fotoscout

Venividi, I think you missed the point........ The boys were intentionally bailing out on the classes after signing in, with the intent of getting a completion without having participated in the classes. Foto

How about this situation......... A few boys sign up for merit badge classes. They go to the classes and sign in. Then they bail out on the class. The classes are very large, and they are not missed. This happens for a few days, before the leaders find out about what the boys are doing. How do you handle it?

WOW !!! Can anyone enlighten us on this one? For those of you that don't get the lingo....C of L is the Cradle of Liberty Council, and TI is Tresure Island Scout Camp, birthplace of the OA. Foto

I actually think that all this emphasis on the "Webelos to Scout Transition" is turning a mole hill into a mountain. Here in our Council they have started talking about it with such a frenzy, with so much rhetoric, so much paper and in so many meetings, that I believe people are beginning to get scared. It's almost as if they are rolling out a new, high level, very complex program. From a Webelos Leaders perspective all you need to do is to continue doing a good job..... Continue to hold regular meetings Go Camping Attend your Webeloree Visit a few troops Teach the boys the B

It really is a shame that we no longer live in the shadow of Ozzie and Harriet. Instead we live in the shadow of Virginia Tech and Columbine. I am quite sure that everyone wants to give this kid the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, we are all too aware of the world we live in! Foto

Tough call !! My response would be governed by how much I knew of the boy. If it's a kid you know from his Tiger days and recognize this as part of his warped sense of humor, you probably want to sit down with the boy and his parents to discuss it. If there is anything questionable about the boy, then I agree 100% with Gold Winger, you have to go the professionals. You know there is a thought that if it wouldn't fly in school, then it shouldn't fly in scouting. Certainly if a teacher received the same note, the authorities would be brought into the picture.(This message has bee

This happens to be a hot topic in our community right now. My thoughts go both ways on this, BUT, there needs to be an end point for those without boys in the troop. Certainly there is something to say about being objective. However, as the years go on most people lose contact with the current crop of young people. In our case the SM and CC have not had boys in the program for about close to 15-20 years. Neither have grandchildren, and neither have any scouting age youth in the area. They are wholly and completely out of touch with the todays boys AND todays parenting challenges. T

You know I have the hardest time understanding why people constantly sing the praises of Yawgoog. Are so many people so superficial that they can't see the forest through the trees? As others have noted, one of the first things that make a good camp is the staff. Yawgoog's staff is simply arrogant, and not at all interactive with the scouts. Most scouts don't even know their MB counselors name at the end of the week heck, a significant number of scouts bailout on MB classes and are never missed because the classes are so big. Sure the PCs are nice enough, but lets not loose site of the fa

Let's hand out beads for New Leader Essentials too!! I've done both, staffed WB, and staffed NYLT, and I don't believe that there is any comparison. Although I'd agree that NYLT is a lot of work, it requires nowhere near the same level of commitment and effort than that required for WB. When you earn your beads as a WB staffer, you have really done something above and beyond that truly warrants the recognition. To me this sounds like a really big mistake.

I am a bit late on this thread, but I'll put in my two cents anyway! I think the Outdoor Experience (second weekend) has to be re-tooled. Since we are not teaching any outdoor skills in this course, why on earth do we put the participants through the physical rigors of "camping". In our camp, it is a physical endeavor for the participants. The land is hilly, distances between the campsites and presentation areas are not short. Equipment has to be humped in and out, up hill both ways. Even though we transport most of the gear to the campsites, they still have to hump the gear a considerabl

Its Me, I am curious to hear about your Powderhorn experience? Mine was a letdown. It was long and drawn out. Too much droning on by the "consultants", some of which knew less about their subject than I did. Then there was the foolishness of our big overnighter. Boy that really ticked off a bunch of people. So I am really curious to hear what someone else has to say. foto

One of the most difficult events to run has to be the Space Derby. I have never seen anyone setup and run a Space Derby with the same organization, reliability and repeatability as with the Pinewood Derby. Everything that can go wrong does go wrong. The spaceships don''t always travel down the line and very often break in mid flight. That''s if you can get them to fly at all. Since you''re doing this outside of Cub Scouts, my suggestion would be for you to pick something that has a greater potential for overall success. That''s not to say that the Space Derby isn''t a great event, i

This is not an issue that the boys should have any say in. They've made their position known and that is enough. Coupled with the information that you and the other adults have, you can simply say, "I'm sorry but you would be better served in another unit". Don't kid yourself, the parents of those boys know what kind of trouble their kids created. They are not naive. Perhaps you want to be a nice guy and turn this into a positive for them. You could inquire about why they want to leave the last troop. I suspect the answer will be something like...'we want a troop with more disciplin

There is a syllabus and suggested courses for Com. College. Individual Councils have, to some extent, the ability to add or change the course offering. You should be able to get the listing of the specific courses being offered from your council service center. There is usually some great information presented at Com. College. Much of it I liken to the Trivia and Minutia of Scouting....great stuff, if your into some of the how''s and whys of what the program is about.

