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Absolutely, the boy should have responsibility over his own blue cards Partial MB's may be lost by the boy, in which case he starts from square one. But they may be lost by the SM just as readily. My brother resents to this day that his SM left town with no forwarding address and all the troop's records of his advancement were lost. Your son should at least ask for a copy. And, the district should have a list of MBCs. It doesn't really matter if he goes to a different counselor to complete the badge.

Burka shaming! To the core of my Arab-American heart, that has to be a thing! What else ... Uniform police shaming! Knot shaming! Bead shaming!

OS ... thanks for the reply. Great perspective with lots to think about, but ... I would suggest minimizing the drama about Youth Protection and Hazing. Sitting with a scout in a public location (especially with troop adults dropping by) for a couple of hours is not a YP violation, and assuming no allergies, eating a PB&J sandwich is not hazing. I get the make-everything-work-for-everybody strategy, it's great when that happens. But, sometimes boys go through that effort to contain costs, and nobody shows up for a cheap night out. It's a stinkin' lifeboat problem. Save 1 and lose 5! I wish I could say every story I've heard of fronting cash outright helped develop a boy, but it just as often helps develop a lech. Likewise, I wish I could say every story I've heard of tough love helped instill self-reliance, but just as often it helped instill self defeat. Knowing which story a fella's really in is very very hard.

SMM, great stuff, those venturing videos. Guess how many boy scout leaders are required to review them? How often are they shown at roundtable, etc ... ? I think most camps have a "one strike, you're out rule" regarding harassment. Most leaders hear it at evening meeting day 1, and maybe if they have a moment those leaders will warn the boys who they think most vulnerable to such behavior (along with dozens of other announcements). But, right when you think your best boy would never ... the potty-mouth opens. Meanwhile, most camps would give a unit a couple of days to shore up its dress code. So, even if the young women's leaders were trying to be compliant, it's setting 1 in every 50 boys up for failure. Regarding your example of the objectifying behavior of your boys once they were out of earshot of those college girls. I think most of us here would handle it much the way you did. ("Hey guys, what's it say on page 118 of your handbook?") But on the outside chance any of the ladies heard what the boys said, would you have sent them home? Most scouts and scouters aren't prepared for that kind of swift action against their boys, but that's what they are face when adults let scenarios like these play out. And summer camp has traditionally been a place where leaders could let their guards down. Does swift justice really allow boys and girls to correct their behavior so as to build mutual respect and understanding? Troops aren't prepared. In fact some of them are primed to look down on Venturing. Crews need to be sensitive to that. Girls do need a way to demand respect, without it wrecking a boy's entire week. I'll join you at my crew's fire circle (they're pretty good at getting those things lit, no matter the weather) ... just as soon as I hand off to my CC the list of scouters who should be recommended training.

And, if you are thoroughly rankled by someone doing it wrong ... you're probably doing it wrong.

It's not a matter of picking favorites. It's a matter of sharing favors, of receiving a thing in the spirit in which it was given and responding accordingly WITHOUT compromising. This isn't all that new ... It seems St. Paul had to address this issue with Timothy regarding food offered to idols. (In the ancient Mediterranean, eating spoke louder than words. ... Actually, it's probably true there today as well. ) Basically, he said if no one told Timothy a meal was a sacrificial offering, no-harm no foul. But if someone wanted to make it an issue, he should respectfully decline the meal. We also know that Paul gave thanks before meals in front of a pagan audience, but that seemed to be after he had sailed for days through storm with everyone involved and showed real leadership in the process. He also spoke in pagan forums, but only after being asked to after being overheard proclaiming his "good news" with other monotheists in the marketplace. There are other examples, for example, William Carey began an end to the Indian practice of Sutee (widows throwing themselves on the pyre of their deceased husbands), not by converting anyone to Christianity, but rather by studying Hindu writings and consulting with Hindu scholars and gaining their assistance. And, similar actions by folks of other persuasions fill our history. In short, the way around this problem is not through carefully chosen words. But through getting to know and trust everyone involved, understand their fears and apprehensions, let them know they are welcome as is, and work in ways that build trust. So, on a day-to-day level this kind of thing works in a small group of, I don't know, about eight boys. Some hints: If your "scouts own" is taking more than 15 minutes, you're probably doing it wrong. If you're saying "We pray in Your name" rather than "I pray in Your name as others here reach in they way they trust", you're doing it wrong. If you're saying "take of your hats" rather than "please remove all non-religious headgear" or "please assume a posture of reverence according to your tradition", you're doing it wrong. Little things like that go along way in recognizing "Hey, we're out here as strangers in these woods, trying to bring a little of our faith to bear on the day. It oughta be a little strange and different -- yet mysteriously comfortable -- for all of us." In larger crowds, like Rick says, you need to be clear about what's on the agenda. Nothing should be mandatory. And you should schedule it for a time where people actually choose to gather, not while they are waiting to be there for something else.

