jtswestark

I would still go to the camp or program director, but ask the director to not make a big deal out of it to cause any backlash and make things worse for the CIT. Hopefully a side talk between the director and staff members will handle it. You don't want to get in the middle of it nor give the impression you're going to be a helicopter leader over one of your boys. That said, CIT needs to start developing a skin. Things will happen between boys on staff (or anywhere) that we adults can't control.

Your Web seems pretty determined to find exactly what he is looking for. Unfortunately, I too wonder if one exists that will satisfy him. Or when he thinks he does find it, what happens when after he joins he finds they arent what he thought they are. Im afraid this is setting up to go terribly bad somewhere down the road and you may find your Troop shopping is going to continue with each disappointment. Be very cautious in letting him focus so much on his perception of the perfect troop. If they are boy lead, they are going to be far from perfect. If he pelts a SM with 101 questions, th

Now that June is here, summer constellations are in full visibility. I am always looking for new and better ways to get Scouts fired up about astronomy, including talking about the space station, satellites, planets, galaxies, etc... I was curious what kind of programs your troop uses to teach constellations? What percentage of your Scouts earn Astronomy MB? Does showing them pictures of the characters help them envision the constellations? Do telescopes or other aides help fuel their fire?

Allangr: you gotta keep slugging at it it wont happen over night. I dont know if any real helpful guide exists, but search the forum here and Im sure youll find plenty of wonderful reading materials to give you good insight. Bottom line, you dont have to be a good salesman. You just have to believe in what your unit offers to young men. That passion is all the recruiting skill you need. The challenge is getting that passion in front of the right people at the right time, and thats where the hard work is at. The best, best, best, best recruiting tool is a strong outdoor program. If

>>SUGGESTION - Replace the UC corps with a sharing concept. Require each committee chair and each unit leader (CM, SM, ...) to separately visit another unit's pack/troop meeting and another unit's committee meeting ... every year.

Moose - that sounds like a female SM that summer camped with us once. Personal adult shower houses with flushing toilets weren't good enough. Something to consider my past lodge would have a clan or two at the ordeal weekends repairing bunks and platforms. We also have a good turn camp requirement for our camp honors which many repairs are done as well. Significant repairs are typically done by volunteer Scouters or even camp staff as a last resort. Assembling and setting up the platforms, tents, and bunks in the spring and taking them all down in the fall is all done at two ordeal

It means a new patch! Woohoo!

Not meaning to stir the cell phone pot either, but if you are clear on the rules up front having a clear agreement that cell phones are not allowed why should this adult be surprised? The swearing and refusal of direction in a safety issue from another adult leader is acceptable in what way? Im not encouraging any conflict between a child and an adult parents are going to go off the deep end over it, as this one did regardless of how egregious the event(s) was. This is a tough call and hind sight is always 20/20, but maybe a better approach would be to either summon the mother or go f

Hopefully all of you will move onto Boy Scouts where unfortunately you will see the parent participation problem doesnt go away. AKdenledr makes a fantastic point that by not bringing in more adults, they are not given the opportunity to try something new and find that they really *like* this Scouting thing. Its almost as cool seeing an adult come out of their shell as it is seeing a boy do the same. Its funny watching the look on the face of a new leader the first time they get swept in the moment of a goofy dining hall/campfire song that a few months prior wouldve been far below their

In my years as SM, when I had a decent CC that would take on the majority of those parent issues it was a significant load off me and I could focus on what I was really there for. A SM's best friend is an active CC! JTS(This message has been edited by jtswestark)

I blame it on Scouting. I wasnt a High D personality when I was a happy-go-lucky 10 year old. And, btw, you're all wusses. JTS

Bill That is a fantastic parent presentation on the patrol method. I really like the way you give a side by side comparison of the Pack vs. Troop. Very clear and succinct. It finally dawned on me after a few years of parent presentations that by frequently reminding and reinforcing them about the Aims and Methods we headed off a lot of misunderstandings about why we do things the way we do. Great advice for any new leader (probably was in the Fundamentals session I was goofing off in). However one concern (sorry). You give a great list of the ways you can identify an adul

Overall, nice presentation, but needs some touchups. Couple things to consider - - You have a group of Scouters/Parents that you are talking to for two hours - you need some kind of activity or many will either start wandering around for coffee, restrooms, or fall asleep (been there... trust me!). - You are ranging on topic from very rudimentary (new parents) to somewhat advanced (novice/lightly experienced leaders?). Maybe too large of a range to cover effectively in a two hour class. - At 56 slides that gives you less than 2 minutes per slide. Many of which are redundant

Gern when is your recharter? I ask because what we submit for ours in January will be very different from what my unit reflects just a few short months later: we transfer in Crossovers in Feb/Mar. In our area boys can criss-cross five Packs and five troops in our immediate community, multiple times that if including neighboring communities (and even districts). And in recent years they have been scattering across them all. I believe our DE tracks the transfer paperwork as she has called me on occasion to confirm this or that, so I believe she handles it on her own. However, the conc

>>Parents of new scouts were told that this would be strictly adhered to.

