Eamonn

I have just read an article in the March/April edition of Scouting about the training conference at Philmont for Scoutmasters. I have never taken that training and was happy to read about it. I found it to be very enlightening and thought provoking, it defines the role of the Scoutmaster in ways that I never gave a lot of thought too. If you get the chance to read it I would love to hear your thoughts. I am still in awe of the ideas that are mentioned and will offer my two cents later. Eamonn

Laurie Thanks for the kind words - I think that I'm going to keep him. Eamonn

Looking at it again I see that I wasn't very clear. The training is suited for a pack committee member who will take care of the planning ensure fire safety, first aid and have a working knowledge of stoves and lanterns. Oversee meal preparations and sanitation. That person will also plan the pack camp fire. The training is not to make anyone a "Super Scout" It is not the rugged outdoor high adventure that older Scouts do. More "Soft Camping" with an emphasis on family fun activities. This Pack Activity Leader will be the person who coordinates the event while the Den Leaders lead the dens.He or she might well want to enlist the help of other adults however I would hope that the Den Leaders would be busy with the Den not busy cooking or trying to plan the camp fire. Eamonn

Again you might want to check the requirements but day camp and resident Cub Scout Camp is the only place where a Cub Scout can earn the Shooting Belt loops - Or it used to be. Eamonn

All instructors need to be trained and certified. While I would need to look it up I feel sure that the targets and balloons are not allowed. The range area is one where discipline and adherence to safety rules need to over ride everything else. You might want to get the book on Cub Scout Shooting sports from your Council Service Center. Most BB gun manufacturers have a target that is attached to a box that is filled with paper in order to prevent the BB from ricocheting. Even the use of thumb tacks to attach the target to the box ought to be avoided. Make sure that the Scouts wear eye protection. We have an area away from the range where a instructor goes over all the safety rules and explains the rules of the range and the commands as well as how to use the gun in a safe way. A failed range is one where a Scout gets hurt or is shut down by the camp inspector for not meeting the safety rules. Eamonn

At times why one group of Scouts want to do something while another group will run a mile from it is one of life's mysteries. In Boy Scouts even when the PLC plans the event it can at times not meet expectations. Still it does look as if you were given the wrong information and nothing will make it right. When we get to BSA policy there are no ifs Ands or buts. There is a lot of Den Leaders taking Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation training. Which is a shame. The training is not meant for them. This training is for an adult who will look after the details of the camp while the Den Leaders tend to the needs of the boys and the parents. In my opinion this is why it is not permitted to have Den Camping. Your profile doesn't tell me what your position is in the pack. If you are the Den Leader and are busy cooking and organizing the activities who is looking after the den and the families? Eamonn

This thread was spun from another thread.There are times when walking the walk is a lot harder then just talking the talk. For many years I have said that the rank of Eagle Scout is a goal that a Scout needs to set for himself and work toward. I do think that we old people need to be on hand to encourage and support. This is all well and good when I'm talking about Scouts in general but it is hard when it is my son. OJ is a very active Scout who really enjoys Scouting. He is the SPL of his troop, a vice chief in the lodge and an officer in the crew. Not bad for a kid who won't be 16 till July? He became a Life Scout almost two years ago and is good at the Scout type stuff camping, cooking rope tying and that sort of thing. He couldn't wait to join a troop and has never missed a camp out camporee or summer camp. He has all the required merit badges needed for Eagle Scout rank and his project has been approved but then nothing. He is a great kid. A kid that goes out of his way to please others even his parents!! He and I have a wonderful relationship. He is very independent and at times a little head strong but has a way of looking at things from every angle and making a good argument and will admit when he is wrong or out of order. While I was a little disappointed when the work toward Eagle wasn't happening I decided that if he was going to do it He would do it on his terms and when he was ready. If he didn't do it that would be his choice. After all it would be his Eagle. So I didn't nag or ride him about it. I did answer any questions that came up and kind of left it like that. The project is to build a flower bed that elderly people can use from wheel chairs or without having to stoop or bend. He has ran into some problems with material as he found out that treated lumber isn't good for the plants and he wants to use stone. He has found a local tomb stone maker to help him with the design and now tells me that he wants to have it ready for the old folks to do spring planting. He also informs his mother and I that he wants to have his Eagle Court of Honor in October. He has a list of over 150 people that he wants to invite not including the troop members. It has people from four countries as well as the local folk on it. In the other thread someone said it was like planning a wedding - They were right. As yet he hasn't informed me if I have a part in this. Not that it matters I will be happy to just be the proud Dad. It is his Eagle but he is my son. Even if he never makes Eagle Scout I will love him and know that he is a great kid who is in no small part due to Scouting going to be a great adult. Eamonn

