Mike F

Story and video interview are located here: http://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_356200328.html That's one lucky scout!

fling, I was alluding to your point in my first post, but you spelled it out perfectly. Its not the word of one member of that staff that matters even if he is a priest. Its up to the COR and IH because they are the ones that have to make these decisions for the unit they sponsor. -mike

Lisabob, The BOR is a perfect time to bring this up. One of the purposes of BOR is for troop committee members to do a "sanity or status check" of the program functions in the troop. I agree with recommendation to put some thought into how to phrase it, but don't sweat it too much. He's an 11-yr old - just let the board know that this "tradition" is a major pain from the new guy point of view and it's not clear how this builds scout skills, discipline, or anything else. Then follow up with recommendation about camping by patrols like it talks about in his Boy Scout Handbook. (Then open t

ES316, At great risk of incurring wrath, please consider the possibility that it wasn't God that placed this opportunity before you to help solve a cash flow problem. Perhaps it was Satan working through greed to lure you in. Pray hard, my young friend, and listen to the still small voice. You may hear two of them. Dont listen to the one talking about money because that one is appealing to your natural human greed. Listen to the one talking about right/wrong or good/evil. It's always better to do the right thing - even when it comes at personal cost. I wont bug you on this a

Sorry, ES316, but my opinion is to stay clear. I agree with SR540B - if you work there and take their money, it's impossible to be convincing when you say you don't condone. If you really don't condone, stay clear. Similar examples: There are legal brothels in Nevada. Could one really bartend there and ignore what's going on down the hall? There are legal abortion clinics all over the county. Would it be OK to support the business working as a receptionist and ignore what's going on down that hall? As a practical matter, you could find yourself in hot water with your troo

scoutldr, Some good points. I know OA does some things which support local camps (which indirectly supports troops) and we do a lot of Webelos Arrow of Light ceremonies (for packs). Let's just say you were trying to convince a Scoutmaster that OA was a valuable thing for his guys to be actively involved in. How would you convince him that they will be bringing more back to their troop than they (the troop) might potentially lose (when seasoned leaders get more active in OA activities - sometimes causing them to be less active in the troop)? The "WTGC Guide" is valuable, but re

Many moons ago, I was very active in a small lodge and was awarded Vigil as a youth. Now that I'm active in a different mega-lodge with my sons, I'm struggling to reconcile the great memories I have with the realities of what I see today. (I'll save the prolonged discussion about how to tame the mega-lodge for the future.) I'm trying to help our Chapter Advisor figure out how to encourage the troops in our area to get more active, but there's a nagging question. According to the OA handbook, the primary purpose of the OA is service/support to the units. Can you cite some examples

Happy Anniversary, SP! A few months ago we celebrated 25 yrs by evacuating for a hurricane. That's one bonding experience we won't forget! My bride has served as GS leader and Den leader for #1 of 3 sons, but that was a lot of years ago and I haven't been able to get her active since. My scouting has been the subject of some rather unpleasant (but not undeserved) discussions through the years. Can you imagine the gall - when our 2nd child was born, she wanted me to resign my position as an AsstSM? Seems she had a problem with me going camping with other people's kids while she was st

Orennoah, I'm not an attorney - nor do I play one on TV - but I'm intrigued by the unique perspective you bring to this discussion. Most of us know less about this than we probably should. And many of us (my son's troop included) are working through a change in CO due to forces outside of our control, so established relationships affecting donations, etc., have to be reworked. Problem is, most of them were established before we got here, so we don't know how to get started. I would consider it a great service if you could spell out the process, regulations, and paperwork required to est

Here's another vote for Master and Commander. For ideas on scouting discussion to go along with it, check out: http://www.inquiry.net/patrol/training/movies.htm I haven't tried it, yet, but plan to during some Troop JLT during holidays. -mike

We hashed this out a couple of years ago. (And Bob White definitely helped supply chapter and verse that time!) You might find more info if you search the archives. One detail that came up was this clearly only referred to a single patrol. If more patrols jump on the bandwagon, the campout turns into a multiple patrol activity. The handbooks don't address this, but I would consider it a troop campout with adults required. (Even though you might decide to set up the adult area just at the edge of earshot or even further.) The rationale is that more than one patrol starts to reach cr

Hey EagleDadx3, Congratulations and welcome to the campfire! I have 1 down (or should we say up?) and 2 to go, but hope to join you in claiming 3 from this roost. It's a little off topic, but since EDx3 already answered the question, here goes. A few years ago, my Boy Scouts started giving me a hard time about displaying BSA stickers on our cars. (Background: Some might call us a hard-core conservative family and our political and religious views are often discussed around the house.) I told my boys those stickers were my quiet protest against the so-called politically correct who

Barry, Your "bold" suggestion about how to get the adults to see the light about patrol method is probably the best single recommendation I've seen in these esteemed forums. Clear - concise - and directly addresses the concern. Wow - can't wait to put this into action! Thanks! -mike

Thanks, fgoodwin! I'm pretty sure my wife didn't write that column, but I'm going to sleep better tonight knowing it's all worth the effort. -mike