My only suggestion is get to know the training coordinator if you are going for anything that involves certification (e.g., CPR, leader-specific training, etc ...). I've had various problems getting certifications registered. Not everyone records things in an efficient or orderly manner. It's hard enough to chase these things down when you do have a rapport with council staff. Being a guy calling from out-of-council can make it harder. Regarding program for your youth, if you a participating in a neighboring district's activity, be sure to call ahead and ask if there's anything your adults could do to assist in administering the activity.

I suppose that's fair. Most of us (no offense to my fellow Panther alumni) considered the Mountaineer as the Boy-Scout-of-Every-Year.

Just saw that I never posted this, but it still kind of flows with the rest of the conversation. This is where "know your audience" comes in. (That includes recognizing God as part of the audience.) Sometimes the 100% Evangelical Christian audience can be the most critical, and getting help from your youth pastor was the right tact. As LeCastor testified, going it alone is thoroughly overwhelming. In fact, my men's group includes a pastor/missionary who often fields sermon passages to us. Iron sharpens iron, etc ... You do understand that "spirit", "breath", and "wind" are the same word in Greek and Hebrew? The phrase seems to be getting on your nerves because Christian orthodoxy is very specific as to the person-hood of the Holy Spirit, and because of our secular understanding of weather etc... a reference to wind now sounds like mechanism more than maker/messenger. That wasn't always the case. But, E441, as a post-modern Christian (which distinguishes your generation from many of us "moderns" on this forum) you have your guard up against anything that would inadvertently venerate mechanism over Maker. When we read a "cute metaphors" you read "pagan tendencies", and you don't want to be responsible for sending someone down a path you would never walk. (Note to pagans: not trying to downplay the importance of the animistic leanings to your faith .. just trying to help a Christian boy walk the fine line that welcomes everyone without compromising his duty to God.) This is where that scout motto comes in. Be prepared by taking time in advance of the service to talk to participants of minority faith. Ask them if and how they would like to participate, if something in the script is patently offensive, and if they can suggest away around it. I have found that this has really brought me closer to fellow scouts and scouters.

I think friendliness is a hallmark of this forum. I may stridently disagree with about half of what's said here, but I would be glad to have any of you around my campfire (so long as you bring a little wood for the fire, or spin a good yarn as we watch the embers die ). Just like any real campfire, I'll take my leave when someone resorts to cussing. But, I also love tangents, and may stick around longer than need be to follow one ... So, thanks moderators, for keeping us focused on the task of scouting.

Working on Cit. World, son #2 actually took the time to interview a friend who was a scout in another country. It wasn't a conversation he would have had otherwise. I'm not against a little bookwork in a MB. Why? Because one of the essential steps in learning a skill (as you'd all know if you ignore BSA's EDGE method) is referencing. But I agree that councillors who are passionate about their topic trump a parent who is putting his/her hat in the ring because they are more passionate about their boys' convenience.

LC ... just let them know that there are troops out there (one in Steeler country in particular) that dropped FCFY and have the same percentage of boys making Eagle. Ken, sounds like we're opposites. Mainly because we already have a program without MBs. It's called Venturing. The recognition rates are disappointing. If I had my druthers. I'd keep the MB program, and ditch service hour and EDGE requirements. For folks that are really EDGE addicts, create a Pedagogy MB, if they insist on it being required, require it for 1st Class and increase the number of MBs required for Eagle. While we're at it, replace the Eagle service project with a Service Projects MB, require it (could be earned any time in the scout's career) and increase the number of required MBs for Eagle. That way when folks harp about why kids take until 18, the kids can say "Look, gramps only had to earn 21 MBs, I have to earn 23!"

