Lisabob

skeptic writes: "The problem with these kind of stories, and the slant the press uses, is that a few ultra radical individuals feel the need to verbally, and even occasionally physically attack the youth and that is unacceptable." Well yes, of course attacking children is unacceptable. But I'm not sure why you felt a need to bring this up, as I saw absolutely nothing in the news article that suggests otherwise. Did you read the article? You need to do better than this, to justify why this person shouldn't peacefully and rationally share his concerns on an issue that matters to hi

Are you suggesting that people whose views you disagree with should not engage in the political process? That they shouldn't use the same tools and approaches that pretty much any other person might use? I am afraid I don't see anything to be skeptical about here, or any reason to cry "conspiracy!" What I see, is somebody modeling this, which I think we might all agree is commendable: "A Scout follows the rules of his family, school, and troop. He obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an orderl

In the original thread, the OP mentioned that her council encourages troops to rotate leaders every 2-3 years to keep things fresh. Some folks in that thread expressed great surprise. My son's former troop tried rotating SMs every 2 years, currently on their 4th SM in 8 years. On the other hand, the troop he's part of now, has had the same SM for 6 years. Another local troop has had the same SM for more than 30 years. As far as I can tell, there are both good and bad sides to a 2-3 year rotation. On the good side: It is easier to get folks to step up if they know the

diannasav: Since you have a practice of rotating SMs every two years, I wonder: Where are you in that cycle, now? It might be worth it, to just bite your tongue and bide your time. (I think I'll spin off a new thread on this whole idea of 2-year rotations.) In my experience, COs tend to be conservative - by that, I mean, they like the status quo and they like to avoid a lot of upheaval. So I am not at all surprised that the COR backed the current SM. If he was acceptable enough to become SM in the first place, then in the COR's eyes, he's probably just fine. You DID ask

Hiya, mbrownkc7! That scout you describe could almost have been my son. He decided that camp was the absolute WORST place to do many of the "eagle required" badges, and opted for "fun stuff" instead. I lost track of the number of times he earned the rifle shooting MB. He recently turned 18 and the scramble to get the last handful of Eagle MBs done was kind of intense, since he left personal fitness, personal management, family life, communications, and cit in community to the bitter end (yeah, he got it done). Some of his ASMs were pushing on him to sign up for these 5 badge classes

Hey all, thanks for the feedback. From what I've been told, I think this is along the lines of what Twocub is envisioning - a few leftover boards and a couple half-used boxes of nails or screws. Not a lot of material, as I understand it. Right now, it is clutter in somebody's barn and the guy wants it gone. The scout really was trying to do the right thing, but it seems to not be enough material to be really attractive to anybody as a donation. And I think he's also interested in just wrapping it up and being done. Good lesson, though, just because the flashy build-it part of a proj

yeah, well it isn't about ME letting anybody decide. The scout & his family asked for clarification, and they are concerned that their actions not become a "problem" for the boy at his BOR. Those of us who have been around the block a time or two all know that sometimes folks, even those on BORs, can get a little hung up on interpretations of policy.

Well these all fit with my thoughts. Somebody apparently put a bug in the kid's ear that any use other than the project would be a violation of some sort of policy (some hazy mention of the new eagle project fundraising process) though, possibly leading to sticky moments in the BOR, and now he & family are hyper-sensitive to it. Thanks for the common-sense back-up. I'll share your responses.

While working on his Eagle project, a scout received a discount on building supplies from a local business, and ended up with some leftovers worth around $100. The business didn't want them back and the group for whom the project was done didn't want them, either. The troop doesn't have a place to store them & understandably doesn't want to end up with odds & ends from every Eagle project. Although the boy did a lot of fundraising, he ended up putting in a little of his own money to cover the difference between what he raised and the final cost of materials. I'm not certain how

basement, it differs from place to place. In my location, you can't get your hands on the archery/bb beltloops unless you can show a certificate indicating that you earned them at a council-approved program. I guess it is possible that the current DE (who I don't know very well) would cave on this, but then they'd have to contend with an avalanche of other complaints from other similar parents - not to mention the complaints from the ticked off pack leaders who had just been undermined. So if I were a DE, I guess I'd be politely sympathetic, but I wouldn't agree to hand out the award

blw, I don't honestly understand why, but it is clear you are upset. Thing is, what I *think* you're upset about is not what I believe others (at least, me) were saying at all. I wonder, if we were all sitting in a room talking face to face, would we be having this problem communicating? Here's what I think you are upset about. Please clarify, if I don't have this right: I think you feel that folks (maybe me) are saying we refuse to talk with parents at all, and insist on secret discussion/meetings/contacts with children where information is completely withheld from parents.

