Horizon

I have seen the University of California materials. I can honestly state that for the vast majority of the faculty that I have spoken to - this microaggression issue and carve is either ignored or attacked for the assumptions made in it.

Even better, like the speech codes of the 90s - this will probably backfire on those pushing it. My favorite current push back is that the statement of "check your privilege" or "white privilege" is a form of microaggression.

It is only the end of the world if you let it.

JoeBob, Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology has the largest collection of bird sounds in the world and you can listen to them for free through this website:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/page.aspx?pid=1676http://www.birds.cornell.edu/page.aspx?pid=1676

Under the advanced search you can search by state or even down to the county level. They have over 160,000 recordings.

I have been known to play that disc on long drives to the campground. I have two hard-core birders in my Troop. They are both now patrol leaders, and when they sign off for 10 animals - I know that it is specific!

If they can't hire you for who you are, why would you want to work for them?  Tell 'em who you are.

Because the interview screener might not reflect the company.

I think it depends on what you do and where you are. LinkedIn regularly wants me to list all of my non-profit work, for example. "1 in 5 Managers hired based on an applicant's volunteering experience."

Then again, when I give lectures to undergrads I remind them that they will never find out that they did not get the job due to a controversial organization membership. They just won't get the interview.

packsaddle - lets not have an inappropriate comments on p-values, OK?

If I were to try to run some data analysis (which would require the assistance of Dr. Mrs. Horizon, as she is the researcher in the family), I would love the following data set:

# of Scouts by age 

# of available youth

- Step 1 is to track our decline against available youth

- Additional check to look at this vs. different ethnic groups. Scouting has a PERCEPTION of being a suburban, white hobby (certainly not the case in my unit though). 

Hypothesis: Fewer white kids = fewer Scouts overall?

# of registered volunteers or better yet parents with youth Scouting experience (how much of an impact did the drop in the 1970s impact today)

Hypothesis: Our numbers are impacted by the drop in parents who have fond memories of Scouting as a youth themselves.

Some sort of an analysis of time in rank - drop out rates of cubs who bridge vs. youth who join Boy Scouting. Maybe just look at the Arrow of Light and see if that predicts Scout sticking around.

Average # of nights camping per year per Scout?

Hypothesis: adventure has been curtailed, impacting retention. I don't think this is true, but it would be good test.

Then run some analysis of Scouts in the news, code for positive or negative coverage.

Hypothesis: Negative news impacts registration. Some who don't feel strongly might avoid Scouting just to avoid controversy. We are seeing American football being hit due to news about concussion risks, for example.

Other variables to add:

- Growth in year-round club sports

- Weekend academic camps

- Dual working parents and single parents (hmm - % of Scouts from families with two parents?)

- Church attendance and the growth in church charter partners.

Hypothesis: Due to the Dale decision, Scouts moved MORE into the church (someone correct me if wrong). At the same time, overall church attendance has dropped in many congregations, especially among the young (again - we should check this). We became associated with the church while, at the same time, churches were losing younger members.

In the meantime, my Troop had to finally institute a cap on membership. 6 Patrols is almost too much, and we want to drop down to 5. We have 2 trips this month (one fishing, one backpacking). We have plenty of Scouts, great parental participation, and a summer camp trip planned into the Sierras. 

But the nerd in me would love to see some multi-variate analysis going back as far as possible.

In the past, we've had it on a Sunday afternoon.  We would use it to plan a month's worth of meetings plus have some Patrol Leader training. 

 

Starting in June, we're moving it to the Monday after camp out.  We do not have regularly scheduled Troop meetings on that night.  Now we use that night for committee & PLC meetings.

Same. Monday after a campout is PLC and a Committee Meeting. At the end of the Committee meeting, the SPL gives a report to the committee on what the Troop needs.

The media has never been fair and balanced. We can go back to the yellow journalism battle between Hearst and Pulitzer in the late 1800s to see that. Television might have had some semblance of gravitas, but even that was limited. Walter Cronkite's Vietnam War "editorial" in 1968 after Tet - should they have run a counter-argument?

