qwazse

Is his self God? Maybe if he builds a rock so big he can't move it!

It's generally a good policy to hold yourselves to the same standard overseas as you do at home. Seabase Bahamas is a good example. Youth are not to drink alcohol. Neither are adults while supervising them. I know of crews where adults would take it in rotation for those who wanted to stop at a bar. When we went, our adults simply committed to non-alcoholic beverages the whole time. No problem. At the end of the day I never grudged anyone in my crew a cigar if they were over 18. But, they were to be discrete about it. Likewise, if an adult wanted to get a drink I wouldn't have been bothered. But I think our little adventure was better for nobody having imbibed.

This link should be more than you'll ever need to know. Basically, the sash is ceremonial, mainly for courts of honor. He doesn't need to have it with his uniform for every meeting. If he want's to wear it all the time, that's fine too. Suggestion: teach your boy to sew his own patches on. He'll thank you for it one day.

My buddy was held back, two years older, and went through cubs with me (his mom was a den leader). I'm pretty sure nobody asked permission. They told the unit commissioner how it was going to be. Which brings me to ... Rule #1: Don't ask anyone for a rule. Don't read anything into their hesitation. They didn't give you an outright "no", so take it as a "yes." This was not a question that the scout office should be bothered with. If you don't have a unit commissioner who understands your situation, has seen the boy at pack meetings, and maybe even can help you talk to the parents, don't expect any professional behind a phone to know how to handle things any better. Frankly, you should even take what we said with a grain of salt. (Although I think Perdi's interpretation is the right one.) Explain to the boy, that the pack will support him. Let him know that when he feels like he is ready to cheerfully try Webelos, have his parents call you, and you'll talk to the Web1 DL about maybe letting him visit a den meeting. But if he wants to be loyal to the buddies in his den, that's fine to. Give him options.

Use the mac'n cheese for necklaces! Enjoy the weekend!

Do talk to him in person. Do bring someone who witnessed the situation along. Explain that you had never met someone who acted like that over a small issue. If anything he said was actually right, be clear that you appreciated what he said, but when and how he said it undermined your trust in him. Finally, explain that this is about the boys, and we have to teach them to disagree respectfully. Like Sg said, the pack CC is a good third party, but you need to think about who this guy may trust. If there's a mutual friend who might understand what this fellow's going through, it may be helpful to find out what's going on in the guy's life.

At our best, we don't promote MBs. We promote activities related to MBs. Our boys have had fellow-scouts with severe disabilities, so the concepts were pretty much routine, however, not one took the MB. In another example, SM brought in retired fire extinguishers and we practiced putting out oil fires, plus we went over the requirements. Not one boy went after the badge. The point of being an MB counselor is not to hold a course, but to provide unique activities that make for one-of-a-kind meetings.

Although this caters to my ego, I'm only right. Not "so" much so that a leader shouldn't be concerned if he/she never has a leader of the opposite sex at meetings. Young venturers should get to know their leaders long before they attend overnight activities where at least one leader of their sex is "officially" required.

FYI, this isn't perfect. My boys fail to implement plans a lot. The "calendar beast" is hard to slay. Plus one has to set aside video games to interface with people in the real world if you want real world adventure. Girls, especially current and former girl scouts, are a little more successful at this. The equation changes if your crew elects a VP of Program who calls each activity chair (that's the term in Venturing-speak for any youth who plans an event) for updates in advance of every meeting.

I see that as one of those unnecessary "perks" of venturing. And, as far as I am concerned, sufficient justification to not worry about the regulation at all for young adults. If you are willing to gas your tank and spend your weekend with my boys, when legally you could be out buying some smokes and lottery tickets, I'm willing to let your badge stay on your shirt -- be the pocket tan or green. And, if you are now by any definition in a boy's world an "old fart" who can still fit his decades-old uniform .. by all means keep that badge on until you wear out that shirt scouting with your boys! Need a new shirt? Then it's probably time to just sew on the knot! But, let's make a deal. If you really want to keep that badge on your uniform, promise me you'll wear your Eagle medal on your lapel when your in suit and tie at formal activities like fund-raisers, graduations, and football games.

IMHO, the reasoning that any troop leader should have for starting a crew: 1) There is enthusiasm from the boys to take on additional responsibilities. 2) There are youth in your community who would benefit from joining in with your boys. You really need both. Otherwise, your super-skilled boys just become the troop's "HA patrol." They can do that without all the trappings of a whole new program, divided adult leadership, etc ...

Welcome back! I hope your return will be the personal blessing that mine has been. Just to double check, I looked at my uniform that I had from when I was a young assistant scoutmaster in the 80s, and sure enough there's my eagle badge! I knew adults weren't to wear rank patches, but nobody discussed when that transition had to be made. Evidently it wasn't during those couple of college years when I was dropping in on troop activities. By the time I was a dad ready to join the leadership, I got a new uniform, passed on the badge and purchased knots for AoL and Eagle. And that's basically how we handle things in these parts. Nobody whips out their lock-blade and asks our newest scouters to cut away the badge. But, as they get adult training and read the insignia guide themselves, they transition from badge to knot. As far as the prodigious knot program and all it's intricacies, well I suppose National thinks there is more to being a scout than those three feats you mentioned, and each deserves to be part of a scouter's "totem". Sorry that bothers you. Just set aside some drawer space for all the knots you garner but won't wear because the "third world general look" is not your thing. Finally, thanks in advance for all of your service to our boys (and young women, if Venturing draws you into its wild ride!)

Freudian slip or autocorrect?

There's really only one question, well maybe two: Does your son like it? Is he flourishing there?

This is a negative viewpoint. For rhetorical purposes, the writer implies that we are moving to a required venturing uniform and that the new awards are actually "ranks". I don't believe that either of those are true. However, I haven't seen the new VLST training materials to know exactly how this will be fed to new leaders.

OPPS?

Tarp ridge-lines don't bear as much weight as hammocks, so I don't think webbing protects bark any better than rope when the load is that small. Also, I prefer 3/8" or 1/2" braided line line (75# strength) that will flatten a little under pressure.

The trick with pocket knifes for carving is a light touch and little chips. This is something that takes a while to practice. Use soft wood, like balsa. Most boys aren't going to become apprentice wood carvers, so keep the bar low.

You were a victim of double-speak. When Bill Evans visited our council in '07, he said that every venturer should take advantage of the "awards opportunity" in venturing The understanding was that not every venturer would get Silver, but there was an expectation that more than .001 of the membership would work on an award. The notion that dozens of youth would gather together, plan adventures, serve the community, etc ... not one of them wanting to bother with being recognized for it ... that is completely foreign to the great minds in the BSA. So if the new awards don't have any more curb appeal than the old ones, expect this cycle to repeat. In the minds of executives, underutilized=failure.

Some boys can work with a picture. Most need to actually see the knot (in 3d) then they need to try it themselves, then see you tie it, then have you hold their hands while they try again ...