qwazse

Up the creek without a paddle? No excuses!

Beading ceremonies at RT: once every 13 months. The district has a steak-out picnic for its last RT meeting. The chapter advisor has meetings on RT nights so arrowmen can car pool with their unit leaders.

Award them the one corresponding to their grade. Pick someone responsible (SPL, JASM), and have him sign the card, scratching out Cubmaster and putting the correct position under the line.

There is also this harsh reality: hours at work have increased, and commute times have more than doubled. Unfortunately both of those are not conducive to "phoning it in." RT has to be a place where scouters can solve their problems. Where they really take care of one another. Where folks go home glad they came. That means information, interactions, and inspiration.

Will do.

by way of retrospective disclosure: USGS topo shows the stream that was dammed to make Lake Arthur: Muddy Creek. In a broader picture of cost: Jambo has never attracted more than 5% of membership.

You know, all of this fussing about "preparing kids for Boy Scouts" is just a little ridiculous. A good church camp or a week visiting cousins can have the same effect. The thing that really prepares boys for troop life: aging. If it's gonna be a fun learning opportunity for you and your Cub Scouts, support it. If so,etching else happens to serve better, support that.

@@Grubdad, I would take it as a good sign that these adults want to hear from you. Over the years, I've learned to yell less. I let the SM know (usually while within earshot of the offending scout) that I have the keys ready if someone has to be taken home. (Honestly, with our conduct disorder kids, the parent has to be nearby and ready to do that.) I've learned to tell a boy that I know what we ask is tough, but he is tougher and can do better. I've learned that if another boy can say that to the kid it's even better. I've learned that a bad kid who knows to apologize to his buddies at the end of the day is worth his weight in gold. I've learned that riding shotgun on the ride home, a scout may reflect a lot. The boys in the back will be all ears.

If you're counseling a seasoned hiker, or a very athletic kid (say cross-country, not football), all of this is moot. They'll hike 5 miles for the requirement then run another eight to get ready for whatever tournament they'll be playing in. But, for the average scout, staging is a good practice to learn. So, even though it's not explicit, encourage your scouts to do the shorter hikes first. If he has hiked a lot seems to understand compass and map, but never done land navigation before, encourage him to double down and plan something with his patrol leader where he has to demonstrate those skills. But, if he hasn't mastered map and compass, make sure he goes on well marked paths or with a buddy who is solid in those skills and doesn't worry about navigation. That five miler, as KDD points out, should get knocked out in a couple of hours to build the kids confidence.

It does not. And, I suspect it's to shut the very back door that you're proposing. Frankly, once a bugler is a Life scout, I recommend asking him to become an instructor of music and train one or two first class scouts in the position. These guys can be hard to come by. For years we had 3, now we have none.

Not just bugler. Musician and Honor Guard don't count either. Let's rephrase the question: why does anything a scout does out of the kindness of his heart have to count for advancement? My crew invented the ad-hoc position of "Pack-Mule" for one well-deserving boy. Should he be able to use that for the trail to Eagle?

Don't count on it being easy on your wallet. The fee for BSA members will likely be increased because of demand, and to offset discounts to scouts from less well-off countries. Perhaps a call to scouts Canada to see if they need staff for a camp in Quebec. Maybe ease the wallet and offset the language deficit at the same time.

Nothing said so far goes against the reasoning that the PORs that count for advancement are ones that call for boys interact as much with other patrols as their own. Before a meeting, PLs determine "wolfs are service, bears are program, crows are spirit" during a meeting, PLs sound off regarding the exploits of their respective patrols. They then have their break-out sessions. At which time a couple of PLs decide to team up and have a JASM teach them ultimate catapult design. They reconvene as a group for spirit patrol to lead closing. Service patrol cleans up. At what point is this a troop activity? A patrol activity? Yeah sure. And your boys are hanging out with another troop for a weekend. Are they casting their independence aside?When they double in size, and camp on opposite ends of the field and the PLs cross to the middle in the morning and say "hike at noon, meals at four, capture the flag at eight, taps at ten, got a bugler?" ... Are they performing a troop activity or patrol activity?

@@Stosh and @@TAHAWK, all you have to do is produce documentation that PL has no obligation to the the other patrols in his troop. Any wording that says, for example, he is not obliged to attend any PLC, so long as the APL is available? But, I look at the PoR's for advancement, and the common thread is the time that should be devoted to more than your chosen/assigned fundamental unit in fulfilling that responsibility.

The answer is yes.

