jmcquillan

The Troop Committee Chairman's job is to coordinate the Troop Committee in it's efforts to support the Scoutmaster. The Scoutmaster is the "Man In Charge", not the Committee Chairman. The existence of the committee is simply to support the Scoutmaster. The Scoutmaster is the one who works with, and guides the Scouts, in determining what they will do and when. The Troop Committee, if trained, can have quite a bit of input if it sees things that are heading in a wrong direction, or if costs are prohibitive. Their job is to inform the Scoutmaster of those things and help the Scoutmaster (and ther

It sounds like you've got all your ducks in a row, and you've made the right choice. You can't wait for the Scouts to show up to run the program, and you can base the program on the hope that they will show up. If you're convinced that your program is great, and you still have a bunch of Scouts who still come and aren't saddled with too much to do in their lives, I'll offer my experience for what it's worth. When I was Scoutmaster, I found that Scouting never seemed to be on the same level playing field in a boys life, when compared with family, school, church, and school or town spo

I do agree with Mike Long regarding the sales pitch thing and the mock campsite. But I should mention that the location I mantioned on the Cape does not have a mock campsite set up. It seems to be strictly the service of providing the free coffee. They do seem to go that extra step to give drivers notice of what's ahead, for the mile or so before the rest area, they post signs on the side of the road advertising the free coffee and suggesting that, for safety's sake, drivers take a break, stretch their legs, and have a free cup of coffee. To me, that seems to spell "service project" as much as

I seem to remember seeing a Boy Scout Troop offering this very same type of service at one of the rest stops on Route 6, the main highway on Cape Cod. They've been there for a number of years doind this. I've never stopped to partake, but have seen them. I couldn't tell you whether it's being done as an Eagle Project (I doubt), a troop service project (perhaps), or in conjunction with another group. I seem to remember seeing a deuce & a half there periodically, so it may be done along side of a local National Guard Unit. There is a base on the Cape. So, it is being done...at least in

You're absolutely correct!! I did think I had heard it all, but this one takes the cake. Now let's see, in order for us to be completely PC (politically correct) in this charged atmosphere, perhaps we should look into any merit badges having something to do with animals. Do dogs get upset when they're being trained? Are their feelings being hurt? By virtue of that pain and suffering, should we no longer encourage Scouts to raise and train dogs? How about any merit badges having to do with farm animals? Eventually these animals may be slaughtered. Horrors? Should we no longer even mention

No, I don't think it's too far fetched an idea. It has a lot of merit. Unfortunately, we are an army of two...many, many more folks on both sides (GSA & BSA) would have to support the idea. But there's a beginning here. Question is: Would the GSA be willing to enter into an adventure like this, or would they simply see it as competition for numbers?

LONG POST WARNING....sorry... Explaining this to the kids in your unit shouldn't be too much of a problem if you approach it from the same point of view that you've expressed here. It's a situation that exists, you do not at all agree with it, but it is what it is...not fair, but it is what it is. Consider one of the merit badges that is part of the concern here...Citizenship in the Nation. When a person, or group of people find a law that they do not agree with, what is the process for change? That same process could be used here as an outlet for their feelings, reinforcement of the

eisely, Phil-is-tine: a person who is lacking in, or smugly indifferent to culture, aesthetic refinement, etc., or is contentedly commonplace in ideas and tastes. No comment on the character of the characters inhabitting this forum...not at all. Just my own personal take on how I think the Lords in Texas sometimes view us out here in the netherlands of Scouting. I hear a lot about units and people being involved in hatching many of these "new" ideas that suddenly become policy, but have yet to meet anyone who actually participated. It gives me pause, and I wonder just where the mover

Here's an idea. How about we let this thread go for a few more days to see what other questions and concerns arise, and then get someone to forward the whole darn thing to the Lords of Scouting in Texas. I wonder if they ever hear from the serfs and philistines in the field?

Stan, I'm not for having girls join the Scouts, never have been. But, if Scouting is going to offer a program that is touted as being co-ed, wouldn't it make sense, at least for appearance sake, that the program be truly co-ed, all the way? The way it appears, if the information OGE was given is correct, is that the program is set up for the guys to participate in "all the way" with everything available to them, and the girls can participate, but only up to a point. That's not a level playing field. As for the GSA affiliation, I don't feel that makes muster here if the above is true. The

I'm not really all that up to speed on the Venturing program, but if what you say is true, I share you thoughts. Question: Is this a similar situation to the old Explorer program situation? Could male explorers earn merit badges and Eagle, but not the female participants? It seems ridiculous to attempt to hold on to a connection to a Boy Scout Troop for boys through the Venturing program, if the girls are not allowed the same access. It's basically telling the girls that they can only participate in certain things, and then they can sit and watch the boys earn recognition that they c

