fgoodwin

CP: While "most people" you know may feel one way or the other about BSA's membership policies, you should be careful generalizing from your own experience to that of the public at large. In fact, "most people" I know (to the extent I know how they feel at all about it) are perfectly happy with BSA's membership policies as-is and don't want to see them changed. Should I conclude that "most people" in general also feel that way?

To Muslim Girls, Scouts Offer a Chance to Fit In http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/us/28girlscout.html November 28, 2007 By NEIL MacFARQUHAR MINNEAPOLIS Sometimes when Asma Haidara, a 12-year-old Somali immigrant, wants to shop at Target or ride the Minneapolis light-rail system, she puts her Girl Scout sash over her everyday clothes, which usually include a long skirt worn over pants as well as a swirling head scarf. She has discovered that the trademark green sash with its American flag, troop number (3009) and colorful merit badges reduces the number of glowering lo

Nick, I was struck by the same thing: an atheist minister in the Unitarian Church. I must admit I have difficulty grasping such a concept . . .

Walking tour of churches preaches tolerance to Scouts http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07328/836415-85.stm Saturday, November 24, 2007 By Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette While others slept off the turkey yesterday morning, 375 Boy Scouts and their families hiked through Oakland and Shadyside, visiting houses of worship to hear how the faith traditions understand the 10 Commandments. It was intended to be a lesson in tolerance, and it was. They heard from Jews, Catholics, Baptists, Christian Scientists, Hindus, Buddhists and even an atheist Unitarian. For John Wels

Joni4TA: It happens that I am in the Alamo Area Council and I staffed our last Cedar Badge course. "Cedar Badge" is our name for NYLT. It is taught by youth for other youth. We have a few adults on staff to keep the boys in line and on task; otherwise, the course is run by the youth staff. I don't know how other troops do it, but in our troop, the SM decides who will be invited to Cedar Badge. You would hope he would make good choices, but whereas we adults tend to think of WB as an "honor", I don't think most boys feel that way about Cedar Badge. Its just another notch on their

Are you really limited to a choice between two troops? There may be a third option: start your own troop. Here are some resources for starting a new unit: (1) "New Unit Organization Process" (34196A): http://tinyurl.com/br9le http://www.scouting.org/relationships/34196/index.html (2) "William D. Boyce New Unit Organizer Award" (04-515): http://tinyurl.com/3avod8 Yes, there's a knot for organizing new units, but the form is more than an application -- it includes very useful information re: how to organize a new unit. (3) "New Unit Organization Kit" (13-563) s/b

I agree with emb021: temporary patches may be worn on the back of teh MB sash, according to teh Insignia Guide. Its my personal opinion that loading up a bunch of temporary patches on the back of the MB sash looks horrible, but its allowed officially and many boys do it (including my son).

robvio, welcome to the forums. You ask how your troop will benefit if you take the time & effort to go to WB21C? My answer is: that's entirely up to you. Without giving away too much of what you'll see and hear at your course, let me simply add to what others have already said. You will write a "ticket" which is essentially a project (or series of goals) that you and your WB patrol troop guide agree upon. YOU decide who will be the beneficiary of your efforts, and YOU decide what your project / goals will be. I wouldn't be too anxious about specifics until you get into yo

Lisabob: The American Girl line of dolls is unrelated to AHG, as far as I know. The line of dolls predated AHG by a decade (more or less). My daughter was a Girl Scout and had a few American Girl dolls, and again, as far as I know, there is no relationship between AHG and American Girl dolls. My point about the size of SS is that you mentioned they were not a viable alternative because of their size (lack of local units). I think that's a chicken-and-egg argument -- if they are small, its because the people who complain about BSA are staying in BSA rather than helping SS grow by a

I'm an ASM in my son's troop and also active at the district level as a UC and on the training team, so I've had a chance to observe both species of "Man Scouts" (the troop species as well as the district-council species). I think many Man Scouts at the district-council level move on from a troop funtion to a district-council function when their sons leave Scouting, but they want to stay involved. W/o a son in a unit, the Man Scout feels he might better contribute at the district-council level. And while many start out with the best of intentions, I think after being away from the u

Reposted with permission from a post by Mark Ray to the Scoutmaster Tips Yahoo email list: ================= Posted by: "Mark Ray" Date: Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:01 pm ((PST)) Relationships Yield Results On the Monday after Thanksgiving, our chartered organization (Christ Church United Methodist in Louisville) will tear down the old house our troop has been meeting in for at least 15 years. That's the bad news. The good news is that we've already moved into renovated space in the church's old fellowship hall. The great news is that the church footed the entire bil

In the other thread, someone mentioned that Boy Scouts don't include religion as part of advancement (as opposed to Cub Scouts and Venturing, who do). Although Boy Scouts do not require earning the religious medal in order to advance, the troop does provide the office of Chaplain Aid as a POR in order to meet the leadership requirement for Star, Life & Eagle. Now, how troops go about implementing and using chaplain aids is a program matter. Our troop does a very good job of using chaplain aids, even though our record of earning religious medals is spotty, at best.

