Eamonn

Our last district chairman fell victim to a promotion at work and was unable to complete his full term. We did go through the nominating procedure looking for a new chairman and ended up with me. I had been the district commissioner for about five years. It took me about a year to get some of the really old people out. I know how unkind this sounds but some of these people were just not up to the job. I remember at Philmont they asked what our main concern was. The district commissioner sitting next to me stated that his was "Scouting in a hostile political climate." I said that mine was the age of my commissioner staff. Somehow his had a better ring to it. Never the less mine was a true concern. It took me a little over a year to get a working staff together. We ended up with a commissioner staff of 22 for 46 units. As a staff we met once a month, with no meeting in July. The meeting agenda was almost fixed. We had a quick opening. A training of some sort. We collected the unit visit forms and went over them. Looked at up and coming events in the district and council had a quick closing, and went home. While we never had 100% attendance we came close. Most meetings seen about 16 - 18. When district commissioner position became vacant there was one outstanding commissioner who seemed as if he would fit the bill. Better yet he wanted to do it. Sad to say it isn't working. He now has an "Elite" group that the rank and file don't like and seem not to trust. I stopped going to the commissioner meetings. I didn't want to cramp his style. However in an effort to improve the end of the year membership numbers I did attend the last meeting. I was flabbergasted. There was four people at the meeting. I brought this up at our key3 meeting. (He has never mentioned anything about this,) He tells me that he is re-organizing. He tells me that things will get better. To say that I'm miffed is an understatement. I think that he has to go. The sad thing is that at this time I can't think of anyone else to fill the position. Nor can the DE. He is a nice chap. Done all the training has a Wood Badge, wrote his ticket as a cubmaster. I have offered to step down as district chair and go back as district commisioner. The DE and the nominating chair (We have yet to discuss this with the full nominating committee) are not keen on this idea. The council commissioner seems at a loss. He only sees this nice chap and last years charter with 25 commissioners on it and our council as having one of the highest ratios in the nation. Boy is he in for a shock. While the nominating committee will have the last word. They will go along with my recommendation. What would you do. I have to admit that at this time I think that we have to admit that he was never the right person, we screwed up and let him go. Eamonn

Looking around the district, it seems that the troops that do the most camping use troop camps. Having been the chair for a fair number of camporees I have seen Scouts arrive with some of the worlds worst equipment. Back in England we had tents that were big enough for the entire patrol. In fact it was still that way last summer when we camped over there with a troop. This really does help build up the patrol. Eamonn

Hate to be disagreeable. But no one with out a court order over rules my being a parent. My actions as a parent are not subject to some set of arbitarary rules. When he joined Scouts, we knew of the rules set by the organization. The rules set by the organization do not give Scoutmasters any right to over rule my rules and I have yet to see where they come up with this idea. When a cell phone, Gameboy or a piece of rope prevents my son from performing his duty or living up to the Scout Oath and Law. I would hope that this matter would be discussed with my son. If a resolution can not be reached I would hope to be brought into the picture. I take my role as a parent very earnestly. Whatever he does in Scouting he does with my permission. Eamonn

In another thread I said that the crew meetings that my son attends are about as much fun as watching paint dry. What does your crew do at its' meetings? Eamonn

OJ and I have been talking about getting more members in the crew. At present it is a spin off the troop. They have managed to recruit a female leader. We have planned a swim party. All the crew will invite their friends and there will be apps and stuff for them to take home. Then they have a bowling night in the works where they are asking the older Scouts from other troops. They are working on ideas for super activities. The Newspaper idea is a good one but it didn't work for us. We tried as a district to have a weekly Scouting page. We had a volunteer in charge of marketing on the district committee. It started with a bang. Then we missed deadlines. Then we found that we just were not getting enough input from the units and at the last minute we were pushed to find newsworthy articles to put in. In the end it became a pain. Now we put items in as and when we have them. OJ and the other crew members placed posters all over the high school. But that didn't work. While I don't have anything to do with the day to day running of the crew. The Advisor is a friend of mine. He comes from a troop where they have never used the patrol method. Now all of a sudden he expects these guys to be self planning without any training. They need to work on the meetings that they hold. I have looked in and they are like watching paint dry. Eamonn

