barrythebluebear

The only failure I see is by the troop advancement chair. Failure to present the award in a timely fashion (like, by the next troop meeting.) Since he is penalizing a youth for an adult's failure, it may be time for this particular adult to be assigned a different job they could do well.

Hi all, Constant budget contraints, we all must deal with them. So we set priorities. I've always promoted the view that advancement not only comes with badges earned as recognition, but also with increased maturity and better behavior (I hope) recognized in every possible way imaginable. So, changing den flags from the Tiger Cub, to the Cub Scout to the Webelos Scout is a subtle recognition. (One pole, three "official" [uniform] flags, three numeral sets; cost spread out over five years, shared by several youth; cheap! [Even if the flags get lost and can't be recycled.]) As far as shirts go,

Yeah, can't type worth beans. On the other hand, what do we get a camp in the way of comp? Choatic set-up, wound-up boys, lost badge sites, missing first-year tenderfeet, camp food (that same old menu), meal shows that can inspire or expire, wandering families on parents night, repeating ceremonies, and... the boys who look back and say it was the best thing that happened all year!

Greeneagle5 posted a serious BoR policy question on an advancement thread on 11/20/04. As an aside, he mentioned a dilemma that BSA guidelines do not address. I'm sure many troops go every year to their council camp for summer camp. The council wants high attendance, SM and parents usually find it more convenient (besides other factors), and the boys feel like it's their camp. ...and yes, no two camps are alike and some camps have serious problems, so for reasons of interest, safety, or tradition, some troops don't attend summer camp at their council camp. Either way, who should

As a new Advancement Chair in our troop, I noticed our SM had WAAYYY too much control over who sat on Board of Reviews. Sometimes he would (bad, very bad). I started asking troop committee (TC) members to sit. Though they were untrained, I would start each BoR with the "reminder" that the BoR was to help evaluate the troop program, as well. It was the only time we could hear how a boy felt about his patrol, the troop, and the program adults (SM, SA). We started asking the boys about the "best" parts and the "not-so-good" parts, and what he thought could improve the troop. This starte

As CM of a new pack, I assigned dens numbers and used the official flags with the iron-on numbers. The boys in each den created den cheers around their den number and kept that identity throughout their Pack experience. I'ld be sure to use the same number on their Tiger, Cub, and Webelos Den flag. I discouraged any "mascot" use while in the Pack; I didn't want to steal the Troop thunder. (This did irritate some dads who wanted their seven-year-olds to start learning Boy Scout stuff. Oh well.) When our Webelos 2 would start hanging with the Troop, then they could experiment with patrol critters