matuawarrior

Welcome CrewGirl1024 . . . The information your looking for can be found at the National Order of the Arrow Website: www.oa-bsa.org For more on Venturing and OA, you could find that at Questions and answers: www.oa-bsa.org/qanda/qu-33.htm The program is a Boy Scout Program. Welcome again . . . Matua

Congrats . . . It's good to hear you had a Great Time. Matua

Today is the 4th of July here on the Island of Guam. It is now 1504 Hours and I'll be joining my family and friends to celebrate Independence Day. We'll be having the annual barbecue get-together and other sorts of goodies, but the biggest part for the scouts and other children in the family is when we drive up the hill (we call it mountain) later in the evening to watch the fireworks at the airbase. From the vantage point, we will be able to see the fireworks at the naval base too. God Bless America, The Scout Movement, The Scouters on this Forum, and our Armed Forces where ever they may be. Matua

Saltheart, ditto on the Sewing . . . Advance First Aid (First Responder or EMT) Matua

BW, Great Thread. I'm glad you brought this up. I'm really interested in what you wrote in your original post. I'm also the Roundtable Commissioner for my District out here. I started last November. I like the idea that the RT's should fall under the Training Committee, it makes sense to me. Unfortunately, I'll be leaving this position this Fall and concentrate full-time with my units. I like your idea of Scouting Mentors. The position title itself right-a-way tells everyone your there to help out. The six month plan sounds good. Will that include monthly or quarterly evaluations to help the unit out? It all Sounds good so far. Matua

OXCOPS, That is an honor to be chosen by the youth. You must be doing something right for the young ladies to approach you to be their next Crew Advisor. Congrats . . . Don't worry about never being an adult leader. Training is always available. As a Crew Advisor, I've had more Fun. We've done more activities. It's a lot easier because the Crew Leaders do the job. As BW stated, All you do is train the Crew President and other Leaders. They do the rest. I like it because The Youth (boys and girls) want to be there. It is truly an all-volunteer Scouting Program. The youth are not pushed into Venturing by their parents. They want to join. They want to have Fun. I'm just there singing along. Have Fun . . . Matua

Catching that First Expression. You all know what I'm talking about. That First Expression when a Scout or Venturer is working on a certain skill like lashings or knot tying or swimming or any number of scout skills. That look of concentration, frustration and determination, not giving up and when they finally get it. Their countenance changes. Their facial muscles relax, the corners of their mouths turn upward to a curt smile and then to a full smile. Simultaneously, their eyes change from a squint to a more open saucer look of amazement. It's that First Expression of achieving something on their own. Then they start shouting to their scout friends "I did it, I did it . . .". That First Expression of Success on a Scout or Venturer is Priceless. And that moment in their life, when Scouting turns from a Game to a Lifestyle. The Scouting Values, The Volunteers who give their time to the program, The Professionals who help support the Volunteers, The Parents for believing in the Scouting Movement, and the Scouting Youth, who always remind me that I'm not to old to be a Kid. Have Fun, Matua

Rooster7 The AG Church, that I'm a member of, and the Foundation are two different institutions. We, somehow, I'm not sure how it happened, affilliated the foundation with the Local AG Church here. Most of the members of the units are also members of the AG Church. The Scouts and Venturers are active members with the Church's Youth Group. Another Example of how the Church influences with our program is our monthly outing. We used to camp throughout the weekend. Now we do Friday-Saturday overnights. Rarely do we camp on a Sunday. If we do a Long weekend campout, We plan for a Church Service during Sunday morning at camp complete with song sheets, guitars, and a short message on the Word that relates to Scoutings Ideals. I didn't decide on the change it was our SPL and Crew President. I believe it was two years ago when this happened. I remember the Pastor talking to me about the Sabbath, Fellowshipping with the Church Family, and setting the example. I mentioned that I would bring it up to my core leaders at the next Leadership Corps Seminar (PLC). At that meeting, the SPL and Crew President were talking to their respective councils the exact same thing the Pastor had spoken to me the night before: the Sabbath, fellowshipping with the Church Family, and setting the example. The Jr. Leaders voted for no more activities on Sundays. God is now First and has been since. I just sat there dumbfounded. It was a Classic Strategy of Divide and Conquer. The Youth Pastor had talked to the SPL and Crew President the night before just has I was talking to the Head Pastor. They actually did a better job in presenting their case before the two councils. AS per the question on morality on Guam, I would say it's not getting any better. That is why Scouting is so important here. The last 20 years morality has been declining. When I was in high school during the mid 80's, teen pregnancy was hushed. You would see maybe one or two pregnant girls in school. NOW, no pun intended, but it seems that it is a requirement to have a baby or be pregnant to graduate. There are still some families that are following the old traditional ways. That's great but they are slowly becoming extinct. Scouting and the Churches (Any Denomination) need to unite to bring back God's Values to this island. Until then Big Business Marketing, Hollywood, liberal media will have their way influencing society. The Good News -- The Protestant Churches are growing. Maybe it may not be to late after all. Matua

