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Venturers age 18+ have to complete YPT. Assuming Explores do also? Moreover, abuse prevention training is part of the venturing advancement curriculum under the title "Personal Safety Awareness". How about Explorers?

@T113Alexandria, welcome to the forums and thanks for your service to our boys. Yes, banks can get pretty funny with this stuff. The CO just needs to vouch that you all aren't among our nation's sworn enemies. Ours did. (Can't remember if the COR or IH signed for us.)

You mean the surveys with the warm-fuzzy "are you happy" question? Or, the ones that ask how scouts and scouters feel about insta-palms, from which the minority opinion seems to be followed? I don't recall any survey asking boys and their parents a hard-hitting series of questions like "Would you approve of of a girl going through BSA rank advancement and activities: In your patrol? In another girls-only patrol in your troop? In another troop for girls at your meeting place? In a troop for girls at a different meeting place in your district? Somewhere in the nation?" Better yet: "Do you know a girl who would like to participate in our program?" Or one like "Should boys and their mates independently go camping? Go on day hikes? Hold patrol meetings?" How about adding to the survey, "What would you like the next survey question to be?"

My knee-jerk. Leave your TAY as-is (maybe factor in a reduction in immigrant boys). Set your goals now accordingly, let your SE know that those will be your targets, period. Count any BSA4G units separately until BSA figures out how to adjust targets. IMHO, the only useful way to do this is to add a row for total available girls.

I can't recall for sure, but I think we put paraffin on the seams (NOT the whole tent). The fact is, when canvas got so stretched that water wicked through, it got folded in half and became a drop cloth.

I like Timberline boots, but it's sock choice that manages blisters. That and duct tape. As soon as you feel the warm sensation coming on your foot, stop, de-boot, and slap a square of tape on the warm spot to reduce friction between skin and boot. This is very hard for a youth to do because he/she is so fixated on the goal that it seems like a sin to slow a buddy down by doing preventative maintenance. But taking care of yourself gives you a chance to enjoy your surroundings. I saw my first bear in the wild while I had one boot and sock off and had barely got the the duct tape on!

Venturingfest! Like many other venturing events, Venturers will hold dances at a council camp near you. Glow sticks are par for the course. SBR, since its inception has been allowing officers to organize such events accordingly. This is nothing new to scouting at large either. The O/A handbook from my youth had a chapter on social events, including dances where scouts would bring dates. Not my thing, but they were part of the schedule in my lodge. And later, in college, I met young women who were invited to such events. So, in this instance, in a sense, Venturing is bringing back an "old normal."

I am in favor of coed scouting. I am not financially desperate. Nor does the presence or absence of LDS give me any sense of urgency. My opinion on he matter has been brought on by encounters with international scouts, beginning with the king of Sweden in 1981. Other scouters in my district were influenced similarly, and as they replaced the old guard in the volunteer leadership structure. GS/USA's polarization on certain issues did not help matters. BSA's inability to be plain spoken on the matter is a vice of modern management that counts media hits. It is disgusting. But, make no mistake, after multiple wholesome experiences with men and women from co-Ed movements, the various "stay in your own lane" arguments sound quite hollow.

When I was a scout, I think boys like this were the ones who got severely homesick or never came camping. I wonder if they had dads like these, whatever nuisance it is to the SM, they might have stuck around enough to enjoy troop life by age 15/16. Such a dad was unheard of in my day. Heck, the one dad ASM was an odd duck (but a very nice one).

Was this the Tzofim Friendship Caravan? They've passed through our council camps on multiple occasions, and gave me a similar impression to yours. I also visited a show that they gave at a local synagogue. They are very talented youth. (The caravan patches are really nice too.)

There are different rules of order that dictate how a meeting should proceed (and if it should proceed) in the absence of the seated moderator. BSA does not tell a unit which, if any, rules of order a unit should use.

The general thinking is if a scout has demonstrated skills, he keeps the tool. We don't take away the tool simply because the scout hasn't had an opportunity to demonstrate to us. TC is a tool for troops with unruly boys. When we've had small numbers of crossovers and they seemed to be behaving, we didn't worry about their knives. We just taught skills. By summer camp, everything they needed to know would have been covered. If they asked for a TC card we would give it. Make of it what you will, but our behavior disorder kids never abused their knife and ax privileges. Lots of other issues, but we could trust them with sharps! We did go through knife and ax early this with the half dozen scouts who crossed over. (In the process, second years, were given a refresher via helping to teach and demonstrate.) And we formally gave out totin' chip cards ... mainly because the PLC wasn't sure how disciplined this group would be. Turned out they performed quite well!

So my brother would call and go on and on about the 20 milers he'd do in the CO Rockies compared to the 8-10 miler backpacking trips I might do. I finally told him, "We have to push through more air!" There are several great wilderness areas in the Monongalia National Forest in WV. Dolly Sods is my favorite. The Standing Stone trail that connects Tuscarora Mt and Appalachian trails has some pleasant vistas. Lots of trails in PA's Allegheny National Forest.

All YMCA members reading this: get your family on the waiting list for the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, CO. My brother went once and kept going back as a hiking guide. His wife works the craft barn. Even if those two aren't there when you do go (it may take years for your name to come up), you will have an awesome experience.

