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Get Outdoors

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Posts posted by Get Outdoors

  1. We have a guy from our district that does an outstanding job doing the cooking MB at district and summer camps and I know for a fact that none of those scouts really did all the requirements the way they were written/intended.  To repeat; this guy is top notch with working with scouts and knows how to teach cooking and I'm pretty sure the kids learned more than what's in the book.

     

    Most times Cooking MB can't be done well in a large group setting and shouldn't be a summer camp MB.  However I think this is a great MB to do on a troop/partol campouts. We've done it a few times during the winter. We do the planning at a troop/partol meeting, a road trip to the grocery store Fri night. A smaller group pretty much sitting around a campfire all day talking food and non-stop eating food the kids cook. The kids start to get a little competitive with the quality of food they are producing.   

  2. We have one central wash station prepared by the fireman. It's a three compartment "sink" set up just like you would find in any commercial kitchen. We use our state health department guidelines.  Two metal buckets on a two burner stove, One hot water (100-120 degrees) with soap, one hot for rinse and third bucket with room temp water with Sterimine tablets. (One per one gal of water)  Bleach is ok but it's too easy to use too much. Bleach as a sanitizer should not exceed 200 part per million (about 1/2oz per gal or water) or it becomes a poison. 

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  3. I'll take just about any kid on just about any outing regardless of age, sex, race......  Like someone said above, it's important to keep these non scouts out of the patrol method but we should always encourage the outdoor program every chance we get. FWI: I have two non scouts that joins us a few times a year. (Dad is a key ASM)  They make a lot of experienced scouts look like amateurs. They happen to be 13 and 16.....and female. 

     

    However, you don't want to turn troop trips into family trips/vacations so it can be a very fine line.

  4. It's great to know that our council isn't the only one out there that's incompetent.  Our council requires we turn in paper advancement forms for scouts and adults. We had a record keeping issue with an eagle scout candidate and had to go back (hoop jump) to find the paper. No kidding, council had stacks of these forms, feet high that went back to well over a year that the "didn't get around to entering into the system"  

     

    Staff at our council have been there as long as I've been around in scouting, at least 12 years and I think someone needs to do some house cleaning. It's so obvious to me when someone  really doesn't like what they do for a living.

     

    When I retired as SM last year, my number one piece of advise to my replacement was to avoid dealing with all things council (at all costs) let the committee deal with that nonsense. The second is distance yourself from the district "red coats". Staying in contact with many district folks is a good thing but avoid the policy police, the scouters that think they know more than the next guy. (but haven't read the GTA) Avoiding as many bureucrats and egomaniacs as possible allows you to focus your energies working with kids will a whole lot less frustration.

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  5. It's dishearting seening all the "I have this rule" and "I limit this kid from doing"  and "I have this policy".....   Aren't we here to challenge and support kids? Aren't we here to allow kids to be individuals that are able think and do on their own? Maybe some don't really get why the merit badge program even exists.

     

    MB quality at the majority of BS camps have always been and always will be a crap shoot. Summer camps are more for councils to generating revenue than they are about employing quality/experienced staff capable of educating kids.  My advise for every troop is every few years, take a year off from camp and do your own week long program or go to a camp that isn't affiliated with the BSA.  It's quite eye opening.

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  6. I learned a few years ago to do my best to avoid the garbage that comes from our local council all the way up to National. I feel if we bring that stuff to the troop level, we are doing a dis-service to those we serve. I know we aren't liked very much by those that get paid to do this but no one can argue our success. We don't have kids quitting and a very high percentage EARN their Eagle rank. We are an out of the box troop but are pretty tight when it comes to the aims of scouting. Regarding the whole "I don't want to tent with....." Almost all our boys solo tent so it's never an issue except at summer camp and then some boys bring their own tents and/or hammocks. Each unit needs to do what works for them and their boys and that is always changing depending on the type of boys you have.

  7. SR540 I don't think many folks would argue that this is all driven by the dollar. The folks with the deepest pockets have to most to say in this.

     

    "Changes nothing for me.

     

    I will continue to welcome all scouters and scouts irregardless of the color, religious beliefs or sexual preference."

     

    Funny Basement, i think you speak for most of us.

     

     

  8.  

    "If I am following all of this correctly, at least we have a survey of the council positions, something I have never seen before."

     

    How come I'm not getting the warm fuzzies with councils being involved? Ours wrote the book on can kicking and finger pointing. It will be another excuse for a non decision come May, blame it on someone else. It's not the yes or no, (our unit doesn't care what is decided, we will do what we've been doing) what bugs me the most is the clowns in TX letting this fester. Lets shoot this dead horse so the media can pick on us for something else, such as teaching kids to use fire arms (what the media calls weapons) or how to burn stuff.

     

    Hey Wayne; how about you grow a pair, step up and be a leader.

     

     

  9. Guys' date=' Even though we are NOT a "Para-Military" orginazation, we must remember our roots. The uniform, regalia, ranks,... came from other orginizations. In the US military, gold comes before silver. As far as importance goes, in the BSA only, there is not SUPPOSED to be anyone more important than the volunteer. If we think about it a moment, what Program would any District or Council have if it were not for the dedicated volunteers? They are the most important and should be nurtured. Not the proffesionals. As far as patches and shoulder loops, the BSA can dictate to it's hearts content. The people I care about are the volunteers. My $0.02Rick[/quote']

     

    ghermanno, If you're interested in coming to Virginia, we could sure use someone that thinks this way. Without quality volunteers, we don't have a scouting program, without a scouting program, the pros don't get a paycheck. I'm not sure why some folks wearing silver have a problem grasping this concept.