Our troop is down to 48 at the moment, but in the past 15 years we've been as high as 74 Scouts. Getting things signed off was never a problem. Why? Because the Senior Scouts who were approved by the Scoutmaster for signing-off, and the adult leadership, including the Advancement Chair, always, always stayed at the Scouthouse long after the meeting was over. Meetings started at 7:00PM sharp, and ended at 8:30PM sharp. Those I've mentioned were usually at the Scouthouse until 9:30PM on meeting nights for any number of reasons, but the prime reason was to serve the Scouts who might not have been

Message from Mike Bowman indicates that USSSCOUTS.org is back up and running. (4/17/01)

The best information on the subject can be obtained in two publications by the BSA. "The Council". publication No. 33071A, Copyright 1977, 1998 printing. "The District", publication No. 33070, copyright 1977, 1997 printing. Both should be available at your local Scout Shop, Council Office, or through the current Scout Catalog.

4/11/01 An update on USSCOUTS.org & MacScouter, for those of you waiting, and waiting, and waiting... Since our last newsletter we've been working towards getting back online. We had a few surprises along the way and a few challenges from minor equipment damage during transit from Missouri to Virginia and from moving our domain names, but it looks like those are pretty much behind us now. Our server is online and functional, but not yet open for business. In the next few days our websites should be back online. At this point we are waiting for domain name tables to be upda

I think I know the answer to this question, at least from a common sense and common logic viewpoint, but here goes anyways... A friend in another troop posed the question as follows: "Our troop is chartered to an organization that has a bar in their facility. Our troop committee meeetings are held in a meeting room adjacent to the bar. Access to the meeting room is both through the bar and a side door to the main hall. When Scouts come before the troop committee to present Eagle Project proposals, etc., is it alright for the Scouts to enter via the bar side (in full uniform) or must

I don't think the uniforms are any better made than other clothing on the market. In fact, there's alot of things out there that are, indeed, better made, at less cost. Union made or not. I would think that the BSA might shop around to get a better quality item for the money we pay, or charge less for what we get now.

While I am not proposing that Scouts not wear the uniform at all, for I value it, and have for nearly 20 years, I would ask this... Mike, you spoke about the last time you were in uniform and had someone take you to task on the gay issue. Were you 12 at the time?????? When was the last time that you had a Scout come up to you with tears in his eyes, asking why he was being targeted by someone he didn't know, on an issue he's not that familiar with???? I love the uniform and all that it stands for. And I harbor a certain degree of hate, yes hate, for those that would do what was done,

I received this message this morning and thought I'd pass it on... Update from Michael Bowman (USSCOUTS.org) By now most of you have heard that in Feruary we learned that our host in Kansas City, Missouri, Drivernet.com was filing for bankruptcy. We had to remove our server from their facility before the doors were padlocked and went offline for over a week. We then began a search to find a new host that would allow us to continue to provide Scouting resources via the web. While we were in the search process we were able to temporarily go back online for a few more weeks. However, th

I received an email from them the other day (which I think I deleted) that said they were moving from their temporary provider to a new permanent provider. But there was something in the message about having to pack up their server to ship to the new provider. I can't remember how long they said they'd be down, but I'm sure they'll send a message when they're back up. As soon as I hear something, I'll post it, unless somebody beats me to it...

Below is something I pulled out of our troop positions guideline book. We use the instructors to teach anything that needs to be taught. Each instructor (for we have a bunch) is responsible for teaching in the areas he expertise. With a number of instructors, you can pretty much cover all the bases. When an instructor isn't an expert in a certain area, he takes the training with the troop in his weak areas and becomes more profficient. Hope this helps. TROOP INSTRUCTOR: GENERAL INFORMATION Type: Appointed by the Senior Patrol Leader Term: 6 months Reports to: Senior Patrol Lead

Under normal circumstances, (those prior to the whole "gay" issue), I would definitely fall on the side of those who support the wearing of the uniform. But, and here's where I find some level of apprehension; our troop has begun to rethink the candy sales we hold yearly just for the uniform and public acceptance issue. During the last candy sale we held, adults were actually walking up to some of the kids and telling them that they would not support scouting because the BSA was a disriminatory towards gays. While I accept the premise that we may all have our own opinions on these issues,

I've only been involved with this type of thing once, but it resolved itself well before the Board of Review. The boy withdrew his application and resigned from Scouting. As to your query regarding what the process should be within the troop at the moment, I would consult your District Executive for direction. He's paid to know how to venture down this trail. Innocent until proven guilty, yes, but already he's tarnished by accusation. Tread carefully. As to the situation if found guilty, I believe there's no question but that he would not qualify for the Eagle. His character and qual

And...hurrah for all those willing to stand in the face of obstinate opposition and say just that. Hurrah! :-)

Train the Trainer does not expire. You only need to take it once. It is assumed that by participating in training courses, on staff, you will keep and expand your knowledge. You may very well be asked to serve on TTT staff, if you're good.