perdidochas

1 hour ago, Tampa Turtle said:

I have been in enough Troop photos to know: short newbies to the front, fat old guys to the back. I like my first years to be belly shielding height. 

I resemble that remark.  

21 hours ago, Redman said:

I am new to scouting and the committee.  I have recently found out that our Committee Chair has our pack trailer registered and titled only in her name.  She has threatened to leave the pack.  If this is the case where does the trailer go?  She bought it with pack money but she has been in control of the finances for 14 years and our last audit was done 11 years ago.  In short is it safe to assume she owns the trailer since her name is the only one on it and the pack will not be able to get it unless she is willing to sign it over?  Who should the pack trailer be registered, titled, and insured by?

Should be registered and titled under the name of the CO.  

17 hours ago, SpEdScouter said:

Just like the title says, we are going to be staying for 3 days in a state park. Can we stay in a camper like a pop up instead of using tents?

Sure, but in general, it shouldn't count as camping for Camping Merit Badge or for T-2-1 requirements.  Special needs scouts are a different issue.  

On 1/31/2018 at 4:23 PM, The Latin Scot said:

This is mildly amusing to me ... when you say "actually enjoy my time before Eagle," does that mean that most people ... don't? Or that somehow things will change after you earn it? Don't get me wrong, you have a lot going on in school, and you should definitely focus on that for the time being. But that's always the risk boys run with Scouting - every year they get even busier, and for too many boys, 18 comes before they know it and they are left with more hurdles than they expected when they actually get to the application process.

I was talking a few months ago with a 13 year-old Life Scout who was telling me a similar feeling he had; he said he was in no hurry to get his Eagle, and that he wanted to spend time enjoying Scouts before getting it done. The point I made to him then, which I make again now, is that this line of thinking wrongly implies that once the rank of Eagle is earned Scouting somehow "ends." Get your kicks in now Life Scouts, because once you get your Eagle the fun stops and the wilderness is closed and it's time for you to move on with your life! I more or less told him that if he quit Scouting as soon as he got to Eagle, he missed the whole point of it, regardless of how old he was. Fortunately he took those words to heart - he turned 14 last week, and his Eagle Court of Honor is this Friday.

You can and should be happy with where you are at, but at the same time, it does mean that you are choosing to wait before moving forward, which is by definition a degree of procrastination. It isn't saying whether it's good or bad or right or wrong - it's simply that for now, you are putting off your Scouting advancement, and will presumably get back to it at a later time. It is important to prioritize, and right now school comes out on top for you.

For that reason though, I would think it somewhat pretentious to put "Eagle candidate" on a resume. It comes off as an attempt to take advantage of the reputation of Eagle Scouts by stating, more or less, someday I might be one! or not, but still - hire me! The proper term for an Eagle candidate is a Life Scout, but it seems people just want employers to see the word EAGLE in hopes that it will give them some edge over other applicants. It would appear from past posts however that you are more than capable and experienced enough to put out a good resume already; you don't need to pad it by suggesting you are working to become something that, as of now, you are not. Later when you have completed the requirements and pass your Board of Review, you can definitively place "Eagle Scout" among the other honors and awards you have earned.

My oldest enjoyed his post-Eagle time more than his pre-Eagle time.  Admittedly, he was the first Eagle in the memory of the Troop that stayed actively involved for more than a few months after getting his Eagle.  

20 hours ago, Col. Flagg said:

My experience has been that moms get stuff done...but usually end up taking away a learning opportunity from the boys. Dads do this too, but not with the frequency of the moms.

I would think as long as the boys are using the Patrol Method and executing the program -- if that means it is not done to the efficiency of the moms or dads -- then that's what you want.

The moms in my troop do things like order t-shirts and help with fundraising. Their choice has been to leave the outdoorsy stuff up to the male leadership.  So, I disagree totally with the idea that men don't get stuff done.  

On 1/31/2018 at 1:21 PM, ParkMan said:

I agree that these are the things we do today.  My bigger point though is that I think the movement needs to regroup a bit.  We're I in charge of things, I'd do three things:

- clarify the program.  There needs to be much clearer guidance on how to implement much of this stuff.  There should not be arguments on wherther the scouts or the adults should buy tents.  This kind of thing ought to be more clearly spec'd out.

