John-in-KC

Merit Badges are not belt loops from Cubbing, nor are they activity pins. They should be fairly deep (for the age) digs into a specific subject material. But I'll let BSA's own training speak for me: http://www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges.aspx You can learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and future careers as you earn merit badges. There are more than 100 merit badges. Any Boy Scout may earn any merit badge at any time. You don't need to have had rank advancement to be eligible. Pick a Subject. Talk to your Scoutmaster about your interests. Read the requirements of the merit badges you think might interest you. Pick one to earn. Your Scoutmaster will give you the name of a person from a list of counselors. These counselors have special knowledge in their merit badge subjects and are interested in helping you. Scout Buddy System. You must have another person with you at each meeting with the merit badge counselor. This person can be another Scout, your parents or guardian, a brother or sister or other relative, or a friend. Call the Counselor. Get a signed merit badge application from your Scoutmaster. Get in touch with the merit badge counselor and tell him or her that you want to earn the merit badge. The counselor may ask to meet you to explain what is expected of you and to start helping you meet the requirements. You should also discuss work that you have already started or possibly completed. Unless otherwise specified, work for a requirement can be started at any time. Ask your counselor to help you learn the things you need to know or do. You should read the merit badge pamphlet on the subject. Many troops and school or public libraries have them. (See the list here.) Show Your Stuff. When you are ready, call the counselor again to make an appointment to meet the requirements. When you go take along the things you have made to meet the requirements. If they are too big to move, take pictures or have an adult tell in writing what you have done. The counselor will ask you to do each requirement to make sure that you know your stuff and have done or can do the things required. That's on a page for Scouts themselves. Here's what BSA says to the Counselors: http://www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/GuideforMeritBadgeCounselors.aspx The merit badge counselor is a key player in the Boy Scout advancement program. Whatever your area of expertise or interestwhether it is a special craft or hobby (basketry, leatherwork, coin collecting), a profession (veterinary medicine, aviation, engineering), or perhaps a life skill (cooking, personal management, communications)as a merit badge counselor, you can play a vital role in stirring a young man's curiosity about that particular topic. By serving as a merit badge counselor, you offer your time, knowledge, and other resources so that Scouts can explore a topic of interest. The Scouting program emphasizes helping young men develop character, citizenship, and mental and physical fitness. Among the handful of methods used to build on these aims of Scouting are adult association, leadership development, and advancement. Besides parents and relatives, schoolteachers, religious leaders, and possibly coaches, most Scout-age youth don't have much contact with many other adults or professionals. A Scout's association with his merit badge counselors provides an excellent way for him to grow and gain confidence through exposure to quality adults who serve as positive role models and mentors to him. Meeting people from business and community leaders to trained specialists and enthusiastic hobbyists, a Scout can experience a chance for personal growth and a positive life-altering experience while in pursuit of a merit badge. Now, Daddy-O, why don't you become one of us and learn Scouting from the inside ?

Remember that your event, by bringing in Venturers, will have both young men and women. Are you prepared to allocate space to meet the needs per Crew of the 4 required sleeping areas when the unit is co-ed? I'm another one of the folks that say let the Venturers set their own plan and do Venturing things, up to and including a road rally weekend. Indeed, the high-energy allnighter (which a Webelo leader was rightly griping about in a camping thread) is something teens like to do now and again.

Twitterpated, Well, I guess a sadder but wiser welcome to the Forums. Right now, the issue is how to make lemonade out of the lemons. From my experience, a good blaze of the trail was set by CalicoPenn. Getting the DL away from youth is vital. The head of your Chartered Partner and the COR can do that, by informing her she's no longer welcome. The COR needs to send a copy of that letter to the DE, and ask the DL be removed from volunteer status in your unit immdiately. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As far as den dues go, $15 a week is pushing exorbitant for 8-11 year olds. At that price, she's bought program materials for every Cub and paid day camp AND an overnight camp ... plus a couple museum trips. A modest, 30 week program would bring in $450. My recommendations on den dues are: - The CC and the CM get their heads together and set an upper limit, based on reasonable program costs for the year. - DLs are free to collect up to the upper limit.

