qwazse

The MB pow-wows I attended as a scout were awesome. They were in the science building of a local college campus. Their point was for a boy to meet a counselor and learn how we could do the requirements, maybe practicing some of the skills required for the badge. (For example, in photography, we all got a crack at developing some film.) In doing that, we learned about the materials we needed to build our own lab (which many of us wound up doing), so that when we made our pinhole camera, we could develop our own film. We met a lot of our district's counselors. That made it easier, when the time came, to tell the SM who you wanted to see about earning the badge, and give the counselor a call and finish the badge. What was really and truly awesome, however, was the displays that the college's outstanding students had put together to fill the display cases in the halls of the building. (These included specimens from ecology, medicine, mathematics, etc ... intended to impress prospective students, not us scouts.) A burgeoning science geek couldn't be happier.

You've heard my hypothesis elsewhere, that one blind spot in all these timelines is the national ban in the late 1960s on anyone over 18 (barring severe disability) from participating in rank advancement. The only published language I found on this from the time was from Boy's Life saying the requirements would be too easy for adults. Perhaps it was inconceivable at the time that adults might be incompetent at timber hitches, or the mechanics of citizenship. But, maybe it was deeper than that. Maybe there was an evolving perception that adults were needed to "lead" at a more conceptual level. Tying knots and knowing birds well just wasn't "good" enough. A pity, because some of these heated environmental debates could be communicated more readily give by a common grasp of ornithology. Clearly the prevailing notion is that boys can't learn leadership from a conceptual level. (Actually, I think it's more that they won't sit for hours straight being lectured at, bless them.) Therefore to some scoutcraft is a necessary evil, a means to and end. Not necessarily an end itself.

I haven't had the opportunity, but with the venturers I wanted to share "The Gods Must Be Crazy".

When our CO was in a tight spot, the troop offered to contribute toward the light and heat bill. They declined, noting that they had a full food pantry and several nice Eagle projects on the grounds thanks to us.

Second hint: get the best de chief a troop can offer for your Webelos den.

One hint: at wood badge make the Webelo-ree (or follow-up afterword) part of your ticket. It will consume a lot of your time and you will need to be managing goals and objectives anyway. You'll have plenty of time to sort the details out during your training weekends, so don't feel like you have to have a complete plan going in. But by thinking of Woodbadge as a synergistic tool rather than one more set of tasks, you will keep the chaos of life to a minimum.

Durn it! @@jpstodwftexas, that was supposed to be a +1. Sorry for the thumb fail. I've always felt that the U.S. traditional/national dress was denims and a flannel shirt. (Possibly including a tool belt.) The old Arabs and Turks used to dread when their kids would start wearing them ... a sure sign of Westernization and the accompanying rot to come.

Welcome! What happened to you and your buddy was pretty much how I got my crew advisor patch. I'm not much for graphics, so just imagine a Steelers fan wearing a proud Sooner Boomer parent t-shirt right now. (I know those are fighting words in some parts of your state, but full disclosure ... )

Like stosh said the mean is skewed. Be nice to see the funky curve ... or maybe know what percentage were at age 17.5 - 18. My suspicion is that boys are waiting until they can hop in a car and drive to wherever they needed to wrap up MBs and projects. That certainly was how my boys behaved.

That was precisely my career as a scout. SM said there were a bunch of webelos crossing over and asked if I would like to start a new patrol with them. (By this time, I think I had been a den chief.) The only difference between them and your "NSP" was that we never applied the word "new scout". We were Wolf patrol from the first meeting. No allowances were made for lack of rank or skill. This was meant to be a patrol for as long as the troop would last. And we were meant to represent the troop well. No troop guides or instructors. If I needed help, I talked to my former PL or a JASM. I didn't need help, except for maybe a little time away from the patrol to learn how to convert mess kits into pizza ovens. (Well, I could have used some heads-up about a boys' innate desire to turn spray paint cans into flame throwers.)

@@MattR and @@Stosh thanks for the exegesis. My specific point was that our culture is ingrained with a notion that leadership is more about "being" than "doing" or "earning". It's something you are expected to take on, not something you can imitate by following a series of steps. To scouts, I may say: "You are a leader. The patch for it comes when others notice you leading them."

LOL! So many red flags. So little time to read them. If their boys want to join your troop let them visit a few meetings before committing. You might give them a "grass isn't any greener" talk. The mom (let's not even waste time calling her a CC if she's not on the same page as other adults in the troop or district)? Refer her to your CC. He'll thank you for it. For what it's worth, whenever I do multi-unit things, I prefer to get the SPLs (or Crew Presidents) communicating. My line to the other SM/Crew Advisor is "I'll have my guy talk to your guy." If they know are okay working with each other then we move forward.

Having seen over a couple decades the numbers wax and wane, but the quality remain the same in he same unit, I would suggest that there's no statistical way to suss out High speed low drag units. You'd do just as well by judging the quality of thier coffee.

"I am that I am" -- the Almighty. Perhaps (weather it's rallying your patrol or a nation), it starts from a sense being.

Congratulations to your son! And props for his forward-thinking! His SM will be impressed when he asks for a blue card at his first conference. As these things go, he will general enjoy his time more if there is another scout who learns the badge with him.