Fred... I suspect that you may be hard pressed to find the type of BSA camp that you''re looking for. Certainly the boys who are not doing MB classes can hike the reservation at any time, but beyond this, the resources of most camps are 100% engaged in providing MB classes. Boy Scout camps are not very flexible. They offer a fixed program that is designed around MB classes. Take swimming for example, all the camps I know of, have one, maybe two 30-45 minute free swim periods per day. My troop went to camp with 25 boys this past summer, 19 of the boys did not take Swimming MB. Not one

Our cost is $230, or, $210 if paid before the early payment deadline which was three months before the course date. We had no problem filling the course and even had a wait list. Yes, I think it''s not cheap. But I do think that they get their money''s worth. The program is presented VERY well. Certainly it''s in a different league than our routine training programs, and comparable to any professionally given program that I''ve attended, maybe even better. They get all the regular course stuff....tee shirts, pens, binders, mugs, etc... and we feed them very well. No routine camp fo

Hi Folks, I am looking for comments about the new Bayport Scout Reservation in Jamacia, Virginia. We are thinking about making the trip next summer and would like some input from folks who have already been there. Thanks, foto

Good for you and the people you've trained !!!!!!! But: A: You've reinforced my point, because Hug A Tree is not in the syllabus. and B: You deviated from the syllabus. Most times when trainers deviated from the syllabus, nothing good comes of it.

I beg to differ..... With respect to outdoor skills, BSA training is woefully inadequate. I will repeat a comment that I have previously written about BALOO Training in this forum..... How dare we give someone just enough training to go out and purchase a ballroom size tent, then pronounce him (or her) qualified (and responsible) to lead an overnight experience for Cub Scouts. The organization relies too heavily on the individual leaders ability to recognize when he is in over his head. For many of us, there is a lifetimes worth of experience and learning that gives us the skill and

I don't know what Owasippe looks likes, but any location will have to be predominantly flat. The great majority of Jambo volunteers are not young! Adopting a site that is hilly or rugged would be a disaster in the making.

I have heard that National is searching for a new Jambo site for post 2010 Jambo's. It appears that Fort AP Hill will host the 2010 Jambo, however, plans for the base include development of some of the land that is currently used to host the Jambo. Consequently there will not be enough land for the Jambo. Of course this is only a rumor that I've heard, heaven forbid National should keep the membership informed.

Come late....leave early, be your own island in the sea of scouting. So many people today don't really want to "join" the program, they want to do their own thing without being a part of the group dynamic that is so much a part of belonging to any organization. Certainly there are legitimate reasons for having to leave camp early. Family emergencies are the first that come to mind. Other than that, all early departures are planned AND consequently can be effectively handled. One thought is to schedule the boys who are leaving early for more chores during the week. Everyone has to do their

mrclark, I beg to differ with your assessment of the National Camp Visitation program. Certainly there is a focus on issues that can get a camp or council into trouble (liability issues). However, it is much more than that. As team members tour a camp they are expected to evaluate program, staff, and campers. How's the food? Where's your buddy? What are you doing there son? How was your swim test? Each Visitation Specialist has his/her own questions, but questions like these questions, along with some very watchful observation are also a part of the camp inspection program. I

Most of us know that the national guideline is now "1st Class, 1st Year", meaning that a boy should make 1st class sometime near his 1 year anniversary after joining the troop. I think that this is bit ambitious, but doable for scouts that actively participate in the program. In our troop the time to 1st Class can vary dramatically. Some have made it in 12 months, others have taken 18 months and longer. It all depends on how active the boy is. For example, if the boy misses his an opportunity to do his 1st class cooking requirement on an outing, or if he misses the outing or troop meetin

I hear you! But I think it's comforting to see the kids having a good time. It's also a great promotional item for the camps.