I hope that before you hammer out the ceremony, you've hammered out the merger, to include integration of LECs, Adviser teams, and operating procedures unique to how your two Councils/Lodges currently do business. Your new team is going to go through the 4-phase dynamic... anything which can be done in care and love to reduce the Storming phase is a good thing. ICS

Please allow me clarity.... Get the young man done -- Means get him into uniform for the ebor. If there is a mate who is similar size, similar awards, then BORROW the shirt for the eve... otherwise, as OGE said, buy, then re-sell. After the young man's advancement is properly taken care of , then lodge the complaint.

To me, The shortest path is get the boy done, then have your COR complain to the District Chairman about the DAC... carbon copy to the Council President, SE, and DE.

Gotta agree with the others. I've sent EagleSon to more than just Scout Camp during his high school years. Once you get into the world of for-profit camps, Katey Bar the Door... Band Camp: Trying finding one for the price of Scout Camp. University sponsored music department camps aren't cheap. Period. Space Camp: I don't know what Huntsivlle charges, but I know what the Kansas Cosmosphere charges for its program, it's not cheap. And the big haul ticket? European (band, foreign language immersion, art, etc) trip "camp"... those programs are $5K for two weeks, thank you very much. If the Scout Camp has decent program at all, it comes out smelling like a rose by comparison.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! to him , Proud Dad smiles (and do you need a new pair of brogans for the shoe leather you used on him ?) to you John

Skeptic: I do.

Solemnly swear to Support and defend... ...that I take this obligation freely, without mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office... I've said more than once that most natural borns are not under the same strictures as a natrualized American, a member of the Federal Civil Service, or the Armed Forces, or even (since his oath is in the Constitution), the President. For years at ceremonies where most would say the Pledge of Allegiance, I would sotto voce recite my Oath. It was a touchstone. With retirement orders in hand, I don't do that as often anymore, but I certainly take advantage of the Public Law entitling me to my salute. Yes, the Color means something. It's a link to why I joined, to the Constitution, and to all who are/were comrades-in-arms. It's getting on Memorial Day. If I don't say it again, to those who are or were, THANK YOU.

gwd, There's nothing wrong with a SM having her/his own thoughts on how the Advancement method happens. That's part of your vision for the Troop. When another SM asks that a kid provisional to you, he really should fall in on your expectations (which should be shared values, if not the other SM is not doing all the research he should be doing). ??? How good is your Council's T-2-1 first year program??? Does this other SM really have a leg to stand on, in your opinion?

1) CONSISTENCY. Whenever your meeting is, be consistent about it. 2) LEADER PREPARDNESS. DL, ADL, and Den Chief have put their heads together between the meetings. Pre-opening, game, craft, program activity are planned and ready. 3) CUB HAS A GOOD TIME. If this is "school x2", the Cub will not want to attend. 4) COMMUNICATE with parents. Short, sweet, to the point. Get the word out. 5) PROMISE and LAW OF THE PACK. These are tools for you. Know how to leverage them in working with your Cubs 6) DON'T BE A SCREAMER. Kids turn off to a screamed/yelled "SIGNS UP!!!!" They'll head for the exits no later than the end of the program year. 7) KNOW YOUR MATERIAL. Self-explanatory 8) MAKE SURE PARENTS KNOW WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO SIGN OFF ON. Akela is parent, guardian, grandparent, not just the DL/ADL 9) Uniform, uniform, uniform. There's a reason it's a Method of Cubbing. 10) NATIONAL PROGRAM. National publishes the Annual Program a year ahead of schedule. The Annual Program drives articles in Boy's Life as well as Scouting Magazine. It drives what is presented at Cub Roundtable. If you're not using it, you're having to re-do work already complete.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

So if I write "Venturing Patrol," it's the internet equivalent of scratching fingers along a chalkboard , eh?? I know of at least one all-female crew in my Council.

N Scale hides a lot better than O-27 We now return you to your regularly scheduled discussion.

Life could be a lot worse. Let us know when he's an Eagle

Pack... change "hard up" to "wonderful". Give her valuable shiny metal and a rock. That should overcome "the look." Not a guarantee though, but that's not a story for this Forum.

