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I usually let these be on the shaky legs on which they stand. But when they seem to come in spades, it might be time to correct. Barry, you should know by that ad hominem serves only to hint that any real arguments you have are specious. If at any point I have lorded my erstwhile rank over someone else, please quote. I vow to contact them personally and apologize. Until then, let readers know that your aim is blind. If I can claim superiority in anything it is memories: of young women and men at a camp fire baking bread on sticks, of them settling in on an Appalachian plateau beneath a stand of hemlock for a game of cards before dusk, of rocks and bogs and songs and dance, of one helping another up the giant's ladder on a nigh-time ropes course, of the foreign scout helping her American mates remember their knots. If you want to challenge my arrogance, such as it is, challenge that I have been deluded by experience, that my judgement is clouded by smiles of a rather peculiar brand of youth - exceptions from the rest of the nation. Yes. The crisis is that scouters have fabricated a lie about needing an institutionalized safe space for children of each sex across all parts of the nation. In doing so, they have alienated boys who so happen to patrol with their sisters and girlfriends to achieve the pinnacle scouting experience of hiking and camping independently with their mates. Since colleges have increased integration, a larger percentage of American boys than ever are likely to complete college https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/11/gender-education-gap/546677/. That an even larger percentage of American are also likely to complete college does not negate the historic academic potential for our average high-school male. Meanwhile American scouters have touted sex-segregation, and a smaller percentage of American boys and girls than ever are likely to join scouts. What kind of safe space is it when your target audience wont join?

@Bill2018, Welcome to the forums! Dad of soccer kids here. In front of the whole troop, Son #2 handed over his SPL position when he realized that he could not be at meetings and many activities because of his fall schedule. I consider that to be a proud moment in his career as a scout. He picked up with responsibilities with the troop as soon as the fall season ended (late because of playoffs). I can't remember if he became SPL again. But because of being responsible like that, I don't think anybody questioned his tenure. I'm sure your son can be a star player to his team and star scout to his troop. It's okay if he takes 8 months to do both well.

What those of us who have experienced coed scouting in any of its forms have generally concluded was that the premise "that boys and girls behave differently, learn, differently, and develop differently" was not sufficiently global and universal as to mandate segregation. Further, the premise that GS/USA, with its present management, could serve as the outdoor program for all American girls has been proven false. Finally, the false narratives implicating harm to boys when institutions like colleges aggressively recruit women have shown themselves to be the pathetic conspiracy theories that they are by the mere fact that the odds of a young American male holding a college degree are higher than ever before. Decades of lies. So, should one be angry at these past two dozen months of smoke and mirrors? Maybe. But, screaming "Don't drink the bug juice!" when not only does it not kill, but it actually satisfies thirst, does not make those passing out the cups the worst of liars.

Two great celebration on one great day: National Hunting and Fishing + Fish Amnesty Day To the ones we catch and the ones that get away!

Or, the passion for wolves in yellow neckers will outlast this very bizarre quirk in fashion, reds will fold as scouters purchase yellows in bulk delivered by drones from whatever company chooses to mint them, and BSA will realize that tradition has value and start making yellow standard issue again. You read it first on scouter.com. @Momleader, get to know your council president. If the pro's make one peep about it again, tell him you want the board to start the search for a new SE.

Adding layers of complexity @AltadenaCraig will be a drag on your unit. You don't want to go through all of the paperwork and extra chartering fee to have pseudo venturing. The method is "leadership development" in Boy Scouts and "leadership" in venturing. If you don't want the crew officers to make their own decisions, you don't have a crew, you have a "crew, except." No amount of gun-slinging high adventure will make up for imposition on Venturing leadership. A crew needs officers, at least four ... and many activity chairs. And they have to do real work. They really have to put in time, not just in their own unit, but in their council venturing officers association. One or two might even want to contribute to the area, region, or national VOA. So, look at your roster (and, if you've got them, a patrol of girls in the wings waiting to sign on), highlight your best scouts and young ASMs, and make plans for giving them up for the good of the crew. The payback to a troop comes when 1. You clear out half the older boys whose hearts weren't in troop life anyway. 2. You recruit new youth who are more enthused about activities and skill mastery than advancement grind. 3. Venturers return with lots of clever ideas for activities and a positive attitude about scouting. But you gotta pay the price to role those dice.

