John-in-KC

Read more of your stuff ... For keeping the senior boys engaged, have them... 1) Plan their own independent campout as an ad-hoc patrol (14 and 1st Class). That's the old Venture Patrol idea, but keeps them in their basic patrols for the monthly campout. Let them do something grander than the standard campout weekend (hike a chunk of a major trail, take a boating class, special weekend at the range)... 2) Make sure all the older youth have PORs ... and have them working to help other Scouts develop skills. 3) Have the SPL give them specific tasks to do within meetings: Run the game, do the instruction, ad infinitum.

Bearclaw, Much depends on your direct mentorship of the SPL and ASPLs. Hopefully they are fairly mature young men, who can handle management of the meeting itself. Work directly with them to help them develop their meeting plans, from service patrol set-up to service patrol tear-down. This is a good time for a working breakfast at your place, with your lead ASM as your second deep.

No matter how you feel on the issue, Merlyn nails it for the win. This may be the only time ever I agree with you, Merlyn.

When my son was on Camp Staff, he would lead the parade to campfire with a "beater" tuba, and then would play Taps on it His $12K Meinl-Weston? Nope, didn't go to camp...

The Institutional Head or Executive Officer is the PERSON WHO SIGNS THE CONTRACT!!!! He/she is the one who accepts the license from the BSA for the church/club/business to accept and use the BSA program in support of the institutional goals. As stated above, he/she is not a member of BSA simply from this position. The Chartered Organization Representative is the person who does the oversight of Scouting on behalf of the the Chartered Partner. He/she IS a member of BSA. They may, but rarely are, the same.

TCD ... At the end of the day, the Boy Scouts of America National Council is in the business of selling PROGRAM MATERIALS to local councils, districts, and units. The brand name "Eagle Scout" belongs to THEM, not to the chartered partner. I may part company with Beavah here, but the brand name does imply a standard product. Now, can the unit require other things as part of their active participation? Certainly. Can they deny rank over those things? Not without a pretty strong shot at being zinged on an appeal...

As the Dad of an Eagle Scout/music major Tubist, I'd say consult with the band director or his horn teacher first. Horn teachers, imnsho, are notorious for being pedants about embouchure. I know this will be anathema, but we really ought to let the youth members already on instruments do the calls ... on their chosen instruments.

A Commissioner should, in the course of his/her visits, talk with 4 principals about matters of the unit as a whole... - The Institutional Head/Executive Officer - The Chartered Organization Representative - The Principal Program Officer (CM, SM, Coach, Adviser) - The Committee Chair. Beyond them, he/she listens to unit serving Scouters, and may provide support and assistance on program matters. If a management matter, he/she should point them back to the principals. Roundtables, trainings, and events are a different story. Wide open for contact. That's how I try to do business

Mom to Eli nails a key issue. Will BSA defend a Chartered Partner who denies membership based on their belief system? If BSA fails to, then I suspect Partners will hit the eject button as fast as they can...

1-800-Drop-box. You drop the box in the dumpster. So much for our opinion.

Terry, Like many I appreciate the labor of love you've invested into this, even as you do all the things you do for technology education in Chicago. I only occasionally come to I&P, most of the time I hang out at other parts of this forum. Thank you for this place. YIS, John

Gotta love all the ad hominem attacks here.

And folks wondered why I opened the bureaucracy thread... http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=377558&p=1 I'll go hurl now. Oh, wait, that means I'd have to file an incident report...

Overall assessment: A trainer who knows his material doesn't need to have a Powerpoint Karaoke snooze-a-thon with this package.

OMFG!!!! Slide 38: This is fairly straightforward. Once a registered and approved counselor signs completion on a blue card, that should be the end of the story. However, because of the incidence of complaints to the national Advancement Team that Scouts are receiving signed blue cards from merit badge experiences where they did not actually and personally complete all the requirements, the national Advancement Committee is considering a proposal to provide unit leaders a method of recourse, when it is clear and obvious that requirements were not fulfilled as written. Oh, boy, more bureaucracy for the Advancement Committee!

REALLY, NATIONAL??? YOU MUST BE JOKING!!!! HOMEWORK SHEETS ARE OK???? "Worksheets and other materials, which may be of assistance in earning merit badges, are available from a variety of sources including the Internet and troop libraries. Use of these aids is permissible as long as they can be correlated with the current requirements. Completed worksheets may suffice where a requirement calls for something in writing, but they do not work as substitutes where Scouts must discuss, tell, show, or demonstrate something. "The Boy Scouts of America does not currently produce any worksheets or other similar learning aids for merit badges simply due to the costs and additional effort related to keeping them up to date. The national Advancement Team, however, recognizes the value of such tools, and permits their use as long as merit badge counselors and unit leaders understand this is not official material and that use of the tools must not serve to alter merit badge requirements or provide unauthorized shortcuts. Scouts are still expected to complete all the official requirements as written." It is intuitively obvious to the most casual of observers that the National Staff has forgotten how much FUN homeworksheets are... ... NOT!!!!

Slides 34-35 Merit Badge Colleges are now condoned.

Slide 12 Finally, authoritative word on the cost to register as an MBC (especially if you are outside the unit circles) The cost to register is zero dollars. Thats right, it is free! I'll be showing that to my Professionals

Danger Will Robinson, Danger Danger!!!! Slide 10 "These are the only qualifications the BSA National Council places on merit badge counselorsregardless of the merit badge" Who on the curriculum team forgot to read the special qualifications for the shooting sports and aquatics merit badge families? Then comes... SLIDE 11 In it, are these words: "A list of these badges is provided in the Guide to Advancement, topic seventy eleven, Qualifications of Counselors, along with the specific qualifications required of those supervising the activities." You have to love it when one slide contradicts another in the SAME PACKAGE! Dear National Council: Does the term EDITOR mean anything to you? Cue Forrest Gump... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MT3CihStFQ(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

Oh, dear Lord... Slide 5: Merit Badges are about the Advancement Method. Hello. How many 14 year olds, in a couple years, are going to be asking Ms Smith, in a cold call, for a JOB? It's at least as much about adult association... That's not a potential, that's a REALITY

Someone needs to remind National to pull obsolete items, such as Worksheet for Building a Merit Badge Counselor List, No. 4439 The list of badges is current as of.... Wait for it... 1999

OH BOY!!! MORE POWERPOINT KARAOKE!!!! I will review the content to make sure what I'm saying is current, and then I will continue with my standing training aids: - BSA requirements. - MB Pams - Homework sheets (how I love ripping them up to make the point Scouting isn't school! :-) ) - MB apps.

First, I agree with OGE. No surprise there. Second, acco, as Beavah often makes the point (though not in his words) ... Able to parse BSA program materials for inconsistencies? You betcha! RichardB, that bubblewrapping National Professional protector of Scouts from all risks remotely imaginable, was the one who basically declared it here.

Sentinel... I train counselors for my District. My issue is that if we have to use the approved card, available for purchase as a program material item from the Scout office, instead of something local which gets the job done, then who are we kidding? We're using 19th Century data management in the 21st Century.

Hunger. Poverty. Pollution. Mass Shootings at schools/shopping centers. Immigration. National debt. The nation is seemingly consumed about the personal ethics of a football player and a cyclist. ( Cynicism_mode ) Bread and circuses, anyone? ( / cynicism_mode )