Hanaski

I've always had a problem with the 11 Skills as they are laid out in the current JLTC syllabus. So tear away. I am genuinely worried about what will come of the new JLTC. So much widespread attention has been directed toward Woodbadge; a program that so much as borrows a theme from Woodbadge will suffer. But who's to know until it's released? I would enjoy nothing more than to visit and observe one of the test camps this summer. Yes, troop JLTs are important. But ask around--there are plenty of Scoutmasters who run an optimal weekend JLT and would be happy to share their secrets. If

Never in my life have I read such a brash, arguably offensive, generalized attack on Scouting programs. Dan, whomever or whatever you 'see' when you speak of this generic scoutmaster, it sounds like you have been accused of being a mill of some form or another in the past. I think it is in appropriate to bring that type of vindictive conscious flow to the forums, especially in response to a legitimate concern about a (not your) troop that operates somewhere near the twilight zone. You make subtle claims that the generic scoutmaster, which from your post can only be taken to mean one

Eagledad, I absolutely agree. With 4 years' experience in our council JLTC, the leadership qualities of the boys that have come through the program are wildly varied. I'd hate to see our program and those elsewhere being relied on as a form of leadership 101 damage control. The current national JLTC curriculum, available in most council outlets, is largely unacceptable in many respects. I have huge hopes for the revision, and hope for the pilot's success. I too am very interested to hear about it. I truly believe leadership is the foundation of building up our youth, and the new JLTC

Eagledad, kudos to your comments. Scout retention is a huge issue, and it always has been. I too have seen the lack of crossover from packs to troops. Personally, I would like to see a Youth Training category (to counter the Woodbadge category) to best facilitate JLTC and other youth-related training discussion. It seems that JLTC has been experimented with at the local level, but I feel change would be most helpful at national, to serve the needs of JLTC coordinators who, understandably, don't have the time or energy to turn their program upside-down. On the same token, pu

Dan, the question you ask is a perfect example of the corner BSA has backed itself into. Rather than being the non-issue it used to be, it is now the choice to *actively* allow or *actively* disallow. Aside from turning back time to rewrite their mistakes, national needs to take careful steps to realign its partnerships with United Way and other contributors, while maintaining the strong relationship with the various religious communities that hold Scouting so high. PR extends way beyond sexual preference. An informed media is a happy media; lack of response to public outcry (from any si

BSA sure isn't alive and well on the grand scale. The NYT article posted by gsmom is on the money. While many youth programs continue to thrive, BSA falls short. There has existed such a practice as horrible parenting for generations. If you choose to say that the BSA's handling of recent political issues doesn't affect unaware youth, you are mistaken. Since when has the focus of BSA centered on adults? Every decision, good and bad, made at the national level directly affects the youth membership of today and tomorrow. Unfortunately, simply relying on the foundation of BSA and the id