qwazse

In our Troop, after the Troop Elections, whatever positions are left are assigned by the SM to whomever wants them. Everyone does this differently. But it really gives something for the SPL to think about if you give him the responsibility for assignments. Then a month or two later get a one sentence evaluation from him on how each boy seems to be doing in his respective position. One time I put it on an SPL to decide if we should have two larger or three smaller patrols. Occasionally I ask him to consider with the boys if we need an SPL at all in light of our shrinking troop membership. One advantage of a smaller troop, we told the boys outright that we are going to stop caring about the patches on their sleeve. If you do the work: you're in the position. If you are irresponsible, you are not in the position.

Oops. I knew I should have cut-and-pasted the list.

Let's think about how many POR's are available in a troop of 50 scouts. Assume they divide into 6 patrols. That means: 6 PL 6 APL 1 SPL 1 ASPL 1 QM 1 Librarian (If you got a lot of 1st class scouts, there are a lot of MB pamplets floating around!) 1 Scribe 1 Historian 1 Guide 1 Instructor 5 Den chiefs (assuming there are 5 dens nearby who may need a little help) 1 O/A Rep 1 Webmaster 1 LNT trainer 2 JASM 3 Crew officers (assuming that some of the boys are also in a venturing crew). 1 Chaplains aide That's 34 positions without even coming up with special projects. The most qualified boys get those positions, period. How that is done is between the SM and SPL. Advancement needs ARE NEVER TO BE CONSIDERED. So, for example, if a tenderfoot is very good at tracking everyone's gear he may be QM even if he has no intention of ever advancing! Even so, in all likelihood you won't have more than 30 scouts "needing" a position for advancement. But if you do, what other projects can be assigned? I've heard of lot's: Popcorn Kernel/Fundraiser Coordinater Advancement Chair (who says an adult has to do it?) Auditor/Treasurers Assistant (ever wonder who's watching the treasurer?) Car Washer (all those drivers deserve to come home with clean vehicles). Medic (got a boy earning EMT?). Mechanic. Carpenter. Painter. You get the idea. Sometimes a boy is just not fitting the mold of an official position. But, he will do good work if you give him something that he's enthusiastic about. (E.g., we had a webmaster long before BSA had patch for it.) But what I've observed: if you give a boy a position just for the sake of advancement, his work will be slipshod at best.

More specifically ... Cub Scouts are in Packs; Boy Scouts, Troops Venturers (not Venture Scout -- sore subject), Crews; Varsity Scouts, Teams Sea Scouts, Ships (although for administrative purposes they fall under Venturing).

To be fair to Evans, my kids have balked at the recognitions (in contrast to BP's crew), and it has probably cost us in terms of the level of creativity and variety in our program. Maybe stability for the 1% is not what our aim should be. Personally, I think the awards should be named more in lock-step with the Boy Scout Awards (along the lines of Star-Venturer, Life-Venturer, Eagle-Venturer). But, even so, I'm not sure that would increase their popularity.

I wish it weren't true, but it happened frequently enough that scouters insisted that the guide to advancement chapter on MBs (http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/GuideToAdvancement/TheMeritBadgeProgram.aspx) include an article (7.0.4.7 Limited Recourse for Unearned Merit Badges) on how to handle this. Sounds like the SM is trying to proceed by the book on this one, assuming an assistant leader was in on the discussion. As to how this may happen, the chapter on Mechanics of Advancement (http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/GuideToAdvancement/MechanicsofAdvancement/BoyandVarsity.aspx) shows a common example involving Citizenship in the Community (4.2.3.6 Fulfilling More Than One Requirement With a Single Activity). It's not clear if this was the problem requirement in this scout's case, but it shows how all parties may have meant well, but were not as attentive to the letter of the requirement as they should have been.

Pretty much the same, except insert steps for actuaries and claims agents, maybe a few lawyers and judges.

See my comment to your next reply. I'm sure his new MB counselor will help him with what he should say to his SM.

I understand how distressing this seems. But the first counselor's initial might have been on "subjective" information that, when your boy talked it over with his new SM really didn't meet the objective criteria specified by the requirement. It's a life lesson. And at this stage not a very costly one. My college roommate had the discouraging experience that many of his high school grades were inflated and did not give him an adequate background in math and chemistry. It made for a disconcerting Freshman year. He went on to be a decent chemist, but not after actually learning what he thought he already knew. The SM is not going to catch every discrepancy between each sign-off and corresponding mastery of skill. But if he does, he's doing your son a favor. Any call for a scoutmaster conference without the boy making a good-faith effort to touch base with a merit badge counselor is misguided. If the SM is in the wrong, the best thing your boy could do is report "I talked to my new counselor about this and he said [whatever the counselor said]. How should I proceed?" That means the next thing you should do as a parent is get your boy in touch with the counselor.

Interesting that they still have the PC/USA logo on their church sign. Maybe not for long?

Awards like these come and go. I'll leave that discussion to someone else. But the answer to the latter part of your question is yes, you can drum up a unit camping award. Have the boys meet with the company rep and come up with a design they'd be proud to wear. (Give them a budget first!) The trick is to make it look unique and something you could only get by being part of your unit, but still be recognizable as honoring something that anyone would be proud to accomplish. Frankly, I think local awards like these are really special.

Sorry for the "bump" in transferring. It sounds like your new SM is really trying to help your boy develop. He's probably not faulting your son, but he probably doesn't think the first counselor did his job. Even so, it is probably very hard for your son to feel good explaining the situation to you because he had a sense that something was being "short cut" at the time he was taking the badge. It's easier to admit that sort of thing to an SM than to a parent. The boy should call his new merit-badge counselor to tell him exactly what the problem was that he and the SM discovered and arrange for a follow-up meeting. Then he should call his SM to let him know that he's making a plan and ask him if there is any special paperwork required in addition to his signed blue card. You could argue that a signed blue card is a signed blue card, but sometimes we all need to stop and ask ourselves "What's better for the boy?"

