qwazse

Let's be clear about the double-speak. The buzzword they were attempting to insert was "family accessible" scouting. That was showing up in the CSE's early speeches back in 2015. He confirms this in his latest interview (https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2017/11/21/bsa-chief-answers-your-questions-about-welcoming-girls-into-bsa-programs/): " I’ll give you just a real Reader’s Digest version of how we got to this point we’ve been on a journey for many years of trying to figure out how do we serve the whole family ..." His point being, that for a growing segment of citizens, if we don't recruit their families, we'll never recruit the boys. The hope (a term of my choosing because all the market research in the world basically builds some hopes and squelches others, but rarely offers certainty) is that BSA4G makes scouting accessible enough to families who would otherwise not enroll their boys in BSA to do so. It's sounds like a long shot, and BSA should say it may be. But, I'm sure the National Key 3 have been told it would be terrible marketing to say flat out "We're gonna recognize girls in our ranks -- if sponsors want -- to help us troll for their brothers." I as a scouter would rather that blunt of a speech. I've made good money on every jalopy that I've sold because I show the buyer everything that's wrong it. I keep being told that's not the way the world works, but I close sales in good time with the dollars I ask for in my pocket, make friends of some strangers, and let the dealers go deal. Oops! I forgot what topic I was in! Anyway, machinations of National has nothing to do with the problem we have of incompetent parents wanting to force their way, untrained and unprepared, into activities boys have arranged.

School may be a factor in some places, but my council made an executive decision that left JOTA with a 26% instead of 25% drop. The general strategy of scouters who donate their own time and equipment to this activity is simple: find where a large number of scouts will be. Set up there. The JOTA set-up generally requires a table and a power source. Rarely does anyone turn them down. Never have I heard of their own council doing it. Like @Tampa Turtle says, they only ask for a quiet corner so they only attract a couple of scouts at a time, but over the course of a day at a busy camporee, those number add up. For anyone with interested scouts with other plans ... If they are at Saturday AM/PM school activities, they could invite a HAM operator to set up at the school. Bring their friends. Out in the middle-of-nowhere? Ask around if any operators have a mobile set-up and enjoy hiking or are willing to arrange a rendezvous point. How middle-of-nowhere can an operator get? Not about JOTA, but I love this story http://kc8qvo.blogspot.se/2008/10/backpacking-in-dolly-sods-wilderness.html (pictures don't load any more, but still a nice blog). Do you really think a guy like this would pass up an opportunity to help scouts like yours get into his hobby?

@RememberSchiff, I think you should also add STEM (or STEAM, since agriculture is now one of the electives?) as a topic tag. It seems to me that any council who promoted STEM Scouts should have herded all of those program participants to JOTA.

Laurel Highlands Council contributed to that drop by denying a scouter from setting up his HAM set at Camp Guyasuta, which was quite busy that weekend. He set up at the parking lot at the scout shop. Instead of hundreds, only a dozen participated.

So, they First joined his troop, then were assigned to patrols. Hmmm ...

I, for one, joined a troop, and was assigned a patrol. It happened to be the same one of the scout who recruited me (best scout I ever met, aged out at 2nd class rank). it was an excellent patrol IMHO. But, its name was not on the youth application for membership. It's flag was not posted beside the US flag at meetings. Nor was it carried in parades. PL's reported their attendance to the SPL, and SPL reported their attendance to the SM or CD with no mention of patrol names. When I was up first staring at ashes, my SPL didn't tell me to wake my PL, he showed me how to light the fire from coals. Did it ever since (well, until the kids started mustering before I did). To assert that either exists for the administrative convenience of the other is folly.

It used to be parents were de facto MBCs ... back when counselor lists were suggestive helps, not exhaustive bounds. Also , substitutions were par for the course. I painted the eaves of the house and replaced a worn crank handle on an aluminum window frame. But, volunteering to spruce up someone else's home is a rewarding strategy. In fact, I happen to know a tired old scouter in a house twice his age on the north side of Pittsburgh ...

"Feed" button is not visible on iPad/Chrome. Even after tapping Show Desktop Version.

I +1ed @numbersnerd for @TAHAWK

They were probably willing to score five points lower than your troop on camp wide uniform inspection. Hope your boys enjoyed the complimentary ice cream from the trading post for best dressed!

Mind=blown! viva la desktop site!

Zoom in-out is fine from a workstation. Still, too much white space. I just found a 'feed' tab. That kinda helps.

My fancy 'like' was in return for @RememberSchiff's fancy 'like' in the WWBPD (what would Baden Powell do) thread. I strongly encourage our SM to decide based on commitment to training, and requisite conditioning. If you want to be a big-ticket-scouter: Complete training for a direct-contact position. That includes safety training (weather hazards, wilderness first aid, etc ...). Participate in conditioning hikes. Accept feedback on training required to hone your skills. Do nothing to hijack a big-ticket activity. That especially means: don't rattle the boys. Ask, don't demand, respectfully (in writing, if necessary) from the SPL/PLC/President.

And ... Not being able to click to the first unread and last post on recently active topic is a real drag.

