Basementdweller

Kathy......Merit badge councilors are district wide and most districts have a list available, so you being the only one in your troop is irrelevant and meaningless. It is my opinion and a growing number of scouters in our area that there should be ABSOLUTELY no Troop merit badge councilors. I will also go so far to say that No adult should act as a councilor for a boy from the same troop.

You are missing a very important aspect of the Merit badge.

The scout calls the councilor and arranges a visit.

I understand that you are trying to help.......resist the temptation. If you want to council, do so for other scouts who are not members of your troop.

I will argue the point that you are hurting the program in the long run. I would rather have fewer Eagles than have well meaning adults short change the scouts experience.

My points do not hinder advancement. It will weed out the helicopter parents and Eagle Factory Troops.

As stated earlier there is no rule against it or at least I cannot find one.

But I find it suspicious that the young man is working on a 5 at one time with his mother as councilor. IMHO The SM should not have allowed it.

One of the objectives of Merit Badges is to have the Scout meet with someone he does not know, Manage the meetings and requirements. I hope that my son has a different councilor for each of his merit badges. Meeting a unique person and working with them is a gift.

SM196 you said that he showed up with a list of merit badges he is working on. Did you approve them???? The first step to earn a merit badge is to get the SM approval.

That is all well and good DLR. But if no one steps up, Then what.

Had I not complained, I probably would have told him to stuff it.

Not in my nature, We went from no day camp the last 5 years to one last summer with 100 boys, we even got accredited for the first time in 11 years.

If everyone keeps throwing their hands in the air, nothing gets better. It is my intent to keep running the program for the foreseeable future.

Long story short, I had already planned my summer vacations and what not. The District needed a day camp program director so I said I would help out, this was before I knew it was gonna be Two weeks off work unpaid. One for training and one for the camp.

If I had the choice I would have put the training off a year so I could schedule my vacation to go.

Our District is terrible with lack of activities. I have complained and organized a few, that is how I got asked to do the day camp. Had I not volunteered to do the day camp, there probably would not have been one.

If someone wants to sue me over an accident at a scout event they will be sorely disappointed with what they get. 15 year old truck 10 year old motorcycle and 60 year old 1000 square foot house. They can have it.

We wonder why scouting is losing membership, It is crap like this that makes people leave.

Interesting,

I was told by my DE that if I did not attend NCS and acted as a Program or Camp Director that I would be personally Liable for any legal problems from the event.

Yet another lying or uneducated scout professional. I have experienced way too many Professionals and Volunteers who have for what ever reason misguided and provided incorrect information to me over the last 5 years. I grow tired of it.

It is good to know that Liability isn't an issue. Thx Beavah I need to buy you a beverage of your choice some day.

I wonder what the opinions of the other parents is????????

You forget them.

As a parent of a young lady currently in GS, I would be upset if she was allowed to join our group.

This is not her original group and she really has no right to demand anything.

I am really surprised by the liberal attitudes. Yes she made a mistake and now there is a price to be paid by her. IMHO she gave up the rest of her youth by bringing another life into the world.

So is there not any penalties for mistakes any more?

Thx for the link.

Musta hit a sore spot with the question. That was not my intention, just asking a question.

Your council should pay for you to go to Camp School, You are holding a difficult and time consuming position.

IMHO the entire BB, Archery Sling Shot thing with BSA is ridiculous. My son has been shooting and hunting since about 5 years old. But you need to remember we are dealing with city folks.

A question to the group. What is your Personal liability holding a position your not trained for ans something happens? Are you covered by BSA's insurance?

Cub shooting sports are supposed to only take place at District and Council Events/Ranges.

http://www.macscouter.com/advance/cubscout/sports/BBgun.asp

"BB-gun shooting, is a camp program. Boys can earn BB-gun recognition items only at council/district day camp, resident camp, or council-managed family camping programs

BB-Gun programs are not permitted at den and pack activities."

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/ageguides.pdf

Your language suggests you might be a program director, have you been to national camp school.(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

He can join Boy Scouts at 11 or 10 1/2 if he earns the Arrow of Light.

He has plenty of time to earn it before the Blue and Gold. Just relax and enjoy your son and his scouting journey. If it is that important to him. then sit down and map out the remaining activity badges and finish them. No biggy.

Rank advancement is only one methods of scouting and should not be viewed as the end.

Earning badges and patches is nice but how is your sons actual scouting experience?

Did he enjoy the pinewood derby last year? build his own car?

Council or district events did he attend those?

Did he attend resident or day camp last summer?

Did he attend a weeblos woods event?

Rank advancement occurs naturally in a well planned program.

Eamon I respectfully disagree with your assessment. Every over achieving parent and Cubmasters son would qualify as gifted. You equate rank advancement with experience and as we know that is not always the case, with Eagle scouts that cannot build fires or tie square knots. We need to remember, even though they may be more intelligent or motivated he is still only 9 years old.

Doesn't sound very boy led to me.

How are the Patrols organized? Same age? Same Pack? Same school?

Are you camping monthly? Are the Patrols acting independently of the troop?

Yes generally it is bad form to offer merit badges during meetings.

IMHO One of the most important aspects of the Merit Badge program has absolutely nothing to do with the Merit Badge topic. I discourage Troops from developing their own internal merit badge councilor lists. The scout must call the councilor, hopefully an unknown adult, on his own and arrange an appointment, remember the buddy system please.

SM and advancement chairs want to make this easier than it should be.

An Eagle scout should encounter somewhere around 100 different adults on his journey and around 20 are merit badge councilors.

