kari_cardi

We are considering helping the scouts sew velcro to their uniform shirts and keeping a troop stash of POR patches so they can swap them out as needed. It's not just for identification, but to help build pride in the position. My son will probably be first, he has already shown an interest.

Well, Beavah, I guess you are right. We should give up now and go back to being an Eagle mill since we will end up there anyway.

Though it is still a new change, our troop recently switched to boy-led with less emphasis on advancement and more on the other methods of scouting under a new scoutmaster. We've lost a third of our scouts and half the leadership. We also lost most of our behavior issues, both adult and scout. Hmm, related? The scouts who are left are committed and challenged by their new roles as real leaders. We will see how it goes.

For resident camp, each pack must have two leaders, minimum, and two leaders for every 5 boys. But the different ranks can camp in different areas, and each rank needs only one adult. There are always other leaders present, the facilities hold a lot of boys. The first two leaders are free, and there are two additional free leaders for every 5 boys. It really helps in finding adult volunteers. There doesn't seem to be any guidelines for adult:scout ratios for twilight camp or Cub-O-Rees. We don't even have to send a leader to twilight camp.

Our pack budget allots so much per month per boy to each den. The den leaders can spend it all at once or a little at a time or however they want. We ask them to still be prudent with it, they don't have to spend it. It gives a guideline though, so they know what would be considered reasonable.

Can someone clue me in, I don't understand why as a parent I should be suspicious of a college-age boy who wants to help lead my sons in scouting. I am pretty sure our troop would welcome him and hope to find a good role model for the scouts.

Can you join the troop committee? It can be a pretty small time commitment depending on the position, but will give the boy-led contingent another voice at the table. And I agree, train, train, train.

We have the same story with a twist. The new Scoutmaster/former Cubmaster is the one pushing for a boy-led troop. It's a faction of the incumbent leadership that got its panties in a twist and left the troop because the new Scoutmaster was expecting too much of the boys. Only about half of them were trained, and none in the last five years or so. The split has been hard from a morale point of view, these are leaders we've been with since early Cubs and the exit was not graceful. And we are now short on ASMs. But the benefit is that those remaining support boy-led wholeheartedly, so the way is clear to a better and stronger troop. The scouts who remain say they like the troop meetings now better than they did before, too.

My sympathies. You could be talking about our troop right now. Does the split include Facebook drama and loud sighs about 'true friends'? My advice is to complete the transition as professionally and quickly as possible, then get on with the business of scouting.

According to the medical form description, Part A and B are to be completed annually for participation in any Scouting event. We've interpreted that to mean that all our scouts need to have at least those parts on file with the pack. Scoutfish, Part A requires a copy of the participant's insurance card to be attached. We've gone to a system that keeps medical forms collected over the summer for camps and add the rest of the scouts in September. The Cubmaster holds the binder of forms and keeps them confidential. We had an accident last year that convinced our pack leadership that requiring the forms really is important. And there are the other parts of the form to consider, for talent release, hold harmless clause, informed consent and authorized persons for transport. As far as YPT, our committee chair holds the certificates on file as she also tracks leader training. If you do need to look someone up on Scout Net, my former DE gave me the helpful advice to do so in the morning before the Mountain Time Zone(aka Utah)wakes up. I agree, Scout Net does move much faster then though I don't know if it is why he said it did. Keeping those bits of paper on file will mean that you only need to do registration forms and permission slips. It does help. I like the idea of rewarding boys and families who do it right the first time.

My experience with our pack has undergone a similar yet different path. When my son first joined the pack, we had a couple of dads who went all out cooking elaborate meals at Family Camp. They moved on, and the remaining leaders had not the skill, equipment or desire to cook like that. So the pendulum swung in the other direction. We had super simple meals like you described. Only in our pack, that isn't how most people eat. So parents were bringing extra food along to eat. Not chicken nuggets, but vegetables to roast in foil or baked potatoes, salads in coolers. And I was one of them. I would not be able to eat from your menu beyond the pancakes. So we adjusted again, and I think in a better direction. We chose foods that the guys can help cook or cook themselves as much as possible. Hot dogs on the campfire and pancakes for sure, but also foil dinners, hobo pies, chili and tacos. Lots of fruit available, along with raw veggies with dip. Strawberries and grapes are as popular as marshmallows. And the only parent who needs to pack their own food is the one with kids who only eat chicken nuggets and french fries.

I think, like gay scout leaders, there are probably already transgendered scouts in the BSA. A local troop had an intersex scout a few years ago. His genitalia was female (underdeveloped for a male) but he had testes. Should he be allowed in scouts? Or is a penis a requirement? The lines are not as clearly drawn as one might think. With the example I gave, the boys never knew the difference, and neither would I if his aunt had not said something to me. I'd consider it a non-issue for my boys to share a troop with a transgendered or intersex scout under most circumstances. I also think that there are a few basic rights we have as humans, and declaring our gender is at the top of the list. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it would be to feel like a male but be forced by society to live as a female, or vice versa. THAT is putting the transgender shoe on the other foot. Walk a mile and all that.