Right on to start with the youth leadership chain-of-command. If he doesn't have luck after trying SPL, he might ask the SM for a SM Conference. We normally think of those only for advancement, but it's also for a status check and if your son is getting frustrated, that's a way to have a good chat about advancement and his other experiences. Hopefully the SM will get the hint and give the youth leadership a nudge. If your son is really motivated and you're willing to help, you might also take a good look at his Boy Scout handbook. It's not a great textbook, per se, but I'll bet you

Eagle63, Normally I would recommend you and your son contact the District Advancement Chairman to seek his/her advice, but that would certainly make things even worse in his troop and, at 14, he has many years of scouting to look forward to as a youth. But I'd start by having you talk to the SM. Try and find out why he doesn't feel like your son is ready. It's very possible that he simply doesn't think your son is old enough. There is no age requirement for Eagle, but way too many adults out there seem to think they can impose one. They can't. If the SM thought your son had some is

Perhaps the SM needs to make it more clear to all involved that any troop service project (Eagle or otherwise) is an "all hands on deck" activity. That's exactly the words one SM I know uses. Sounds like there's a selfish attitude prevailing in this troop. Not unusual - especially in a younger group. But they need to be challenged to get involved and participate in service. Maybe even pushed. All things being equal, they often won't choose to serve others when the alternative is to spend a Saturday morning watching cartoons or playing Nintardo. But this shouldn't be posed as a simpl

You guys have me itching to get out there again! Work prevented me from getting in a major trip this summer for the first time in years and I'm going into withdrawal! Packsaddle - I'd like to try your "minimalist" approach some time. It seems like every time I get out, I'm either going with scouts or buddies without much experience, so I feel compelled to carry a ton of "just in case" stuff. Anarchist - I may pull my tattered old canvas Camper pack off the frame and diamond-lash my old poncho onto the frame on our next weekend backpacking trip! That'll flip out the guys with their

I'm old school, too. Have used both, but keep coming back to external frame because I like the feel and the clanking/creaking is music to my ears. (Kinda like the delightful taste of iodine water that means I must be backpacking!) I also sweat a lot and like the extra ventilation. Of course, most of my backpacking is on trails, so extra stability and narrower sides arent much of a consideration. However, on a really challenging 10-day trek in the Wind River Range last year that was almost totally off-trail in snow, I was glad I went with NOLS advice and used their gargantuan internal fram

Well - dang - that's what I was afraid of. (Turns 18 this weekend.) Important issue is whether or not he did everything in the MB requirements. There are a lot of written requirements. (http://www.meritbadge.com/mb/010.htm) Keeping an exercise log, recording test results every 2 weeks, etc. If he did the requirements, these will all be complete and should be inspected. I think your question about why he didn't use the counselor he had is a very fair question. I would consider having a special conference with yourself, SM, CC, and Advancement Chair. Include the scout. Get all

Wes, I agree with gist of Hunt's note. It's a major issue if he didn't complete the MB properly and forged the signature to get around the MB counselor. Were his actions an intentional act to "cheat" his way to Eagle, or did he just get into a bind and use poor judgment? A possible example might be if he had completed all of the work, faced a deadline on getting requirements all turned in, and the MB counselor was out of town for extended period. I would consider this a more minor example of poor judgment -- he should have contacted SM and Advancement Chair and worked with them to fi

Since we were on the topic of special recognition for earning all 20 pins, I feel compelled to share a cautionary note. Yes the boys who make the effort to earn all 20 can and should be recognized, but be wary of putting so much emphasis and effort into earning all 20 that the Webelos burn out on scouting and dont want to continue. I saw this happen in both of my older boys dens. Den Leaders seemed obsessed that they all must earn all 20. They talked a lot about the importance of earning that little trophy how it was the crowning glory of cub scouting. Every meeting was chock full o

sst, Right on! I wasn't dismissing idea - I think it's great - we've talked about it, too. Still trying to get list of guys that didn't bridge over and can't believe the Cub side hasn't been willing to release names/addresses. (Sad truth is probably that they don't know....) Sounds like you're moving beyond talking to action. I'm hoping for your success. Maybe that will get us beyond talk. -mike

sst, Like scoutldr said, peer-to-peer is usually most effective, but the mailer is certainly worth a try. I'd probably put some things in there for both parents and boys. For the boys, stress adventure. They might not think scouts is cool, but most red-blooded American boys yearn for adventure. Include some pictures of local scouts in action (canoeing, rappelling, backpacking in mountains) and be sure to point out that these boys all live in the local area - they're guys right here in your neighborhood - just like you. Maybe include a paragraph like "Information for Parents."

JM, This is very serious. You cannot handle cases of potential abuse silently within the troop -- you MUST contact your District Executive or Council Office immediately. Any registered leader has the responsibility to take this action if he/she knows about an incident. (But I'd give the SM a call to let him/her know your plans and to offer to let SM make the call. Then follow up to make sure the report was actually filed.) Copy of Guide to Safe Scouting on line: http://www.scouting.org/pubs/gss/toc.html Here's praying for the best possible outcome, -mike