  10. The boy met the requirements, SMC denied for a requirement that doesn't exist. DAD SHOULD GET INVOLVED.

     

    I would suggest letting the CC and the COR rep know you notified council. Time to weed out the bad eggs in the BSA. Zero toleranvce for those that don't understand why we are here. Setting an example, sending a message, making up your own rules or being in a bad mood has no place for someone that work with kids.

     

     

     

  11. It's crazy that an Eagle Scout is thought of as the "better than thou Person". At the end of the day, they are just kids that belong to an organization that required a certain amount of commitment that got lots of support (or push) by parents. Just like the kid that played football or basketball since he was 5, worked hard and goes off to college and parties and has lots of girlfriends. Some make it through and turn out ok, others aren't so lucky.

     

    It's not only Eagles, lots of folks think scouting is "better than thou" I guess it's in the eyes of the beholder.

     

     

  12. Wow, some folks think wayyyyyy too much. I don't have to ask the CO, It's going to be case by case basis. If I suspect a problem, I'll discuss it then.

     

     

    1) Do you know if you already have gay boys in your unit?

    2) How many gay boys do you know?

    3) How many gay men or women do you know?

    4How many gay boys ar girls do your boys know.

    5) A single male comes to the troop that doesn't have a child and wants to become a leader....wouldn't the red flag go up?

  13. The BSA as a whole has created a perception of scouting as uncool. So what are we doing as individual units to change that perception? What lots of units do on the activity side of things is no doubt manly (paddling, skiing, climbing, whitwater rafting, caving, ect..) Maybe we should look at taking away what's not cool about scouting.

  14. Some of the posts on this thread are some of the best reading on the entire board. Thanks all!

     

    The two post on page 2 on 10/3/12 by TwoCubDad and Gunny are worth reading again and should be required reading for some parents and leaders.

     

     

  15. Here's a few observations after reading this thread:

     

    1. Leave all the Cub Scout baggage at the door, the Boy Scout program in no way resembles the cub program, other then sharing the word "scout".

    2. Parents and grandparents working with a scout on merit badge requirements ... video taping MB requirements to avoid work with approved MB counselors ... Yea, if I were the SM there we would have problems. There is a way things are done in Boy Scouts, and a reason why they are done that way(learn both). You state you're an ASM, what training have you had? Any MB work starts with the SM assigning an approved MB counselor. Please see number one.

    3. Burn out, I'd be slow to apply that label. However, I'd be quick to say frustration is a factor, and quite likely with a few key parents who are making it difficult to run things correctly.

    4. Five or six years is not a short time to do a unpaid volunteer job that likely takes as much time as his paid job.

    5. A SM being gruff with a scout could be intentional, and isn't remotely a new thing. In fact, that may have been intentional, and likely had a point.

    6. The SM said crap, and that's an issue? Are you kidding me, so what.

    7. Give the SM the respect he deserves for his service, and get to know him before you judge him.

    7. Stop being a problem, and join the SM in supporting the program.

    8. Did I say get trained? After training all of this will begin to make sense.

     

    If I've been gruff with you be assured there was a purpose behind it, to drive home a point. Often you have to get someones attention when they are overlooking the obvious, after being pointed out in way's that make you feel warm and fuzzy.

     

    Coming from someone that has the BS Burn out;

     

    1) If you don't like everything I do, come up with a plan and impliment it.

    2) A SM term should not last more than 3 or 4 years. It's not fair to the troop.

    3) The boys are the only ones I give a "Crap" about of what they think of me. I genearlly don't care what some parents think especially the ones that don't "get" the scouting program.

    4) I once raised my voice to the troop on a campout for no really good reason other than them acting like kids along with a bad nights sleep. One of my older scouts came to me a short while later and asked me if I was ok?

     

     

  16. "the shooter had glock that had only 10 or so rounds in the mag. What if it had been a rifle with 30 or more rounds available???? he would have got the entire room."

     

    I would venture a guess that I can shoot almost as fast, more accurate, the same number of rounds (say 30) from my 9mm with (2) 15 round mags than lots of folks with a "high powered" rifle. (ie, 223, 306 308) Dropping the empty and inserting the fresh takes less than a second. The rifle with 30 rounds in the mag has much more recoil so the acuracy goes away for most people. I find I lose accuracy with the larger caliber handgun. (.40S&W)

     

    Anyone else notice:

    1) The "bad guy" knew in advance who the person with the gun was, went right for them.

    2) An anti-gun/political undertone the second time I watched it.

    3) How large the firearms were. No wonder they couldn't get it out of the holster. The experienced CCW people carry much smaller.

     

    The moral of the story...Train, practice, repeat....Train, practice repeat....

  17. Been there done that (threat with knife) and then some. (drugs)

     

    I'm certainly in the minority that I belive no one gets the boot unless the boy has a history or there is reason to believe he will be a threat in the future. The easy thing for adults to do is to give the kid the boot but this could be a great oportunity to turn something bad (and stupid) into a learning experience.

     

    We all signed up for a job that requires us to work with kids. The good the bad the ugly. I believe that if you don't buy into this, helping kids with compasion, don't let the door hit you in...... Let the Boy Scout Oath and Law be your guide.

  18. "Get Outdoors, how did they change your account number? I'm assuming you did your training on myscouting... which only National can touch and change things in... "

     

    I had an registration number from when I was a cub leader, all my online training was done using that number. Last year I get a new number but when I go into My Scouting account, those thaining records and that original membership number isn't there. Bottom line is someone other than me deleted my original account info along with my trining records for the past 9 or 10 years. Fortunatly I was smarter than them and saved paper copies of my training.

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