KoreaScouter

Venturing discussions are really starting to get my attention. I got "hired" as SM because my predecessor took three of our most senior Scouts and started a Crew. The idea was pushed by our CC, with understandable pressure from District. Well, it's been almost a year, and most of the promises and assumptions haven't panned out. Although our CO provided associate advisors (female), no young ladies have joined. They did a recruiting night at the high school, and the contact sheets were "lost". Although Venturing advancement requires the Crew members to do joint activities with the Troop, n

A showdown, if it ever comes to that, is going to get kicked up to the committee for resolution; this transcends program delivery. If your committee chair isn't on the same page with the SM/ASMs, it's a loser from the start. Your only hope is to go mano-a-mano with the guy and try to get him to see what he's doing. If that doesn't work, you'll just have to live with it. Funny, that sounds exactly like a situation in my last Troop, but before I was SM. But, the dad in question WAS the CC. Other than that, everything else almost identical. They moved away... KS

If you get sufficient numbers of crossovers, they should form a New Scout Patrol. If your Troop demographics and "culture" make it feasible, you can assign your older Scouts to a Venture patrol. Every Troop's different, your mileage may vary. Beyond that, patrol formation and alignment should start with the Scouts' preferences. BSA literature recommends asking the Scouts to list six (or so) Scouts they'd like to be in a patrol with. The results will give you the affinity links you're looking for. That's nowhere near a 100% solution however, because the most popular Scout will be on e

We may be splitting hairs here, but it doesn't say "show improvement in all of them". What's the preponderance of the evidence; is it obvious the Scout's been working at it? Is his run a second or two faster, his jump an inch or two farther, did he do an additional pushup and situp? And, as it pertains to this lad, did he get an inch higher on the pullup bar? That's improvement. We're trying to kindle a flame here, not create an Olympic decathlete in 30 days. The intent as I see it is to show a boy that some effort over a period of time can improve results...in the aggregate. And, b

In my view, the unit leader signature on the blue card serves several purposes. First, it's tangible evidence to the counselor that the Scout followed BSA procedure leading up to their first meeting. Blank blue cards aren't controlled items -- anyone can buy them. As a counselor, if there's no signature, an alarm bell should be ringing. Second, it provides an opportunity for the unit to "capture" the start of the MB if they track partials in TroopMaster. Third, it provides an opportunity for the SM to counsel the Scout on his goals. I've counseled Scouts away from certain MBs

I was responding to Dan's question, not necessarily BW's reply. Now, while Dan's post doesn't precisely answer ScouterPaul's original question, the three examples ScouterPaul gave to open the thread are directly related to Dan's question. Depending on your viewpoint, you can attribute a "master of all I survey" mindset to a Scouter or Scout who refers to his unit as "my Troop". Or, you can attribute a commitment/dedication mindset. Or, something in between. The point is, I think, that actions speak louder than words. ScouterPaul's recently-resigned SM would have been the exact

I refer to it as "my Troop". So does the SPL. So do the ASMs, and the Green Bars, and our committee members, too. I hope all our Scouts do, too, from the new Scouts to the "silverbacks". It's "my Troop" in the sense that it's a part of me, it's worth my time and effort, that the human relationships are important and intertwined with who I am and what I value. That said, I know my place, my role, and the value (and more important, the replaceability) of what I contribute. My meager talents can be replaced as quickly as water fills the hole left behind when you remove your hand from a

So, this Scoutmaster was walking through the mall, and as he passed a pet shop, he saw 3 monkeys in a cage in the display window, one wearing a little campaign hat. Curious, he went inside and asked the manager about it. The manager says: "Oh yeah, we got a few of those rhesus monkeys from a private owner who spent a lot of time training them to be Scout leaders, but didn't want the bother any more. They have papers and everything." "Really? Which is the one wearing a little campaign hat?" asked the now more curious Scoutmaster. "Oh," said the manager, "That's the Scoutmaster

Whether or not you put your food directly on the bottom of the oven or elevate it in a pan (suspended by 3 good sized hex nuts) depends on whether you are baking as opposed to boiling, stewing, etc. If you're baking (bread, biscuits, cookies), by all means elevate. Think of your oven in the kitchen at home. Would you put your bread directly on the coil or gas flame? Of course not; it'll burn. Same thing for a DO. Regarding brands, I've had Lodges, both cast iron and aluminum, and find them to produce no better results than the Texsport I use now. One of my Lodges (a 14") had a hopel

I expect every Scout who's First Class or higher in rank to hold a position of responsibility, even if he's already met the advancement requirement for # of months in a POR. I think they all understand their responsibility as older, experienced Scouts to do for the Troop now what the Troop did for them when they were younger and much less experienced. There's nothing preventing a Scout with a Troop POR from holding a patrol position concurrently. My current Troop Scribe is also an APL. Mrs. Smith, you mentioned in your first post that the Troop Guide(s) are supposed to be assigne

