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fotoscout

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Everything posted by fotoscout

  1. We have many non WBers that are trainers and they do a great job. The people who do WB probably have more time available to things like training. So, yes you might see more WB trained Scouters as trainers, but we certainly have no culture of preventing those who have not done WB from becoming trainers. As I look at our training events, from Commissioner College, BS Leader Training, PowWow, WLOT, BALOO, and on and on most of our trainers are not WBers. Dan, your problems may stem from a clic like environment rather than issues with the BSA training programs. One of the great challeng
  2. I have been asked to present BCS 104 at an upcoming Commissioner training event. I have the basic material and outline. I've looked at the information on Netcommish.com. and will probably use the presentation from there. Does anyone have anything that might add to the presentation? Anecdotes, stories, or even a unique PowerPoint presentation. Thanks for the help. foto
  3. First, expecting the COR to be the critical path to a successful program is, well, ridiculous. The COR is not responsible for making the program run, and manufacturing a good meeting week after week. We the unit leaders are, and it is we the unit leaders that training focuses on. As for the newbies vs. the old-timers; there is some merit in this concept. There is lot of wisdom and experience that spews from some of the old-timers. It you listen to them and apply some filters they can help a great deal. I would miss them at training. But yes, sometimes they are a bit out of step. The newbi
  4. I admit that I never required the boys to bring their books to meeting as a Tiger, Wolf or Bear. Now as Webelos they need to bring the books. Beginning in September we started to talk about bringing the book, along with the T word, Transition. This month I started a sign-in log with an added column for bringing the book to meetings. So far about 70% of the boys are bringing their books on a regular basis. More than learning the material in the book, this process of getting the book signed by a leader is part of the transitional process. Every week I talk about transition and the expectat
  5. Ed, While I think your option is very doable. I also think that there is a need to get people back into the classroom once a year for follow up and reinforcement. The current system does do some of that.(This message has been edited by fotoscout)
  6. I believe that the greatest problem with our training, especially the first few CS training modules, is that the sessions are not framed with the right perspective for the attendees. Let me explain..... Case One Its 8:00am on a Saturday morning or 7:30pm after a long day. We arrive at class ready to learn about the CS program. The instructor gets up, welcomes everyone and immediately asks everyone to stand up and sing The Grand old Duke of York. I am already insulted, and angry that Im wasting my time singing songs. The perspective and perception of training is already wrong. Pack night fo
  7. Hi Laurie, One of the things we lack at a Council and District level is people who have a recent attachment to, and current knowledge of the Cub Scout program. Additionally, our Council and District committees (except training) rarely have anyone in attendance to champion the Cub Scout needs. I am sure you know where this is going. Either as a UC, or a committee member, your love of the CS program would be an asset to your Council or District. Its a way to stay involved and help other CSs and CS Leaders without a commitment to the demands of being a Den Leader. You'd still be able t
  8. I would agree. Often we try to get as much mileage out of each activity as we can. The books are pretty specific when the achievement requires that you do something for a second time. So following that logic, and assuming that national wants to sell as many of these patches as they can, I would allow activities to be used more than once.
  9. Me thinks it might be worthwhile to go back and ponder the results. It appears that the individual grading has a significant range for the same type of service from the CO or COR. Also, I think some used 1 as the highest, and some used 10 as the highest. But all in all, I think this very small sample tells a huge story. The concept of the CO in todays world is flawed. They want to be nice and be perceived as contributing to the community (?), while at the same time, have nothing (or very little) do with their commitment. Remember, in theory, it should be the CO engaging the Unit not the o
  10. Yes, it's terrific! It really is as simple as the training indicates.
  11. I agree, a budget is the only way to go. But the dreaded budget meeting doesnt have to be a nightmare with 6-12 or more volunteers sitting around a table till all hours of the night bickering over small amounts of money. If your unit does the same things year in and year out, the budget should be easy! You dont need to retrace proven and existing budget plans. Pick only the new elements of your budget and discuss them separately. Then add them to your plan and vote on the whole plan. Of course this doesnt mean that the existing and proven budget plans should only reside in som
  12. Id like to be a TV Weatherman. I know of no other job where you can be so wrong so often, and continue to get paid for it. As my friends are fond of hearing me say.... I want that job! Ive always had a fascination with Photography. Through the years Ive often toyed with the idea of doing it as full time job. But Ive been very fortunate because as a (very) part timer and amateur I been invited to photograph some great people including a sitting First Lady, and some Hollywood types. So my hobby continues to be a hobby and I continue to get enjoyment from it. I wonder if that wou
  13. Chamber of Commerce CO 2 - because they sign the charter COR - Neg. 1, he also happens to be our no show Unit Commissioner.
