Eamonn

Our town is not very big. A little under 5000 people. A neat little place where everyone seems to know everyone and you can only ever drive with one hand on the wheel. You need the other hand to wave at everyone. My Mother-in- law was having lunch with me one day at our restaurant,when a young lady came over and asked if she was Mrs ....? She said she was. The young lady said that she wanted to thank her and her husband for all the stuff that they taught her husband in Scouts. She went on to say how her baby had fallen into their swimming pool and was drowning. Her husband had given the baby mouth to mouth and saved him. When asked he said it was something Mr.... had taught him in Scouts. Needless to say my Mother-in-law was as proud as a peacock. Eamonn

Our man of Steele can give details of how the Region or National puts together a list of people who are eligible to be a Scout Exec. When our Council needed to fill the position. A search committee was formed. The people on this committee were all volunteers from the Council Executive Board. This committee studied the list. They also looked at the needs of the council. What did we need this person to do? Did we need a guy/gal with special skills in a certain area? They interviewed and met with the candidates and then reinterviewed them and their wife's. The search committee then made its' recommendation to the board. The board had /has the final word. It is also worth remembering that the Scout Exec. Just like a DE. is part of the Council key3. He or She does have to report to the board. Who can if it feels that the Scout Exec.is not performing well dismiss him or her. While I know that I have crossed swords with our guy a few times. Most of the time on matters to do with money, raising money and goals. I do have to remind myself that when we were looking for a Scout Exec. We wanted someone who would help us raise more money. Like it or not. He is doing what we asked him to do. I think it is very important that we remember that we are we. Not them and us. At the end of the day we have the same goals. We are doing our best to make the mission of Scouting real. At times he or she will be faced with making tough decisions. Which might not be very popular. But we hired him or her to that. Eamonn

Many thanks to NieLup. He has done a far better job of explainung the presentation then I did. He makes a good point in that the people at the "Top"?? Are still the WWII generation. While here in good old Westmoreland Fayette Council we do have a Scout Exec. Who is about my age (Very late 40's). Most of the people who serve on the Council Executive Board are older. In fact I'm about the youngest on the board. While all of these board members have Scouting in their heart. We do seem to spend a lot of time looking back, not forward. As a board these people are making choices that have long term affects on what the outcome of Scouting will be in our council in the years too come. The old saying "Keep doing what your doing and you will get what you got," Is not true. If we don't accept that change is happening. One of these days we will wake up and find that change has overtaken us. As a value based organization are we in touch with the values of today? My Mother-in-law,(A real nice Lady) was a den mother for many years. She never worked outside the home. Once a week the house was overtaken by her den. My Father-in-law, was a creature of habit. He ate his meals at the same time every day. So the night of the den meeting everything was a rush. The house had to be in order for when the den arrived. It helped that he was also a Scoutmaster. If we look at todays Den Leader. We might see a different picture. Is he or she divorced? How many dens are meeting in the Den Leaders house? When I was Den Leader, it was a rush at home so "Den Night" Was pizza night. When I was Cubmaster I saw more and more parents who wanted to stay at the den meeting with their son. They didn't want to do much. Just stay. The Dens were getting bigger and bigger. Due to the lack of adults that didn't want to do much. We were trying to do what we could within the guidelines of a outdated program. That still needs to be fixed. Why? Because the "Ozzie and Harriett" Family unit is no longer the norm. It may never have been. There is a lot of disscussion in these forums about Eagle Scout and how it has become the be all and end all of Scouting and the Scouting Program. Is this a result of the "Whats in it for me?" Generation? Are we happy to allow this to remain that way? But by far the most important question is. What are we doing at District and Council levels to bring the next generation into the fold? That could be followed by "What happens if we don't?" Wow I must have too much time on my hands. Eamonn

Looking at one of the other threads. It would seem that someone is none to happy with the job that their Scout Exec. is doing. While like in every field there are good ones and bad ones. We need to remember who hired the Scout Exec. Eamonn

I work for UPMC Senior Living. Not is our nursing homes but in the assisted living. While I'm out and about (On the road!!) A lot. I do have an office in one of the buildings. Needless to say everyone is aware of my involvement in Scouting. Very often I am asked if I can "Get some Scouts." To do stuff. A lot of the time it has to do with the flag. Shame is that they/we want it done when everyone is busy doing other things. Like being part of a parade. It doesn't help that none of our buildings are in my district. Still to get back on topic. It really matters very little what you make or give them. What they really like is just having the young people there. Maybe not for too long but they really enjoy seeing young people. They also like dogs. There are now organizations that train dogs many from the pound. To be Nursing home visitors. You might consider asking the boys for some of their pocket money and making a donation. Then have the Cub Scouts, visit the home. Present the check, Sing a few songs and have them along with the dogs spend time with the residents. Just an idea. Eamonn What a great photo for the local newspaper.

