Stosh

That, too, is only half right. As a franchisee of the BSA program, the CO has a responsibility to insure the BSA program is followed. Otherwise, they should be sponsoring their own program or a different program. If not it is a guarantee that the product delivered to the customer will not be consistent throughout the organization, a problem we are experiencing right now.

When a boy joins or at recharter time we collect the registration fees due outside of the unit from the parents. If the boy goes on an activity, the family pre-pays the expenses. If there is bling needed, the parent pays for their boy's bling. If they want to go to camp, the parents pay for it. Now if the parents think it's too expensive, they pull together a fundraiser. I don't care as long as it's not a raffle or a Ponzi scheme. They generally push the popcorn sales and as adults get out and raise a ton of money selling popcorn with or without their scout. That's how most operate a

I've been in scouting for 45 years, Ive been a UC for over 5 years, I've held positions from Cub DL to Venturing Advisor. I am WB trained and trained as a leader from Cubs to Venturing. With everything you've described, I for one would not know where to even begin to fix all the stuff I see wrong with the operation of that unit. Good luck.

Aww Com' on! If he already has a pet snake, why is he catching a frog for the study!??

One could always catch a wild frog for the observation part of this requirement and then after 30 days, it becomes a "pet" and can't be released back into the wild according to state law. Well then, they could always just feed it to their pet snake and everyone's happy. Right?

It is surprising how many of these dramas that troops face are adult-created. Sure sometimes the boys need to be reined in when they wander outside the BSA policies, get involved in risky activities, need some Law and Oath directives, and the boys aren't gaining anything out of the program. But if all Hell breaks loose because the boy's screwed up, it's fixable and okay, this is why the boys are in the program in the first place. However, if all Hell breaks loose because the adult's screwed up, then there's no one to blame but the adults, who generally won't follow the Oath and Law and fess

No dues. Fundraisers are the sole ownership of the parents. If they don't want to do fundraisers, they pick up the total cost of their son's scout experience. If that is a financial burden, they can do fundraisers to get someone else to pay for their son's scout experience. The boys participate, if they wish, in the fundraisers. Some of the money taken in is earmarked for troop expenses and some for patrol expenses. The committee uses the money to keep the unit solvent. The patrol money is spent by the boys for things of importance to their patrol operation. Nothing ever is ear

One would assume that every adult that volunteers for the BSA get the appropriate training for the job they will be doing. If one has by-laws, that should be #1. After that Rule #2 should be Stay in your own lane and quit worrying about what everyone else is doing, they are trained to do it and have responsibility to do it. I don't know what rule #3 would be.

Also, remember that not all YPT problems are created by "shady" people. I learned a long time ago not to judge a person or a book by its cover. ... and I don't trust every background check that comes along. Like Groucho Marx once said, "Why would I want to join an organization that would take me as a member." I've passed more background checks that the average person because of all the youth work and volunteering I do. In spite of that, the jury is still out on me.

If one is smoozing with the "powers-that-are", one needs to get in with the COR. That is the person who dictates who is assigned to what position in the troop. He/She says who the CC is, who the SM is, and who the MC's and ASM's are. It cuts down on the drama to have a trained and sane COR running the troop's HR department, which is their job! The COR, working with the Unit Commissioner, can go a long way getting the troop back on BSA policy. Otherwise, one is subject to the personal whims of everyone who thinks they are King of the Troop. I volunteer for the Red Cross, an organiza

This ought to be done by the troop in the first place. I took WB because I felt I needed it. I paid for it and afterwards was reimbursed by the troop. None of the members of my WB patrol stayed in Scouting for more than a year after WB. Those in my troop who took it with me are no longer in scouting either. I have remained with scouting since I took the course in 1993. It made no difference to me over the years whether I paid for it or the troop did, it was for me. Because I stayed with the program, the troop benefitted and their generous reimbursement was appreciated. However, o

This is especially true for the transitional program of Webelos and NSP! This is the core of one's retention process. The programs change and special attention at this junction is critical so that the BOYS change along with the program. Naw, gotta keep that one in there. That's how I financially support my troop. They make more money that way than just relying on FOS from me.

The only ambivalence I have with OA is the difference between what it is supposed to be and what in reality it is. As long as it is as poorly run in my area, what difference would it make to have girls join. There's nothing there to really get excited about in the first place. If it is going to be run as it was designed to run, then leave it the way it was designed to run, an honor camping/service program for Boy Scouts.

