LeCastor

Welcome, JJ! Personally, I enjoy when a presenter engages the audience in a discussion rather than simply lecture to the crowd. Also, it's great to get a list of resources I can use when I get back to my house, office, Troop meeting space, etc.

It appears I touched a nerve with my post about "working with Millenials". That certainly wasn't my intention. NJ, it was I who posted the PowerPoint from BSA. We are all individuals who have our own ways of doing things and moving through life. It's not necessary to label ourselves or get worked up about those who attempt to label us. Sure, people of a similar age tend to exhibit the same sorts of behavior and that's due to any number of factors in history, culture, technology, etc. It's not a bad thing. We must not, however, poo poo the younger generations, especially if we are Scouters who choose to work with these youth.

Joesport, I would ask if this is an issue for the Scouts. My Troop has done either the Oath or Law for opening for 4000 years. Occasionally they'll throw the Pledge in there. The flags are always pre-posted by the SPL or whomever he chooses to "go get the flags". As Scoutmaster, I had the same thought you are having now, and when I suggested the Scouts which it up they just said, "nah, we're fine with it the way it is". Honestly, I don't think it's that big a deal. The Oath and Law are important and the more the Scouts recite both the better, in my opinion. LeCastor

Political correctness threads always make me think of Walter Sobczak from the film The Big Lebowski: "The Chinaman is not the issue here. Oh, and, Dude, 'Chinaman' is not the preferred nomenclature. Asian-American, please."

Sure is a lot of nailing going on in this thread... I do agree that Scouts should be included in the decision-making process. That is part of my strategy for my district's fall camporee. With youth input we should have a killer event!

Not necessarily, Stosh. I've come to know some English teachers who couldn't diagram a sentence to save their lives... As for the second part, I agree with you completely. I don't personally advocate for an Eagle advisor position and think that most of the Eagle process is handled by adults. I've tried and succeeded in my own Troop of keeping it in the hands of the Scouts. There are any number of Scouters on had, though, in case the youth have questions pertaining to the application process, etc. I think too much emphasis is placed on earning the Eagle rank to the detriment of the rest of the program. No, this isn't across the board but I definitely have seen those Scouts whose only goal is to attain Eagle. There's more to Scouting than a list of requirements.

Hi, Skeptic. Thanks for the post. We, too, had a memorial service for a long-time Scouter two weeks ago and we also sang Scout Vespers. It was a great send-off. (I have to confess that I had trouble singing very much as I was fairly choked up by the gesture...)

Hey, Stosh. I think this process has been viewed by many as preparation for professional and academic life. Proofreading is a part of life and it never hurts to have someone else look over your reports, papers, applications, etc. (I hope you don't think I'm "writing" this applications for Eagle candidates. )

Q, thanks for your thoughts but I think you're missing the forest for the trees. The "room full of Eagles" was an example, not the original thought of my post.

Wow, thanks for poo-pooing this right out of the gate. I believe you are taking Nessmuk's quote out of context. He continues: "...We get it rough enough at home; in towns and cities; in shops, offices, stores, banks--anywhere that we may be placed--with the necessity always present of being on time and up on our work..." As for your LNT comment, I'm an adherent to those outdoors ethics and lead LNT trainings. I'm not trying to advocate for trenching and burning down the woods. You can do bushcrafting without violating LNT.

The Chartering Organization owns the unit's equipment, from what I understand. And the CO is insured under the BSA, from what I understand. If you have worries perhaps you should check with your District Executive.

So you worked in that Troop's IT dept? Did you get a lot of help tickets? Yes, I jest. I can see helping a Scout proof-read the documents and such. In fact, I've done that. Everyone needs an editor because a second pair of eyes catches things that you don't...

Hey,Q! Yeah, I get that. I saw their deer-in-the-headlights look and said they could be the "experts" to help guide the parents and other folks who the new CO find to be the unit leaders.

Hey, Seattle! Well, since I've taken the role of Boy Scout Roundtable Commissioner I've seen first-hand how most Scoutmasters aren't aware of district/council activities. Sure, the ones who come to RT each month know what's going on. But we reach only about 20% of active Troops and maybe 30% of Packs. The council website is not as good as it could/should be, so advertising there tends to be mediocre. Also, the associated council/district Facebook pages aren't keep up-to-date. As a consequence, unit turnout at district events is spotty at best. I would say get more unit representation at Roundtables and bolster the social media presence. Get the word out there in the media in which the newer leaders are accustomed. Paper flyers should be stopped, too. Electronic media works best today, I think.

If you search "Bushcraft" on YouTube you're bound to come across scores of videos. There are reviews of backpacks, knives, tarps, and all other related outdoors gear. You've got folks, mostly middle-aged white men, who are interested in keeping with the bushcraft/woodcraft traditions of outdoorsmen like Nessmuk, Horace Kephart, E.H. Kreps, and, more recently, Mors Kochanski. One of the guys I enjoy watching is Derrek Faria (sargefaria, on YouTube). His videos are lengthy but interesting and his Massachusetts accent is wicked ahh-some. Growing up I used to see my Grandpa's dog-eared copy of Kephart's Camping and Woodcraft, and now It sits on my bookshelf with all my other outdoors books. I've been reading all of these authors/outdoorsmen above lately and thinking about how neat it would be to incorporate more of these ideas/activities into my Troop. My personal camp gear has become more canvas-based than nylon, for example. And I rely more on wool blankets now than sleeping bags. Then, there are events like Woodsmoke out in Idaho where people get together to learn about the old ways of camping. I love Nessmuk's quote: "We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it." Food for thought. Might this enliven our units' programs?

