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Depends on the project. In general, scouts at this age are better served by being asked to exercise verbal presentation skills. I would encourage troops to avoid mandating boiler-plate formats.

We really enjoyed the West Point Camporee when we went. But, that hill top is mighty exposed. I can imagine foul weather triggering mass casualty. Snow amounts are unpredictable. Two inches less and a bit colder and everyone would be bragging about getting another winter campout in. However, the need to declare such a casualty alert should not be considered a failure. If hundreds were treated and released the same day, that’s a success. Winds, on the other hand, require mass evacuation—all with serious risks. If such an advisory is in the forecast, dodging is the best option.

Things are a lot more positive when you have your hammock on a sandy plain with rice plants and praying mantis nymphs while the Italians host Catholic mass at sunset over the Yellow Sea. But put my biases aside … WOSM and BSA are youth movements. Nothing in either organizations’ mission statements speaks explicitly to environmental activism — certainly not above all other considerations. There is no reason to think that any member should turn down the opportunity to camp on a site merely because of the political controversy generated. Our troop, during pre-tour, was privileged to have a guide who walked us through various challenges and ensuing protests that his country faced. He traced many to population density; some, to superstitions about building homes on mountain sides. Context makes one slower to judge.

@yknot, were you there? Do you have anything (say a garrison athletic complex or a reclaimed strip mine) with which to compare it?

I hope other countries around the world will not be discouraged from hosting the WSJ fearing lack of “Experience working on large international events.” I had a great time on that reclaimed seabed, and would’ve have rather spent more time there. It’s tragic that the event continues to be used for political witch hunts.

This might actually be a boon for recruitment. “Hate this admin? Have we got a program for you!” Fact remains that my scouts are more comfortable in their skin under open sky than most other recruits.

The best benefit a scout could have is lots of buddies being able to afford to join the troop. We’d use windfalls like this to offset registration or camp fees. You could even recognize that a particular weekend was thanks to the efforts of the family and their corporate matching program.

You probably have three things working against you: 1. Memorabilia worth in dollars is cyclical, not linear. Councils have tended to over-produce patches. So there’s a glut. 2. People like me give old patches away to young scouts. We don’t care if you’d pay a grand for it. If you aren’t hiking and camping with us and we haven’t seen your Scout Spirit IRL, you ain’t getting it. 3. I personally invest time sharing my values to scouts. They grow up and become hard customers. (Just try selling anything to my adult children.) I’m sure others are like me. We work for smiles. If there’s an opportunity to put a smile on a face instead of a dollar in a pocket, I’m in.

Motorboating and Water Skiing merit badges have been around for a long time. They are part of the program because in many parts of the country they are things that kids *do* experience, and nation benefits from them learning to do it safely. But when a camp program tries to be all things to all people with limited staff, the aquatics director needs to dig heels in and limit the programs offered.

The simple reason: a reputable caving association has not put forward a coherent set of requirements and waited for the roughly five year process of comment, testing and revision.

@acco40 short answer: yes. Half of that audience became of voting age, and the majority likely voted in favor of the challenger. The incumbent did not present at the ‘23 Jambo. A smaller portion of the audience became of voting age, and the majority of those voted for the challenger. Regardless, “sheltering” scouts from our nation’s leaders (and what thoughtful opinions we may have of them) is an immoral capitulation to memes.

@Scoutmom3X scouts in my troop are going coral reef sailing this August as well. (I decided to sit this trip out so other adults could have a hand in emptying their pockets so that they could sit back and watch boys master a real boat. The key thing that I pointed out to them is if they get mad at everyone, the furthest away hat they can go is 44’. I strongly encouraged team activities, so that everyone knows how to put up with each other's quirks.

Soon to include Canada and Greenland?

Reality check: now that he’s making the effort, he may still fall short. But at least he’s making an effort. I think the thing that was depressing you was that period of lack of concern that befalls most teens. On some it happens at the most self-defeating moments.

This doesn’t sound like the cost of material, but rather labor. The bean-counters have been converting service hours to dollars for decades. Edited to add … @DuctTape undersold himself. Based on the amount of people that could be fed for that amount 50 years ago, his project must have taken hundreds of man-hours. Even with labor costs of the time, it could have been worth a thousand dollars.