Sorry Ladies and Gentlemen, I've been busy the last couple of days opening a new business at the military base. I would like to thank those who have posted. As some know, I am the IH for my Chartered Organization and Scoutmaster for the unit. I'm basically the Chairman of the Board. Since this foundation is still considered a new non-profit corporation, I have to insure that I thread lightly especially in ethical decisions as presented on my original post. Yes, alot of hardwork was done to creat this organization. Will the foundation lose support from our donors? I honestly do not know? Will the decision we have made concerning making this young lady a leader hurt us in the long term? I do not know. We, the committee, CC, COR, and myself, did not just make our decision over night. As many of you have posted, those thoughts you posted here have also crossed our minds and we have intensly debated over it. This was by no means an Easy decision. My personal feelings on premarital sex is that it is not okay. For weeks we went with "what if's", but a decision had to be made. We looked at all the factors that happened to this young lady when she left the unit last year. We looked at what she had accomplished during her time with the crew, the Church, and the community. I had to go back to the By-Laws of the foundation to find out where I stand as the IH. In the Foundation's By-Laws, It is stated that the "Primary Youth Organization for the Foundation is the Boy Scouts of America". In another section under adult Leadership, it states, "criteria for Leadership will be based on current regulations, policies, and or guidelines of the Boy Scouts of America National Office". One last section stipulates the foundations stance on registered adult leadership. This section states that, "Any approved adult volunteering active participation for any of the foundation's BSA units must be a registered leader of the BSA due to liability". I then went to the Church's view of this young lady. For the record, I am a church leader with a local Assemblies of God Church. If you know the AG Church, thier pretty strict on these issues. The unwed soon-to-be mother is also a member of the same church as are 90% of the members of the Troop, Crew, and Pack. I've talked to my Head Pastor and two other Associate Pastors. Their advice is that "We should not allow her to be a leader due to the example it will cause with the younger members". I then brought up the stipulation with the foundation's requirement for leadership. Their advice is "register her as a leader But minimize her duties . . . the younger members should not think that it is okay to be in that condition and be an active leader . . . We(the Local Church Leadership) need to monitor her commitment to God's Word". All the committe members, CC, and COR agreed with the Local Church's Recommendations. We will register her as a leader but minimized her duties to helping the committee secretary update the scouts personnel and medical records -- No more, No less. This young lady is not even allowed to lead any prayer publicly with the unit. As for the young lady's view on this, She admits that she should have waited until after the marriage. She made an unwise decision and regrets it. She is willing to deal with the consequences from the Local Church, the unit, and the Charter Organization. She realized she was more happy with the fellowship of the scouts than out on her own. I know this isn't the answer to many out there. I really don't know how this will turn out. Only time will tell how all this plays out, I can assuredly say this situation is not over with my units or charter organization. KWC7, I thank you for your post. That passage in the Bible, Luke 15:11-32 along with 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 was what I based my decision on. Matua

No, this is not a test. It is actually happening with my unit. I was hesitatant in posting, when it started two weeks ago. Matua

OGE, No, she is not married. I don't think that should matter. I've have and had single mothers serve in the committee. She does plan to get married. Although, no date has been set. Even if she decides not to get married, does that justify the gossip that is attacking her. - - - - - These parents that are complaining are not active with the unit nor do they help out in any way. The complaints just started coming in recently via email and telephone. This SA has been back with us for more than a month and has been a tremendous help to the scouts and units. Matua

