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I personally believe the patrol meeting where husband wife are nearby (e.g., doing chores around the house while the youth are in an open area) would provide a more than adequate barrier from abuse. Many of our crew meetings were like that.

I'm leaning towards real paradox. Venturing in our area seems to have stuck in more conservative (politically and socially) communities. The parents of female venturers who I've talked to do not believe in "girl power" or "safe spaces" as a means to equal and fair treatment of women. They see that their daughters will be better served working together with other boys and girls in an environment where sex-differences are not swept under the rug. Likewise, I'm guessing that about half of conservative parents of boys want them spending quality time with other young men and women in an environment where they learn to treat one another with respect. (Mrs. Q and I certainly looked for that for our sons.) The other half want their boys to have a "safe space" from girls for a few years. As boots-on-the-ground, I've found it a real challenge living up to the expectations of either "safe space" or "mutual respect." So much depends on neighborhood, media, and environments far beyond my control.

Two of my brothers and a cousin entered college on athletic scholarships. One lasted a term the other two earned their degree with their scholarship. One went pro. But, as far as I can tell, none of them where coddled by their parents. Sports was just one of many ways to get through college. We try to counsel parents of young athletes in the same way.

It's so incredible that we are bogging great work down with ridiculous stipulations.

My FL nieces have been family camping with their brothers' pack for years. So, I suspect there's a comfort factor, that you might not see up north here. It's a lot harder to convince a girl to go camping when there's a chance of snow. But that's just one guess. The other guess is that TL/USA (which has done better in the south) cleared the field of units who would never allow girls in the first place. Leaving room for more open COs to prepare to host a girl's unit. The third is simpler: southern hospitality. All you all are just naturally better at making kids feel welcome. If there's a door to open, you'll do it better.

There's more where that video came from. The BSA communications Youtube site is cranking out a few that can be clipped for boys, girls, or both, as well as leaders. I think I like this one best so far. It's a little bit much on the big zip-lines, but it ends with astronomy. Always a win for me.

@wallacesusan, welcome to the forums! What's at stake here? Is your son 17, thus making it impossible to tenure for Eagle?

After some thought, as requested. An unwritten, required, part of my advisor uniform: a thick skin. For about every five favorable reactions to our crew launching, I got an unfavorable reaction. Of the negative reactions, the ones to to my face were preferable to the backbiting. But, at first, I was not prepared for either reaction, and it took observing the council Venturing Officers Association and talking to the Venturing committee to get confidence that I could run a program that would ensure female youth were welcome and respected. They told me that although my "by the book" approach to Boy Scouts and Venturing was a little crazy, it was also right. An area commissioner also told me to check out scouter.com for more perspective. This forum is a great opportunity to "hear it first" here, preparing us for reactions in our other spheres. I shared this vid with my daughter yesterday, and she liked it. I expect to share this vid on my social media soon. I expect some of my friends to not share her enthusiasm and to reply in a fashion that is not nearly as courteous as the posts here. But, at least I can tell someone who replies that way that he/she's not alone, and I've read the opinion elsewhere. As to a general attitude towards negative reactions, I've found the "... and that's that" attitude to be the least conducive to personal growth.

The one thing that kept me from jumping on canister stoves was 1) more moving parts than I wanted to deal with and 2) they didn't really support my smallest espresso pots -- I needed to jury-rig the SMs jet-boil with some tent pegs to get us a decent cup of coffee. Then, I borrowed son#1's Primus classic. Because its support tines are welded at the center, they don't bend (a problem I've observed in other dropped models) and can support a base with as small as 1 inch radius. Stores in two pieces -- with room for a small multi-tool and spork in a small pouch.

I held an SMC for life rank of a boy in another crew, but that was at the request of his advisor who had never done one.

A good video that sells GS/USA as easily as it does BSA4G. You've made my earlier point. Regarding the down-votes. As much as I -- believing co-equal and even co-Ed scouting helps young men and women develop healthier roles than stark sex segregation, and believing BSA is the best suited to do that -- disagree with @SSF and @The Latin Scot, I strongly disagree with @shortridge and @ParkMan wanting to relegate dissent to I&P.

Seriously? This is not about court testimony. It is about accountability and prevention. Mrs. Q and I were "the two" on several occasions. Seabase Bahamas being the most notable. However, this being a brave new world and all, scouters should make sure they aren't running afoul of their CO's guidelines. Pulling it back on topic that's the other thing that this particular promo is missing, adult association.