Funny how when I was a kid, I thought the shooting sports program at camp existed to show me how to set up my range safely.

Troops don't. Scouts do... especially when they start rambling. Some never seem to quit ... https://www.scouter.com/forum/28-patch-trading-central/ Personally, I find an exquisite pleasure in giving a kid from FL a klondike derby patch.

His contact info is all over the website.

File under "not an insult." No program. No boys. Again not an insult. Your "job" is not to understand "really busy teens." Your job is to direct teens to associate with adults who will guide them in character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. Busy does not equal fit. This, as far as I can tell, was your only mistake. You did not offend. The Guide to Advancement did. Maybe you could have apologized for not insisting that this issue remain strictly between the scout and the counselor who you (evidently) advised to give as much leeway as the requirements would allow ... and no more than that. Don't let the rotten apples spoil your bushel. Like @Sentinel947 said, playing by the book is not synonymous with totally rigid. We've had scouts with time management issues on this badge. Here are some suggestions that we put out there: Talk to the scout's PL and see if there's a way they can free up time for him to cook for them. Offer the opportunity for the scout to cook dinner for his patrol or troop before meetings. Or, if the guy's busy with fall sports, maybe he could cook up a meal for the concession stand. When I announced soccer games, I always mentioned by name the boosters working the stand, the cook, and what they were serving. I would have been thrilled to announced "Tonight's special of ___ is brought to you by troop ### and their recent master of cooking merit badge, player ###!"

Yep. This isn't our first rodeo with this nuance in the IG. The National Uniform and Insignia Committee has been informed of the "liberties" taken with the back of the sash. From http://www.scoutinsignia.com/tmppatch.htm: Nevertheless the IG continued to use "miscellaneous" for the back of the sash as opposed to "temporary" for the right pocket. Oh snap! I just did a broader search of the current IG. On page 11 ... @The Latin Scot, along with Mike Walton, are vindicated. I will now put on my uniform police hat and personally castigate every scout I know whose old rank patches have been affixed to the back of their sash. Full disclosure: I've never seen a scout with any insignia, let alone ovals, on the back of their sash. Maybe it's not an Northeast thing?

Welcome to the forums? Got any yew trees that need harvesting?

I waited until last week so that I would be covered for WSJ and any other activities the following summer. I think now is a good time to rally your adults to get it done so they are prepared for next summer and the one after. If you need to train a lot of adults, talk to your DC about bringing a trainer in to administer the course during one of your meetings.

Things, when decided by a committee, move at a glacial pace. Your expectation that you would get a reply via Email within four days is unrealistic. Unless it's my brothers wanting to identify a snake, I take at least a week to reply to any given letter. From my perspective, this decision shouldn't involve the CC at all. The SM/ASMs should have a huddle and decide how to deliver the promise of scouting through the advancement method. The best the CC can do is run interference, encourage that huddle and support the leaders in whatever decision they make. That said, the CC should have simply told you that he was gathering facts and putting it on the agenda for the next committee meeting.

Brave new world! I'm not entirely sure my parents ever knew what MB I was working on until it was announced at the CoH or I asked for help with materials or transportation. If anybody explained to my folks how I was doing, it was my PL! With zero* conversation, I and all my fellow scouts knew what my partials were. They were the blue things in our hands with unit and counselor portions attached. So much of the advancement chair's job is make-work. Some of it does make the troop more agile (e.g., BoR's can be scheduled better, orders for patches submitted promptly, etc ...). But most of it is one more adult to pencil-whip a scout. *Well, it was a one-sided conversation. Something like, "Q, here are your partials. Your PL will explain. The list of counselors for our district is on the meeting room wall. Enjoy your ride home."

Don't rely on belief or "normally". Either there is a prohibition in the Insignia Guide, or there is not. So lessee ... The use of "miscellaneous" is intentionally vague. Any scout with a needle, thread, patches for past leadership positions or ranks, and ambition should decorate his sash knowing his uniform inspection score will remain untarnished.