Media has also always been dependent on advertisers. You can watch shows get pulled when advertisers pull their ads. If you don't get the eyeballs, you don't get the revenue, and your show dies.

The Fairness Doctrine only works if you think that there are only two sides to the story - but that is far from reality. Cable and the Internet provides more than enough perspectives.

As for Hastert - this is news because he was being blackmailed to the tune of over a million dollars, money earned thanks to a lucrative lobbying business created after he stepped down as Speaker of the House plus money earned thanks to some questionable activities while still being in the House. Add in that this revolves around a sexual abuse scandal and, as we said, this story has legs. This would have had legs in any generation. Remember grover Cleveland and "Ma Ma Where's My Pa?"

There were no good old days, in my opinion.

The recent revelation from a victim's sister is that he had contact with the boy both in his role as a wrestling coach and in the Explorer unit.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/05/politics/dennis-hastert-victim-named-steven-reinboldt/

 

Burdge said Hastert had "plenty of opportunities to be alone" with her brother because he was frequently around during wrestling meets, and was also a member of an Explorers troop that Hastert ran. At one point, Hastert took the group on a trip to the Bahamas.

 

"[steven Reinboldt] was there after everything because he did the laundry, the uniforms. So he was there by himself with [Hastert]," Burdge said.

Physically Strong, Mentally Awake and Morally Straight.

We spend a lot of time on the 3rd, but we should keep our eyes on the first two as well. Healthy habits for our boys will stay with them for life, and we can model them as well. The same way we all want the boys to think through a problem, and to approach challenges from moral perspective - we can also pursue healthier habits as well. While fat shaming is not morally straight in my interpretation, we should not ignore the poor examples set by adults to the youth either.

Not sure how to do that, other than to embrace the high adventure guidelines and make them adult goal. I face the same challenge as we all do with a white collar desk job and the temptation of fast food (or worse when on the road). 

We don't make excuses for stupidity or immorality, so lets not make them for missing out on the physical side either. Let's admit our problems and find a way forward instead.

Stosh - you bring up some points, but you also draw some tenuous connections as well. You want to blame women, but are they really the ones to blame? The only women who show up on my campouts tend to shame 75% of the men with their skills and their level of physical fitness. Maybe I am blessed with great volunteers, or maybe I have just done a good job of setting expectations. The worst helicopter parent I had was a dad.

It was a mom who helped re-start the modern free range children movement: http://www.freerangekids.com/

I don't see that the modern military has a problem with adding women to the ranks, and I think that my Marine Corps has done the best job of it - they have maintained their standards for infantry officer. Now, this means that they have yet to get a women to graduate - but they opened it up, set the guidelines, and wait for the perfect warrior to arrive. Uh Rah! As for seeing the military as heroes again, that attitude shifted in the 80s once the all volunteer force began to arise from the depths of the draft days of Vietnam. The unfortunate side effect is that few of us are connected to those who serve: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-warrior-main-20150524-story.html#page=1

Those two points aside,I do think that our organization has seen its adventure status dropping, but I don't blame that on moms nearly as much as I blame it on other factors.

Legal: The desire to protect ourselves from lawsuits, etc. I drive around with huge binders of medical forms. I fill out a variety of permits. Last minute trips are next to impossible to get processed. 

Population growth: Many of us are living in urban / suburban areas and seeing locations for outdoor adventure slowly going away. I admit I am channeling my own challenges here in Southern California where open space is all either Federal or State land, is heavily impacted by our population, requires permits in advance, etc.

Environmental concerns: We are still in a transition from the "build a shelter, dig a firepit, cook a beast over the open flames" to "fluff your duff, backpacking stoves only, leave no trace." In our desire to follow the Outdoor Code, we have held back instead of finding a new way. Some of this is impacted by a generation of parents who only know the old ways and scoff at the new, combined with new leaders who only know the new ways, and don't know where we have come from. This balance needs to be restored. We can adventure while still following the Outdoor Code. Some see it as a barrier to anything fun.

