and were grateful to England and the English for the opportunity to work hard and prosper. I love the United States Of America, the greatest land on this good earth. Not just because of its' many splendid features. But because of the way it treats the people who live here. Freedom isn't just another word, it is a living growing meaning force. When you go to put your socks on tomorrow you might want to think about the words of Oliver Goldsmith: "Our Greatest glory is not in never falling,but in rising every time we fall." Eamonn

There has been a lot of discussion about troop accounts and who owns the money. While it has been a while since I ran a troop and maybe things have changed? Here is my take on it all. I don't think that any fund raising that the troop does is needed to send a Scout to summer camp. While I know the cost varies from Council to Council. Our Summer camp fee is $165.00. While I'm aware that this is very low and I have no idea what the average camp fee is. I happen to think that most Scouts can save this amount over a year. We always had a camp bank. The Scouts deposited their money in every week to pay for the Summer camp or expedition. This money was always theirs If they quit the troop or moved to another troop a full refund was given. All Fund raisers were done for the troop. To buy equipment or whatever. This money belonged to the troop. If there was a Lad who couldn't afford to go to camp the troop committee would look at the circumstances and deal with them as they saw fit. The camp bank money was held in a separate account from the Troop account as this money was never the troops. Sure we emptied the account every year, but then we started to refill it. Please don't tell me about some "Poor little Lad" Who can't afford it. The troop was an inner-city troop, with a lot in fact most of the membership coming from subsidized housing. Most if not all Scouts can afford to save what amounts to a few cans of pop a week. Then there are the gifts that they get at Christmas and birthdays. Parents and Scouts will save and pay for a quality program. We took the Troop all over the place with Scouts paying their own way. Eamonn

Not sure if I am reading this a little differently then Bob and Laurie? I think you are asking what to say to the Scout? Much as I would like to think that none of the foolishness that is going on would get back to our youth members, I think it would be naive to think that is the case. You don't say what age group you are dealing with? In my case and I stress my case I would steer clear of the sexual orientation if I was dealing with a young Lad. I would tread very carefully depending on how well I knew the Scout. If I thought he was old enough and mature enough I would explain how the Boy Scouts Of America feels that gay or homosexual people while not bad people are not seen to set the example that we want to lead our units. On the discrimination of religious beliefs. Here I would go over the Promise or the Oath and explain where the BSA stands on this. If the Lad was a young Lad I might want to do this with his parents close at hand. In fact no matter how old he was I would prefer if there was a parent around. If it was a Venturer I would point them in the direction of the literature that the BSA has out there on the official web site and in the books. Eamonn

Have you heard about the Irish Boomerang ? It doesn't come back, it just sits around and sings about how much it wants to. How often do we no matter what position we hold sit around and moan and groan about how much we want to see things get better or return to past glory? And then do nothing? A Aer Lingus spokesman is quoted as saying: What we are doing is in the interest of everybody,bar possibly the consumers. How much time and effort do we put into doing things that are in the best interest of everyone except our youth members? JFK, is quoted as saying: We don't want to be like the Leader in the French Revolution who said there go my people I must find out where they are going so that I can lead them. George Harrison has a song that says if you don't know where you are going any road will take you there. If we don't set goals and help other people to set goals as well as making them accountable for meeting these goals - Aren't we just wasting our time? W.B. Yeats is quoted "Education is not filling a bucket it is lighting a fire." Something to think about at the next Board Of Review? I love the old Hymn How Great Thou Art. I have met some who have changed it to "How Great I Art." To these poor souls I would tell the tale of the young girl who went to Father Healy of Cork, and sadly made her confession:" Father I fear that I'm guilty of the sin of vanity." She confessed. "What makes you think that?" Asked her father-confessor. "Because each morning when I look in the mirror, I can't help thinking how beautiful I am."" Never fear, colleen," was the reassuring reply. "That isn't a sin; it's only a mistake." Eamonn

