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I think I get what you are saying. You are concerned about small numbers. Don't worry about that. Everyone participates! If one of the other two scouts is really good at communications, he can be the Master of Ceremonies (MoC). Otherwise ask if one of the adults do that. The MC basically walks everyone through the program. And introduces each participant. Also if you have friends in other troops, you could invite them to participate. Here is one way to make everything work: Have one of the boys be "Sergeant at Arms" (SaA). At the MoC's request, he leads the assembly in the pledge of all

Remember, if you feel stuck, ask for help. Are you two really creative? Write a script. Do you like tradition? Follow a pattern of something already written. Ask previous Eagles in your troop what they have done. Something I haven't seen that I would like, is a panel discussion format. But that's just me. What I think you should do is ask around if there is a scouter who has MC'ed a ECoH for your troop before. They may have some good ideas.

It's a balance. My daughter was academically advanced. Started taking a full load of freshman engineering courses her senior year in high school. Son #1 talked her into staying in the dorms rather than commuting since she was gonna be there so much. I wanted to throttle him! But, turned out she was socially mature as well. Dad just needed to have a little faith .

I first earned my mile swim in a pool. Not until our scout reservation opened with a 250 acre lake, could I even think of doing it any place outside of an aquatics area. Open water (150-200 yard legs) was much easier. Complete straight shot would be easiest. KDD's spot on about the flip turns.

Sounds like son #4 needs to decide if he should transfer to another troop so he has a chance to qualify for O/A, or stick with this troop and take a pass on lodge life. It is unfortunate when adults perpetrate this kind of bias. And it must be tough on you because it sounds like you were trying to keep up a family tradition. But, now it's in your son's (and maybe his friend's) hands. If he sticks with the troop, he can mention at every SMC and BOR that this is his one regret about this troop. He may decide that this wont be his mantra forever. Or, he may decide to be a persistent yet

Maybe you shouldn't be selling more. Maybe you could call some packs from less fortunate neighborhoods and offer them a share of your sales. Now, funds that go into pack coffers SHOULD result in lower event expenses. But sometimes it results in spending more frivolously.

This discussion had me fuming on so many levels, I needed a two nights in the woods on a long weekend to simmer down. I brought it up at last night's campfire,and one of our scouts had an insightful point: "If you're not teaching everybody first class skills, then what's the point of calling yourself a life scout?" In other words, from his perspective, the requirement - in total - should not to teach "one younger scout in your troop" a first class skill, but every youth you encounter those scouting skills. It boils down to this: Those of you who think 1st Class as only a rank, a stepping

*Scape goat.* And again, your are arguing from the standpoint of fairness, which in this age of situational ethics can be quickly turned on its head. Sure, this is a lot of double-speak. They are using the line that we Advisors use all the time "Venturing is a different program" as justification for opposing change. Venturing is a small slice of the BSA, and young women and men who weren't boy scouts yet become honor campers (by any reasonable category) are a smaller slice -- we are doing our best to change that. But until then, we are talking numbers that are seemingly inconsequentia

Yes, generally a win-win. On the venturing side, it's almost essential because often you don't have the numbers from your own crew to meet minimums for a particular activity. You can find yourself on a peak or over a reef with mates you just met the day you set out. Falls under "a scout is friendly." One caveat (and I'm especially careful about this in the Troop/Crew scenario): clear it with the boy's SM, especially if he's older. Active boys like this soon become very skilled and hold PORs, but they often can ignore their troop's agenda for something exciting that their buddies in the o

I define age in terms of camping nights, not years since birth. I take "he" to be generic. Not limited to teaching boys. Just like when I see scouts and venturers together, I say "Hi Scouts." period. The ability to be a first class scout and the right to have a patch on a pocket are two different things. So if, for example, a girl knows a first class skill she is prepared to meet the requirement -- even if she doesn't qualify for the patch. Bottom line: a life scout is one who shows scout spirit by conferring skills on those who have yet to obtain them. If he's doing that, he gets t

The blog post that hasn't gotten any traction so far this month: http://scout-wire.org/2013/10/04/chiefs-corner-taking-scouting-to-the-inner-city/ On the other hand, all those reckless untucked scouters are catching heat for their slovenly ways. #firstworldprobelms (Yes I know this site doesn't do hashtags, but if does in the future, I'll be ready!)

I am not a "switcher" in most areas of life, and probably would not be in this one. Instead of WB, I'd look for Powderhorn, but that's just me. And, maybe it's because I took WB but not PH ... yet. But, any boy with an opportunity to camp with another troop is in a win-win situation. He gets to learn how other patrols do things and maybe that will inform on what he expects from his patrol (whichever one that winds up being). FWIW, our IH's boy goes to a different troop and is doing well there.

