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I don't see that happening in concert with program changes. It really would have to do with cultural changes nation-wide. That is, if large numbers of parents are taught the "ins" and "outs" of camping with young children, then the burden of training families on how to camp together would not fall on an organization who is hard pressed to even get its registered direct-contact adults to take the most basic of training. What could prepare families for such a thing? Well a generation of millions of young men and women who have spent seven years hiking and camping together could do the trick. A thousand den moms who in their youth earned Ranger or Hornaday awards would probably have a lot of leverage with the folks in Irving. It's hard to understand why this would be needed when your den is particularly chock-full of folks who do outdoor vacations with their families on a regular basis, but most dens aren't so lucky. And really, they shouldn't be attracting those "all about the woods" types. They should be attracting as many parents who would rather not camp but would love to see littly Johnny be well-rounded and pick up a couple of skills that he isn't getting at home or school .

We take two options: Perishibles are divided up among participants once we arrive at the troop meeting place. Or the boys think of what they'd like to cook at the next meeting and we save it in the church fridge.

A neat feature may be something in our profile that holds our positions as scouters (e.g. ... SM, MC, Advisior). It might be something we type, or a series of check-boxes based on the list on the BSA adult application. (Actually, there could be a block for "current" position and one for "former" positions.)

I find him in the mirror most days.

Sore subject Pack. I'm one of those schlubs who thinks that any English translators since Jimmy's crew would have been better off dropped in the hands of some impoverished, yet inquisitive, peoples who don't have so much as a verse in their native tongue. Out with the new, in with the old, etc ... But the thing is formally named a resource center, so I guess that calls for innovation. The guy who spearheaded this has his heart in the right place. He's an Eagle who's been working with his fellow young adults for quite a few years. He's known folks who were around for years and didn't even know we had a book room. If they did, a lot of our literature was anchored in the sixties and seventies ... and frankly a lot of our young people are wanting to get their heads around more ancient writings that we never collected and apply them to ethical dilemmas heretofore unknown. Frankly if folks made off with our books and never returned them, more good would come of it than them languishing on shelves for decades. This was the right time and place for a change, he just needed the volunteers to get it done, and a boy needed a project he could be proud of.

Better yet, if at all possible, consolidate all old accounts into the new ones, if at all possible. Yes, I'm talking about rekeying on a clustered query if entries are mutually exclusive. Some platforms accommodate such an operation more easily than others!

i'm sure it's on the way, but I'm missing the Green Bar Bill logo and link to his dedication in the banner. But, by golly, I like this interface already. Let's it for multi paragraph posts on the iPad! Now it's time for the worlds ugliest bunny to hide some Easter baskets.

Since the forum underwent a migration (a truly millennial experience), time to report ... Son #2 is wrapping up his Eagle project, which qualifies as the wierdest I've seen. Imagine a dozen volunteers around conference room tables with piles of books typing furiously calling out titles and category names while an 18 year old troubleshoots problems and adjusts data collection. Church is relocating it's library ... Including purging of old materials ... and because of staff churn and rotation of computers, the catalogue was lost. (We found a hard copy with entries from 5 years ago, but nobody knew where the electronic copy was. Yes, the church has a file servers, online presence, and internet. Nobody thought to copy their hard work of cataloging the Library there.) So ... worksite: the church conference room and a sever somewhere in internet land. tools: the usual library cards, pockets, labels, carts for moving books, etc ... Wireless access (provided by beneficiary), personal computers, laptops, etc... steps: from home a 1st year scout from a troop on the opposite side of town develops an online spreadsheet and shares with Son #2. The following weekend folks gather to enter data. What used to take a secretary a week to do, gets done in hours. The hard part is adjusting collection because not every electronic device could access the website ... and printing labels for lost cards. (SM and I, who have enough postmodern data/computer security problems in our paid jobs, go find a place to do some fine woodworking with power tools.) New Library is up and running for Easter!

Axes, saws, fires, toxic plants ... no problem. Firearms, rappels, swims, rocks-and-bogs ... a little management and all is well. But what is it with disks and balls? Within an hour of appearing some boy is coming up to us with some bone broken! I think the there should be a signed statement of responsibility if a parent lets a kid add a football or flying disk to his pack.

