Lynda J

Merit badges are important because they give a scout the chance to meet goals and challenges.

They also give him an insight into different aspects of life.

I earned almost 70 badges as a Girl Scout. I am thankful for each and everyone. Because to this day things I learned doing those badges help me every day. Whether it is the planning of a project or a skill.

Plus most of them are just plain fun

We have one ASM that isn't trained yet. He just joined in May and there hasn't been a training set up. The next one is August 19 and he is registered for it. On the Committee of the 8 6 are trained and they will take their training in Sept. I push training. I like to get as many people as I can cross trained.

Sorry everyone. But I will continue to show my flag the respect it deserves by removing my hat at the raising or lowering of Old Glory. And I will expect my boys to show their flag that same respect.

At our summer camp one of the calls at flag twice a day was. "Scout remove hats". Maybe that isn't by some written guidelines but it is one that I feel our flag deserves.

Wash them on gentle cycle in cold water and put about 1/4 vinegar in the wash water. The vinegar

will help set any unstable color dyes in the fabric and the red yarn will be less prone to fade and run.

We normally recruite withing school districts.

Some areas in our council have 4-5 packs in one school district but those are really large school districts. But having them take boys from your pack that are already memebers is wrong, PERIOD.

They boys and their parents get to chose whick pack they join. We have boys in our troop that are actually in another troops area. They simply wanted to be part of our troop. It is the scouts choice. If there are enough boys to form two packs that is great. But don't let them take your boys.

If we limited scouting fund raisers to things that did not interfer with any other person then we could never do anything. Grocery stores sell popcorn and candybars. Stores sell clothes so we couldn't have rummage sales. So that is a bunch of bunk.

But you must give value for what you recieve. I personally think that doing yard work is a good fund raiser. Especially if you target older people.

One thing to be sure of is file the paper work with your council that you are doing a fund raiser. It is required.

If you, as a leader decide that you don't have to abide by the uniform rules, then what other rules do you decide to not abide by? YPT, Advancement,

G2SS? Where do you draw the line.

Do all my boys have complete uniforms. NO/

Do I give them a hard time. NO. some simply can't afford the entire uniform. But when we do Uniform Inspections, I do not give them credit for having "the entire uniform".

I keep an eye out at resale shops and year sales for uniform pants and shorts. Any time I find any I buy them and it doesn't matter what size they are. I recently found 4 pair of pants and shorts at a yard sale for $2.00 each. Even though they are 18s I got all of them. At some point I will have a boy they will fit.

I do expect their patches and such to be properly attached to their uniform shirts though. I do have one boy that uses a button-neer to attach his rank patches. But you sure can't tell.

This country was founded on the right of religous freedom. That no religion should control the Government.

When GWB was elected I tried to tell people that he would be the worst thing to happen to personal freedoms, womans rights, the environment and education. I am still waiting to proven wrong.

I don't know if I would try to plan a Scary Night Hike. I would try to plan a moonlight night hike. We did then through our Nature Center. There were no flashlights allowed except for the guides. They were great.

In our Council Archery and BB's can only be done at Council or District events. No Pack can set up their own shooting event.(This message has been edited by Lynda J)

If we are meeting anywhere other than our normal meeting place we file a local permit. If we are putting boys in a car and driving anywhere we file a permit. It is so much better to be safe.

We also ask to see proof of insurance from any driver taking boys in their cars. Our CC makes a copy and puts it in in a folder.

I started in GS in 1954 as a Lone Troop. My parents were on the Charter Committee for NoArk Council in Arkansas. Our troop could out camp every Boy Scout troop in our area. Had my first troop at 22 and directed my first GS day camp at 27. I keep hearing how GSUSA is losing girl and many of them are joining Venture and Crews in BSA. Seems to me GSUSA might look at making the program more challenging instead of less, and setting higher standards instead of lowering them. I had a Junior & Senior troop in the early 70's. Had 16 Srs and 14 Jrs. We camped at least once a month. My Srs. camped the week between Christmas and New Years every year. One outing we ended up in an ice storm. We were iced in the 4 additonal days. Earned our Emergency Preparedness award because they had planned on something like th is happening and had made sure we had extra food just in case (Be Prepared). I have friends that work with both the Boy and Girl Scout programs. They keep saying that GSUSA has stopped challenging the girls. That they are making the program easier and easier and with fewer goals, turning it into a fun and games program. This is sad for me, since I have always felt is was almost as good a program as the BSA program is.