I go to mass and make my donation. Sometime later the church or the priest does something that I don't like. Do I get a "Refund"? No of course not. When you donate you give up ownership. Whatever it is that you give is no longer yours. You didn't loan it you gave it of your own free will. As has been pointed out the Scout unit is owned by the chartered organization, so when you donate to the Scout unit,you are in fact donating to the Charter Organization. Just as part of the cash that I put in the plate at Mass on Sunday might end up in the coffers of the Diocese. Eamonn

This is a tough call. A few days back you posted that some of the parents and yourself were becoming good friends.I would think that your son feels the same way. He has friends in the pack. If you stick with it for another year leaving is not going to get any easier. It does sound like you know what the pack ought to be doing and what direction it ought to be heading. All it needs is to do it. There is something very rewarding in seeing and being part of something that is growing. Cubmasters are important, but the real hands on stuff is done in the den. Stick it out build the Den back up. Do what you can to support the Cubmaster. Get your Den Parents to do the same. Have them volunteer to run the events that you missed this year. Develop a working relationship with your chartered organization and you unit commissioner. Eamonn

I don't have a copy of the agreement that is signed by the Chartered Organization, near by at the moment. I am sure that if they want to offer the Scouting program that they have to offer a meeting place. Charging them would seem to be a violation of this agreement. Eamonn

Bob White is correct. We or anyone else can't be much help to you. It is after all your ticket based on your vision and your mission. The items listed the goals are to help you reach your Vision and mission. You might and I stress might want to sit down and look at what your Vision and Mission really is. I think once you have this clear, coming up with the goals will fall in to place. If you get the chance ask someone to go over SMART goals with you. While in a far less structured way I use this process a lot. As a District Chair I want the district to do something. I want our district to be active in meeting the mission of the BSA. This is my Vision. I will make this happen by trying to do everything possible to make sure that the district is a Quality District, this is my mission. To get there I set goals. In membership I may want to improve a area that is weak. In our case Tiger Cub retention. What I am going to do about improving this area becomes my goal. And so on down the list. Wearing another hat I want to ensure that the Scouts from our end of the Council have the best possible time at the jamboree. This is my vision. To ensure that the troop is well prepared for the Jamboree is my mission. Again I set goals to make this happen. Before the course you were given a pre-course assignment - The Twenty questions. If you take a look at this you will find that it is a great help in writing your ticket. Good Luck. Eamonn Welcome To The Forums

I think that the reason for me starting this thread was to make everyone aware that there are no VIPs in Scouting. We all do what we can as best we can. Not wanting to rehash any of the stuff that we covered when we looked at Awards, but some people are great working with youth members, others are good working with adults, while others just don't have the time and support with finances or other donations. I happen to think that "Real Scouting" (Whatever that might be?) Happens at the unit level and us people on the district, council or any other level are just there to support them and bring in more youth members. As to the stuff that is happening in the Service Center. At times I scratch my head when there are six letters all in different envelopes in my mail box. At the end of the day the running of the Service Center is down to the Scout Exec. No matter who he may have in the office (We have an office manager) The buck stops with him. At times members of the board will bring matters to his attention. Also the budget for the Council is presented to the board. In these days when money is tight I know that the guys on our board don't let much get past them. Eamonn