The CO gives us zero funds. A clean warm building with plenty of storage space and an industrial kitchen is plenty. If they want a report it's up to the COR to relay it. They are perfectly fine with each unit having its own checkbook and accountability. They loan us our tax ID so we can do just that. When our boys merged with another troop, we left a small part of our treasury to the CO. They are still letting the troop have access to the storage, and would like us to use their building for their annual fundraiser.

Our EBORs usually get scheduled within 4-6 weeks of turning in the application. So the delay that you feel is par for the course here.

Individual Scout Account ... When sufficiently large, a boy's fundraising in a given year could be seen as an individual benefit for his family as opposed to service for the group. Meaning that a boy earning more than a couple thousand might need to report taxable income.We say "might" because there is no specific case where the IRS has gone after a scout family on this, but it did make deferminations regarding kids sports teams who have required each member to raise tens of thousands of $ as a condition of membership.

How much follow-up depends on the volunteers at council, So I can only tell you what our people do. They do not contact the donors in any way, either for the purposes of cross-checking or for soliciting in any way. They do ask the boy to solicit closed references from the folks he's listed on his application and have them sent to the SM, who then arranges for them to be available for the BoR. As a policy, I never write closed references so when asked I give it directly to the person who asked it and they may read or forward along without reading as they wish. It's an interesting question. Have your son call the district advancement chair and find out what he says. It would be interesting to know if your people are any different than mine..

Those aloof and invisible CoRs! Catch one if you can. @@zuzy, valid though your concerns may be, you gotta take a step back. Likewise, your husband as UC should tread carefully. There is a whole lot to say against assigning commissioners to troops where their kids are members. Frankly, he should ask someone else in the district to take on the position, and only approach any issues in the troop as an ASM. Why? I would imagine a UC without entanglements would have called the SM immediately about how he was treating his fellow scouters. He would have gotten both parties in the same room to try and make peace. Then he would have encouraged those parties to reconcile with the TC about how one or both of them let things get out of hand and affirm that it will not happen again. Just saw your post. Your man is trying to do the right thing ... and calm mamma bear!

Requirements have waxed and waned for us. When we had them we were flexible. When we didn't, we could still be rigid. (E.g., SPL no matter how credentialed, was expected to pass on his position if he couldn't keep up the responsibility.) This round of elections (after deciding to merge with a troop of mostly 1st and 2nd years), the SM did ask only 1st class scouts to run for PL. Evidently there was some bad blood last year from the scout who wasn't elected SPL, and there was some hope that a little call for maturity would spare that. (Actually, I think the aggrieved SPL speaking up about sportsmanship the week before the election did the boys the most good.) FWIW, the current SPL's "campaign speech": he stood up and recited the Oath and Law, and sat down!

Welcome to the forums. And, I feel your pain. My suggested strategy ... Visit a scout shop and ask to look at regulation-issue alternatives. Go the non-official route as a last resort. Don't worry if someone notices. Oh, and the most important part of your uniform? Your smile!

Why? Now that's a profound question. Your people at your council are not experts on insignia. Folks are really shocked to hear that they are more concerned about who's under the uniform than what's on it. Most pros are so thrilled when kids come through the doors of the CO's they've acquired, they are gonna toss out the patch and ask questions later -- as in never. As to the Mrs., no point in telling her. (There'll be plenty of other things for her to be mad about by the time you're in the thick volunteering. Don't tell her that either.) For now, wear it proudly, and if anyone points it out, say you listened to council before reading the Insignia Guide ... newbie error ... but you are not about to disrespect your seamstress! Boys are supposed to sew on their own patches. Time to get some lessons! Try to find a scout who actually did recruit a buddy and offer to give him the patch off your shirt if he has a penknife handy.

First of all, congratulations to your son for making SPL. It's something that the boys trust him that much. Hope he enjoys his time. Regarding the coaching, SM may lose points for style, but your Son hustled up and did the job. Your son should get in the habit of communicating frequently with the SM. Either touch base at the end of the meeting about the next week's plan or call/E-mail during the week. Not gonna lie, it is really tough for a boy to fit that task in week-in and week-out on top of sports. Like Krampus said, if this negative feedback is really bothering your son, he can bring it up with the CC. As to him spouting off to other adults ... all I can say is the folks who I consider my true friends are the ones who talked to me when I said/did something hurtful or rude. It allowed me to apologize and make peace. Your husband is in a position to be the SM's true friend. The guy may not want one, but it sure sounds like he needs one. Regarding being available for your son's project, SMs need couch time -- usually more than any scout really needs an SM at his project. It's a shame he couldn't fess up and say it. But let that one go. Good SMs aren't just lying in a pumpkin patch ready to pick, so it's wrong-headed thinking that getting rid of one will automatically get you someone who might be better. This stuff (i.e. waiting for someone to mature into a well-seasoned leader of youth) is annoying, and the CC and COR should try to help the SM improve his style. If it's time for a new leader, it's on them to decide. But from what I've experienced it would take a broader pattern of disrespect for any committee to want to make a change.

This is where you just run it up the chain. Give your cubmaster a call (better yet, meet for coffee) explaining you made a good faith effort to contact certain parents, but no response. Tell him the boys left in your den are having fun, but you'd welcome his help following-up on the "lost parents" and any feedback they may have. That way, you and the Mrs. can then turn your attention to the kids still in the program, and maximize their fun. Like Ranman's story shows, us seasoned scouters are often willing to help, but unless the wheel squeaks, we just keep peddling!