I remember from September's topic! Episcopalian. Pretty open minded towards all kinds of sinners. Sexual expression is the least of its concerns (much to the annoyance of the Anglican communion). That problem in itself seems to be Snarlys and maybe a few parents who never let their kids join in the first place. But, in this particular case, I'm not sure a CO would push for removal. They might even allow the leaders to part with the gear if the original CO is on speaking terms with the receiving CO. The real problem is a CO like this is trying to push for everyone to just get along without making any real effort to understand the dynamics. From their view, so what if someone said something in church that put one part "on the outs"? That doesn't mean they aren't welcomed in other circles. But, scouters don't compartmentalize that easily.

Asked and unanswered 6 years ago http://scouter.com/index.php/topic/13047-jac-shirt-adornment/

I agree this is critical. With venturers, where it's a trickle-in process (rarely do I get more than two at a time, but it's every month of the year when I get them), to avoid repeating myself, I ask them to read the application -- especially the oath and law but also the fine print. I also point out that I will hold them to their religious preference or that of their parents if they are agnostic. Still, that second day of hiking in bear country can bring out the worst. So, months of building trust prior is essential. That way the behavioral disorder kid knows to come to me before he/she blows his/her stack. Usually at this age, the signs are obvious ... e.g. an officer has had to ask "him/her" to turn it down a notch more than once. I think some of what we observe in boy scouts is that they haven't learned what is expected of them. We haven't coached PLs well enough to let us know when a scout is getting out of hand in a small task (e.g. a patrol meeting). Which means we haven't had the chance to tell a scout we expect them be a little more disciplined on the upcoming campout. Then, on the high-country or open-plain, the kid is under a microscope without realizing it, doesn't grasp the importance of any warnings, leader yells, tears, discouragement.

Have fun! I gotta say, back in the day, I enjoyed going to Jambo with complete strangers. (Well, one other scout from my troop, but he and I clicked with different boys in our patrol, so except for when we crashed in our tents exhausted, we hardly saw each other.) Thanks in advance for staffing. I think you'll find it rewarding to help thousands of boys. Definitely pinch pennies where you can. It sounds like your boy is all about the big-ticket scouting. It won't end at Jambo. So, find him a job this summer so that he can have some liquidity for the future.

Me, personally, I use standard issue knots on both my tan and green shirts. Got no problem with someone who takes the trouble to order ones with green backing. The insignia guide does not specifically speak to the background color of most common knots. As for the youth, uniforming is not a method of venturing. So ... the crew officers decide the best practice for their unit. The few in my crew who have worn a national uniform (usually as a council VOA officer) have not bothered with knots for two reasons: advancement is not a method of venturing, and at this point in their career most have only earned advancement-related knots. their female counterparts have no way of displaying a comparable knot for parallel honors that they've obtained (e.g. GS/USA Gold). More discussion may be found here: http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2012/11/20/in-the-loop-a-guide-to-square-knots-and-how-to-wear-them/

In general, it seems that the positions that count are troop-oriented. (PL is really accountable to the troop for the activities of his boys.) So, it makes sense that the service project have a "for the troop" objective.

Beav, you are knawing the wrong end of the tree here. "Harangues", "bullied", "terrorized" have nothing to do with how the victim feels. They have to do with the goals of the perpetrator. How lads respond depends on their upbringing, I and my buddies were brought up to "get big" and "don't get mad, get even" and as a result any perpetrator was roughly three strikes (in our little minds,that rounded up to 7 times 70) away from recieving leveling punches. And when that happens, the SM's troubles doubled. Likewise, with 'skip's reply, it's clear to me that he disciplined by removing the perpetrators from the event, not scouting in general. Should he question himself for overreacting? Sure, but the Bonnie and Clyde should have done some soul-searching as well. A simple "Mr. Skip, can we apologize to the troop and ask them to invite us back?" would have been in order. Happens all the time with youth who really care to be scouts. Finally, regarding the psychobabble armchair ADHD diagnoses ... Ignoring the possibility of conduct disorder in these instances does great harm. You can reform your community around one and not the other. Blaming the victim undermines the value of any reply. The unit leader sets the tone one way or another. He/she trains the SPL/PL on how to react and what deserves a reaction. Any unit leader worth his/her salt welcomes feedback from newbies. Heck the one who gives the best feedback gets on the short list of his replacements.

Well, one would, until one's seen the slow-motion train-wreck and has expended precious time helping new scouters glue back the pieces four years later. @@SnarlyYow, keep those memories of the smiles on the youths' faces (your son's, first and foremost) in your head through all of this. For whatever reason (destiny or what-have-you), you are "the guy". Relax. Get your CO and your DE up to speed. Then, make it clear to this family that they are okay (maybe pinch yourself to get those words out), but they could be better. You're asking them to be above board and by the book. Tell them that in doing so this could help them stop the trail of tears. P.S. - Are you still CC of both troop and crew? If so, you need to call Miss Crew Advisor and get her opinion as well.

Welcome! Type just a little. You'll have fewer edits, and probably the wiser posts than all of ours!