Joni4TA

Our Troop has never reimbursed for gas expenses. We are a very humble Troop and if we did start reimbursing for gas, even over 50 miles- our outdoor program would soon cease to exist. We'd have to start camping in people's backyards.(This message has been edited by Joni4TA)

In our case the troop's Trailer is also what stores all our gear in between campouts. We just barely got it. The frame was donated by our Committee Chairman. It was the remnants ofa flatbed trailer. Our Scoutmaster had another contact that built the trailer from the frame up (walls, etc) and put the trailer lights on it. And then one of our ASM's cut the plywood to put a floor in. We're still working on the inside. It needs shelves and hooks. And we have yet to get it registered and legal for driving on the roads, too. But it's moving along.

Pictures are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Troop118LaVernia/TroopLeadershipTraining(This message has been edited by Joni4TA)

Bear with me, but I am taking TCL (Outdoor Education) and I have to say I am feeling a little like I am wasting my time here.... I have been a Boy Scout leader for oodles of years, am Scoutmaster trained, etc. And I almost *almost* feel insulted having to sit through the Girl Scout's Outdoor Education classes.

When I heard we were "going camping" on an overnight during the final part of this training I was stoked............................... until I discovered that the overnight campingwas an indoor night in the Girl Scout Council Office!!! I don't get it! I am going through over 32 hours of training just so I can camp indoors with my Girl Scout troop (or it has to be a place with bathrooms, a covered permanent structure, and running water, all within 30 minutes of Emergency medical services). Apparently there is another more involved level of training called "High Adventure Outdoor Training", for when you want to go primitive camping where there is no running water, bathrooms, permanent covered structure or EMS within 30min.

Why are the Girl Scouts so anal about all the training... the CPR/First Aid, and Outdoor Education/Troop Camp Leadership?

And why do they think this training should expire every 1-3 years respectively anyway? I see the need to update CPR or 1st Aid at certain intervals, but why in the world would Troop Camp Leadership/Outdoor Education and the High Adventure Outdoor Training expire in 3 years? That seems silly to me!

BTW I am with GoldWinger on this, in that if even HALF the troop show up for meetings and are getting something out of the program, I say continuing to have those meetings is a good thing.

I just found out too that the Cub pack takes the summer off as well.

I don't know.. as a Brownie leader who decided to go ahead and meet throughout the summer, I definitely see a decline in attendance. I think I will meet through July and then take August off. I am going to need that break. Since I am the leader, I am there at every single meeting, even if only ONE other girl or parent shows up. I am there because I made the schedule and I plan to stick to it.

It really does make me angry though that I asked all my parents before we made the summer schedule, who wanted to meet weekly throughout the summer and who didn't. Seems like everyone either said YAY or were indifferent. So I planned all the meetings, bought all the supplies for the meetings - and now we are having minimal participation.

Now I get why folks take the summer off! lol

My son happens to be at NYLT ("Cedar Badge") with fgoodwin's son this week... so this brought up a lot for me.

And as I was watching the news last night my heart sunk. I lost a daughter, unexpectedly, almost 4 years ago. She was a Senior Girl Scout, 15 years old. Those thoughts on top of the connection I felt to the parents of those 4 boys because I just dropped my own son off to NYLT - WOW - it hit me hard.

My heart, prayers and sympathy go out to those parents of the 4 boys in Iowa, and their Troops. How devastating this must be and emotional, for all of them.

I can't imagine.... my thoughts and prayers go out to them

[closing duplicate topic] (This message has been edited by a staff member.)

Are they NUTS?

I just heard my District and possibly Council is considering making all adult leaders who have been trained prior to the year 2000 - RE-DO their training so they have the training under the newest, freshest syllabus.

In other words, everything we've done BEFORE 2000 - they won't accept, and we won't be considered "TRAINED"

This seems a bit extreme! And silly too!

What about folks who took all their essentials and WB prior to this date? We should just discount that and toss it out the window?

Goodbye Scoutmastership Fundamentals..... Sayonara Wood Badge......

This is very upsetting.

(This message has been edited by Joni4TA)

I wonder if they would accept you if you DON'T have WB for the 21st Century................................. because you did your Wood Badge in 1994?

I don't really know where they came from but our Troop has a bunch of 6 foot natural looking cedar fence posts, like they use for range fencing with barbed wire here in my neck of the woods (rural south texas). Our troop made a monkey bridge out of these cedar posts a couple weeks ago, but they ended up lashing 2 of the 6-footers together to make them 8-9 feet long for the A-frames at both ends of the bridge. It worked well!

I sort of consider the monkey bridge one of the ultimate pioneering projects, so I am figuring if these cedar posts worked with that, they'll work for any project. Also, they don't rot very fast like other untreated wood.

So I agree with the farm or fence supply suggestion.

This next week our SU is having their last SU meeting of the season. The next one won't be until August.

Last year my daughter was a daisy and they ended their meetings in April and we heard didley squat about girl scouts until September! This year I am the Brownie leader and I am meeting every week all year long, throughout the summer! But I am one of the few. Most Troops in my SU for some reason quit meeting altogether in the summer, OR they meet less frequently (once a month).

