Old_OX_Eagle83

Now Camping states he mis-calculated it is to be OCT 21st, not May 21st.. Can't give up on his dream of world annihilation

Oh, good, I'll be back from Wood Badge, and able to throw a party.

Silly idea all the way around, merely creates a status symbol only obtainable by the wealthy. Most families do well to get a scout to one base. The only accomplishment this represents is tapping the parents deep pockets. Add a requirement that the scout raise all the funds for the trips, and it would be a valid award.

Way to go!

I hate cargos on the front, and polyester ... Did we rehie Oscar De La Rente?

Was the troop founded by an attorney by chance? Id start over for sure. My goal would be bylaws that can fit on the front and back of on sheet of paper. A quality parent guide, not more than four, or five pages long. Id make both electronic, with links to key resources, and email them to save trees and money. You could follow up with a parent orientation meeting, where you offer to answer any questions.

Based upon your Scouting experience please answer the following questions

1. Does your Troop actively recruit 2nd year Webelos Cub Scouts?

Yes

2. If it does what methods are used and what is the approximate success percentage per method?

We host two camp outs a year for this purpose, attend the district Webelo to scout weekends, with displays. We also make it known that any Webelo, first or second year, may attend any meeting, solo, or with his den. We provide Den chiefs, and offer an open invitation for any Webelo 2, with parent, to attend any non-high adventure event with us. BTW, webelo visitors are put in the patrols, and treated just line all other scouts. We also make ourselves available to conduct any, or all, of the crossover program for any pack. We have three ASMs that also hold positions in the packs we actively recruit from, and have scouts on staff for all cub events.

We actively recruit from two packs, and passively recruit from all in our district. Its difficult to divide success per method, as our approach is holistic. Independently, these methods would be far less effective.

Of the two packs we actively recruit from, we obtained 6 of 6 2nd year Webelo scouts from one pack, and 3 out of 7 from the other. The first pack has a top notch program, and second a poor program. The 4 of 7 scouts we did not get out of the 2nd pack, did not continue with scouting. We also obtained 4 additional scouts from other packs via passive recruiting.

3. On average how many Cub Packs does your Troop recruit?

We actively recruit from two packs.

4. If the Troop does not recruit where do find your new Boy Scouts?

Any additional information will be very helpful.

We actively recruit, making every effort to make build strong, healthy, relationships with local packs.

My two cents:

Ive seen plenty of this. Im an ADC, who has provided unit service for several years. Im also a ASM, who just finished two years as a Park Trainer. This is something Ive spend some time looking at, and I hope I have some useful insight.

Like with most other issues, Ive found the issue stems from a few different sources. In short, heres the list:

1. Packs that dont camp, and avoid outdoor events

2. A Webelo program that does not prepare scouts for the transition

3. Umbrella parents who arent comfortable with the transition away from the parent and child model

4. Conflicting activities causing time/resource shortages

5. Packs that bill award of the AoL award as a graduation, an end of the program

Three out of these five can be prevented by a quality program. Possibly four out of the five, as confidence and trust can be earned by a troop, if they have a strong relationship with the pack, and more importantly the Webelo den.

You can't double dip, using the same time for den leader's knot, and cub scouter's knot. Typically: den leaders will earn the den leader knots that fit with the positions they have held; the CM will be working toward unit leader award of merit; the trainer working on the park trainer award; Committee members will work toward the cub scouter award. It's possible for any cub scout leader to work on the cub scouter knot, must don't if they are in a position that offers a specific knot, and do not already hold it.

Welcome! I hope this will be a two way street, I'd love to hear about scouting in the UK.

At eleven years old what does a boy know about sexual orientation? All young men can benefit from scouting; none should be excluded. Our English brothers appear to get this. We should follow suit. We are still in the business of building character, instilling values, teaching citizenship, and developing leaders, arent we? If the young men who come to us are not in need of what we offer this all becomes one big slumber party with cool patches

Im an ADC, and can tell you this issue is common. Commissioner is the 2nd oldest adult scouting position, and we still serve a very important role. Grats on stepping up. As far as being effective, stick to one, or two, Charter Orgs, and make sure they are near your home or work. If there is an org with a full scouting family, meaning Park, Troop, Crew, thats perfect. The key is dont spread yourself thin, all units need service, but you can only do so much effectively. Complete your basic training, asap, and get to Commissioners College, it will help. Start slow, get to know your unit leaders, scouts, parents, and charter rep.

I would not only visit unit meetings. Heres how Id start. Call the SM, ask to come visit. One the introduce yourself, be in full uniform, and make sure you are not taking any notes. Sit back and observe, only getting involved when asked to. Dont be a distraction, or interfere in any way. Record your impressions, and sore the unit in uvats as soon as you get home. Next call the charter rep, ask to meet with him, if hes too busy, that fine, ask for a few moments on the phone. Explain to the rep who and what you are, and your function. Now ask for permission to attend a committee meeting, and do so. These are the best first steps, from here, you need to visit in the field. To be effective you must become a friend, and goto guy, but remain at arms length from the units operation friend, but outsider.

