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I really want to look you guys up if I'm down in FL, please. I'll bring my own kit for the families who might be bothered about a Goyam defiling their mess. For completely different reasons, SM raided Target and bought patterned plastic plates for each of the patrol boxes. It kinda sorta works, but we still see one patrol's pattern in another patrol's box.

S99, some scouts (troops) are in a situations where doing it this way is the most secure. Like you, I'm all for rugged individualism. But, I know a scouter who can help boys open student accounts at a local bank that is a safe walk/ bus ride for my boys or my parents understand the value of banking and will gladly pursue it for their kids. For other troops, a scout's position is more precarious. Those of us who have only seen troop fundraising $$ go into a boy's account find it odd. Many of us are not entirely sure what the difference is between raking leaves, selling biofuel, or hawking entertainment coupons. The question then becomes, (and this is how the issue was presented at our round table) can a troop allocate some fundraising $$ to boys' ISA's based on the scout spirit the showed during the fundraiser?

Walking stick between two tallest scouts. Dash to the nearest playground. Lash a span between two tripods.

I don't know how YOU describe HA bases to your boys, but I'm very clear in explaining that they are training centers. When we send them (they don't go without unit leader approval), it's with the full expectation that they will return better prepared to help the rest of the Crew and Troop map out their own adventures. 72 miles in 5 days. Most of that group were senior venturers returning for a bigger challenge. In the following year their equipment was found on a number of young venturers' backs. To be fair, most of those boys didn't bother with popcorn. They all had jobs. And they came back under budget and requested the surplus (zero of which was fundraiser $) be donated to the crew. Lets' see. Who is the troop? Oh yeah. The boys. They can decide if they want to pool their ISA and send some to FOS. Based on my experience, I would more likely trust them to do that then a bunch of adults who belly-ache about needing a trailer, non-stick pans, or more propane for night lights! T2E, thanks for the full quote from Forbes.

Better than nothing. Definitely better than all of the buttons for a feature being there and nothing happening after you've typed a decent length message. Lots of folks have their E-mails from social sites buried in spam folders anyway, so for them, this might get their attention better when it matters. So, PM away, me lads! Hopefully, we'll have chances to make it each other's real campfires!

Lessee, the boy ain't spending it to pimp his ride and take his girlfriend on a road trip. But supposing you don't want to count that rugged Philmont scout who carries your pack for you after your back breaks at mile 8 of 12 ... following the money, the troop benefitted directly with 1k in its coffers, indirectly from council camperships for the families who needed it and council services to the tune of another 1k.

Just tried it. SSScout. Let us know if it was received on your end.

I take "basically telling" to mean that the SM gave his opinion in a way that shut the boy out. The SM may actually have a path that this boy could take to advance, but didn't give any of that to the boy. That's a prime example of a one-sided conversation and we all need to learn to save those for when life and limb is truly on the line.

The two scouts I knew who were just like that and didn't get elected on first (sometimes 2nd, 3rd) round: One had a penchant for practical jokes. The other was foul-mouthed. Parents were clueless. We just told them that we identified with the boys things they could work on, and we'll see if that changes things next year.

Mentor and coach is the biggest. For that last part, you want to be able to direct the boy to outfitters/clubs in the area that would help him (and maybe his patrol and troop) accomplish some of the "action" items in the requirements.

If it's true, yes the SM should let the boy know. It's always healthier to know that someone doesn't approve of the way you're going about things. How he lets the boy know is another thing. And good ASMs are always helping the SM improve on that front. How to parent when this happens to your boy? Well I would let the CC know that you were discouraged by what happened. CC can't change what he doesn't know about. I have encouraged my kids to tell the adult (usually coaches) that they did not like the previous conversation, and ask what needs to be done to improve things. In this case, if the boy feels that he is better than his SM's description of him, I would encourage him to throw down a challenge "Respectfully sir, your estimation of me falls short of my true measure. To prove it, I challenge you or a champion of your choosing to a knot tying contest." Or "I will arrange the next hike." Or, whatever scout skill the boy is strongest at. Should the scoutmaster be removed? I've often seen that do more harm than good.

Fred, ask your self this: Is a troop better if boys come back from Jambo with stories and ideas and a ton of patches? If not, why promote it to your boys. Is your troop able to take more backpacking trips if boys are involved with Philmont? If not, why promote it to your boys? We send some boys on HA's because they come back and inspire the rest of our boys. We send them so that they learn more about this big country of theirs. We send them so that when they are in the crucible on Paris Island they are the least of their DI's worries, so that when it's time to sandbag or swift water rescue or whatever, they are prepared and their community is better for it. If this is not happening with your boys who've come back from "big ticket" events, don't send them! Don't like "warm fuzzies"? If a boy fundraises $2000 to his account through popcorn, that means 'bout $2000 went to the vendor, $1000 went to the council $1000 went to the troop. Boy has 33% in his scout account. Now you can mandate that it all go into some pot like the Marxists do. Or, you could explain to the boy that he is now a direct steward of $2K of troop funds for as long as he is scouting with you all. Then, let the boy decide if some of it should go to help his buddy (or some anonymous scout) make it to camp, or if he is in a unique position to represent the troop/council at some big-ticket event. Just because it's his decision does not mean it's his individual benefit. His choices should be limited to those which make for better scouting. P.S. - I'm actually of the ilk when our crew fund-raises, we toss it all in one pot and use it to reduce fees. I would be happy if it were that way with the troop. (Son #2 might actually fundraise more if it were so.) So, in committee meetings, I am promoting change on that front. But, there is no reason to put what people have been doing for years in the worst possible light.

