jbroganjr

Good discussion BW. Before I get to my suggestions, though, I would not be too hasty in putting down former leaders of a unit. How about the ASM or SM whose son has moved on, or the need to find some other way to do scouting when one is fed up with working with adults in a unit. Eagle Dad, our RT program is based on 5 minute intervals, as it is my observation that todays society is so used to that frenzied blitz of information. Announcements, you get 2 minutes tops. unit commissioner: I agree that it has to be a revamped education and training, to add the benefits of the commissione

Yes in the troop setting though. Why, inactive, or no scout spirit. A case of the boy went through and the SM "bent" the rules a bit. The boy was told why he was denied, and a plan of action was suggested with a time frame (In other words, we let him know what was expected for his rank and leadership position). 3 months later, his rank was granted. It burns me though, when kids/parents skate through and get rank for their kids. It only deny's a kid the scouting experience.

In another thread the topic arose about the use of commissioners, specifically, the need for an overhaul of the role of the commissioners. a poster, twocubdad, suggested thinking outside the box. there was also comment about mentoring as a role. Here are couple of questions. What is the commissioner's Role in your unit? Is the UC only there for charter, FOS and "referying" adults? Is there something missing from the commissioners? If so, what? How do you feel about the UC making housecalls? If district intervention/help has occured in your district, what was the outcome? For cub

Off the beaten track...the best training I've ever been involved with Is chairing a PoW Wow. Lots of work, tons of fun, too bad it was over in just one day. Best training i've taken is the old Scoutmaster Fundamentals and Scoutmaster outdoors. Developed a great relationship with many of todays SM's, CC and ASM in my district. Second best: Commissioners College, very insightful stuff was discussed there.

Random thoughts (not necessarily mine)... What if the PLC has decided that their program has turned into a yearly 1c1y program and they are bored with the program being tied into the advancement of the new scouts? (This one's mine) why is it so rigid, the 12 month calendar, on BW's part, when 14-16 month is actually ideal? (The troop I am associated with does a lot of service work as well as, IMHO, fundraising, that detracts from allowing the program to be an outdoors program). How does one approach an old scoutmaster about changing his attidude on 1c1y and implementing one that

I like the hike. Sctmom is right on about the adults tho'. We do rob kids the experience of the sounds of nature at night with all the racket coming from the adults around a campfire. I find this happens alot at camporees and the first couple of nights at summer camp. A suggestion I use to quiet the "loud" boys down is to get them outside the tents and around either the fire ring or entrance to camp and ask them quietly to listen to the sounds of the night. After a few minutes, the noise inevitably starts up again, as boys are boys and then I ask them to identify the sounds, Is it a squirr

To truly make an impression as well as aiming high for a personal experience I would suggest low rise scout socks with sandals. My kid brother actually came to work yesterday with blue socks and flip flops, so I am guessing we could all be at the forefront of a new fashion statement do you think I could find sock garters to match my scout socks? What supply number would that be?

Well the woodbadge wet noodle shall be applied to me. I purposely worded it that way, because, that was the response I recieved from a large portion of packs in our district about a district Tiger Round Up. It ended up being canceled on a district level. It was also canceled in a couple other districts as well. The number one gripe was that this was being used as a way to pump up membership as well as find a way to fill the day camps. (there is also a feeling that the "new" cub resident camp has hurt the day camps, which numbers wise is not the case, but that is a different subject). Oth

Bob are you going to be there at PTC? when?

If you know in your heart that this guy/troop is wrong and that there are other people who have either witnessed the behavior or agree with you, then I think that it is your obligation to the boys you serve now and the boys that will be served by the troop after you are gone, to go down fighting. I would not quietly walk into the sunset, instead, I'd upset the proverbial apple cart. The questions I would ask the CC and committee are is this the type of influencing behavior you want for the boys? Could you explain to me how telling me that I am on thin ice and excusing poor behavior on the

What I don't get, is if these folks can get so organized and raise and spend money to fly out to the east coast, why don't they just go start their own program

What is the purpose behind having spring recruitment and signing up Tigers, Most packs only run the Summertime Awards program and not actively meet as a pack does the rest of the year. Is it to pump up membership numbers? Is it to pump of fees made at the camps? Curiousity killed the cat so bring on the answers...

The 14 yr is a good requirement. Never heard of any thing about rank, we have had 16 yr 2nd class at resident camp. great scout, not interested in advancement.