Welcome back, glad to see ya stepping up and pitching in.

As far as the uniform, a MB instructor has to register, and can wear a uniform. the fact that the uniform is vintage matters not at all. Once uniform, always uniform. Heres the key question, do you want to restore the uniform for display? If its for display, put it back the way it was when you were a youth. If you intend to wear the uniform see the BSA Insignia Guide. As an adult what goes on the uniform, and where in some cases, changes quite a bit. If you wear the uniform, it must be with the correct insignia for your current position.

In my time Ive work Cub Scout blues, Boy Scout green, Explorer green, Boy Scout Oscar De La Rente tan, and Centennial Tan. I even have my original red and whites, from before my council offered a CSP. Id like to find an Oscar De La Rente explorer green in my size, I dont like the Venture spruce

Tombitt, your intent is good, but youre not seeing the whole picture. Let me ask you this: Is your son allowed to have is cell phone in school; in his classes at school? Is your son allowed to bring his phone into church? Heck, is he even allowed to have it on in a movie theater? There are times and places for everything, and camp is no place for a cell phone. The homesick scout example above is a good one. There is an obvious distraction factor, and a less obvious issue undermining authority with mom and dad one button away man that would make youth leading anything a major headache. In as far as safety, Im sure the adult leaders have communication covered, and should they all be struck down in a freak accident, the scouts can use the phones the adults are carrying

There is also the issue of high dollar electronics getting lost, or destroyed. Besides, these young men need to swith off, disconnect, and slow down, now and again. Where better to get off the grid then at camp?

Interesting, I'm glad I didn't have this issue. Ive bought every eagle variant since I earned my eagle, the 75th, the current, and the 100th. I even was allowed to buy an old stock 70s eagle badge, but that was many moons ago. Maybe its because all the staff know me, and are sure Id not sell an eagle badge on ebay. Maybe its because Im not a unit scouter, no one even asked why I wanted it.

Frankly, I cant see making this difficult for an eagle scout; what if he has multiple uniforms? I also cant see anyone deserving of the eagle award selling it on ebay.

Im a firm believer that when scouts are involved in any activity that puts them in the public eye a full uniform is in order. The only exception would be an activity the will damage, or destroy, the uniform. The uniform is a source of pride, and a strong recruiting tool.

Stosh, you are correct in stating the US Code does not prescribe how the flag is to be folded. However, there is a traditional way of folding the flag, and a correct way to show respect. Although our goal is not the emulate the military in all matters, there is nothing wrong with following an example of honoring those who deserve it, through the flag that binds us to our forefathers.

With all due respect, our military, that of the United States, began, and has returned to citizen soldiers. We The People protect this nation and defend its people, in uniform when needed, and support become part of the nations workforce when not needed. Those brave, devoted, citizens who stand the post every day deserve our utmost respect.

One must be vigilant that the traditions of the military and civilian are not the same, is horse-hocky. We are one people, and in as far as Scouting, it was based on a military model at its inception, and continues to be so. There is danger in being confused with military, and that must be avoided, but beyond that there is much of value to learn from the military.

Your cant do list is the fabrication of lazy leaders who do believe in the program or the scouts. There are two choices here. You can either encourage the current adult leaders to get up off their duffs, and pull their heads out of their rears, or find parents who believe in the program and scouts. Welcome back to Scouting, and good luck, those boys clearly need you.

Thank you Tampa. the problem with getting hooked, is getting off the hook, lol.

I was a scout as a youth, 8 to 21. I volunteered as a Commissioner and OA Chap Adviser before my children were scout age. After that, 13 years of Girl Scouts with my oldest. 3 years of cubs with the middle child, wh did not stay in the program. a return to commissioner service and District service, until my youngest gotm involcd. My youndest is fifteen years younger than my oldest.

Now I'm juggeling several hats, looking my heads to drop them on, and have spent 33 of my 43 years on the scouting trail. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but get a bit worn out from time to time. To contract that, once I get rid of some of these hats, I may try being a Scoutmaster, something I've never done.

Yes, of course your son can be in the program.

What bothers me in the original post is a nice, high-quality tan shirt. To me this says, Im too good for the BSA uniform, not I cant afford it. This is why I made the Uniforms are uniform by design comment. One purpose on the uniform is to remove status symbols that are not an intended part of the program. I recall back on the early 80s, army surplus stores had lots of tan short sleeved shirts that looked just like the BSA shirt, except for the cut of the pocket corners. Many boys wore these shirts, due to hardship, that was an acceptable stop gap. Going out and buying a thousand count Egyptian cotton tan shirt is not.

Bovine, as I read your post Im convinced your troop is making a darn good choice! You care, you see whats right, and want to make it happen.