Create an adult Patrol, yes the parent will appear on the duty roster, cook and wash dishes. the adults will camp as a patrol, put one of the ASM in charge of the Patrol.

Everyone who attends is youth protection trained.

We tried having the adults eating with the patrols but that didn't seem to work that well. They tended to interfere with program delivery.

It says Do any 5 of the 13 requirements. So the belt loops are not required, just two of the possible choices.

In reading your post I question whether you are actually 9 years old. I suspect you are the young mans over achieving parent or someone merely trolling.

But in answering your question

The arrow of light has nothing to do with weeb 1 or weeb 2. The requirement read must be 10 and active for 6 months in den as one of the AOL requirements.

Cub scouting and the Arrow of Light have absolutely nothing to do with Eagle. The only thing the Arrow of Light does is allow the young man enter Boy Scouting at 10 years old instead of 11.

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/joining.aspx

Here is the hitch you can join boy scouts at 10 if you earn the arrow of light. But the way I read the requirements for the Arrow of Light is you cannot earn it till you are 10 1/2. Not my rules just the way I read them.(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

A question for the group about background checks.

What if a committee member held a job that would allow him to run prospective Adult volunteers thru law enforcement type database.

Is it proper and appropriate for him to do it?

Well, son backpacked with the wife and I since before he was a cub scout and both kids have grown up in the outdoors. Maybe I don't need it.

I hope that the son and daughter both earn the Ranger, but that is up to them. There are a number of venture crews in the area, She has some girl friends she met at roundtables and other scouting functions who are also joining venturing and they want to join the same group. Neat.

My daughter informed me that she would like to Join venturing when she is of age in a couple of years and she wants me to be her leader like I was for her brother. So in preparation of this......I was signing up for the councils Powderhorn training.....

I have been thru the BSA Cub, Weeb and Boy scout training for the Son

So what is involved?? It looks to be over a couple of weekends.

thanks

I think your under the illusion that all of the previous ranks must be earned. No the boy starts the earning rank at the age he joins. The only exception to that is the bobcat and everyone earns that.

As Nut mentioned if he meets the age and grade requirements then he is considered that rank.

So what grade is he in? I am going to bet he is in second grade, since most bears are 8 going on 9.

Believe it or not there is a tremendous difference in the abilities between tigers, wolves and bears. From the ability to focus to motor skills.(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

Required

Mandatory

are dangerous terms to present to VOLUNTEERS. Most adults could care less about the outdoors.

When is the last time you went camping outside of Scouting?

Take this question and ask it to the current ME Generation of parents.

"I need a campership application to send junior to camp this summer." says Mom with the brand new Iphone in her manicured hand from the seat of her year old Expedition.

Sounds a lot like the Enhanced basic leadership course offered in our local council, minus the ticket. 4 weekends, well three saturdays and a full weekend.

Other than drinking the kool aid and joining the wood badge groupies, I just don't see the point. The ticket seems like a good deal for districts and council. I know it is supposed to be about the participant, but most councils and districts us it to get projects completed. Not a complaint, just an observation.

The volunteers of many councils and districts who have attended wood badge almost make it a mandatory training to volunteer at those levels. I have run into this, I call it wood badge snoobery. Now with that said, The more involved I get in district and council levels I find scouters that quietly wear the beads and aren't arrogant about it.

It's ok to step away.

Irregardless of what your told. First and foremost you must parent your own children.

If you don't you and they will regret it.

Sounds like trouble to me.

I appreciate her volunteering, but IMHO there needs to be a larger age gap between her and those she serves.

Eamon, thx again for your wisdom and advice.

Currently our district has ZERO cub events. Well that isn't the entire truth, This is the first year in the last 15 we actually had a day camp, I am Program Director. We had 100 scouts and parents attend. We even received accreditation.

We have been going out of district and attending events, halloween, Christmas, spring and summer camp outs.

I would like to see

District Pinewood derby championship

Spring Camp out with a relevant theme.

I like the Cub Olympics

District fishing derby

I tried to organize, started recruiting volunteers and troops to help, a family fun day, and the Districts Activity Director took offense and told me to back off in not so friendly terms. I was told any and all activities had to go thru him and he would never, ever approve anything I submited. hmmmmmm.

Hense my belief new blood is needed.

So Eamon, whose approval do I need to pursue to run some of these activities? I have a growing number of parents and scout leaders who are interested in helping.

Eamon thx for your reply, you hit in on the head. Both districts have a years entrenched committee, and I was of the opinion that some of the our district committee members should resign and let some fresh blood and ideas in. I asked for more cub activities at the district level, the response was "why we never did it before?". Being the new guy, this is the third year back, I have ran into the "this is the way we do it here". Yes, but there is other ways too.

District execs are the best politicians on the planet. You can talk with them for hours with out getting one shred of helpful or credible information. Call for help or information, be prepared for the old soft shoe around what you want or need.

It seems to me the reorganization is taking place with out any input from the volunteers. What could I or should I be asked, I have no clue, but participation in the process would have been nice. I try my best to stay out of District politics, but I am a whats fair kinda guy. It just seems that a small group is looking after their own best interest and not that of the District or boys. Whats right is right....

I was not at the closed door meeting, but I understand there was some very large egos and personalities having at it. I worries me.

I will still go to round table and participate, not going is ignorant. We have one side of the new district saying they will not attend unless it is moved. Ridiculous.

Eamon, like you I do this for enjoyment. I initially became a leader to spend more time with my son, as your already aware, I actually spend less time with him.

It is in process as we speak.