qwazse

Congratulations on having such a great son! I think you're talking about Scoutmaster Essentials. I would sign him up and let the District Trainer know what you're doing. It makes sense that you want your ASM to be on the books as a trained leader as soon as his application can be accepted. They should be able to credit your son for the course the day he takes it regardless of his birthday. Heck they credited one of my venturers for earning WB when she was 11! (I think her dad was more than willing to give her his beads as a crank gift!)

I don't want to understate the importance of discouraging bullying and teaching our youth to put a premium on graciousness and distance themselves from those who take pride in malice. But ... First, we need to be very careful about the causal chain in the lives of suicide attempters. There's a lot about depression and hopelessness we don't understand ... Especially in youth. It sometimes drives children to prefer situations that draw abuse. If someone's being mean to me, I have justification for my feelings. It allows me to reinforce my negative emotions and spares me from making the effort to face down my demons. For example, normative kids use social media to allow friends to challenge thier thinking. In doing so they become articulate in defending ideas they value. This empowers them to think in ways that promote self-preservation. In such contexts, pathological kids withdraw, find a narrow circle of social or behavioral situations that allow them to contemplate self harm, and they only announce any intention to a wider audience when it is too late for those potential harm-preventers to act. So, our job as adults who have survived such depredations is twofold. First, teach and preach compassion. Second teach and preach tough-as-tanned-leather meekness in the face of troubles. Or, like Momma told me when I was being bullied (after hanging up the phone with the bully's mom), "Stop crying so much. Get big."

I'm beginning to think 'schiff's 1 cent is worth more than face value. I could see an SM minute (maybe father's or mother's day, maybe at a CoH). Talk about the old days when some adults were allowed to work rank advancement and some dads would earn, say, Bird Study with their son. Then offer a challenge "Boys, have you ever asked your folks if they had a favorite MB they wanted to do with you? Maybe even if they didn't want to be the counselor, they would like to go through the reqs with you and maybe see if the counselor has something cool to teach you both? How about going down that list of badges with your folks tonight and see if there's one that may suit the both of you? Report back to me next week." With all of the discipline we need to exact on adults these days to keep the youth in charge of the program, this would be a nice reminder to parents that their role is no less diminished.

Lots of examples of boys with hats inside : http://www.inquiry.net/uniforms/hats/inside.htm Even as far as removing it outside, there is regional variation. When watching a parade, in some parts, the hat comes off of men's heads as the lead color guard passes. I always demonstrated that to the boys. I've observed that the rule is enforced more stringently (with sergeants-at-arms going ahead through the crowd reminding them of the protocol) in the Southeast US. (Maybe more in small towns vs. cities?)

A "well seasoned" scouter stopped in to our meeting this week to help an older scout on his MB. It happened to be when the AoL den was visiting the troop. Turns out one of the cub dads was a scout in the troop when that scouter was SM! Names to faces ... I think that's the hardest thing about this gig.

I'm pretty sure that for my mom and dad (and, in turn, for me and the Mrs.), the SM (warts and all) was one of the best people my kids could spend one hour a week plus a weekend a month with. Regarding our boys who didn't make FCFY ... it wasn't the troop. It was usually one requirement. For one or two: the exercise; others, land navigation; others swimming. One scout, the lake just got into his head. We arranged for him to do it in a pool ... he said "Nope gotta pass it in the lake," and it took him to his fourth year at camp. I think the fact that everyone stood by each other regardless added value to the program. The boys who did make FCFY? Well, there were video games to play, ... One other thought. The boys who got homesick at camp and went home for family night. We lost most of those. I think a lot of other troops did too, 'cause the camp dropped family night from the program -- no complaints from the scouters. How 'bout you all?

So, let's run with the thought experiment. What if every parent (well, at least one for each scout) was strongly encouraged, for starters, to counsel just their boy in one MB of their choosing? Pick any from the list. In fact Home Repairs allows Either a parent or the merit badge counselor may supervise the Scout's work on any Home Repairs requirements. Maybe you could ask the parent -- if he/she hasn't registered with the BSA -- to touch base with an established counselor to show him/her the ropes. Might this help nurture the pool of qualified counselors?

@@blw2, Each troop is its own little experiment. Sometimes the stuff national puts out meshes with what we've seen and we say "Oh, yeah!" Other times we just go, "Huh?" But even within one unit, after a few years, you get a sense how things go and along come a bunch of boys who defy your expectations. One anecdote that may be of interest to you (and I've reported elsewhere on this forum), because most of your parents will have an "advancement pump" primed: In our troop, when we pushed "1st class by first year" the same percentage of boys advanced to higher ranks and nearly had the same age of obtaining Eagle. When we dropped that program and let boys advance to first class whenever (although we try to encourage boys to at least knock off one rank per year), we still had the same relatively high percentage reach Eagle. We did not have any different rate of drop-out among those who advanced to 1st class in one year vs. those who took 4 years to earn it! My takeaway: tweak the program, if you must, at the skills and activities level -- not at the rate-of-advancement level.

I forgot about the following lively discussion: http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2013/10/29/tuesday-talkback-when-should-scouts-wear-hats-indoors/

Well, although it might sound like you should, you are not to wear it at any candidate's political rally.

I think you read (or someone read for you) a little bit more into the YPT. You could certainly have the event with demonstrators who have not taken YPT. They just can't sign off as counselors without district's approval. Unfortunately, if there is a charge of an actionable offense, the plaintiff's lawyers won't just go after the offender. They will go after anyone who hasn't performed due diligence in screening him/her. (And they will target the biggest pocket!) We all trust our people ... until one of them hurts a kid. Then we trust nobody.

