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Well, let's see ... If it's a choice between some token female and a dad who I can trust to speedily dispatch anyone who lays a hand on my female youth, guess what I'm choosing? In the same vein, I kinda trust IMK to choose a mom who will be accountable. I don't believe the group less safe from abuse because the men she trusts can't make the hike, but the one woman she trusts can. And, given the probabilities, I definitely don't think a troop full of boys are at less risk if you cancel the weekend and leave them to their own devices. All that said, IMK, I would recommend extending your contacts to other troops, commissioners, and unit reserve types who've earned.your trusts, so that you have a bigger depth chart.

1. Men's room? 2. What are SPL's for?

That is not a simple goal. It's more like a vision. But, there are lot's of goals that could help you toward that vision. For example, Contact 10 parents about promising to attend committee meetings. Aggressively promote training opportunities for unit adults. Develop a cub-coordinated recognition for adult leaders. With the CC, draft a yearly agenda. One of those, or something else might be within your reach. Anyway, keep your vision, but keep in mind that you'll be revising A LOT.

Part of the challenge at the cub level is actually drawing out the parents. Nobody really knows anybody, and you're always wondering who just needs a little nudge, and something great will be provided for the boys. This does it as well as any.

Headlines are rife with every possible combination ... Anybody got real stats about the relative risks of accusations during overnight activities among groups with same sexed leaders of youth of the opposite sex?

One thing that may help for Mr. Do-Nothing is keeping him on the short list for special service projects that pop up from time to time. So, for example, you approach the PL and say "SPL and I need a volunteer to help set-up activity X. It may involve some hiking/hauling/touching base with the ranger. Is there an older first-class scout who we may borrow for the next few hours?" (nudge-nudge wink-wink).

Think in terms of things you've been meaning to do, but haven't done, yet you could do if you put your mind to it -- even if other people don't help you. So, your goal for the district campout is ambitious, but what if nobody shows? The real goal for you would be to identify key volunteers, find a date on the schedule, and if all goes well, promote it. Goals should focus on your primary position. And, like in SSScout's case, your ticket guide will help you sort through what fits and what doesn't. So, brainstorm now, but be prepared to do a lot of editing over the training weekends.

What are the PL's telling you? Do they think they can work with one boy but not the other? How far apart does each patrol camp from the others? You used the phrase "my patrol". Have you been assigned to be its advisor for any particular reason? IMHO it is reasonable to suspend a boy for not participating in the life of the troop. But you really want to save that for a really bad apple. Maybe that applies to Mr. Do-nothing, but I don't think it applies to Mr. Slip-shod. That said, if you're planning any kind of super-activity, you'll need multiple shake-downs and conditioning weekends to make sure these boys are getting up to speed.

Oh, to somebody not getting their entitlement it is. You're basically rubbing their "poverty" in their face. Let's face it. Guys like us get our kicks when some kid comes to you asking about breakfast and we reply, "Well, the water is there, your bowl is in your pack, and your patrol's stove, pot, and oatmeal is thataway ..." Not everybody sees the good in that. My bottom line: let the CC know about the parental "drama-du-jour" and tell him/her to fix it. The bigger the troop, the more you get these crack-pots, the more it can't be the SM who deals with them. Basically BD, anything more than one sentence (that's all the boys will read anyway), is giving the haters just what they want. (I learned that one early on as crew advisor.) That gas thing ... your CC and COR need to make sure it's in the troop budget.

The "third world generals" (I'm sure some read this forum) of Seneca district are a great group of guys and gals who have bent over backward for us any time we needed it. But like BD my life is insane, so I make it to about 1/4 of RTs. Click, the best tool which hasn't been used much is the phone call. For never seen ... "We're missing you at RT. Hope your adult leaders can pay us a visit soon. The next meeting is ..." For first-timers ... "Just wanted to say thanks for coming to your first RT. Sorry we didn't have time to talk much. Hope to see you again." For the ones you haven't seen a while ... "Just was at RT and realized I hadn't seen you for a while. Let me know if there's anything we can do to support your unit.

