infoscouter

A tip on removing the black web belt. The sewn-on tag is sewn through the belt and into the waistband of the pants. If you just ripped the tag off, you probably can't pull the web belt out. You have to clip the stitches in order to remove the web belt.

Thanks! I thought it had to be something conservation related. I haven't delved into the patch morass yet - I'm sorting old GSUSA material (catalogs, photographs, etc.) Even though I was a GS for a long time, and thought I knew quite a bit about the history, I'm learning all sorts of neat things.

If you happen to come to the Twin cities, take some time to stop by the North Star Museum - really a neat place.

I have recently started volunteering at our local Scouting museum. Cool place, by the way: http://www.nssm.org/

Anyway - one unending job is cataloging all the patches & badges that have been donated over the years. One came up yesterday that we couldn't find in our resources, and we have several reference books that we looked through, but without a clue as to the subject, it's time consuming.

It's a fully embroidered badge w/ a green border. Left side features the head of a deer against a green field. Center is a river w/ a bird flying overhead. Right side is a pine tree.

Any ideas?

Unless you're an attorney or an insurance professional, please don't use the "won't be covered by insurance" hoax. This kind of situation is just what insurance is for! Liability insurance can cover us for another's lack of judgement or ignorance.

Now this just may be a dad that gets off shift at 4:00 and has a couple drinks. Lots of guys do. He doesn't even know that BSA has a no alcohol policy, much less that he's sort of violating it. Heck, he's been in the program all of what - four, six weeks at this point. So if he's drinking, he needs to be told about the BSA policies. The suggestion to bump this up the line to the Cubmaster and Committee Chair is a good one.

And as someone has said there *are* medical conditions that can mimic the smell of alcohol on someone's breath, so they may need to be delicate when approaching the subject.

>So I should wear two layers when I go to troop meetings in December? >Sounds silly to me

Why? My DH and I wear polypro or silk long underwear from November to March. We each own several pair, and layer all the time. Of course we keep the house at 66 degrees, but we dress this way at work as well.

It's just practical in the winter.

This morning I served as an Archery Merit Badge Counselor for our Shooting Sports Merit Badge Make-up day. This is an opportunity for Scouts who failed to complete the range portions of the shooting sports merit badges at camp to make another attempt at qualifying.

Three of the seven boys who attended were able to score the required 170 points in 6 ends of 5 arrows using a compound bow. Some of the others came close. I tried to coach several, but they were unsure of their shooting skills and did a lot of practice rounds, and ran out of time, before they had to depart camp for another obligation. I gave them my number, so they can contact me for future opportunities.

Then I drove to the farm where my (temporary) Tiger den was having their first Go and See It. There were chickens and turkeys and llamas and peacocks and miniature horses and donkeys and sheep; a hay ride; a pick your own pumpkin patch. Oh my!!

Last week I also served as an archery range officer, for a very different group of archers. Our district which serves special needs scouts also has a number of Learning for Life groups in special ed classrooms in the council. Twice a year they run an outdoor field day for kids from those groups. Some were physically or developmentally disabled (or a combination); there were also groups from EBD (emotional/behaviorial) classrooms. Sometimes it takes a lot for them to pay attention long enough to loose an arrow. Safety is also a real consideration - they don't keep real good control over the bow. But when they hit the target - wow! is that a feeling!

Our pack uses Scout Accounts. Each Scout (except Tigers) have a quota of $115 profit from fundraisers (about 350-400) product. Basically this amount is our pack dues. Parents have a $10.00 a month buy out option.

After that quota is met, the profit from sales is split 50% to the pack, 15% to an account for den activities, and 35% to the Scout''s account.

The "Annual Pack Program Plan" http://www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources/packbudget/index.html

addresses this question - see point 3

"Some Important Points:

Paying your own way. This is a fundamental principle of the Boy Scouts of America. It is one of the reasons why no solicitations (requests for contributions from individuals or the community) are permitted by Cub Scout packs. Young people in Scouting are taught early on that if they want something in life, they need to earn it. It is among the reasons that adults who were Scouts are found to have higher incomes. The finance plan of any pack should include participation by a Cub Scout in a regular dues plan.

An annual pack participation fee, too often completely contributed by parents, does little to teach a boy responsibility. The unit''s entire budget must be provided for by the families through either fundraising or other means such as dues or fees.

Individual youth accounts. Packs using this method have traditionally had stronger programs with less turnover of youth (Cub Scouts are retained). Individual Cub Scout accounts, whereby the pack keeps track of how much a Cub Scout or his family has raised toward his "Ideal Year of Scouting" goal, are critical to the success of this program. When individual Cub Scouts are credited for their efforts, they develop a sense of personal responsibility and participation."

