AMulls

I agree with what has been said by a few folks. I don't think it's the actual scouting that is seen as geeky/nerdy, but the uniforms. I never wore my uniform to school (scout in the early to mid 90s) and would not have wanted to, simply to avoid the comments that it would have drawn. I wasn't the most popular kid, but was up there with the "cool kids." I had friends in just about every circle. My high school was a pretty interesting place, though, since Drama was a huge thing there. The Drama teacher was also my swim coach and you could walk into any of the drama classes and see

I agree with pretty much everyone else. I got my Eagle just shy of 16 and continued to be active in both Scouts and Exploring even taking on leadership roles in my OA lodge. I just never felt the palms were that important and didn't mind not getting them. Granted, I needed three more merit badges to earn even the first palm, so maybe that had something to do with it, since I wasn't really interested in getting more merit badges. If I had all the badges done,though, I probably would have found the 5-10 minutes necessary for a SM Conference.

John, I certainly understand that the ACP&P are the overall governing rules concerning advancement, my point was just that if there are hoops through which an Eagle candidate needs to jump, then they should be noted in the Handbook, since this is the scout's primary resource for advancement. Hence my point above about adding some language into the references requirement noting that local councils vary on how that is to be handled. Ha ha, not at all Beavah. I think filling out the application is an easy part of the process, all things considered. And I remember using a typewriter fo

Ah, thanks CNY. Didn't realize the Project Workbook contained all those requirements. Although, I will say that I stand by what it says in the Handbook. If there is more added by the Project Workbook, then language should be added to that requirement in the Handbook. Perhaps along the lines of: "Your local Council will determine how those references are to be contacted and will indicate to whom the letters (if required) should be directed." Or re-evaluate what's in the Project Workbook in terms of how the references are considered. Example: when applying for a job, I provide name

Here's where I'm a little confused (and can't remember what I did when I got my Eagle): It seems there's a difference between what is in the ACP&P and what's in the Boy Scout Handbook. The Handbook shows requirement 2 as "Demonstrate that you live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in your daily life. List the names of individuals who know you personally and would be willing to provide a recommendation on your behalf, including parents/guardians, religious, educational, and employer references." Taken directly from the scouting.org website(http://www.scouting.org/scouts

Brent, I think that was part of Stosh's point. Some PORs do require leadership (SPL, ASPL, PL, etc.), but others do not (Scribe, Historian, Webmaster, etc.). Basically, all leadership positions are PORs, but not all PORs are leadership positions. However, to be signed off on the position, a Scout must have fulfilled the responsibilities of that position, whether it be running the troop (SPL) or maintaining the equipment shed (QM).

Thanks for the replies, all. I was already planning to swing by the scout office on my way home from work today, so I'll go ahead and grab a registration form while I'm there. Any ideas for volunteer spots? Or should I just let the council know that I'm able to help wherever I'm needed and let them decide? Andy

I've been lurking around the forums for awhile after wanting to get re-involved with Scouting, but I'd like some advice. I'm fairly young (only 30) and I'm not sure of the best way to get involved. What positions would be good? I've been a Unit Commissioner in the past, but that was a fairly short stint before I moved. Any ideas? Another concern is the possibility of another move coming up. I'm looking for a move back to the law and up to a different area. Should I wait and get involved in the council I move to or get involved now? I really have no idea how long the job search

1. Eagle Knot- self explanatory 2. Explorer GOLD Award Knot- discontinued award now, but loved my Post and the time I had with that. Love that I earned the award shortly before it was discontinued. 3. 1994 NOAC Activity patch with participation pin- wasn't sure what to expect, hadn't been too involved with OA prior to the trip. This trip was awesome! Became very close with some other guys in my lodge and the trip was essentially a spring board for my activity with the lodge, serving as Vice Chief twice, and on the merger committee when our lodge merged, and keeping my Vigil. All starte

I don't think we should adjust the age for crossing over to Boy Scouts or "split up" the Boy Scouts into age groups. I agree with those that have mentioned keeping the older boys active is the key. I think that bringing Cubs up earlier would just mean younger Eagles and that much sooner of a departure from the troop. And what about those who enter Boy Scouts without having directly crossed over from a Pack, like I did? We moved around when I was a Webelos and the den wasn't great anyway, so I never earned AOL. When we finally settled in VA, I joined the local Troop, I think I was almo

I agree with the majority on this one. Is it a bummer that he's not thrilled about the design of the current lodge flap? Yes, but that's his flap. That's the one he earned by completing his ordeal and that's the one that the majority of the lodge likely wears. Rather than wearing a flap from an event that happened six years ago (when he likely wasn't even a Boy Scout), encourage him to attend future lodge events (NOAC this summer, if there are still spots and Conclave next spring) where a separate flap will likely be issued. It will mean more to him to have been involved with the

I have to agree with Beavah as well. To an extent. I think the spirit behind "adding to the requirements" is generally well-intentioned. I, for one, feel like it would be pretty difficult to describe a flag that I've never actually seen. Imagination can go a long way, but when you have 10 scouts in a new scout patrol that all need the "describe your patrol flag" requirement signed off, seems like step 1 one should be to make a patrol flag if one doesn't exist. How else are they going to describe it accurately? And if the person signing off the requirement has never seen the flag, the

I was actually just home for the weekend visiting the folks and going through all of my scout stuff to pack up and bring back to my house. Fortunately, mom was good about keeping all the stuff, so I grabbed everything, including my Eagle medal and my Explorer GOLD Award medal (got it right before BSA made the transition from Exploring to Venturing; it's now a discontinued award). Even had a chance to go through my dad's old scout stuff (and his new stuff, since he continued to be active even after I went off to college). He still has his Eagle medal from the 60s. It's actually the desi

"On my honor...to keep myself physically strong, MENTALLY AWAKE, and morally straight..." Yes, a HUGE part of Scouting is the outdoors (and is clearly the favorite part for most scouts). But Scouting is much more than that. The program is also designed to help boys become good men. That sometimes entails doing things we don't want to do in order to better ourselves. It also means being a good person and citizen. Those "homework" MBs that most scouts dread, do accomplish this. And, as I highlighted above, also help them to keep mentally awake. Granted, I'm not up on my hist