LeCastor

I remember one time, when I was about 14 years old, being asked to lead a Christian religious service at at district camporee. There was absolutely no guidance and I had no help at all. Basically, I took what I knew of my Lutheran upbringing and the liturgy that I was familiar with and ran with it. Man, it was awful and I ended up just talking about how we should be good people and live like Jesus taught us. I was so embarrassed and humiliated that there were so many people there waiting for me to give them a church service and there I was completely unprepared. So....I agree that Scouts n

Yes, these are great posts! I enjoy seening us talk about how to make Scouting better for the Scouts. Personally, I don't like the emphasis on merit badges at summer camp. I would much prefer what SSScout suggests. (Rick, I hear you about the iPhone as multi-tool but I still brought the analogue versions with me )

Hey, Seattle. Here in Wisconsin we tend to partner up with other councils for programming. University of Scouting, Pow Wow training sessions, etc. but that's mostly for adult volunteers. Scout programming is typically council-centric. I don't think my Troop has taken advantage of an out-of-council program other that going down to Woodruff this summer.

Hedgehog, thanks for the post. However, I never told you how I phrased my questions. Also, I am an advocate for this young Scout and want him to advance. For the record, I did ask him the very questions you suggest in your reply. As for the responses I desire, I'm not trying to be overly philosophical as much as attempting to have the Scout relate the Ideals with Advancement. It's all good, Hedgehog. I'm sorry if I offended you in some way.

Q, wait, YOU disagree with something?! No way! . Yes, I jest. I do look forward to reading this forum everyday and, yes, we are fortunate to have a code of conduct so succint and useful as the Scout Law to guide us. I do agree, though, that a small handful of members shape the conversations. Is that good or bad?

DuctTape! I was just going to quote you from the advancement thread concerning merit badges and their linkage with rank advancement: "...prohibit scouts from being MB "counselors" at summer camp, to name a few." So I'll ask a secondary question. If summer camp weren't about merit badges what would be the purpose of the staff?

Thanks, Desertrat, for the kind words. As for the Grinchy bit, I understand.

I have fond memories of summer camp in Georgia and Tennessee. There was canoeing, camping in big canvas wall tents, hiking, etc. I also earned my first merit badges at summer camp, Environmental Science and First Aid. While I felt very proud of my accomplishment, I now wonder if merit badges are the true purpose of summer camp. If not, what is it all about?

It's interesting that you bring up this point. Despite the studies that have been done, suggesting that if a Scout earns 1st Class in the first year he'll stay longer in a given Troop, I don't like the emphasis on potentially rushing a young man to 1st Class. I'm conflicted, too, because I've been asked to present "1st Year Scout Skills" at a winter training gathering. This a broad topic for a 60-minute "class", no doubt. I don't plan to advocated for FCFY. Rather, I intend to discuss the Methods of Scouting and how advancement and the Patrol System are linked. I might even mention

Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and 1st Class are where Scouts learn the basis of outdoor skills and learn to live the ideals of Scouting. This is where they have a lot of fun and get the foundation of Scouting, both at the same time. My opinion would be to return to the days where Scouts were encouraged to focus on advancement to 1st Class before earning merit badges. Summer camp for the younger guys need not be about merit badges but we know that it's become so focused on advancement rather than on fellowship and adventure. Now, for Star, Life, and Eagle I'd advocate for keeping the merit bad

LOL...I like that line, Stosh. We are starting to split hairs, though, I think. The reason I started this thread is because I see a lot of finger-pointing on this forum. Some of it leads to resolution but most of it just causes a lot of negativity and, quite frankly, makes my blood boil. I'm fairly certain we are all in Scouting because we believe that it's the best program for our youth, and I believe we all hold the Scout Oath and Law dear to our hearts. We don't always follow the Law and slip from time to time, myself included. However, we do our best to abide by those 12

Merry Christmas, Cambridge! Thanks for the beautiful video.

Thanks for the replies, everyone! The common theme I see is that these cards are a hit. I think this could possibly replace popcorn for our Troop, and I see that as a good thing because the Scouts are losing steam with that dang popcorn anyway...

Hmmm, suspicious...J'ACCUSE!

Q, hence the need to "confront the issue and then seek to forgive" down the road.

Stosh and Huey, I like your attitude vis-à-vis the continued adventure! One of my questions to the Scout was based on his post-Eagle goals. He said he's planning to stick around and earn some palms. And, heck, he might be ready for Sea Base or BWCA by then!

Hey, Eagle! Yeah, he's definitely goal-oriented which I think is a byproduct of his particular school environment. But I've asked him about his gung-ho-ness and he legitimately likes earning merit badges and advancing at his present pace. As far as knowing his stuff, he is on that continual path of learning, as I mentioned earlier. He might be lacking on some basic Scout skills but he's always happy to review that, especially with his patrol mates. (He knows that's important to me, too.) For the most part, I think he enjoys the learning aspect of Scouting but not necessarily the camping

Just to be clear, Oddball, I'm pulling for this Scout and don't agree with the "too young" mentality.

Totally, DC! Daped01, you'll want to go into Wood Badge knowing that you'll have to rewrite your ticket a few times. As I was a Troop Guide this past fall, my patrol gave me the cold stare more than a few times.

Does anyone have experience selling "camp cards"? I've seen this done in high schools. The idea is you sell a wallet-sized card that gives you discounts at various participating stores. They're inexpensive and I hear they sell fairly well. Our council is suggesting them again this year.

So I decided that it would be nice to have one of those poly-wool uniforms (pants and shirt) to look a bit more crisp for formal occasions. My wife thought it would be nice to buy it for me as a Christmas present. But after I ordered it the pants were way too small (not true to size) and the epaulets were, as stated above, off-center and the American flag patch was about 3 centimeters too far back on the sleeve. I guess I'm not surprised they are discontinuing this uniform, though, because the quality just isn't that great for the high price tag. Needless to say, I sent both pieces back.

qwazse: "Well, it sounds like you didn't tell the boy to "stop and smell the roses," and I consider that a good thing" Quite the opposite, in fact. I told him that, in reality, he could be an Eagle in 12 months and that he'd have five years of adventure ahead of him after Eagle. Also, wouldn't it be great if we had more Scouts sharing their thoughts on Scouting??

As many have mentioned before--and I agree 100%--a Scoutmaster Conference need not happen just before a Board of Review. In fact, we have SM conferences fairly frequently whether or not we call them that. I do it all the time with my patrol leaders. At any rate, I sat down with a young Scout last night for an "on the books" type SM conference just prior to his Star board of review. I asked him what the core ideas were for the Star requirements. (I was hoping to hear 1) active time commitment, 2) service, 3) leadership, and 4) merit badges.) He struggled quite a bit and couldn't get past t

Our council has a designated shooting sports coordinator who cares for and stores all rifles and shotguns throughout the year. I believe we are allowed to request usage of these guns throughout the year, provided a capable rangemaster is available to oversee the event. It does seem pretty ridiculous that the story above happen once much less several times.