About five years ago I told the patrol leaders they each needed a skit and song for the campout campfire. Instant whining, complaining, nashing of teeth. Told SPL to get an MC to use it for credit towards Communications MB, more groaning. But the night went great. Couple months later, we did it again, then the following campout, then the next. Now, they do it all on their own - every single campout, even if we don't have a fire to gather around. Yes, the skits get redundant (but seeing JC Penny in 10 deg weather is hilarious!), and sometimes really wierd, but the MC keeps it going and

Were with Hal: 2nd period at Seven Ranges, reliable as the sun coming up. 1. Weve gone to the same council camps since chartered in 1967 always going the same week. They closed the first two, now were on our third. But we have changed campsites due to growth in the troop and a better location opened up. 2. Not obligated, no pressure needed. We love our camp plus we have a Camp Honors program called Pipestone that is unique and a part of our troop traditions. It is a five year program and the guys dont want to miss a year, for anything else. 14% of the Scouts that start attend

Maybe it will be a good opportunity for them to learn who these guys are... just because they haven't been in front of them to date, doesn't mean they won't appreciate later the experience of meeting and learning from them. My current SPL is going and he wants to be guess what a professional cook Ill be sure to pass this onto him. I had no clue who Green Bar Bill was when I shook his hand at the 1981 Jamboree. But I sure did afterwards. So dont write off the benefits of the experience before it happens Jack Smith Scoutmaster, Troop 935 Buckeye Council, Ohio

Sometimes you just need to liven it up a little. Maybe go back and look at some of the things you all did a few years back that worked well. Ie we cycle through Gettysburg every three to four years, particular Camporees every two or three years, and so forth. Try something different, keep an open mind, talk to your area troops about their best activities. Try and tie different things into the weekends, something historical, some totally unrelated fun, or something they need for advancement (ie bike ride or climbing wall for camping MB). Do a little research on the web, look into something

Yes, welcome Rick! If I may add on to a couple points of Eric (BTW, he is our District/Chapter advisor and done the best job since yours truly held the position a bunch of years ago [vbg!]). Arrowmen are to serve their home Troop first, whether as a youth or adult. That is our first priority. For the youth, we promote to the Troops to vote youth into the lodge that show exceptional Scouting abilities. As the lodge, we can take those youth and provide more opportunities to practice and learn more about application and lessons of applying the Oath, Law, and Obligation into t

Well I'm shocked the traditionalists haven't pounced all over this one! So I get to be the first - The 2nd class requirements are very basic and simple. There's no reason a patrol leader or older Scout can't teach and sign off on these any differently than they would for any other advancement. In our councils camp, they only administer the swimmers test at check in, and that is only one of the swimming requirements for rank. So if he passes the test, or at least meets the distance requirement for 2nd class at camp, then his patrol leader signs his book no adults needed. We go to ope

Sipp-O Lodge #377 proudly invites you to join us August 21 & 22, 2009 at scenic Seven Ranges Scout Reservation, Kensington Ohio Held in conjunction with Sipp-O Lodges Ox Roast: Secure display and patch trading area Discounted Friday supper & Saturday breakfast Complimentary bunk with mattress Discounted Saturday lunch or dinner meal ticket Complimentary twilight hay ride around camp on Friday night Trading post access for refreshments, snacks, patches, t-shirts, and other Scouting items & collectibles Close parking to display area Discount for registratio

Frank If I may suggest, I am in the Buckeye Council, based in Canton, Ohio. Our summer camp is 7 Ranges and is located just south of Lisbon, Ohio. We have numerous troops from your council come to our camp each year, and its only a couple hour drive from you. We offer a very traditional Scouting program, with our nationally recognized Pipestone Camp Honors Program. The typical Scout goes to our camp for five years to complete each of the programs year. By that time they minimally need to have earned their Life Rank. Many of them return for a sixth year, just to enjoy the benefits of bei

You are in Scouts because you believe in the program. So much that you put your own flesh and blood offspring into it. If the OA is good enough for them, why isnt it good enough for us as adults? Hopefully you will get nominated again to join the OA, I shutter when I hear a nomination was turned down. They may overlook you a second time so as not to waste it again. If most lodges are anything like ours, we need as many adults as we can get, merely for supporting the youth led program specifically TO DRIVE! It turns my stomach on the occasion we dont have enough seats to get guys to Conc

All great advice from experienced Scouters, I concur and support what they are telling you. The meetings are the worst part of the OA, especially for new members so dont let that turn him off get him to as many events as you can. Involvement at meetings will come over time. Allow me to brag a minute for what its done for my son: He was tapped out his first year of eligibility and I returned as an advisor (same lodge I was in as a kid, many of my childhood lodge brothers are now advisors). Just like anything else, if he sees its important to you, it will be important to him. But inf