YPT does not allow any overnight without at least one leader of the same sex as that of the youth members. The prevalence of opposite sex attractions being so high, BSA without such a policy would be held liable for any statutory rape that may take place under such circumstances.

Definitely send him to the project approval board. Some boys complete their project first, others their merit badges, others their position of responsibility, and a few do all three within 6 months! Regardless, if there's something that can be improved upon, now - while the boy is enthused with the task - is the time for someone from the district to point it out.

If that's true, can just I and one other male advisor take the girls in my crew out for a weekend in the woods? OR how about a couple of college girls taking the older boys in your troop on a week long high adventure?

Don't know about location. Our call-out is before dusk at summer camp. Son #2 says his ordeal ceremony was at dark. Not sure if that was before supper or cracker-barrel. We have several weekends to choose from, his schedule allowed for late spring.

Well, it's hard to handle everything in one status, but here goes ... ISA's have never to our knowledge drawn fines from the IRS, but groups have asked for their opinion of similar incentive strategies used by sports clubs, and recently there have been inquiries more specific to traditional accounts. I guess you can consider IRS opinions as "shots across the brow." "Too late" is a right answer to folks who missed deadlines. Trying to squeeze something in for some "last ditch" advancement burns everyone out. If a boy doesn't advance tell him, "Sorry, would you like to see what you can accomplish so you get an award next month? " If a parent complains, tell them you can talk to the boy at the next meeting. Advancement is just not that big of a deal. Packs go through these cycles of everyone wanting to outdo the previous year. Then they crash because of cost overruns. Try to be the voice of reason. Set a budget. Hold folks to it. Troops are very leery of new leaders. It's like trout fishing. Hang around downstream so they don't catch your sent. Determine the niche where you fit in. Drop your cast lightly. Wait for the fish to rise. Reel in. Wait. Repeat. Burnout. It happens. Set boundaries. Do only what you do best only at the level of intensity that will allow you to do it for a long time. The Good Book says Jesus could do a lot of stuff ... All the time. Instead? He walked into the wilderness. He made campfires to cook his catch. He took naps. On boats. In storms. The rest he let the Apostles take care of.

Well, hurry up S, we ain't gonna wait all day.

SR540, did your lodge strictly maintain a once-per-year-per-troop schedule?

Sorry my music skills are back in the vinyl age. But search terms to try: patriotic bugle calls camp songs folk music Let us know what you come up with!

Or, you could go the direct route: "Mr. Chaplain, sir, my son did not sign up to be preached at every week. How 'bout this coming meeting you and I get a coffee and let's let the boys take charge? I have a few ideas I'd like to float by you." I usually need about five people telling me the same thing before I change my behavior. So, hopefully someone else has brought this up, and you'll be the bean that tips the kettle.

Hate to say it E92, but you were fed double-speak. I started on this Advisor's gig about 8 years into the program's inception, took VLST, which basically had the rhetoric you are repeating word-for-word. Then Bill Evan's came into town and made it quite clear that every crew should have venturers working on awards. I suspect folks (national and leading volunteers) were expecting more like 10-20% participation in the awards program. Participation below 1%, and membership declining faster than any division of the BSA, just screams "Fix me, please!"

abc123, What I'm trying to say with all of these discussions is that your Scoutmaster is probably an okay guy. There are a bunch of things that led to your credentials being overlooked, and as scouters we need to examine ourselves to be sensitive to other boys in our troops who may find themselves in the same situation. Is it unfair to you? Probably. Is it any one person's fault, probably not. So, now you know that you've met criteria. Unlike other scouts, you have a while to think about it between now and the next election. Keep doing right by the boys in your troop and any cubs who may cross-over between now and then, and you'll get the votes you need and your SM's approval. All you need to decide now is "is the O/A for me?", and you get to think about how much time you'll put into the order after your ordeal. You might even want to start saving some $$ to pay for dues etc ... Because you've had more time to prepare, you may get more out of lodge life. This is an advantage that a lot of arrowmen don't have. Let us know what you think and hopefully in a few months you can tell us how you've pulled the silver lining out of this cloud.

When our chapter's election team is operating at full strength with very disciplined boys, that can happen outside of summer camp. But with our rapidly expanding council and guys pulling double shifts to make ends meet, that's becoming hard to do. (I really hate being the guy who keeps ranting "It's the economy, stupid." But, as mentioned in the thread about membership. it seems like most families have actually become post-modern nomads.) It's increasingly hard to get the same people in the same place at different times (even if its the same day/hour one week later)!

As an "unofficial chaplain", this is completely the opposite of how I exercise that role. I touch base with the chaplain's aide and discuss how he would like to perform his duties. Would he like me to pick a scripture for him and the boys to read? Is he comfortable leading prayers? Or, would he like to just be the guy who goes around and selects volunteers for each part of the religious activity? What does he think are the religious obligations of a scout during troop activities? I would not ban push-ups outright, but ask him to pay attention to any boys who are intimidated by that sort of thing, and ask him to think through what is best for the troop. This is where a unit commissioner comes in handy. He has no "skin in the game", and over several coffees can often talk guys down from what ever high horse they've chosen to ride. Lacking a UC, this falls to the COR or CC and some are better than others about helping adults "make adjustments." (I know, because many CC's have tried to get me to make adjustments and it's been a rough road for them! )