John-in-KC

Gags, If there is a chemical reaction in the foods being cooked... Returning to topic... Google on "dutch oven recipes" "trail recipes" "survival food recipes" "reflector oven recipes" "camp cookery" You will get a flood of info to choose from...

In a perfect world... The Scoutmaster gives his report on the program, to include upcoming events. The Committee takes his report, breaks it down into elements, such as transportation for the next campout, buying awards for the next COH, deciding if the COH will be snacks or a potluck dinner, and so on... And then, BY CONSENSUS, the Committee resources the program. Again, in a perfect world... When the SM has a program event that may be a tad too far away for the current price of gas, he brings it to the CC with plenty of lead time. If the Committee tells the SM to take that back to the PLC and have another go at it, it's not a deal-breaker. Two-way, friendly, communication ... the SM and the CC having each others' back. In this particular case, option 1) do it, option 2) have a long, dispassionate, not emotionally invested talk with the Chartered Organization Rep, or 3) transfer. It's apparent the SM in question has already got an accomplished fact with the CC, so there is not much wiggle room left.

I'd simply go for the Ten Essentials, suitably modified for wintertime, as Stosh suggests. I would, as this website ( http://www.backpacking.net/ten-essl.html ) suggests, add a whistle, since it communicates louder than the human voice.

Get to know your program principals and your committee chairs. Understand their vision, make sure they understand the chartered partners' vision, and then have their backs. Read the info on an adult leader app. Check the references. Don't be a rubberstamp.

Very quickly, lilizard, 1) Get with your SM and CC. Your responsibility is to them, their responsibility is to the Chartered Partner, its Institutional Head, and the Chartered Organization Representative. Make sure they know and approve what you are doing. You want them to have your back. 2) Have a friendly cup of coffee with your Institutional Head and Chartered Organization Representative. Lay out the issues on the table, simply, clearly, and without emotional investment. 3) Ask your Chartered Organization Representative to talk, in turn, with your District Committee Chair, and your District Executive. Let him carry the water to Council about why issues are unsat and what needs change. 4) If 3) works, great. If not, it's time for a business meeting with your Chartered Organization Representative: Does he want to press this matter as a franchisee of the Council (which is what a charter really is, pretty much) with the Executive Board? If he does, equip him. If he does not, then you're done; you have to live inside how the Council Scout Executive chooses to do business, or ... 5) Call it a day, it's time to leave your local Council, or leave the particular tasks you have.

gjjennell, Welcome to the Forums! Please, tell me about your Roundtable programs (Cub, Boy, Varsity, Venturing). Please, tell me about how the District Committee and its operating committees provide support to Unit Serving Scouters in your District. Finally, please tell me about your current attendance. I've been a RT staffer in my District for a few years now. I've had a chance to learn from several great Commish. To focus what I tell you, it'll help me to know what's going on in your world now. YIS

One thing I've discovered: The adult side of Scouting works really well when: - Each person in a system does the things they are supposed to do... - Each person, program or support, plays nice with others!

Right now, if the Honorable Ms Giffords survives, recovers, and decides she wants the job, she may be on the sudden and very fast track to 1600 Pennylvania.

I did not make Eagle Scout. I was once a youth member of the the Boy Scouts of America. I am a Scouter. 'Nuff said.

Contrition should flow from the heart. That form of natural contrition will result in apologies and amends. Forced apologies ... in my mind are worse than useless. If the matter is at the point of a forced apology, it's time for all to figure out the least painful way to the exits. In a youth Scouting case, that may be to ask the boy and his family to transfer to a new Troop, and the unit helps in assuring records move along swiftly. In the case of leaders, its a quiet departure and thanks for the service. Drama helps no one ... except actors on a stage. My thoughts.

UCEagle72, If I wanted to be under Matt 18 church discipline by my Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Pastor so fast my head would swim, all I'd have to do is announce I was joining a Blue Lodge. ;-) Watch all you want ... I'll be at PTC for Relationships Week 2012

I have copied this from FB to here verbatim, other than placing them in italics to symbolize quotation: To that end, the BSA announced this week which requirements will change in 2011. One big item is actually more of a clarification than a complete change. It affects the requirements for the Eagle Scout rank. Here's what it says: "The 2009 printing of the Boy Scout Handbook inadvertently included bugler as a position of responsibility under Eagle Scout requirement 4; it is not. ... The corrected Eagle Scout requirement 4 will appear in the next printing of the Boy Scout Handbook." That paragraph is consistent with an Ask the Expert question we fielded back in March of 2010. As we told you then, Bugler is not an official position of responsibility. Another change affects requirement 6 of the Life rank. Add subpoint G as a seventh option for Scouts teaching the EDGE method to another Scout. The new option reads: "Three requirements from one of the Eagle-required merit badges, as approved by your unit leader." The other 2011 requirement changes affect merit badges: * Requirements for Astronomy, Horsemanship, and Nuclear Science merit badges have been revised. (Click each link for the new requirements) * Minor updates will be made to the requirements for Archery and Sports merit badges. (Click each link to see the revisions) * Three new merit badges that were added in 2010 will be added to the 2011 Boy Scout Requirements Book: Geocaching, Inventing, and Scouting Heritage. Keep in mind, though, that a Scout who has started working on a merit badge when a new pamphlet or requirements come out may continue working from the original requirements. He need not start the merit badge over. We'll give you the specific requirement changes for those merit badges as soon as we have them, so stay tuned.