I hear you all saying this is nothing new. However, it looks like BSA is doing the research to "understand" these Millennials: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/marketing/ppt/ConnectingWithMillennials.ppt

Our Troop did a canoe trip down the Wisconsin River starting at Sauk City and ending Arena. Near the end of the journey is a small nude beach at Mazomanie, and the canoe outfitter "warned" us of the potential "sights". We advised everyone to move to the other side of the rive as we were getting close...

Here's an example of the time commitment thing. I asked a group of six Eagle Scouts in their mid- to late-20s if they'd like to get involved in Scouting. Specifically, I asked them if they would consider helping start a Cub Scout Pack in a community that hasn't had a unit in over ten years. When I originally asked if they would be willing to give back to Scouting they were all very enthusiastic, but when it came time to actually fill a role they were less-than-willing to commit. They're idea of giving back was to be merit badge counselors and that's super important work! But I had given them a specific need and they really balked. Now, I know that's not a "generational" thing; in fact, we know how hard it is to get older parental types involved as DLs and CMs. NJ, perhaps this is cyclical thing where the "old guys" sit around and come up with a way to complain about the youngsters? I agree that it's hard to accurately lump people into neat categories. ****************** Another example I've been hearing from fellow membership chair folks in our council is that, when recruiting new Cubbies, the moms will stop the Scouter and say, "just tell me how much money and how much time". It sounds--and, of course, this is second hand--that the moms/dads don't give a flip about the "Ideals" or the "Outdoors". ******************* I'm not sold one way or the other on "Millennials", btw. But I like this discussion. Some things stay the same even if technology advances or societal norms evolve.

LOL, yeah, I know, I know. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose...Some things never change, eh? In fact, at our last council-wide Pow Wow (supplemental training course), we had a session on understanding Millennials and one of the attendees said much the same thing (and I paraphrase): --> Each generation looks at the youngsters and thinks they're a bunch of idiots. $%^& flows downhill, he said... The texting, Facebooking, video-gaming generation is proving a tough nut to crack for some of the older Scouters, who, by the way, tend to be District Commissioners, District Committee members, etc.

Our district program committee met last week to plan the late-2015 and 2016 calendar year and I suggested moving the fall camporee from late-October to late-September. Based on the other things going on in the council and district, I think we are more likely to get Troops thinking about this particular camporee. (Yes, Stosh, I like the idea of registering Patrols rather than Troops, but we'll have to see how to make that work logistically; I'll work on that!) I've got a meager budget based on 130 Scouts attending. Considering we had ~20 this past fall, I've got my work cut out for me! I love a good challenge, though. At roundtable last night I met with a young Scouter who has agreed to work with me as a co-chair for the event. We agreed that having three Scouts brainstorm a program is a good call. Then, we'll see if they want to have other Scouts run events. Personally, I believe the Scouts will like this idea. And the co-chair and I agreed that the OA chapter is an excellent place to start. Thanks, all, for the great advice! Isn't Scouting awesome?! LeCastor

As we transition into a period where 20- and 30-somethings are becoming parents and are approached regarding registering their children in Scouting or who are asked to become adult volunteers in Scouting, we begin to see the dynamics of this newer generation coming to the forefront and it ruffles some feathers. Admittedly, I'm in my late-30s now and what I hear from some 20-somethings really irks me. Some of the things I've noticed: * Younger adults are less willing to give their time and/or money to Scouting * What's in it for me? * Why should I? * Lack of commitment and tendency to back out at the last minute It's going to become much harder to recruit new blood if this "me" attitude prevails. Scouting isn't about the "me" so much as the "help other people at all times" thing. How have you all dealt with this dynamic? LeCastor

Very often I hear of Troops who have an Eagle advisor position, unofficially. This is typically an Assistant Scoutmaster who has a good rapport with the older Scouts. Also, our Troop Committee advancement chair is typically a good resource when it comes to filling out the Eagle application, service project proposal, etc. Personally, I don't think I see the need for a dedicated Eagle advisor. In my opinion, if a Scout wishes to apply himself and earn Eagle he should be able to navigate the process himself. When I see a Scout in my Troop and I know he is interested in earning Eagle--typically learned through SM conferences, formal or informal--I give him words of encouragement from time to time. I think if there was an ASM who was constantly hounding a Scout to earn Eagle the boy would likely get fed up with it and drop it. Being there and gently offering to help is a different matter. Eagle-shaming is no good. (I mean beating Scout over the head with the idea that if they don't earn Eagle they aren't good Scouts.)

Venturing training, for adult volunteers, is offered so infrequently in my council that I would much prefer having the opportunity to take the committee challenge online. In fact, I find myself in the situation of having started a new Crew in January and now I'm a committee member without training. I don't know when I'll have the opportunity to do it again...