- improve the mechanics.  Just about every troop has boring troop meetings.  It's great that some troop has this figured out. It needs to get captured, distilled, and rolled out.  Not the hokey program notes kinds stuff.  But a real, simple recipe that even I cannot mess us.

- improve training for volunteers.  I'm not talking about the "so you're a new ASM class".  There needs to be a real continuing education program for leaders.

 

 

I agree of clarifiying and improving training.  I learned very little in the Boy Scout level training.  That said, there were people in the training classes with me that learned a lot, and they needed a lot more.  

Boring troop meetings are sometimes a consequence of SPLs learning their jobs.  There is no recipe that will work for all troops, as each troop has it's own set of peculiar personalities.  

On 1/30/2018 at 10:47 AM, cocomax said:

The article points to the popularity of Jordan Peterson,   Jordan Peterson has said many times that the young men who flock to him are hungry for responsibility in a world that scream for rights. 

My question is do young men view BSA as a group to join that would aid them to grow in good character and learn to be responsible or do young men view BSA has something else?

At a time when young men need something like the BSA more than ever how come they are not flocking to join?

 

Video games and year round sports.  

10 hours ago, ItsBrian said:

I’m not saying that the Eagle Scout is right or anything, he shouldn’t be talking back first of all.

Why do you require closed toe shoes? I understand for camping trips, hikes, events, etc. But if it’s  just a simple meeting why do you need them?

Closed toed shoes is the basic rule for all scouting activities in my Council, even meetings.  That said, my boys' troop was a full uniform troop (including socks), and the sandal/BSA green sock look isn't a good one.  

On 1/30/2018 at 5:51 PM, gblotter said:

This.

If the tent is not their own, our Scouts take no particular care in how it is used, maintained and stored. It is too frustrating to see troop funds abused in this way, so we eliminated troop tents. Most of our Scouting families are well-equipped with their own camping gear, so it really has not been a problem.

Our troop's problem with personal tents has been vandalism and other scouts not being respectful of their troopmate's property.  That said, my sons had personal tents and had zero problems.  Our troop had a rule that any scout could bring a personal tent.  If they were Star Scout and above, they didn't need a tentmate.  Below Star they needed a tentmate.  This was the existing culture when I started as a leader. Personally, I would have made that a First Class Scout privilege, but wasn't my choice to make.

23 hours ago, ItsBrian said:

Fitness and cycling.

Im only 15.

No reason to not Eagle at 15. Both of my sons did.  My oldest had a great time as senior scout after he got his Eagle.

1 hour ago, Duhawk49 said:

I was reading through the participant handbook and noticed they want all scuba participants to have a dive watch. What has everyone else been using. Just want a low cost option that works ok at the depths we will be seeing. Thanks for any help. 

Pretty much any 200M watch is sufficient for Scuba diving.  I wouldn't get less than 200m, because of basic ruggedness.  Casio makes affordable ones.

15 hours ago, NJCubScouter said:

I don't think the GSUSA will ever accept boys as members.  I don't think it's even an issue within that organization.

As for "homosexuals," they dropped their policy of excluding "homosexuals" long before the BSA did.  

Not that I'm an expert on GSUSA.  Both my daughters quit the Girl Scouts more than 20 years ago.  But that's what I've read.

 

GSUSA does take transgendered "girls,"  which are boys who think they are girls.  

29 minutes ago, Back Pack said:

People put ms or ba or bs in their titles? Really? That’s lame. 

It's pretty common in the Educational Technology world. In addition, some expect you to put your highest IT certification as well.  

On 1/27/2018 at 2:30 PM, ItsBrian said:

 

I told them the same exact thing as you all said.

I didn’t earn it yet, and I’m not exactly close so why would I put it?

Theoretically, you could finish up in 3 1/2 months or less. Get on those MBs ASAP.  

On 1/27/2018 at 11:32 AM, ItsBrian said:

I’m being told by my parents and other troop leaders that I should put “Eagle Scout Canidate” on my resume to present myself better. But, I don’t believe I’m a “Canidate” until I fill out the application, etc. 

