ozemu

My son is almost 12. Same problem. Did the same in Cubs. Grew out of it early. He has just made APL and I suspect that if he really got tested he might see that there is still much to be learned before the he is the big bloke he wants to be. But he has just started high school and his class has five Scouts from our Troop in it. They are all copping a hiding from peers. I know thtey will eventually get over it if only they can hang in there but I remember the same thing and crickey it is tough. Probably even worse than my teen years. Thanks for the advice. Wife and I will thin

My Regional Commissioner wrote a nice letter back agreeing that begging for lost gear was wrong. He has informed all sections in the region of this and has taken the matter to state level. Thanks for the discussion to which I refered in my letter to my RC. The article I wrote (also containing links to this thread) was not published as he dealt with the matter definitively wheras my article was an appeal to my peer Scouters to cease the practice. Chalk one more up for international cooperation (philosophically and practically).

well done Miki. I read your article some time ago. I was trying to unravel the confusing array of BSA founding fathers named in some long since dead discussion here. A good read. Seton v BP sounds interesting too. Do you know if Kurt Hahn (Outward Bound founder) and BP crossed paths? A generation apart but it seems to me that Kurt followed on with the outdoors as an educational tool. Now he is often considered the father of Outdoor Education but I wonder sometimes if BP had not already laid the groundwork. Maybe a question for Colin who is very nice about questions from novices

thanks Miki, I should have thought things through a little more. I don't know much about BSA history but the story of the 'Fog Man' involved a Boy Scout. Therefore it dates after the Brownsea Island camp of 1907 and certainly after the BP-Seton meeting of 1906. By the way have you been to the Scouting Milestones site? http://www.scouting.milestones.btinternet.co.uk/milestones.htm

Miki, was the Savoy meeting the event that was preceeded by some US gent getting lost in the London fog and being directed to Imperial Scout HQ by an un-named Scout. This being remembered as a significant good turn that helped get BSA going? Or was the lost bloke not Seton but another significant early US Scouting proponent?

Requirments for MB and advancement would be generalised and the SM given more responsibility in deciding the worthyness of each Scouts efforts in earning these badges.

Beatboxing would replace campfire songs. Tag art would be required. Every Scout having an individual tag that incorporates their Patrol sign but shows their role in the Patrol. He would employ Dr Phil as a regular on his own tv program. He would have more frequent flyer points than Pope JP did. BP would be every where. His website would be huge (big) and fully sick (very interesting and exciting)and interactive. BP wrote enormously and would love to be in the chat room. He would remove 'Girl Scouting' in all its forms. Obviously he would also get rid of 'Boy Scouts

Question on random parent. Must the non-registered over 21 adult be a parent of a Scout? Could not another trustworthy adult (SM approved is a given) be used? You know - a teacher, police officer, coach etc. Is the requirement to be a parent a BSA rule or an assumption pls? No criticisim intended FScouter. Just curious.

Yours in Scouting is a more appropriate ending to posts I think. I like Barryś sign off and even Edś although the references are not oneś I look up. Ed uses his Scouting position as well and so I see his referenceś as a sort of smiley face. But Betty you have signed off with a specific idea in mind. It is not a greeting to other Scouts. In this forum we are all Scouts or passionately interested in the future of Scouting. But nowhere do you mention Scouts or Scouting in either post. and you are not my sister (or Sister) in anything....because Im not christian. I am a Sco

A merger. That would be hard to manage. More Scouts does seem to be easier than less though. Welcome and Good luck.

VentureScoutNY please make that the Scout movement. Just because BSA is behind the times is no need to ignore the fact that there are lots of Scouting countries as well as some that lag behind and try and keep our boys and girls apart. Actually I prefer young men and women as terms. Anyway that is enough stirring from down here. (Its an old discussion I know but Im feeling mischevious). Indonesias Scouting seems, on the face of it to be more military in deportment than others. I think that Scouting is in some way compulsory there. According to WOSM though I thought that being vo

Coming back from a rappelling activity with the older Scouts we saw an overturned car. I stopped - told the Scouts to stay put (I didn't know what they might see in the car) and went to help. After the Ambo arived I returned to the car and my son (12 years old) promptly told me that next time he was coming to help. The others also said much the same adding that they have their junior first aid qual so why couldn't they help. I explained that it could have been much more gory. On Sun last we were picking up rubbish at a local park. I showed an 8 year old Cub how to coun

