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Basementdweller

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Everything posted by Basementdweller

  1. The quality of the scouting program across the country ranges from barely existent to vibrant and full of life. What you read on the forums, is like many on line reviews, the people with issues post up and the ones with programs that are fine go along with their business. My local OA program stinks as does my districts program.
  2. Why should you have to promote the OA? If it is worth anything in your council the boys will want to join, If it isn't well then it needs to go away.
  3. bokris, From your posts you seem a bit lost. I would like to offer a couple of suggestions. Do you attend roundtable? Do you know any of the other SM's in your area and are you familiar with their programs???? Do you know of a troop that you like their program or how they function???? I am suggesting attending roundtable and finding a local SM mentor in your local area, NOT A UNIT COMMISIONER, but an active SM. I have a couple that when I have issues or questions I bounce ideas off. I have to ask about your Boy Scout Experience, Not counting cubs.
  4. OP said that most of his troop is under 12 in another post. I wonder how large his troop is????
  5. I would not have done that exchange via Email or txt message. But before that I gotta ask........ Was the lad elected by the troop or appointed by you because he needed a position? Did you hold your Troop Leadership Training (TLT) to begin tenure for the position? Does he have the SPL Handbook and have you sat down and reviewed it with him? If you held TLT, do you continue to meet with him weekly to offer guidance on how the meetings are going and is he holding PLC meetings??? If the lad has not been trained then his failure is not his ,but yours. I You are
  6. In our council the OA is simply slave labor to set up and tear down the Councils Summer camp. One of the 8 chapters has a ceremony team. They do not do AOL presentations out of their district. not much else other than ordeal weekends to set up the camps and fall ordeal tears them down. My son was excited about the NOAC. but has since lost interest.
  7. Remove the fundraising goals.....Make their goals purely recruiting boys and running district level boy events.
  8. So Scouter, since you are the hallowed Lord god of scouting, the King of G2SS quoters and rulebook thumpers. Tell me you have never broken or bent a single rule in those hallowed books you quote. I can see your disdain for my version of the BSA's program..... I could careless. I have a potential third ASM who is the current first year webelos den leader, guess what, that is how I am recruiting him. Ya bring your son along with the troop you'll have fun. If it nets me another trained leader for a 6 year or so commitment it is worth it.
  9. It is what happens when the bureaucracy forgets who they work for. So, I gotta question......If we remove the camps from the equation what do councils provide us?????
  10. Sorry TT your incorrect http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/06/249247973/u-s-flags-lowered-for-mandela-a-rare-honor-for-foreign-leaders
  11. That is even funnier. You know my situation. My troop can barely afford summer camp and a heavily discounted canoe trip. So taking the group whitewater rafting or zip lining or any other high dollar trips is out of the question. But we do go and participate in the rappel masters training class as test subjects.....free rappelling. Bike hike, what a dumb a$$ term for making something out of nothing. bike ride, Seriously this is a big troop activity?????? My guys ride all of our side of town all summer. I got a report they were nearly 10 miles from home at a sub
  12. Ya, several of my coworkers are pissed that the American Flag is being flown at half staff for him. Great man huge sacrafices for the good of his people.
  13. I always worry about SM's or ASM's who do things with a select number of boys??? So is it a troop or a private club? Your lucky if your boys can chose what kind of gear they want to camp with. My boys camp with what they own, some with blankets and others with down bags.
  14. Big boy stuff. Your hilarious. My boy was raised in the outdoors. at the time if I did not see him on weekends I didn't see much of him. Bond, there is no issue with my relationship with my son. But I do enjoy spending time with him. I understand that my time with him is very limited and I will not sacrifice my relationship with him for the Troop.
  15. I work very hard, often not getting home till 7 or 8 in the evening. My then 8 year old son might see me for an hour before bed. As Dad my responsibility is to my son first. So what your saying 99. is you would rather the troop fold because there is no outdoor program rather than let me bring my wolf scout along on a day hike or a camp out. And we wonder why scouting is in trouble.
  16. Interesting all of my post were deleted. In a nutshell I took my son. I was the only ASM and second adult in the troop, I volunteered for the sole purpose of allowing the troop to have an outdoor program. I was webelos den leader and CM at the time. Had the SM told me no you can't bring your wolf scout along then I would have told him no thanks. I did not force the lad on the other scouts, but he and I did things together and by the second or third outing he was sleeping with the troop with the odd man boy scout. Our program is that thin with adult leadership
  17. I have two ASM's, one is on rotating shifts so it is a crap shoot as to whether he will be off on any given weekends, so what if the other is sick or can't make it. Cancelled outing or try to recruit a parent to attend as well.
  18. Yes our program is that thin on adult leadership that an ASM staying home would result in a canceled trip.
  19. Blake that is all well and good. But I sat down and looked at what I spent on the troop and was more than a bit surprised. I could fly my family to disney and stay at a premium resort with meal plan for what spent last year. I swear year after year to quit spending money on the troop. PL books, SPL books, NYLT scholarships, Summer Camp help, shirts from the thrift store, propane zipper repair, on and on an on. Guess I am burnt out. Hopefully a break around christmas will help
  20. Thought it was scouter unless the guys that created it deleted it.
  21. Ok then the outing gets cancelled because of the lack of two deep leadership. So be it. The lesson is compromise. Unless that Cub involved is a waste of a boy, the older guys will compromise.
  22. Blake, you know there is no one size fits all formula in scouting. Some troops are more adult rec club than boy scout troop, others have near zero adult involvement I am a HUGE opponent of the Adult/Family Scout troop, there is a huge difference between an ASM bringing his scout son along VS ASM bringing Wife, and 3 daughters or worse yet 15 year old daughter. Again, I would ask the PLC what their opinion is.......Then live by their decision.
  23. Your argument doesn't hold water. We are not talking sisters or 5 year old male sibs. We are talking a wolf scout. My son and I did this exact thing and it was not a problem and didn't impact the program at all. But I used common sense, He didn't go backpacking or canoeing or anything I didn't think he was mature enough to do. In my case we were talking about a dying troop and it only had a hand full of boys. The SM was glad to have the help and with out me there would have been no outdoor program.
  24. Well if they tell you no he can't go, then you reply well neither can I and see what happens.
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