John-in-KC

Boy's Life is a listed publication by the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Here is the advertising kit... which includes some ABC statistics: http://media.scouting.org/boyslife/about/ads/mediakit.pdf Remember, though, that's an in-house marketing item

gwd's boy has his project in the can; he's real close to making his Eagle.

No, that's called managing your program. Again... these are 8-10 year olds. We give out AOLs by the bushel basket every year. We don't have District/Council events honoring AOLs graduating to Tenderfeet... they bridge, or whatever folks local ceremony is. Do your best, have fun, and think about the boys' needs first. If they need some reinforcing... give it to them in the form of more program

Not surprising; that event should have happened on/after January 20, 2009

Liz, In addition to your own church, you might consider seeking out the area VFW or American Legion posts. Both have national missions to support Scouting. Get with your DE. There are tools to help the young people organize their Crew. One of them is an "interest inventory". It will help them focus what they want to do. There's also a fair amount of training support available, both for the youth and you as a leader. Ask your DE to put you in touch with the Council "Venturing Officers Association" leadership. In startup, you may need to ask for some help in the first leadership training cycle, but after that, things should roll pretty well. Venturing is not necessarily defined around a weekly meeting. Working sessions indoors may only happen once or twice a month. The activities are the deeper thing. Finally, the youth have several options on how they want to do advancement and recognition (as I stated in my first reply, RECOGNITION is the method in Venturing). Young men who complete First Class may continue to Eagle in the Boy Scout system to their 18th birthday, but do not have to. If your youth elect to go co-ed, women are foreclosed that path. They and you will want to look at the recognition system of Venturing, as well as the recognition systems in their high schools. I'm really glad to see their (and your) interest in this

Ed, As Beavah has noted more than once, welcome to BSA program materials. Consistency in the editorial content is not always their high point. BTW, in addition to your other ones, go and take the current YP training online. Parents observing the Ordeal is a specifically covered scenario, and the Chapter Adviser is denoted to be wrong for discouraging them... invoking the secret society rule. (I'm not saying I agree with the training... in fact I do not, but it's there).

Chief, In my experience, if it's not health and safety, if it's not BSA Rules and Regulations, the SE (Supreme Chief of the Fire) can waive any operating practice in his Council. IMO, this is one of those times. The lesson for the youth who'd be asking why? Welcome to arbitrary and capricious governmental rule-making. Learn to deal with it, it's part of life. I don't know about the Fleet, but in Mother Army the current ban on USB thumb drives for hot-swapping data between computers has been a royal pain. We got that ban on 24 hours notice from DA. We just had to deal with it, like it or not. The LEC are generally older youth, if they've not absorbed this lesson, it's high time they do.

In my council and lodge, the mandate is units are responsible for furnishing 2-deep leadership for their youth at OA events. It's clearly stated on flyers. I agree it should be the Lodge providing, but should be and reality aren't always the same.

Gern, As I recall, it was the US Army, in the person of the Secretary of the Army, who stated that due to ongoing military operations, military resources to support the Jamboree at AP Hill would not be available after 2009. That was in an Administration friendly to the Aims of BSA.

This is just one source on the 1:50 ratio: http://www.oa-bsa.org/programs/ttr/ttrsupportpak.php Download the OA Troop/Team Rep Support Pak... http://www.oa-bsa.org/programs/ttr/ttrsupportpak.pdf You'll find the ratio on page 12 of the pdf (by count) or p A.1.2 (by TOC). Remember: That is a ratio for annual selection, not a ratio for Arrowman adults in a Troop to youth overall. Ongoing membership depends on your dues status and your BSA registration status.

I was an Explorer in the day. I had a dark green, long sleeve shirt. While there are differences between it and the DLR Venturing shirt, they aren't as great as the green/khaki conversion Boy Scouting took. Our Posts' chosen uniform was blue jeans, shirt, Scouting belt, hiking boots, and necktie. Of course, in those days McDonald's showed ads of grown, mature men being the crew behind the counter... For those modern Venturing Crews which adopt the standard Supply Corporation uniform, it's not the shirt that's the problem: It's the cheap, overpriced burlap shorts and pants. As emb and I have both noted, we know Crews which go elsewhere to find quality pants at an appropriate price.

Only one addition to the Chief's post: In units, the selection ratio is 1 adult authorized for selection for every 50 registered youth. I have seen that ratio waived when a unit is new, and adults from the unit were needed to attain 2-deep leadership at an induction weekend.

No, but I'll ask my District Advancement Chairman. Whenever someone says something like this, I find it interesting to ask: What was your source, please? I agree with Lisa, it's potentially a very good idea, but cost and age would seem to be barriers. ... especially since a lot of Scouts (myself included, in the day of my youth) earn Star before they're 14.

A quick comment regarding Saving Private Ryan (and for that matter Top Gun)... DOD has an office for technical consultation in Hollywood. Producers can go to it to request assistance. The assistance provided can range from location support to "boots on the ground." As others have said, the key issue for support is "favorable appearance". Who is going to support a producer who will slam them?