The Curse of the Eagle. We have spent our marketing and messaging on the Eagle instead of the adventure. With the Eagle tied to college admission in many discussions, we attract youth (and their parents) based on that achievement alone, everything else is by the wayside. That triggers merit badge days, merit badge summer camps, a million different PORs, etc. How often is this forum full of dealing with parental appeals for Eagle BORs vs. campout adventures? We are reaping what we have sown. We are known for the Eagle, and not the campout. The BSA takes more youth camping than any other group - THAT should be our message. A game with a purpose is my favorite bit - we teach and train, our gym/classroom is the outdoors. In another thread there was a thought on having a minimum number of camping nights for each rank - I completely support that. Not sure of the #, but I would be happy with a minimum of 5 nights camping for every rank as a start.

Perception is keeping some away, aka the 3 Gs. Some outdoor types that would help us are turned-off by our reputation. Example: There is a cave exploring club that would be a great resource for us, but two of their organizers are gay and therefore not allowed to register and be counselors in climbing. We have a perception problem that keeps some from supporting us who would be great allies in restarting our adventures. The perception of us is a right-wing fundamentalist Christian organization with military overtones does not help us in attracting the some of the people we need to take our organization further. I don't think that this is an accurate portrayal, but our organization has done a poor job of countering it either. 

Modern Problems. Soccer used to be something you did in the fall and spring, now it is a year-round sport. Same with baseball where I live. Sports have migrated to year-round activities, where the best athletes are expected to be on expensive travel teams. Academics in America has gone to AP coursework, excessive homework, and everything focused on college matriculation. We have become an activity that fills in on the sides, or worse one that you choose over something else. This is not our fault, or our cause, but a situation we have to manage. I tell kids I would rather have them late at a meeting in their workout gear, than not showing up at all. I tell parents that if they want to drop off their son after their Saturday morning game instead of skipping the campout - I welcome them. I have made it very clear that they are welcome, and that has kept kids involved in the program we run - but it is still tough.

What age do we focus on? Is the BSA a youth program, a program for teenagers? My high school aged Scouts are SLAMMED at school, which keeps my Troop heavily weighted with 6th - 8th graders. By the time high school hits, I am lucky to get any time from those boys. This makes me have to try to keep them interested with other activities, while still running a program for the younger ones. We have tried to help start a Crew a few times, and it exists on paper, but the youth have never really taken off with it. My better ones often migrate over to the local Sea Scout program instead. 

So - I agree - we need to bring back the adventure side of Scouting. Some of this is promoting that which we already have, other parts revolves around changing some of our focus in the acitivities we are involved in as Scouts. I think that many of our challenges are not just our own, but more are an issue of how do we fit into this world. Our total numbers have been dropping since the 1970s (and I assume our percentage of available youth as well) for a variety of reasons. I don't worry about total numbers though - I just want to offer a great program for those who join.

I think a key issue for adults is a willingness to accept challenges/failure/problems when moving to boy led.

Depending on the quality of your youth leadership, and the willingness of your youth to follow their leaders:

Yes - you might not break camp on time - are you willing to live with that?

The dishes did not get done - so are you going to store a dirty patrol box until the next campout?

How much discipline authority to you allow the leaders? What is permissible? 

How hungry will you let a patrol get when they do a poor job of planning?

Basically - how far do you let it fall while they learn to take control? Your tolerance for chaos, problems, etc. will impact your ability to shift responsibility from adults to youth.

If a 9 year old girl is trapped in a boy's body like you say, you'd think she could tear her way out or something.  If that isn't the case and it's just a mental deiusion, like believing one is a chair or a platypus or something, then she deserves psychological treatment.

You might not be aware that the treatment for people with Gender Identity Disorder is to support them in how they view their gender. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_identity_disorder

Some of you might enjoy this article on the Truce. Interesting points about France not discussing it, how some units were rotated for fear that they would not be willing to kill the other side once they were humanized, etc.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30433729

12 hours is insane. For campouts, I set the following rule:

"When the second to the last Scout is picked up, I set a timer on my watch. After 10 minutes, your Scout goes home with me and my sons. He will sit at my home until you retrieve him at my house."

