KoreaScouter

I'm with EagleinKy. I have Scout Spirit discussions with my Scouts on a regular basis, not just at SM conferences. Everything they do or don't do can have Scout Spirit implications, if a SM communicates regularly and clearly with the Scouts, and is on his game...

KS

"Better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness"...

We don't have a current MB counselor list here either. Person responsible has 3 jobs; the other two are more important. I got tired of working off the existing list and Scouts getting frustrated, and also tired of asking when it would be updated. We have a Troop list, carved out of TM, mostly unit leaders but some outsiders. It works great and my blood pressure's waaaaaay down.

Eagle packages don't require blue cards when turned in, or at the BOR either. The dates and other pertinent information is all verified by the registrar in ScoutNet when the application is turned in (one of the two more important jobs, and I agree!). If anything's amiss, there won't be a BOR until it's straightened out. The blue cards, advancement reports, and 8X10 glamour shots are just icing on the cake.

I'm with the other posters who wonder why we build in all these artificial restrictions on # of badges, # of counselors, and so on. Isn't life complicated enough? Here's something I'd love to deal with (not) as a SM: "...okay, lessee, I can assign Mr. X to you for Personal Fitness, but not your brother, 'cuz he's already had Mr. X for Sports and Athletics, and there's a 2-badge limit. So, you'll have to find one other Scout to meet with you and Mr. X for Personal Fitness, and your brother will have to find one other Scout to meet with him and Mr. Y, who hasn't counseled two badges with him yet. And oh by the way, you'll have to arrange two sets of transportation to two different meeting times, since they're on different schedules and live in different parts of town..." Are you tearing your hair out yet? If my district tried something like that, I'd be drafting a strongly worded letter to Irving...

For pete's sake, if you think some counselor's cutting corners, stop assigning them to your Scouts. Enough with the unnecessary rules.

KS

Why not? If they can choose their own uniform, they should be able to choose anything that's legal and affordable. Unles GSUSA has some rule that the adult combinations are specifically designed to identify adults, it shouldn't be a problem.

My daughter is in her last year as a Junior, and got her S2B catlog in the mail last week. I gotta admit, I'm confused...

KS

Our Lodge election team does a good job with the video, the presentation, and the balloting. Scouts are all told they can vote for all, some, or none.

I like conducting the elections after crossover. It provides yet another reason for the older experienced Scouts to show Scout spirit toward the new Scouts...they constitute a large voter bloc that partially holds the older Scouts' fate in their small, unsteady, but numerous hands...

KS

Eisely;

Can I try to un-hijack your thread? I, for one, am still miffed at PETA and their ilk for ensuring that there is NO actual monkey in Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey...the outrage!

KS

Every time I've seen counselors hold blue cards longer than the time required to annotate requirements and sign the other side, there's been problems. That includes summer camp, MB clinics, and normal Scout-counselor MB assignments.

Especially with partials, Scouts should hold their blue cards. When Scouts move, or counselors move/aren't available, or the unit needs to know which requirements aren't yet complete, the only way to avoid drama is if the Scout has his blue card(s).

This has been such a constant issue, everywhere I've been, I just don't understand why so many still do it...

KS

When I was a Cubmaster and CC, we did give the various awards, such as "best use of paint", and so on. They weren't "gimmes", though. Actual judges looked at every car, and they made sense.

Sometimes I think we're overly worried about the boys' sensitivities. In my experience, they don't care about participation ribbons, they just want to race their cars...a lot. This isn't a scientific assessment, but show me a lad who has a meltdown over his car, and I'll show you a dad who made this a "win at all costs" thing instead of a fun thing.

Funniest thing I ever saw: Scout's car (80-90% dad-built, from appearance)had doo-dads on top that prevented it from passing under the finish gate. I told the Scout, and asked him to take it to the pit so he could do whatever he needed to in order to make it fit. He said "Sure", and right in front of me, snapped off the doo-dads, and handed it back. Dad, behind him, nearly had an aneurism. I could barely contain myself.

