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qwazse last won the day on January 6
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qwazse's Achievements
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@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.
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Soon to include Canada and Greenland?
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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.
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Are Eagle Projects Now Valued by Money Spent?
qwazse replied to RememberSchiff's topic in Issues & Politics
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. -
Definitely let him be a patrol member even if for a few weeks. If the patrol has a medallion, send him a care package with a few of them.
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Another Camping MB 9B Requirement Question :)
qwazse replied to ThreeFiresEagle's topic in Advancement Resources
That’s been the strategy for 8 decades of membership decline. -
Another Camping MB 9B Requirement Question :)
qwazse replied to ThreeFiresEagle's topic in Advancement Resources
As I’ve mentioned before, membership was increasing until the age limit was codified nationally. I think we can draw a chronology from that decision to the “schoolification” of what became required for advancement and what was removed from required lists. I would agree if the number of First Class scouts we offered this nation stayed in the millions per year. But that line is slipping. It’s only a matter of time before we produce reduced numbers of Eagles per year — not because kids can’t make deadlines, but because the award won’t seem to be much of an achievement. I also agree there is something to be said for earning a badge as a youth, and maybe awards for adults should have a different border. But, the more a badge is about skill, the less a maturity deadline matters. Two things come to the fore: how you serve your unit, and how you master skills. There will be problems with having our adults work advancement. Some may conclude that certain MBs are a complete waste of time, and team up with their scouts to appeal for change. But some might be reactionary with no sense of purpose. E.g., upping the camping nights to 50 might simply not be practical anymore in our complex society. -
Another Camping MB 9B Requirement Question :)
qwazse replied to ThreeFiresEagle's topic in Advancement Resources
What percentage of scouts are doing long-term camps, to the exclusion of multiple weekend (or midweek) outings? And how is it hurting them if they don’t earn Camping MB? If they’d rather advance as far as Life, let them age out proudly. The fundamental problem is thinking that it’s a shame to disqualify from the nation’s highest scouting award youth who don’t practice hiking and camping independently with their mates. I sympathize with counselors who feel like they are having to split hairs, but sometimes scouts and their troops need that little nudge to think out of the box. -
My pleasure. If you’re scouts have global interests, have them check out the International Orienteering Federation https://orienteering.sport/
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@swilliams inspired me to start this thread so that scouters can learn about orienteering - the sport. For starters, check out https://orienteeringusa.org/ There’s an interactive map of clubs. Even if the nearest one is some distance from you, you may want to click through anyway to see if they’ve mapped permanent courses nearby. With one of these courses, your scouts can’t blame their navigation errors on your mapping skills!
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How Do You Guide Scouts in Choosing Patrols?
qwazse replied to swilliams's topic in Open Discussion - Program
@swilliams, you’re in for a wild ride. Since you mentioned cross-country, look up your local orienteering club and see if your troop can find time to attend their events. Lots of American youth have the discipline for running or for navigation, but few have both. You might be the person to change that. -
@MattR, thanks for all of your valuable contributions. My two grandsons (who I affectionately name Thing 1 and Thing 2) are incredibly entertaining. They suck up time in a very good way. On the other hand, this class of troop parents are some of the most enjoyable, our teens are appreciative, and it’s fun to pass on skills. So I have stepped back to allow others to step up. But the troop gives me great opportunities to get away from the family. As I was backpacking with them last weekend, each time we passed a mile marker, I’d shout “another mile down and I haven’t heard anybody added to the holiday honey-do list!”
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It was sad to come out of the woods and get this news. On the other hand, we can be grateful for such examples of life well lived. And, let’s not put politics aside. Carter’s ascent marked the rise in expectation of Federal resolution to clashes on social norms, the inexorable linking of the US with the fate of the Fertile Crescent, and the insufficiency of internal revenue to fuel military and civilian aspirations.
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Latest Guidance on Individual Scout Accounts
qwazse replied to vtcchokie92's topic in Open Discussion - Program
I’m a band geek as are many of my scouts, but no band that I know of has monetized their service and reported it to their school board. If they had done (in some credible fashion), the IRS might have backed off — but the Musician’s Union might come knocking! -
Latest Guidance on Individual Scout Accounts
qwazse replied to vtcchokie92's topic in Open Discussion - Program
Nothing new to see here. So a scout assigned responsibility of 10k in the troop treasury. He spends it on gear to be properly prepared for some high adventure trips. The skills gained preparing for those trips inspire in him some ideas for a community service project and he mobilizes 700 volunteer hours to complete the project. The scout is publicly recognized for his benefit. Logging those hours, BSA will translate that many hours into a dollar value amounting to about 10k benefit. It has nothing to do with P-R. Any private benefit is balanced by the public good. That is why it is much harder for IRS to go after scouts compared to athletes who raise funds to attend an elite competition.