Jump to content

MattR

Moderators
  • Content Count

    3132
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    153

Posts posted by MattR

  1. 7 hours ago, RememberSchiff said:

    @Eagle94-A1 @Jameson76   in support of your points.

    Note around 14:00 or so "...There is a plan in place...very cool to hear...I think we are in good hands...On the unit level,... just keep doing what you are doing..." 

     

    This video was 2 people talking about the exciting things they saw or heard at NAM:

    #1, someone said the scout oath

    #2, key 3 speech

    #3, she got tickets to Atlanta, and something about not knowing how to take a cab.

    #4, a discussion on safety

    #5, talk by Atlanta pro sports team strength and conditioning coach (the Americanism speech) about how scouting helped him. and he used the Edge method

    #6, a presentation on what social media is.

    #7, the audience asked great questions.

    #8, a scout sung the national anthem.

    #9, Angelique?

    #10, James?

    #11, Lisa Riley won the silver buffalo

    #12, NAM happened

    #13, ??

    #14, they did things on the fly during the meeting.

    In summary, as RS said, they have a plan, (Mosby has a plan to increase membership) don't worry ... but nobody could honestly distill this plan down to a 20 minute presentation much less that it would fit into one of the top 10 things they saw at NAM. And yet, a presentation on what social media is did make the list?

    Really? The first step in fixing a really big problem is to admit there's a problem one doesn't understand.

    • Upvote 4
  2. @skeptic , you're right that a one word title can't possibly convey what the session is about, but that's the fault of the one that chose it. Vague titles indicate vague talks.

    I can honestly say that the only thing I'd be interested in would be topics that will help units improve their programs. Everything else, given what the BSA has been through recently, is pointless. If there's one thing that the leadership could do it's focusing on what's important.

    • Upvote 1
  3. 18 hours ago, Armymutt said:

    If you lose the volunteers, the program dies.  That's one of the main causes of lost units in my area.  My pack will most likely die after my daughter crosses over, unless we get a parent coming behind me with a high level of passion.  

    I think this is a bigger issue. Fewer adults volunteering, irrespective of cost. Adding cost will make it worse.

    There are ways around the fees. Do your own summer camp and save a bundle. Unfortunately, that takes volunteers.

    Our troop is slowly morphing into a core of volunteers without kids in the program and parents that help but won't do any heavy lifting. I'm curious if this is close to the UK model (sounds like none of their leaders have kids in their units).

    I don't see a solution to these problems yet but have a feeling we have to adapt to a new reality.

    • Upvote 1
  4. Bechtel donated money. They did not ask that every uniform have a Bechtel patch on it. If their purpose was advertising then they lost a lot of money. My guess is very few scouts or parents know about the Bechtel reserve, or whatever it's called.

    This thread was about a CO, a church, asking about changing the troop emblem to include the CO's emblem. This is not Nike and Jokic. Show them the cost and ask them to pay for it. I suspect they'd drop that idea immediately.

  5. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to advance. There is a problem with not wanting to help his patrol. There is nothing wrong with being interested in politics or, likely, world history.

    Ask him if he wants to be in scouts. Ask him what he enjoys. He convinced another scout that advancement is a waste of time. Is that because he just hates scouts or because he'd rather learn skills a different way. Maybe he really wants to lead. Or maybe he's there for no other reason than a parent is making him go.

    Help him identify and solve his problem with scouts. You'll both be happier.

    • Upvote 3
  6. 45 minutes ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

    I'm an advocate for bringing back "testing", at least at the First Class and Eagle ranks.

    Testing isn't necessarily bad. It's failing without recourse that causes problems. When I had scouts that didn't know the knots we worked on it right there. They relearned before the end of the conference and got signed off. After a few ranks they didn't have problems again. I never had to re teach skills at an eagle SMC. What the scouts learned was that failure was just a step in the process.

    I asked my scouts if there was a way they would prefer getting that feedback (like knot relays and other games) and their response was knot relays were worse, boring and less effective. Practicing with a map, for a counter example, was better suited in the field. First aid is similar to knots in their view. Probably because it's just hard to make a fun game out of.