Packsaddle I must have missed that one. Do you think that that the "Bubble swishing strategy" could be incorporated into a merit badge? If so which one? Then again maybe bubble swishing might be better as a Cub Scout activity. Heck it sounds like fun. I might let my hair down and join in. Eamonn

Sad to say it has been way too long since I was in Galway. A wrong that we will put right next June.( Got a great price on the airfare. So tickets are booked.) I do like the Saw Doctors and have a lot of their stuff om mp3 and CD. Even OJ likes some of their stuff. I even caught him singing "This is me being me." They are playing at Shepherds Bush, in London in early Dec.I have vacation left so I might be on that side of the pond. Eamonn

Part of the presentation asks: What is the average age of the National Committee? What is the average age of the District Committee? What is the average age of the parents in your Unit? This leads up to the question " Are we in touch with the people who are or soon will be leading our units?" These guys and gals have a different way of seeing things then some of us older guys. Who may not have one foot in the grave. But are now wearing bifocals. If these new adults are also parents. How will this new way of seeing things effect the BSA? And are we ready for the change? For example when I was a Scout back in England my leaders were very loyal to the Queen and the royal family. People would wait at the end of a movie and stand for the national anthem. With all that has gone on over there in the past few years there is a change in attitude. The English Scout promise still has "Duty to God and the Queen" in it. Over on this side of the pond we have seen the stuff on TV get more and more risky and things that were never talked about are now been shown in our homes. I look in my mail box and everyday I get offers for credit cards with spending limits that are just silly. What I'm getting at is that my values are not the same as those of the next generation. I am not saying mine are any better, in fact in some areas I think that the younger generation is way a ahead of us old people. They seem to have a far greater sense of justice then I was brought up with. I was talking to someone from the United Way about people who volunteer. She said that the trend now is for people to sign on for a task that has very clear lines and has a timeline. They do want to help. But they don't want it to be ongoing. Yes they will help build the house but when the house is built they are done. If we look at the adults in Scouting and we were to try and do more of this kind of stuff. We would need a lot more people and we would need to change our mindset. While the turn out for people to cook at the pancake breakfast is good and the volunteers will work their hearts out. How many of these workers will sit on a committee to decide where the money goes? Worse still what happens when they find out that they don't like where the money went? Will they be back? Please don't think that I am in any way putting any any generation or the make up of the BSA down. I do wonder if this organization (Which I love ) which claims to "Be Prepared" really is? Someone throw another log on the fire. Eamonn

Hi bear4 I used to be a Bear and a good old Bear too. Welcome to the Forums. Have to admit to never trying this. However I have some pals in Bucktail Council who hold a Klondike. Which is kind of the same thing?? You might get some ideas from their site: bucktail.org Eamonn

CaptainRon, Forgive me for not answering your question. BSA rules do not permit the wearing of foreign awards. Please don't tell anyone but the award came with a neckerchief slide which does seem to make its way on to my person every now and then. I will always be a Queen Scout. It was an award that was awarded by the Queen. In fact my certificate has a Elizabeth R signature. Not done in person but still kind of nice. You can see the award and read the qualifications at: www.scoutbase.org.uk/activity/ventures/vqueen.htm Thanks for asking. Eamonn

Well at least it is not that expensive!! Eamonn

Oh Boy - Here is where I get my head shot off. While there is no rule that states that you can't be the MC. Why would you want to? Your job as Scoutmaster is not to be a MC. Your job is to train your Patrol Leaders. The District is to have a list of MBC's. We are serving our Scouts far better when we equip them with the life skills that going outside of the unit offers them. There are a few MB's that maybe can be done in house - cooking, camping, and hiking. But unless you have some hard to find skill, I would do everything possible to follow the system. Have them make the appiontment and work on the badge. After all it is their badge and really has nothing to do with the troop. Fire Away!!! Eamonn