I didn't understand this was a "ship has already sailed" scenario. From such parents whom I've known, I'm pretty sure you would be thrown another "straw man" in short order. I think we're about the same rate of loss after one year from former cubs vs. non-cubs. The difference? With former cubs, it's usually the parent's decision over the boy's objection. With non-cubs, it's usually the boy's decision over the parent's objection.

I'm not admitting anything one way or the other. Mrs. Q says I used my kids as an excuse to go play in the woods. We'd all best not disagree with her. When I come back from adventurous trips (more often now in my kids' absence) she thanks the youth and younger ASMs for babysitting me! I think for the parents 'schiff is dealing with, it may boil down to personal pride.It will be interesting to hear how he puts it to these parents and how they respond. They want their name somewhere on their boys' advancement. They don't realize that the price for acting like a scouter to one youth is being a scouter to all youth. That's a heavy price, and I never grudged anyone who would not pay it. Most such folks wound up making sacrifices in other arenas for my children so it all evened out.

Yes, we are in a hot mess in the Keystone state! On the flip side, other activities also recognize the state clearances. So, once we have them, they go a long way.Still it's a far cry from when a DE put a person's name on the MBC list with just a smile and a handshake. However, it doesn't sound like just a paperwork phobia. It sounds like folks who've confused having a special hand in their kid's advancement with having their name signed in triplicate.

Maybe selfish, but it's not their fault that BSA adds the paperwork/training burden. My knee-jerk: if you are not willing serve any boys in the district (or at least your troop), then you're not ready to sign-off for your son. That is not to say that you cannot do the required activities together with your son. After the first meeting with the counselor, do those activities, then let the counselor sign off on the other stuff! When I took my kids on their first rock-climbing expedition, we hired a guide from an outfitter who had certified MBC counselors. I had fun making him espresso against the cliff face while he went over reqs with Son #1, and Daughter and Son #2 imitated him. (I'm not sure if Son #1 ever turned in that blue card.) Sons learned new knots and Daughter learned it's all about the coffee! Since then, even if I could counsel the badge, the Mrs and I sent the kids elsewhere for the counseling part and only hung around for the "fun stuff."

And from the BSA ranks, "scouts" would include younger venturers age 14-17, male and female (as shown by the cover picture on 2019WSJ's site. The WOSM hosts for the event will be Scouts Canada, BSA, and Asociacion de Scouts de Mexico, so hopefully that will make for a larger pool of young adult volunteers to staff the event (and, no doubt, and interesting work experience). It is not clear what, if any, cost adjustments will be made for volunteers. The GS/USA is not part of the WOSM, and the World Jamboree is not on their calendar. However, the folks who I met returning from Japan expressed strong feelings that these bureaucratic hurdles be overcome.

I've found that all of our Eagles (the ones who've asked to have a CoH anyway) were sufficiently charismatic. I'd agree that a scout who lacks spirit would be a poor seller of the advancement method. But, I am referring to regular CoH's as well ... I hate to say it but our boys were mainly inspired by the treats afterword. But, maybe there are some things that boys out there do that actually make an impression on the younger scouts.

Thanks for the report. As and advisor whose venturers have not pursued awards, it's good to know the opinions of folks for whom it matters.

In another thread, SP notes: So, what parts of your CoH's seem to motivate your younger scouts to work that advancement method?

Old troop paid for kit, necker, and slide, and either invites/programs or a scrapbook. (For son #2, I' don't think I bothered requesting reimbursement.) Their name is added to a plaque in the church hall. Now that we've merged, not sure what we'll do.

I can't recall precisely, but the Leadership Corps in our troop was SPL and JASMs who went to Junior Leader Training.

A worthy, but challenging Cit. Comm. project for a lot of our communities: getting folks to look at how weather-hardened their buildings really are ... http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/20151230-engineer-finds-examples-of-horrific-construction-in-tornado-wreckage.ece

Happy New Year! I thought it would be fun for us scouters to reflect on last year by relaying the best thing some youth said about each of us. I'm not necessarily talking about some speech at an awards ceremony ... but an out-of-the-mouths-of-babes one-liner that pretty much sums it up for you: Mine came via a note at the tail end of the year from the family we had taken canoeing two days earlier. They were hiking and their dad told them to stay on the path. One of my great-nieces replied, "If we were with Uncle @Qwazse, he would take us off the path to show us things!" The shoe fits. I'm wearing it.

It's never the user's fault! Some developer just didn't take the time to build the intelligence to detect the various patterns in which a transferring scouter would be "thumbed."

Once the Mrs had to fill in for a colleague who patched up the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dancers. The Nutcracker was especially brutal, so they always had a therapist at hand. The gig came with seats near the pit on the exit isle. Son #2 and I were free (I.e., not camping) so we went along. The show impressed the little guy more than he thought it would. (We also had a dear young friend who was starting her career as one of the bumblebees -- now she dances internationally.) But, better than that, as soon as the curtain closed we had to dash backstage, which for an 10 year old with a mechanical mind was astounding. They had dropped the 3-story set and were reordering it for the next performance. Then we waited in the hallway as the Mrs. worked on a ballerina, who was in the ultrasound room the minute she completed the last bow. As soon as she realized that my wife had family with her, she shouted, in a Russian accent, "Well, bring them in!" She was a fine gal. She last danced the Arabian and was in full costume in stark contrast to the high tech sports med equipment. She engaged my son ... Asking what he thought about the show. What he like best ... Etc. (all while in a lot of pain from dancing on a sprained limb). Then she said "Do you want to be a dancer when you grow up?" He shook his head "No." She replied "Good! Your life will be so much better!"