LeCastor

This is a good repository of stuff written 50-60+ years ago:

http://www.thedump.scoutscan.com/scouts.html

John Thurman's Patrol Leader's Handbook is in there.  I would recommend finding a copy of William Hillcourt's Handbook for Patrol Leaders (1929) , too.  

When I am called to participate in a Scoutmaster-specific training event I always bring copies of Hillcourt's stuff and read from it liberally.  People don't leave IOLS or SM-specific without knowing who Green Bar Bill is.  

Sorry, what does "LE" mean? Law enforcement?

 

 

Then there was the short backpacking trip near Alpental ski area where it rained the whole time. We pretty much just squatted down in our ponchos the whole time while one scout, Bobby, whined, "Leave me here to die." We finally got him to pack up and he led the charge back to vehicles. What a great turn around that was.

Awesome. 

 When I need a little cheer-me-up I look at this Flikr set:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/11435930@N06/sets/72157601553715652/

Look at the camp staff and the other Scouts in uniform.  Everyone's on the same page.  No showing off of high-end gear or shame of having no name-brand stuff.  

My first Troop in Norcross, GA had a Scout cabin just off to the side of the Methodist church where we were chartered.  It was plywood walls and floor with the rafters showing.  Very cool.

Then, that Troop folded and I moved to a much larger Troop that used a double wide trailer at another Methodist church.  

I like the cabin that the Scouts built in Follow Me Boys--well, except for the falling down to the ground part. LOL

When I was growing up in Atlanta and New Orleans, we all wore the ODL uniforms (knee socks, shorts, shirt, and hat) and didn't think anything about it.  My Scoutmaster and I were about the same size so I inherited his old long pants.  Didn't phase us to wear the uni.  Today in my Troop I see the shirt worn almost all the time except when camping. (I always wear my complete uni while camping).  The pants are another story.  I convinced our young PL that he should be the example and wear his uniform as completely as he can all the time.  Some of his Scouts come in complete uniform to meetings and outings.  Others wear the shirt and shiny basketball shorts.  

I can't tell if it's a cost thing or that the Scouts are ashamed of it in public....

 

Why not allow councils to have go-kart tracks?

In the interest of keeping this thread "on track" let's get back to what folks might look for when choosing a summer camp.  

Mozart/Badwolf, your question would be a good topic for programming.  

When they say "council use" I assume that means ATVs can only be used at council camps? Or is that by council staff?

 

How's your council getting away with PWC like Jetskis? Did they get "certified" to use them by national? See page 61.

The ATVs, as I understand it, are to be used at our council's camps.  As for the Jetskis, I only know they've been announced.  

Our local camp, Ed Bryant Scout Reservation, is launching ATVs and Jetskis this summer.  

I think it was Alexander or Woodruff that had Citizenship in the Universe one year. MB was Mr. Spock.

It was Woodruff! 

Woodruff in Blairsville, GA has a fun spoof merit badge event one evening each week.  Last year it was an Elvis movie and each Scout earned a badge with the King on it.  

If you could give one example of your best memory of camping as a youth in Scouting what would it be?

I'll start....

Troop 525 from Norcross, Georgia used to go on an annual Capture The Flag outing each spring in North Georgia. Each Patrol would have a flag hidden in a remote corner of a cavernous series of sandy tunnels on someone's property.  You could defend yourself with socks filled with white flour.  

Just as an aside, my most embarrassing moment was when our Troop arrived at a campground and I, the young pre-Tenderfoot, starting pitching my tent before the PL had decided which site we were to use.  My Patrol was very mad at me when they had to help me put my stuff away so we could move to another site across camp.  

The newest edition of Scouting Magazine has an overview:

http://scoutingmagazine.org/2015/04/everything-need-know-new-cub-scouting-program/

But I think a big overview at the local level would be a good idea.  Our CS RT Commissioner has done a good job locally.

 

Does that at least begin to answer the question, I may be way off track.

 

 

There's no one correct answer, Barry.    This is an awesome start to a discussion that needs to be continuous.

We do. And we don't. Eventually rats or roaches (usually both) allow room for replacement pamphlets and we fill in the feeding stations, oops I mean empty spaces on the shelf, with more (most likely outdated) pamphlets. Sometimes BSA leaves things alone long enough so that the ones near the end are still current.

LOL!

Yes, I was just down in our Troop's basement locker area and I thought I'd take a look at the library of MB pamphlets.  Most of them are 25-30 years old!  I keep expecting to see my name on the inside cover.  

One of my buddies in another district asked about photocopying the current pamphlets and keeping those on file rather than releasing the official copy to the Scouts.  This buddy thought that might be violating copyright laws.  Thoughts?

 

I don't know how you collect these ideas for the new guy trying to turn his troop around.

I think that was the idea behind Working the Patrol Method.    

Coming up with a resource like the one you request would be an excellent Wood Badge ticket item!  

That's a really good question, as in I'd like to see a good answer. But I don't have one. Actually, you have two questions. The first is how to explain the benefits of boy led and the second is how to teach it.

 

Benefits: Boy led teaches the scouts responsibility, problem solving, and compassion. I don't see other youth activities that come close. While younger scouts mostly just want fun, older scouts also want purpose. Boy led provides that purpose.

 

Teaching/resources: There are resources that hint at what the issues are. SM specific training is very light on helping someone that hasn't seen it done right. The SPL and PL handbooks are not bad. The SM handbook is worthless. I found a book called A Scout Leader's Guide to Youth Leadership: Working the Patrol Method that helps a lot. It's full of stories and short ideas. It's a bit random and the writing is kind of jumpy. It's hard to pull out a hand full of ideas to focus on. One more resource is hitting the jack pot on this forum. There's lots of knowledge and experience here but if the answer requires more than a page or so then the person asking can get overwhelmed. That said, there are some great ideas I've gotten on this website that I haven't seen elsewhere.

 

So, to answer your question, there is no one resource for helping scouters that want to do their best. Since this is BSA's bread and butter, it's surprising.

I did enjoy the Working The Patrol Method book and found it helpful in explaining boy-led to my Troop's committee.  

Stosh has a point with the boards. LOL!  You might make some enemies at first by keeping the adults at the edge of camp but they'll soon realize--with a little help from the SM--that the PLs are in charge!

I have seen camps that have adult-only food and drinks but they never looked like that!     I can see keeping the adults at bay and providing special corners but I like to drink/eat exactly what my Scouts are having, provided the camp uses a dining hall rather than patol-style cooking in campsites.

Does your unit keep a merit badge pamphlet library?  If so, how do you keep it updated with the most recent editions? 

If a Scout decides he wants to work on the Welding Merit Badge, for example, how does he (or a volunteer in the Troop) go about finding the proper, registered merit badge counselor?

Do the Scouts in your unit choose to attend your council camp or do you go out of council?  What do the Scouts look for when choosing one camp over another?  

What's your favorite BSA camp?

I suggest we make "Issues and Politics" reflect issues and politics that have at least something to do with Scouting.  Moving forward, I hope to see these topics be a little more geared toward making Scouters more effective in their units.

Many say the uniform is expensive.  What are some ways to work around that?  Is the uniform as important today as it was 30 years ago?  If not, why?  If so, why?

The latest issue of Scouting Magazine is all about the brand new Cub Scout program.  How are you implementing this program in your council?  Is Roundtable a good place to introduce this to Pack volunteers?

There is no doubt that there are Troops out there that are led by adults.  How do we make it obvious to these adults that the Scouts should be running the show?  What resources do we have available to us to train new unit leaders in the Patrol Method?