I've got a Texsport 12" I paid $15 for brand new. Nobody's ever thrown out anything I cooked in it because it wasn't expensive... KS

I agree that the BOR members need a vector check before they do this again. And, I think they should get an opportunity within the next 30 days, when this Scout meets his next Life BOR. I think maturity, at varying levels, while not a requirement, could almost be considered a pre-requisite for advancement, in the sense that he wouldn't be sitting in front of a Life BOR without having the necessary maturity to pursue goal-oriented behavior, for starters. So, by definition, if he's there, he's displayed maturity. It's not the BOR's place to add a requirement, but if they seem to be, they

I agree with cubsrgr8. If you start your own Troop, you'll be able to do it without the high blood pressure you're enduring now. Don't worry about the size of the Troop, or whether you're competing for feeder pack Webelos. First, I know of no empirical evidence that the BSA mission can only be achieved in mega-units, or that any of the methods can't be used in a small Troop. Second, you don't have to recruit just from a single feeder pack. Enlarge your field of fire. This is supposed to be fun for everybody, including you. If you're not having fun, and you want to keep on Scouti

Whew! What a relief. I thought my computer had run out of pixels -- I was getting ready to send little KS to the store to get some... KS

Without knowing the lads or the situation, it appears at first glance to be a "fight or flight" situation for him -- he appears to be leaning toward "flight". The argument about helping the PL in his old patrol sounds like a smoke screen... It's not uncommon for a new SPL to feel overwhelmed, especially if the ASPL's part of the problem, not part of the solution. I agree with those who suggest finding a new ASPL. There's other implications here, too. First, the lads voted for him because they thought he was best for the job. What does a "referendum" say about the democratic proce

This thread should move to issues & politics... KS

My opinion, with some BSA official language precedent, is this: You can double dip on requirements between Boy Scout advancement requirements and MB requirements. For example, the first aid skills you learn and demonstrate for the MB can be used to sign off TF/2C/1C advancement, and vice versa. Likewise, if a Scout earns the Swimming MB at summer camp, I sign off his 2C/1C swimming requirements. You cannot double dip on requirements between MBs. For example, you cannot apply the same hikes you complete for the Hiking MB to the requirements for the Backpacking MB -- that's straight

Handguns are authorized as a Venture activity. As far as I'm concerned, his father can say anything he wants about anybody he wants at this point and get a 100% pass -- no parent should have to go through what he is right now. I can't imagine how painful it must be... KS

You should stay. If you're going to be surrounded by that much inexperience, they need you there. BTW, please don't wish for your Field Director to be transferred as far away from you as possible. With the possible exception of Far East Council in Japan, as far away as possible means right here where I am! KS

A little perspective may help here as well. In early 1952, conditions at the Koje prison camp, on an island off the coast of South Korea, had really deteriorated. Very overcrowded, and the Chinese and North Korean POW population had Balkanized itself into pro-communist and anti-communist factions. They were at each others' throats, literally, and many small riots over several months led up to a huge one in June when the prisoners actually captured and held hostage the American 2-star general who commanded the place. The operation to put down the riot and rescue the commander can only be de

If you want to pre-cut it, I think 25' is probably as long as you'll need it, with some 10' lengths for guy lines, if you use it for that. Unless you're buying it in shorter lengths from commercial outlets, you almost have to cut off what you think you'll need ahead of time -- that stuff comes in spools that are a little too bulky to carry around with you. BTW, the inner threads from para cord work great as rope whips, too. KS

Our Troop is joining many others on Oahu to place flags on every grave at the National Cemetery of the Pacific at the Punchbowl -- this is a Council-level annual event. My first time, but many in the Troop have done it for years... KS

Get the pamphlet from your council service center on Scouts with Disabilities. It explains how to get alternate requirements approved. The whole thing starts with a meeting with the boy's parents, and goes from there. If the lad sticks with it, alternate requirements are going to be a regular issue, including alternate MBs if physical activity's a problem. KS

First of all, the Geneva Conventions do apply to enemy combatants, that's what they were written for. One of the mistakes many casual observers make is assuming that prisoners of war under Geneva Convention definition are entitled to and afforded the same legal status that U.S. citizens have when charged with an offense under US criminal law. Not so. How long may enemy prisoners of war be held? Until the conflict ends, unless they are released or exchanged earlier. How long was Sen John McCain a POW; 7 years, right? That's what "indefinitely" means. Don't look at this through "Court TV"

My Troop plays capture the flag or manhunt in the evenings at almost every campout we go on. In fact, we use it as a "Sword of Damocles" to ensure that after-dinner cleanup is done promptly -- it always is. It's amazing to me how many adult men, serving and surrounded by boys, who were once boys themselves, seem to have completely forgotten what it was like and what boys are interested in doing. KS