AvidSM

The more risky it is, the more boys want to do it.

There are so many variables to JTE. So, the answer to "why bother" depends on who is asking the question. For a new leader who has no clue as to what JTE is or what a district or council is, I would say: JTE is a set of standards that indicate how well you are delivering the program to the youth in your unit. It will point out where you need to make changes/improvements in your unit and its program. It's a self-evaluation tool, so it will help you focus on what is important and you will learn from this. For an experienced and trained leader I would say: JTE is an affirmation

How do I know ...? The answer is, I don't know. It's all based on trust. I tell my UC's what their job is and I go out of my way to make them feel guilty if they don't do it. But, in the end, they are the one's who have to work with the unit leaders and help them deliver a quality program. If a unit starts falling apart, I have to jump in anyway. More silver tabs showing up at a unit meeting gets their attention. How does my Council know? Right now, it's all about recording visits and contacts in the Unit Visit Tracking System. And, half of my UC's either don't use it or hav

SctDad, Some people sign up for the course on faith and realize how much they needed it once they were done. Others take the course and don't like it at all, for one reason or another. It depends on the staff's attitude and ability - it also depends on your attitude. The Wood Badge syllabus and its staff are not perfect - nothing in life is. What I can tell you is that the intent of the course is to get you to act on your ideas and how to get others to help you. There are many people who have posted negative things about the WB for the 21st Century: that it is a cult, it is t

I think tenting/shelters then and now would make a good theme, if you can get hold of an old canvas tent or an old dining fly. Backpacks have changed a lot also. I have an old one in my attic that is just a frame. How long ago did they start using internal frame backpacks?

A scout runs into the first aid station at a Klondike claiming that he has gone blind - his vision was clouded. The nurse takes a look at him and asks that he remove his glasses - he is miraculously cured of his blindness!! He had been too near the campfire and the surface of the lenses on his glasses had clouded up due to the heat.

Too many ribbons on a flag and it gets very top heavy. In my old troop, it got so bad that metal decoration on top would get broken off when the flag fell over. I had to replace it twice - and that thing is not cheap!

Youth and their parents - it's a package deal. You can get the kids hooked on scouting, but if Mom or Dad aren't sold on the program, then you can't retain them. I know how frustrating this can be. Sounds like you are doing a good job recruiting. Just keep up the good work and roll with the punches. You can go crazy thinking about these parents. My best advice to not waste your time on them. Do your best for the people who appreciate your efforts.

I will be interesting to see how the unit react to recieving recognition in the new JTE program. Will the Gold level units brag to themselves? Will it provide an edge in recruiting Webelos II's? Will the units that don't get enough points take a look at what they are doing and try to improve their program? I see the gold/silver/bronze recognition as another data point. I don't see it replacing the system I use now to assess the health of a unit. Not all units are going to want to participate in JTE. And, there will be some units that will get the points needed to recieve recognitio

To me, the Wood Badge beads are a symbol of commitment to scouting. The person who wears them took the time and effort to attend the course and complete his ticket. He made scouting a priority over the other things in his life. You may dismiss Wood Badge for the 21st Century entirely, but it does not take away the fact that its participants care about scouting and its results. The people who take the modern course can wear their beads just as proudly as those in the past. Committed leaders not only talk about how to make things better, they turn their ideas into action. The purpose o

As District Commissioner, I have my own spreadsheet where I keep track of the health of each unit. This is a tool that I made up myself and have only shared with my District Director. It's a means for me to direct my staff resources where they are needed most. I would not make it public information, even if a unit knew about it and asked what their rating was. I don't know if this is a formal BSA tool for commissioners. There is nothing about it in the Administration of Commissioner Service. I don't use Red/Yellow/Green, but now that I think about it, it sounds like a good idea.

Well, my experience comes from overseeing the programs of 35 troops - all with differing styles of leadership. The one's in the most trouble get my direct attention and help. Most of which don't use NSP's and are not boy run. That the reality of the situation in my district. Yours may be different. I am not saying there are no benefits to having mixed patrols - there are. And, I am not saying that there is no downside to NSP's. I am trying to understand what I have been observing as a District Commissioner for over two years now. I used to say that it didn't matter if you used mix

So if you don't have mixed aged patrols, the older boys are not teaching the younger ones - at all? The younger boys in the new scout patrol are left behind for the adults to "watch" them? So, NSP's are Webelos III and more work for the adults? This may be true if your troop is adult run. Boy run troops give responsibility and the work to the boys and let them make the decisions. It means having as many youth leaders as possible making those decisions. Take away the new scout patrol and you are taking away the position of Troop Guide and the decisions that he would have made. Go to

I did a Google search on "'winter awareness' training BSA" and it looks like something that a troop does on it's own. Does anyone know of a formal BSA syllabus for this training?

