LeCastor

Sorry if this is a bit of a rant, but I'm quickly losing patience in the final three weeks leading up to our departure for summer camp. I've been hammering everyone to remember to turn in the annual BSA health form for months. The usual response--when I get a response--is, 'didn't we do that last year?' It's called 'annual' for a reason, folks. SERENITY NOW!

http://home.nps.gov/news/release.htm?id=1594 And...GO!

@TAHAWK, yes, I agree with you about titles being fluff. My plan is to just do it and promote Scouting as an international movement. Thanks for all the great links! LeCastor

Hi, TAHAWK! Sorry for the long delay but my Scouting has been interrupted by work! Any luck finding early American Wood Badge materials and info? thanks, LeCastor

Thanks, @eaglescout1996, for the reply. I appreciate your feedback and experience. My council is not very big and at the moment doesn't have much of a international outlook, which I think is too bad. I hope to promote the World Jamboree and at least promote international communication between our units and units in Canada, the UK, and New Zealand to start.

@Eagle92, that's awesome!

This weekend I'll be at a council camporee located at a county fairgrounds underneath floodlights and next to two busy streets. While I will be in a tent, I don't really consider it camping.

Well, @Fehler, I think the "War Stories" are definitely a component of training sessions. However, that's not the point of the training. As for the "perfect youth", I'm not advocating for perfection. None of the Scouters who have trained me have been perfect. Also, I find it a tad amusing that Scouters should be made to feel "unrelaxed' around Scouts...Why are the involved in Scouting then? Older Scouts should be training younger Scouts within their units, that's part of their duty. But I would echo what the founders said, don't ever do something a Scout can do. If that

In my Troop we have an active Ski Patrol trainer/instructor who is exempted from the Wilderness First Aid training. He has said time and time again that after the ski season, the Patrol members are in need of refreshers. It never hurts to go over the basics from time to time.

I'm sensing a trend in what @baggss and @Scouter99 (in my thread on Trainer's Edge) are saying about training as it relates to a ruling hierarchy of good ol' boyz. It's too bad that some Councils/Districts get mired in this attitude that Scouting isn't for Scouts... @baggss, I would like to reiterate @King Ding Dong's question about specific training sessions that you consider a waste of time. Some training is required for a reason; on the other hand, some training is merely suggested. Personally, I enjoy going to training events with an open mind because I might learn something. Then

@Scouter99, we're not trying to bash you, buddy. But it must really be no fun in your local Council with all those good ol' boyz and incompetent Scouts. Sorry, I had to. Thanks, @Eagle92, for sharing your experience with Arrowmen in an IOLS training situation. I think I'll suggest this to our council training chair.

Hey, @baggss, I think many would argue that this corporate attitude you describe came along in 1972 when the BSA thought it would be better for the biz if we shifted away from the outdoors and focused more on the inner city. Green Bar Bill was called up in 1979 to fix it and get back to basics...but I think we've veered off course again and need another GBB to come along and re-energize us. Just this morning I heard an NPR spot on how the Chipotle board voted strongly against increasing the already bloated salaries of the top two execs. I think we need to find a way to keep the costs

Hey, Q! No need to apologize. I already have some plans similar to the ones you mention above. In fact, I've already got some contacts lined up in Québec and just north of London, England. And I'll be promoting international Scouting around the Council through training and with displays at gatherings. LeCastor

For anyone who cares, I did meet with the SE and explained why I thought it was important to bring a sense of world brotherhood to our council. He appreciated the thought but didn't know how it fit within the framework of our council as it operates at this point in time. LeCastor P.S. I think the "Council Relations" section is where posts go to die...

Hey, I forgot to say WELCOME to the forums, @jpc763!

@Scouter99, I don't doubt that there is nepotism of a sort throughout the network of BSA Councils/Districts. However, there must be some efficient/effective way to promote youth leadership and participation in training. For example, for Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS), why not have some of the OA Arrowmen volunteer to train new Scouters on basic outdoor skills? I mean, at my IOLS course the director said the idea of that particular training was to make each Scouter familiar with the basic skills needed to become a First Class Scout. If a Scout has been elected to the OA, has p

In a world where being helpful, friendly, courteous, and kind isn't always second nature, you see something awesome like the compassion of a sister: http://wgntv.com/2014/05/13/girl-13-carries-twin-sister-across-track-meet-finish-line/#

As long as it's not the Troop "X" pig roast, I think the case you described is fine for uniform wear. My Troop has an annual chili supper and we wouldn't be allowed to serve alcohol because it's strictly a Scout-run fundraiser. In your situation, the Scouts shouldn't serve the alcohol or bus the cups, as the District rep told you, and I would add that the Scouts shouldn't promote the alcohol either. The Chartering Org, the Knights of Columbus, would like to show off its Troop and that's a good thing. Wear the field uniform proudly but be Scout-like. Does that make sense?

I certainly am not an advocate for divorce and think a loving couple is the best possible world for a child. In fact, my wife and I agreed from the outset that we didn't ever want to get divorced and that we would work to make things work out. As a child of divorced parents, I personally think I'm ok. But one of the reasons I volunteered to be a Scoutmaster is to help those young men who don't have fathers around. Scouting is good for guys like that...like me.

@Eagledad, I can't speak for any other children so I'll just speak for myself. My parents divorced when I was seven years old and it wasn't until many years later that I fully understood why. First, there was a 15+ year age gap between them and, second, my mother is a lesbian. So...things just weren't working out like they had hoped. Do I think I turned out ok? Absolutely! Do I live carefree in the comfort of [my] parents' love? You're darn right I do! I have been loved from day one by my father and my mother. I've been pretty successful in my life to this point and I wouldn't c

TANGENT: The talk about public schools and not being able to charter BSA Troops made think of a story close to home. The Pack with which my Troop is affiliated was booted from a long-standing relationship with a public elementary school in the neighborhood. The way in which they lost their charter is a bit ironic, though. The Cubmaster and Pack Committee Chair went to a PTA meeting to seek advice on how to recruit new Cubs to the Pack and during the meeting several parents expressed complete ignorance of the fact that they--the PTA--were the chartering organization! The Pack reps were imm

@qwasze, I have served on staff for at least four IOLS courses. I've been the course director for Scoutmaster specific training. And I just now took the Trainer's Edge course because I'll be on Wood Badge staff this fall. Pretty sure you don't need any specific "train the trainer" course for IOLS. In fact, I checked the IOLS syllabus and it doesn't mention any age minimum or requirements for staff members other than they prepare in advance and do a good job.

It would be quite the wake-up call if adult training events became Scout-run, wouldn't it? At my Wood Badge course several Venturers trained us on camp cooking, sanitation, and basic camp set-up. Heck, it's great practice for the Scouts to get up in front of people and make presentations. Some of the guys on Saturday did much better than adults who have "trained" me!

Personally, I have approached the principal at our local middle school three times and have been given the cold shoulder at each meeting. My approach has always been casual--no uniform since I was there after work to cast my ballot at the polling place--and I've asked for a brief follow-up meeting. "I'm too busy" is the standard response I get. Perhaps if I brought some of his students to him in uniform and asked to meet he'd have a different response?

Here is a neat story (perhaps it's already been shared) that I just came across. http://abc7news.com/archive/9441107/ How much time do your units spend talking about basic flag history, handling, etiquette, etc? I've witnessed countless flag ceremonies and they are all a bit different. However, the focus is always on the solemnity of the action. Do you bring an American flag on camping trips? I have always thought it would be neat for one of the Scouts to lash a flagpole as a "useful camp gadget" but it never occurs to them. Perhaps I'll just do it next time....