I tend to agree that "We" could, should and really ought to do a better job of welcoming new adults into Scouting. I really like what Overtrained and his District is doing. As Council Training Chair. I have a few problems. First I don't know that you have joined. No one tells me. There is a fact sheet that we hand out to all the leaders it has all the information about who to contact about what. If the unit leader doesn't pass this on or share it. Nothing happens. When I was District Commissioner, the Unit Commissioners would let me know if one of the units had a new leader. Sad to say I done nothing (Ok I know.) We would and still do encourge all new leaders to attend Roundtable. If they came we would make a big deal of welcoming them. When you get right down to it most adults join a unit. The unit is the important part of Scouting. The Unit is served by the Unit Commissioner. He or She is commissioned by the Council. So when he or she reaches out the hand of welcome he or she is the represntative of the Council. Maybe we rely a little to much on the unit leaders to communicate what is going on and where it is going on. We do have Pack Trainers, who ought to be pushing training for the Cub Scouters. One thing that would be a great help would be if more Charter Reps. attended the District Committee meetings. They all ought to have a standing invitation. I send all of ours a post card each month and never get more then two. One place that we could try to voice our concerns would be at the "Fireside Chat" that each district is supposed to hold each year. This might be worth mentioning to the DE, or even the Scout Exec. While there are a lot of Units that for some reason don't like the idea of a unit commissioner. I think that if I was in a unit where I hadn't seen the Unit Commissioner for a while (A month) I would be on the phone to the Assistant District Commissioner or the District Commissioner. This is a service that your unit is meant to have. Eamonn

You are in the North East Region. I'm not sure what area. But I would think Area 4. The Web Site is a waste of time and has been for a long time. I think that there isn't anyone in the office who knows how to update it? Still you can get there at: www.nerbsa.org. Phone (609)655-9600. Eamonn

Hi mn-scout I may be out of order. But I kind of think that you have a down on Boys Life promoting Video Games. The magazine is a magazine for Boys, not just members of the BSA. While I really don't have any great interest in "Whats New In Video Game Land" There are a lot of kids who are. In the case of my son. A few years back having the newest and latest game was important to him. It was just a phase. Since then we have lived through him filling up every hard drive with really bad music. (And me deleting the songs with foul language.) We are still in disagreement about if a really cool cell phone is a matter of life and death!! We agree that a good quality CD player is a matter of life and death. Just as long as it doesn't play songs with foul language. He was late coming home last Sunday so I have taken the internet card out of his laptop. All of this "Mod con" stuff and guess what he wants for Christmas? A good pair of hiking boots. I tend to think that part of our role in Scouting is to broaden the horizons of the lads that we come into contact with. We do this by providing a program that is both challenging and fun. Eamonn

Ok, here goes; Understand the mission, aims and methods of Scouting, understand the mission of the chartering organization. Team player able to work with youth and adults.Displays characteristis of good values,humor,fun, service and leadership. Eamonn

I just love the Fishing Vest idea. What sort of price range are they in? (I don't fish. Well I have but not for fish!! My Grandparents farm in Ireland had /has the river Boyne running through it. A good part of the highway from Belfast to Dublin follows the river. A truck load of Black Bush irish whiskey fell into the River. You never seen so many "Fishermen.") Eamonn

Is Markill the one that has " More Power, More better " On the can? Eamonn

I'm still working on it!! Bob with all due respect. I think that what you have said is true. I do however think that it sounds a little cold and maybe clinical. I think one of the most important characteristics of a Scoutmaster is that he likes Boys of Scout age. In order to do this he needs to understand the boys as well as the program. You might have covered this in the line ".. Resources and guidance they need. I am with you 100% about "Stepping Back." Some wise person said to me that the most important thing we can give our own children is "Roots and Wings." I think that much the same can be said about Scouts and Patrols. You also fail to mention the Oath and Law. I have a hard time with a job description for a Scoutmaster that doesn't mention the core belief of our program. But as I say you are ahead of me - I'm still working on it. Eamonn

Some where I have a power point presentation which divides people into groups. Starting in about 1900 it shows how developments both technical, social and political have changed the way adults view their role in Scouting. I think it is on the hard drive on my laptop which is at work!! What prompts me to bring it up is the thread on Pow Wows and how it seems the attendance is dwindling. If I were to put myself in one of these groups I would be in the tail end of the "Baby-boomers" As a group we are classified as "Questioners or Challengers". We were the ones who challenged the "System" and wanted to know the "Why" The next group is listed as "Generation X". These are classified as the "Whats In It For Me" group. As I look around our district we are still getting a lot of new leaders and new blood, mainly in Cub Scouting. These leaders are happy to do stuff in their units with their son. However they seem to show very little interest in activities outside of their own home unit. I see them at Training. A few a the odd round table and at some of the camps where their son is.That seems to be about it. They show no interest in things like Pow Wow, District or Council Dinners.Or serving on any committee. Is this a sign of the times? What can be done to regenerate interest in this type of activity? Is there any reason why we ought to try too regenerate interest? One thing that does concern me, is that a good many of these leaders are only in Scouting for as long as their son is active. If this trend continues we will have a hard time finding people to fill the positions that the "Oldtimers" will soon be vacating due to old age and death.