What if there ain't a crew member needing to learn anything....Are there Many Venture Crew Members joining from outside of Scouting? Round here, most definitely. From the council/area meetings I've attended, 'bout half of the Venturers had never been in BSA, and half of those have never been in another scouting-type organization (like GSUSA, Campfire, or Indian guides) during their junior high years. About 1/8 of my crew have never slept under a tent before joining, almost 3/4 have never slept under the stars or even seen anyone else do it. It's a constant challenge getting everyone up t

Sounds like proper high adventure. Only your best trained boys qualify. So, qualify them all! Train them to camp in groups of 4, 100 yards apart. Adults in the center campsite. Say you have 6 boys, 2 adults. The less seasoned scouts hike with the 2 adults. The 4 first class scouts (true sense of the word, not just a patch) on their own. Both groups make for adjacent sites, but using different routes. Groups check in via radio, or better yet, appropriate trail signs, at the crossing for the nearest camp. Now I really want to go! Maybe I'll talk with my troop about it this weekend

Well, boys are not flies, and girls are not honey. But fellowship is a key component. (Like I said, I remember my OA literature encouraging co-ed activities on some level.) I could envision a few venturers starting a society of honored campers from all outdoor organizations (girl scouts, boy scouts, campfire USA, BPSA). It's just what they do. Would it gain momentum? I doubt it. They would have to be a uniquely cohesive and charismatic group of youth. (What you're observing, JP, is not being replicated widely.) But for the OA, the question becomes "Do you want to attract that uniqu

Pack meetings, maybe. Den meetings, no (unless it was an achievement involving cooking or nutritious snacks.) But do advise the Pack that they are allowed to set their own boundaries on this. For the sake of his development, ask the DE if he checked with the Packs before making a blanket statement.

If you're seriously considering this troop, you may want to eventually talk to the SM about what you saw. But, yes, older boys get a longer leash. We don't want an SPL to feel defeated by an adult who constantly intervenes. And the impertinent scouts tend to be "long term projects"! After some meetings, I'll remind an SPL near the end of his rope that next time he can feel free to ask an impertinent scout attend an impromptu conference with the SM or me. Under the category of "could be worse" ... I have had to intervene on SPL and scout who were coming to blows. Came out of nowhe

Firstly, I'll sign it most strongly if he doesn't use EDGE, but let me get off of my high horse ... If you camp a lot with another troop, he might want to touch base with that SM/SPL to see if there is anything specific that one of his boys might need help with. Otherwise, I would ask him to pick a skill that another member of the crew seems to be weak on, but it would really help your program if everyone had it down. (If your crew, for example, is really into climbing/rapelling, it might be handy if everyone was solid with figure eight knots on a bight.) Because venturers come wi

Then they're already several decades out of date Arguing that you use the inspection sheet and that's enough is not an argument against changes in uniform policy, since the inspection sheet you use now is different than the one that was used before it. The uniform inspection sheet already goes into minutiae like "the top button is never buttoned" and the insignia guide already goes into the over/under neckerchief question. It already addresses personal issues like combed hair. So if your vaunted inspection sheet already addresses minutiae, then you don't have a leg to stand on in using

Hey, I thought I was a RA RA scouter! I cheer scouts when they look at the inspection sheet (the same one I used many decades ago) and make their own decisions. I reserve flowers and imported chocolate for moms who care for our boys (whose hips the chumps on Fashion Star would never dare put in any BSA uni). I make the best coffee in the world for guys who forgo that much-needed overtime to haul gear and boys and camp us. (And I pack some Earl Grey for the weak-stomached.) I revere the woman who will gently teach females youth about backpacking hygiene so they get the courage to se

You misunderstand. Designated campsites in the same acre do not exist in middle of wilderness recreation areas. You might find a campground on the periphery, but once you hike in, even 20 folks moving and camping in the vicinity of one another can be profoundly destructive. At high altitudes (or deserts, or coral reefs) like Brew describes, contingents of 10 leave an indelible mark.

The separate-but-equal argument is as noble and time-proven as BP's "partial participation" argument is linear.

Maybe I'm looking at the world all wrong. Leader stays at the rear. Gives guidance as to the next landmark and has scouts take turns advancing to the fore and reporting back their observations. At decision points, the leader has the contingent circle-up around the map and compass and develops a plan for the next few waypoints.

Don't remember it, and probably wouldn't countenance it if I heard it. Can't imagine our course director saying anything of the sort.

Different itineraries. Since I work from the venturing side of things, I call them contingents rather than patrols. But, same principle. I did one where a boy planned an outing for 40 people. (Four contingents of ten.) We actually had slightly less than that, but that's what we planned for. Morning of insertion, each contingent's navigator(s) reported to me with their itinerary, described their target camp for the night, indicated their intended direction. (This was very important because we drove up the night before and were all camped 1/4 mile of the trailhead(s). It even took m