eolesen

My oldest son was a firebug in his first couple years... got busted on two different campouts for it by other SM's, and had to endure the Ride Home of Shame after being kicked out of NYLT. They eventually outgrow it, so don't run them off. Now he's off at boot camp proving he has what it takes to be a Marine. Guys who get caught wasting matches around me wind up cleaning out firepits. What's hand sanitizer?...

I had the same reaction... been away from the forums for about 18 months, and found not only the same arguments, but the same 6-12 people carrying on most of the discussion (not saying that is a bad thing). At least they're consistent.

http://www.glcscouting.org/training/pdf/ABLE_2010.pdf

"IOLs is inadequate. You don't even need to demonstrate skill to receive your card. Seen participants unable to identify poison ivy get their card......how do I know they were sitting in it at graduation. Amazing....... " Training is only as good as the instructors. There's no shortage of people willing to take training classes, but they're only as good as the people training them. Rather than coming up with an entirely new course, take "Learning to Teach IOLS" at PTC, and fix the problem that you say is there in the first place. "I can see the 21st woodbadger not wanting this

WB wasn't about the beads or joining the Man Scouts -- it was purely about getting trained to the best extent I could... And yes, I think being trained in the program and the BSA's bureaucracy makes a difference when dealing not only with kids, but with their parents... I think I've worn my full regalia once -- and that was at my beading ceremony two years ago. I've worn my beads a half dozen times at meetings since then, and will admit that I did wear them on purpose once to establish some credibility with a new pack my youngest son was joining. Most of the time I'm in the un

I wish we all had model scouts, leaders, and adults. But the fact is we don't. We've all gotten the call from parents demanding to know why we didn't sign off on a skill the kid hasn't mastered, or worse, to explain why they need to drive 500 miles to pick up their kid for bringing fireworks to camp in an area with a burn ban. This is a kid who has shown himself not to be trustworthy, loyal, courteous, and has not kept himself morally straight. I don't think we can afford to allow "you never told me that" to be in his repetoire right now. If it takes a written document to 1) r

What would a school do? Please. They'd just as soon brand a second grader as a sexual predator if they give a girl an unwanted kiss on the playground...... The dogs are off. Calmer winds are prevailing. A behavior contract and SMC should suffice, as will a couple pair of watchful eyes...

Thanks for the candid replies, even Ed's. It's hypothetical to a degree.... I'm altering and leaving specifics intentionally because even though we're in a small desert town where the internet still means dial-up, I don't want this to wind up being connected to anyone real. We have a Scout who was caught stealing at school earlier this year, confessed, apologized, and has since made restitution. As time has gone on and people find out, other people who have kids who a) associate with him and b) have also had small high value items lost or stolen are starting to speak up. Then this

I get the distinct impression that many of the people horrified to hear of gender rules for leaders haven't spent much time around LDS troops. Not only do the leaders need to be LDS members in good standing, but every one I came across did not allow women to be in leadership positions for a troop. Not that too many non-Mormons were joining LDS troops, but they do make up about a third of the units nationally, so mathematically, it's fairly commonplace.

Hypothetical situation... You have a crew getting ready to go out on a high adventure trek, and based on an anonymous tip, find out one of the boys may have a problem with drugs and try to bring them along. The crew is planning to do a shake-out and leave their packs at the troop meeting place the night before departing. If you had access to drug sniffing dogs, would you consider checking out the gear without the crew's knowledge? Without parents' knowledge?

BSA has an open enrollment policy... The only place I've seen where the unit you participate with is determined by your zip code are the LDS units, which are typically structured to serve a specific ward, branch, or stake (depending on how urban or rural the setting is...). Even there, I've seen a few examples where boys decided to move to a traditional troop for a better program.(This message has been edited by eolesen)

"Participating" is not exactly how it is written. "Active" by definition means being registered in his unit, not dismissed from his unit for disciplinary reasons, and engaged by his unit leadership on a regular basis. That doesn't have to be at troop events. Engaged by unit leadership on a regular basis is a far different definition than engaging unit leadership on a regular basis. Tread lightly there. If he was continuously registered, it sounds like he was engaged over the previous 36 months. Not advancing, but engaged. The usual deal breakers for our deathbed Eagles isn'

Hard to say if their membership numbers are a reflection of their membership policies. Their membership numbers seem to be holding flat to slightly down -- 3.7M in 2000 to 3.5M in 2007. But they've also been doing a lot of advertising in the past two or three years to try and bring back older girls who left the program. By this time next year, the current 300+ GSUSA councils nationwide will have merged to approx 100. That tells me they're having some money problems, and it's hard not to draw a connection between the membership and their donations.

