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madkins007

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Everything posted by madkins007

  1. Oh boy- a knock down, drag out fight over CS and BS knots! I can't wait! I've got a bunch of both, and am proud of each one, but I DO think the CS has an easier time of it earning them than the BS guys do. Compare: (requirements abbreviated for space) CM AWARD 2 years Fast Start, Basic and YPT training Do Pow-Wow or 4 RTs earn 2 Quality Unit Awards earn National Summertime Pack Award BS LEADERS TRAINING AWARD 2 years Fast Start, Basic, YPT training Do 5 of these 12 options... - 5 overnights - 2 FOS - staff a training event - participate in upper level
  2. Sometimes rumors like this are based on trial programs being run in various places. When I worked in the council office, I had also heard that the BSA was working on such a program.
  3. They are still official uniform wear. I'd give out the blue uniforms- the neckerchief will cover most of the difference. I'd also give out the tan uniforms, but I think I'd ask for them back before the boys go to a troop. They won't stand out too bad in your pack, especially with a cool story behind them, but they might draw some attention in a troop. I am happy to see that you are working your resources to get uniforms!
  4. Scouting isn't cool? That's news? Scouting was not seen as 'cool' back in my day in the early 70's. That is not a sufficient reason for the current possible decline. Overprogrammed youth? If they can hit soccer 3 times a week, they can make our meetings and activities on a far less hectic schedule. If we are a priority, they will come. ACLU? They may not be our favorite organization but the group has done a lot of good things for a lot of people. Scandals, gays, and god? I think this affects a certain part of our potential base, but there have always been aspects of the BSA tha
  5. Somehow, I cannot see relief agencies (usually related to federal government somehow) falling over themselves to build us Jambo sites that MIGHT later be used as emergency shelters. Among the difficulties is that they would, by default, be hundreds of miles from the actual disaster in most cases (odd are just as good that they will be IN the disaster zone too!), so how do you get the 30-40,000 people there in a timely fashion? If you can ship the people that far, why not just disperse them through other communities between the hit site and the Jambo site? On the other hand, I D
  6. Fixing what went wrong will be an important task over the next few months or years... but you can pretty much bet that our system of government will find some way to muck it up again. Wasn't FEMA created after some similar snafus after a major catastrophe? What fascinates me is that for the last several years, many organizations have been BEGGING us to prepare for a personal emergency- from the Mormon teaching about prepareness to the BSA to the Red Cross to FEMA and many others. How many of us have REALLY listened or done anything? Show of hands... how many of us have any of th
  7. When I was a Scout, our troop had split because of the large school being drawn from. They split it along a certain street, and that worked fine for them. No idea if it would help you or work now.
  8. scoutingfamily... This will be a difficult post to deal with. You don't really ask a question, nor provide much info beyond that failed SMC and the comment about Den Chief and QM. We can only ASSUME that the PORs were held as a Star Scout and that the SM was somehow dissatisfied with is service in these roles. Unfortunately I have had to deny a Scout rank for what I considered poor performance in a POR- after some other counseling and trying to get the boy trained, etc. I also have to say that I am a bit surprised whenever I see a Life candidate that has not held something like
  9. Ed asked "but what is more important - earning his Eagle or becoming an EMT?" I dunno Ed- I am often in your corner, but this question is a bit tough for me to take at face value. EMT that saves lives, can assist in life and death issues, serves a community even when not on duty and is probably a stepping stone to another career calling like fire fighter... or a rank in a youth organization that is in and of itself pretty dang cool.
  10. Hear, hear FScouter! One of my minor pet peeves is that sometimes, we SMs focus on Scout Spirit as it applies to Scouting time a bit too much. Sometimes we ask about how they've applied it in everyday life- looking for some example of a good turn or how they have been kind, but so often we try to figure out a way to quantify this- attended so many meetings, was on so many campouts... My old troop used to do this in an effort to 'manage' the large number of Scouts. Instead of actually knowing much about them, they created checklists and databases for everything. We were supposed
  11. The rule of thumb is to go with school grade, except for units charted to the Latter Day Saints which go by age. In situations where a child has been held back, boosted a grade, or has other issues muddying the waters, you can usually work with the family and Cubmaster to find an acceptable compromise. In our council, at least, the council itself will not object to a little 'tweaking'. Cub Scouts is not as formal, nor is a boy's record tracked as carefully as it is in the Boy Scouts. In this situation, I would encourage the boy to register with his other classmates unless he an
  12. Just a couple notes from another enthusiastic but terribly untalented camp-fire singer... 1.) The BSA also offers a CD to learn along with, and quite a few of the old favorites can be found somewhere on-line to listen to or download- often without copy-right. Somewhere on-line, for example, I found some recordings done at Philmont campfires of popular camp songs. 2.) When it comes ot singing camp fire songs, willingness and enthusiasm trump talent. Sing proud.. unless you make other people's ears bleed, then sing more quietly. 3.) Most campfire songs become old favorites BECAUSE
  13. Awards- we practice a strict 'higher level, more glory' approach in all awards. LOTSA hoopla over rank, less over Sports and Academics, still less over arrow points, etc. For ceremonies like this, we do clustering. Judges awards are called off as a group, and all boys brought up at once. Then, den by den awards, everyone in a den brought up at once. Finally, the 'Big 6' one at a time. If it is PRIMARILY an awards night (Derby, Court of Honor, etc.), we break things up with skits, songs, 'sparklers', etc. Also- NO 'monologing'! Speechifying is kept to an absolute minimu
  14. Also remember- our guys (youth and adult) can certainly volunteer with other groups and help them directly. We can work booths and stations, collect money door to door, etc. in the name of the other organization- just NOT in uniform, or with any indication that the BSA is behind this. We can put our organizational skills, nobilization experience, and networking together and find a group to help directly- get donation boxes from the Red Cross and/or Salvation Army and go out in civvies to canvas neighborhoods. Find out what your CO, church, or school you are associated with is doing and he
  15. I am of a totally different mind tahn some posters. I believe we grow Scouts IN ORDER TO GO OUT and BE Scouts, NOT just attend meetings. Were this me, I would contact his bosses or instructors, etc. (with his permission) and see if he is living the Scout ideals in these places. Taking an EMT class? Any chance Scouing helped spark this interest? Any chance he will get to use his Scout skills and experiences in this? As an EMT (trained but not employed as such), I just bet there is! If he meets the requirments and shows the ideals of Scout spirt in the real world, I'd OK him.