Hi Dutch Welcome to the forums. I somehow, kind of think that you know more then you are telling us? Of course I could be wrong. Still here goes. Eamonn The Parent - Talking. I know that there is a very strict rule. I talk to the guy and he tells me that he ignores the rule. I say to myself" If he ignores the rules do I really want my son in that unit?" I would remove my son from that troop and send a letter to the Troop Committee, the DE the Scout Exec. Eamonn The District Chair - Talking Dutch has phoned and explained this to me. I phone the Scoutmaster and ball him out. I phone the unit commissioner and tell him how unhappy I am. I phone the District Commissioner and update him. I phone the Troop Committee Chair and tell him that this is not to be. I phone the District Training Chair and tell him to get his tail down there and present the Youth Protection Training as soon as possible. Eamonn talking. Do not allow your son to go alone. If you don't remove him from the troop go with him. But push this. No one is above the rules. Eamonn

While I have never been a Jamboree Staffer. I do have many friends that have been. In fact our Area President is in charge of the Area 4 Action Center and is looking to sign up something like 300 staffers. He managed to talk OJ into serving. I am not sure but I think that the Cub Scout exhibit is staffed by people from National. I know that I asked if I could attend as part of the Relationships Exhibit and Dave Richarson said I would need to be ordained!! From what I see there are jobs and there are jobs. I remember talking to the Chap who was in charge of gray water disposal. I had a hard time seeing that someone would pay good money to do this smelly chore. Still he is/was a better Scout then I. This Chap was so excited. At the Jamboree before he only had a 3HP motor at this one he had 5HP. This made him oh so happy. Some friends of mine have had the job of unloading the food trucks, that come in at night. They work for a few hours each night and are free during the day. Most of the people work in teams and as a team ensure that everyone has time to enjoy the jamboree. You might consider being part of the Commissioner Staff, they get to see a lot and interact with the troops. We made sure that our Commissioner was plyed with coffee and home made treats. Eamonn

I really don't know where to start. I have ordered items from Gilwell and paid with a credit card. It has never been a problem. As for our "Funny Money" Our funny money has been around a lot longer then most. The English Wood Badge Regalia is the same as all Wood Badge Regalia all over the world. You can order a wool or cotton neckerchief. Both are made to fit an adult. The American ones seem a little small. Scouting in the UK has undergone a lot of changes over the years. As we all know Baden Powell started it in England. At first he didn't think of it as a "Stand Alone" program. In fact he tried to get the Boys Brigade and William Smith to adopt the program. But that wasn't what the boys had in mind. From its' start Scouting in England remained much the same until 1969. Something called the Advanced Party Report came along and changed everything. 12 Scout Laws became 7. The Wording of the Promise Changed. The Uniform changed, Age groups changed and Senior Scouts and Rover Scouts were no longer. Advancement Changed. In fact the name changed. Where we were Boy Scouts (Nothing else - Just like our funny stamps - No country.) We became the Scout Association. I don't remember much of the pre 1969 stuff. I was a Wolf Cub (They became Cub Scouts) and a Tenderfoot (That went and was never renamed??) Some of the things that remained were that we were still Patrols, we still were an outdoor camping organization with values at our core. I have been away from it for 20 years. A few years back they allowed groups to permit girls to join. Kind of a strange set up. In England there are no Chartered Partners. While a group might meet in a church hall it is not part of the church. The Scout Group is made up of : The Pack, The Troop, and The Venture Unit. The Venture Unit has always been allowed to be coed. When they said that Girls were allowed, both the pack and the troop had to say ok or it wasn't to be. The one thing that I had a hard time with in the USA was the idea of professional Scouters. While there was always a National Staff in the UK they never had professionals at any other level. Last year Scouting in the UK underwent another big change. I have read about it and talked to friends about it. Some think that it is great others are not so happy. I went to lunch with John Fogg, who is in charge of communications for Scouts UK. He seems to think that the changes were needed. Time will tell. Please feel free to pm me if I can be of more help. Eamonn

