qwazse

Well we may have lost you, but as I tell my boys ... "It doesn't matter how many times you get lost, as long as you get found just as often."

Back to topic ... I recertified my BSA guard at camp. It was a good use of my time, and kept me out of the boys' hair most of the day. (The course was at the other camp on reservation, so I clocked most of my service hours guarding boys from other troops.) Unfortunately, the certification card never got back to me. I contacted the reservation director who said he'd look into it. This kind of snag may take months to resolve. Offering WFA and other challenging adult/older scout courses at summer camp sounds like a good idea, but we have a ways to go to make the follow-up work smoothly.

I didn't realize they weren't eligible before. But then again, <.1% of venturers seem interested in venturing medals, so I guess there was even less of a demand for the NOA from Venturers. It would be awesome this results in some more youth being recognized for their well-rounded outdoorsmanship..

Look, everyone, another fella wearing two hats! Welcome to the forums!

Finally, regarding O/A, the SM determines which youth candidates are eligible for election. The guidelines do not mention tent mates during the required nights, while they are very clear on other things that may or may not count towards those nights. So, it's clear to me that one's philosophy of "manly camping" should not come into play here. A boy who can't manage his ordeal (on first attempt) is not a detriment to the order. A boy who can, while yet an intimidating thug and ruffian, is a detriment. You seem convinced that this boy was elected to the order by virtue of his cheerful service, a

I had a friend who attempted to CC like this. It was rough. One way that I handled it is to mandate that no committee meeting be heald in the absence of the crew president. That basically ended committee meetings for us. The youth took a little more responsibility and learned to contact the appropriate MC for the task they needed to accomplish. You could also insist the same thing with a troop, but you would have to have an SPL willing to be available for it, and mature enough to respectfully disagree. A comment youth can allay adults' concerns about these sorts of things.

This isn't hard. As SM, you must insist on one more line, "Any part of this policy may be revised at any time at the discretion of the Parrol Leaders' Council."

Good luck. Although the last thing I would give a Webelos is a guide to Eagle. I might consider giving crossover a "Guide to Becoming a First Class Scout (the Concept not the Patch)", or maybe I'd just introduce him to his patrol leader.

First, your CC needs to know what you (SM and ASMs) really need in terms of assistance from parents. Then for those tasks where you still really need adult support, he/she needs to find a parent of your younger scouts who might be able to "help" the parent(s) who can no longer be as active. By "help," we're talking train to be their replacement, but really only want to say that when those folks are confident that they can make a seamless-as-possible exchange of responsibilities.

Heritage Reservation, which runs it's Boy Scout camps Sunday-Saturday as SSScout describes, allows a unit's "advance team" to arrive Saturday afternoon to set-up canvas and take inventory. (Units bring their own food.) This is a great opportunity for the older scouts to have an additional night of fellowship, informal SMCs, and time to assist preparing for check-in next day. It also allows younger scouts to manage roll-call and vehicle loading for the rest of the campers departing Sunday AM.

Better yet, see if you can find out which boys were cubs, and ask them and their parents if they have any pictures or souvenirs from their cub experience that they would like to share. Two scouts in uniform with some stories to tell about derbies, songs, camp, etc ... would go a long way to winning over parents and kids. You won't have to say a word about the troop ... just introduce your boys. The parents and cubs will do the rest for you.

Thing about the inspection sheet (http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34283.pdf). It is not an all-or-nothing. Non-standard issue pants only dock 10 points off the total inspection score. In most parts (especially impoverished zones), 90% will get you an A. Grade inflation. Now, just require some of the patches to be worn on the back pants/shorts pockets instead of the sleeve, then you could start docking insignia points ...

Talk to the boys or adult leaders in your church's troop. Ask them which pack(s) their cross-overs come from. Visit those. As to the finding the perfect leader for your boy, there's this thing called a mirror. I suggest you and your spouse stand in front of it and see which one is ready for some fun times!

