LongHaul

Actually I don't think anyone got paid. LH Except maybe the stage and camera crew(This message has been edited by LongHaul)

If you split my vote is to let the boys make the choices. I'd say don;t split into two patrols right now. Your 17 year old could remain a TG or become a JASM. Your 16 year old stays SPL and the 12 year old ASPL stays as such. They become the "Leadership Core" aka "Senior Patrol" even though "LC"is not used anymore the functions it provided can still be utilized. This leaves a patrol of 6 PL, APL and 4 scouts. What are your recruitment prospects for February March crossovers? LH

nwscouttrainer, Well Ed has tipped his hat but Merlyn remains silent. Briefly Ed and Merlyn are two men that have very beliefs and at times those beliefs are diametrically opposed to one another. Things will go along peacefully and then someone will post something which causes one or the other of these men to respond with a position the other disagrees with, strongly, completely, and repeatedly At that point any topic becomes fodder and can be drawn into the sparing. As you pointed out after a while things get "heated". They are not always like this but at times it's hard to get them

What would an anonymous paper report gain over a Roses and Thorns or SM Conference? COULD allow for honesty in the absence of a.) retaliation outside the program, b.) offending the person being reported on PERSONALLY (R&T), c.) Eliminates the rapport the boy may NOT have with the SM. (If I am critical of Jim will the SM hold it against me when I'm in the position?) It can lead to things being said that are not correct and would not be said to a person face to face either about them or someone else. But I could lead to things being said that would not be said to a person face to face either

click23, I'm glad I have not offended you. As far as a SM coaching an SPL that SM is there all the time to watch the effects and affects of his coaching. Just because I never played professional sports does not mean I can't tell if the plays I'm sending in are working. My problem is that when I finally admit that I need help I'm sent to a person that has less experience at coaching an SPL than I do. Using your coaching analogy a UC watching last weeks game films comes up with plays to use this week but isn't at the game. He then watches the next set of game films and repeats the process. It's

Nwscouttrainer, I know you agreed to an hour a week and obviously have not left after finding out that it was quite a bigger time commitment but before We try to answer your question just how much time do you have? LH

Could be wrong but the Scout does not sound like an Eagle Scout, just a boy that was looking to obtain the Eagle rank. Hopefully he has learned that in life if you are looking for the recognition with out doing the work you need to cover your.... posterior exposure. LH

What Lisabob said. Don't be swayed or deterred if you get a BIG frown from the other troops. Your responsibility first is to the youth you serve and wish to extend service to and not other units. Be ready however if "your" Webelos don;t crossover into your troop but go somewhere else. LH

I really don't think so Ed, for the allotted time that specific place was being used as a "polling place" it fell under specific guidelines and laws. The church where our troop meets is a polling place, during those hours we can't solicit for pro life, we can't display anti or pro posters for a specific cause. We can not engage in any activity that COULD be viewed as an attempt to influence voters. That being said the rule is "within 150 feet of the polling place". The "polling place" being interpreted as the actual spot at which one casts their vote. SO.. out in the parking lot and on the

I want to respond to click23 first. Please click23 do not take this as a personal assault it is not you it is the way you were trained IMO. You just presented a capsule of what I am trying to discuss. This may sound like semantics to many but if you believe in Freud you know that we use the words and phrases our subconscious sometimes chooses and they can be windows to a truth. Click23 opens with; >> I am a UC, for little over a year now, but I have never been a direct contact leader.<< >> What constitutes a Quality program? >>for a troop, an organized meeting ran

Personally I think the Scout, his Troop, and any Scout or Scouter involved in placing the boxes owes a public apology to the Election Commission, the voters, and the city. The Election Commission has specific rules that must be followed, have we all forgotten the 2000 election so soon? It's a matter of law not Commission permission. My polling place is at a local school, contacting my school district and obtaining permission does not change the law covering polling places and solicitation. When was the last time anyone saw any organization allowed to solicit for anything at a polling place?

