Eamonn

JerseyScout, The job of the DMC would of course be a lot better if all the units were willing to do what it takes. However in the area where I live it just don't happen. I really haven't spent anytime looking at a reason for this. I kinda think many SM's have the mindset that we just don't have to do anything, what we have and do is just so outstanding that it will just happen. Packs, seem to have a "Sell by date". A Pack will for a number of years have a group of adults who work well together and get things done. But as their kids age out things start to fall apart. That super pack we had ten or twelve years back, that was so wonderful is now not so wonderful and is falling apart. Web Sites are great, but for the most part are only used by the people who are involved in that unit. Sure some people stumble across them by accident. I kinda think we all know that Scouting really happens at the unit level. The retention part of membership is really in the hands of the Den, Pack, Troop and Venturing adults. That is where the rubber meets the road. Given enough money and enough resources, I think I could get a lot of people to sign up for Scouting, but if the program is terrible it would all be a waste of time. The best "Salesperson" for Scouting is the little Lad who is having a wonderful time. No kid wants to hear an old codger like me harp on about how great it all is and then join a unit that doesn't deliver the goods. Ea.

Coleman does have a program that offers cut prices to non profit organizations. I used to get emails from them. But I found buying equipment when it was on sale worked out better for us. You might want to email Coleman. Ea.

I know I have posted this before! But it's one of my great "War Stories"! Some years back I was staffing a NCS for Cub Scout Day Camp. I was asked to cover the Scouts Own. It was scheduled for Saturday just before the evening meal. Not being sure how the Cub Scouts would take to all being stuffed into a room that really wasn't big enough and them being hungry! I had the service I wanted to do and a shorter one just in case. My theme was Peace. I had poems from kids around the world that had been affected by war and unrest. I was all set to go. The room was hot and over crowded, but as I got into it I noticed one Lady was visibly upset, she was crying. I really thought that I'd found my calling. I really thought I was good at this and went for the long, full version. When I was done a number of people thanked me and said "Good job.". The Lady who had been upset was leaving the room, so I went up to her and said that I hoped I hadn't upset her too much. She said she was fine and it wasn't my fault that she was upset and that she had just heard that her cat had died. My ego took a very large it. Ea.

Like a lot of positions the District Membership Chair can be as big or as not so big as you want it to be. While membership is about both retention and recruitment, in our area most of the energy is put into recruitment. When I was District Chair. I looked at what the Membership Chairs in our other 3 Districts were doing. Sadly it seemed to me that they really weren't doing very much. More than anything they didn't have a working committee and the Chair was just one guy who just seemed to be there to sell and pass on whatever the Council plan was. More often than not the Council didn't have any real plan and seemed happy to just recycle what had been done in the past. We went about selecting and putting together a real working committee. Working closely with the Assistant District Commissioners for both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts we found a "Semi-retired" Commissioner, who was well liked and respected. He was in charge of the Webelos Scout cross over plan and tracking. He was in touch with the Council Registrar, who provided lists of names of Webelos and where they were. He tracked where they were going and if any were undecided contacted them to offer a very friendly nudge. He also contacted leaders to see if SM's had invited Webelos to visit and Cub Scouters to help arrange meetings. Our big recruitment is the Cub Scout Round-up (School Night) in the fall. We had several Scout Friendly Elementary School Principals and all the School Superintendents sit on the Membership Committee. This helped a lot. Ensuring that everyone was on the same page. The Superintendents made themselves available for photo opportunities in the local press and became the go to person helping making working with the schools a lot easier. Before the end of the School year we invited everyone involved with the Fall Round-up to a lunch where we laid out what the plan, the theme was going to be and tried to find out what problems we had the year before that could be ironed out or fixed. We did try having this meeting when school was out but it just didn't work. On the committee we also had representatives from the local cable TV company and local newspapers. This helped get the word out, not only at Sign-Up time, but year round. We tried very hard to get Troops to hold "Open House Nights" something along the lines of the Venturing First-Nighter, but we never seemed able to crack that nut. The Council has been and still is big on trying to recruit Tiger Cubs at the end of the Kinder garden year when the little guys graduate and move into First Grade. We had some success in signing these little guys up with events like kite flying and Tiger Fun Days, but we found that the Packs didn't do such a great job in keeping these guys. So we recruited them in May and all too often by September they were gone, never to be seen again. The Membership Chair needs to work closely with the Council Registrar, tracking what the membership is, especially after rechartering. He or she also needs to be willing to work with the DE and anyone else who is open to starting a new unit. The new unit plan that the BSA puts out really works, but does need to be followed step by step. Bringing in people who are knowledgeable about the workings of the organization that is thinking about starting a new unit is a big help. At times the Membership Chair does need to tell the DE that we are going to slow down and do this the right way and not allow the DE to rush ahead and just get the paperwork in. This means that the Membership committee needs to work hand in hand with the Commissioner Staff and the Training Committee. The Membership Committee does need to work with units that are failing, helping them rebuild their membership. I would strongly caution anyone who thinks that they can do this job and wear other hats. Membership is to my mind the most important role of the District, without members finance doesn't work, without members camping and activities are a waste of time. We do live and die because of membership and the Membership Chair needs to commit 100% of his time and energy to doing a good job. Good Luck. Eamonn.