I never thought this would happen in my Venturing or Scout Troop unit but it did and now I have to deal with it. One of my female Venturers dropped out of the unit last year after graduating from high school. We dropped her from the roster during recharter. So she was not considered a member until last month. When she came back and volunteered to be an Assistant Scoutmaster with the Troop. She is not a multiple member with the Crew. She is 8 months pregnant and doing fine. She is over 18 years old and has decided to start her family. She even has a part-time job. However, some "inactive" parents are suddenly making noise over her condition and participation with the unit. This SA, when she was active with the Crew, earned her Outdoor Bronze, Ranger Award, Gold Award, and was only 2 requirements shy of finishing her Silver Award. Her current duties as an Assistant Scoutmaster are working with the Committee Secretary and Scribe to get our files in order, and update our troop medical records (She was our crew nurse). The complaints made and my responses: 1. She is a bad example for the younger scouts. --- The younger scouts enjoy her company when we have down time. They are too busy to know if she is there or not unless their getting their personnel files reviewed. 2. Her pregnancy sends the wrong message to the other girls in the Crew. --- She is not a member of the Crew. She is registered with the Troop. She did not get pregnant during high school. She waited to start her family after she graduated. We do not discuss sexuality in the BSA, that is left to the family. If your so concerned, why don't you volunteer to help out! 3. How is she going to help with the troop in her current condition? --- She is helping with administrative work and updating our medical records. Although, I gave the parents the opportunity to voice their concerns. I have no intentions of letting this volunteer go. This individual graduated from high school last year. She is starting her own family. She came back and volunteered to help. The Charter org and committee approved her application and I'm glad she's with the unit. The committee and "active parents" are behind her as are the other unit Scouters. I don't see a problem. Do you? Matua(This message has been edited by matuawarrior)

BW, DS: In the case of the Institutional Head, Can that individual register as a Scouter other than COR and CC positions? Can the IH register as a SM, CM, or any unit Scouter not in Committee? My understanding is that the IH is not a registered member of BSA only the COR. I'm currently the IH for my chartered organization and I'm also the Scoutmaster, Cubmaster, and Crew Advisor. I am not in the committee nor do I have any intentions of serving in the unit committee until I have replacements. (That's not until next year). I need clarification. Matua

DS, What's the update? Were you able to account for the funds? Matua

Laura, Our prayers are with you, Scot's family, and the Scouting family. Matua

I usually ask: Scouting is it a Lifestyle or Label? Were there any set backs to your project and if so what did you do about it? How do you plan to give back to Scouting? Matua (This message has been edited by matuawarrior)

Ohhh, Goooddiee, were playing Clue . . . It was the butler, in the kitchen, with the candle stick. My bad, you were asking how to go about it and not the answer. Okay let me put on my pink panther hat... Uuhhhmmmmm . . . I would finish my cup of Joe, like Eamonn, I hope it was a Mocha. Then I would talk more with the DE and get more details. Have him put the word out to his Scouters about the FOS situation and see if anyone picked it up. It could have been an overzealous Scouter trying to do a good turn. I would go the way of FScouter and get a hold of the FOS Chairman and also take a look at the books. I would heed BW's suggestion and call the donor and thank him for his $200 dollar donation and I would see if he can give me a name of the person who picked up the check or cash. So that I can follow up on the paper trail to insure that he, the donor, gets proper credit. Who knows the donor maybe trying to pull a fast one. I would check last years FOS contribution to see if there are any discrepancies with the donor's past contributions, probably go back 2 or 3 years. IF there is no accountability and the donor is clear, I would call the Eagle Scout Prosecutor (We have one here for the U.S. District Court)and let him know that fraud is being committed by someone wearing a Scout uniform. - - - - - - - Anyway, we had something similar that happened here a couple of years ago, It was 1997. I was still a new Scoutmaster at the time. I went to this big Wholesaler membership store asking if my scouts can do a car wash there. I was talking to the manager and somehow the conversation turned to FOS contributions. This Wholesale store was donating anywhere from $500 to $1,000 to a troop in a Southern village annually, for the past five years. I asked the manager twice if he was sure that the money was going to this unit and not the district. He said he was sure that the checks were mailed to the unit's address. After my conversation with the manager, I went down to the District office and reported to the DE what had transpired. The last time that unit was chartered was in the late '80's. Anyway, they caught the person but that's about all I know. - - - - - Back from commercial break - - - Here's my guess . . It was the donor with the check at the council office. . . DS, Let me know how I did. Have Fun . . . Matua

IGNORANCE.