"Can I ignore the Commissioners?" Yes of course you can. The next question that comes to my mind is:Why? I have in the past year had a phone call from a charter Rep. Who informed me that if the guy who was their new Unit Commissioner as much as came near them that they would do him bodily harm and not recharter. I spent over an hour on the phone trying to calm this poor charter rep. Down. Then less then a minute telling the District Commissioner that this Unit Commissioner was done. The District Commish. Argued that he could control this guy. I said that it was clear that he just didn't get it and that we had no use for Commissioner's that needed to be controlled. He is no longer on the Commissioner Staff. We need to take a look at how this game is played. Your unit is owned by the group that holds the charter. They enter into an agreement to use the program of the Boy Scouts of America. The Executive Officer may be a very busy chap, too busy to get involved with the day to day running of a youth group. He does agree to provide a meeting place and a few other things to the Scout unit. He in most cases will select a person to be the middle man that goes between the Scout Unit and the charter organization. He will report to the charter organization what is happening in the Scout unit and keep the Scout Unit up to speed about what is happening with the charter organization. If you have a problem with him. This is something that needs to be taken up with the Charter Organization. As the Scout unit is owned by the Chartered Organization, this body selects the leadership.This includes the committee. Unless there has been some serious violation of Scout policy, the "Hiring and Firing" of adults at the unit level is in the hands of this chartered Organization. It could happen that a Leader is doing such a terrible job of leading that a Unit Commissioner might bring this to the attention of the Chartered Organization and they might want to take some sort of action. However this would be up to them. The Committee Chair is selected by the Chartered organization, and in some units is elected by the other members of the committee. This has nothing to do with the Commissioner Staff, the District or the Council. Sad to have to say it, but if you are having a problem with the Chartered Rep.and The Committee Chair. You are having a problem with the people who selected you to be the leader. Did they make the wrong choice? If you are having a problem with your Unit Commissioner and the District Commissioner, these are the people who are trying to be your friends. They are only there to help and support you. You can turn your back on them and there is nothing that they can do about it. You don't work for them - you work for the chartered organization - The one that you are having a problem with? If I were in your situation I would want all the d friends and all the support that I could get. Bob White has laid out who you might turn to in order to get things on a better footing. But maybe just maybe a long look in the mirror is a good place to start, as you read the Scout Oath and Law. Eamonn

I am not a professional. I do work very closely with our DE. We spend a lot of time working toward the goals that we set. Today at 8:30 am She phoned to say that the park in one school district wouldn't be available for a Tiger Cub recruiting drive, we discussed alternative venues and she was going to check them out and call the membership chair. We spoke at 2:00 pm She had picked up some cash from a community FOS captain and been to the Scout Service Center.While she was there she found out the Field Director was moving some money from our District Campaign to the Council campaign. She let him know of her displeasure and informed him that he would be hearing from the District Chairman and the Finance Chair. She had been in contact with the Chairman in charge of our district Outstanding Citizen Dinner and planned a meeting with the three of us for tomorrow. I got home and she had E-mailed me the copy of the patch that she ordered for the spring camporee. Along with details about the district golf outing. At 9:00 pm she called to say that we were close to meeting our finance goal and with a little luck would meet it tomorrow, she would let me know at lunch. All in all not a bad days work. She had been involved in Membership, Finance and program. Her goals are my goals. We will earn Quality District. We will continue to help fulfill the mission of Scouting. At times it is all admin. type stuff and not what I would call fun. She tells me that she just loves the volunteers in our district. Eamonn.

I don't know if you have ever came across the Troop that just doesn't have any reason to be there. We had one in our District. The Troop was chartered by a local volunteer fire company, but nothing was as it should be. The ASM was the Scoutmasters wife, the SPL was the Scoutmasters son and troop meetings were held in the Scoutmasters house. These meetings were more about the SPL having a few pals hang out at his house,more then anything else. When I was District Commissioner I assigned our best unit commissioner to go and sort things out. I was really shocked when two lads from the troop signed up for the last Jamboree. One Lad was of course the Scoutmasters son who was a hard case and thought that he was was going to give me a hard time. Needless to say I kind of won him over and he wasn't that bad a Lad. In fact I met him on the street a little while back and he thanked me for all that I had done. The other Lad was a very quite fellow. The type of Lad that just seems to blend in. Not a bad little fellow, but not the life and soul of the party. He was a good friend of the Scoutmasters son and a member of that troop even though he lived a good distance away. His Grand Mother worked for a friend of mine a Doctor who is on our Executive Board and while he has never said so I think that he paid this Lads way to the Jamboree. It seems that this Lad 16 years old was driving from the high School to the Vo-tech and was maybe speeding. He lost control of the car and was trapped in it. He was life flighted to the big trauma hospital in Pittsburgh and passed away. I feel totally numb. The troop closed and didn't recharter last year. So Jeramey was no longer a Scout. Still he was one of my kids. The Doc and I are having lunch tomorrow. He wants to buy a James E. West in memory of the Lad and set up some sort of fund that will send other Lads to the Jamboree. I have just looked in OJ's bedroom he is asleep, worn out from the weekend at NLS. I was very tempted to wake him up just so that I could give him a hug. I have spoke to my priest and he is saying a mass for Jeramey and I will send a mass card to his family. At times we forget just how much we love our kids even the quite Lads that blend in and are never the life and soul of anything. Someone took one of those panoramic photos of troop 429 at the shake down weekend for the Jamboree. The photo is on the fridge along with all the up and coming dentist and eye doctor appiontments. It has been there all this time and I paid it no never mind. All of a sudden it means a heck of a lot more. Eamonn