Because I lived in the UK, no one will take my blood for fear of Mad Cow. Ea.

I enjoyed looking at the photo essay. A few forum members about a week back posted "Happy Birthday BSA". That same day I received an email trying to get me to buy all the stuff I might need for a BSA 100th birthday party. I'm not sure what I want or what I expect for a 100th birthday party or celebration, but I admit to feeling a little let down. I was hoping for something great and it just doesn't seem to be there. Later that very same day, my sister who lives in the UK emailed a lot of old family photos that she had been going through. I never have really liked having my photo taken. I always end up looking more goofy than I really am and Lord knows I'm goofy enough. Still I enjoy looking at these old photos, I'm just not so happy that others might get to look at them. Sure enough my little sister had somehow managed to select photos of me looking more goofy then ever. There were a few that were taken near where our friend Pint is from. Me at the seaside on the beach riding a donkey. The donkey looks really bored and I'm hanging on for dear life. I've never had much luck with big four legged animals. We went pony trekking in Ireland one summer camp and I managed to get the laziest, most mule- headed pony on the planet. As a little Lad, I suffered from a really bad case of sticky uppy hair. This was before sticky-uppy hair was in fashion. My mother's remedy for this was a large dose of Brylcream. Somehow I think she missed the "A little dab'll do ya."! She used a good healthy dollop. It didn't work! All these old photos have me looking like "Alfalfa" complete with cowlick. There is a photo of me in my Wolf Cub uniform. It's not dated but I think it was taken sometime around 1963 or 1964. I have silly little cap, shorts that are almost down to my knees and that woolen sweater on. I'm even back then a skinny little Lad with what looks like a couple of tooth-picks sticking out of the very long shorts where my legs ought to be. One good thing is that the silly little cap does a good job of covering up my hair. Ea.

emb021 Having just gone over all the books I have on District Operations. I agree that the Lodge Adviser is a member of the Council Camping Committee. Lodge Chiefs and Chapter Chiefs can be invited to serve. However just because someone is a Lodge or Chapter Chief does not mean that they are members of a committee. The Council I serve does not invite the Lodge Chief to serve on the Council Camping Committee and as far as I know, I was the only District Chair from any of the Districts to invite a member of the OA to serve on a District Camping Committee. QuekolisChief is asking for the policy on this. Eamonn.

"It was NOT done during the WB staff beading ceremony. It was NOT done as part of a WB beading ceremony." OK, already!! I get the message! However, Marathoner262 posted: " We'd like to present the beads to him when the rest of the Wood Badge staff receive their beads." Ea.

My great hope is that one day the BSA will change the policy it has about homosexuals. Over time I have altered my position on this a lot. I used to think that it was maybe OK if gays and lesbians kinda just lived their life-style and didn't make a fuss. To some extend I still think that people who choose to "Play the card". Be it the "Race Card", "Religious Card" are a little over the top. I hope that in my daily life that I don't treat anyone any different just because they are male or female, black or white, Christian or non-Christian, gay or straight. My dealings with my God are mine. How I choose to interpret the Good Book or which Good Book I choose to go with? Is also up to me. I still talk with a very strong English accent, after living here for a quarter of a century. I can't and don't try to disguise the fact that I'm not an American, no more than a black person can disguise the fact that they are black. I don't believe that it is right for anyone to provide me special treatment just because I'm not an American. I don't think we need to treat anyone and differently. This includes gays and lesbians. Still gays and lesbians have every right to openly state that they are what they are. While I would hope not to judge others, it seems a little daffy that we would not allow two loving parents to join our organization, but have no problem allowing a guy who out and about cheating on his wife. If we really do believe in living by the golden rule? How would we feel if we were being discriminated against? Ea.

