John-in-KC

Wednesday night is midweek worship and choir practice in many churches...

H Roe Bartle, Founding Chief Lone Bear in the Tribe of Mic-o-Say, Scout Executive of the Kansas City (MO) Area Council from 1929 to 1952, founder of study of Humanics, and Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri once said of Boy Scouting: "If you give them great program, they will come." If your Troop has an excellent program, you have nothing to be concerned about. If not, you may experience that wonderful gift called feedback. Carefully consider what this young man says, especially if he decides to transfer out. Note I didn't say change anything. Use his departing Scoutmaster Conference and BOR (I trust you will give him one if he leaves) to see where potential weaknesses in your own Troop are, as well as strengths. Then, act as appropriate.

In our District, everything a Direct Contact Leader needs is available at Roundtable, 1st Thursday of the month: - OA chapter meets concurrently. - Advamcement Operating Committee runs: -- Eagle Leadership Service Project Review -- Merit Badge Counselor training - Training Operating Committee runs: -- YP -- This is Scouting The idea is simple: Minimize the time a direct contact leader needs to spend running around.

I agree with Beavah and Lisa. If a group of parents do go to the IH/COR, one option those two might put on the table is "who among you is prepared to be the new CC; who among you will be SM?" Parents need to talk about that before meeting with the Chartered Partner. Wholesale leadership replacement is not easy, and the youth will need continuity as the adults are struggling. For that reason, this is one time where leaving the unit seems a better option than trying to rebuild it.

Scoutreach dollars are available for DE's to underwrite shirts/neckers and program books to new sign-ups who are in straits. CMs/SMs are the gatekeepers. I know a Chartered Partner which has a Saturday morning breakfast. There's an old, rich Scouter who will underwrite Scout Camp (and some spending money) if kids will bus tables for 6 Saturdays. I'm seeing lots more use of uniform closets, and fewer Scout pants.

As already said, training, training, and more training. Listen. Lots. Then, take the concerns back to your ADC. If you don't have several solutions, he'll have a lot in a hurry. Model a cheerleader for the program folks and the committee folks. Thank them, often. Help them see their importance to the program.

I have to wonder what District out there is requiring they approve the unit budget to sell popcorn. If I was a COR in that District, it would not be a friendly cup of coffee with the chairman and the DE. It'd be a confrontational business meeting ... and the message I'd be sending is "If you want my churchs' support, stay the **** out of my business affairs." Now, if this unit is a SCOUTREACH unit, that's a different story. Then, the District has some responsibilities. Someone made a comment earlier about camp fees. That, to me, is one of the places where a chartered partner can best help a Scout. Billy is already giving his lawn mowing earnings to Mom and Dad so they can make the mortgage or pay the car payment (that's really happening in my neck of the woods). That's the kind of situation where the Chartered Partner silently steps in with the Scoutmaster, and makes sure that boy can go to camp. I also know Chartered Partners which do their own fundraising, such as Saturday breakfasts at the Legion post... Scouts come in as individuals to be busboys ... Legion makes sure the Scouts have camp fees paid. Finally, if District tells you get bent on selling popcorn, Scouting magazine is full of other products to sell! Wreaths do well this time of year.

I'm old fashioned. I think a boy should only move across after his 11th birthday. Seriously, it depends on the maturity of the boys. That's a DL and parent call. Scoutmasters need to understand that moving up from Cubs to Boys is not for their convenience. We are there for the boys.

Lisa, as always, you've said it for me (even if my Council is one of the 20 testbeds).

What has your COR said? The Chartered Partner is the licensee of record for the Troop to the Council and BSA. Whatever your system is, it must pass their muster. I strongly recommend a business meeting of the CC, the Treasurer, the COR, and the Treasurer of the Chartered Partner. If I were your COR, the tough question I'd ask you is to show me the stewardship advantages and disadvantages of each accounting method you propose. Why have a Troop Treasury at all if you're not going to have a general fund? Simply levy the youth for each and every nit-noid bill on a pro-rated basis? If the software costs $200, and your Troop has 40 kids, each one brings $5 to the next Troop meeting. OBTW, what are you going to do about Bobby, who is mowing the grass to buy food for his family, because Mom/Dad ran out of unemployment? Sorry to be so blunt, but the organization of financial support to the Troop is an important matter.

This is one of those times where Mr SM (and some other adult... 2 deep you know) ... invite the young man for a friendly breakfast someplace. This isn't time to be pedantic or get out the threatening booming voice. Instead, he's asking questions. It's a good time to allow him to ask those questions, and to share some answers. Sometimes those answers are going to be deeper questions. I would not even bring up the rules of Scouting. He's seeking his own path, and perhaps not connecting dots. He needs adult friends, more than ever.

Remember that arts and crafts are designed to reinforce fine motor skills, which are still very, very raw at 8-10 years old.

