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jwall, welcome to the forum. After reading what you've posted and taking your tone and emotion I'd suggest taking the advice of It's Me and "Just Leave". By taking the position that the SM needs to go, or change his ways for that matter, you and others have obviously caused him to dig in his heels. We can all be stubborn, I'm no exception, and if given no room to wiggle, I will push back or at least hold my ground. This is what's popped out at me with what you've posted about your current SM. No finger pointing, that's just human nature. Scouting is PHUN, never forget tha

Wow, great idea, I'm stealing it officially. My council is in So Cal and I've been asked to chair a Council Committee directing our 2010 celebration efforts. The "big party" for the 100th anniversay is supposed to happen in February of 2010, with festivities culminating in the 2010 Jambo. This idea of a Rose Parade float would be awesome. I would bet we could get many volunteers to help decorate. San Gabriel Valley Council would be the home turf of this event. Maybe have some youth who've been awarded Heroism or Valor medals ride it, wow there's a ton of potential. Great idea

I haven't read the entire thread, so I apologize if I am doubling someones info or suggestions. My troop is primarily a backpacking troop. Whether we hike for 1 mile or 10, the basics are always covered. Food is planned, purchased, prepared and packed by the scouts. That sounds easy, but it takes a good year or so for them to get to that point. We will allow a campout where hamburger helper is the main course, but that patrol will not be able to use that crutch for the next outing. Instant oatmeal is a wonderful thing and we support it, but we also love to show them what our home

I haven't heard anyone discuss the merits of the BSA's new move to make all incoming AOL earning Webelos instant Tenderfoot Scouts. What do you see as pros and cons to this new policy?

LOL, Eamonn, you're killin me... I was asked to do this at a pack meeting. I was visiting as an FOS presenter, along with another SM from a troop taking some boys. Very awkward to say the least. I was in what I would consider a very full uniform, but what my troop considers proper uniforming and what the other SM's troop does has nothing to do with what the CM and his pack consider full or proper uniform. That was the only time it happened and I hope it doesn't happen again.

Once an Arrowman, always an Arrowman. All that is required is current registration in the BSA and current dues with the lodge. For the sake of argument, if you were a member of a LFL group, and you wanted to be active in your lodge, then you would need to register either with a unit or at large with the district in order to be elegible as a memeber of the chapter/lodge. After that it's all about paying your lodge dues and get to serving.

What to look for eh? This is what I told my WII parents before we started the hunt. As far as a parent goes, look for the following: 1. Trained leaders (plural). very important, if the leaders are trained they are sold on the program and have invested in your son's future in Scouting. Make sure there are enough of them to get the job done WITHOUT YOU. Nobody should join a unit and be expected to thrust into a top job right away, assimilation takes time. 2. Financial solvency. Don't jump onto a sinking ship, I did this once and did not enjoy it. Your son won't enjoy it ei

When BSA changed the training continuum at the turn of the Century, they moved outdoor leader skills to job specific and appropriate levels, that is to say, Cub Leaders needs in the area of outdoor leadership skills are different than Boy Scout Leaders needs, Venturing Leaders needs, etc... Wood Badge today is a viable, effective adult leadership traning course, intensive in it's approach and application, that helps All Leaders in Scouting understand Team Building and it's phases, Communications and it's importance, and the Values, Mission and Vision of the Boy Scouts of America. There a

We make 'em pay up front 2 weeks in advance, no refunds w/o reasonable excuse and notice. I've got one kid that does this often enough that I summed up his "failures to appear" to his father one night and what it had cost him. That ended his excuses for a time. He's still a flake unfortunately, and probably will be for the rest of his life, I just cannot seem to get accross to him that he's responsible or needs to try and be responsible for his commitments.

#45 Distinguished Eagle Scout? thought there was a knot for this as well...

Wow, this reminds me of a Spanish language Novella...it's got all the twist and turns, just no commercials. I just read this whole thread and found it very entertaining at least. I'm saddened at the thougth of having to sue a BSA Council of what seems to be an expected entitlement. I'm sure there's much more to this whole magilla, I just can't imagine the drama in Florida...

