kcs_hiker

I'm not going to apoligise for posting the link and my opinion. you may have noticed that the boy in question in the photo and link is NOT a boy any longer. He is 19. Yes, the attitude/beliefs of the scoutmaster, other leaders in the troop, and other boys in the troop all likely contributed to the attitude and values that this young man holds. The young man left our troop when he was a few months from aging out because he could not get his Eagle project accepted. He joined another troop down the road... His Eagle project consisted of planting flowers in a small roadside p

my first exposure to this young man was several years ago when he was telling a group of first year scouts (at a merit badge university) that HE would never be associated with a scout troop that allowed n*&^%rs in it. I said something to him at the time... my wife's first exposure to this young man was when she picked up our son from a campout (a separate commitment, he had to leave early) and he was telling a group of younger scouts how HE would treat a n&^%%*r b&^ch etc... My wife spoke to the scoutmaster about that. the young man left our troop (not because he had bee

ok I've posted a few times here before, and listed some of the issues that I've had with my son's SM here's a timeline 1) moved to this area summer of 2008, son was a second year-webelo 2) I was asked to be a webelo den-leader since I had been a leader in my son's previous pack, I accepted 3) all 4 boys in the den finished and received the arrow-of-light and crossed over in February 2009 4) I attend a few boy scout meetings and a campout in the spring of 2009... not exactly thrilled with the way things are run, but hey, I'm the new guy, kept my mouth shut and helped where I could

wow thanks for all the responses guys. And of course you are all right to say that I should have said something... which is at least partially why I was depressed, that I didn't have the courage to speak out. We are new to the town, and new to the troop. I'm a very active scouter and have slowly been building relationships at the district and council level through Wood Badge and district training events. However, I was told in no uncertain terms by the SM last summer at camp that our troop had no use for Wood Badge training because the last WB guy turned out to be useless. They were in the pro

so it was a gorgeous weekend and a beautiful campsite, and I got to spend an afternoon hiking with my boy. Evening comes, dinner is prepared and served, and the inevitable campfire. Adult leaders have their own campfire some 20 yards away from the boys campfire. SM and ASM start telling jokes and stories... homophobic and racist. I get up and go for a walk... come back, and now they're bragging about how much ammunition they've got stored (some 25,000 rounds). That goes on for a bit, then it's back to the Michael Jackson/Obama jokes. Seven adult leaders... at least three of us are uncomfortabl

I guess you see what you want to... I don't know anything about boardrooms or building relationships by going indoors. I had a great experience and never felt as if I was being taught to make scouting an indoors activity. Just me, but then again I learned a long time ago that what you get out of anything depends mostly on what you put into it. kcs Proud Beaver of Wood Badge C-38-09 working my ticket

I just finished the practical segment of Wood Badge training. Having read some of the arguments on this forum about 21st century Wood Badge and how bad it is for outdoor skills training etc. I'm a bit confused... Yes we didn't spend a LOT of time on outdoor skills... in fact practically none, other than pitching a tent on an overnight and preparing 2 dinners and 2 breakfasts in camp which, at least, to me, should be pretty basic for anyone associated with scouting for any lenght of time. But we spent a LOT of time on building relationships, which, to me, is far more important as far as ha

we have two conflicting things going on "Take any thirty boys, turn them loose in a closed street, a playground, or in a sports field--and you know what happens. Shortly something will be under way. A clatter of many eager voices raised in discussion--and out of the large group will evolve a number of smaller groups, in gangs, ready for game or mischief. " and "Show how to establish an environment that is safe both physically and emotionally in which Scouts can learn, grow, and enjoy Scouting to the fullest" any gang of 30 boys, left to their own devices, will eventually t

"I am not sure what you are driving at. Is it that as a lot sum of leaders we have misinterpreted the current program? Fore instance, we unit leaders have elevated youth Leadership above all program elements based on a mis-understanding of the current program. The program has it right its just done incorrectly. Or is it that the current program has been so diluted that following it will not achieve the founder's outcome? Examples could be, that the patrol method has been compromised into the troop method and "boy led" is a only a phrase like "built better". To whom to you cite as t

well, to my knowledge, Muslims pray at sunrise, noon, and sunset. I suppose it would be tough for a Muslim to be a staffer.