Have you seen "We were soldier's" With Mel Gibson? Eamonn

They say that confession is good for the soul. I always used to let my beads hang in the correct way. But I had a bad habit of chewing on the ends when I got stuck in a long boring meeting. I also would spin them. So I started to add the twist. I knew that this was not the correct thing to do but did it anyway. I did however not twist them while serving on a Wood Badge staff. I have got away from chewing on them but still tend to get on everyones nerves by spinning them when I get bored. I also have the Saint George medal but I only wear that on Scout Sunday or when the Bishop is recognizing the Scouts who have been awarded a religious medal, which he does every year. Or when I attend the religious retreat, which I haven't attended for a number of years - Not sure why? Some people that attend the dinner wear just about everything that they own. But that is just not my style. Eamonn

There is something going on in this thread that I just don't get - And I don't like it. Eamonn

Very often I am invited to attend Eagle Scout Court of Honors'. While I really do try to know all the Scouts in the District. I don't know that much about most of them. Most of the time someone will just acknowledge the fact that I'm there and I can just munch away on the cookies and slurp the bug juice. However every now and then they expect me to say something. I do normally ask before the event if they are going to do this foolishness. By the time they get to me the bit about being a marked man has been voiced many times. Sometimes way too often to my way of thinking. If I don't know the Scout I turn it around and talk to the other troop members and how they all have the opportunity to follow the example that has been set at times I follow this up with the page from the Scout Handbook that outlines what Scouting promises the Scouts. Of course I'm not the Scoutmaster and those who have posted that words from the heart are the best are right on the money. Eamonn

I have no idea how the camp staff are treated in other councils? I like to think that the staff that work at our resident camps are treated well. While the hours are long and the food can be repetitive. The people who apply for the jobs know this before they apply. Maybe they can or could earn more working in a fast food restaurant or doing something else. But they know what the pay scale is before they take the job.Still there is something about being a Staffer. The Summer that I did it as the international camp staff member was for no pay and it cost me a round trip ticket from London to New York. In lieu of pay the BSA laid on a tour of the east coast. Still to this day I feel that I belong to that very special group and that in some way I have ownership of that camp. Not the estate but the history and feel of the place. I really would like to see more Boy Scouts share in this feeling. While females might be able to do as good a job or maybe even do a better job. At the end of the day it is a Boy Scout Camp. I kind of like the idea that the youth staff are Boy Scouts. Eamonn.