... I also find that for some adults Scouting is their life and that can be a problem. As can be: - Masonic - The job - A union - A church - A hobby - A different civic organization The list is virtually endless. We should be thankful good people want to associate with other good people, all of whom have a in life of raising the next generation to be good people.

Chalk it up to LNT, chalk it up to fire bans, chalk it up however you want. When I was a youth member, we were not allowed anywhere near stoves. Now, stoves are de rigeur The object is to have the youth member apply heat to food to make it taste better, and to help warm himself.

I offer the same advice as NJCubScouter and ScoutNut. Ask your DE to meet with you, the COR, and the IH at a very early date. This should properly be resolved in short order.

I am with Beavah, twocubdad, and Ed. All of us have a finite supply of emotional energy. Spend it on the good things. It's time to cut your losses and leave, once and for all.

E92, You are talking about kids who earned their awards. That is one thing. Supply should put out. Extending the deadline to earn the award is a wholly different thing. The units knew the deadline months ago.

While I'm still upset that National took it's @#$%^$# sweet time in launching the four MBs, I have no sympathy on the back end. The go-away date has been clearly stated since in 2009.

Some of the adventure has been taken out of scouting.>/i> That's the key point. If the movement isn't fun, the kids (and their parents) will find the fun they want elsewhere, and BSA the corporation will go the way of the dodo.

There are lots of parallel requirements in the advancement program. Look for them, then take advantage of them. Build activities so that they cover the range from Tiger to Webelo. Get ahold of your DE. In our Council, Scoutreach $$ can help provide at least the first Scout shirt. Do not be afraid of asking at District RT for experienced uniforms from established Packs with good uniform closets. Is your Chartered Partner a church? Get the kids involved for Scout Sunday, and make sure the Pastor tells their story from the pulpit now and again. Keep looking for more leaders; in time you will need them. Keep it simple, make it fun! In time you will grow and have true Dens!

NC DMV only has Eagle Scout vanity plates. Sorry.

Bart, Allow me, please, to cut to the chase. In your city, you most likely have Kiwanis, Rotary, VFW, American Legion, ad infinitum types of civic volunteer organizations. This list does not include, but easily can, houses of faith. There is nothing wrong with encouraging a private volunteer organization to be the Chartered Partner. Then, the problem is solved, and everyone and their whining goes away quickly. Minimize the drama. Have an adult beverage of your choice with the president of one of your fine civic organizations. They'll do the right thing!

Moxieman, True. We have well over 100 units in our District. We're lucky to have access to a Fortune 500 companies' training center, which they let us use for RT. Our District has outgrown 3 other facilities in the past 15 years, two of them since I've been aboard in 2000. Between all programs, we're signing in right at 400 people each month.

I can't blame DEs, District Chairmen, or Training Chairs for wanting a piece of Roundtable. It is the ONLY established, regular meeting for all unit leaders in a district. As such, it is the best opportunity to reach those leaders. I blame BSA for not setting Roundtable up to meet all of those needs -- or not institutionalizing another monthly meeting to take care of them! **VBG** Three RT Commissioners back, our DC and RT Commish decided to leverage Roundtable: It now serves as one stop shopping for unit serving Scouters. This means: - OA Chapter has their meeting concurrently, so youth members can carpool with leaders. - District Training Committee teaches "This is Scouting" in a dedicated space every month of the program year. - District Training Committee sets up a bank of PCs for other online BSA training and helps folks get into MyScouting the first time. - District Advancement Committee has dedicated space for ELSP District reviews. - District Advancement Committee has dedicated space to train MB Counselors. - Cub Scout RT has dedicated space for the main meeting and breakouts for Tiger Leaders, W/B leaders, Weeb leaders, and Pack staff. - Boy Scout RT has dedicated space for the opening and Program Feature/ Special Features breakouts. - Venturing RT (yes, we still call it that) has dedicated space and brings in Consultants on different program areas each month. While we do recharter kick-off at the October Commissioner meeting, we have a recharter help desk as part of the November RT, and we routinely (~7 years now) plan recharter turn-in as the key activity of the December RT. We're fortunate to have District professionals who have synergy with their volunteers and key volunteers/staff who want the unit serving leaders to succeed. Message me if you ever want to see our program in action. We are a 1st Thursday of the month program.(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

Congratulations!