Lisabob: Have you heard of American Heritage Girls? They are an alternative to Girl Scouts. Like the folks who formed Spiral Scouts, rather than simply complain about GSUSA policy, they actually went out and did something constructive: they formed an alternative organization. Now, is AHG any more or less a "viable" alternative than SS? I have no idea, but I doubt if AHG started with any significant advantage in terms of infrastructure, training, potential members, etc. And if SS hasn't grown, who's fault is that? Given the interminable bickering about BSA membership policies,

Scouts may be thrifty, but some leaders are well paid http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,5143,695226688,00.html http://tinyurl.com/2lbbzq Many professional Scouters earn 6-figure salaries across the U.S. By Lee Davidson Deseret Morning News Published: November 11, 2007 A Scout is thrifty, the Boy Scout Law teaches. Many adult leaders put that into practice by volunteering without pay and sacrificing precious time and vacation weeks for camps. But guess how much the Great Salt Lake Council pays its full-time, professional Scout executive, Paul Moore. It is $

Bob T: welcome to the Forums. I have no doubt what you say is true; OTOH, I my son used the same Cub Belt (after replacing the Tiger buckle with a Cub buckle) from 2001 until he crossed over in 2005 with no problems. He's had the same Boy Scout belt since joining the troop in '05 with no trouble. Now, getting him to FIND his belt on troop meeting nights is altogether another issue!

I am aware that some chartering organizations (e.g., the Catholic Church) have their own version of YPT, and perhaps even require that volunteer leaders in Catholic-sponsored units also take the Catholic YPT (I'm not Catholic, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong). If that's correct, I think its a great policy. I'm Episcopalian -- the Episcopal Church also has a version of YPT, but the scope of the required coverage is limited to paid staff only (e.g., youth ministers, church school teachers & admins, etc.). Volunteer Sunday School teachers and Scout volunteers (for example

Eagledad: I was very happy to read your post. I am aware of some troops and SMs that look upon the den chief POR as something less than a "real" POR. I see it as just the opposite: as a perfect introductory POR for that young FC Scout working toward Star. One of the stated reasons SMs are biased against assigning Scouts to be DCs is because the service they perform is not in direct assistance to the troop, i.e., they help a den, not a patrol, and by serving as a DC, they are not available to serve as a chaplain aide, QM, or other POR which provides direct service to the troop.

Trying to prove a negative is impossible -- in other words, if you look for something that doesn't exist, but you don't know it doesn't exist, when do you stop looking? Does the fact that you didn't find what you're looking for after "n" searches mean you've proven it doesn't exist? Or will you find it on your n+1st search? My point is this: the reason you can't find National guidance on the expiration period for YPT is because THERE IS NO NATIONAL GUIDANCE ON THE EXPIRATION FOR YPT! Anybody who tells you otherwise bears the burden of proof -- its not up to you to prove their case.

Perry book to tout Scout values http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA103107.10B.PerryBook.31f57c2.html http://tinyurl.com/2a97dx 10/30/2007 10:11 PM CDT Peggy Fikac, Express-News AUSTIN Add another title to Gov. Rick Perry's resume: author of a book defending Boy Scout values against "lawsuit-happy do-gooders." The GOP governor, who proudly wears his Eagle Scout pin on his lapel, has written with some assistance a book on scouting that paints the organization as a leading indicator in the battle between right and wrong. The book isn't due until F

WHat exactly are you looking for? Can you point to examples of other Scouting Associations that have similar material?

I agree with Beavah, I don't sweat the small stuff. As a UC, however, I try the uniform completely and correctly -- but I don't go around berating others for not doing the same. If asked, however, I will point them to the official source on proper uniform wear. I'm amazed at how many units don't have even an old copy of the Insignia Guide in their unit libraries.

The emergency committee meeting will start in a little under three hours. Thanx to all for your very sound advice -- I will consider everything you said as I observe the meeting (liek a good UC, I will be there to listen and offer support, but I hope they aren't looking to me to solve the problem!). I want to answer a few of your questions -- but like I said, I don't want to compromise anyone's privacy by getting too much into specifics. Yes, the DE is aware of the situation. He was brought into the loop by the CC, when the CC copied me on a message to the DE asking for guidanc

GLDCommish, welcome to the Forums. My old copy of the Insignia Guide (2003 revision) refers to the patch as "JLT", but it clearly states the JLT patch goes ON (not above) the right pocket; i.e., its a temporary patch. I know the online Insignia Guide is silent regarding placement of the NYLT patch, but if I had a newer edition of the hard copy, I think it would say on the left pocket. Re: placing other patches above the right pocket. The Insignia Guide mentions only one patch that goes there, the Jambo patch -- it does not mention any other patch. Nor does it prohibit patc

John, thanx for your comments. To respect the privacy of all the principals involved, I really can't give more details. But I'd still like to hear from anyone who might've gone through a similar episode. My main concern is the impact on the boys. I think the kids (other than perhaps the sons of the protagonists) are oblivious to the conflict. But if this drags on much longer, or if there are public confrontations (e.g., during a Pack Meeting), I fear anxiety among the Cubs (and the DLs who clearly ARE aware of the conflict). Thanx

I guess I'm a failure as a unit commissioner. One of my units is having a civil war between the CC and the CM (it also happens that they are next-door-neighbors -- yikes!). In any event, the COR has notified the DE that he wants a new CM for the Pack, otherwise they are considering dropping the charter. The CC has called an emergency committee meeting for this Sunday to discuss how to proceed -- but the current CM and his wife (who is an ACM) were not invited. I don't see any good outcomes resulting from this, but the Pack Committee will have to come up with a new CM, per the wishe