I would like to know the stats on how many girls leave GSUSA and move into the BSA programs leaving the Sr. program high and dry.

meamemg:

I beg to disagree that earning Eagle does not make you a better person. I think it does. Simply the grit to stick with something and make that journey to Eagle in my eyes makes you a better person. I also thing that you set yourself a goal of earning Eagle. By sticking with it you are proving to yourself and others that you have the ability to set a goal and achieve it.

I also know business people that think having Eagle on that resume see you as a better person.

As far as the "paper Eagles" We will always have people that want to take the easy road. But they are the losers in the process. Make Eagle, earn palms. Become a JASM. All of these make you a better person, a better leader, a better student, and a better employee.

So hang in there. Make Eagle. THen set another goal and you will achieve it.

Also be sure when you fill out college entrance papers you put OA and Venture on them. It shows leadership ability.

THe rewards of working with scouts is great.

Had someone a couple of years ago tell me what a selfless thing I was doing by working with the boys. My answer was it is the most selfish thing I do. That I get so much back then I give.

I grew up in scouting. Spent most of my adult life working in Girl Scouts. My mother graduated her last GS troop from highschool when she was 70.

I plan on being one of those "ole farts" that at 70 is still working with kids.

Like my Gran use to say.

"Your community is like a tree. YOu are either a leaf that nurtures it or mistletoe that sucks it dry. Make darn sure you are always a leaf"

She was a very wise and very community involved person

Earning Eagle can be a money issue for some scouts. We had one that is 17 and just seemed to have stalled. He lacks 3 Eagle badges and his project. Last meeting one of our ASM hear him talking that he was going into the military after graduation. The ASM sat down with him and explained that if he is an Eagle entering any branch of the military he will go in at a higher pay level. He exlpained that having Eagle on that form can make as much as $700 a month difference in what your pay scale is. This kid called me the next night wanting to get going on his project. I am meeting with him tomorrow and we will sit down and go over it. It will be a challenge for him since he is a foster kid and has little support at home. But the leaders of our troop will do everything in our power to help him.

I also have a customer that looks on a persons resume. If he has to applications with everything equal except one person was in scouts and earned Eagle he will always hire the Eagle over the other. He also looks for women who were Girl Scouts. He says that people that stayed in scouting are more dependable and make better employees.

The sad thing is that once they "lost interest" there is little you can do unless they make up their minds they want to do it. It also sounds like the father of this kid isn't really interested in his finishing.

Word to the wise. If you have any child that is registered and list a Legal Guardian, get copies of the guardianship papers. I am Kevin's legal guardian. When I registered him as a Tiger I gave the pack copies of the papers. When I registered him for school I gave them copies. When we moved up into the troop I gave the SM copies. This and all along I have been his leader.

Don't take someone's work that they are the guardian. Get the paperwork to prove it.

Don't know how large your town is but especially if it is small go down and talk to the judge. We had this with the pack a couple of years ago on popcorn. Boys stepfather took the money. We tried to work it out with the mother. Couldn't. Talked to the judge. He contacted her and suddenly we got the money.

Also you might look at Small Claims Court. You don't need an attorney and the amount is below the max that you can take someone to small claims court. If you do that you can add any expenses you have to the amount.(This message has been edited by Lynda J)

I an glad to see some councils targeting hispanics.

Regretfully I do not see Longhorn doing this. Though we are heavely Hispanic I lost two boys our of the pack this past year because we could not get spanish language handbooks. Our Scout Shops told us they had to be special ordered from National. I called National and was told it would be 6-12 weeks before they could get me the books. It wasn't that the boys needed them but the parents wanted them. The boys finally stopped coming. I don't understand why in councils that have a large number of Hispanic residents that they can't have two or three spanish language hand books for each level at the Scout shops.

Our council has even held recruitements in schools in the hispanic areas and not had anyone that could speak spanish. Sorry that is just dumb to me.

Even in our troop we don't require uniforms on things like troop hikes and such. We don't require them on camping trips except for when we are traveling. 1. the uniforms are expensive. 2.

regretfully they aren't really designed for hard activities.

We have troop tee shirts that they boys wear with jeans.

My biggest gripe on the pants is the lack of pockets. When I work outdoor skills training it drives me crazy. I need my pocket knife and my compass. The pockets aren't large enough. So I end up with a fanny pack to put this stuff in and it is always getting in the way.

Sometimes you simply want to swat their sweet little heads.