One Lad who attended the last Jambo was very active with his video camera. I asked if I could see the tape and he told me that I wasn't old enough. It seems that the tape would be better used to promote a restaurant that uses Owls as its' logo. Eamonn

I have a really neat tale about our big fund raising dinner. So far we have sold $42,000.00 and we don't have a date or a speaker.This is for our North Dinner for the South Dinner we have Joe Paterno. Eamonn

Just a note to my cantankerous over-weight friend. Yes Sir, when I was a Lad in London there were buses and most of the activities were within walking distance. Sad to say that the last bus went through our little town in 1955. Which means everyone drives. We are out in the sticks. no sidewalks which makes hoofing it very hazardous. Eamonn

PART II Talk about being a glutton for punishment. Tonight I met with the advancement committee - Again!! I had managed to track down all the paper work on the Eagle Scout who had been turned down by this committee for an extension. I looked over the paper work and everything was in order. I met with the Lad and his Dad, along with his Scoutmaster and I failed to see why the Lad even needed an extension. My feeling was that the people who had sat in on the BOR had overstepped the mark. The Lad had got involved with a local volunteer fire department and taken classes to become a EMT. This prevented him from attending a lot of troop functions. He had been active for six months as a Chaplin Aide for six months as a Life Scout. The nits who sat on the BOR wanted him to be active in the troop in order to show scout spirit. Even though he was 18 a few days after the BOR. The Lad is a really nice Lad, a little shy and not a very effervescent sort. Anyhow I'm back in the Lions Den. The meeting is called for 7:00. I arrive at 6:50. It's a nice evening and I have the windows down and Paul Simon playing loud on the car player. I pull in the parking lot of the Scout Service Center. The Program Director and I have spoken on the phone earlier in the day. He has another meeting and he asks me to open the building. I am no sooner in the lot when one of the committee is at my car window giving me a hard time about my "Jungle Bunny Music." OK so Paul Simon was singing "Diamonds on the soles of her shoes." I am in full uniform he is in jeans and a t-shirt. When he has finished telling me the dangers of listening to Paul Simon, just to be a right royal pain in his neck, I ask if he is going to change into uniform. He scowls and goes back to his car. I get my keys out to open the building when the next guy is at my side. He is wearing a Scout Shirt and blue jeans. I don't say anything. The Lad arrives in full uniform with his parents and his Scoutmaster. The Program Director arrives in full uniform. Scout Shirt and blue jeans takes on where he left off about wanting to change the Eagle Dinner back to May. He is like a Timex watch he just keeps going. The Lad's Dad looks at me. I shake my head. I try to explain that there is no way that it could happen in May this year and that as we have one of the Council Fund raising dinners in May, that he can carry on as much as he likes but... He is now very unhappy with me. Leaving the Lad and his parents outside we go into the conference room, Scout Shirt and blue jeans has a new plan to get the dinner moved back to May. He wants to fire the Scout Exec. We start the meeting I give my pitch as to why I think the previous BOR was wrong, when I'm about done the Chairman arrives. He has been MIA since last August. He is not wearing any sort of a uniform. I go over the whole thing again. He wants to know why we are here. I tell him that I am not sure and that if they had looked at this last August, everyone would be a lot happier. This goes over his head. The feeling of the meeting is that we should forget the last BOR as if it never happened and reconvene those present as a new BOR. I bring the Lad in. He sails through it all, even the dumb questions that he was asked. We send him to wait outside. We all agree that the Lad has passed all the requirements and is worthy of the rank of Eagle Scout. The Advancement Chair wants to know what went wrong. I bite my lip. Should I tell him that a Committee that doesn't meet for six months isn't doing a very good job? Should I tell him that keeping notes or minutes is a good idea? Should I tell him that when things happen at a meeting that there has to be a follow up of some sort? I tell him that I think that it is unfair to keep the Lad waiting and without waiting for his reply go and bring the Lad and his parents into the room. After a good deal of hand shaking and the Advancement Chair trying to explain to everyone that it wasn't his fault. I get the heck out of there. Ten minutes down the road I remember that I need a TV/VCR for the Jamboree meeting on Thursday, so I go back. They are still in the conference room, Scout Shirt and blue jeans is plotting away on how to fire the Scout Exec. and move the dinner back to May. Eamonn