The younger generation clearly doesn't hold the animus against homosexuality that older generations do. Not many years ago, we criminalized their behavior. The pendulum is swinging. Everyday, more churches are opening their doors to homosexuals. States are recognizing their right to form legal partnerships. It wasn't too long ago that divorce, having children out of wedlock, showing blood & guts violence on TV, and cursing in public had stigmas attached to them. Now, they're commonly accepted. Some days, I hear the "F" word uttered more in the workplace than I did when I

A Scout Is Thrifty. If video conferencing via Skype or any other option is available, by all means use it. My only concern about mixing adults from other units is that the BOR is supposed to be a check-point for the troop committee to evaluate their program. Bring in a few unassociated adults just to make a quorum, and you dilute the effectiveness. I've been to all three towns in Texas, and those are some long, lonely roads out there, so I understand why you'd need to do this not only for BOR's but also perhaps for PLC and committee meetings. At least Pecos and Monihan

No check-out sheets for us. I know it's a little over-simplified, but A Scout is Trustworthy. Then again, we don't own troop equipment by design... Patrols are on their own to come up with stoves, tents, etc. whenever they plan an outing. Net result is the kids invest in their own equipment, take better care of it, and many more or less leave the troop fully equipped to keep camping as a young adult whether or not they stay in Scouting. It saves some money out of the operating budget, and we don't need to own, park & maintain a trailer, or use up the CO's real estat

Well, the fact that BSA still allow patrol activities to take place without 2DL and a tour permit says to me it is still alive and well as a concept. But I'm not sure the program is the problem as much as parents are, Kudu. Not too long ago, I recommended to a patrol of 15-16 year old boys that they take an overnight backcountry hike without an adults. These weren't inexperienced hikers, either. Several have gone to Double-H, and one to Philmont. We do a lot of backpacking as a troop. From some of the parents' reactions, you'd have thought I told them to spend the night at a to

Where's the Man Scout forum?

Can somebody pass the popcorn?

My council has had the same difficulty in scheduling the various outdoor training programs. Last year's IOLS was canceled due to lack of sign-ups, and wouldn't you know it, Woodbadge applications also fell off. It's not for a lack of trainers, but a lack of people who can give up the time. The scoutmaster and CC in our troop could probably staff Woodbadge if they'd only gotten around to attending one of the two courses that had been held in the past three years. Yet other councils of comparable size manage to pull off three or four courses a year. Not coincidentally, they also manage at l

artjrk, I'll second what Neil said. What happens at the end of the trail isn't always as meaningful as what happens along the way. Get with your counselor and buy him a cup of coffee or lunch. Working towards the goal can sometimes be more important than actually achieving the outcome you expected when you put it in writing at Gilwell. A lot can happen in 18 months, and I know several people whose role changed in Scouting after first committing to their ticket. In most cases, the guide and candidate found a way to work around it. A few walked away from their ticket and one or two re

Great ideas, especially the Day Zero reunion at the next Gilwell Field. We had a course reunion about 15 months after the course finished, with several participants getting their beads in front of their course-mates. All was coordinated by the course staff.

Technically, isn't the Scout raising funds on behalf of the group who benefits from the project? Even if the boy identifies himself as Life Scout working on an Eagle project, it doesn't change the fact that the end beneficiary is the group or organization whom the project is for, not the Scout or his unit. Therefore, any restrictions on fundraising would need to be stated by the beneficiaries of the project, and not the Council.(This message has been edited by eolesen)

I think we're getting a little too caught up in the "members first" rah-rah... 1) What were the needs of the guys for ROTC? Is it possible that what they needed for the execution of their program was better done in the central portion of the camp? 2) From a YPT standpoint, is it better to keep non-Scouts in one area of the camp, or do you want them to be crossing campsites used by Scouts? 3) By having packs spread out a little more, did they perhaps learn a little more about hiking to/from and did they get a more realistic camping experience without being right on top of the di

Prices for Havasu were $35 for entry into the reservation, and 3 nights @ $17/night camping. No breaks for groups. But it's an easy hike from rim to river -- much more gradual than you find at the South or North Rim.