KS

I take a small radio on every campout; stay up with news and weather (okay, and during football season, my beloved Vikings!). It stays under my canopy, and you can't hear it more than 10 feet away. I apply the same standard to my Scouts. I don't have a problem with small electronics, cards, or board games -- there's a time and a place. You carry it, you take the risks, and don't abuse it.

KS

I've had Scouts struggle at their SM conferences, mainly because some requirements were completed months ago, and they just couldn't recall what they did or where they did it (which hike was the 5-miler? Which campout did I lash the device, and what the heck was it?). I always recommend to EVERY Scout before his BOR, to completely review the section of his handbook that covers the rank he's going for, and the requirements for the MBs he used to fill that requirement too, if it's Star or above -- to refresh his memory. I've only had one Scout in my experience completely melt down at his SM Conference -- I met with him again a couple weeks later to make sure he was ready for a BOR; he did fine.

I'm not sure where my truck is parked right now; how can I expect a 13-year old boy to remember what food he bought for a campout six months ago? You know, it's real easy for a group of adults to win a game of "Stump the Dummy" with an adolescent boy. Fortunately, I don't see that happening with ours, and I hope it's extremely rare everywhere else, too.

KS

Aside from the risk of incinerating your tent, burning anything consumes oxygen and produces fumes of varying toxicity. If it's cold enough to want to burn something for warmth, it's probably cold enough that the tent is also pretty well sealed. Bad situation.

I know Coleman sells those back cat ceramic heaters, but I'd never use one inside a sealed-up tent, especially while sleeping.

KS

I make it crystal clear to my Life Scouts what the project process is, way before the fact. In our council, every Life Scout gets a copy of the workbook along with his Life rank badge and card.

This may be an unfair comment, since I know neither the Scout nor the SM in this case. But, think about this: Scout didn't follow the project process, and the SM doesn't want to either after the fact. Coincidence? I think not. Scouts from units that "play loose" can get a bitter reality check when they're faced with external review/approval. Those chickens always come home to roost, eventually...

KS

We changed just over a year ago. Our former CO had expansion plans that would really put a pinch on the area we met in, and they asked us to "look around" for a new home. We found one, and it all worked out.

KS

It's all about human relationships; the rules, the meetings, the bureaucracy, the uncomfortable uniforms, none of it matters. Develop, cultivate, and maintain the human relationships and the rest falls into place.

KS

As a SM, I allow double-dipping between rank advancement requirements and MB requirements, but advise Scouts that they cannot double-dip between two MBs (for example, counting the hikes in Hiking as the hikes in Backpacking).

Maybe I've been cloistered, but I've seen a parent/registered leader misapply the advancement method to their kid's advantage only once. I don't see that as rationale for a blanket policy prohibiting any leader from signing off their son's advancement. I thought we're operating from the going-in proposition that we're trustworthy (unless proven otherwise, then we'll deal with that individual/that situation).

My NSP ASM has a boy in the patrol. Under a "no nepotism" rule, he can sign off advancement on all NSP Scouts...except his son, for whom he has to have either the Troop Guide do it, or hunt down another grownup. Sorry, but that doesn't pass the ha-ha test.

If somebody's not following the Oath/Law, deal with them, but don't tie every other leader's hands.

KS

Ozemu's spot on. If anybody has a reason to let Indonesia twist, it's Australia. But they're in there, in a huge way, and making a big difference -- and, Sumatra was no holiday destination BEFORE this happened. I'm working non-stop 16-hour days right now, planning our part of the relief effort. It ain't easy, stretched as thin as we are. But, it's just the right thing to do. I may get to go downrange myself, and if I do, I hope it's Aceh -- they're in the worst shape.

KS

Get to Far East Council's web site, hit one of the links for somebody in Japan District or Okinawa District, and make contact with one of the Scouters there. They are very closely allied with SAJ (Scout Association of Japan) people, who I'm sure could make arrangements to get you a SAJ uniform.

We had two SAJ Scouters in my WB class in Okinawa, and they were great people...

KS

The GTFA site has all the particulars. Not every service project qualifies for GTFA credit...

