Nike

Perhaps the Venturing mission statement should be reworded to emphasize the youth-led and determined nature of the program. Otherwise, how is the current statement any different than many other youth programs in other organizations?

We have a pretty active Venture program in Europe that is pre-dominately youth-led.

I am in a very large Girl Scout program outside the US. Here is my advice for your Brownie Leaders:

1. Don't compare it to Cub Scouts. It is not symmetrical. Let go your Cub Scout self.

2. Go to basic leader training, Journey training and Outdoor Training. If you don't understand the training, ASK questions of the trainers. Get their e-mails. READ "Volunteer Essentials" and download the Activity Checkpoints. "Safetywise" is outdated, inaccurate, and needs to be recycled. Many councils have supplemental trainings unique to them: go if it sounds fun or interesting. You'll meet new people and trade ideas.

3. Attend local service unit leader meetings. That is where you will find experienced leaders who have gone through the transition and can give you great tips on the materials.

4. Join a GS forum on line. Ignore unhelpful people.

5. ASK THE GIRLS what they want to do, and then make it so as much as possible. GS is moving to a girl led model at every level. I love to tell people that the only meeting that should be entirely adult led and planned is the very first Daisy meeting. The girls should have input on all thier activities. If they want to do a bunch of CS stuff or BPSA activities, those should be done. No one has to do a Journey book, especially at the Brownie level. Girls actually love looking in the old books from the 60s, 70s, and 80s for activities. The orange Brownie handbook (1963) and "Worlds to Explore" (1978) are classics.

6. Every activity can be an outdoor activity if you have the place and weather for it. GO OUTSIDE!

7. If the girls want to go camping, take the training and go over night at a state park if allowed by Council.

8. This is not Cub Scouts. You don't have to do anything in any book or earn any badge! Just make sure the girls have fun and over the course of the year grow in thier understanding of the Promise and Law and how they can use that in their daily lives to guide them in making good decisions.

9. No one becomes a GS leader to fill out paperwork, but it has to be done. Get your signatures.

10. Have fun yourself! You will spend about 20 hours a month dealing with the troop, meetings, etc. But make sure you are enjoying it. Leader enthusiasm sets the tone for the troop.

My experience with BSA leaders transitioning to GSUSA leaders is about 50-50. Half are frustrated that there is not an exact list of what needs to be accomplished, which is a legitimate criticism of the GS program. The other half are thrilled to discover they have nearly free-rein as opposed to a very structured and, to thier minds, repetitive program for the boys, also a legitimate criticism of some aspects of the BSA program. I think it has a lot to do with whether you are predominately a right or left brain thinker.

NOTE ON TRY-ITS: GSUSA has decided that all subject specific earned awards will be called "badges" with the exception of Petals in Daisies. Brownie badges will still be triangles.

TRACKING SYSTEM: There is no current tracking system or pre-made spreadsheet due to the newness of the program elements. Look for one next fall. And, until then, use a notebook or gradebook. Remember, in Girl Scouts, no age-level's awards are dependent on any other age-level's awards. They are all discrete program modules, with one exception. Girls who earn the Silver Award, only have to complete one Journey as a Senior or Ambassador in order to satisfy pre-reqs for the Gold.(This message has been edited by Nike)

They did say the 73K was stolen over 2 years, so popcorn, summer camp, trips, maybe they have a big BBQ or other fundraiser, generous bequests....

I imagine that a large, very active troop with some high priced trips could easily have 30K slosh through in a year.

While the Venture mission statement is pretty weak, and many of the best and brightest go off to college whence they are ensnared by less wholesome pastimes, my personal greif with Venturing is that BSA set it up to define youth in one program as under 21 and in others as under 18. Then, there's OA where you can be an adult Scouter registered with only a troop but still count as a youth in the Lodge, I think.

Let's fix that while we're at it.

Getting rid of COs would basically put troops and packs on the "Girl Scout" plan.

GSUSA in effect franchises to the mongo council which then brow beats the DMM (GS DE) into producing enough registrations for the area or responsibility. The DE then begs, borrows and pleads for leaders, and once the minimum number of adults are lined up, they are on their own. The troop leaders have to figure out where to meet, where to store gear, everything. It's why a lot of GS troops are the size of dens and patrols: that's the number of girls who fit into the leaders' living rooms and two mini-vans. And when the leader is done, if no one takes on the troop, it folds. Like it wasn't ever there.

When I had a Daisy troop in the States, I would have loved to have a CO.

In this situation, you may need to go way outside your normal pool. Tink of people you know who aren't Scouters at this time. Do you know any college or grad school students who may be back for summer and interested?

When's camp?

She needs to go.

She has become a toxic personality which, ironically, reinforces her indispensibility. No one else will do CS activities with her leaving her holding the bag, which is probably right where she likes to be, in the middle of all the fuss and getting lots of stroking since she gets it all done despite her health issues and no one supporting her.

You have four weeks to find someone else. There's some time. If this is your opportunity, get a new volunteer, possibly someone who was unhappy with things last year and doesn't give a flying flip about Cranky Lady or her years' worth of records. And don't worry about making Council any money when everything has to be purchased new because it's in Cranky Lady's garage, and she won't cough it up. Tell Council to get it before X date or you're ordering new stuff.