I did my project, I am only two merit badges away. 

I wanted other scouters opinions on how they would feel if they saw it.

What MBs do you have left?  Get to work on them. The light is at the end of the tunnel.  If you don't have Personal Fitness or Personal Management, get to work on them immediately.  

On 1/24/2018 at 3:01 PM, ItsBrian said:

I don’t like collection drives either. It doesn’t prove Leadership and it’s nothing meaningful in my opinion. My troop has two clothing drives a year, but don’t see us using it as a Eagle Scout Project.

I think it can definitely prove leadership, but it would have to be pretty well planned to do so.  

On 1/24/2018 at 7:58 PM, Eagle94-A1 said:

Project had meaning and wasn't because it was easy effort. Heard some Christmas horror stories about poor kids, in the hospital, for Christmas. That got the idea going. Good bit of work advertising, collecting, and especially cleaning ( was collecting new and "gently used" toys and had to be cleaned to hospital standards, and even then, I think they took them somewhere to be sterilized) the toys. Then distributing them. That was heartwrenching. 

To me the above project is pretty involved and would take leadership, especially due to the requirements for cleanliness, etc. 

On 1/24/2018 at 9:56 AM, ValleyBoy said:

With our local councils camporee coming up this weekend and from reading posts on this site for the past few months it has got me to thinking about what type camping locations other Troops use for camping trip. 

Our Troop usually only camps on scout property at most 2 times a year.  One is the upcoming camporee this weekend and another scout property if a council event is scheduled for that location.  The second scout property is mainly used cub scout family camping and other district or council activities.   

We usually camp once a year in the primitive area of a local public campground.  Troop has never been charged to camp at this location.

In the 13 years I have been with the troop, we have only camped in a state/public campground 3 times.   The rest of out troop camping trips have been on private property.  Out of all the private property that our Troop has use I know of no cases were the property owner would not allow the Troop to  return to the property.  Usually the only cost that the scouts have for these camping trips on private property is the cost of the food for the camping trip.

What type locations do your units usually use for camping trips. 

I'd say the primary type we used when I was with my sons' troop was state parks.  I know we stayed at state parks in FL (home state), AL, MS and LA.  We also have stayed in a tribal park (campground run by a local Native American tribe), national park (Gulf Islands National seashore), scout camps (several different councils), Naval bases (most military bases have group camping for scouts) and national forest campgrounds. Wish we had private property as an option.  

6 hours ago, Tampa Turtle said:

Mess Kits! How about bowls or frisbees? For water bottles we advocate Smartwater Bottles and reused them over Nalgenes. YMMV.

Yes Scouts should be cooking for themselves. The only exception would be if for example (we did this) when the older boys were doing an overnight 25 mile speed hike and arrived at camp to find that the younger scouts had cooked them bacon, eggs, and biscuits. Was the younger boys idea and well they were pretty popular for a couple hours.

Well, my definition of mess kit is pretty broad.  They vary from the old aluminum mess kit, to the plastic mess kit with bowl/plate/cup utensils in a mesh bag, to frisbees and utensils, to plastic origami looking bowls/cups to collapsible silicone bowls/utensils with a cup (my choice), to whatever they want.  Reusable water bottles ranges from Nalgenes (which were your words, not mine :-)  ), to whatever drink bottle they drank on the way to the campout, to empty gatorade bottles, or smartwater bottles.  Nalgenes are the top choice, but that's just because they look cooler than smartwater bottles.  My oldest has had his Nalgene for about 6 years now. His goal is to break it, because the scout urban legend is that if you break a Nalgene, they replace it, and they give you a t-shirt.  

3 hours ago, Tampa Turtle said:

I try to set a good example by varying it up. I've done the tarp thing a couple times, cowboy camping, bivy sacking, making a lean-to just to mix it up. I usually get a scout or two ask some questions and check it out. I will say its good to practice something new BEFORE the campout.

Hammock camping is a whole new world of fiddly.

