perdidochas

I'm a former TDL, DL, WDL, MC, Advancement chair, and ASM. I have no problem with coed Cub Scout packs, and no problem with girl only/boy only Scout Troops. I don't think a coed Troop is a good idea, though, at this time. I feel boys would be muscled out of leadership positions in a coed Troop. At that age, girls are just better at most organizational/political activities. It's why, at least locally, most middle/high school student body Presidents/SGA orgs are run by females. I'm not an Eagle, but my two sons were. (I was a 2-year Tenderfoot).

Well, Vader is "Father" in Dutch.

Well, we find that COH's light the fire. We have had meetings the week before the COH where we had 4 or 5 BORs.

So Scouts can only have BORs after requesting one at a committee meeting? Do your committees meet more than once a month? If not, they are doing a disservice to the Scouts, if arranged as described.

Actually, the Cyber Chip is a requirement for the Scout rank. You are right that it's not a BOR requirement. There is no BOR for the Scout Rank. file:///C:/Users/charles.harden/Downloads/524-012_bs_requirements_web.pdf

In my sons' (and my) former troop, we grabbed any parent we could. Yes, the Advancement coordinator was often involved, sometimes the CC, but we had a variety of committee members and/or parents who did this. This way we almost always had someone who had done it before. It wasn't intentional, but since we often had more than one BOR scheduled for a meeting, we would often have two going at once. If we just had the same three committee members doing it, we'd be out of luck.

Well, first, we tell the boys to take pics of their requirements, now that camera phones are universal. We also give them the option to give their books to the Advancement Chair (or Scribe) to put into Troop Web Host. Also, we highly encourage the use of the book protectors, which make books easier to identify, and give some protection.

Condoms are available in the States, but not generally distributed for free at BSA activities, as BSA was all male.

I agree with you 100%. What I'm afraid of with these alternative groups is that they may end up turning off kids who would be great as Boy Scouts.

Not a bad idea.

Of course legal means allowed. It might not mean appropriate, but it does mean allowed. In terms of the accidental knife thing, at least in our school district, they have a rule called "safe harbor." If the scout turns the knife in to his teacher as soon as he's aware of it, the knife just gets confiscated until the child's parent comes and picks it up, no other repercussions. If the student discovers he has the knife, and tells his buddy and tries to hide it, that's a different matter. I made sure all the scouts in the troop knew this rule. We never had an incident that I know

A multitool with a 3" blade is next to useless. It's a nanny state law. Simply harshly punish offensive use of objects, not categorize things as inherently offensive. It's an irrational law.

Knife, flashlight, first aid kit (very basic), small binoculars, tissues, eyeglass repair kit, microfiber for eyeglasses, phone charger bank, phone cords, sunglasses, can coozie. If 55% of men started carrying them, I would.

The official BSA standard is keeping it in the Scout Handbook. You guys are just adding to the requirements.

I carry a flashlight every day as well (in addition to the one on my phone).

I don't (and have never) carried a pocket knife as an offensive (or even defensive) weapon. I just carry them because there are times you need to cut, etc.

Thank you for backing me up. I'm very glad that they have revised that. Our Pack/Troop is a coastal troop (meeting place is only about 100 yards from the Intercoastal canal). It was absurd to keep our cubs from being able to ride in a canoe with their parents, when many of our cubs (even tigers) were experienced kayakers.

You live differently than I do. It's rare that I don't have a pocketknife (pretty much just airplanes and courthouses). Some weeks, I don't use them. Others, I use them everyday. A knife (especially a multitool or a Swiss Army knife) is a multipurpose tool (that includes screwdrivers).

Very impractical, IMHO. I pretty much have a pocket knife (and a torch) with me whenever I'm camping.

I was an active Scout Leader (Advancement chair and then ASM), until a few months after my sons became inactive. I'm still a MBC, but that's just occasional.

Because you have interacted with them, and have found the majority of Wood Badge trained people in your Council that you have met to be non-impressive in Scout skills and Spirit. I've met only a few in our Council that have been through Wood Badge that I have though highly of.

Per G2ss at the time, Cub Scouts were only allowed to canoe on Council camps. I see now that they've changed it to a more generic flat water (this occurred when my now almost high school graduate was a Tiger Cub in 2007.

I've always just used the 90% rule. If I can bring 90% of them home, we're doing fine.

I am happy to say that in my sons' troop, the troop guides taught them how to light campstoves and lanterns on their first campout, and how to cook on the campstoves.

It is hard to do. When my oldest first joined the Troop, they never backpacked or did anything but plop camp in the same 5 or 6 spots. The older Scouts (the ones about to age out) would tell their higher adventure stories--backpacking, canoe camping, etc. When I became an ASM with the Troop (along with my friend who became a new SM of the Troop), we remedied that. We encouraged a backpacking trip, a caving trip, canoe trips, etc. The thing is, it's not like I was experienced in all of those things, I just knew the boys needed more adventure. The first night I ever backpacked was also th