Well, it sounds like you didn't tell the boy to "stop and smell the roses," and I consider that a good thing. So what if he eagles next year? So what if he isn't as articulate as a 17 year old about "the purpose of the game"? Just keep throwing down other challenges like palms, religious medals, and conservation awards. The boy is learning that your priority is on learning to reflect. He'll probably wind up teasing you about it. But eventually he'll figure out that if it's important to you, it should be important to him. P.S. - Scout, if you're reading this blog, and figured out this is your SM talking about you (just compare posting dates with what was signed in your handbook), get your parents' permission to open an account on the forums, and let us know your perspective -- it would be awesome to read it.

What example? That scouter may have thought that best way to coach his fellow scouter was to indirectly slut-shame her youth. Find me the script in YPT or somewhere else that would suggest this would be a bad approach? Okay, in the SM handbook, got any quotes on what issues may arise with female scouts? Re-read my quote to be clear on who I say we need to blame. There are people who profit from making girls think they don't have what it takes to turn boys' eyes, and that they have to take advantage of material that will help them compensate for what they lack. There is EXTREME pressure on girls to uniform provocatively. And nearly every American public figure has bought into it. Heck, the former US Secretary of State is the brunt of late-night jokes for her selection of pants suits! We are talking the person who, for good or ill, envisioned this century's diplomatic core ... and comedians take jabs at her professional dress! A recent 60 minute exclusive set up an interview of a British Islamic extremist with a mid-western blond female journalist in a red dress. There are very competent female journalists from El-Jazira who could do the same interview in conservative dress and command more respect, possibly getting us a better idea of how this fellow thinks. But ask yourself ... why did the producers set it up this way? Real world, LC. My young women need to work harder to command the same respect that my young men ALREADY HAVE! Part of that is they are making up for lost time because generally they bailed out of GSUSA a while back and haven't had solid leadership experience. But part of that is because there are scouters out there who are more than happy to put their boot down on any attempt they might make to improve scouting for the rest of us. I got two options: spend my time confronting every scouter who makes "glass ceiling" remarks, or teaching young women (and the young men who care about them) how to shore up the lashings for really effective "catapults" ... because people locked in a glass cathedral may need to throw stones. Some of my key "knots:" Dress to command respect ... Understand the other person's values ... Now matter what's said, always respect him/her who does the work ... Don't judge them, just prove them wrong ... Call that "blaming" if you like. I call it giving a kid a leg up in life.

You say blame. I say, finding the root cause. As I mentioned in one thread that may have been the source of LC's post, what some people think of as "solutions" boil down to "actions that don't matter for problems you can't fix." Now, all of us on this forum have had our world view shaped by the humanist movement. Therefore, we are insulted to be told that there exists problems that we can't fix. This isn't necessarily bad, because when someone reports an intractable problem, we can kick around the tires on the thing and sometimes a light-bulb goes off and the OP or an anonymous reader says "Hey! I never thought of that." The cost of doing that, however, is that the OP feels like Job or Elija ("Some friends I have." or "Nobody really gets me.") On the other hand, our world-view has been shaped by the Great Awakening and the Protestant work ethic. (Actually being Protestant, or even Christian, is inconsequential to that. The very fact that I could use "world view" in a sentence and nearly everyone reading it believes such a thing exists is a testament to the efficacy of Christian missions.) In short, we believe that there exists a simple action that will provide short-term positive results, (answer the altar call, think happy thoughts, random act of kindness, "Yes, we can!", "Mission accomplished!"). That sort of thing gets a lot of people hopping and doing a lot of good ... most days. But some days, the "quick fix" does make things worse. Fretting over a boy's self-esteem for example may make you feel noble, but may make the boy think, "Here's the key my entitlement." Some times, the best course is the hard one, through a narrow channel in hard winds against rocky shoals. (Sorry Seabase-on-the-brain.) Sailors shouting abruptly over the wind to an angry helmsman ... it's not pretty, but then again, neither is a crab-trap on your keel or coral head in your hull! Some days, words are tough to swallow. So you need grit to dig in, keep on course, and wait for a miracle ... It's entirely possible that may require more patience than you are willing admit to lacking. ... But, I'm told rare events happen every day ... Merry Christmas Everyone!