Regardless of the OP's intent. This is does come up from time to time. Inappropriate touching can lead to a backlash of bullying. So, this isn't just a problem with one boy, but also his fellow scouts. The old SM handbooks addressed this more directly, if someone has one to quote, it would help. Basically, you need to be able to conference with the boy and find out why he's behaving that way. Then you need to conference with the other scouts (SPL PL's especially) and talk to them about calling boys out on inappropriate behaviors before responding in violence. They don't need to

I would steer clear of the SMC's until your are an adult in your troop. It sounds like in your troop, this is an opportunity for the adults to get to know the boys (kind of like a pre-BoR), and you've probably already know the guys pretty well. JASM gives you an opportunity to help your troop in unique ways: you can organize your older scouts into a Venture Patrol, you could research a trip opportunity that would provide multiple tiers for different patrols, visit a venturing crew, an O/A conclave (if you're an arrowman), or talk to new scout parents about what it was like for you when you joi

I was brought up in the era of Leadership Corps, which upon reflection pulled together the SPL and JASMs into a "lets show 'em how it's really done" patrol. We'd practice a skill (like mess-kit pizza) after helping some Eagle project on a mountainside in the middle of winter, then demonstrate it to the other patrols on some other, more tame, weekend. Aside from a honking big patch to dominate your left sleeve, how did that differ from what was the Venture Patrol pilot? How did the Venture Patrol pilot differ from what is taught about Venture Patrols today?

Thanks for the details on your position(s). I had a vague idea you'd "been all over town". But was too lazy to creep on your old messages to try and figure it out. And thanks for your service! You mean like what is described as the CURRENT program for patrols on http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/...rolLeader.aspx ? Sure don't look dead to me. I still encourage older scouts who sound envious of venturing crews, but short on time for organizing one, to consider talking to their SM about forming a venture patrol. From where I sit, our districts continue to be short on commissione

So, it sounds like, for meetings, you need a service patrol (who configures seating for meetings, lines up the gear/props that you all will need, cleans up) program patrol (who picks the game/challenge for the evening, chooses referees, contacts consultants like the VFD if for example the boys want to try fire and rescue drills). administration patrol (who runs the opening and closing, records roll call, reads off the agenda, etc ..). Only got two patrols? No problem, the larger one fills two roles. Your instructor assigns the roster. SM reflects frequently with PL's on how t

May I ask what seems to be a completely irrelevant question? What are your meetings like? Specifically what kind of activities do you all do?

Trust the SM's gut. Have the Webs join the boys for Scouting for Food in November. Ask the boys about setting up a campfire and talking to the webelos about their last two trips. Cook something insanely yummy over a dutch oven. THEN have the boys ask the Webelos if they want to pay a visit during one of your winter activities.

This "BSA approved" stuff is a joke. (No offense to Costal Carolina BSA. They are no doubt doing their level best.) There are some terrific walking paths in Western PA, none of which are recorded here. (Many of them touch upon Native American life or the Whiskey Rebellion, but some more recent ones recall the good and bad of the industrial revolution (e.g., Eliza Furnace, Rachel Carson). In all likelihood the best trail for you and your unit to set foot upon is not on any of these links. I would encourage everybody interested in this award to contact their local historical societies and a

Fellowship opportunities at a bar or coffee-shop or someones back yard are often very helpful. These are really the most productive when you have one item to deal with (e.g. the next big event) and need people to relax and brainstorm a little.

Never said it would be easy. Even with our troop, which is now basically one patrol and adults. We are very challenged in this regard. Sometimes we trade off yards for # of thickets/streams/boulders or vertical separation. But some suggestions for resources that many folks neglect to ask: Farmers. Community parks. Schools (you know, those places with multiple fields and a stream on one boundary). Fair grounds. Conservancies. Wilderness areas (as opposed to pioneer campgrounds). Have your scouts ask their parents, aunts, uncles, cousins if anyone has a big field or woods t