MattR

Just to be clear, accidental death, sometimes called involuntary manslaughter, is still a crime. In the military it can lead to dishonorable discharge and/or jail. An example I found of involuntary manslaughter is pointing a pistol in jest at someone and pulling the trigger, believing it wasn't loaded but not taking reasonable precautions. A 12 year old scout is not allowed to fire a semiautomatic weapon. It should never have been there, much less loaded. Sounds to me like "reasonable precautions" were likely not taken. So, whether or not it was an accident only changes the sentencing.

I think you're asking about how to motivate someone. Given that this is the challenge of civilization don't be surprised that it's not simple. Some people will respond to simply recognizing that they're not doing a good job and all you need to do is point that out. Some people don't know what to do and need help figuring out a plan. Some people need constant correction. Some people only respond to pain, or negative consequences. Some people respond to a combination of the above. Some people just don't want to be there and nothing you do will change their minds.

Welcome to the forum, @HistTeach . And welcome to scouting. One quick note, the adult that stands up in front of a cubscout pack is called the Cubmaster. When you get to a scout troop you can become a scoutmaster. As for your trailer, keep looking. Also, ask at your local DMV. There may be a way to legally claim ownership. Technically, the chartered org would own the trailer. If they would rather not, like most units, usually some adult claims ownership and just transfers ownership to someone else with younger scouts.

Do the trek with friends. That will be memorable.

Yep, they get the credit for time served and you get a lesson on confronting a problem in a positive way - i.e. making lemonade from lemons. My guess is that your spl needs a bit of tough love along with some guidance. I've had scouts that were also cruising, were told this is not what an eagle scout does and if they don't change their ways, won't get eagle. Okay, that was more than a bit of tough love, but it was all I could think of to get their attention. Every time I had this conversation, except once, the scout took it to heart and really improved. They usually thanked me at their COH.

Welcome to the forum, @BearsBeetsBSG. Since there are only 5 girls in the troop there's no need for an SPL. I'd sit them all down, make them a patrol, and have elections for a PL that wants the job.

I like @InquisitiveScouter's list but I think those are tools rather than fundamentals. They will help a troop fulfill the promise of scouting but there are a few things that need to be in place first. My troop once had the fundamentals needed to be a great troop but it has slipped and is no longer the troop everyone looks up to. Scouting is mostly about people (look at the scout law) and so people are what make a troop great. A troop with scouts that mostly want to be in the outdoors and also live the scout law are critical. In order for that to happen the parents have to be like minded.

Then let's talk about the beautiful fall colors. Or, I can delete the thread.

Here's an opportunity to talk to him like an adult, and that will help. You say you "think he feels ..." but you aren't sure. So ask him in a way that respects his desire for not "snitching." Tell him you don't want to know the details of who or what but whether it's happening and whether he knows how to deal with it. This is a problem that a lot of young scouts go through. They're constantly being told about the scout law and oath and it only takes one older scout that's grumpy or doesn't want to be there that will make a mockery of everything. Get two together and I can easily see a scout wi

Welcome to the forum, @Icheeka. I agree that just asking for $2000 is not a great idea. A budget is a great idea. Unfortunately I can't be of much help there. My guess is there are plenty of other cub leaders that can give you ideas of where to start.

Welcome to the forum, @Pandion .

Very retro! It looks fun. Hopefully it will help start some conversations.

@Jmatt0613, to answer your original question about encouraging scouts to talk to the SM, maybe the SM is part of the problem. You said the scouts don't really like the SM. If there's no trust between the scouts and SM then I wouldn't expect that many scouts will bring up problems with him. Then there's a blur of bullying, bad behavior, the SM not listening to adults, swastikas on arms (!?), .... Any moral code, whether the Scout Law or the Bible, can be, how to say this kindly, superceded by people's emotions, biases and desires. Without humility it's just a lot of words. I'm sure th

I'm sure you can buy used popcorn for much less, just like your Rambler!

Kids need to play and adults need to learn from them. Maybe all that's needed is a way for the adults to find something they want to play while the scouts are playing at egames. Are people dying in a video game much different than people dying in a murder mystery? Whether they're shot by a gun or a laser, stabbed with a sword, bludgeoned with a battle axe or poisoned by the tip of an umbrella, virtual people dying is a fixture of our amusement. The critical distinction is that real people are all sacred whereas characters in games, movies and books aren't. Hopefully while playing these g

Isn't retention another way of saying program quality? I just got back from a camporee and the quality of the camporee program was really good. The patrols that did well had phenomenal teamwork. The patrols that struggled had scouts that weren't motivated for whatever reason and just had obvious teamwork problems. There was one patrol of AOL girls along with their den chief that was just as impressive as a couple of patrols that were mostly older scouts that just clicked. Anyway, the den chief was a rock star for the program. That was an older scout making the program for younger sco

Did they say where thry were at the start of the year? Usually when there's a thermometer, it's implied that it starts at zero, so in this case it would be how much growth there is ytd, but it's clearly not that. If there were 910k at the end of last year then being at 900k now is not great.

I assume there's more to this presentation than the one slide? This slide alone doesn't mean much. What if the thermometer is cooling off?

There is another option. Talk to the scouts and ask them what they think is the right thing to do. They all know what isn't right but may need some ideas on how to fix it. Few summer camps teach the splices for pioneering because few people know them. So I would offer the scouts the option of my teaching them. They got one on one attention and really enjoyed it. It's a hard skill to learn so when they did, they learned about more than the MB. The point is, asking the scouts what is right works better than telling them.

@CubHerder, I understand your pain. This is why I said cubs burns out parents. A quick response to each of your points: 1) Volunterrs. Yes, that is the reality. It used to be 4:1 but I don't doubt 10:1 now. The simple answer is make the program less complicated. More on that below. 2) facility. That hurts. We used to rent the school gym once a month for pack meetings and dens were on their own.. 3) Council. Yes and that likely won't change. Roundtables might be more helpful. 4) Cost. This is related to 1) in that you need to focus on what's important. 5) Ages. Th

I think many cub scouters burn out because they're all trying to push a round peg into a square hole for years on end. That's why I was burned out. Cubs want fun, the cub program is not inherently fun. That leaves the adults trying to figure out how to make it fun. That's okay for a year or two. After that it becomes a slog. When I compare cubs to other youth activities most others have a clear goal that encourages self motivation. If the idea is to win a game then by just playing the game most kids will want to figure out how to, for example, be better at putting the ball in the net than

Welcome to the forum @Jmatt0613.

Hi @Austinb, and welcome to the forum. And congratulations on your Ecoh. To answer your question, since you've already aged out you can't wear the patch. I'm not sure about the medal. You can definitely wear the eagle knot. Good luck with your interview.

Probably holds in high school, but certainly not the age of your son. I'd suggest, just like you're doing, handle it locally. I always thought the neckerchiefs was about being able to find your den at a pack meeting. Find another way to mark their uniforms, hat, whatever is cheap, and save some money. Or just don't worry about the changing uniform. It's better to keep the program fun. That's where the burnout stems from. My son and I took off 2 years in the middle of cubs because I saw it coming, knew what scouts would be like and didn't want my son souring on cub scouts.

What's with raging on Speedo? They sponser the US Olympic swim team.