Talking as a parent. My son has a cell phone because I want him to have one. I go along with KoreaScouter. OJ knows when and where to turn the phone off. He is polite about where and what he talks about. I really fail to see why a Scoutmaster would want to over rule a parent. Where do we find this "Rules"? Don't we have better things that we could be doing? Eamonn

Everyone hates to have me on their list. I really don't need anything. I tend to buy all the stuff that I need when I need it. Last year my Her Who Must Be Obeyed wanted the ring with the 3 stones, so that was easy. Scamp got his laptop which went bad after a month and I had ongoing communications with Best Buy for two months. I am looking at a wide screen TV, but much as I like the plasma sets spending as much on a TV as I used to spend on a used car is kind of hard. OJ wants a pair of new hiking boots and a Columbia jacket along with a new cell phone and cash. Santa will not be bringing the phone. The one he has allows him to talk to people, hear people and send text messages. I will be sending all the parents of the Scouts who have signed up for the jamboree a list with some of the equipment that they will need. I am giving a lot of thought to a four wheel drive vehicle for myself. I do really like the Range Rover, but repairs will be costly. I also like the Mercedes M, but it reminds me of a Soccer Moms' car. So I will more then lightly end up with another Volvo. I have been looking and no matter what they are all over priced. Then again maybe I'm just cheap? I looked at a great BMW Z, with traction. Her Who Must Be Obeyed said that I was going through a mid life crisis. Sometimes you can't win. What I would really like for Christmas is for someone to hire our Field Director. Someone as far away from where I am as is possible. Eamonn. By the way I hope that the future Her Who Must Be Obeyed, is as understanding and nice as the one that I have had for 21 years. I wish nothing but the very best.(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

Oh boy. In the quest for more units. I have heard of most of these ideas. As far as I know none of them have got off the ground as yet here in our neck of the woods. We do in another district have a "Crew" that is a school ski club. Sad to say other then the cover of our insurance they do nothing to follow any of the program. I don't know much about insurance but I would think that you might be able to buy some sort of coverage for $11.00 just to cover ski trips? IMOHO. I think that these number games are pulling the program down. Eamonn

$3.18 a day will cover it. Good Luck. Eamonn

Dave Dear old Lad, I have no idea what a R.I.T die is? There are times when I do really like the last word and would change the T to a P. Still that's not nice - Is it??? Eamonn

In 1999 two of our DE's took the then Boy Scout Wood Badge course. I have to say that I was more then a little upset that people who ought to have known better were saying that one of them wouldn't see it through. Both were female, in fact they both still are? One of them is my DE. While it is a fact that Pam is not the "Great White Hunter" type and is more at home at the club then on the Camp site. She was an active participant in her patrol. As was the other young DE. Our Scout Exec. Was a participant on the course we just had. While just maybe the course director was a little more careful in making sure that he was placed in a patrol where there wasn't other members with an axe to grind. That was about all the out of the ordinary provisions that happened. I have spoke with him and the other members of his patrol and it seems that both he and them enjoyed the course. I am his ticket couselor so that ought to be an eye opener for me. He is an Owl. We have a Field Director who didn't and hasn't taken Wood Badge. He needs it in the worlds worst way. All the professional training either didn't take or has worn off. I don't know what patrol he would be best suited too? Eamonn