Former SM and former CC of a troop, got divorced and made a swap. SM & CC married and their former spouses married, too. Both had kids in the troop (must've been mighty confusing for them!). They all left the troop in a bit of an uproar.

Basement: Meet my son who, at 11, was totally geeked up about the reptiles & amphibians badge, wanted to know everything there is to know about those critters. Several times, we drove an hour each way so he could spend a happy afternoon with a MBC/high school biology teacher/ecology PhD, chatting about all sorts of watery critters. The two of them were really funny together: "Did you know..." "Yeah, and did YOU know..." Not to mention the frog he kept for a month - what kid doesn't like THAT? Then there was archery. Now, ok, he started that at camp but finished it at home w

Oh no, again??!???!

I'm glad these Japanese scouts you mention have the opportunity to attend the Washjam, hope they have fun & learn some new skills. My son staffed a range at the recent MI Int'l Jambo, and he also mentioned that scouts from several other countries where gun ownership is less common, really enjoyed the chance to shoot. Now, as an aside: Seattle, I wish you'd quit the childish political bashing, it is getting irritating, and in this case is also entirely irrelevant. Japan's culture, history, laws, and politics are different from our own, and gun-culture is, not surprisingly, also v

blw2: I understand your concern, and as a MBC you should be aware that I would never attempt to keep a parent of a scout in the dark. However, part of the merit badge process in Boy Scouts emphasizes the BOY building up his capacity to communicate and take responsibility for initiating things. Consequently, the BSA's standard training for merit badge counselors (and for the boys, too) indicates that the BOY, not the PARENT, should make contact with the MBC. Of course, things are different in Cub Scouts, where the boys are much younger. On the other hand, Cub Scouts do not earn Merit

holy guacamole, Merlyn, that's news to me. Any leads on court cases challenging these? Thanks for posting.

Beavah writes: "why would anyone in da modern world call to set up an appointment? That's somethin' yeh do by text, email, or doodle. " To which my answer is: Because the council & district MBC lists don't include email, or cell #s. Those lists DO include home phone #s. And that's ok with me, because some yokels have taken the council & district lists, scanned them, and posted them online (unprotected) for the whole world to see. Bad enough that my name, address, and unlisted phone # are now online - I really don't need my email and cell # out there, too.

Yes, and No. Troop specifies. Parents should not be calling. As an MBC, if a parent calls me (happens, occasionally), I request that they have their son call me back.

Quality varies, apparently. Our state does an international jambo every 4 years (but it isn't designed to include cub scouts). Son just got back from staffing the most recent one. Scouts from 27 countries spent a week together, had a blast. Facility was a scout camp - staff was international, too. Every campsite included scouts from at least 3 countries. Son worked as staff on one of the shooting sports ranges - said it compared favorably to the national jambo, but with far fewer people and no waiting in lines for hours at a time. So sure, check it out. Call your council offi

"You need to take the other Scoutmasters to lunch and explain your concerns. You need to be willing to say no and walk away if you arent given some room to give the troop some of your style. As I said, its a tough job when everything is going well, so why bring predictable misery into your family. Family comes first." Barry's last paragraph was so good, I think it is worth repeating. Especially the willingness to say "no" part. So you're the only guy who will do the job? So what? Let's look at what will happen if you DO say "no." Three options: 1. Nobody else will do it

Tokala, try contacting local colleges that have an outdoor recreation degree/program, and ask them if they have listserves, job postings, newsletters, bulletin boards, placement office/services, etc. Even if they don't - make a contact with some of the profs in that program (who tend to be pretty outdoorsy and outgoing people) and ask them if they could recommend local community forums in which to spread the word. Do the same at outdoor gear stores (REI, Dicks, Gander Mountain, etc.)

Sounds like a nice group that is serving the needs of those families. Glad to hear about it. However: when the "favorite activities" mentioned by the girls in the troop are the 'daddy daughter dance' and the 'mother daughter tea,' I am not sure I can easily imagine partnering with a cub pack or boy scout troop!

eh, basement, overboad. People's personal lives aren't necessarily fodder for internet discussion boards.

I'm glad that AHGnBSAMom has found a program that works for her family. I don't find that the AHG program would be an appropriate fit for many BSA units I'm familiar with, though, because in those BSA units, there are people of many faiths. For those units, a close partnering with an overtly Christian girls' group could be a problem because only some of the families would feel welcome in the "partner" unit. I think very few non-Christian families are going to want to put their daughters into an evangelical Christian ministry youth program. If the degree of partnership is very high, so