Has it been anything but ...? Second mistake. Speaking up for yourself. I'm just glad the members of this forum could give you years of practice getting such judgements. In my neck of the woods, I call it "North Side Entitlement Mentality." What I do: 1. Tell the boys I'm not having any of it. 2. Tell the boys I'm not disrespecting their neighborhood, and in fact I could just as well find folks in every neighborhood (even wealthy ones) with the same attitude. 3. Tell the boys that fundraising is important. If they want a spur-of-the-moment car wash to see if they can shave costs, you'll see if they can make time for it. Then, as ASM, I (and other committee) reply to these these comments (usually we know exactly who'll make them) and stick up for the SM. We tell the SM to saw some logs or call in some turkey. He doesn't have a bone in this fight even though some rude parents are trying to make it so.

For a twisted world. The entire policy is a long bet on certain combinations of youth and adult sexes being lest likely to yield malfeasance by any member of the group. This discounts the possibility that a given pair of dads may be the best chaperones a given group of girls could ever have, or that a given pair of moms may be best for a group of boys. It also ignores the possibility that certain youth have qualified to take their mates hiking and camping, and they may be better off with no adults present. Always be aware that regulatory compliance may reduce your organization's time in court, but will only go so far in minimizing your or your youths' risk of exposure to abuse.

O'S. It's easy for us to see more men behaving badly on campouts ... We camp with mostly men. But YPT isn't just about adult behavior. It's about the kind of accusations troubled teens may make!

We love our stereotypes don't we? A couple of dads can't be trusted with the young ladies, but a couple of moms can be trusted with the boys? The intent of the guideline is to ensure that overnights have at least one member of the same sex as the youth participants.

A lot of dads like the old winter cabin camp with the trash can Turkeys. I bring plenty of sleds so the boys can build runs through the woods. But my favorite was a tent camp on a friend's property. We borrowed a little electricity and I brought a video projector and antenna and a scout set up a screen and a pop-up to cover the equipment and we watched a Steelers v. Raven's playoff game. It was like being in the stadium except if the fit took you, you could go off and build a snowman or get wood for the fire. The most musing? The set-up scout, who was a techie of sorts, was astounded that I could pull an image out of the "ether" without patching into the cable box!

Moms gotta worry! Chances are it will be the moms and dads who think they need to sweep in and save your son who will need to be educated. But that will need to come from your son. The boy is at the point where he will learn to self-advocate and specify where he could use a little help. His buddies are likely the ones who will have time to figure out most of his cues. So,,let the DL know that your son has two conditions: impaired vision and a stubborn streak.

Matt, is this in addition to summer camp? Are you the adult leader for every trip? I'm wondering because for me, the hardest part of being a crew advisor (and I think my co-advisor would agree) is setting aside those vacation days when we also have to support kids in college. Working extra to balance budgets is a bit of an issue, but the family is expecting to be home during breaks, older kids are getting married, etc ...

I suggest getting in touch with the course director, who should be able to tell about "locked in" time commitments. (Usually an orientation day and two weekends.) For me, the hardest part was being on those weekends when I could be doing something with our troop or crew. You can expect to be put in with a "patrol" of other scouters from all over the area. A lot of extra time commitment will involve touching base with your patrol between weekends. Then they will be your source of encouragement as you develop and work your ticket. The camping weekends themselves involve a mix of lectures, video, skits, and activities. It's a "little something for everyone" approach. So, if you've been to a lot of leadership/management seminars, the lectures may bore you. If you are really good with scout skills and have done patrol-type activities, the outdoor stuff will feel kind of "dumbed down." As with any broad-based training, I would look for one or two "nuggets" of things that may apply to yourself in the upcoming year. The rest of it should get filed away for future use.

Well, you really are in the big leagues now. Aside from writing and deleting a letter, I suggest you take stock of what was said. From the former SM's apprehensions, sift out real threats from hypotheticals. Have a "plan b" for the real problems. Don't sweat the hypotheticals.