Not sure if this has anything to do with anything but... I was talking with my boss the other day having a little complain about another department when I came out with: "I am not sure what they are doing but I know that their not doing it right." He asked me to say it again and we both had a good chuckle. When I got to thinking about it I seen how it could apply to some of the units in the District. One of the best quotes I ever heard was from a young lad in our troop back home. The troop used to hold a monthly church parade at a local church. I can't remember the denomination. As a Scout I hated this as it meant me going to church twice on a Sunday. (Not that it did me any harm.) When I became Scoutmaster and the troop became more diverse the PLC looked at the church parade and gave it a big thumbs down. Opting to go to the local hospital and wheel the patients down to the church service. The hospital was 15 floors and they had fun while looking good in their uniforms and being very visible to the local community. The hospital got a new Chaplin who to increase attendance signed up a whole group from the geriatric ward. Myself and a couple of Scouts went to the geriatric ward to pick up a group and there is this little old lady screaming "I don't want to go - I don't want to go !!" Tony a 14 year old looked at the nurse on duty and said "She don't want to go" The nurse glared back and through clenched teeth said "She is going." Tony went to the old lady undone the brakes on her chair, gave her a little tap on the shoulder and said "It's not church - It's Bingo" and off they went without another word. Tony now is one of the biggest importers of canned fish to the UK. He is a great fellow and a wonderful cricket player. Eamonn

Sad to say this chap has attended the District Training workshop. This is his first year as membership chair. The rest of the committee which includes last years chair are a very happy productive bunch. As to finding the venue, He had tried the local park and found out that they wanted $200.00 in the general discussion part of the meeting other committee members came up with a list of possible locations. I may be guilty of not letting him know that both the DE and I are always there to help and support him. Still I am not going to allow this little hiccup get in the way of what I think is a good idea. I have suggested that the District Commissioner start using 30 day goals for the Commissioner Staff. Eamonn

A few weeks back at our key3 meeting I said that at the next meeting of the District Committee I was going to add 30 day goals to the Agenda. These goals were for each committee within the District. At the end of each report I asked the chair to list goals that would be reached within the next 30 days and charged the DE with following up to ensure that these were being met and reporting back to the key3. I now hear that the Membership Chair is unhappy. He has yet to call me or tell me but it seems that he thinks that I am overburdening his committee. His 30 day goals which he agreed to at the meeting were to secure a venue in one part of the district, in fact the area in which he lives to hold a Tiger Cub safari recruiting and plan the ice cream social for August to train the units for School Sign Up Night. I think that the 30 day goals will make the Chairs more accountable to the District and we will hopefully get a lot more work done. Eamonn.

I did discuss this at our key3 meeting today. It went over well. I hope to be meeting with the new council training chair for an adult beverage, we are close friends and this will be a non-Scouting get together. I will see how he feels. We do have some very good Presenters in the council. Still I think that he may get hung up on excluding the people who want to train and will say that it is up to people like him and I to make them better. Still we will see what he comes up with. Eamonn.

Maybe I ought to know this but I don't. We have our Council Volunteer Recognition dinner next month. I will be the master of ceremonies. At dinner we will be awarding the Silver Beaver awards and some people have asked to have their Wood Badge Award Ceremony at the dinner. I normally only wear my Silver Beaver to this dinner along with just my beads. This time I should wear the Gilwell neckerchief, woggle, beads and the Silver Beaver. How do you wear that lot? Or would it be better to just add the Wood Badge regalia for the "Beading" and then remove it putting on the Beaver later? Eamonn

Back in England when we had Wolf Cubs.(Pre 1969)The program was closely linked to the Jungle Book. The entire pack met weekly, the leaders were all given names from the Jungle Book. As there were no meetings other then the pack meeting all the adults other then the Cubmaster were Assistant Cubmaster. The Cubmaster was Akela followed by Baloo so on. The pack was divided into groups of six. The boy in charge was the Sixer and his second in command was a Seconder. Boys moved into the troop on or as near as possible to their eleventh birthday. If they had completed the then highest rank in Wolf Cubs the Leading Wolf leaped into the troop. Eamonn

To the best of my knowledge our council has never had a young female on summer camp staff. We have had a few females on staff. The Aquatics Director for a number of years was a female. I am all for women in Scouting and female Venturers. I am not so sure about young females on camp staff with no real female leadership. I am of course supposing that the Program Director and the Camp Director are both male, which is maybe a little bit more then chauvinistic on my part. Then there is the question how young is young? I don't think that a girl under 16 ought to be part of the camp staff, yet I know many 17 year olds that might be able to do a good job. The other question that comes up is why? Why is a camp looking for "Outsiders" to fill camp positions. Many if not most of the people that I know who have served on camp staff look upon it as belonging to part of an elite group. Don't we have enough Boy Scouts to fill the positions? It is after all a Boy Scout Camp.If and when we get to having resident Venturing Camps I think that we will of course have to staff it with Venturers both male and female. Eamonn