I am wondering.... WHY are we not treating Girl Scouts to a full-year program?

June:

week 1 * My son the Boy Scout's going to NYLT at Council

week 1 * my Brownie Troop is going to the zoo!

week 2 * I finish up the last two sessions of my Girl Scout Troop Camp Leadership Training

week 3 * FREE WEEK SO FAR

week 4 * my son the Boy Scout is a staffer at our District Cub Scout Day Camp

July:

week 1 * huge 4th of July party for the whole Troop at my house (I must be nuts)

week 1 * my son the Boy Scout goes to summer camp

week 2 * first Girl Scout campout with my Brownie Troop

week 3 * FREE WEEK SO FAR

week 4 * Brownie Mom and Me summer camp! (My Brownie daughter gets to take her mom to camp!)

August:

week 1 * Camping for a week on the beach in my 30ft travel trailer

week 2 * my son's High school football 2-a-days practices

week 3 * my son's High school football 2-a-days practices

week 4 * BACK TO SCHOOL

So far, that's my summer.... subject to change LOL

ty packsaddle!!

Thanks, I have that PDF but it doesn't say anything about a course number anywhere. I have two youth and an adult who have completed their BSA Lifeguard course in summer camp and I wanted to put it in the system with TroopMaster software, but it's asking me for a course number. Like Youth protection is course # Y01 - can't find anything specific about BSA Lifeguard.

Can someone tell me the course number for the BSA Lifeguard Course?

Thank you

It is interesting, all the POVs.

It's funny in a way because I originally offered to help the parent and the Scout set something up for the ECOH. Back then it was an exciting prospect to the Scout and parent, but the parent said they wanted to plan it themselves so they could get a good date where they could invite family and what not - something convenient for the family, a central location, etc. I completely understood.

So I instead offered to solicit letters of recognition, the parent was thrilled, had never heard of such a thing, etc., etc. and was happy I was willing to do that. I did so, and I am the one that has collected all the things and have prepared a notebook for the boy. I mentioned to the parent at least a half dozen times in the last year that I had SOME of the letters, but there was a few local organizations that wanted to present their recognitions in person, AT the ECOH and were just waiting for a time and place. (I thought that might help push the envelope a little - no dice).

It's been so long now I am beginning to believe it's just not important to either the parent or the Scout anymore. Should I just give the Scout his notebook of letters of regognition at the next Troop meeting or wait and wait and wait for the parent to pull it together? I hate to feel like I am pushing or pressuring the parent into planning an ECOH when yeah, they don't have to have one if they don't want to. At the same time I am tired of feeling like I am hanging on to all these DATED letters of recognition like ransom til they do plan a COH for the boy.

Online training at BSA National - a new course appeared that I never saw before - staffing the district committee. Anyone ever done this? I have tried twice and both times I go on and on and on finding prospects, recruiting prospects, moving them around their different sub-committees within the cyber-district and I can't seem to get all 3 of the tables to be GREEN. I can get TWO and then the third gets close, but close gets me no cigar!

Hypothetical...

If you knew a boy who earned the rank of Eagle almost a year ago but STILL hadn't had a court of honor - what would you think?

The parent (an ASM) has been asked if they needed help planning it, since about 90 days following the boy earning it. Still nothing...

Meanwhile the boy became scarce at meetings.. and so did the parent (an ASM).

Would you figure the parent was "too busy" to plan something or would you think after a year that the parent of the Eagle must not care so much to honor the boy?

Wow, so there are more QU patches that I didn't even know about. Crazy! And yes, it's the centennial one we shot for. We had to first state goals last year, and then this year figure out all kinds of percentages.

I know Gunny - it should have been relatively easy. But nothing is easy for me when it comes to math! Besides it wasn't even until about 8 months ago that the unit I serve bothered to keep attendance or anything. I never saw a permission slip or a tour permit until about a year ago. Everything seems like it's been hosed.

I'll have to find out about Boy's Life. We recharter in March. The CC just sent it in on Monday so I'll have to get with them and find out about that.

I personally just brought it up in Committee that I don't think the adult leaders need the patches. The boys - yes, but not the adults. The Troop has to pay for them. For whatever reason Council/District or whomever normally gave them to us before, is not doing that this year. In order to save a few bucks I suggested we cut the amount by leaving out the adults. That's about the only time having a barely existing committee with only 3 people regularly showing up is a plus - we can get decisions made rather quickly!

I wish I could even say it's adult-led. It's not at all. It literally IS pandemonium and SM believes hands-off completely is the best. SM tells the boys what they SHOULD be doing every so often, but offers no further guidance. Has not run a TLT.

Just curious how you might go about shopping for a Troop. How many Troops did you visit? How many meetings do you think it will take (or took) for you to sit in before you get a good idea of how they run, or if they're truly boy-led, boy-run? How many campouts? Committee Meetings?