Well, the argument I made on http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/03/12/no-app-t-shirt-shows-off-whats-right-scouting/#comment-134747 about what Key-3 would read the JTE FAQ just got dropped in the latrine (or flushy, if you happen to be "camping" near one) ... Okay, before you go quoting that to your boys, ask yourself: "Who is responsible for signing off on JTE?" then ask "What kind of unit would bother with parsing a FAQ, if not one who knew their program wasn't doing much in the way of outdoor requirements for advancement but their calendar had 9+ weekends blocked out?" Then ask "Who is responsible for signing off on Trail to First Class?" then ask "What kind of boys would bother coming to you with a dilemma if not ones who want to think through what really defines a first class scout (the concept, not the patch)?"

By the way, if someone like SST reports about a scout's behavior, I will try to get in a discussion with the boy (or venturing youth) or their parent within the week. ... Keep a little heat on the brats until they are well done.

It's not so much a matter of confidentiality, but rather efficiency. If somebody reads "decided to help Joe" or "went with Jane's idea" they don't have any clue about what actually was decided. Too much gibberish in the chronicle, and folks who read them (or, rather actually read them to make decisions) will soon stop doing so.

After fulfilling the requisite camping nights, adults may be nominated, in limited number, by the troop committee. You may read up on the details here: http://www.oa-bsa.org/pages/content/membership-and-induction

Reforesting a field is a tenuous proposition in a good decade. Success requires annual survey and replacement of failed saplings. That's where the Hornaday award comes in, with 5 Eagle-equivalent projects instead of one. It helps a scout get a long-term vision of conservation.

Minutes, which should mainly list the motions and decisions regarding them (carried vs. fail) should be available to parents. (Who will generally ignore them.) Parents who read them and have questions should be invited on the committee! All of the discussion pro- vs. con- should be summarised by "Discussion Ensued". Personal stuff should be discussed in executive session, a motion should be submitted if the key-3 want a committee decision. No parties should be named in the motion. (E.g., "Motion to underwrite 4 scouts remaining camp fee from troop treasury. -- Submitted by Executive Committee -- Discussion ensued. -- Carried".) If your minutes are like that, you should find a way to make them as accessible as possible. If all of the debate back and forth, personal opinions, names of affected parties have been written down ... the minutes need be redacted before being circulated.

What would really be helpful here is a tally of suits brought on scouters who did not administer permission slips vs. those who did. A tally of judgments for the plaintiff in one vs. the other. And damages awarded. In a perfect world we would get settlements as well, but those are always sealed.

LC, suggestion for troop gear: Cheap video projector White canvas tarp. (a.k.a. screen). Rope Small tarp and poles for the vid. proj. Extension chord. Yes, an outdoor entertainment system is a compromise. But think of the camp gadgets: Vid. Proj stand. Towers for the screen. Seats for the "screen room." cup holders! Tripod for the dutch oven popcorn. Game system/dvd player is on the boys. If you want to really freak the little buggers out, bring a digital TV receiver. Most of them have grown up expecting a cable to be somewhere. Obviously some power supply is needed. Talk to the ranger about that ahead of time. Or maybe the scouters who aren't shaking their heads right now can offer suggestions! Disclaimer: our troop does not have these in stock. But once, for a NFL playoff game, I did bring the electronic components and an otherwise lackadaisical scout ambitiously brought everything else.

We have treated the youth application and rechartering as a sort of blanket permission slip. We're a small troop and crew. However, I am moving to an individual permission slip as a lot of outdoor companies aren't requiring release forms. E.g., the ski resort now says acceptance of a lift-ticket and the fine print on the back is an inherent waiver. They're finding that a waiver isn't gonna stop a lawyer from coming after you for negligence, so why irritate customers by making them sign it? The BSA form works just fine.

FWIW - Mine came in the mail -- with instructions that I am to keep the original and give a copy to my "administrator." Sounds simple enough. I'll let you know how it plays out.

Yeah sure, recruit from there. But I'd also suggest ... Knock on the door of every candidate CO in those school districts and see if one of them would be willing to host a pack event (e.g. PWD or B&G). This way, those parents you are training would get a better feel for the resources available to them. Your DE, if worth his/her paycheck, would already have a list of prospects.

Yep, CE, your problem isn't the organization. It's a very clever bully. Organizations will likely miss some detail. Bullies, aided by their parents, will take advantage of those "chinks in the armor." Remind your boys that they are the free ones. Meanwhile, he is in a prison of his own making. Like the other fellows said, a serious thrashing may be the only way to break him out of it. Your boys aren't the ones to deliver it. He most certainly will find someone to do him the favor. The other option may be supernatural kindness .. or remarkable courage in the face of adversity. Your boys may soon be in the position to deliver either. Neither will give them justice anytime soon. But it will enable them to hold their heads high through some formative years.