Welcome. You might want to take some lessons on how to say the word "No"! If not you might end up like so many of us! Ea.

Congrats to the Saints on winning. Have to admit to not watching the entire game. But have been looking at the ads. Which ad or ads worked for you. I enjoyed the Budweiser Clydesdale and the Long-Horn. A little cheesy? Maybe, but still good fun. Ea. (I love the Who, but this wasn't them at their best. Still nice to have some London boys doing their thing.)

emb021, I think maybe I didn't make myself very clear. Of course wearing two beads shouldn't be a big issue! My point was meant to be that I think we don't need all these extra beads. Just have everyone wear the two that they have earned. It was that way in the UK when I was there. Although at one time the Director of Leader Training at Gilwell Park was allowed to wear five beads. I'm mule headed enough to firmly believe that Wood Badge beads should only be used for Wood Badge. I really do think, no matter how close NYLT is like Wood Badge, it still isn't Wood Badge. I'm in no way trying to put down the great work that the people who staff NYLT do, or the course. My feelings are that meeting the needs of adults and serving adults is way different than doing the same thing with youth members. We seem to be OK with Sea Badge for Sea Scouters and the Powder Horn for Venturer adults. If these can have their own recognition. - Why not the adults who Staff NYLT? This seems like an argument I'm never going to win! dancinfox did a far better job of explaining who should order the beads and when and where they should be presented, than I did. Back in the day I served on WB courses where several members of staff wore their four beads. Back in 2000 I served on a 21st Century course, where the CD selected four guys who had previously served as SM for the old course. All of these guys wore three beads. Having a TG wearing four beads?? While serving on a WB course? Just seems wrong. Presenting a NYLT staffer a fourth bead at a WB beading ceremony? Just isn't the right time or place. Ea.

I'm more than willing to be proved wrong! But... I don't remember ever seeing where any youth member is automatically a member of the District Committee. Sure they can be invited, but this invite would come from the District Chair. If someone could point me to where I could find this I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks! Eamonn

I have no plans to attend. But I'm sure a good friend of mine will be there cheering on the US Curling Team. (Yes we have a Curling Club in Pittsburgh.) He tells me that they rock. Ea.

I was looking in to policies concerning shoulder loops and district committee members. If I am correct that chapter chiefs are members of the district committee. I'm not sure about what loops a Chapter Chief wears. I kinda think the Silver loops would be the way to go? However I'm sure that there are wiser and more informed forum members who can point you to the right answer. District Committees are strange animals. When I was serving as a District Chair, I invited the Lodge to have a member of the OA camping committee sit on the District Camping committee. My idea was that having him there would help that committee do a better job with camp promotion. I don't think that just because someone is serving as a Chapter Chief that they are automatically a member of the District Committee. Being as the Council I serve isn't very big, our Lodge (Wagion Lodge 6) doesn't have Chapters. To be very honest most District Committee meetings are about as exciting as watching paint dry. If you are a youth member, you really aren't missing much. There will be lots of opportunities for you to serve in ten or twenty years time. Eamonn.