Willysjeep, One thing you may ask before you go on this venture. Is there a need? Approach your SM with the idea and see where it takes you. Like sst3rd, I'm a Scoutmaster and wouldn't like it if one of my ASM's went to the committee without my knowledge, knowing that it may be worked out at the unit level. It sets a bad precedent for the rest of the unit. For example, a scout going over his PL's head to talk about an idea to the SPL. If an ASM can do it, a scout can do it. Like many who posted here, I agree the more seasoned you are in the outdoors, the smaller your knife will be. I don't want to give the impression that although we allow it in my units. Not all my scouts or venturers wear sheath knives. The most experienced campers in my units leave their sheath knives in their packs and carry pocket knives on their belts. It's only the new scouts/venturers that wear their sheath knives on their belts. After a couple of trips into the jungle, which is usually one backpacking trip, they learn their lesson and put those things away. My Recon Team -- these are the older scouts and venturers -- assigns one person to carry a machete and another to carry a sheath knife when we hit the jungle. The rest of the team carries pocket knives. Anyway, talk to your Scoutmaster with the idea, hear him out. His reasons may be justified. The worst he can say is "No". Keep us posted . . . Matua

I was just curious to know if the Scoutmasters on this forum allow their Assistant Scoutmasters or any unit scouter the opportunity to give or share a word of encouragement or an idea during Scoutmaster's Minutes. I usually state to my scouters and parents that this is MY time with the Scouts to pass on a word of encouragement or an idea for them to reflect on. However last Tuesday at our Troop meeting, one of my ASM's approached me and requested if he can give the SM's minutes that night. He briefed me on his topic. Most of my ASM's, (I have six) were surprised that I honored his request. The thought never crossed my mind that an ASM could give the minutes. It was always tradition that I give the minutes. By the way, this ASM is my no.1, like an Executive Officer (XO). He will be my successor one day. Who knows it maybe next year. He's been with me since he was in middle school thru high school (6-yrs). He became the unit's first Eagle Scout. He joined the military three years ago and is now returning. Anyway, the look on the Scouts faces when the ASM gave his minute. He had their complete attention. He did a pretty good job. Matua(This message has been edited by matuawarrior)

Ditto on the Wow . . . It appears this is more than a sheath knife issue with your Scoutmaster. To have a "do it my way or I'll leave" attitude raises flags with me. It looks more like a control issue with your SM. I would slowly bring up the idea as a special class on totin chit. He may go with the idea. It would be best to take small steps with introducing changes. Matua

Hafa Adai DS, Not to worry about the spelling. As long as your willing to learn, it's alright. I've always asked scouts what is the most important part or point of the Scout Law. They would tell me what point they felt was important to them. With the question changed "to what is the most important word". That would get our scouts' to think deeper of the Law that we hold as one of the foundations to our lifestyle. Matua

Wow ... This is a great thread!!!! I can't believe I missed this going over the archives. I'm going to use this during my Scoutmaster's Minutes next Tuesday. A Scout "IS". That is so on the mark. I would have thought about one of the 12 points, but like BW, I couldn't really choose just one. You can't just take one part of the law and dissect for your convenience. The Law is a Whole and the verb "Is" brings that to light. Yes, it is easier to go through each point for clarification so that our charges understand. The Law as a whole is our lifestyle as is the Scout Promise, Motto, and Slogan. It's either you do or don't. Matua

We don't ban sheath knives at our Summercamp. We restrict it for certain MB's, classes, activities: Camping, Wilderness Survival, camp clearing and Totin chit. We leave it up to the troops and crews to decide. Most pioneering supplies are pre-cut prior to summercamp. This saves time especially in our competitive camp where every minute counts. Matua

Twocubdad, BW . . . "honey, dear . . . What's goin on here. You guys have got to lay off on the hot chocolate and marshmellows. Matua