Note the downloadable Excel sheet that you can use to create your budget.

I pushed submit too fast.

Eagle Pete adequately and very eloquently covered one of my concerns - what the other Scouts and dens felt about this situation.

The next question is what happens now? If they turn the money over, who gets to say how it gets spent? If the den conducted the fundraiser out of ignorance, I guess I can understand. In that case (as a committee member myself) I would be willing to set the monies aside in a "den fund" and continue to reimburse the den leaders for den expenses. If this was an intentional end run, to fund an ambitious den leader''s goals in the absence of Scout accounts and pack support, you have different issues.

The Cub Scout Leader Book specifically says that dens cannot conduct fundraisers. I don''t have it at my fingertips, but I''d check the chapter on pack finances. Your commtitee member is correct, but the guidance should be coming from the Committee Chair.

EaglePete - its worded that way to fit the situations of both age-based (LDS) and grade-based packs. A pack works on one system or another - an individual boy doesn''t get to pick which system he''s going to follow. If a non-LDS pack wanted to, they could follow the age based system as well, but I know of none that do. So - a boy in a pack that follows the grade based system, is tied to the Cub Scout Cycle http://www.directservicebsa.org/pdf/13-027.pdf , and advances to the next level on June 1, with (as ScoutNut says) a few weeks to continue to earn rank if necessary.

New Leader Essentials is designed to be a 1.5 hour course. We have a hard time keeping it under two hours, but we try darn hard. The section on Safe Scouting always has so many questions. If its taking a whole morning, someone must have padded it or be telling a lot of war stories.

I kind of like the idea of breaking for lunch, though. We start NLE at 8:30 and the position specific sessions at 10:45. We teach right through until 1:30, eating while we teach.

If we started at 10:00, we could break at noon, and start PST at 12:30. However, that would have us ending at 3:00 (I''m talking Cub training here) Most of our learners think the 1:30 ending time is too late, and they''re giving up too much time. The syllabus before this was 6 hours, and the one before that 8. At one time Cub training took 18 hours, over several days.

GaHillBilly, don''t be discouraged. Knowledge is power. Now that you know how the troop is supposed to work, you''re in the position to drop words of wisdom in the ears of adults and youth involved. More importantly, you can encourage training for others - including the boys - who can effect change.

Wow - how can you meet this close to an event and still get a reservation anywhere? We have to reserve space at council camps up to a year in advance. State park sites require at least 6 months lead time. Out time line is 180-360 days out for camp site selection, and 90 to 120 days for program planning.

The BSA advancement method incorporates *immediate recognition* as a fundamental concept.

You will find that all BSA literature stipulates that Cub Scouts (and Boy Scouts) receive their advancement recognition at the next regularly scheduled meeting after the completion of the requirements.

For some reason, I suspect laziness, many packs do not observe this practice. *Every* pack meeting should include an advancement ceremony of sufficient import to properly recognize Scouts who have attained awards that month. Some leaders mistakenly see the Blue & Gold banquet as an opportunity for a big "blow-out" multi-rank ceremony, partly because it is easier to perform one big traditional ceremony, than do the work to properly recognize boys each month. Their other argument is that "its a pack tradition" - and that boys and parents would be disappointed if it wasn''t done this way - which as John says is the product of the wrong end of bovine. Trained Cub Scout leaders know better. If they choose to ignore proper practice, they are failing the Scouts and their parents.

How do you change this? You can be a thorn in the Cubmaster''s side and nag him/her into doing it the right way. You can have an "older and wiser" Unit Commissioner/Roundtable Commissioner/experienced Cub Scout leader try and guide them onto the right path. You can use the back door and tell all the parents in your den that the boys are supposed to get their badges at the next meeting and the Cubmaster doesn''t want to do that - parental pressure can be a powerful force! You can get the committee chair on your side and get them to help you exert pressure. If you really want to make waves you can plan your own ceremony, buy the badges and present them at the pack meeting. The other adults will wonder what the heck you''re doing, but you can back up your actions with BSA literature, so if you''re brave . . .

As an aside (I know there are some other experienced Cub Scouters on the forum), after 18 years I am getting tired of answering this question. What in the heck are we doing wrong that we haven''t been able to erase this practice?

Clean up projects of this type have a great impression some times. Kids don''t realize how much litter/junk people discard thoughtlessly. Find a way to quantify how much you pick up - # of items, # of bags filled, how many cans/bottles/miscellaneous items.

Hold a reflection after the activity, and ask them why they think people do this. Why is it bad for the environment? What steps can they take as Scouts to keep nature clean? How can they make sure they don''t make this kind of impact? Tie it back to the Front Country Guidelines, and the core values. Values you could address would include Citizenship, Perseverance, Resourcefulness, Respect and Responsibility.