- What is the difference between a "Venturing Crew" and a "Venturing Patrol?" A Crew in Venturing is a Chartered Unit. The same charter/franchise/license rules apply to it as do a Troop or Pack. A Venture Patrol is a subunit of a Troop. A Crew can take youth members, male and female to age 21. A Venture Patrol is restricted to Boy Scouts under the age-out of 18. - Is it necessary to start a different organization, which would involve convincing the CO to sponsor yet another group (or finding a different CO), or can they be an addendum to the existing Troop? No. A Crew is a chartered unit of the BSA. It needs a Committee, a Program Officer (Advisor) and at least 5 youth members. - If they are part of the existing Troop (if that's even possible), would they still be able to include female members? (one or two of the boys in the patrol have close-in-age sisters who want to join). A Venturing Crew can be co-ed. OTOH, a Venture Patrol is an element of a Troop, and thus closed to youth female program members. - How hard is it to continue working toward Eagle after joining a Venturing Crew? Is this too much? I read somewhere that boys who are First Class or higher when they become Venturers can continue working on Eagle requirements without having to stay active in a troop in addition to the Crew; but it wasn't an "official" source so I don't know how accurate that was. My son's not sure he's going to want to stay active in both a troop and a crew, primarily because of time commitments. EagleSon was primary registered in his Crew and secondary registered in a Troop. He earned his Eagle from the Crew. ADVANCEMENT is NOT a method of Venturing, RECOGNITION is. - What about OA? My son and all the members of his patrol are in the OA. No problem. The only restriction is youth members in a Crew cannot have elections. They can be members. EagleSon, who now is only registered in a Crew, is an Arrowman. - How does uniforming work for a Venturer who is also a Boy Scout and/or is working on ranks toward Eagle and/or is in the OA? Two separate uniforms? Uniforming is NOT a method of Venturing. I know Crews which have coat/tie/dress for uniform, and a T-shirt for ordinary stuff. I know Crews which use the Green shirt and other people's grey pants (no matter what Supply Corporation recommends). The only restriction I know of is Crews cannot adopt the tan/green Boy Scout uniform as their youth uniform, but someone who is less a Uniform Licensee than I will have to confirm that. Have I answered your questions?

My friends in Texas will gladly debate you on that...

One thing that happens in our District... If a Scout is deferred, he's given the specific items which require work and the phone/email of the Advancement Committee member working with him. All these guys will meet again offsite with the young men they're working with.

gwd, That's because, you, unlike us, are still couth We now return you from this minor hijacking....

Actually, the tankers who wore the black beret the most were the Brits. 75th Rangers are an elite force, though like too many special operators at the moment, rid hard, put away wet, and called out before the dawn. That's an entirely different subject. I was talking with a friend today here on Fortress Tradoc West. He had his baseball cap, vice the beanie. He, however, cannot sing... "DING DONG THE BERET IS DEAD!! THE BERET IS DEAD!! THE BERET IS DEAD!!

I can be rather pedantic about Flag etiquette. I agree with BuffaloSkipper. Of course, my email would also point to the Legion or VFW Flag etiquette websites, and probably would include an ad hominem attack for good measure. Kind? NO. Gets the point across at point-blank range? Yes.

Gotta agree with Barry and Lisa...

Welcome to the campfire. The concept you described in called in the Scouting literature the "New Scout Patrol." It's one way to help the new arrivals assimmilate. STEP AWAY FROM YOUR SON. Let him start making his own mistakes and miscues It's not a bad thing for the Flaming Arrows to make their own first patrol flag ... then all are describing the same thing. (that said, the requirement IS to DESCRIBE it ) My wonder is why the ASM is signing off on something like this, and not the Troop Guide designated to help your sons' sterling fellows... May I suggest "This is Scouting" (online training), Troop Committee Challenge (online) and Scoutmaster Specific trainings for you (not online), so you will master our program?(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

A Pack I am a friend to meets in the Chartered Partner's church for Den Meetings during the month, as well as monthly Pack meetings. The church is very popular. One of the Cubmaster's chores is to consolidate requests for footprint and get them on the schedule at the churches' quarterly space allocation meeting. In addition to the program matters above, you need to know how your host (if not done in a home) administers his space.