qwazse

It's fair to say it's a little of both. There have been a growing number of Christian youth leaders who have been less comfortable with working in traditional models. The thought that "we can do something like this on our own" has been festering for a while.

Doesn't change how I'd do things. There's always an SFF or some other service opportunity somewhere, and who knows what else this young man did? Maybe he was most proud of this opportunity and he wanted to it to count. I can relate to Stosh's example. Our kids would duck out of church service once a month to pack bags from the food pantry for folks who would need them. Their only reward was missing the sermon. To my knowledge, they never counted that for credit for anything. Nobody said they couldn't, they just wanted their on-paper service hours to be other things like helping on Eagle projects. I will say that the more interesting SMCs were from boys whose hours involved non-scouting activities. These were typically older boys whose lives were starting to branch out a little. I think your SM did the right thing. Maybe a note to the boy's SM would be a good idea as well.

Oh, and they don't have any policy explicitly excluding homosexual boys from membership.

A friend's grandkids are joining one down in TX. If his boy's any indication of the talent they're drawing, it's going to be a top-notch organization.

Some scouters get fed up with all of the "Byzantine bureaucracy." They get fed up of shelling out $ for pamphlets. I kind of agree. I would far prefer pamphlets that are low-budget, black-and-white books because that shows a good faith effort that BSA is trying to make scouting accessible to everybody. I'm not a big fan of worksheets, because ink and paper is expensive, and they could easily be produced for pennies on the dozen. So would it hurt the scout shop to have items that sell for a nickle? But they don't. So folks get fed up of MBs starting with a $3.50 purchase of a pamphlet, and chasing down adult applications, etc ... But they they also miss the point of going outside of the troop for a resource, or calling somebody and maybe have them come and present their career/hobby to them, or maybe arranging a visit to a location related to a merit-badge. Scouting was never meant to be an insular, go-it-alone endeavor. There are other missed opportunities. In this thread, the OP would like to be an MBC, and one troop basically shut the door on her. That's a shame. Because if one of those knuckle dragging boys would have said, "Mrs. C. would you like to council us on __ MB?" Maybe she would not be so apprehensive about the age difference between them and her son.

Never thought to wear it myself. Never bothered if someone else does. Now, I have worn it with suit and tie on occasions where medals are worn.

If the question is would I let one of my boys count it: I'm not feeling so black-and-white. This is something where I'd ask the boy what he thinks about it. Are we taking advantage of someone's suffering? But is every service project in some sense not really service if you are getting some kind of credit? On the other hand, would the beneficiaries feel kind of glad that some good is coming of a bad situation? Is counting service hours really right? Why do you think we have to do it? How did serving in this way make you feel? Do you think this kind of service is something you want to do more of? In other words, I think it's more important you use the boy's record of his service as a way to reflect on his personal growth. If you spend a lot of time fussing over "this troop counts it, that troop doesn't", you'll miss the teachable moment.

By the way, sorry for your community's loss. I'm coming coming on the fourth year anniversary of ours, and nothing about it is any easier.

This is why I hate service hour requirements. They should be struck from the book. The true requirement should be "do a good turn daily". Why are you counting service hours for your boys? They have their own book, they can note where they served and when. (I know why we do it, to keeps parents busy ... ) If you really shouldn't be splitting hairs over your boys, why fret over this scout? Send him a note thanking him for his help, and let his SM be bothered with counting it or not.

KM, duration is the key factor here. A 10 day trip that comes to $35/person/day is pretty sweet. This is why crews need to get together and share their exploits. Stuff that is advertized nationally has added expense. Local opportunities may come cheaper, but chances are you won't hear about them on the internet.

There's this statement here. It kind of spells out the general thrust of the guide to advancement, which states: "Position of responsibility requirements for Boy Scout ranks may be met by the Venturer or Sea Scout serving in crew or ship positions as outlined in the Boy Scout Requirements book. The Advisor or Skipper conducts the unit leader conference. The crew or ship committee conducts Star and Life boards of review, and Eagle Scout boards follow the local council's established procedure."

P.S. - I know that sounds weird, doing something without expecting anything in return. The first guy to suggest a boy do that musta flunked outta school.

If I were your advisor, I'd count it. Besides, so what if some bean counter splits hairs over how it's spelled out in the advancement guide? If you want to earn more MBs, do so until you find something better to do. If they don't award you a palm, you still can take pride in your hard work and maybe learn something cool along the way. If they do, that's gravy!

Whatever you do, don't pretend they're in their underwear! That always goes bad. The best thing to do: practice. Ask a friend (preferably a scouter who has seen these done) to come to your house and give your presentation to him/her. If you have time, ask for a chance to practice it on different days. Invite an additional friend each day. There are lots of "dos" and "don'ts" in professional guides, but they can be overwhelming to remember and sometimes they miss the mark because they aren't written for the group you are speaking to. Your friends (assuming they are in the pack too) will know exactly what it's like to sit and listen to these things, and will help you with just what you need to get by. Plus, if they are willing to turn in their card early, you could use that in your presentation: "A couple families have already pledged, will you join them?"