KS

The "centralized training model", that is, everybody-goes-to-school, obviously doesn't work now, if it ever did. People don't have the time, or maybe the commitment, or both, to go to multiple training sessions at some distant location. Plus, as others have pointed out, the quality of the training is very inconsistent, depending on the trainer, and our unit-level Scouters know it.

Under the current model, people will get training when they think they need it, or when the perceived benefit will be worth the investment in time, trouble, $$, whatever. We can't change people's attitudes, that is, make them believe they need it. Most of us, frankly, don't think we need it -- comes from the same part of our brains that make us all think we're better-than-average drivers. By the same token, most unit-level leaders don't think the benefit is worth the investment, or we wouldn't be having this discussion, would we?

So, something has to change. Reminds me of something one of my old bosses told me: "If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got". The question is, what changes? I agree with those who argue for unit-level training. District or council-level trainers don't train everybody, they just train a unit-level trainer. Unit-level trainer trains other unit leaders. Why does this make sense?

1. Scheduling -- based on and around unit calendar. Troop committee training in modules at committee meetings; outdoor specific training at unit campouts; no conflicts with unit outing and district training; and so on.

2. Practicality -- if we're training people to deliver a program, or support one, why not train in the environment they're working in, with the people they're working with for real?

3. Cost -- if training is inherent and incidental to what people are doing anyway, we don't incur extra costs. I don't need troop meeting plan handouts, if I can use our actual troop meeting plans.

I think the unit-level training model is proven in a variety of settings, including many our unit-level Scouters are already familiar with because they work in them day-to-day. It requires a revision of training materials so that trainers can break them into modules that fit unit-level Scouters' exposure opportunities. Also, and very important, on-line options for each module to fill part of the module training requirements. You know, "complete the online module, print or e-mail me the completion certificate, then we'll get the practical portion done for that module." Include these module-based training completions in ScoutNet records, too, just like we do for the Scouts.

Biggest problem with current training model is this: I look at a Scouter, I have no idea what he's qualified to do until I see him in action. We don't document anything in any consistent fashion. I had an ASM with a trained strip, never saw a Troop meeting plan because he was trained as a CS leader. I know, the strip should have come off when he moved up. But, this isn't a proper-uniforming thing, it's a what's-this-guy-qualified-to-do thing. Gimme a record like a Scout gives me a handbook, and I'm there.

The best way for that to happen is at the unit level; the same way we document Scout advancement...where it happens.

KS

I, for one, don't see any relevance in complaining about a moderator's "bedside manner". I don't think of an internet forum in the same light as a radio talk show. That is, scouter.com as a private web site doesn't hold a license to use public bandwidth, while a radio station does hold a license to use public airwaves. If the latter can screen calls and use a delay to pre-empt content, the former certainly can. I don't get a vote on what color my neighbor paints his living room, and I also don't get a vote on how these web site forums are moderated. In short, it falls into the "none of my business" category, I think.

Regarding the archive/data base aspect, that may be the case, but as with anything written or spoken that becomes part of any archive anywhere, the concept of "let the buyer beware" applies 100%. There's a lot of worthless junk published every day, and some of it makes lots of money. The internet's no different, of course. Informed adults need to filter what they read/see, and come to their own conclusions.

KS

Own a campground...

KS

I wear knots, service stars, and WB beads any time I've got the uniform on. I'll put the WB neckerchief and woggle on for COHs, beading ceremonies, and other formal stuff. I've given up on temporary patches, though. Too much hassle. I just sewed on the International Activity Patch and I leave it at that. I've got the OA pocket flap proudly displayed, and the most current QU patch, and trained strip too. If I earned it, I wear it. I'm nowhere near the point where I need to be concerned about "too much fruit salad". If I ever get above two rows, I'll start thinking about it.

When I meet another Scouter for the first time, his "layout" tells me something about him; where he's been, what he's done. When I see him operate, it tells me much more about him, and the latter goes further toward forming my opinion than the former.