Are you ready, do you have a volunteer, and do you have the support to move someone else into the Cub Activities position, effectively dethroning Cranky Lady? Once she's out, you have to actively keep her out for good.

It might actually be good for her health.(This message has been edited by Nike)

I'd call the police if the event was significant enough to involve them anyway, whether or not the kids were Scouts.

It's a judgement call, however, if you need to call the police on one of your Scouts, he probably needs more intervention than a Scout troop is prepared to handle. Sometimes Mom and Dad need just as much of a wake up as thier son.

Ex-SPL son says after Scout 17 tied up the younger Scouts, he would have asked his SM to send 17 home, because that kid obviously has issues.

So if my 17 year old realizes this, your troop may have other problems.

Thanks! I think we'll make it as long as it doesn't rain...or snow.

Has anyone heard of a "formula" or rule of thumb where air temp and water temp should be added to or substracted from each other to get a value that should be above a certain number in order to determine if it's warm enough boat?

Plannning a rafting trip in the Alps for some of the Girl Scouts in June.

Why are you ironing a Cub uniform?

I will never give up my Boy Scout skirt.

The pants are horrid for ladies. I have an olive green pair from another vendor that I wear instead.

If the SM and CC have caused you so much trouble and turmoil, why are any of your family members still with that troop? Why haven't y'all moved to a new troop where there's a clean slate? You probably won't be able to be an adult Scouter anymore (or at least until this all gets cleared up), but unless this has spread all over the District, I don't see why you can't be just be a mom.

I'll answer your question:

Every boy who has completed the requirements and passed a board of review deserves the rank he is trying to obtain. Eagle Scouts aren't perfect. They don't have to be. Some real turkeys have made Eagle. It's a rank, not a halo.

Now, whether or not you want to have a future relationship with your son, please see a therapist who can help you work through the betrayal you are feeling. Once you are able, if you wish, invite your son to participate in sessions and decide how to forge a path toward a future relationship with one another. You can't unring the bell, but no one has to hit it again.

If you are washing your hands of the boy, then at least follow the advice of Thumper's mother: If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

Maybe you needed to have CPS send in official paperwork explaining there was an allegation, deemed unfounded, and there is no case and therefore no disposition. As I've learned overseas, offical stamps and seals carry a lot of weight.

Birthday party with candy, prizes, cake and ice cream. No awards. No FoS. We're having fun!(This message has been edited by Nike)

I don't have TV service here in Germany, so I check in on these threads instead.

"Like sands through the hour glass, these are the days of our lives."

You can get the BSA physical on-line as well. It's a writtable PDF so you can fill out all the pertinent information, save, print, and take it in ready to go to your installation's clinic. Ask your NCO if you can make an appointment or should use sick-call. And file your leave papers now.

If you really like him and he can take a bit of joshing, buy him a pair of pants and present them at a goofy opportunity without all the parents around, just the ASMs and boys.

Otherwise ask: Is this a hill I'm willing to die for?

Does anyone know why they are offering WB in Spanish? Is it maybe to help train Mexican trainers to present it back in Mexico?

If dens meet immediately after school, yes a snack to rehydrate and raise blood suger for Wolves and Bears. If the dens meet later in the afternoon or at night, never unless its part of the den activity. No food ever at pack meetings that don't coincided with a B&G, crossover, or bonfire night.

If you want to keep NSPs, perhaps you should mix up those 30 kids each spring. Everyone will still be with one or two buds from their old den, but they'll also be meeting and working with new boys.

As for encouraging PM, if there was ever a troop that could use independent patrol activities, it's one this big. Let 8 boys plan thier own weekend trip several times a year, with 2 adults along to drive and provide safety and sanity checks, and I'm sure you'll start seeing better patrol cohesion and leadership.

Splitting your troop into two teams/crews seems like the best way to utilize your current equipment stores without having to lay out for a bunch of new stuff all at once, however, you will be putting twice as much stress on the gear, so I'm sure you will need to up your repair and replacement funds.

How long have you had this many patrols? If your CO is really big, does it have a fundraiser like an annual BBQ or spaghetti dinner where the boys could act as servers, table bussers, anything, and raise money through tip jars for more equipment? Even in this economy, people appreciate the effort boys put into earning thier own way.(This message has been edited by Nike)

Hopalong,

Unless all the non-medical restrictive eaters are in one patrol, placing thier dietary preferences above the tastes of the other members of their patrols will create ill will amoung the boys. My son had a vegan in his patrol once who insisted that everything had to be vegan from the get go and him eating/preparing something separate was bullying. The rest of the patrol sincerely disliked this boy's attitude and actually intensified their already meat laden meals. As the boy was there for food planning, he had opportunity to object or at least insist they eat a vegetable along with the meat extravaganza.

Your troop already has kids handling thier own medically required food issues in the best way possible: they pay the grub fee and bring thier own substitutes if necessary. If the parents of the picky preferences don't like it, they can take their boys to an adult led troop or form their own troop.

Not every minor conflict needs a committee to promulgate a policy.

There are plenty of things we did 100 years ago aren't that important for the vast majority of us ... they don't provide an application to today's way of life.

Yes, but they are still fun.

We've made incredible progress technologically which we use to make these activities much safer and more comfortable than in years past. Parents have to trust the Scouters with thier sons. And, I find that by and large they do.