Stosh

I have no problem with the SPL functioning as an JASM, but if they interfere with the Pls running the patrols that's a whole different story.  As a PL support person that's great.  Help the APLs be an asset to the patrol.

Keep it in mind that one will need to compensate for altitude with extra fuel when in Philmont.  I don't know exactly how many more canisters one may use over the course of the trek, but with white gas, the load gets lighter as the trek goes on, whereas, canisters need to be packed in and packed out.  Because they are pressure tanks, they are heavier than the white gas bottles that are as easily interchangeable as are canisters.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/high-altitude-cooking-and-food-safety/ct_index

So the program continues to escalate from boys, to boys and their siblings down to kindergarten level , to all girls but in separate dens/troops, to moms, dads, step-moms, step-dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and siblings of grandchildren and we still call it Boy Scouts?  Some of these people are covered by insurance, some are not.  Some of these people are YPT trained, some are not.  And so who's getting dumped with sorting all of this out?  TADAAAH!  The Scoutmaster.  So, to go from taking small groups of boys out on activities with another scouter, the expectation is now to ........   Really?

This ain't Kansas anymore..... Mr. Barnum.

It came at Roundtable tonight. 

Does anyone know what the Lone Scout requirements are for Eagle and how they differ from the standard requirements?

With the small boy units in small towns, getting 4-5 girls together to start a female troop would preclude any gals wanting eagle.  Lone Scout for Girls might be the fast track needed to get Ms. Ireland into first place in the race to eagle.  After all, I highly doubt Ms. Ireland got the Canadian award by showing up at their weekly meetings being from the US.  Do the Canadians have an equivalent Lone Scout program?

It might be nice to know some of this information, I'm thinking there's a workaround being cooked up somewhere along the line.

3 hours ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

Good questions. The assumption is that because it is a 'family camp out" with each family responsible for themselves, they do not have to follow BSA rules. But I bet if an accident happens, things will hit the fan.

I just got back from my UC/roundtable meeting and this issue came up on the rechartering discussion we had.  If a mom and/or dad shows up for a scout outing and are not registered (and to be registered they need YPT) , they are NOT covered by any BSA insurance.  Neither are unregistered siblings whether the parents are registered or not.  One has to be registered to be covered.  Also the parent who is not registered and YPT trained as the 2-deep puts not only themselves in limbo, they open up the CO to any liability issues as well.  One might be wise to find out what the CO's insurance is and what their policies are as well as those of the BSA.  I know for a fact that most church youth organizations require background checks and approval.  The COR handles this, but if the SM takes on parents that are not members of the church and/or not registered with BSA, there could be a lot of 'splainin' to do if something goes wrong and lawyers get involved.

2 hours ago, ItsBrian said:

In all honesty, it depends on the size of the troop.

My troop has 12 scouts, with only 3 senior. Two of them do not want to be SPL so I was it again. 

 

If it’s a big Troop, everyone should get a chance if they want one.

With only 2 patrols, that's not much of a job for an SPL.  If the two PL's needed to discuss anything they could do it over the phone.

As far as chances go, any boy that is willing and able to lead shouldn't have any trouble getting elected/selected.  It's only when the adults make up rules that the less qualified or unable to handle it get assigned by the adults.  Then the adults start the helicopter hover over the boy to make up all kinds of rules that measure performance so that they can "mentor" the boys to get done what the adults want done.  I see it all over the place around my neck of the woods, and from what gets tossed around here on the forum, we're not the only ones.

4 hours ago, Eagledad said:

Then growth wasn’t considered in the process. 

Barry

If that were a major concern, why doesn't BSA address the issue?  There are plenty of opportunities for growth other than PL and SPL.

3 hours ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

My troop does not allow consecutive terms for any elected PORs. Appointed are a different matter. But there is now a push by adults to change the rules so that you only get 1 term of office in a position. That's because the other adults say same the same people keep getting elected, and  it's a popularity contest. My opinion is that the Scouts know best who will get the job done, and vote for those Scouts. One person upset has a son who, when he ran for PL voted for the other person. Another son ran for PL and was not elected. Due to extracurriculars, he has been to only 1 meeting since elections, and he was at the election only long enough to vote. And he will not be at meeting again until Feb.

 

Me personally I say let them run until they get voted out, or no longer want the position. But I am in the minority of adults.

And once again the adults get their hands in it and the boy's wishes take a back seat.

Hmmmm, if rule making by adults is important to the operation of the troop, why not have an opportunity for each boy to be SPL for a 1 week, 1 term election and then everyone can mark it off on their resume/college application they were an SPL.  From all the negative feedback about SPL's not doing their job very well, most troops wouldn't notice any difference.

As a UC that goes around fighting fires in units all the time, when it comes to elections in troops, I would venture to say about 100% of the times people are upset about leadership selection in troops is because of adult made up rules.

This topic was well before my time, and like a fine wine, it's aged well.

13 minutes ago, Tampa Turtle said:

Ted:  "Hi Billy"

Billy: "HI, Ted. Whats wrong"

Ted: "I feel so frustrated about scouting I just want to give up"

MUSIC QUE: Sad Harmonica plays quietly in background.