KS

It's my experience that you can get about 40% of Cub Scout parents to sign on as leaders, to include DLs and assistants. For a Troop, it's about 60%. If you've got 50 total youth in all three programs and 20 trained leaders, considering you've got some multiple youth families, you've got pretty good penetration now although it could be a little better. Your CO is required to do two things: provide a meeting place and provide leaders if necessary -- anything beyond that is gravy. I presume they're doing the first. If you think you need more leaders, talk to the COR and they can press the congregation. Again, it's my experience that this may get you committee members, but only rarely a DL or ASM.

I'd have leaders stick with the programs their kids are in, or for multiple youth families, try to steer them where you need them most. I've always gotten a big part of my enjoyment as a Scouter by participating with my son, and holding a stake in the unit because he's in it.

I think BSA design builds in the coordination opportunities at various transition points, if you take advantage of them. CM and SM should be friends, and talking regularly about Webelos-to-Scout transition, den chiefs, etc. Ditto for the Troop and the Crew. Venturing advancement requires Crew members to circle back to Troops for skill instruction; take advantage of these built-in lashups. There are others, but you get the point.

I agree with EagleinKY that you should probably be the COR, and recruit CCs for your units. I think some committee positions can multi-hat (equipment, secretary, advancement) if you've got people with the time and skill to do it. But, I also think there are two that can't/shouldn't: CC and treasurer.

Delegate as much as appropriate, and to the extent you have people willing and able to take on the tasks. Many hands make the work light, and having more people know more about the programs builds in continuity as leaders and circumstances change.

I'd schedule committee meetings based on your District's roundtable schedule. RT first, committee meetings later. ASMs and DLs need monthly "how-ya-doin" meetings too. Same thing, after RT, so you can fill in those who didn't make it. I try to make them before committee meetings, too, in case ASMs/DLs have issues they want me to discuss with the committee.

KS

KS

There's a big difference between disagreeing and being disagreeable. BW and I have differed on our opinions from time to time, but it's never gotten personal. I like to think I have a pretty thick skin, but if I had even ten percent of the manure thrown at me that I've seen chucked at him the last three years, I'd have been gone a long time ago. The last place I want to stay is somewhere I think I'm not welcome.

Maybe I'm nuts, but the last thing I want, in any endeavor, is to be surrounded by a bunch of automatons who agree with everything I say. The best organizations I've been a part of had a healthy sprinkling of eccentric, outspoken, gadfly contrarians who regularly compelled me to do reality checks.

KS

Wingnut;

I'm sorry; I don't know where in CT he was from. It shouldn't be that hard to find out through a local internet search; I'm sure his obit was in a local paper, too...

KS

I can appreciate the "keep it in perspective" argument. But, when you get right down to it, it's all molehills, isn't it? None of these methods are life or death. What are the real life consequences if a lad doesn't have official pants, can't remember the definition of "reverent" at his BOR, if a unit camps 10 nights a year instead of 15, or if the Troop guide forgot the compass, so the hike doesn't count for advancement?

None of these things are mountains; they're all molehills. But to me, that's the same as saying "...two rules: one, don't sweat the small stuff. And, two, it's all small stuff", as an excuse for trivializing it. Sure, it's a molehill, but if all you have are molehills, then your molehills just became your mountains.

Every once in a while, I get a Green Bar ask me if they can wear their full uniforms less often. I always reply by trying to put it in perspective. The uniform is one of the eight methods. If you're okay with using one of the eight methods only 25% of the time, can we develop leaders only 25% of the time? How about follow an advancement program only 25% of the time? Or get outdoors only three months of the year? Of course those notions sound ridiculous. But, when applied to the uniform method, many are perfectly okay with it. Love it or hate it, the uniform is what it is. In the same way that letting boys lead is often chaotic and inefficient, and I know an adult could do it better, I bite my lip and let them develop, because leadership development's a method. In the same sense, other clothing would be more comfortable/durable/cheaper, but I bite that lip again and pull that uniform on, because it too is a method.

Maybe we should count our blessings. If there's a discrepancy to correct, at least that means the Scout is wearing a uniform in the first place.