    Anyway, it gets down to teaching that failure, or rather improvement, is an ongoing process. You can spend years learning how to sharpen knives. Nobody learns a knot the first time and yet the process is one and done.

    I also learned that a lot of scouts struggle with failure, just like adults. So when they're asked to come up with a fun game to use those skills their first response is no, not gonna have a game for a skill they don't feel comfortable with.

    That's the rub. Scouts see check boxes because that's similar to what they do in school. The adults are also shown check boxes at IOLS. I mean, all of the first class skills are taught in a day. Nobody sees a culture of improvement when it comes to advancement. These are skills, not facts. Facts can be seen once and memorized. Skills seem obvious but slowly reveal complexity that requires constant effort.

    Mastering the first class skills can't happen in a year. In five years, if the scouts worked on constantly improving their skills, they could be really good. Creating that culture, in a fun environment, is the crux of scouting. Unfortunately, I don't see any resources from the bsa to help create that.

    • Upvote 2
  7. 12 hours ago, rickeckhardt said:

    Still looking for information regarding the history of Chimney Park Scout Camp and Baldwin Lodge.  Please let me know if you have any information.

    I didn't see this 11 years ago. We go to Chimney Park all the time.

    All of the fun trivia I know about the camp: There used to be a 65 mile backpacking trip from there to BDSR. It requires getting permission to cross one small piece of private property but was supposed to be stunning. I can get that route as someone digitized it.

    Also, under the cabin is a really long (the whole length of the cabin) fire place where presumably entire tree trunks could be shoved in and burnt to warm the cabin through the concrete floor. I have no idea how such a fire was started or how enough air got to it. I think it connects to the stone chimney on one end. The opening is outside on the other end,

    The council used to own the property but gave it to the forest service under the condition that the scouts could use the cabin.

    That's all I know, which isn't much.

  8. 52 minutes ago, TWP said:

    Yeah I don't want to put myself in a role where the initial reaction everyone has is that it's sketchy.

    I think sketchy is the wrong word here. Rather, people just aren't ready to trust you with their kids. Trust takes time. And it's not just about scouters and parents. I realize that scouts won't trust me the first time we meet so my relationship is a bit more measured. Same for parents. Same for any people meeting for the first time.

    Trustworthy goes 2 ways. Give it the time it requires and you'll eventually be helping where you want. Also, follow the YPT rules to the letter. That's a big deal now.

  9. @TWP , welcome to the forum.

    To answer your question, no don't leave.

    I don't believe the guy that said everyone has enough volunteers. However, everyone is a bit gun shy about adults without kids. What you need to do is gain some trust. Try volunteering with the local district. At worst you can help at a MB event and make some connections so people know you.  Volunteer to help at a camporee so you can get to know the local troops.

    BTW, I don't have kids in the troop and I'm having a hard time saying no. I used to be the SM when my son was around.

    • Upvote 1
  10. @Cambridgeskip , the idea of scouts making decisions and leading other scouts is strange for a lot of scouts as they transfer from cubs to scouts. But they don't see that as much as they will have to listen to the older scouts and do as they're told, much like listening to adults. That's their first shock. Their second is learning how to tell the younger scouts what to do years later when they become older.

    Now that you mentioned this I wonder if that isn't what makes scouts unique and, more importantly, is what parents and kids don't understand about the benefits of scouting.

    At least over here, it's become really easy to say "scouting is about eagle." It's a short, sweet elevator speech when in fact it's much more than that. I can't easily describe the benefits of scouting but I recognize it when I see older scouts working with younger scouts and those younger scouts looking up to the older scouts. 

    • Upvote 2
  11. Is scouting still fun? Post Bankruptcy

    My answer to that is that in my troop, this past weekend at a camporee, absolutely. The teamwork and leadership of the scouts was outstanding and the program put on by one of the other troops was just great. The theme was pirates and our patrol won because of excellent enthusiasm and, thinking way outside the box, they gambled all their dubloons with the scout running one of the stations and won.