While I have never thought of myself as being PC. I do tend to agree that toy guns even if they only fire water are not such a good idea. I also think that the rockets made to look like weapons of mass destruction that are advertised in Boys Life send the wrong message. We used to have water fights using washing up liquid bottles. Most of them were for Fairy washing up liquid. More then once on a hot day at summer camp we would hear the Scouts ask if they could get the Fairies out. As I say I never thought that I was p.c. Oh well. Eamonn

Have to admit to having a teeny,tiny problem. While Eagle Scout is a good and worthwhile goal. I kind of think that we are more in the business of the mission of Scouting. Not every Scout will be an Eagle Scout. However we as adults in Scouting can inspire every Scout we meet to do his best and be all that he can be. Hate to be a stick in the mud. But I do think that maybe we over do advancement at the cost of other parts of the program. Eamonn

Over the years I seem to have amassed a collection of Wood Badge beads. Which in a way is strange as while I do care about what they represent and care deeply about Wood Badge Training.However as far as the beads go most of the sets are just beads on a leather thong. I have never made a set of uniform beads but have made sets that have been used as the Program icon on courses. I do have a "Retired Staffer" who loves to make sets of beads. This does result in a substantial savings when you are directing a course. I have no idea why the cost of a set of Wood Badge beads is so high? This chap made all the beads for the course that we just presented and only charged me two extra large course t-shirts!! That was for all the staff beads and a set for all the participants. As a gift someone sent me a set of beads from Gilwell park. The person who sent them to me works at Gilwell so I think that he may have got a staff discount. These beads are made from a fallen Gilwell oak. While they come in a really nice presentation box with a certificate, they are still just four beads on a thong. The money that is raised from this sale is being used to restore the White House at Gilwell hopefully in time for the World Jamboree. The first course that I staffed had a "Beadmaker" The beads were fine but whatever he used to color the leather (Boot polish?) left a dirty looking ring around your shirt. While no one ever notices and I rarely mention it the set of beads that I wear are a mixed set. The thong is the original one from 1976 which was presented to me by Ernie Blackburn the course director of the course that I attended at Gilwell Park. It has one of the original beads on. Another bead once belonged to Fred Jenkins, a Assistaint Scout Leader in our troop who is no longer with us. One bead is from National Supply presented to me after completing my Cub Scout ticket and this last bead is one that my mentor took of his beads just this year when he presented me with the four bead set. Sad to say the thong is getting very thin, while I'm heading the other way. I have a very annoying habit of twirling the beads when I'm at meetings. This seems to drive everyone crazy. I have also found that the best place to keep them while at camp or away from home is to loop them through my belt loop. There are, I don't know how many sets of beads tucked away in the tupperware box, in the blanket box. Eamonn

I have never tried and admit to knowing next to nothing about Paintball or Laser Tag. I also don't know why you changed Biscuits into cookies or Dustman into Garbagemen. Coming from a place where any sort of a gun was looked upon with a certain amount of unease. I am not in my comfort zone with any sort of gun. Yes I am aware of how much our Cub Scouts enjoy shooting BB guns. And yes I know all or at least at one time I did know the rules and when I running day camps this was part of the program. While I am not sure but I would think that many insurance companies would find problems with paintball. I don't know enough about Laser Tag to have an opinion. Could it be that the guys in the insurance companies have been watching the movie Christmas Story and are worried that someone will "Shoot your eye out" Eamonn

Yes Sir Congrats are in order. Well Done. Having just dome my stint as course director. I am aware of the work that you have ahead of you. Still it is very worthwhile. I too will be "On The Hill" in 2005. We really ought to see if there is any way that we can all pick a time and place at the Jambo and share a cup of coffee or something? It would be fun to put faces to all these "Names" Eamonn

So how much do you want for the movie rights? No -Dave it is really good stuff. Thanks for sharing. Eamonn