Sounds odd. Maybe he meant that he and members of the troop have counselors for every Eagle-required badge and lots of non-required ones. So, they don't muck about with a blue card system -- or registering their councilors with the BSA. Less paperwork for everyone involved. If I recall, my oldest brother's SM operated the same way. (This was back before blue-cards were in popular use.) Worked just fine until he achieved Life rank. Then SM moved away without a trace, and there was ZERO record of my brother's advancement, and no way form him to officially complete his Eagle requirements. My point is, there's no stopping an SM from doing things however he wants to do them, but there comes a point where what he does, although working fine for years, may wind up selling some boy short. That handbook you just got your boy -- it's his diary of scouting. As he earns an award, teach him to fill in the appropriate blank on the advancement section. Then, teach him to file away in a box or a binder the other paperwork that certifies he earned particular badges. Maybe you've heard that dogs love trucks? Well, boy scouts love paperwork! Regarding serving as a MBC to help some other boys in your district? Talk to the district commissioner.

One of my vivid scouting memories: my SPL teaching me how to restart a fire from coals. Not sure where that fits in on everyone's goofy "ladder of patches", but all I remember was I was the clueless kid who wanted the cooking to get started sooner rather than later, and he was the scout patient enough to see that I accomplished my goal. Far as I know, he never criticized the PL for not doing his job and properly supervising the fire-starting detail. He didn't employ some "Troop Instructor." (Seriously, when was that patch first issued?) He just did what he figured the most experienced guy in the troop should do. As a result, I never saw SPL as some management position, but more like the troop's "oldest brother."

Yep. He actually has to read all those chapters! And I honestly feel sorry for him because I think the '70s versions of the handbook was a much easier read. (Fewer colors, more plain-spoken.) Plus we got skill awards (belt loops), but I think they were more trouble than they were worth. Brought my old book in last month. It really interested the boys. They liked comparing what I did (MBs I chose to earn) to what they were planning to do. Anyway, as it looks like his LDS troop will be working on some required-for-eagle merit badges, he will have about half of those skills down before he knows it.

Leave it up to the boy. Have him take it out of his allowance.

http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Regions/NortheastRegion.aspx is the most recent as far as I can tell.

Sounds very exciting. None of us mentioned merit badge pamphlets because you didn't say which badges he'd be going for at this point. The shop would gladly sell those to you, but it's likely the SM has copies.

Yes, I am pretty firm against 1st class/1st year. But that is because in a troop of 12 or more scouts, there's inevitably someone who will "game the system" and try to get requirements signed off as fast as possible without being sure of the boys' skills. In a group of 3, you can expect see each skill repeated over the period of 6 months. That's why we have our PL's sign off on T2F requirements. They usually only have a couple of boys who are at those ranks, and after a few campouts, get a good idea of the level at which they need to be tested. There's a certain level of accountability in this case, where the LDS SM knows the boys will be part of a community troop with which he is familiar. Especially as a DC, he will catch it at roundtable if he sends along scouts who have a 1st Class patch but lack the skills!

I've heard of it done. Never seen it myself. Most boys I know are not multiples of different troops. If they are multiples of a crew, they either have both uniforms and switch, or just wear their troop uniform. Most adults I know just shell out the $$ and get different uniforms. The velcro thing might be a good idea in this case. But, picking one set of numbers for this year would be fine with most SMs. (The LDS have special troops that are only for age 11.)

Our current CC (whose son graduated a couple years ago) tries to make it to as many meetings as possible. That usually means about 2/3. It behooves him to get to know the families of every boy to a degree, because -- at the very least -- he is responsible for completing the charter. Also, as each boy advances, they have a board of review, usually 3 committee members and often includes the CC. If the boys are all advancing a rank or more a year, that could keep you pretty busy if you are just a committee of three.

2C, you probably said something this, but my standard reply (especially to my own kids): "I know what the boy is capable of, and I am holding him to words 4 through 8 of that oath he makes at every meeting."

I'm afraid it won't be a one-stop shop until the boy is settled in his troop. The book is the most important thing. If you can afford two sets of numbers and can figure out a convenient way to switch them back and forth, that would be great. There's no national restriction on when a boy can earn his first MB. But it sounds like the one SM really wants his crossovers to master some basic skills before getting bogged down in the details involved in earning a MB. Unless your son has a particular one that he really wants to earn, don't worry about the leaders' different rules. Rank advancement trumps MBs for a lot of reasons. E.g., a first class scout can prepare his own pack for the weekend, can cook, has swimming skills, knows about fire safety and land navigation, understands his rights and responsibilities as a US citizen, and has a bunch of other skills that are vital to being mature and responsible. A boy could get dozens of MBs and not have a clue about the basics, and (worse case scenario) never advance in rank. Never advancing rank isn't necessarily a bad thing. The best scout I ever met earned MBs and aged out at 2nd class. (What make's him the best? He invited me to join his troop, and I will forever appreciate that.) However, most parents have it in their head that one day they'll be pinning an Eagle on the boy's pocket, but they have the misconception that earning lots of MBs right away will get them there sooner. Bottom line: it wont.