    The older scouts decided they wanted to have fun that included the younger scouts and the result was magic. The adults ate well, took naps and read their books.

    Most of the scouts I know that are focused on eagle when they're young are those with parents that push it. Those parents see eagle as worth more than confidence, teamwork, problem solving and other skills learned doing scouts.

    • Upvote 2
  12. 2 hours ago, scoutldr said:

    How do we know they "successfully" completed it? 

    Ask them for the certificate. You don't need to be registered in order to have a myscouting account. Thats what I found on scouting.org. You might even have to take the training before you can register, but I'm not sure. The website describes one process as create an account, take the course, submit the certificate with your registration. So, skip the last step.

    My reason for being difficult is I'd rather see all of the parents take the training then just the adults that work with the scouts. Those parents don't need to register.

  13. Just curious, what does NSO stand for? I looked online and found the following:

      National Statistics Office (Philippines)
      National Symphony Orchestra
      New Student Orientation
      Nashville Symphony Orchestra (Nashville, TN)
      National Statistical Office
      Novosibirskaya Oblast (Russian federal subject)
      Nintendo Switch Online (paid online gaming service)
      National Solar Observatory
      Nalu Service Object
      Naming Service Object
      Names Supporting Organization
      Nevada Site Office
      Nurses Service Organization (liability insurance company)
      National Service Officer (Disabled American Veterans)
      Northern Spotted Owl
      No Such Organization (Vassar University; Poughkeepsie, NY)
      Network Security Officer
      Nonqualified Stock Option
      Nevada Solar One (Boulder City, NV)
      Nederlands Studenten Orkest (Dutch: Netherlands Student Orchestra)
      Northern Star Online (Minnesota)
      Neighbourhood Specialist Officer (UK)
      Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (Canada)
      New Store Opening
      National Security Office(r)
      National Census and Statistics Office (Philippines)
      National Sales Organizations
      North Sydney Oval
      National Socialist Society (political group; Russia)
      NATO Standardization Organization
      National Safeman's Organization
      Numeric Stockage Objective
      New Student Outreach
      Nonferrous Smelter Order
      Network Systems & Operations
      Nuclear Safety Officer
      Non-Skating Official (roller derby)
      Non-Subscriber Order
      Naval Staff Officer
      Natural Spin Orbital(s)
      Non-SIOP Option
      Nuclear Support Office
      Nuclear Safe Orbit
      Non-Standard Option
      Navy Subsistence Office
      Neutral Start Output
      Non Standard Operation
      Navy Supply Officer
      Non-Streaming Overhead
      Nail Solution for Onychomycosis
      Normal Sustained Operations
      NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organizations) School Oberammergau (Oberammergau, Germany)
      National Support Officer
  14. Wow, I sure am glad this forum exists. I've been busy and hadn't been paying attention to this thread but certainly would have thought that "out of bankruptcy" would have been posted elsewhere in all the email from the BSA that comes my way. That said, if the subject line of the email sounds like pablum then I'll likely trash it.

    I wish the best for the survivors. I wish the best for the volunteers. I think it will be hard for both.

    Here's to perseverance.

     

    • Upvote 3
  15. 4 hours ago, Calion said:

    I see. So none of the experienced adults here have any idea how this can be done successfully, but we expect a 14-year-old to figure out how to do it on his own.

    Well, yes. The thing is this whole issue about patrol cheer is one of enthusiasm. One doesn’t teach enthusiasm by explaining it. One does enthusiasm. If your SPL is introverted, unsure of his or herself, and never seen enthusiasm in scouts before then nothing you talk about will change anything.

    My suggestion is ask the SPL to watch you while you walk up to the troop and ask them what time it is ... which eventually leads to a really loud song. Once the SPL is comfortable doing that then ask him how each patrol can do their cheer instead of a song. I have no idea, do each patrol in turn or all at once. It's supposed to be loud and silly.

    • Upvote 2
    • Downvote 1
×
×
  • Create New...