Back in 2001 we were advised not to take cell phones. So being a good little SM I left mine at home. While the Jamboree was going on someone made an offer on some property I was selling. I stood in line waiting for a phone. The little Lad in front of me was phoning home. He gave the person on the other end a full account of everything he's done, every meal he'd eaten, what he hoped to do and a list of things that he wasn't going to do. I was hopping from one foot to the other hoping that he'd run out of things to say. I really had to smile. It was after all his turn to use the phone and like it or not it was great to hear (Eavesdrop?)That this Lad was having such a great time. One of the ASM's had brought a pair of cheap hand held radios that his son and him hoped to use to keep in contact. He thought this was a wonderful idea. So must about 30,000 others! These radios turned out to be a real waste of time. In 2005 I asked our Scouts not to take their cell phones, explaining that there was no place to recharge them. I took mine, knowing that the guys who were staffing the maintenance area were guys that I'd staffed WB courses with in the past and they would allow me to recharge my phone and camera in the maintenance area. We had an extra dining fly with a patrol box in it that we used for our daily PLC meetings. I left the phone in the box, with the understanding that anyone who wanted to use it could. We called it the Bat-Phone. This worked really well. Phones have got a lot smarter since 2005. As others have posted they aren't just for making calls any more. Trying to forbid them would cause more problems than it's worth. My big concern would be Scouts losing them. If I were an SM I think I would see if the PLC would agree to something that requested Scouts leave their phones in their tents when they are out and about. While it seems that a couple of forum members see this being the end of Scouting as we know it. I'm happy that National is aware that this is the 21st century and for nearly all of our Scouts cell phones are just something that they have grown up with and have always been around. I'm not so sure that they are such a good idea for staff who are working in emergency situations? At work we don't use phones and rely on both high and low band radios, depending on who is using them where. - But I'm sure National knows what they are doing. It's really wonderful to see that we are at long last trying to understand that the kids we serve have not escaped from Father Knows Best or the Ozzie and Harriet TV shows. Score one for National! Eamonn.

While I'd be happy if everyone just wore two beads, which I believe should only be worn people who have attended and completed Wood Badge. I really don't think presenting a fourth bead at a Wood Badge beading ceremony to anyone other than the WB CD is the thing to do. I really think only one person on a course should wear four beads. After all this will be the last course for the CD. Once he or she is done with the course his or her "Wood Badge days are over. I have a little while back posted my feelings about beads being dished out for anything other than WB. So I'll leave that one go! Ea.

" the staff decided it was a good idea to make the 360 a mandatory ticket item, and the syllabus didn't actually prohibit them from doing that. Any thoughts about that?" Each and every Course Director signs a Course Director's Pledge. The pledge has six parts, part 1. Reads: I will present the content and activities in the current staff guide (syllabus) Wood Badge for the 21st Century, without additions, deletions or shortcuts. I know, having served as a CD, that I would not have taken this route. To be very honest I found the 360 self assessment presentation to be one of the not so great parts of the course. Ea.

"Don't we want charter organizations that hold at least the same level of membership standards as the BSA?" I'm a little unsure who the "We" are? As a volunteer I don't have any say in who our CO's are and it seems the CO's set the standards. Ea.

We have had local Volunteer Fire Companies be CO's units. Most times the Fire Company puts this under what I'd call another title. The CO is not the VFC, but the Auxiliary. I'm not involved with any group of volunteer firemen. OJ is a volunteer Fireman and a volunteer EMT for a volunteer ambulance company. I really don't know the details of where the money they need comes from. I do know that most of the fire companies in the area where I live have clubs where there are bars where small games of chance are allowed (This upset a lot of local bar owners.) They also seem to rely on weekly bingo. Each year I get a request to send in a voluntary donation. Talking with OJ, who really isn't into the finances of the fire department! He said when the department went to buy a new fire engine, that some of the money did come from State grants, some of the finance came from loans from the state and that some of this was only available in the form of matching funds. I think many of us accept that the BSA does discriminate and because of this really shouldn't accept or be involved in areas where Federal Funding is involved. This kinda brings up the question is there a magic number? How much federal funding in what areas is OK? The Summer Camp for the Council I serve is in a State Park, the Council has a lease for the camp which I think runs for ten years at a time. The Council has leased the camp or a very long time and spent a great deal of money on making what it sees as improvements. As far as I know everyone seems happy with the arrangement, the Scouts get the use of the camp. The State gets some money and the final word about what improvements it will allow. I'm unsure if the fee the Council pays is or is not a fair amount? I'm sure that some people will say that allowing the BSA use of State Lands is not right and is in some way the State condoning the discrimination that the BSA has in place. There are in the same State Park other camps run by religious organizations. Trying to not allow Scout units to benefit from anything that Federal funding is involved with, would be next to impossible. Are we going to not allow the local Cub Scout Pack to tour the local Post Office? Or have the local Volunteer Ambulance department which bought an ambulance with a percentage of Federal grants tour the ambulance? The easy answer of course would be for the BSA to just stop discriminating. Bring back the Outlander Promise: "On my honor I promise to do my best:To render service to my country; To help other people at all times;To obey the Scout Law. Or maybe a promise like Israel has :I promise to do my best to fulfill my duties to my people, my country and my land, to help others at all times and to obey the Scout Law. While I don't claim to know very much about the LDS church, I kinda think that it's only a matter of time until it has another revelation saying that discrimination against gays is wrong, like the revelation in 1978 about people with dark skin. Maybe once the LDS church lightens up a bit, this will open the door for the BSA to do the same. While I do think that in time the gay issue will go away. I kinda think removing God from Scouting is a real stretch. Eamonn