  14. I did know the answer, but I wanted to make the point. Let me answer the original question, what do we do to engage our CO? Our CO is the local Chamber of Commerce. We provide a Color Guard for them when asked, we do a fall harvest event for them and the larger community, we take care of a couple of small memorial parks for them, they participate at our Pinewood Derby and B&G as judges, and thats pretty much it. What we do, or how much we do, has no bearing on their involvement in the pack. I believe that the concept of the Charter Organizations organization is flawed in today
  15. I'll play..... SemperParatus,to what end, for what purpose???
  16. Maybe the others just need a leader or someone to show them that it can be different. As for the CO, many, many (and that is probably an understatement) units have a nothing more than a handshake with their CO. The COs obligation is to do two things; 1- provide a meeting place, and, 2- approve (provide)leaders. Many (probably most) do neither! Although I am not clairvoyant, I sense an expectation on your part that the CO will provide the program for you. This is not the way it works. The leaders make the program. And when the current leaders phase out, you are left to provide the pr
  17. Getting back on topic, I am not a big fan of switching Packs. Where would we be if people didnt stick around to make their operation work? Lets all go find a better Pack or Troop! One without any problems, one with people who ALL get along, one where everybody does their share and ALL the parents contribute to the outcome. Shangri-La is right around the corner. By switching units we reassure the parents that they dont and wont ever have to step up and help the unit grow. Hey, there are always others out there that do a good job and we can take advantage of them! Then there is the v
  18. The other thing that I noticed is that the bigger the Scouters gut, the more apt he is to wear shorts in the Winter!
  19. Dens are not allowed to do independent fundraising. If you think it through, it makes sense. We certainly want some sort of equality within a Pack. There are dozens of ways to finance a Pack. Mostly it depends on how much you want to spend, and, if you believe in fundraisers. Some Packs refuse to do fundraisers and have the parents pay for everything. Other Packs, and I know one of these, only charge for registration and Boys Lifethen they fundraise for everything, This Pack is constantly fundraising. But it works f or them. We do the following; new Scouts registering for the first time p
  20. With the addition of the Cub Scout Outdoor Award and the various 75th Anniversary Awards this year, we also decided that the pack would not pay for all the patches. We will only pay for one of the many patches this year.
  21. Ditto what OneHour said. We are very happy with the new track. I does need more storage space than some of the other tracks available today. Happy Racing!
  22. Units that did a spring recruitment for Tigers rightfully told the parents that he Tiger uniform was the Orange Tee Shirt and jeans. Of course if you recruited in September the uniform changed and was now the blue Cub Scout uniform. How do you go about doing a uniform inspect for these packs? What do you tell the parents? The reason I ask, is that we have pack like this. The (now) former UC did a uniform inspection and stuck his foot in his mouth. Everyone got upset, and it created a lot of discomfort all the way around. I am now the new UC for this unit and Im searching for ideas.
  23. I think you are still having trouble understanding the concept and practice of shared leadership. There is only one Tiger Den Leader, and maybe one (or more) Asst. Tiger Den Leader(s). They are uniformed, trained, and registered adult leaders in BSA. Sometimes they are not trained and sometimes they are not uniformed, but they are still the registered leaders in the Den. Then there are Tiger Adults, these are the parent partners of the Tiger Cubs. Got it? The Den Leader is in charge. The DL (or designee) coordinates the activities of the Den. This is one person, not a shared
  24. I guess I own the Type A tag for the last two weeks, so I offer up a response. You dont seem to be having personality problems with your scout parents or the other adult leaders, thats good. You simply want more program for your boys. Thats great! Some people are very happy getting by with the bare minimum, face it the boys dont know any better, while others want the boys to experience the whole world of scouting. Thats you. So, make the program come alive for your boys. You can do many of the 75th Anniversary activities with your den. You can start an outdoors program in your pack.
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