Did anyone here go Troop shopping? How was it and what did you learn from it?

fgoodwin, it wouldn't matter - since the new TLT leaves so much open to interpretation and allows any SM to develop their own curriculum. They have very minimal guidance, and do not discuss the new TLT at all in SM Specific. No one stresses that SM's should use TLT - instead we're told we should instead get them into NYLT for the "full experience." For a new SM, and untrained youth leadership, the TLT is nearly useless.

There's also a huge risk that SM's who aren't really doing that good of a job in the first place, are also going to ruin a youth's chance of ever getting what was intended out of TLT.

Some folks out there look at the tiny little TLT packet (all of 15 pages) and it's cute little outline, and unless they are white collar business folk used to running board meetings and are in full understanding of all topics in the TLT, are not 100% comfortable with the ambiguity of the TLT. Some prefer using the old JLT as a tool for the team building activities it possesses and then use more updated discussion like TLT hopes to prompt. TLT wants you to go out and "find your own" resources. JLT brought them to the table. JLT took a whole day, sometimes two. TLT is only supposed to take 3 hours. How in the world can you squeeze it into 3 hours? The least they could have done would have been to include a powerpoint slideshow or something....

And if a SM isn't comfortable or doesn't "get" how to teach the TLT syllabus, should they then just say forget it boys and teach the boys with NOTHING? Or at that point would the JLT be preferred over nothing?

mothercub, you are very welcome and I am glad to help!

He had a pretty good bump and bruise on the knee area where the "burn-hole" was in the pants.

It's funny you mention that Gunny! I wish it were the case, that she wanted to be included. Unfortunately I don't think that's it.

When the last SPL and ASPL were elected in October 2007, both of the boys were First Class Scouts and generally unprepared to lead. This particular ASM came to the Annual Planning PLC in November 2007 and the SM didn't show up at all. They got 2 months planned and the ASM had to leave due to another committment. No further Troop planning occured until about 4 weeks ago.

She reiterated back in Nov '07 how youth leadership training should take place but never once stepped up to the plate to "help" set one up. When recently asked why, her response was "NOT MY JOB, I'm not the SM!" And she claims since she started a new teaching job last August she no longer has enough time to do anything more for the Troop than she's already doing. She also quit as the O/A Advisor for the District and no longer works the District Training team as a Cub Pack Trainer.

I guess asking her to help with the upcoming JLT wasn't a top priority of the SM, looking at her level of involvement with the Troop over the last 8-12 months.

This important NYLT Teaching Course at Philmont course she took last year - this is the first anyone in the Troop is hearing about it. We knew she went to Philmont with her son last year, but that was all except she had a great time.

When asked last night if she was available to help teach the youth leadership on the scheduled date at the end of March, she said that wasn't enough time for her to prepare. She wanted to get with Council and blah blah blah... and didn't think she could have all that together within the next few months.

In other words, NO, I am not available to help teach our Troop's youth leadership and I also don't want you folks to use the old JLT or the new TLT, but you MUST wait for me to get my head and ass wired together because ****I**** am the only one on earth who can rightfully teach the boys their youth leadership course!

Whatever!

The boys in this Troop have been waiting forever!!! I have watched not just one but SEVERAL changes in youth leadership due to the regularly scheduled troop elections and NOT ONE of the new regimes have received any form of JLT in the 2 years I have been a committee member for this Troop. That doesn't have anything to do with this special course this one ASM took at Philmont!!! It has to do with the standards the SM and ASM's have set for the boys in this Troop - basically there are none. And they aren't willing to devote the time to TEACH nor raise them either

It depends on the planned campout. Sometimes we have 16 boys show up, and sometimes we have 4. We have 20 total youth and only 2 patrols because many don't show up.

There are no trained youth leaders in the Troop I serve. Our Troop does not operate via Patrol Method. SPL, ASPL, PL and APL's are elected and then not trained at all - so they have no idea what they are SUPPOSED to be doing either in meetings or on campouts.

For one thing, my first suggestion was to conduct JLT immediately following this month's elections.

Secondly, I suggested to the CC, an ASM and the SM that we adults that go on the camping trips, start our own Adult Patrol, complete with Patrol yell, flag, etc. I said that by doing this, we would be leading by example, modeling the patrol method, and in effect teaching the patrol method. I said I didn't think the boys should HAVE to be responsible to cook for us except for maybe a Saturday dinner where we all ate together.

The SM response was, "I don't believe that's a good idea because the less assertive boys won't be able to speak up about menus and meal times and so the boys won't get a nutritious meal in a timely manner on a campout without me riding their butts."

I replied that the SPL should be using a campout planner/itinerary to determine meal times, and the SPL/PL's (depending on how many show up for the campout) should be utilizing and posting the duty roster so that all the attending boys knew exactly what their jobs were on the campout. They could volunteer or be assigned at the meeting ahead of the campout or shortly before departure. But either way everyone would know what duty they were assigned to and therfore the SM would not be REQUIRED to go "ride their butts."

RESPONSE --- "Oh THAT'll never happen!!!!"

Enter defeatism!