This was source material for our topic at roundtable last night. Some conclusions: Paying for camp, uniforms, equipment, etc ... Was not a private benefit. Compare that with how we provide our communities with trained citizens prepared to serve, and you get the idea. If a boy fundraises enough to go to Jambo, Is that a benefit to the troop? It is a benefit to his Jambo contingent. Finally, if a boy leaves scouting the $ raised do not go with him.

A master of cubs' bling is the smile on the boys of a half dozen dens. Get the knot, don't get the knot. Nobody cares. Have a frank discussion with the DL, if he can't step it up, ask him if he'd like some other parent to give it a try. But, also ask yourself if you were doing more work than you needed to ... Some folks lead differently than others. Thanks for your services, and you'll be busy enough as a Cubmaster. That may mean stepping in for den-leaders from time to time. But fighting "multiple hat syndrome" is the best policy.

This is simple. Tell the CC "No." I don't have the details to know if I would agree with the CC or not. It kinda sounds like you need to get training and go to district round tables. As far as policies go, scratch any that dictate how to proceed with advancement, The BSA guide to advancement is more than sufficient for those purposes. You are the SM. You dictate how the ASMs assist you. They are not ACCs! If you say an adult may teach a skill, that adult may teach that skill. If you say a boy can sign off on advancement, then it is so. Tell your CC to do her job. Get trained. Get the books in order. Get on the line with these drop-off parents and see if she can arrange tea with them. Tell her to call the parents she has run off and apologize and let them know the troop wishes their boys well. Meanwhile you will serve the boys according to the scout oath and law as you see fit.

I discourage SM's from asking the boy to do anything specific except read the requirements and call MBC x to see if he/she's available, then if so ask him/her if he should get the pamphlet or do anything else prior to the first meeting. If the requirements were more static, I would suggest a boy grab a copy of a book and read the first couple of pages. But, anymore I have a boy check online to see if he's still okay trying for that MB because there are so many changes that nobody can keep track. (E.g. who knew the change in altitude option for Camping was reduced from 2000 to 1000 feet? ),

I use Google Groups for our crew, the concil VOA list, and the council venturing list. I am generally satisfied with it. I set up most folks as members, recieving e-mails as they are posted to the list, and a few responsible parties as managers/moderators. What I like is someone can send a message directly to the list and (pending moderator approval) it can go out just as if they logged in and replied to a post via a web browser. What I don't like is that there's no way to set up the complex heirarchies that you're describing in one group. You need separate lists for each. No good way to cross-reference between lists to see who's in what group.

I'm sorry fellas, but when a couple of boys are up at 3am, it's time for them to leave the building. I got spare tents (and if not, plenty of tarp and rope) in the van. That last cabin weekend, *I* left the building at 3am because the boys quietly kept the stove stoked, and if I was going to wake up to 85 degree temps, it had better be on a boat in the Bahamas! The boys were not disciplined, plain and simple. That said, it doesn't hurt to talk to the SM and figure out what he's up against. And, be a little forgiving. Like 2C said, your lil' Johnny may have been one of the contributors!

Oh, by the way, welcome to the forums! Let us know how this pans out for you.

Congratulations. Now good luck with the "real" ticket. I got my beads at a crew court of honor where another venturer earned her bronze award. Equal time was devoted to each of us. It was a small crowd, but was with the folks who I was proudest to share it with.

I think kids who can tell you they don't believe in anything in particular are some of the most sincere and engaging about challenges to grow in their faith. In practical terms, ask what the CO expects of you. For example, mine -- being PCUSA -- expects us to say grace before meals, and a little devotional if we're out on a Sunday. But, they would not want us to make a boy say a prayer that he couldn't adhere to. I try to talk to the "no particular faith" boys and find out what they are comfortable with. I haven't met any who have a problem rising at the table while a buddy says grace, and some actually look forward to the opportunity to lead it for themselves. And most Christian boys would rather their mate say a poem or something respectful in his own words than recite a prayer or say something he doesn't believe in. So, I would let parents know that understanding one's religion is part of the program, and ask if there's something important about the boy's faith that I should recognize and encourage.

Boys can be unpredictable. Our troop is mostly older boys, and I wasn't looking forward to our last cabin weekend. But, they were in bunks and lights out before I knew it! Do talk to the SM. Some boys pose more challenges than others. And tents often work better than cabins. If your son is unhappy and it doesn't look like things will be different, changing troops is a possibility. But problems like these come in cycles, the SM may have been as blind-sided by this one too.

I'd like to know, which Native American tribe used black powder to spice up their ceremonies?