I hate to punish a Scout for bad parents - often they are the Scouts that need us the most.

One addition. Though both of my sons did just fine (and brought home some trophies), I don't love the derby. It is the only Cub Scout activity that replaces "Do Your Best" with "May the Best Scout Win."

One addition to the great suggestions here:

Our PWD has 3 events (thanks to a guy we hire to help out):

The speed race (3 runs, you get your fastest time, and each time on a different track).

A shuffleboard. You get points for where you land - middle is perfect

A ski jump (aka the wheel breaker). You get points for distance.

The other two events help even out the competition, but we keep the speed portion as well.

Speed winner by den and pack

Overall winner by den and pack

Design chosen by a group of people for best Scout design, with the understanding that they are to look for cars that are obviously Scout created and driven.

Works pretty well. We have a build day where the Pack is running an upside-down below sander in a vise, a few Dremels, and a saw. That way our non-tool users can work with their sons.

For amusement, I would like to recommend the movie (and book): Thank You for Smoking. Chris Buckley (William F's son) wrote the book, and it was turned into a great movie on lobbying, press relations (some inappropriate for young Scouts, though no nudity), and how a message can be delivered.

Early in the movie is a scene with Aaron Eckhart and Robert Duvall where the tobacco companies have agreed to fund and anti-smoking campaign. Duvall's comment, "better not be TOO effective" is priceless, delivered with a hacking cough/laugh, and fits into this discussion.

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thankyouforsmoking/

You are Chartered by a church - have one of your Scouts who is a member of the congregation carry the flag. For placement, I defer to those with better knowledge of flag etiquette.

We are reverent - we can celebrate our faith, while respecting the faith of others. That does not mean that we hide our faith in non-sectarian actions. Have a Catholic Scout carry the Vatican flag. It sounds great.

 

 

I don't think any merit badges should be done like school. Scouting should not be in a classroom. That is the antithesis of scouting. Anyone besides me have the first edition handbook?

I agree - but the BSA keeps on assigning merit badges that duplicate class work. As long as the requirements look like schoolwork, the best methodology will be to duplicate the classroom. When possible, we take the role of the Oxford tutorial, with as much 1:1 (without violating YP) as possible. In the meantime, the BSA requires badges that are covered in a social studies class - just add a field trip.

We also have a ton of badges that are career oriented - those are going to be taught classroom style as well by local experts.

I have no issue with this for the classroom badges. I am working with the local middle school teachers to get them registered as Merit Badge Counselors so that their Social Studies, Science and Music classes can be used to earn a MB as well. Much of the same work is done in the class, and the instructors like the BSA requirements and materials. I have used a local cooking school for parts of Cooking MB, and I have used the local pilot school to teach Aviation. A coach has been the counselor for Personal Fitness, and the entire team earned it (even though only a couple were Scouts).

CalicoPenn - two internet points (and an extra share of pie) for the reference. OK - so now I am truly interested.

L Ron Hubbard was an Eagle - copies of his certificate can be found online.

Bobby Henderson was as well?

I always cover the 3 Duties as part of my SMCs, asking the Scout to reflect on all 3 and talk about what they mean to him and how does he try to follow them. We then pick our way around the 12 points of the Law - I try to steer towards those that I think the Scout could work on, and I commend the Scout for those that he exemplifies.

When it comes to the Scout Spirit sign off, I have the Boy sign. I tell them that I typically do NOT interact in every-day life, and they are the best judge of that. It triggers a great interaction with the Scout.

My only issue with this new language is questioning why are are focused on just one of the Duties? It makes Duty to God seem to be MORE important due to the call-out.

From the BSA:

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/guidetoadvancement/mechanicsofadvancement/boyandvarsity.aspx

[h=3]4.2.3.2 Demonstrate Scout Spirit[/h] The ideals of the Boy Scouts of America are spelled out in the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout motto, and Scout slogan. Members incorporating these ideals into their daily lives at home, at school, in their religious life, and in their neighborhoods, for example, are said to have Scout spirit. In evaluating whether a member has fulfilled this requirement, it may be best to begin by asking him to explain what Scout spirit and living the Scout Oath and Scout Law mean to him. Young people know when they are being kind or helpful, or a good friend to others.They know when they are cheerful, or trustworthy, or reverent. All of us, young and old, know how we act when no one else is around.