Talking with our DE on the phone last night. It seems that our District Commish is once again having ideas of his own importance. As ever this really gets me very hot under the collar. Like it or not. Trendy as it may sound we all lead using "Servant Leadership". The youth, be they Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts or Venturers, along with those who have yet to join are the people that we serve. A unit leader,serves the youth in the unit by delivering the program and following the methods in use for that program. Along with the ideals of the chartered organization. The District, serves to support the units in the district and the Council. While the District does spent a fair amount of time dealing with finance and membership it is also there to serve the needs of the units within the district and everything it does is for the good or the betterment of the end user; the youth. The Council supports the districts and so on. To my way of thinking we all work hand in hand to fulfill the mission of Scouting. Most of us do the job that we are best suited for or that we can find time to do. There are people in the District that I serve who know far more about this program then I ever will. Some are happy to serve as Unit Leaders while others are life time Assistant Leaders, they are happy doing what they do and have the distinction of being very good at it. There are new people in the District that seem to have a knack of having came on board and just "Got it." They interact well with the youth in whatever program they are in and seem to have the vision to get the job done and done well. Changing the color of their epaulets won't make them any better, in fact they might not be suited to do something else. They are performing a really good service where they are at and are just as important to the program as each of us are. In the past I have had to take Unit Commissioners "Behind the wood shed" and explain that they are there to serve the needs of the unit. I have had words with new DE's who thought that just because they worked as professionals that they could impose their will on the volunteers or use their position to bypass the correct way of doing things. At times this can be small things such as cutting in line at the dining hall when there is no good reason. At other times they have wanted to start interfering with the program of a unit. We are all like pieces of a jigsaw there is no one piece more important then any other, but if you take one piece out you don't have the full picture. Eamonn

The Source you need to look at is your Unit Charter. Only people listed on the Charter are Members of the BSA and have been approved by the Charter Organization. The other people who help out might want to fill out an application and get all the necessary signatures to become "Active". It is also a good idea to check with your local council to see what standing these "Helpers" who are not registered have as far as insurance coverage. This can be a little different from Council to Council. Of course once someone is registered as a Committee Member they could be given any title or area of responsibility. In some troops the Troop Quartermaster is a Committee Member, in others this might be assigned to a ASM. It might be that a willing parent would undertake to look after the Troop equipment, but without filling in the application and having it approved he or she is just a willing parent. Eamonn

With such a broad spectrum it would be hard to set up a one size fits all. Youth Protection Training is available both on line and in most councils at different time of the year. In our district we ask all scouts to bring a buddy with them when visiting a Counselor. The Guide To Safe Scouting does instruct acceptable safety standards. I would hope that if someone were the Counselor for a Merit Badge where safety was an issue that they would know and be aware of all the safety factors and strictly follow them. If they don't know these one would have to wonder why they were a merit badge Counselor in the first place? In most cases knowing and following a safe code of conduct is part of the Merit Badge. Eamonn

Get the Eagle Scouts registered back in the troop or with a crew. File the tour permits. And have fun. Eamonn