In another post the topic of values was brought up. I had said that I was of the opinion that Values change and are changing. Others in these forums took me to task. Don't think that I'm crying over this. I'm not. I like to think that I have spend most of my life living or trying to live up to the Scout Oath and Law. Having been in two Scouting Organizations the words have been a little diferent but to my thinking they have said the same thing. While we are all members of the same organization (The BSA) We all say the same words. However your take on them might not be the same as mine. You might think that one Scout Law carries more weight then another and again we might not agree. When we see the kind of things that our youth members are exposed to in the media can they but help have a different set of values then we have? Are your values different then those of your parents? Please refrain from putting anyone down. Your values are yours and just because they are not mine does not make you or anyone else right or wrong. Eamonn

Thanks Dave. Eamonn

I do tend to agree with Bob White that the stuff found in the handbooks and resources of the BSA, are the way to go. Heck I have posted stuff in these forums that I at the time thought was on the money. Only to find that I was not. (Please don't tell Her That Must Be Obeyed, that I ever owned up!!) While I am being nice. I think that Bob does an outstanding job of providing references and the like. I know that it has saved me a lot of time. Not that I take his word for it. I still go to the book or where ever and check it out. Ok, enough love - Back to the topic. I am having a hard time with the idea that if a Scout has completed all the requirements for the rank why anyone would feel that a Scout is not suitable? He has either done it or he hasn't. So I am lost on that one. As to the two scenarios. If the loaded down Scout has done all the requirements and is doing his best. I think that he is a good Scout and an asset to the troop. As to the "Goof Off" He must be doing something right if he has completed all the reqirements? I might if I were the Scoutmaster ask him why he is acting this way? I might look at the program and wonder if it was challenging enough? Then again maybe that is just the way he is. Does this make him a bad lad? I don't think so. Some of the nicest Scouts that I have ever known have been a bit of a "Goof Off". However in a lot of cases it was a ploy for attention. I might talk with the SPL about finding him something to do. I also think while the BOR is to ensure that he has completed all the requirements. That both the SC and the BOR are as much a place for encourgement as they are for anything else. Eamonn

Have to admit to never giving it much thought. I did wear my Wood Badge on my Cubmaster Uniform before I wore my Trained patch. I later went on to do that training along with the old Cubscout WB. My thinking was that no matter what I was a member of Troop 1 Gilwell Park. Even if I wasn't trained in that position. I also wore my 3 beads when I was District Commissioner, even though I had only staffed a Boy Scout Wood Badge. So my thinking is "Wear your beads with pride - But take the training for the position that you are serving in" Eamonn

SR540Beaver has the age stuff right. All those who have said that Jamborees are fun and a great experience are also right. I'm not sure how your Council selects leaders to attend the Jamboree. In our Council we as a rule have more people apply then we havw openings for. So you might not be able to attend with your son and the troop or troops from your council. There are opportunities to attend as a Staff member. While the Scouts that attend do have a good time. I do caution the parents of our Scouts about homesickness. Even those lads who may have had a Summer camp experiance. This Jamboree is ten days and unlike a Summer Camp where parents can drop in. Due to distance this might not be possible. Of course visitors are welcome and many do visit. You might want to think about the World Jamboree in 2007, in England. It will cost a bit/a lot more?? But you son would be that much older and might be less prone to homesickness. Of course he could be like my urchin and have never suffered from homesickness in his entire life. As to paying for it. Last time our Council had a $895.00 Price tag on the Jamboree. We did have fund raising events. Some of the Scouts raised enough for the entire fee and had money left over for spending money. I think it cost me about $250.00. He got all the extra uniforms and equipment that he needed as birthday and Christmas presents. While he was at the Jamboree he didn't spent that much. He was to busy having fun. On the other hand I spent a good deal of my hard earned cash. Bad thing is I'm not sure what Ihave to show for it?? Eamonn OJ has been accepted as a Staffer at the Bike-athon in action area 4. I'm proud of him. He made up his own mind about what he wanted to do. He applied by himself after downloading the paperwork and so far has not asked me for any money. Maybe he is waiting till after NOAC. I said I'd pay half of that.