SMMatt, very chivalrous quotes indeed. Here's the thing: the wording does nothing to address the culture clash that is fomenting in American media. The "girls" referenced here are all presumed to be "out there." So, so got any quotes about how to handle the girl in your camp? Any definitions of chivalry? Camp etiquette? What's courteous? There's nothing here about how adults might mis-construe a fella's spending time with a girl behind the program hall as sexual misconduct. How the fashion industry plays on females' anxiety and drives them to dress in ways that send mixed messages. How classifying anyone into categories like THOT is a violation of the scout law ... Even if that person may indeed be sexually active for a price. Maybe I've missed those. But if you find them in BSA literature, do bring them to the fore!

'skip and tyke, there's no "US" in the URL, so as far as I'm concerned, we Yanks are only "native" by virture of numbers ... and we happen to be closer geographically to the webmaster. On or two of us actually are interested in our impression on the rest of the world, so thanks.

LeCastor, for a smiley emoticon from your ipad, type: space colon right-parenthesis. My wink above was space semi-colon right-parenthesis. XD

E441, the example you cite is not an example of political correctness, but rather contextualization - a common practice among Christian missionaries. Why do this? Well, what would a native American hunter-gatherer know of the life of a Semetic warlord? Taken literally, we have King David declaring himself to be a dumb sheep ... an analogy that works quite nicely in a culture where animal husbandry is central to the economy. For a brave who has no knowledge of animals that are entirely dependent on a human for their survival, the analogy falls flat. Another example? Well, nobody had lived through a Roman census for centuries, so the notion of the desperation engendered by having to cooperate with an occupying army to accomplish such an endeavor was lost. So how does one communicate the context of the incarnation? Choose the bleakest time of year when the average pagan is waiting for days to lighten, and have the event venerated around then. It worked! Europeans throughout a fractured empire came to associate winter days with pondering the Christmas message over all other narratives. The trade-off: the modern Christmas is rife with "politically correct" nods to pagan ceremony ... and more recently capitalism' narrative of the importance to "jump start" a consumer economy. So, maybe your "scouts own" service isn't that extreme after all.

Not getting into philosophy as to whose culture is more enlightened. (Suffice it to say that I endure scouters who would never look outside US borders for organizational models and resent me when I point them out .) , but you raise an important point ... Our market is more complex than yours. For example, I advise a Venturing crew. (You've clearly browsed official websites, so I'll spare you the details.) These youth (ages 14-20) have an option of the national uniform, or devising their own uniform. These neckers you speak of ... there is not a boy or girl in my crew who would ever put them on ... NOT EVER ... even the ones who are boy scouts and have a uniform shirt to match officially removed them as a required element of our troop's uniform. Meanwhile, an adjacent crew adopts the national uniform with no qualms whatsoever. (Still, no necker.) They'll likely be the ones paying a visit to our chief scout executive one day. I'm really excited for UK scouting. I think their growth is inspiring. But it will take a little more than that to impress American parents. And as long as they're writing the checks, BSA is limited in its innovation.

Great project! Really, if he keeps it up, ask the SM to get him a quartermaster patch and write "community" in the top of the circle! Our CO operates a local food pantry as well. The boys help stock it with Scouting for Food collections. (Really, since where we store flags and some ceremonial gear is next to to the pantry, they can't miss it. From time to time, they go through and check expiration dates on the items.) Usually once a year, cubs canvas the neighborhood, and on a different weekend boy scouts collect at a store front on a Saturday. When times are tough, the boys will arrange with a store for an additional collection. All our boys are up to their eyeballs in service hours, but this would count for any who needed them. We don't do store-front popcorn sales. However, as part of our spaghetti dinner, the church "purchases" meals for their pantry clients anonymously. But the $ aren't where the benefit lies. We'd never know who these clients were if not for some of them take a moment to talk to the boys waiting on their table and tell them how their efforts put decent meals on their family's table when they couldn't afford it while between jobs. Frankly, the occasional "thank you" is the best reward those boys could ever have. (From time to time, the lady who coordinates the pantry does take a moment to swing by the troop meeting to thank the boys, but it's not quite the same.)

And exactly how much is in the Boy Scout Handbook (or any other BSA material) about how a scout should carry himself around a scantily dressed and very friendly young lady? Maybe the boys thought it would be discourteous to not arrange to meet them someplace privately after hours. And it would be unkind to wake their SM after his very hard day!