and of course, what Jack did may have got turned into something sinister by one person and spread throughout the rest of the adults via gossip and the fact that Jack is unpopular/undesirable. The suspension was passed down in hopes that he would go away. It hasn't worked... now what?

f_cbb, please don't judge all of us by the actions of a few. One of the requisites for being an adult scout leader is that you must like kids. Unfortunately, many grumpy old men don't. As a high school teacher I see the same problem, too many teachers really just don't like kids, spend all their time complaining, and then wonder why they hate their jobs. On the other hand, once you recognize that, learning to ignore those guys is part of the maturing process. As you can observe, even the most 'mature' among us still have trouble with that occasionally.

"A scout who can tie all his knots but doesn't wear a uniform is gonna be held higher than one who has a perfect uniform but can't do anything to save his life. A scout that shows up to all the service projects with no uniform will impress the organization the projects are for much more than the scout who has a perfect uniform but does not show." and the scout who can tie all his knots and always shows for service projects in a clean neat uniform will impress most of all. And the thing is... a scout who does those things won't think twice about wearing a proper uniform, so the argum

having both played and officiated high school football...I must admit that I skipped that whole discussion. Being fairly new to the whole indoor vs. outdoor activities & manage vs. lead debate, I'm finding that I'm siding with kudu. I know that I personally don't like being managed, that I would much rather be led. Could someone point me to a good reference so that I can catch up on the history and specifics of this whole debate? thanks kcs

I have a 13 year old daughter who is mightily envious of her 'little' brother getting to go to scout camp and all... but I would never allow her to join an organization like this (not that I expect that these girls will be doing things like the boys do at scout camp). sorry.. it just looks to me like another org set up to make a political statement, and IMO using children to further politics is the worst kind of heinous.

"So back to why don't the Scouts want to wear their uniforms. Because they really don't want to be Scouts. They are happy to let the adults run things because they don't want to be there and they don't care. I will believe until the day that I die that most Scouts today are only in Scouting because their parents want them to be there." sure and the same can be said for school, church, etc. and yet... part of the responsibility of a being a parent is to make kids do things that we know are good for them. Does that make us unpopular at times? You bet! But in the end, if we do

" One of our probems is that I am ignorant of how things wordk and the short hand speak of those with years of scouting experience. But ignorance is no excuse...right. Just like I was ignorant of the fact that he could change troop 6 mos before he aged out. I was ignorant." and while not trying to rub salt in your wounds, this IS the main problem here. Six months before aging out is NOT the time to try and unravel the complexity that is Boy Scouts. That said, you will certainly be more prepared for your second boy to advance.

Hi Linda I'm also in the GSL area, although about 3 hours south of St. Louis. I'm planning on (hopefully) attending Wood Badge in August of this year. Nice to meet you. kcs

could some of you more experienced scouters maybe provide a list of the heirarchy of training? I'm an experienced scouter, but have recently changed councils (coming from a council who didn't train much at all) and I would like to get any and all training available. So far I've done the online stuff and the safety afloat and safe swim at scout camp. I've signed up for the SM/ASM Basic Training, and intend to take Wood Badge Training in August. What else is there? I've seen BALOO, NYLT, Scout University, Philmont training, and a lot of other things I don't recognize. Any help or advice wou

I would like to suggest a landscaping merit badge... my grass is getting tall, and the weeds in my ditch are getting out of control.

thanks packsaddle for the kind words I've heard similar sentiments from scouting friends and leaders... and I've also recieved a few cautionary words about not making my son's scouting experience about me and my shortcomings. So.. it's a careful trail I must walk eh?

I am part of that 98% and I can blame all three (cash, cars , and chicks) for that lack. It is one of my life's greatest regrets. I have a son who crossed over this last spring. It is one of my hopes that he will succeed where I did not. My own father was not very supportive of scouting. I will not make that same mistake.