"I wish that was the case, then the racial hatred that is increasing in America would not be happening. " I don't know what country you are talking about here. I, the pessimist of this forum, choose to see the glass half full. IN the wake of 9/11, where any muslims rounded up and sent to detention camps, i.e. the Japanese Americans, many of whom where born in the U.S.? While there where isolated incidents of hate against muslims, in a country of our size and population, the number of those incidents where statistically insignigicant. If you look at the economic power of minorities in thi

Steak on a rock - marinate before leaving. Build a fire, place a large, dry rock in center. When hot enough, place strips of steak on fire. I am kinda into this stuff, so here is what I have made w/ D.O. - basic cobblers, from scratch cinnamon raisin buns, D.O. Pizza (buy the dough, put on toppings and bake; Quessadillas, pot roast, meat loaf, On a grate/grill over coals - chicken, which will taste different depending on wood used! Spicy Thai chicken, with Peanut sauce over rice, w/ suated brocolli raub or spinach and roasted peppers (sounds complicated, takes 30 minutes to make the m

Yoda say: there is no try, only do or do not!

A scout pack should provide the opportunity for year round scouting. To recognize this, there is the National Summertime Award, with pins for cubs, streamers for the pack flag and streamer for a den, just for providing, at minimum, one scout outing a month for June, July and August.. As for you burnt out cubbers, this does not mean you have to organize and run the event, a parent of an involved scouter can do this for the pack and the boys. The question? What activities do you do for the Summertime Award? My contribution: Took the pack to the USS Intrepid Museum in NYC. Fishing Derby

It is important that we adult leaders provide the structure or scaffold, so that when they fail, the fall not too far. That structure takes in the safety and health and should provide a basis upon which adult scouters measure where each scout is on that scaffold structure. new scouts at the bottom, experienced ones above. all of the posts above are top notch. For foil packs, what do we do about the adults who don't bring the right equipment (like a mess kit to eat out of?). I witnessed a couple of 2yr scouts fashion a "plate" out of a piece of tin foil for this forgetful scouter. I thi

Let me clarify here. I do not think that going to an ultimate extreme of a troop going their own way is the answer, I only painted this picture to show that there are always choices. I neglected to include in that post the following. One, talk to the dist. Com, and D.E. about this situation. Two, work with the dist/council staffs, call them or see if there are other folks in your unit looking to help out in some way. It will be greatly appreciated on the district/council level. Three, the most effective way, by examples one and two, is to affect change from within. If the Oath and L

I agree that this is a mess. As for council position and district positions, (having myself just completed my tenure on the nominating committee) I can give you some insight on the "gift to scouting" mentality. It is Hard, really hard, to get folks on the district/council committees. Why? because many of the "doers" are folks like yourself who are the leadership of the unit. As for the gifted mentality, remember, that the district and the council volunteer staff are there to support the units, through finance (FOS, Popcorn), membership (I.D.ing youth, potential new units) camp promotion (

Witht he proper training, BALOO in place, pack camping only serves to help the Boy scout program by getting the kids out camping. When they come up to the troop, they have the initial jitters taken care off and are ready to build upon their cub camping experience.

Is it taught or is it just learned? I believe we should judge people by the content of their character and their actions. But racism is also learned from other groups/cultures,etc. Today, there is "white guilt" or down with the white guy, even evidence on TV, but the repeated showing of "Dad" being the dumbest guy on earth (Something about Raymond comes to mind). There is subtle as well as overt racism against Blacks, Asians, every sprectrum, as well as religion (Jew,Christian, Muslim). And in all of this, predujice is practiced in subset against the same. A "keep down the Joneses" ty

Eagle Foot So What happened?

I don't know why DDHII is getting so upset. My brother has asthma, mild case, since he was a kid and the doctor told him/parents that it was allergy related. I have heard this from other asmathics as well, so I assume (a dangergous thing anytime) that allergies/asthma have come about as a description. But I see no rudeness, nor any type of "mocking" in any of Laura T posts, Why so sensitive? What about the word or description of allergy is so offensive. I am assuming (again) that most Scouters recognize that asthma and the need not only for inhalers, but the need for knowledge of what to

Stirring the pot (pardon the pun) As for returning a trailer vs. paying for electricity. If the CO donates money or outright buys a trailer to support its scouting unit, why wouldn't you accept it. The BSA does not charter with groups like the internation brotherhood of drug dealers, mostly churches and civic organizations, who legally, run raffle and bingo. The argument that you would return the trailer, but still meet in the building funded by the same CO and whose utilities are paid from the same manner of fundraiser is really duplicitious, no? As for the right of the scout unit to k