And this runs counter to everything ever written by BP! I use the NSP effectively in my troops. The NSP get's to pick it's own members from the group of incoming newbies AND any other scouts in the unit they wish to invite. I had one instance where an older brother of one of the new boys join the NSP as their PL. It worked out just fine and they didn't need a TG. 6-8 per patrol, and THEY TELL ME what they want for membership. They get a TG and depending on the skill of that person, that can cover multiple NSPs if necessary. At the end of the first year, the NAME of the patrol changes.

How are adult created rules and by-laws a part of boy-led? After many years of working with youth, I have NEVER resorted to looking it up in some rules document to make a point. By the time one is looking for some support for their argument, they have already lost control of the situation. It is far better to head off problems before they occur. 99% of the rules, regulations and by-laws created by the adults are additions to the requirements of BSA policies. This is an inappropriate way of running a BSA unit. I go with qwazse on this one. Adult rules are worthless. Doing what

One of the problems facing the fledgling co-ed Explorer program was it's main focus was not on scouting activities. Most of them were a Nature Post, a Medical Post, a Law Post, a Law Enforcement Post, etc. career focused programs on a certain interest area. All the "old" Explorer Posts (of which were very few) were just call General Interest Posts. Like I mentioned, they were a very limited number of these Posts, in that the push was for career oriented posts, not the old Scout focused Explorer Posts. There weren't many boys interested in these General Interest Posts, let alone girls. The

You are a better man than I am, Gunga Din! The ignorance of youth is a wonderful thing. The wisdom of age allows one to know exactly where the land mines are located.

Hmmm.... it took 20 years to close the door on Explorers in OA? General Interest Explorer Posts weren't really a hot-bed of female interest. As a matter of fact, only about 5, maybe 6 GI posts in our council out of 43 Posts in the Council I was in in the early 1970's Splintering it off in the late 1990's when they shut down potential OA females really didn't do much to help bail out the sinking ship. Then in the late 90's Venturing with a whole new "image" really didn't take off. Putting a Bandaid every 20 years isn't really going to cure the patient. Oh, if one is into simple Math,

There are many of us that have already sailed these treacherous waters many times. But there has always been plenty of maps and support in those processes to help minimize the risks. BSA does not have a sound track record on that process. Sure they have worked many years on a declining co-ed program called Exploring/Venturing, but back in the 1970's when Exploring went co-ed there were a ton of problems. I worked two years in that program in a Council setting, organizing these groups. It was pretty much running barefoot through broken glass. I was 20 at the time and weathered a lot of st

Well done and well thought out. The only caveat I would add would be the historical sites. No one is going to make a special trip from Minnesota to Yellowstone for the MB, but Minnesota is loaded with many great historical places that may be more interesting than Ft. Snelling that has probably already been visited by the Twin City scouts. The largest Indian War in American history was fought in Southern Minnesota in 1862. Mankato was host to one of the largest public executions in American history when 38 Indians were hung. New Ulm was under siege for 3 days, the only time in Americ

On the other hand, I couldn't wait to get away from family and be with my buddies. I have been camping since I was 4 years old and at age 11, I got the chance to finally dump the family and go out into the great outdoors with my buddies. Of course, I never grew up and I married a gal that didn't either. Flew down to Orlando for the Red Cross to help with the relief of Hurricane Irma. They asked if the Mrs. and I were interested in driving one of the Red Cross trucks to Sacramento. I looked at the Mrs. and she smiled and said ROAD TRIP. When we got to the wild fires in California, we p

This overlapping programs and rule changing on the part of BSA is the best way they have come up with when shooting themselves in the foot. This trial-and-error method of fixing dying or struggling programs just isn't working out for BSA and for well over 45 years one's track record would dictate at least quit doing it. They have yet to learn.

I'm confused, how is ONE committee member running the whole show? Where's the CC in this formula? And why is the Committee running the program? That's the SM's job! Maybe it's time for a visit with the COR and educate that person on what a BSA program is supposed to be. Sounds like someone needs an early retirement. Oh, yes, too, the committee needs to be properly trained in the BSA program.

Why isn't the troop Instructor teaching the NSP, it's his job! Where's the TG in this whole process, it's his job! Where's the mentoring of the SPL with the NSP PL, it's his job! Where's the PLC setting rules and regulations, it's their job! Cheesh, I have more youth led going on in my church's youth group than what's happening in this troop! Oh, by the way, your troop does not have helicopter parents, they have bulldozer parents. Big difference.

One of the problems we have in our council and the troop I was serving at the time, the boys took MB's that aren't taught back in the council. Finding counselors for partials was hard enough, finding counselors for obscure MB's is impossible.