Welcome, and thanks in advance for all you will do for the youth!

The SM/Advisor needs a cheering section. Our CC does a lot of communication to the parents. Historically our "emeritus" SM's/CC's approach parents about helicoptering or other issues. This year, on several occasions, an MC sent notes to parents about how the boys were doing and how well the SM made sure that every one was well cared for. He then basically said the same thing to parents at our last CoH. As our new SM rotates in, I am quick to point out the things he does right. I also tell him that it's his turn to build a record in the boys' collective history of goofy screw-ups. So there is a promise of a full amount of ribbing, along with a guarantee of support.

Gotta say, it's one of National's better productions. But, it's as good a pitch for GS/USA as BSA. Load the canoes with gear for an over-night, show that fish being cleaned and cooked, chocolate fondue instead of s'mores, a flag being raised at the campsite, and (I can't believe I'm saying this) the girls pulling uniforms out of their dry bags for evening flag retirement. Then you get a little closer to what we're actually selling.

I sincerely hope her idea involves paint ball, laser tag, or catapults.

My degrees of separation from the news dropped to one this weekend, and I went to my doctor's funeral today. There was an unusually large number of finely dressed passengers on the bus. Anyway, the impromptu banner under which the city united in response to this evil was designed by an Eagle scout and former staff. From our council's FB Page: News story here: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2018/10/28/Stronger-Than-Hate-logo-creator-Tim-Hindes-Tree-of-Life-Pittsburgh/stories/201810280204 I'm really hoping that the Flag Foundation will add this to the collection.

Thanks in advance for all of your service to the youth! Courses an ASM your age should take: Powderhorn Kodiak and/or Kodiak course directors course Crew officer training and the specialty award of your choice Seascout quartermaster BSA Guard Any young adult instruction your religion offers. Any volunteer first responder/search and rescue training that your community offers Range safety officer training Next-level training on whatever your favorite merit badge was So the next time your fellow adults harp on Woodbadge, tell them that you have a list of other courses that are taking priority. (You might not tell them that you're getting that list from a stranger on the Internet.)

How frequently to do big-ticket scouting really depends on the boys, their resources, and their cohesiveness. However, not every high adventure has to come with a heavy price tag. It's nice to alternate expensive years with moderate cost years. After these scouts come back from Philmont, they should be better prepared to build their own adventures.

All of these other suggestions have so much going for them, that these might seem trivial, but if your scouts haven't done them, they might bite on these backdoor challenges: bike to Cumberland Gap, then on to Pittsburgh raft the Potomac bike around a Great Lake hike the Standing Stone trail in PA kayak in Pamlico Seabase

Thanks @Eagle1993, I can come off as an advancement hawk. Probably explains why no scout wanted to earn rank through my crew.

If I were SM (and maybe this is why I never was), I would send a letter to the SE asking that the AoL of these Webelos be denied because they did not camp with the troop and therefore did not complete the requirements as written. I'd cc the parents.

You know what I find missing in this topic's title? We never talk roses and thorns without our bud (what we're looking forward to). Don't let go of that bud, WM! Lots of good will come of your ticket even if the results wind up a little less polished than you'd like! You got this!

@Vanhall21, welcome to the forums. You will find that the biggest challenge of scouting, most days, is working wih other adults. Here's an official link to the average pack's organization chart: https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/how-cub-scouting-is-organized/ The positions with broader responsibilities are down the page. Do you know who's in each of those positions? At the end of the day, your best shot at solving problems like this is by talking to the adults who you'd like to correct over a cup of coffee.

@Summitdog, I can't recall if I welcomed you to the forums and thanked you in advance for all that you'll do for our youth. So, pardon my redundancy: welcome and thanks! If you're new, I would hold off on taking WB. It really works best after you've had a few years applying the basic training you needed for your position. So the replies to your topic may be worth reading sometime down the road. What it offers (in no particular order): Networking: you spend a lot of time with other scouters. Two full weekends working on anything pulls folks together. Plus, there's time between weekends coordinating with your patrol. Perspective: you start the course as a den, then ultimately a patrol, of scouts. Thought-provoking exercises: these can have a positive or negative impact. Motivation: after a couple of years as a scouter, you get "ideas" of what you'd like to really contribute to the unit in which you serve. The course helps you break those ideas down into five measurable goals (a.k.a., your ticket) and assigns you 18 months to complete them. As you can tell from other comments, it can have mixed results -- on both course attendees and non-attendees!