Let's all take a deep breath.... This is Cub Scouts. We're talking about kids (7)8-10 years old. They're doing these activities with their parents. Now, here's my take: Explain to Mom and Dad the goal of Cubbing advancement is to give the youth variety of experiences. Gross motor, fine motor, social skills... travel to learn, play, learning new academic skills. Here's a great comment on advancement and the family in Cubbing from the National website: http://www.scouting.org/CubScouts/Parents/family.aspx Family and Advancement The advancement program is part of the fun of Cub Scouting. To advance in rank, boys must complete certain activities, called "achievements" or "electives," to earn each badge as they progress. A parent must sign the Cub Scout's handbook to certify that the boy completed the activity. This is an excellent opportunity for families to get to know their sons better. Family members and boys get much satisfaction from it. Along the advancement trail, the family may be involved in many ways. Some achievements and electives require the Cub Scout to complete a project, with which most boys will need help. Others require the Cub Scout to discuss or explain certain concepts or to demonstrate his ability to apply a skill, which will require the participation of family members. Most importantly, every achievement and elective in Cub Scouting requires a boy to do his best. It's not necessary for the Cub Scout to do everything by himself, and it is perfectly acceptable if he needs some prompting to discuss or explain a concept. Sometimes, there can be a delicate balance between being too critical (which may damage a boy's self-confidence) or too lenient (which can impair character development). The den leaders can help guide families to find a happy balance between expecting too much or too little, so that the program provides the maximum benefit to your son. AK den leader, if they're learning the stuff, give them the credit... rank and LNT. If you look at World Conservation award in Boy Scouting, it's triggered by having earned several MBs along the way. Same concept. My thoughts.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

E92, The latter. My Cub shirt (Pack 194, Woodland Hills), still has my Lion award. My youth shirt has my AOL and my old, no border Life patch, and Troop 110, Reseda. They're memories. I wear an AOL knot. Ed, Our adult knots show to others the resources we can be. The Scoutmasters/Commissioner's Key (green/white) is supposed to indicate we know a little something about the program. Our youth knots identify that we achieved the highest level in our programs (AOL, Eagle, Silver). Does that make sense?

I ordealed almost exactly 39 years ago. Neillup and Trevorum both know the place, Jubilee Scout Ranch. It belonged to the then San Fernando Valley Council, where Walika #228 held itself. I may not be able to access the Jumpstart website, now, but I sure as heck have my handbook. In it, one of the key elements is the "no secrets" rules. Clearly incumbent on the Professional Staff Adviser and the Lodge Adviser was the duty to educate non-Arrow pastors, teachers, and yes, parents. The program is kept mysterious, especially for the youth members, because mystery is something they seek. Anyone with a need should have the opportunity to study our materials. I've said before: This is a touchy subject with me. Someone once dear to me confronted my Pastor about that as regards EagleSon. Had I not been able to deal with the issue in real time, Matthew 18 church discipline could have been invoked against both him and I. That would have served the sole purpose of removing us from participation in the Order. Look at each request for access on its merits, and if there's a member of the District Key 3 who is not an Arrowman, fix it.

I will simply say: There is a knot for the AOL, Eagle Scout, and Venturing Silver. There is not a knot for the Webelo award, Life, or Venturing Gold. I am proud to have been a youth member of the Boy Scouts of America. I am proud I was selected as a youth member and remain this day a Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow. My rank in Boy Scouting? I am a former youth member

Ms Summer, Good luck and good hunting to your son next week. I wish for him an evening of introspection, close thought, and yes, laughter

NO. Eagle is the only lifetime rank of the Boy Scouting program. The rest of us were Boy Scouts in our youth. That I happened to hold the rank of Life as a youth does not transmute to my Scouting status as an adult. I am a man who was a Boy Scout in my youth.

Sweet mercy. What idiot of a Chapter Adviser did not connect the dots that the District Commissioner was not an Arrowman and move Heaven and Earth to place him in the Order? As a Scoutmaster is the principal program officer of a Troop, the District Commissioner is the principal program officer for all BSA programs in the District. It is complete and utter foolishness for him or her not to be brought into the Order. This is solved far, far easier than having a scene at an Ordeal ceremony. This shouldn't have been pole vaulting over mouse turds. Oh, BTW, as the principal program officer of the District, the DC has every right to see how the Camping Operations Committee (and the last I checked, the Order still falls under the supervision of District and Council Camping Committees) is doing their job. They support him Someone in this District needs to get off their heavily metallically weighted fourth point of contact and nominate the DC into the Order: That's the one sentence answer.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

Keep it simple, make it fun!!! The rule of Cub Scout leadership. Have you looked at this site within the BSA site? http://www.scouting.org/CubScouts/Leaders.aspx There is tons of useful info here, to help you.

WHO WANTS PIE????

Children mimic parental attitudes. Boy, have I learned that through the years. Children mimic parental attitudes. Daddy-O, that's the i received from Lisa's post. Children mimic parental attitudes. If you son is already fading, look first to your own attitude towards Scouting. In the case of Lisa's boy and my own, we've both modelled that Scouting was something good and positive, and we've participated. Not always alongside necessarily, but we've invested because it meant something better for our respective children. Children mimic parental attitudes. Meditate on that, please.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

Lisa, How come you say it so much better than I? My son is an Eagle Scout ... but guess what? That's not the end of his journey. That's not even the purpose of his journey. He's a better young man for spending 12 years inside Scouting, from Bobcat to Venturer. He's met great people (both in his peer group and in the adults he associates with), he's had chances to grow more confident as a person, he's a gentle man and a gentleman... things I could not have inculcated into him by myself. Of his (in particular) Eagle Required Merit Badges, he did all 3 of his long ones working with Counselors completely outside the Troop. He's known in his community, because he's spent time working with Scouters. It's about all eight Methods, Daddy-O ... they all work in concert and balance. There's a reason most of us are saying this MB oriented Camporee is a bad idea ... it's because we've learned about the Scouting learning model.