I take digital photo's - they always get stage presence when I do that. Got to look right. to keep things fair you might allow a losing patrol to chose a Scout from a winning patrol for every goal scored. Goes each way of course. Everyone loses track of who started where and they just have fun. You guys are very competitive. I try to avoid that - cooperation being more useful in my book. For this reason I never play any recognised sport. Reasons: All Scouts have fairly equal abilities when playing and using unpracticed skills less showing off less boa

son - dad, daugther - Emu, foster son - Graham, Scouts - Emu or Graham

Thanks Eamonn, just sitting here savouring your shot. Need a bit of that for myself. I do not meet another committed Scouter more than once or twice a year. The weight of running the Troop without dedicated ASM's is sometimes a bit much Ta

Please don't think me rude if I do not reply much. I am working away most of this week.

Okay the other topic asked whether an adult should be an ASM if they had no child in the Troop. What do you do though to give your own children space and experiences that are not influenced by yourself? How do you set them free if you are right there? The norm here: I do not sign off any MB or advancement work for my biological children. I have never been the ASM supervising their Patrol. I ask the ASM's to discipline my kids. I hope they will praise them too. I do not nominate them for recognition (traditions that recognise good campers etc) and hope that the ASM's will do th

I must admit that my jaw dropped after page one of this debate. I did not think people were negative but rather assumed that ASM was a parent position. I know that is not the case but not being BSA I thought for a few moments that I had misread your handbooks a bit. An interesting assumption. I was the ASM without any kids and then without any in the Troop and now I expect they will leave home and leave me alone in the Troop too. I used to get posted to a new location and if I got a desk instead of a command I would really enjoy ringing the local Scout HQ and ask "Do you need

Educate the parents - constantly and relentlessly. Train the Scouts - that's the fun bit. Remember that we are SM's not the parents and if they insist on stuffing up a perfectly good system then that is their right. I've seem it happen - rarely. It has always been hard to watch. Most get the drift quickly. Maybe I overdo it as several have asked if they are doing too much and I have everytime told them they are on track. Like Beaver explained with the grades. In fact I give the talk again Monday night as that is the start of the Scouting year for us. All parents ar

Eamonn I remember that Parkinson made a brief show over here but faded away long ago. CEO of something? Dunno but not on tele. I notice that adults seem to respect Scouting. Kids are always hostile to anything that is threatening or outside their comprehension.

Our PLC decides on the get up time after considering the events for the next day. I then remind all involved that noise before that time is breaking their promise just made and is unfair to those who need thet sleep. Rarely do we need to jump on Scouts the next day - but we also give them boundaries to stay within if they choose to get up earlier and do quite things away from the tents. And then at the appointed time I greet the day with didgereedo kookaburra laughing. That is my daily gesture of respect to our aboriginal culture. I also remind the PLC and Scouts that loud c

Welcome. Old Grey Eagle is indeed your most likely man for the song. Never heard of it myself. There are a few Scouts in here and quite a few Venture Scouts too. ...and about the Eagle. In my view the journey is more important than the destination. Are you proud of what you did in getting to within one badge of Eagle? Also our most useful lessons are often the most painful. Reads like you got a lot of use out of getting one badge short. Well done regardless.

You write about many different problems. Scouts should not be punished. In this case singing is not respectful toward the Scout who lost. PLs should have the most say in what the Patrol and Troop does. They should write the program. The adults make it happen. (For USA readers - I think Scouts in HK has a maximumn age of about 15 same as Australia. At 15 they would move up to another age group - probably Venturers) Not remembering the song in a particular language is understandable. Did you explain that you forgot the words? Were you respectful or did you get angry?

Well John seems to have the thrifty bit worked out. Cops a lot of flack for cut backs in social services.

I was stunned to learn today that my govt has pledged $1 000 000 000 in aid. I didn''t think we had that in the bank! Apparently it sets some sort of world record. Obviously it is meant for immediate help and for reconstruction, also that we have a vested interest in good relations with the effected nations. I hope it works for all of those reasons.