As SM my only stipulation in taking the job was that no one smoked in front of the boys including myself. If you have to do it take it some where else. I would leave the cigarettes home when we went on campouts and two weeks for summer camp. My second year the PLC made a big deal of giving me a special present before we left for camp a carton of cigarettes with a card signed by all saying "We like you better when you smoke" Seems I wasn't a good SM in withdrawal. I quit completely right then and haven't smoked since. Cub Scouts is mainly an indoor thing. Smoking in a closed room with non

Beavah, You feel the TC should set the level of expectation? According to "the book" the TC should be a behind the scenes group that facilitate program not deliver it directly. The ASM and SM don't sit on BORs because they are too close to the delivery of the program. While the BOR ensures quality I don't see why a SM or the ASMs need to go through 7.5 of class room and a weekend of practical training if the TC can perform quality control with just Troop Committee Challenge. I think the SM is in charge of program and if the TC doesn't like the SMs standards the TC talks with the COR

Ya mk9750 that's kinda what I see. I really don't see the CO "culling" the herd and I don't see the current SM/ASMs getting back to basics and teaching the youth leaders how to gain respect or providing a program that does not tolerate disruptive behavior. LH

Eamonn, I meant no offense but as Beavah pointed out I was looking for some "signs" or "markers" a UC would look for in determining quality according to training not experience. I've just finished Cub Roundtable Commissioner training but as I will only deal with the Webelos Leader break out I feel I'm on solid ground. I've been a WDL 3 separate times and have taken 3 groups thru the 20 month program. I've served as Webelos to Scout Transition Chair for about 6 years. I've been WDL trainer for 10 years. I've been an SM two different times the latest for 13 years but don't feel qualified to be a

Sounds to me like the SM requests the BOR when the SM thinks the boy is ready to advance. So the BOR is actually either agreeing with the SMs assessment or disagreeing with the SMs assessment. Boy gets caught in the middle. SM " OK Billy your ready for 1st Class, I'll set up a BOR " BOR "We don't think Billy is ready, we think he needs work on 'x'. " SM " Billy's done 'x' just fine" BOR "We want him to do it better" SM "The SM decides when the requirement has been met, that's why he is the Master of Scouts" BOR " NO the ACPP says the BOR decides if the requirement has been met.

Now I didn't say unit scouters I said direct contact scouters. Direct Contact scouters in Boy Scouts would be SM and ASM. If a troop has it's adults listed as ASM instead of MC I'd look at that first. I've seen troops with most of the male adults listed as ASM, it's like having all your boys listed as APLs or ASPLs. Give the MCs something to do beside crowd troop outings, how many adults does it take to supervise a boy led troop overnight? LH

Merlyn, your post >>Just googling places, I still see plenty of people who didn't know and are genuinely surprised that the BSA doesn't allow gays or atheists, and the fact that their membership applications don't spell this out doesn't help either.

The first thing I was told when I became an adult and joined the District team was NEVER RECRUIT DIRECT CONTACT SCOUTERS FOR DISTRICT POSITIONS. The fact that you say most of your Commissioner staff are taking time away from their primary obligation makes me wonder about the vision of your Professional staff in allowing this. eolesen, why couldn't you see yourself working with a unit? The things you relate in the preceding sentence would indicate that you felt your time was limited. Working with a unit at you own commitment level is far less time intensive than being a UC so I must have mis

Please Merlyn where have these people been living in a cave? They are evidentally somewhere they can be "googled" but are unaware of the BSA positions. Are you refering to people that have no interest or knowledge of our program or people that sought membership only to find out that even though they are familiar with Scouting being a youth program they were unfamiliar with anything else about it? LH

Tev!!! Is that how homosexuals handle the application for membership discussion? I'm really surprised. My question was directed to Merlyn but I'll ask you also; What is the official policy for accepting new youth members or recruiting youth members with regard to discovering whether these "candidates" for membership meet the moral or religious criteria? The official policy, not your twist or opinion or it. LH

Well as I read nwscouttrainer's last post I'm left with the realization that Ed's method leaves one patrol at best and Barry's method invovles action by adults who don't seem to be interested in that invovlement anymore. mk9750 writes >>I think the choice depends on the end results you want to get<< Who exactly is the "you" in this sentence. I'm not posing this question to mk9750 directly because we all do this at times when we answer or comment. The "you" statement is not directed at nwscouttrainer because nwscouttrainer is not in a position to implement corrective measures dir

Well, as you see it, what is the official policy for accepting new youth members or recruiting youth members with reguard to discovering whether these "candidates" for membership meet the moral or religious criteria? LH

Merlyn do you know where the official "ask" policy is documented? If I'm not specifically told to "ask" why should I be expected to "know". If I chose to NOT act upon something I "suspect" how is that adopting my own DADT policy? LH

Exactly the point Beavah makes, what is the goal of the adult in scouting? To seek accolades or to provide a program within which youth can grow and learn? If the DAM and SB are important "goals" then just maybe this adult has set the wrong goals. Where is the glory in being a General if all your "troops" are KIA or MIA. LH