I like the idea of switching NSP PL's once a month. The advantage is it exposes more new scouts to the PL position and how a boy-led troop operates. Yes, there are the organizational disadvantages, like keeping track of who is in charge of that patrol. And every month you have to get the new PL spun up on what he needs to know - but that's the job of the over-15 TG assigned to that NSP. As I see it, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Having new scout Patrol Leaders with fully functioning Troop Guide maximizes the exposure of the scouts to leadership situations. From my perspe

I guess not many have jumped on this question because they have never heard of winter awareness or snow camp training. They both sound like good training courses to prepare your scouts for a Klondike. There are many things a scout has to know when winter camping, from what to wear, the proper sleeping bag, tent, signs of hypothermia, frostbite, etc. There are also a lot of "tricks" a scout can learn, like sleeping with your boot liners in your bag. Your boys should know about these things and if the training you mentions teaches this, then they are good to go. The biggest ch

Stepping down as Scoutmaster was the hardest thing I have ever done in scouting. I still miss it. What helped was that I had a great job to go to, with new and different challenges. I know now that it was the right decision. I, too, have some health issues that would have prevented me from camping and carrying a backpack. I see the changes that the leaders that replaced me are making and they make sense. Best wishes in your new position as CC. And kudos for growing your troop and it's leadership.

I would have to admit, the first time I looked at the TLT kit, I thought that it was missing a lot of information. It only provides a bare-boned outline of what to teach. It talks about introducing EDGE, but offers no details about the method. Unless you took the time to study the outline and make up your own training syllabus, then I can see why you would not switch. I went with it because I saw the benefits. I believe you cannot have a boy-run troop, unless you have showed them how to do it. Wind in the Willow, Nine Magazines, and the Trust Fall does not teach the scouts what their

Holding TLT outdoors is a good idea, if it fits in with your troop calendar. There is more time for games and breaks if you hold it outdoors while on a campout. I've also ran TLT several times in a classroom. You can hold it in one four-hour session or break it up into single one-hour modules. This gives lots of flexibility in scheduling, which should maximize attendance. I would invite all scouts in leadership positions, plus any boys who are interested in a position. Use the games from the old Scoutmaster Junior Leader Training Kit, but DO NOT run this in place of TLT. SJLT is ob

It looks like the Centennial Quality Awards (CQUA) are going to be replaced in 2011 by the Performance Recognition Program. My Council Commissioner provided me with advance copies of the forms that will be used with this program. They say on the top, "Scouting's Journey to Excellence" and below that, "2011 X Performance Recognition Program", with the "X" being Council, District, Troop, Pack and Crew. These forms are numbered 513-105 through 513-108. There are different written criteria for each and three recognition levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. My initial reaction to these new fo

The best way to convey your opinion on issues is at your Roundtable meeting. If your Commissioner is not giving you a chance to speak up and raise an issue or concern during that meeting, shame on him. A Roundtable should not be only announcements and presentations - there should be time set aside for open, productive discussion. Do your district volunteers care about your issues and concerns? They should, especially if it's not just one person with the same problem. Also, they can help you understand BSA policy and paperwork changes and suggest ways of dealing with them. Do t

The graphics on the bsauniforms.org web page are tame compared to some of the video games these boys play. Just as an example, the opening video to Beatles Rock Band - towards the end, I am mesmerized my it. I also recently purchased a High Def TV and the graphics on some the HD commercials are something else. Scouting is in competition with all the other things a boy can be doing with his time. The value of these graphics is that it keeps the viewer interested in the content of the web page and ultimately in scouting.

12 stations sounds about right, provided the are competing by patrol and the number of youth participants is under 250. We usually use a point system, with 100 points maximum per station. Teamwork always counts towards some of the points.

1 & 2. No stave with stuffed animals attached at the courses I have participated in and staffed. Sounds a little silly to me. 3. Staff should spend less time patting themselves on the back and more on teaching the course. 4. What donations were solicited? We had a collection for the World Fund at our Scouts Own Service, but that was it. 5. My Council Commissioner mentioned that the Wood Badge Course was going to be changing - again. He did not give any specific details. Has anyone heard anyting similar?

A council-run resident summer camp provides structure. The camp is certified and it's staff is trained and all the health and safety issues are covered by them. All the program directors are trained and certified. The downside of having this structure is that the camp chooses the the activities that it offers. The scouts in the troop have to pick a camp that offers the most of what they want to do. This camp may be expensive and far away. This seems to be your situation. While nothing prevents a troop from camping for six night in a row, there is the first challenge of covering al