ASM59

One more thought... Two days after we had joined the new Troop, I went to our local Scout Service Center to buy new numbers for the uniforms. The DE for my new District, who I know from Summer Camp, was in the store and saw me. He already knew that I had switched Units, and asked if I had tried to contact my UC. I told him what had happened, and he said that he would have sent one of his UC to help us out if he had known about the problem. He said that he would have come over himself to help if one of his UC's couldn't. So, it seems that there are good and bad within the same Council

Hello, Some on the forums here know that my son and I switched to a new Troop at the end of 2006. I was the last active leader, an ASM with an inactive SM who would get angry if he didn't agree with decisions that I made or allowed the boys to make. Note; by inactive, I mean he went on no outings and attended no meetings for about a year. We also had committee problems which meant that I could not get help there either. So, at the end of 2005 I contacted our UC by phone. He agreed to go out for a cup of coffee with me some weekend to discuss the problems. He said to e-mail him

Yes, I do realize that there are many plants with 3 leaves, but thanks for pointing that out. Perhaps to be more accurate, we try to teach the boys to be aware of the plants around them. If they are moving through the woods (hopefully on a trail) and they happen to catch a three leaved plant out of the corner of their eye, avoid it. It's more of an initial reaction type thing. Hopefully they know the basic shape and size of the poison ivy plant on the ground and what the vine looks like. So, to be more accurate; if it has 3 leaves, avoid it initially, until you have had a chance to really

HiLo, One other question. I've heard about "Bunny Bashing" as an activity that sometimes youth participate in out in the bush, well at least something that they used to do in the past. Have you ever heard about it? Are the bunnies still a problem? ASM59

Hello, Lots of good responses in this thread. I agree; get the boys in the field to identify the plants. Hopefully someone who really knows the plants will be with the boys so they will not get into it by mistake. Like already mentioned; I know that here in Illinois, poison ivy leafs can vary quite a bit. I don't know if it like that everywhere, but it is very true in this area. Because of that we teach the boys how to identify the plant by it's most common leaf shape(s), but also teach them to stay away from anything with 3 leafs and only touch it if you are 100% sure it's not poi

Welcome, While I've never been to Australia, my brother does live in Alice Springs, NT. He and his family were there for 3 years, spent a couple of years back in the U.S., and now have been back in Australia for the past 2 years. I'm sure Alice Springs is quite different than Melbourne, as far as climate is concerned. I hope you enjoy the forums here, I'd like to learn some about your Scouting program. ASM59

onehour..., So, if this "go getter" completes his 1st Class requirements before the next COH, will they make him wait to get his 1st Class recognition at the following COH? I see only the potential to demoralize the lad and make him feel like he shouldn't have bothered to try so hard. Reward him and make him feel special for trying so hard and accomplishing what he has... ASM59

"I am the "unofficial" Chartered Organization Representative, which provides me with virtually no "pull"." Are you or are you not the Charter Org Rep? If you are, this answers all your problems. The Troop belongs to the Charter Organization. If you are the rep, you have the right to dictate how you expect the program to run; the philosophy. If the SM and CC are not on board with your philosophy, you have the authority to replace them. This may open up a new set of problems for you, but it can be done. If you have to get a new SM and CC, make sure they get training. If you kee

Yes, the dreaded substitutes. Don't use them, so the Scouts know not to use them. They seem to be more of a temptation to use, because they are accepted by Mom's and Dad's and Teachers more so than the real thing. "I'm sorry" When I hear it, my immediate Pavlovian response is to say, "Show me your sorry by your actions". This response is from hearing "I'm sorry" from my own kids way too many times... ASM59

In my book, it is all about; consistency, being a role model, and respect. First is consistency. Some of the responses here seems to say that this type of language is OK if it is used at home or somewhere other than Scouting or Church. If we are trying to encourage some level of integrity by teaching the Scout Law, then we need to teach that this language is either not appropriate at all or that it is appropriate. So far, I either hear opinions that state it is not appropriate at all (ever) or that it is not appropriate for Scouting, Church, or in the presence of those who find it offe

Welcome! I really would like to add my 2 cents here, but I am also of the opinion that we need more information. Let me summarize some of the questions that have been asked: What kind of response did you get when bringing your concerns to the Scoutmasters? How about the committee? How do they justify the current way things are being run? Does your existing Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster(s) act like they want to be in their positions? Is there an ego problem with these leaders (gotta be done "my way")? Have you talked to your COR (Charter Organization Repres

John... Yes, you are correct. It would have been a very inexpensive solution for BSA Suppy to have provide the stickers, not to mention putting forth some "good faith" to help the volunteers in the trenches and avoid mistakes such as Pete's... ASM59

I almost hate to point this technicality out after saying that I thought this requirement is silly at best but: Per BSA National: Beginning January 1, 2006, an additional requirement will be added to the requirements for First Class rank in Boy Scouting. Scouts beginning their First Class requirement work after this date must complete the new requirement. Scouts working on First Class requirements prior to this date will have until June 30, 2006 to complete First Class rank without completing the new requirement. When asked to clarify this, the National BSA Office responded:

Ed, I agree that this requirement is silly at best, which is why I like having our Scouts use the on-line e-card to fulfill the requirement. Its easy and does not require much time. But what I find is that most of the time the requirement is verifiable. In about half of the cases, soon after the invitation is made, the boy shows up at a meeting with the Scout that invited him; so we get to meet the invited boy. In other cases where the invitee does not come to a meeting, the Scout making the invite has shown us a print-out of the e-mail that he has written and sent to

BSA website: http://www.thescoutzone.org/ Has an electronic greeting that boys can send to their friends to invite them to give Scouting a try. Just click on "Tell A Friend" at the bottom to get to the form. There are those who say BSA has made this available to help boys with the new requirement. I personally accept this as a way for Scouts to tell another boy about Boy Scouting. I do make sure to ask if they told the boy how to join. In some cases, I encourage them to e-mail them information about joining and then to ask their friend if they received the information. I wo

gwd, Lots of good responses. As noted, perhaps there could have been an explaination to the parents regarding what was going on during the outing. An explaination regarding how letting the boys "fail" helps them to learn could have helped. But that's hind-site and I'm sure you didn't even think of it as a potential problem at the time. (I think I'll include a talk to help the parents understand the program better at our future Troop/Web outings) With regard to your specific question and your specific case: I do not think that you need to say anything disparaging at all. It sounds li

Hello all, First, I want to thank all of you for your advise over the past several months and your consoling comments. It is great to have knowledgeable folks like you available to share and consult with regarding these scouting issues/problems/successes. My son and I joined a Troop in a neighboring town just this week. We visited for 4 weeks to get an idea of how the meetings were run. I interviewed the SM a couple of ASM's the COR and 3 committee members to make sure that things seemed to be running properly. My son was on staff at summercamp with two of the older boys in the T

Good Day, In our area are many old strip mines that have been converted into sportsmans clubs. We belong to one of those clubs that has swimming, fishing, hunting, camping and more available on the grounds. The swimming area is a lake that was once a strip mine. Prior to my involvement in Boy Scouts, I had the opportunity to work with two boys who were friends of my son. Neither one of them could swim and I found out that Mom and Dad could not swim either and would not even get into the water. The fact that mom and dad didnt get into the water instilled a fear of deep water in th

Hello Webscout, I'll agree with some of GB's critiques of your site; it is pretty busy and would take some getting used to to know where on the page to look for what you want. I designed and published a basic web-site for our Troop. We (the SM & ASM's) decided that the most common reason that a parent would visit our site would be to see the meeting and outing schedules. The page was very simple with two panes. The right pane was our "Upcoming Events" page. Here we listed the next few outings and dates of those outings in a medium-large font size with links to more information an

Good Day, As others have stated, we always try to work with the Webelos on an Activity or two while they are with us on a campout. It seems that Forester is an activity that our Webelos leaders have felt uncomfortable teaching, so they have asked for the Troop's help. The document at the link below was put together by our Troop to help with the Forestry Activity. We will typically have one or two boys "teach" each requirement. We typically do the requirements that are in bold print. Only 5 are required but we like to take them on a hike as well. On that hike I will typically point o

Sunday, at our Church's youth meeting, our Youth Minister asked the question, "How many of you have a MySpace account?" Over 90% of them raised their hands. His next question was, "How many of you have more than one MySpace account?" About 15% of them raised their hands. He said that he had information that 2 of every three MySpace accounts are "fake". In other words, they have incorrect ages listed or other fictitious information; you cannot trust who you are talking to on MySpace. He said that many of the "fictitious accounts" are set up at the same time as the "parent approved account

gwd..., Good questions. I think the reason "Duty to God" or the 12th point of the Scout Law, "reverent" gets so much play on these forums is because they are simply controversial. These topics push the buttons that set of the "Politically Correct" and "your intolerant" alarms. Now, having said that, I'll answer your other questions. Yes, the other points of the Law and Duty are covered regularly in meetings and Scoutmaster Conferences. It is very important for the boys to understand their duty to their country and how to apply the other points of the Scout Law to their lives. Y

Yes, something should be done, but I don't think that it needs to be anything too drastic. Perhaps as mentioned, the CC or COR should request that the CM review YP training with an emphasis on the fact that such behavior is not appropriate for Scouting activities. Now, having said that, I am all about having fun, but I am also a self-appointed "anti-wedgie activist". Yes, in certain locations and under certain conditions I might be able to see humor in this activity, except for the case of my friend Brian; when we were 12 years old he was down by the creek waiting for me to show up.

Hello, I'll agree with the majority opinion here (including Eagle's corrected bi-polar response). By all means, accept these as Troop outings. If the outing is Troop planned, available for all in the Troop, and follows all BSA rules as you've indicated, then there is no reason not to count these as outings toward 1st/2nd class advancement requirements. Of course, as Gags says above; only count the outing for those attending the "Troop organized" rides/hikes. Boys who go on their own with the MB Counselor and skip the Troop outing, have done just that; "skipped the Troop outing". Now

I agree that you should not make a new policy or make changes because of one mother's misunderstanding; and I really do mean misunderstanding. I like what Anne in Mpls said about taking her out for coffee (or have her over for dinner) with a couple of other Adults who you can trust to stand behind you. I think the biggest thing to discuss is just what the Scouts accomplished during the day. Make sure that she understands that the Ranger was appreciative and complimentary with regard to the amount of WORK that the Scouts had done that day. I would also make sure that she understands t