One other service aspect would be to keep selected items and make a display for a pack meeting. If you counted, tell how many cans you picked up, how many bottles, etc. Have the boys make a caption for each item telling how long it would take that type of item to biodegrade (if ever). You could help them with the research, by supplying some kid level articles from magazines like Ranger Rick or Time for Kids.

People are having a hard time with this award.

The new award requires unit leaders to think about the factors that will make their unit truly improve, rather that just check things off on a list. Since it''s new, the BSA itself admits that the interpretation of the award will be an issue for people, and that next year''s award may evolve from the version we''re using this year.

Your units should have set their goals. This month, you and they should be going over their goals and determining if they''ve met them. If not, they still have a couple months, to get things in order, but the units that have met their goals by October 31 can start receiving them as of Nov. 1.

These are links to the Commissioner newsletter and a podcast that discuss the award. They may help you get a handle on the concept and the process.

http://www.scouting.org/commissioners/newsletter/4-06.jpg

http://www.scouting.org/commissioners/podcast/comm-0701C.mp3

Check first to see if your council runs a uniform exchange. Many do. They have "experienced" shirts for which they charge a minimal amount (or nothing). Check your local Salvation Army/St. Vincent dePaul/Goodwill, to see if any have been donated. Check vintage clothing stores if there are good ones in your area. Finally, check on eBay. There are lots available right now, but they''re going for a premium because of high demand this time of year.

We''re co-publishing a book with the local Scouting museum, documenting the growth of our council.

I know there is a committee - I''m not sure what other things are planned. I believe a "super event" of some sort, but not sure what yet. We have recently purchased a new piece of property, that should be improved by 2010. It may be large enough to hold a council-wide camporee, and since it is urban not rural property, we could invite the public to attend.

The BSA *suggests* you have YP every two years. It is not currently a requirement. However, if your council''s camps require a current YP card, OR your council has insistituted an every two years rule, then it''s required.

This is an ask your council question. Check with your district training chair.

Our pros generally do Boy Talks. They *prefer* that they be done by volunteers - that''s how it''s supposed to happen. But the reality is that very few packs have volunteers who are free during the school day. DEs on the other hand, have the flexibility to spend part of their day driving from one school to another (In my school district, you could easily do 6 or 7 in one day - but there are 34 to cover).

So yes, our DEs do this. I''ve done it in the past. It varies from year to year how many volunteers we can get, so we do a combination.

It is not uncommon for individuals with congnitive disabilites to have gross/fine motor issues as well. It may not be that this Scout is "too lazy" to pick up his feet - he may not have the coordination to do so. What does he do with his hands? Do they hang at his sides or does he move them in rhythm with his feet? How does he do with knots or kitchen utensils? If his deficits are consistent across many motor areas, you''re seeing a feature of his disability, not a lack of motivation. He may be *really* excited about being included with the other boys and doing his best.

Do the other boys in the troop use a Scout stave or hiking poles? This may be a piece of adaptive equipment that might help him put a rhythm in his stride. He would have to swing the poles/staff ahead of him and then "catch up" with his feet. Alternately, you may have to teach him a mental cadence to help him keep the pace. Singing as you hike might do this - either a very rhythmic song, or an actual group cadence.

Talking to the Scout may not yield the information you need to help him, but you can try. Kids this age don''t have the skills to self-advocate for the adaptations they need. A conversation with mom is probably the best way to find out the scope of his needs.

Does your council have a special needs Scouting committee? They may be able to provide some guidance or suggestions for program adaptations.

While these are guidelines relating to songs, skits, etc. they may provide some guidance as to what''s acceptable:

http://troop-42.net/Files/Grey%20Areas.pdf

National has placed a MS Excel template for a pack newsletter on their web site.

http://www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources/13-288/newsletter.xls

If you unlock the cells you could change the information to a troop version.

Here''s a link to that article:

http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/current/d-flin.html

I love when I''m running an archery range, and a Cub Scout who comes in all eager, but not very competent, responds to coaching and improves his technique. There''s that look of wonder and delight on his face when he "gets it" and the arrow hits the target, or even better the 10 ring. Just gets me every time.

Wow - I admire you folks for being so conscientious (sp?) about your leader recruiting.

I would ask about willingness to :

attend training,

be uniformed,

be open to suggestions from parents and other leaders,

be good communicators and inspirers of parents

to use ceremonies, games and skits to enliven meetings

I''ll think and see if I can come up with some more.

[closing duplicate topic]

(This message has been edited by a staff member.)