Let me share a more upbeat story. A friend developed anxiety d/o and needed to work very hard (meds + counseling) to get on an even keel. That meant the rest of us, along with his wife, stepping up when his three kids needed anything. We did, no regrets. It was an honor helping a guy through the worst time of his life. His kids grew up strong and good. Through youth group, I camped with his kids on several occasions and one is turning out to be a missionary the other leads worship at our church (not sport for the shy). Like you, he could camp with his family, but he drew the line when it came to being responsible for other's kids. Regardless, my kids loved and admired him. Bottom line: this could be you. You could be the meeting-time leader and help with the paperwork, touching base from home, dropping off needed supplies (e.g., some of that good food), etc ... and the other dad could be the field leader, making sure your boys are well tended while camping. Trust me, when I have a parent like you, I worship the ground he/she walks on. They solve hours of problems, freeing up time for me to maintain training and spend quality time with youth. And your son? Maybe @David CO is right. Maybe not. But there's a good chance he'll grow strong and good regardless. You must work on you first, and if that means he will have to wait a year or two to go camping ... that's okay! Shame? That's your disorder talking. You must beat it. That will require brutal honesty with others ... your wife, kids, fellow scouters. I don't envy your situation, but the only way out is through.

Ground truth: thinking back on the predators that I've known of ... the bulk were married ... with children ... even grandchildren. Guys like @Sentinel947 and @The Latin Scot might be the least of our worries.

I think you exaggerate. There are not enough lost souls anywhere that Badge Magic could give any devil to promote their project.

Don't need passwords if you bring the right "incentive" (c.f. previous post).

Stove top espresso pot, porcelain demitasse cups, saucers, and stirring spoons, La-Prima's Miscela Blend ground for stove top, and a dedicated washing-up bin for the porcelain.

I think they do this because boys are singing less. If they can't sing as well as what's coming through their iPads, they won't. Meanwhile, given electricity, they all know how to set up a sound system and get the best music in the country (according to their estimation) to fill a hall. Used to be in the hills of PA/WV, if you had a half dozen boys singing an jig well, you would have two dozen fellas dancing to it. Culture didn't matter. I think my generation was the gap. Twenty years earlier every brother and cousin knew Syrian dance well. For some families (not mine, BTW) belly dance lessons were required. The only way to get out of it was to sing, drum, or strum. For my generation, that tradition was on its way out. It was only until I started visiting immigrant weddings as an adult that I realized what I had missed. So, in a way these postmodern nomadic boys are trying to get back something that got lost during the rise of national record labels in the sixties. I just wish they had the courage to use their own voices and musical talents to do it.

The course instructor turns in a training report with the names and unit # of the participant to the council registrar. This is basically what the online training does, but it consumes your time (setting up an account, logging in, printing certificates) instead of the council's.

This was how we made most activities work. The younger sibling "minder" wasn't necessarily in the other room. (That simply won't fly with some siblings.) We could have den meetings at the church hall, and our tag-alongs had a circle of couches at one end of the hall. This worked for them all the way up through Boy Scouts. If siblings could participate without disrupting the boys, we would let them. I certainly hope your Cubs enjoy their hike. Although some folks here feel that yours is an example of an inevitable (and in some ways untenable) coed program, it's nice to know that the male Wolf cub(s) won't be lone wolfs. And, if the boy(s) and the girls can stand each other for a little bit, they might indeed bring friends and grow two "linked dens." And we'll have something there that wasn't there before.

@5thGenTexan, if I'm reading too much into your situation, just assume that there might be some other scout or scouter who needs this frank discussion. Your #1 job is to survive your anxiety. I know a couple of friends who failed to do that, and the world is worse off without them. Turn in any firearms. Not joking. The glove compartment of your car will be just fine without one. We guys are really good at hiding stuff that will do us harm long before it does us any good. And the trail of sorrow is long. Years after the fact one friend was asking me about why his best buddy did what he did, and I had no good answer. Another recent widow is still trying to connect the dots with lines that aren't there. She is very dear to Mrs. Q and I, but we feel helpless to consolidate her. You can take steps to make sure your loved ones are never in that position. Take them. The other reason to work on you is because you can be sure that there is a boy or two who needs to meet a caring adult who fights the same fight he does. Chances are, he won't introduce himself. You'll have to be on the lookout for him. If you can't conquer this thing enough to get outdoor training, become a committee member and serve where you can. You need a buddy/mentor you can confide in. Period. Will you ever go camping? Maybe. But I find there's a big difference between a night out on my own with a buddy and one with kids under my charge. I have to beat back a world of worry every time I leave the house to join my troop. So I can respect that not everyone can or should saddle that responsibility.

Posting images of litter, vandalism, or the occasional wayward pig is especially valuable to a group dedicated to a particular place. If they know something needs fixing, they will direct their clubs resources there. A vibrant group posts images of repairs as well so that folks can appreciate the human effort needed so that folks can hold spaces sacred.

I'm beginning to sympathize with the Mayor. The suggestions make for a program that is unworkable and unappealing. More over, the whole tone of the report is demoralizing. Think about it, if "your own" aren't safe in a ride-along, what about when some cop picks up some kid violating curfew?