GabeTheRockStar

Fountainhead - Perhaps you have already seen the thread on "boy run" scouting and discipline. My conclusion from a lot of discussion between several seasoned scouters on that thread leads me to agree (yet again) with EagleInKY. See if you can handle it yourself, if you are the SM. I do like the idea of removing his Fire Chit for a designated period of time. It hurts, but doesn't disgrace him more than necessary, especially considering no one was hurt. The problem seems to be a lack of respect for fire. If the problem seems to be a lack of respect for leadership, then consult the commit

Thank you all again for your phenomenal contributions. EagleInKY, thanks for your comment about advancement as a "carrot." I spent two years as a troop guide. In that time I had more leverage with the scouts than most boy leaders did. (That's when I got my nickname from some of the younger scouts, "Gabe the Rock Star.") Anyway, you and EagleDad both have good points about keeping the parents informed individually, about both good behavior and bad. It occurred to me while I was reading your posts that boy leaders can be involved directly in this process, especially the troop guide. I

You guys have truly helped a lot. This really is a great thread. Mark, thanks for bringing the topic back into the focus I wanted to discuss: the committee. I look at the committee as a group whose role should be minimal, as do all of you. So when you take into account their role as parents, it leaves us questioning how creative we can be with carrots and sticks before we hand it over to the parents individually. As best I can tell, it seems reasonable that their role should be as follows. SM, deciding that an incident is the last straw for one boy, decides to ask him to leave. Before h

I have questions about how a troop can be prepared to deal with authority problems. The troop is supposed to be boy run, but often when scouts get out of hand they do it together. This can make things difficult on an SM and ASMs. Its also hard for parents, who are trying to figure out where their "committee member" role ends and the parenting begins. So what do you do when scouts get out of hand, or when one scout decides to test the boundaries of the troop authority structure? Do the scouts have any role in determining what to do when there is a problem? If so, what is it? Does the

Yes, there's a point there. My first SM's wife was the CC, which was bad, and she basically controlled things in the troop. Since they were asked to leave by the sponsor church, there's been a rule about the SM and the Chair being in the same family. The second SM was a phenomenal SM in a lot of ways. But he did not have a boy in the troop (he was a little older) and did not want ay trouble with any of these agressive parent types. I am sure if the SM can control the committee, and enforce the idea amongst the parents that they cannot, in this case, tell their kids what to do, there will

Will do. Thanks BW.

Yes, it does help. Thank you so much. I still don't see how scouts' work for this or that party compromises BSA or any 501© clause organization. Of course I understand that BSA's official PR is not going to endorse working for a political party. Anyway, maybe we will have to agree to, well, have a different understanding of things. My friend's Eagle project was often carried out in uniform, and it was mostly a drive to get Republicans to the polls in eleven area precincts. The council's decision was never questioned by national as far as I know. This is held up by that

Eamonn and Bob White are on the money. Very insightful comment on the purpose of the committee. The only other time I have seen a possibly appropriate "no" was when there was a representative on the committee from the sponsor church. One planned activity was one the church did not feel comfortable sponsoring, but otherwise innoccuous. The committee asked the scouts to chaneg the activity. Other than that, committes have grounds for veto based on safe scouting, and pretty much nothing else. EagleDad: I respectfully disagree, from experience with three different occasions, involving

Please forgive me if I am being too persistent with this. Here I go. Bob White: thank you so much for your help, directing me to those resources. Its not always easy for a non-"troop leader" to understand how the whole thing is structured. So the charters are held by the councils. Does that mean the troops are part of the council? (The reason I am asking all of this is really because of the one Eagle I know whose project for the Republican Party was approved at the Troop, Council and National levels. I am trying to reconcile what you are saying to this, and what makes sense to

Speaking as an Eagle experienced with over-controlling parent committees: EagleInKY, You are in a great situation. %75 participation is low? Your committee is afraid to say no? Your scouts are turning in plans for camping trips four months in advance? Wonderful! For the next few years the enthusiasm of your scouts should take your troop to places you had not imagined. I left a troop completely ruled by one scoutmaster who had no parent support. It was dead. The troop I then joined was started by a church full of conservative homeschoolers as an inner city outreach. The troo

I am glad to hear that some agree with me on the issue of BSA descriptions of "service projects." Bob White brings up an interesting issue. Believe me, I have worked for enough 501© clause organizations; I understand how that works, and what the limitations can be. I did not know whether BSA was a 501©(3). I would also like to know what "rules of scouting" and "uniform policies" Bob White is referring to. I simply have not been able to find any information saying that scouts can't touch politics. You are absolutely right. BSA, especially if they are a 501©(3), cannot endorse one s

I saw the thread on knives. We've all seen how bloody carving merit badge can be. I'm interested to hear some tales of fires gone bad, or just really big, cool campfire ideas. More war stories, Anyone? I've got a couple favorites. *** I was finally 1st Class, and the new Leader of the Flying Golden Monkey Parts Patrol. It was a troop that probably no longer exists (all the scouts left when the scoutmasters took over everything.) It was a warm, Northern California summer everning--a great night for a troop meeting. Another patrol and ours were assigned a camp cooking demo

Perhaps half the fun of this type of information is not knowing it, wondering, and then researching it for yourself, and then spreading it by word of mouth, but... Wouldn't it be great if BSA published a book of this kind of protocol and trivia, for reference by scouts and leaders? Have they? If they haven't, I think it an idea whose time has come.

I am an Eagle of the '90 handbook era. I am interested to hear members' thoughts on scouts as political volunteers. I know of projects, even successful Eagle projects, that involved helping this or that party. I am interested to know how far y'all think that might extend. I am now a voluteer in a grassroots effort in Kentucky, organizing other volunteers to help various conservative candidates' campaigns during election season. God knows that political involvement of almost any kind is helpful in developing a sense of citizenship and civil responsibility in young scouters. But as an

Hey, thanks for your input. Where is your troop located? We might be able to work together on something. Good guess, but I am actually in Lousiville. I'll explain my position in more detail. My job is unrelated. I work for a nonprofit as a field rep, which is what brings me to Kentucky this fall. My job doesn't provide much that would help scouts. On the side I am a volunteer organizer with a grassroots group and I have a list of candidates for whom I'm supposed to find more volunteers. Since my first post, I have spoken with a couple Eagles, and my conclusion is that it sim

Hi, I am Gabe. I earned my Eagle Scout in San Jose, California with Troop 287. If any of the green and gold are reading this, hey, you've got the goods! Anyway, by way of Virginia, Washington, D.C., and now Kentucky, I come with a question. I want to set up a program for scouts to spend time earning their citizenship merit badges and community service hours volunteering for state political races and GOTV (get out the vote) drives. I am professionally in a great position to do this, but I need some advice. I have read some online discussion that says partisan volunteer hour