I have never been on staff at any Jamboree. Several of my good friends have. One, for the past few Jamborees has been the guy in charge of one of the Action Areas. (Area D). Off hand, I can't remember how many events are in each area. From talking with him, it seems that he actively recruits the people who will be in charge of each specific area and keeps his fingers crossed that these guys will recruit the staff they need. Jerry Clark has been in charge of the rappelling area in this action area for a number of jamborees. Jerry does have a list of people who he kinda knows that he can expect to be on staff. He through the guy in charge of the entire action area receives a list of people who have applied. Back in 2005 I put Jerry in contact with our good friend Hops-Scout. Maybe if Hops is looking in he can post about the communications he got from Jerry? I know he used to have a Yahoo Group and as a moderator on that other site, he keeps in contact with the guys who will be working with him. My son was on staff in 2005 and he really didn't hear anything until about a couple of months before the Jamboree, then the guy in charge of the area really went to town, wanting his staff to buy t-shirts and all sorts of other add ons. You don't post what you will be doing? I know that just waiting for someone to let you know what is going on can be very frustrating. But I don't really know what else to tell you. Ea.

"sure units may put things into bylaws or such that differ from BSA practice." Not sure why the word "Practice" Is being used? Could it be that if this read: Sure units may put things into bylaws or such that differ from BSA policy, that this so called practice might just sound wrong? Ea.

AM I missing something? Or are the people who seem to be for these bylaws, the same people who in an other thread about uniforming seem to be saying "Hey the BSA uniform stuff is just a guideline and it's OK to turn a blind eye to it all"? Ea.

" You're even more longwinded than Eamonn and me" I represent that remark. Ea.

Not wanting or wishing to come off like a smart Alec, or in any way take anyone to task. "But bylaws are for deciding how long a term of adult leadership, committee or who can sign a check - for example..Does your pack/troop allow only the treasurer to sign a check, or does the SM/CM, the treasurer and one adult leader have to sign it too? Does it have to be the treasurer one Adult leader and one committee member that has to sign?" Membership in the BSA runs for one year at a time, if you are removed from a charter no matter what a bylaw might say the fact of the matter is that you are out. The funds in a unit account belong to the CO and it is up to the CO how this money is managed. If he CO is OK with one signature on a check? That's fine if he wants more? It is the organizations money and he or she makes that ruling. I have served as an adult in Scouting for over 30 years and have never served in a unit that has felt the need for bylaws. I have served on a lot of committees, District, Council and Regional again th only time there was ever a need for some set of bylaws was when someone was trying to be a real pain. We as an organization are all about teaching ethical choices. We go about this by setting a good example. When we start have a lot of bylaws we take away the element of choice. While most of the time not breaking a rule is a good idea, when the only choice is "Do as your told" Or refuse to do it? What real choice is there? How can we ever hope to teach young people to think for themselves? We go on and on about how Scouts are to be trusted. In order for us to do that we need to place them in positions of trust. The adults need to lead by example. I have no wish to just do the right thing because some rule says that I have too. I'm far better and set a better example for the youth when I do the right thing just because it's the right thing to do. I work in a correctional facility, where everything is covered by some sort of rule or policy, while a lot of this is done to protect what right the inmates have. Most times these rules are in place in order to ensure that the inmates do as they are told to do. This to my mind is not what what Scouting should be about. Ea.