Way to look like every other blog, scouter! Okay, so there are some things I like about this look and feel and some things I don't. (Writing from a tablet's Chrome browser): the editing tools are nice, but turning off italics was a bit tricky. I can't zoom out to see more text. I like to be able have a couple dozen, or more, posts front-and-center without having to scroll down. Not sure about how to attach images. (Never really was.) How come everyone's icon is rounded except @Back Pack's? (Ooh, the auto-insert username is nice!) Can we choose the shape of our icon? Ovals, pentagons, squares and diamonds should be some options. Bring back the "view new content" short-cut. That's the site's coolest feature. Not looking forward to how ads will appear. My experience with other sites who've adopted this look and feel has not been favorable.

My COR, a Presbyterian (PCUSA), said she would support us if parents in the community wanted to charter a BSA4G pack or troop. In the Presbyterian (EPC) church I attend, one of the knocks against chartering a pack was BSA's narrow focus on male theists. I do not expect there to be statement on the issue from either church's respective denomination. Both churches would not tolerate such an incursion on local governance.

I think he would be deeply concerned about our dependence on prefabricated tents. Actually, I bet ... He would be thrilled with Scouts Indonesia. The scouts in former Eastern Block countries would receive high praise for rebuilding from scratch. He would tout those as models for the rest of us. Scouts UK's decision to give different oaths for different religious sensibilities would baffle him. Regarding BSA, he would challenge us about what we're doing with an abundance of riches. He would be very concerned about facilities for scouts in distant parts of the world. It would be neat to have a monthly podcast from him.

I would like to know who was the first boy to publicly credit his scout training for being able to stop a runaway horse.

What? You all wouldn't know where Laurel Highlands is without seeing the CSP? I'm all for the going the opposite direction. A custom CSP for each unit: a view from on high of the planet (or at least the part wherein your council resides), state boundaries in black, with your council boarder in red and a red thread pinned to the location of your CO (or the centre of your district for district staff). No more lettering. It's time for you all to know you geography.

I just want to put out there that, in units steeped in tradition, this form of "nuclear option" doesn't go over well. This is especially true if your COR hasn't even dropped in on committee meetings in a while. If it's his way or the highway, but half the room hits the road, all he gets is a lonely highway and nothing to haul on it.

Let's also not write-off your soul doing a reality check. Maybe you should only go to one weekend training a year, because life is busy. Maybe you can only realistically give your den quality time and beyond that your family, job, or spirit might need a lot of attention, and if you commit to the 10 opportunities that come up at round-table that will have you "dropping the ball" somewhere else. If your personality has always been one to say "yes" then your stress response may be your body saying "no can do" on your behalf. In this case, verbally saying "no can do" and turning down the people trolling for volunteers is less stressful. (As one who loves volunteering, I assure you that this is true.) But, if you're not used to ignoring other people's feelings, this can produce a lot of inner turmoil.

Yes, read the guidebook! Things are more nuanced than that. I suspect your COR is only concerned with good people as leaders and the last one out turning off lights and locking the door ... and smiles on the boys faces. I think the "baby step" that your husband agreed upon is a good one to work with, but only if you have at least a patrol of boys itching to try a different camp. We could not convince our boys to pick anything but their spot-by-the-water in week 1 for love nor money. When we merged troops, most of those boys were not going to give up on the camp they had been attending (also in week 1). So, if we are to plan anything for the summer, it's those camps + whatever other adventure scouts plan. By the way, this has nothing to do with how many years you have in the program. It does have to do with building shared vision, and the new person can do that as well as some SM emeritus who comes to the same realizations as you.

I always took this for granted, until I congratulated the SM for the minute he gave at his 1st court of honor in the position. He told me that was the first time he ever spoke in front of a crowd (scouts exempted). He said he was incredibly nervous and avoided public speaking like the plague since high school. I would suggest confiding in a friend about your anxiety. Just knowing that someone in he crowd understands the challenge that you're facing might help. Simply put, it's nice to be prayed for.

I have mixed feelings about WB. Funding was the least of my concerns. Now, if you would have offered to take my crew on a whitewater trip, or even host them on your property for an evening, while I was off taking the course ... THAT would have eased my mind greatly. So, let me give you a bigger "ask". Every year ask a scouter who you think could benefit from WB what's keeping him/her from attending. It could be kids who need babysat, a unit like I mentioned who is short on leadership, chores around the house to get done. See exactly where you could fill in. Or, it could also be down payments on a high adventure trip they need to make. See if you could (maybe with your scouts or another scouter) could fill in that actual gap. Sometimes, we can over-monitise a situation. Money is great, but a lot of people will respond to personal involvement.

Two solutions: 1. Maintain it for 15 days. "Release" it to your buddy's for a day. Maintain it for 15 more days. 2. Start the requirement on Feb 1. Complete it the day before March 1. Or, just adopt the animal as a pet! That's the point of the requirement. Some boys will want to keep a pet, and this badge is a way for them to master that responsibility. Others would rather watch tadpoles die metamorphose.