Looks like a helicopter dad with an AK-47 in the upper left hand corner.  Whatcha think?

51 minutes ago, Tampa Turtle said:

One change in all that is once you get one mom hanging around the scouts campfire those stories don't get told. Everyone clams up. 

And another notch in the "having no fun" belt gets cut in.

22 minutes ago, Tampa Turtle said:

Comrade, the survey will have overwhelming support regardless of the outcome. (You will of course not get the survey.) And as for you Citizen Stosh I here the camping is delightful in Siberia this year.

I've done the Siberian camping.  The boys build snow huts, I'm too lazy so I meadow crash under the stars.  Woke up one morning and it had snowed 2", the boys found me from the whale hole exhaust I was putting out.  Was doing okay until I had to sit up and all the snow went down my neck.  Coffee!  Coffee!  Where's the coffee!

Time will tell, but don't hold your breath Smurphy. 

There's a good YouTube video on making PWC cars, weight placement, axle bending, riding on three wheels, etc.

For the really cheapo schools there was always the ditto machines.      If one had a mimeograph, they were high class, and if one thinks mimeograph ink smelled, the whole school would know the ditto machine was up and running.

And by the way, I got a real kick out of the the carbon paper comment.  Scared the cat.

I'm sure this process will come in handy when mom, dad, and an advisor help the boy with this promotions at work and his rank advancement in the military. 

3 hours ago, Back Pack said:

Did we change topics? I get confused when we sometimes we’re told to stay on topic and other times we go so far off. 

I kinda thought we were a bit on topic in that out in the real world we have Doctorate degrees that mean many different things.  We have also titles that mean many different things.  What would stop BSA from having the Eagle rank follow suit and thus mean many different things?

Welcome to the forum!  I'm way too old to give advice on video casting.  I have to know what it is before I make fun of it. 

25 minutes ago, Tampa Turtle said:

...A Girl Boy Scout, a Venturer, and a Sea Scout walk into a bar tent. The Sea Scout is wearing a MAGA hat and says I need a drink dutch oven...

This is why you get into trouble.

After 45+ years, I took my boys out for a camping/fishing outing this past fall.  We got out there in the rain and it literally down-poured while setting up camp, in the dark.  I had warned my boys that this day was going to be coming down the road someday and voila, there it was in full fury.  After helping the boys get settled in, it was my time to set up my tent..... NO WAY.  I crawled into the back of my pickup truck to get out of the rain, blew up the air mattress so I didn't sleep on the rippled flooring, changed into dry clothes and went to bed.  The mattress leaked so I got up every hour or so to blow it back up.  Had a miserable night.  I think the Scouting God was punishing me for not sleeping in a soaked tent with soaked sleeping bag and soaked clothes.  I'm getting too old for this!

9 minutes ago, qwazse said:

Actually, it's STEAM now. (The NOVA award includes an Agriculture component.) So, in theory, one could 3D print a cellular matrix, infuse balsa wood cells, drain the media, allow the cells to grow and mature along the matrix-including growing them around the axles (tires already inserted), and cure the assembly. With a little genetic engineering you could have the bark mature in different colors -- a pre-painted car. No band saw required.

Wayyyyy too difficult.  Mix pine sawdust with Elmer's glue, mold to make it look like a car.  Let dry, sand a bit and paint.

And as an extra thought, one does not need a band saw to make a PWD car.  That's a dad's way of doing it, not the boys.

My answer to that dilemma is to let the troop know that whatever weekend is picked for "Family" camp, you will be busy doing real family camping where BSA and all of it's drama doesn't get in the way of having a good time and you can wear your favorite flannel shirt instead of a uniform.

I grew up knowing the difference and my family camped way more often than the scouts did.  I did learn, however, that scouting was different because I camped with my buddies instead of my family.  There was a reason for doing it that way.

The other problem is the SM having to take on moms and dads who stop off at Walmart to pick up camp gear and now when they show up, one has 2 or 3 times more "kids" to babysit in camp.  And after all the years I have had in scouting, yes, this process has happened more than once to me and now that "family" camping is on the table, it's going to become a routine headache.  I'm so totally not interested in that as a future for me.

As a last resort, one could always leave the uniform at home and go as a parent to your scout son.    No responsibilities?  No hassles?  No drama?  Sounds like the perfect family outing to me. 

If there's that much drama going on, it's best not to get in the middle of it.  That whole process is not for the boys' benefit, so it sounds like you've taken the right course of action.  You did mention interest in the DL position.  Why are you not where you want to be?  The DL job is all "for the boys".  Unless the adults "click" on the notion of doing it for the boys, it's best just to let them go off and do their own thingy and take on a job you really prefer and do well at.    I have always through that any assistant job is t make the boss look good and be successful.  In your case, I don't know if that's possible.

I have no idea how I survived Cub Scouts when there was no PWD.  I don't even remember one being offered.  My son when he was in Cubs didn't want to bother making a car, nor did he attend the races offered.  I guess there are a few of us who aren't motivated by competition.