Get those copies of your Council POW-WOW books on CD now... Just shot this to my DE, DC, and a friend who is an asst council commish.

BSA is 100 years old. For over 70 of those years, records are/were hardcopy. We've had a wave of Council mergers, starting in the 70s. National's registry is that of young men achieving Eagle. SFAICT, they've never had an interest in tracking the feat of earning all MBs. Only 106 Scouts in 100 years who earned 121 merit badges? Gut feeling: You're undercounting, by at least one Order of Magnitude. You will never be able to validate the completeness of your registry.

What we should do? I can answer that 1) We need to re-look the programmatics of a District Roundtable. We need to look at requiring, each month, each District Nationwide to present a block on an outdoor skill. 2) We need to create a series of topic-specific weekends (in some cases, in town followed by weekend): - Iron Field Chef - Survivor Weekend - Frontcountry without the circus! Each one of those weekends is designed to enhance a skillset. There are hundreds of others any number of us can think of. Point is this, to me: We claim the outdoors is where we place our program. Leadership theory of small groups (and a Scout Troop is in that category) demands technical proficiency as part of the skillset. We have to find better ways in the world of supplemental training to increase the skills of our direct contact leaders. My thoughts. YMMV. Have a great Scouting weekend. -

Read this: http://www.prweb.com/releases/nothing_but_nets/boy_scouts_of_america/prweb2802074.htm The United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets, a grassroots campaign to prevent malaria by sending long-lasting insecticide-treated nets to families in Africa, announced today that the Boy Scouts of America has joined the malaria-prevention campaign as part of its 100th Anniversary Celebration. Throughout the year, Scouts from around the country will work within their communities to raise awareness about malaria, a leading killer in Africa.

My spin: So that I know what new volunteers are learning, I now and then re-take the basics. You never know what you'll learn next ( I still love the time I was at Commish College and the gal teaching G2SS said "All Venturers must have annual Class III physicals, because all Venturers participate in High Adventure activities )

Mickman Christmas Wreaths!

emb, Please re-read what I wrote, to whit: The problem is Philmont Leadership Challenge: - Is incredibly exclusive, in that there are only a few slots per year. - Is conducted at 6000 feet above sea level (base height). - Does not answer the need in the field for vastly more outdoor training for adults who would lead our youth members. - Is incredibly expensive ... add the cost of R/T transportation to the cost of attendance. It's had enough time, if the goal was to pilot it Nationally, then deploy it to Regions, to be pushed out. In replying to SR540Beaver, everything I am talking about here is Philmont Leadership Challenge, which is an adult course. Youth courses were not subject of my post. My point is this: Philmont Leadership Challenge, a limited, high dollar course, is in its 2d season. National should know what works/doesn't, and should push it out to get more involved. If not, it's not going to make a whit's difference in the field, particularly in the matter of advanced outdoor operations skills. Does that make better sense? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tahawk, Of our 8 methods, the one where we are having less and less adult experience these days is the Outdoor. I've seen folks come to an overnighter at Scout Camp with seemingly 100lbs of gear. Certainly, a couple of Dads'n'lads needed two wagonloads to bring their stuff to a tentsite that had a tent, a platform and two cots set. We don't know how to cook on a charcoal fire, let alone wood or propane, many of our adults struggle pitching a tent, they're cold at 40F... The Scout Oath may say nothing about outdoorsmanship, but that's the programmatic vehicle we use, and we darn well ought to be good users of our primary tool.

Circa 1968-74 Mr Weiss Mr Wright When I was an Explorer... Mr Warden Now, EagleSon... His SM... Mike His current Crew Advisor: MamaL

For cooling boiled water, the traditional solution (and it helps with taste) is to pour between two pots. This also aerates the water.

The problem is Philmont Leadership Challenge: - Is incredibly exclusive, in that there are only a few slots per year. - Is conducted at 6000 feet above sea level (base height). - Does not answer the need in the field for vastly more outdoor training for adults who would lead our youth members. - Is incredibly expensive ... add the cost of R/T transportation to the cost of attendance. It's had enough time, if the goal was to pilot it Nationally, then deploy it to Regions, to be pushed out.

A lot of what Gern said applies. Some areas I think I'm fairly competent; others I'm a rank beginner. Still others, I once was competent, but now need intensive refresher to be up to par. emb's list of curricula would be a good starting point. I think two other modules are needed: - Fieldcraft in cold weather - Fieldcraft in hot weather Each brings its own particular risks to the table. Being able to work and play comfortably, summer and winter, are skills fewer and fewer folk have these days.

Hi and welcome yet again We've answered this for you in the Advancement Forum

ELCA, through the National Lutheran Association on Scouting (www.nlas.org) has a seat at the table on BSA's National Religious Relationships Committee. I rather suspect (because I'm a member of NLAS, as is Ken (narraticong) that the NLAS board will have some serious conversations with other national level volunteers and professionals. Vicki, email coming your way.