Bob While I do like the idea, in fact I like it a lot. How do you deal with the questions that might come up? Do you have at least one person with hands on knowledge of the program? Eamonn

This thread was spun from another thread.Not wanting to hijack Marks thread. Bob I am thinking about your idea. As you may know sometimes things take a while to sink in. I can see the merit in having a Training Team that is selected on their presentation and communication skills. In fact I like the idea a lot. Still I can't help remembering that the first time when I was asked to present something at the old Cub Scout Basic course. This was the first time that I really read the Cub Scout Leader Book and started me on my way to the Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge. Sad thing as I read what I just wrote I see "Me - My and I". Of course the training is for the participants and we ought to be doing our best to ensure that they get the best training possible. Not enlighten the trainers. That is a bonus. As I say I will definitely give this a lot of thought. Many Thanks for the idea. Eamonn

I was at the Doc's a week or so back. He gave me the slip to take to the local hospital for the blood work. The test you refer to is on the list. Sad thing is that I have to not eat for 10 hours before they can do it. Ten hours!! Still thanks to your post I will not eat tonight and drag myself to the hospital and then pig out on the way home. I will keep you in my prayers. Eamonn

Mark I have to admit to being a little surprised at your posting. Something must be rotten in Denmark for you to feel so put out. You seem to be making two points. Please let me know if I have this wrong. 1/ The actual training. 2/ The Trainers. Was this the latest Committee Training? With the jigsaw? I have never presented this as it came out while I was Council Training Chair and I just passed it on to the District Training Chairs. I did scan through it and seem to have missed a lot. That is if the guys that you had were using it. As for the same group of people doing all the training. I think that you will find that this is not going to happen as much in Wood Badge as it once did. I served last year as the Course Director and now I'm done. I can never again be the Course Director. National is asking that the staff of the courses be made up with people from all the program areas. As the old Cub Scout Wood Badge was done at the Regional level not that many Cub Scouter's got the opportunity to serve on staff. National is also asking that a percentage of the Staff be first timers, never having served on a course before. At the Council and District level things can be a little tough. Please believe me as a District Chair. finding people to do the "Scout" Stuff is hard. I really do everything possible not to ask unit leaders. They have enough on their plates and our job is to support them. Something that we can't do if they are doing all the work.We do have term limits, normally three years. Some people don't take very kindly to this and even I felt that I was doing a good job in training when my term was up and would liked to have stayed on. Off course I was wrong. The new Chap is doing a wonderful job and I'm doing a better job with the district. One thing that I did do during my term was to encourage as many people as possible to become presenters. It was a lot of extra work making sure that they knew and stuck to the syalabuss. At times it didn't work with some people. Still most of those that did take on to do a presentation did ask if they could do it again. Of course at times you have to go with what and who you have on hand at the time. Still if we found someone that just didn't get it or didn't work out we very politely didn't ask them to do it again. At present our district needs a Cub Scout Training Chair.I have been keeping an eye out at all the B&G banquets for "Retiring" Webelos Scout Den Leaders. I will have one by the end of the month. Eamonn Potomac Council is hosting a Wood Badge Course this year the course director is a great guy. - You would really like him.(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

This sounds like the Gilwell Reunion. I always have fun when I go. This is a money maker for Gilwell Park and is a great way of getting the word out about new stuff from Scout Shops, along with program ideas / Changes. But most of all it is just Fun. Eamonn

Not being very technical I would add some of the stuff that I have as long as it wasn't going to be too much hard work !! The idea is a fine one. Eamonn