I know I'm tilting at windmills. Boys should not leave camp until their cards are returned. If the SM wants to sit in the parking lot and sign and separate the unit copy then and there, he may. Scouts take home partials ... the advancement chair should never see them. This is for one simple reason: a scout may want to follow-up with a counselor the day he gets home. Making a boy wait until a court of honor to see his partial application is (dare I say it?) adding to the requirements.

This is likely the hardest battle you'll ever have to pick with a post-modern nomad. Keep on it. Soon enough there will be a tent to patch, or an area rug to mend, etc ... (or, a re-entry shield to fabricate ) The camp/event patches are really intended for trading. So think of a container as opposed to a keep-sake. The boys should use the back of their sash for their favorite temporary patches.

Answer: !!!!!!!!!!!! NO !!!!!!!!!!!!! He should sew his own.

Bribes: flowers, chocolates, and the troop's best scout (or scouts) as den chiefs.

@Eagle1993, I know hard #s won't come in until rechartering but: are you getting more boys than you did last year?

I'll take Venturing advisors for 300. This thought went through their mind when their daughters were daisies. I've only seen this happen with women (often, but not necessarily moms) who've 1) had several girls spaced apart in age and 2) had boys in packs and troops and 3) had the endorsement of a community organization or business wanting a program for a wide range of girls. The truth is GS/USA believes that girls are better empowered by troops of no more than 15 girls, and will direct inquiring girls to troops matching their age but lacking in numbers.

With Dad's generous purchase of one bale of hay and a nice poster/target, I mastered archery in our back yard next to the woods between summer camps on a 25# wood bow that my brother had left in the basement rafters. (Best part of growing up: being tall enough to find stuff the rest of your family left in rafters.) That also included making/remaking bow string, fletching old arrows, learning the warp of an arrow and adjusting aim accordingly. It was the year my 100 year old grandpa moved in, and after I made a run to the general store to buy his Marsh Wheeling cigars, he would sit out and watch me shoot. (Mom wouldn't let him smoke in the house). It's as vivid as that spring day: the memory of his weak arms and poor sight trying to pull back that bow. I hope your son has similar good memories (excepting the tobacco purchase) as he masters this skill! If you are concerned about a safe range, most big-box sporting good stores and sportsman's clubs have youth programs. Regarding the troop, your son should be asking: Why he "got back" the blue card. It should have been given to him by his counselor at camp. Why his adult leaders are so arrogant to think that they, not their scouts, should be mismanaging blue cards. Why the troop advancement chair cannot read instructions. "Applicant will turn in this record ..." means just that. It should never be given to the unit by anyone except the scout via the SM after the SM has signed off on all three portions of the application. How soon the troop committee can revise its policies so that it delivers on the promise of scouting (which includes, among other things, a youth being accountable for his own advancement paperwork).

Welcome! When I was asked to serve as a PA, I told the PL, "I'll be on the opposite side of the room ignoring you. Come to me if you need advice." He did once or twice that year. If this is really discouraging to your son, he should talk to the SPL, or even the SM about switching patrols. It could also be that he is a good teacher, and the PA is nudging him to take more of a role managing the patrol. As a parent, it's really hard to tell the difference. But, if you think this patrol is indeed being treated like a den (e.g., no effective PL/APL, no flag, no yell, the boys are being challenged to learn stuff -- as opposed to vie against other patrols), you can expect to need long and protracted discussions with the SM and ASMs. P.S. - If possible, you and Pa Pa may want to offer some property for a patrol overnight. If you two aren't registered leaders, spring to feed the two adults who volunteer to chaperon. Let the boys set up camp a good 100 yards away (less only if it's very wooded). That should give your son a chance to cook up a storm for his mates.

How much suspended scouts may participate in Projects and MBU participation depends on the SM. Outside of scouting, there are lots of service opportunities. And, really, nobody can stop a boy from going to the library and reading up on the material he needs for any MB that he's interested in. That will prepare him for when he is permitted to meet with a counselor. When we suspend a scout, the SM and CC pay a visit to the parents in person. Even so, in these situations, there comes a point where you all have to agree to disagree. That is most scouters' hope ... thus a suspension rather than an expulsion. But, also keep in mind that it isn't just about the boy being punished. Sometimes, a problem is more pervasive than they boys who were suspended. Six months gives the boys time to show their true colors. If issues continue, there are fewer obvious targets to point the finger to.