Webelo scouts camping as a den is a very good idea. Not only are there requirements to cover, they need to start getting ready for Boy Scouts. Be very mindful of the rules that apply, these young men arent Boy Scouts get. Visiting with troops, and camping with them should be encouraged. If possible, do this as a den, and go to several troops. Encourage the boys to go with a parent, outside the den. This is the best medicine for you as well, camp with the troop youre going to, with, and without, your den. Find out what troops have solid, high quality programs, and ask to visit them in the field, as well as meetings. Do your outdoor skills training, and Wood Badge, if youre comfortable (Wood Badge can wait). Read Scouting for Boys and Green Bar Bills 3rd ed Scout Masters Handbook, as well as the current one in the order.

OA involvement is a personal thing, although you can go as a unit, its not a unit activity. Dont worry about the OA for now, you have enough irons in the fire, just know its a quality program that is there to help.

/scout salute

Good luck, your feet are on the correct path.

Maybe the program has changed too much. Yes, we could strive to become in sync with the current generation, and clearly are, media pocket on the uniform? My point is offering the youth more of what they have doesnt make sense. To succeed you have to identify, and fill, a need, or want, that is not being addressed. This was true with BP wrote Scouting for Boys, and its true today. Whats also true is the void that we filled in 1910 is the same void that exists today, because we have stopped filling it.

Pick up Scouting for Boys, read it, remove the non-PC content, and restate it in a way that boys of the 21st century can understand. Put that program on. Does this sound too easy, that because it is, we just cant see the forest for the trees.

Ever notice how the councils and districts keep coming back to us old school leaders, and pulling us back in, theres a reason. Im a District Roundtable Commissioner, and see lots of new leaders come and go, mostly go. We keep getting brought back in to run units, because we understand scouting, and that si to say we understand the patrol method. As admirable as this is, its bad. What we need to be doing is training the new adult leaders. One way of doing this is providing the correct program to the scouts, knowing if they get it, they will fill our shoes one day. However, there arent enough of us, we need to train he newer adult leaders as well.

Whats more satisfying then seeing some soccer mom, with dirt under her manicured nails, in her now ripped and dirty Kalvin Klein jeans, with that expression that says I get it? The problem is too few do get it, because the training is bunk. This isnt just about the ladies. Believe me, there are plenty of ipad carring, Starbuck addicted, desk jockeys, who cluelessly pull up in their Lincoln Navigators. This is what we have to work with, and is quite possibly a statement that our program has too high of a price tag. None the less, we need to pry this group away from watching the sport of the moment on their 50 inch plasma TVs, and give them what they missed in their youth, so they can pass it on.

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We are who and what we are, and as such were valuable to the program. I dont try to be anyone other than who I am, a semi-reformed hippie, who likes riding his Harley, and hanging out with mother nature. The underlying thing is, I care about my children, as well as youth in general, and do give a crap where things are going. Sure, the scouts laugh about my lack of fashion sense, and my love of the dead musicians club, as they say I dont listen to music from any living artist. Heres the thing, these kids adopt my retro crap, retro sounds better than Vintage. They will sing Old Rocky Top at the top of their lungs, having fun doing it; yell left turn clyde, when I use a hand signal; and knarley dude upon entering a latrine. Are they making fun of me, maybe, but this is how they treat each other Im in! My point is they are paying attention, and learning from me, the old dude.

Along with "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son, they picked up a few good things. At a recent camporee the Webelo scouts in my care, bolting to turn in their competition materials, stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Old Glory being raised, letting all the other scouts pass them. The salutes were at a right degree angle, the stances erect. Our DE was raising a 2nd flag, one just brought to him. This was a flag that came home draped across the casket of a fallen Marine. The flag had become worn from the years his widow flew it in his memory, and was brought to us for retirement. The widow, damp eyed, made a point of thanking the Webelo scouts for their show of respect.

Not too long ago I had a talk with two scouts, who were in a fierce argument, nearing the point of physical altercation. The issue was a difference of religious belief. I explained the 12th point of The Scout Law, and how that involves being respectful of the beliefs of others, no matter how greatly that differ from your own beliefs. The scouts are back to being friends, and sometimes ask each other about the others beliefs, so that they can show proper respect. How different would the world be if every young man was taught this lesson?

Are we relevant, do we make a difference, you bet. Are we cool, no way, and who cares.

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Having letters was never required, but if I were the scout in question, I'd provide the letters with teh ap. No only does this look good, it removed potential road blocks.

The only new uniform I know of, is an update of the high end uniform worn mostly by pros. Dont bother with that one. As far as forcing you to buy a new uniform to participate, Id not stand for that. BSA uniform policy is made by two groups, National Council and a units Charter Org Local Council is neither. With my unit I wear the current (centennial uniform). When in other roles, Ive been known to wear vintage pieces, and just picked up a arrow and rings vintage explorer shirt Im going to setup and use. Once uniform, always uniform.

85-90lbs, you do know there is a max pack weight, correct? Your Ranger will shake that down to size for sure.