Between the leaders and the older scouts, we did the same, my oldest being the most varied camper in the troop.  I've seen him in cabin tents, in what I call a coffin style backpacking tent, a Japanese pop-up, a tarp on the ground, just the ground, on top of a picnic table, and hammock with or without tarp.  Most of the OA boys are that way. Most of our leaders use two-four man tents (some conventional, some backpacking) or sleep on the ground if the weather is dry. I very rarely tent camp, I usually hammock/tarp, and I don't cowboy camp or tarp camp.  

4 hours ago, Tampa Turtle said:

We count Hammocks as equal to tent camping if it has a tarp and they sleep in it overnight. I like to think of them as 'elevated tents'.

I would count hammocks without a tarp as counting as "camping beneath the stars."  That said, hammocks with tarps should definitely be considered as at least equal to sleeping in a tent. The process to set up a tarp/hammock is a bit more complex than setting up most tents.  

1 hour ago, Jameson76 said:

They are literally everywhere, if the Scouts look.  We encourage them to look at organizations they are involved with if possible so there will be a higher sense of ownership and buy in.  Also many have come from relative that are involved with shelters, schools, etc and the scouts take on those

- Schools

- Churches

- Sports groups

- Parks

 

Exactly. There are ES projects that can be done at almost any community organization.  

To answer the topic of the thread, I've noticed that ES projects are varied in how they come about.  I gave an idea to my oldest son--outdoor Stations of the Cross at our Parish.  The Parish loved it.  My youngest son was asked to build a fire pit on our Parish church grounds for use by the youth group and the Easter vigil fire.  The Parish also loved it.  Another Scout talked to the Priest, and lucked out in that the Church was having a bat problem, found while they were fixing the roof.  He built bat houses to house the bats after they got booted from the Church.  Another scout built cat shelters for a feral cat rescue.  Another of our scouts determined that his neighborhood had a flooding problem, due to hurricane debris in some drainage ponds.  His project was to clean out the drainage ponds.  

On 1/21/2018 at 2:02 PM, ItsBrian said:

Didn’t know what else to put as the title so please excuse it.

Anyway, my troop has recently shared a cabin with another Troop. We noticed how we were completely different and did things different (nothing wrong with that).

They used paper products, we used mess kits. They used plastic cups, we used refillable water bottles. The adults did a decent amount of cooks, we have adults only supervise. They take their time on a Sunday, cooking a full meal and not leaving until 12, we have a quick meal and leave by 8-9. 

My biggest issue was their Leadership, I had to track down people from their troop, that I knew nobody in it, and basically had to just say “You’re on KP”, and so on. The SPL wasn’t really doing anything, the past SPL / Troop Guide was. 

They were the host so we went with whatever they do, but we used our own mess kits. 

Otherwise, it was a great weekend. I’m not saying the troop is horrible or bad or anything, just how I never realized Troops are that different and it’s different for each troop. 

Im not saying my troop is better.

We got invited back for next year so we must’ve done something right.

Well, IMHO, at least in terms of the kitchen, your troop did it better.  IMHO, Scout campers should be using mess kits and  refillable water bottles, and the scouts should be cooking for themselves.  

17 hours ago, SSF said:

The Boy Scouts of America are becoming "family friendly" (a huge mistake) and the troop in question is being overrun by parents who don't value the patrol method.

What is the solution?

Training.

9 hours ago, Tampa Turtle said:

I discussed this with Mrs Turtle and she wished she had one boy stay back a year in scouts so he would be more socially in sync with his contemporaries. So "we don't repeat" is not an iron clad rule...I will eat my words. (crow over a campfire...does this count for cooking MB somewhere?)

Well, as I said, it depends on the individual.  It worked to hold my son back, but a friend of his did just fine by staying with his age cohort.  

On 7/12/2017 at 10:46 AM, CalicoPenn said:

 

I suspect that even if Troops are pushing First Class-First Year, 6 camping trips a year might be ambitious for some troops trying to provide a balanced program.

Unless weather doesn't permit, I think having only 6 camping trips a year is a disservice.  My boys' old troop did 11 a year.  They just skpped December, and that was primarily due to lack of attendance and the holidays.