Nic, I counted my Tiger leader year because I had registered as the Tiger Coach, then Tom Sawyered it to one of the moms...pretty slick move actually. I think the only way they have of verifying the veteran tenure is paid registerd years, and since Tiger parernts are not required to register per se, they're not on the books. I'm not sure whether I agree with that or not, since I'm not adversly affected by it, but I can understand the dilema of the registrar on this. It means you'll need to suck up that one year and "make it up" later down the road. Look at it this way, at least yo

Get well soon Jambo

I personally don't mind paying my own way, but we don't charge the full course fee, only what is necessary to provide meals and such to the participants. the Participants pay the full fee that includes all materials and the licensing fees. Everyone pays for thier own pictures and other personal items and consumables. Our staff fees last year were $100 / staffer for the course and pre-course. Our participants fees were $235 (if paid by the 30 day mark)

For Recruiting, our last course, and probably this next one I'm on will follow this model. Assign recruiting assignments to each staffer, and require them to personally recruit at least two participants. We all attend Roundtables, trainings, and other various events in our districts and councils. We're asked to "spread the word" about our two courses and try and fill them both. last year our Spring staff filled our course, had a long waiting list and 1/2 filled the Fall course. Both courses ended up being full w/ the fall course having 44 of the 48 actually show up, Spring had 48/48 s

not mine California Inland Empire Council (CIEC) At least not as a council. Each district has more autonomy than they probably need, so who knows what other districts are requiring.

Typically you count the time registered in units for the Veterans award. Since "active" is a nebulous term, and back in the day cub scouts NEVER did any cubbing in the summer, registration is the only constant. working on my 30 year pin myself.

This question came up at our recent Venture Crew meeting. One of the VP's was not attending or doing his job. The crew asked to replace his in his job. I asked that they communicate their issues with this person and ask him to step up or step back, it was his move to make as I saw it. He chose to step back and let someone else take a crack at it. A few years ago we had an SPL in the troop that did a horrible job, and as far as we could tell it was purposefully done that way to insight the adults and his parents. He'd show up to the meetings with a hooded sweatshirt on, leave the ho

Yearly Training is a minimum I would think. I've staffed our area's SM/ASM Specific for the last 4 years. We've held it 2 times a year since then and we've always filled our course. I say area because originally it was a council-wide training event, now it's considered a district wide event. We still fill it twice a year. My District offers Cub Leader specific every other month from September through May. They get 20 people on average every course. Council has a High Adventure Team training program that repeats at a minimum every year; usually courses are offered twice yearly.

Congrats! Everyone looks good in beads! Matt WE4-51-2-03 I used to be a Bear...

I''ve received the DAM and know what that recognition means to me, and have submitted a nomination for a husband/wife team last year. Both were accepted and I was asked to make the presentation. As often as I need to get up in front of groups, I was so nervous...I hated it honestly. I was very pleased that my nominees were accepted on my recommendation. It''s humbling to think that my opinion would have been worth so much, but apparantly it was... This year I''m on the selection committee for the DAM. We have 6 to give out, hopeing to give out all 6. Giving recognition is a wo

Congrats Slouchhat, Starting a new unit, regardless of where you are in the world, is a big enterprise. Good luck and have fun, or as we spell it in our district, PHUN! By the way, love the blog, too bad I can''t read it...LOL

Would anyone consider this thread as being officially hijacked? Me too! By the way, Global warming probably is a fact, not absolutely sure, but I don''t always agree as to the real cause, whether it be green house gasses or part of a natural cycle of climate change. For the fiction reader in us all, great book by Michael Crichton - State of Fear. I recommend it to both sides of the argument...

I thought I could edit my last post, but apparantly not... I wanted to add to those really against the idea, almost every other organization that serves youth REQUIRES training of some level. Take AYSO for example, probably close in size to BSA, they require each coach to attend a mandatory 2 day training EVERY YEAR or they don''t coach. I''ve been told that its a once is enough kinda training, but they require it of all adults, every year, end of story. Little League requires training sessions of their adults EVERY YEAR. Pop Warner, City wide basketball..all require training, why

Our troop doesn''t own a single tent, we require boys under rank of first class to tarp camp. We provide the tarps. In the past the troop tents have always been torn, broken, etc and required maintenance and lots of money to keep working. Now with tarps, the boys enjoy camping just as much, learn a great skill (creating a shelter with minimal materials) and have a very good appreciation for tents once they''re allowed to have one in the troop. We encourage families to give tents as gifts to those boys that reach 1st class or higher. Downside, none of the tents are the same, but that