Not only will the pack have pack activities but your district will also have events and so will your council. Our district has at least one major event for Cubs each year and the council has Cub Fun Day. And Tiger Play Day. Though you are limited on camping your pack can have a family camping trip. I keep trying to remind leaders and parents it isn't how fast you get through the program it is how much the boys learn getting there. You don't have to only do the thinks in the book. YOu can do all kinds of other crafts and activities. There are several places you can order "Fun Patches" they cover all kinds of activities. Visit a fast food restautant. See what goes on behind the counter. CHeck with your local Home Depot about their kids Saturday. They can do all kinds of things there. YOu don't have to sit down and do the activites in the book in order and be limited to doing only those.

The most important thing is MAKE IT FUN, KEEP IT SAFE

PLEASE DON'T LIMIT YOUR PACK. If you only have Tigers you don't have Wolves and BEars and Webs for the Tigers to look up to. That is part of the program. The younger kids seeing what the older ones are doing. Same thing with Cubs to Boy Scouts.

At one point the pack I was in only had 3 Bears. Then the next recruitement they added 6. This year they have 7 Tigers, 8 Wolves, 7 Bears, and about 12 Webs total. I know there are 4 Web 2 that will be moving up just after the first of the year.

But just jump in with both feet all the way up to your neck. Get leaders trained, The best programs are where boys have well trained leaders.

Make it fun and sometimes make it silly. Remember we are working with young boys and they need to be silly part ofthe time.

Our SM made a locking steel rod that goes through the wheel on one side and then through the one of the other wheel on the other side. The way it goes in once locked in you can not roll the trailer. Our trailer sits behind our meeting place. The good thing about his is that there is a man that lives right next to the building that is a "NOSEY ROSEY". The boys always laugh about him standing out and watching when they are doing things in the yard. Once when I went down to get something out of the trailer. I hadn't even gotten the lock unlocked when he walked all the way out into the parking lot to see why was around the trailer. When we sell popcorn we always take him a box. He likes to be gruff with the boys but it is nice knowing that he keeps an eye out.

Our new ASM is an artist and is going to decorate the sides of the trailer. We do have the BSA sign on the front with the troop number. Right now the boys are having a contest for a design.

When my boys went camping with the troop as Webs they were split up between the two patrols. They helped with the chores. The main meal was foil cooking and they prepared their own packets. The Boys Scouts did put them in the coals and checked them. But they helped with clean up and everything except lighting the fires. They had a ball and it made them truly feel like they were becoming a part of the troop. When we crossed over they set them up as a new patrol. They already had a head start on understanding how the patrol worked.

Don't do it for them, help them do it for themselves.

I agree with most here that all you really need as rules are the Laws and Promise. They cover everything.

We do warn boys and depending on the issue they can be ask to meet with the PLC.

We have had to remove one boy from the troop. It was one of the hardest things I have had to deal with. He had been one of my boys that moved up with me to the troop. But it got to the point that he was actually a danger to other boys and when you have parents come and tell you if he was going on an activity that their sons would not be going. At the point he cussed one of the other leaders and threatened one of the boys with a knife we had no option but to ask him to leave. It wasn't a month until he was suspended from school and placed in a alternative program. The school also required that his mother put him into counseling, expecially anger management. From what I hear he has improved.

One thing we do with out troop is if a boy refused to behave his parents are called and told to come and get him. Had one boy that I was to that point this summer at camp. I told him if he caused one more problem I would call his dad and he would go home. And believe me I would have.

Kevin (12) just earned Star before we went to summer camp. Currently he is PL. OUr elections are in August. He does not want to run for SPL but has ask the SM about being a Den Chief for the Web I den. We are currently working that our. I was proud of him. He enjoys working with the younger kids.

You could also see about being the Historian for your troop and putting together the troops history. Find out how many Eagle Scouts the troop has had, when it was first chartered, who was the first SM.

My dad always said "the best way to keep a kid out of trouble is keep them busy enough with positive activities they don't have time." He was right in the 50's and 60's and he is still right.

Give kids positive productive things to do and be involved with and they don't have time for much else.

Dad was a volunteer juvenile probation officer for close to 30 years. He would get these kids and get them involved in so many good things. He would get them in scouts, have then help work the horses at the farm, bale hay, work in the garden. Guess what, none of his kids were ever repeat offenders. And they adored him. When my dad passed away one of these boys ask to speak at the funeral. He said my dad was the only adult in his life that ever had the guts to take a belt and bust his butt when he was messing up. And he was the only adult that really cared what he did.

He also said that my dad was the reason he became an attorney so he could help kids in trouble.

He was the DA in my home town.

Kids need love but they also need structure and rules. They also need adults that act like adults and don't try to act like their "best friend". Best friends tell you what you want to hear. Responsible adults tell you what you need to know and try to teach you what you need to learn.