Matua, The man of Steele has a good plan. There is a work sheet available from National which covers some of the stuff that Dave has brought up. While I am not a good example of a District Chairman, mainly due to the fact that I was the District Commissioner. The feeling was that because I was active in the business community and fairly active with the church. Serving on the Diocese Education Committee. That I would do. I have to admit that I was not the first choice that chap said no. This is the end of my first year. I have agreed to serve for three years. My successor has already been earmarked. He does have a son in the program, but has never been a Scout. He is the president of the local bank. He will not be as active as I am doing stuff that if the truth was told I have no real business doing. I am invited to all the Blue and Gold Banquets and try to fit in as many as I can. I try to get to all the roundtables. Along with other stuff. He won't have the time. He will add a lot to the district in that he seems to know everyone and of course he knows the people with the money and how to ask for it. I think before you think about asking a scout type I would read over the role of the district. You as the District Commissioner are the Scout type. You are the one that the units will come to when things are not as they should be. I wish you and your DE, the best of luck. Eamonn

Hi Mr Big Dog, Welcome to the forums. I know that I looked at this months Boys Life, but I can't remember the cover. Boys Life does on a regular basis cover video games and rates them. While I am not much of a player, I can remember a few years back standing in line for the pokeman?? stuff. For my OJ's (My Son) Gameboy. I don't know what you mean by my take on it? I have never played any of the "Adult Rated" games. However some years back did get hooked on one game which took me months to complete I think it was called Lint or something like that. Most kids and a lot of adults really like these games and they are part of our culture. Many Scouters want nothing to do with them and feel that all who play them are going to hell in a handbag. While I feel that they do little for social interaction, and do in some cases prevent kids from going into the great outdoors. They are fun. They do need to be played with in moderation. Just think how great it would be if we could get the Scout Handbook so it could be viewed on a Game Boy. Eamonn

As a key 3 we have looked at communication. Our DE. Pam works from her home office, only going to the service center once or twice a week. Messages left there seem to get lost in some kind of a black hole. Some of our volunteers were a little upset that when they phoned that she wasn't there? Others were upset that she didn't get back that same day. There seemed to be little or no understanding that she is not on call 24/7. Yes she does take vacations and has been known to get ill. We also looked at why people were calling. Most of the time they were talking to the wrong person. A lot of the time the person that they ought to have been talking too was their Unit Commissioner or Assistant District Commissioner. In some cases they needed to call one of the members of the District Committee. If none of these people can help, it is up to them to get hold of the DE and then get back to the volunteer. As a District Chairman, I would much sooner see the DE doing work for the district, then dealing with problems that are at the unit level. It is an ongoing problem, first with the calls she is getting and then reminding her that she should not be doing the stuff that the volunteers are there to do. If there is something that only a pro. can deal with, I would go through the ranks till I got to the person who could deal with the question. If the Field Director, Assistant Scout Exec. Or the Scout Exec. Had no idea what I was talking about. I would start to think that maybe this wasn't a Council problem and would look to the District volunteers. As a key3 we meet weekly and talk to each other a lot so there is very little going on that we don't share. Eamonn

I have to admit to feeling that a patrol was really getting their act together when they were ready to plan snd run a patrol camp. I also have to admit that I cheated. When a patrol was planning their first few patrol camps, I tried to ensure that they went to a site that had an adult on hand, or nearby.Most of the time the patrols made up their mind that they would camp at a site that had a ranger or campmaster. So while there were adults in the area. Supervision was minimal. More like insurance. The real work like many things in Scouting was not the camp. But the planning before the camp. In the early days I used to tell them that I was going to "Pop in" and they should be ready.However when we discussed this with the Patrol Leaders they felt that this was unfair. So I didn't say it anymore. As they got better at it I did pop in. Only if I was really just passing. I really wasn't there to check up on them. The main problems that we ran into were that they always ran late breaking camp and maybe the equipment in their patrol box was not as clean as it might have been and the QM was a little unhappy. Eamonn

35 Words? This is tough!! Will get back to you. Eamonn