LeCastor

I recently bought a copy of Jim Boeger's book The Scoutmaster which is long out of print (1978). It's very inspiring and there are loads of funny stories about things any Scoutmaster has experienced in the out-of-doors. However, one of things that I found interesting was that Boeger says it's worth it to be a Scouter because you get to see boys grow up to be fine "Christian" men. This is something I have often found off-putting when it comes to the public's perception of the BSA. We aren't a Christian organization yet many of our units are chartered to Christian churches/wards, sure.

It's interesting that WE as Scouters trust the Scouts in our care more than their own parents trust them.

Oh, Stosh, you gotta know that sit-down talk is on the docket! I'm not pleased with this merit badge fixation they share to the detriment of their Patrol mates. I guess I don't understand what you mean in the second part. I should NOT take pictures? What the what? As for patience...I have a ton of that. I've been patient for a long, long, long time as we move closer and closer to a Troop with two distinct patrols...I can continue to be patient with these anti-outdoors youngsters.

Hey, Fred! Just to be clear, I never meant to suggest that I would consider doing this. My question was related to Scouters and affiliation with BSA and BPSA. As for oft-used "adult leaders" I tend to focus more on "adult mentors" and "adult guides".

RFB, you aren't the first to suggest this. "Traditional" Scouting refers not to religion, per se, but to outdoors skills and a focus on BP's original plans for the Scouting Movement. All that jazz in the 1970s--the "Improved Scouting" debacle--turned a lot of people off the BSA. The same thing was happening in the UK and there were some splinter groups. The BPSA in the US is a relatively new organization: http://bpsa-us.org/ There are no religious restrictions. Trail Life USA and American Heritage Girls, though, are Christian-based groups. I have to admit, however, tha

Yeah, I don't think the Scouts read their handbooks either... As for the last part...

When I was still a "green" Scoutmaster, I wanted to put into practice that 300' idea on a particular camping trip where we had the run of an entire Scout reservation. I said to one of the other adults that it'd be sweet if we suggested having each Patrol go off in a different campsite. This Scouter's reply: "Oh, no! How would we know what they were up to? What if they got hurt?" Truth is, these Scouts know what to do if another gets hurt. If I'm 1000' away, on the other end of camp, or out in the middle of the lake in a dang canoe, I expect the Scouts in my Troop to know what to do i

Matt, I totally get you. I "inherited" a Troop that was extremely lost in its ways vis-a-vis the Patrol Method. Though, I think if you read the Patrol Leader Handbook (current one) you should get a solid grasp of what the Patrol Method is--in theory. Then, commit yourself to making it happen, as young Sentinel is doing now in his Troop. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a Patrol Method Troop that finds itself over-run by adults. Once you digest the current handbook you should dive into the original Handbook for Patrol Leaders by William Hillcourt. Sure the writing sounds a

Yeah, Eagle94-A1 and I were chatting about this the other day on the "Whither Order of the Arrow" thread. The OA just ain't what it used to be. HOWEVER, one of "my" Eagles, who is now an 18-year old SA with our Troop, was recently elected Lodge Chief of our local OA Lodge. He gave me a ride to Roundtable tonight so he could chat with the Chapter Chief and gauge what things were like. As he drove me home I asked him several open-ended questions, and his answers gave me much hope. We're looking at the OA through the eyes of adults now...Sure some things have really changed, but the co

I guess what I was getting at is this: We all want to give Scouting to the youth. But some of us can see the strengths and weaknesses in one or more of the different "sects" of our Movement. The BSA has the infrastructure and the name recognition, whereas I think BPSA has the "traditional" thing going for them. We who yearn for the days when the Patrol really was the fundamental building block of Scouting might find it easier to get going in a back-to-basics org like BPSA rather than fight with BSA guidelines that may or may not be holding us back... That's the kind of discussion I'm look

I love the idea of allowing a patrol to camp out on their own without adult intervention. However, I feel like we're probably past the point of no return within BSA guidelines, as mentioned. The 1st Class hike would be a glorious thing to bring back, wouldn't it? http://www.thedump.scoutscan.com/1stclasshike.pdf

Deep down I know we are all in this whole Scouting thing for the youth. However, as we have seen, politics and religion tend to divide us. So with that, I ask you this: Is there any reason why we, as Scouters, couldn't be active in, say, the BSA and the BPSA? Or GSUSA and AHG? Discuss.

I have said before that I always wear the field uniform ("Class A") when camping, hiking, and service. Getting it dirty is not a worry of mine. I've heard the argument that it's expensive but as a thrifty Scout or Scouter, you can eventually afford to buy a field uniform for the field and a field uniform for the Court of Honor. If my uniform and red jac-shirt don't smell like smoke I'm not doing it right... I think the Centennial nylon shirt is comfortable and cool enough in the warm temps, and I don't mind the nylon zip-off pants. However, the fact that there's canvas pants with cotto

There's also a pretty lengthy thread from the past few weeks under the Open Discussion header: Camping When Cold.

Yeah, Sentinel, I thought of you when I read that! I look forward to the continuation of the series.

To borrow a construction from SeattlePioneer... Where is the Boy Scout uniform going? We have many different pants/shorts that don't match. There are at least two different kinds of shirts. Forget about hats...How many are there now? So we have those who think the ODLR uniform was emasculating, useless, not rugged, etc. The Centennial Uniform is worse... Ok, so what should the Boy Scout uniform be? It's okay to be specific...

UPDATE: None of the members of the young patrol were able to bring themselves to commit to going on the outing they put on their calendar. Honestly, this camping trip was doomed to fail when I found out the PL and APL, both, decided to choose a merit badge clinic--OMG--over leading their patrol to a glorious weekend in the wilderness. Good news is they're fired up about an electronics-themed event next month. At least there's that...I guess. I'm going to continuing Scouting in the outdoors and all who want to join me may do so. Boom!

I'm in the process of mentoring a 12-year old PL who was recently elected by his patrol. He's a great kid, very driven. So I purchased a copy of the current Patrol Leader's Handbook and read it while I waited a the Jiffy Lube last night. You know, it's not half bad. All of the basics of Patrol Identity and Spirit are in there. It's a far cry from GBB's original but it still has the basics. What what I've been reading lately on different threads, folks tend to think that BSA national isn't reinforcing the Patrol Method. I can totally see that. However, it's still one of the Method

Seattle, I think your post is rather contradictory. Rather than paraphrase, I will quote from Woodbadge.org: [TABLE] [TR] [TD=width: 750, bgcolor: #C7B29A] [TABLE] [TR] [TD=width: 725] [h=3]The Objectives of Wood Badge[/h] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Wood Badge has four specific objectives: As a result of attending Wood Badge, participants will be able to: View Scouting globally, as a family of interrelated, values-based programs that provide age-appropriate activities for youth. Recognize the contemporary lead

He doesn't care much for "liberals" either! Sorry, Seattle, I had to.

Alex, please read this: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/ILST%20finals%202011%20-%20Item%20Number%20511-016.pdf

Thanks, fellow Beaver! I agree that the patrol method is well modeled in Wood Badge. However, to answer the question of why so many Troops are adult-led, I firmly believe it's because adults have an inherent need to succeed and when they see the chaos of a teenager's Patrol meeting they freak out and take over. It's not that the PM isn't taught/modeled/encouraged at Wood Badge; it's that adults are so wired to make things go smoothly that they take the reins from the 13-year old PL when he doesnt do it "right". We have to hammer it home time and time again at every training we can--Boy Sco