I'm with OTN. Show 100% acceptance of the boy by your actions and let the mom lead the way in what to share with the other parents. I promise, she is used to it. If you don't want/need disability training at the moment, you can read through the guide book for lots of useful information. We have a boy who has special needs. We've never been given a diagnosis and so far, it hasn't been needed. His dad comes with him to all scout events. His dad and I had a moment to talk at the last pack meeting. He said that Cub Scouts is his son's favorite activity and the one where he feels most comfortable. It was a great thing to hear.

Poor kid. She can't have an easy life.

Our district trainer recommended IOLS instead of WELOT for my Webelos leaders, and also said that it can count as BALOO training for pack camping.

Follow the program. It works. Make it fun. More interesting for the leader and the scouts. Keep good records. No need to repeat completed requirements. Communicate with the parents. They need to know what their scout has accomplished, what the den plans to work on in the future, what needs to be done at home and by when (we do most advancement work in the den meetings, but there are still home activities)and how to support their scout in advancements. Also, what awards can be worked on at home, like religious medals, family awards, etc. Not every parent wants to be involved, but you don't want to lose the parents who do AND good communication will save your butt when Johnny doesn't earn rank, because then the parents can't say they didn't know.

I think too much emphasis is placed on gender and not enough on treating people as individual human beings. Our youth rise to our expectations. Expect the girls to lead and they will. Expect the guys to lead and they will. Expect the girls to cook and the guys to goof off, well, you've just given the guys they excuse they need and the girls might be hungry enough cook anyway. Expect everyone to work hard and participate in all the facets of a good outdoor program, and either they will do so or they will leave and find something else to do. I'm not naive, I know there are differences between girls and boys. I'm raising both. But the gender differences are less than we make them out to be, are less than the personality differences inherent in each person in my experience.

I agree, the call is up to the school. But I don't see why not, as long as the service projects are good, solid work. Labeling service as 'school' or 'work' or both doesn't change the experience, and depending on the school's requirements could be an undue burden on the youth.

I agree with Stosh, especially when the person calling 911 is also the person who needs medical help. Likely his judgement was impaired by his condition. I don't think we need to second guess the quality of his First Aid training. The only training he needed to remember was 'when in doubt, call 911.' Which, by the way, is exactly the message that our local 911 call center delivers during our annual tours with Cub Scouts. So tragic. I am so sorry for his parents, family and friends.

We do 'pack-wide' den meetings when we have a really cool activity that all the boys would like that doesn't work out for a pack meeting, for recruiting in the fall or for fun in the spring when the den leaders are starting to get a bit burned out. It takes a different level of organization and energy to fun activities for the whole pack than for individual dens. To do it on a regular basis would need a longer meeting time, I think. An hour would not be enough time for my pack to meet as a group for an opening, do achievement activities as a den, then gather up again for a closing. And Cubs are pretty young to be out too late in the evening. It might work better in an area where school starts later in the morning though. That is a strength of the Cub Scout program, that it is adaptable for different situations. We do have all the dens meet at the same time, in the same place but the same place is a church with classrooms. So the dens meet separately but together. It is very convenient for the parents to know the schedule YEARS in advance and to have boys in separate dens meet at the same time. The den leaders can work together if they need to do similar activities or need more boys to do an activity. The CC and CM are available to talk to parents or back up the den leaders. I don't really recognize our pack in the description of the disadvantages. The dens still have field trips, they can still run around outside (we are located next to a park, so really ideal), there are no folding chairs and Ms. Smith doesn't have to clean every week for the scout meeting.

Thanks, Beavah and quazse, your answers were very helpful. Eagle732, I wish you the best as you work through the commitment issues you've described.

Scouters joke about our 'hour a week' volunteer jobs, we know it takes much more time to lead an effective and successful program. Most troops meet for 1.5 hours weekly plus a monthly outing, but it seems that isn't enough to do everything. How much time do you expect a boy to spend on scouts to be an effective and successful Boy Scout? What kind of time commitment does your troop expect for planning outings, skill practice, and advancement work? PORs? Anything I forgot? Thanks for any insight you can give!

I would not be at all surprised if the man on the deck encouraged the boys to beat you to the last couple of houses. And it is ridiculous to declare 'territory' over popcorn sales. I wouldn't say anything though, just use it as a learning experience for your scouts as you did.

It's a volunteer organization. I'm going to wear the shirt the way that I feel is most flattering and comfortable while still presenting as neat and tidy. My body isn't perfect, but it is what it is thanks to childbearing. At least I have a legitimate reason for my gut, unlike the overweight male uniform police busting out their shirt buttons who I know have judged me for my untucked shirt tails.

Why not allocate the same amount of money toward building your pack resources then? The pack can buy and own tents, sleeping bags, and uniforms to lend to any scout in need. And the pack can contribute a portion of summer camp fees to any scout who wants to attend. Your goal is met and you avoid any hint of impropriety by making the supplies/funds available to anyone in the pack, even if only a few take advantage of it.