  16. Kids are kids! Attract these kids the same way you would any others. Parents, however, are a different story. SUBTLY incorporate a bit more of the 'duty to God', 'moral choices', and other elements that contributed to them selecting a Catholic school in the first place- spirituality, quality, opportunity, morality, safety, parental involment, etc. Our pack was based in a Catholic school even though I am not Catholic. I don't think we did anything we would not have done in any other school setting.
  17. We offered awards in the following categories- only rule is no boy can win two awards: 1st-3rd place for speed, pack level 1-3 'favorites', pack level 1-3 speed, each den 1-3 favorites, each den Judges awards, 1 per judge Cubmaster's Award for Sportsmanship- usually to a boy that something bad happened to- crash, break-up, etc. Favorites are chosen by each youth getting three 'beans' to drop in a cup positioned by each entry. Voting happens for about 45 minutes before the race as we finish other details. We have a couple secrets: 1.) We give the awards out at the nex
  18. Ditto with John D. Be careful to not do anything that will fan or create embers of resentment on someone's part. Remember- it IS the school's right, as best they can determine by the laws, to either allow or deny everyone as long as they do so rather evenly. We are a bit easier to deny since the courts AND the BSA has decided that we have a religious element, which creates a potnetial 1st Ammendment conflict. The answer is simply to find other recruiting efforts- look at this like a challenge to find different and BETTER ways to recruit! By the way- you can often still get 'part
  19. re: Device availability- our Scout shop carried them, but I bet we sold fewer than a dozen total a year. (FYI- you can also use the devices on some other knots, although which ones escapes me right now!) re: staying on- good luck! These are among the most lost parts of the uniform- forget to take it off and wash it, take it off and lose it, have it fall off during a meeting, etc. I don't know a lot of people that pay much attention to the devices- I only wear mine at COHs, etc. A few random thoughts: 1.) If most of your boys are working with one church, then you ought to be
  20. E- I understand your divided mind, and appreciate your dilemma. I think you need to follow your gut. The 'crisis of faith' is common in many phases of life. He is just feeling the BSA version. The problem is that, to get out of these, some people need a smack upside the head to clear and refocus the mind. Some need a swift kick in the rear to get them moving again. Some need a word of support and encouragement- a gentle reminder that they are still loved one way or the other to help ease their troubled soul. Some need to be left to stew in their own juices. Some... well, you kn
  21. I'd also suggest thinking up other fund raisers. popcorn is OK but you can earn more money faster in other ways. Cub Scouts are GREAT for car washes- cute kids in uniform being great tools for pulling people off the street. I'd suggest a 'free-will offering' payment- most people will pay more that way. One benefit- you can do most of the planning in a few days, do the event in an afternoon, and be counting the money right away. Nice, fast, and easy. Raking or general yard work is not a big money maker, but it is a LOT more fun and simple with 10 boys working together. This is another
  22. CNY (and Seabear)... I was a part of a mega-troop, that in the past had been truely magnificent. Then they got a SM who ran the unit in a way that was not immediately obvious. It still LOOKED like it was boy-ran, but the adults were doing a lot of the work and were not seeing it. No patrol method, no fun and innovative programs, MB classes during meetings... but still kicking out an Eagle every few months like clockwork. The SM left and they looked for a new one. They had nearly a dozen ASM's and long-time committee members, but they chose me- and all I wanted to do was to be an ASM
  23. Using www.imdb.com to search for 'boy scout', I got these hits: "The Boy Scout" (2002) Directed by Ward Roberts. it got 7 out of 10 stars- pretty good for a flick I never heard of! The description is of an 'adult boy scouts misadventures'. "Henry Aldrich, Boy Scout" (1944) Directed by Hugh Bennett. A whopping 8.7 out of 10 rating! "The Nuclear Boy Scout" (2003) (TV) and, of course, the one I can't believe no one posted yet... "The Last Boy Scout" (1991) (along with a few others from 1915(!!??))
  24. I have no clue as to the sexual orientation of most of my leaders*, and that is just the way I think it ought to be. (*- Overlooking the obvious presence of offspring, that is!) I don't particularly want anyone going around flaunting their sexual orientation in Scouting- homosexual OR hetereosexual. I think that for the most part, any behavior that would get a person branded as 'openly homosexual' would be just about as wrong coming from a hetereosexual. To me, it OUGHT to be the *behavior* we are worried about. (Sorry, Bob White- I posted the conversation I did because i
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