"Scout spirit" refers to ideals and values; it is not the same as "school spirit."

A leader typically asks for examples of how a Scout has lived the Oath and Law. It might also be useful to invite examples of when he did not. This is not something to push, but it can help with the realization that sometimes we fail to live by our ideals, and that we all can do better. This also sends a message that a Scout can admit he has done wrong, yet still advance. Or in a serious situation-such as alcohol or illegal drug use-understand why advancement might not be appropriate just now. This is a sensitive issue, and must be treated carefully. Most Scout leaders do their best to live by the Oath and Law, but any one of them may look back on years past and wish that, at times, they had acted differently. We learn from these experiences and improve and grow.We can look for the same in our youth.

I second (or third) the idea of more information on how to change recipes to fit for campout cooking. When I have taught Cooking MB, I have challenged the boys to make the same dish in a dutch oven, over a fire, over a stove, over a backpacking stove. That helped teach them the difference between the different methods.

A good primer on how to convert Grandma or Grandpa's recipes to the dutch oven would be awesome.

I have been over that border more than once, and had issues with one Canadian guard outside of Whitehorse, but the US was never an issue. In London I found that one guy was a pain, but the next aisle was a delight. Sometimes this is all triggered by one person. My son had his Maglite flashlight taken from his carry-on because it was considered to be a club when the D-cells were in it. He was on his way to the National Jamboree.

So who knows.

I embrace the need for more data and information before the snap to judgement - only because I tend to jump to quickly myself at times. My Minister posted this on that subject today, thought I would share: http://myemail.constantcontact.com/EXTRA-.html?soid=1102441261857&aid=Doqj5mrs-6U

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[TD=bgcolor: #900000, colspan: 1, align: left] "Think Faust"

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I am trying to cultivate a simple but effective habit that I call, "think Faust." Dietrich Bonheoffer once observed how the legendary character Faust, after a life devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, lay on his deathbed and confessed, "I now do see that we can nothing know." It is a memorable phrase because, once again, it shows how discourteous Germans can be toward their verbs. But, it is memorable for other reasons as well.

I've been reminded of Faust's words this week as our public attention is galvanized over three very poignant events: The plight of Yazidi and Christian communities in Iraq; the shooting and the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO; and the suicide of Robin Williams. At the heart of each event is a real tragedy, which evokes in us an insistent need for evaluation, interpretation, and some way of making sense of it all. What we seem not willing to tolerate is Faust's words, "I now do see that we can nothing know."

There is something about Faust's simple admission that we cannot abide. Perhaps it is because we are sure that others can know nothing either, but that doesn't stop them from acting as if they do. Pundits, talking heads, and anyone with access to social media seem perfectly comfortable opining about practically everything, so why not join the fray? Whether we share our opinions aloud or simply carry the dialogue internally, we are caught in an odd place: Faust's confession may be true, but we have an urgent need to say something - anything - to make sense of what is happening around us.

Here is how I am trying to "think Faust" about this week's events. As one who is not part of a minority community, who has not felt conspicuous when doing routine activities to which everyone should be entitled, I will "think Faust" before evaluating the claims or actions of the African American community in Ferguson. As one who has never been a law enforcement officer, required to exercise restraint and to consider public safety when encountering those who eschew both, I will "think Faust" before making widespread claims about the rightness or wrongness of police action. As one who is not in a perpetual struggle with "the dark night of the soul," I will "think Faust" before pretending that I know what causes or prevents suicide.

It is not easy cultivating the habit to "think Faust" instead of resorting to the more popular inclination to "think fast." What comes out of the "think Faust" practice is not necessarily silence or inaction, but humility. It the humility of knowing that the world, human relations, and even a single human life is incredibly rich and complex, invested with far more than meets the eye. Living before a world like that, it makes a difference to say, "I now do see that we can nothing know."

In peace,

Mark of St. Mark

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