qwazse

You gotta do the climbing scouts!

If members in your troop are jittery about an arrangement, there's nothing in the G2SS that will change that. You're not gonna find a "No 1-on-2 contact" rule, but on the other hand there is no "1-on-2 contact's just fine" rule either. It's very rare that two kids manage to maintain a false accusation (as in the worst-case scenario that Stosh describes), but if you have adults who fear that very scenario there's no amount of writing the world that's gonna make that fear go away. You're stuck. Work with your people. Hopefully they won't cramp your style to the detriment of the boys.

Scouts don't like to repeat the subject they like the least. Unfortunately, that's usually the skill that needs repeating. I have boy scouts who keep forgetting their flag protocol. They complain. We ignore them. Make them do it until they achieve flawless execution. Every patrol has to be its stand-alone color guard by the end of the year.

Looks like you just answered your question.

Websters English Dictionary probably has most of these terms. Sure you could have the troop acquire a couple of pamphlets for the library, but sometimes it's good to see what you can learn from multiple sources. One really good source (for me) used to be Boy's Life in the 80's! Plus, there are these things called libraries. But, this is what separates real MBC's from summer camp hacks. After years doing a hobby they've acquired a variety of resources that may help for some students more than others. You need to get out of :"knock out requirements" mode. And, if the last group te

Plus, some venturers are leadership course junkies. Now, I'll agree that this is a lousy reason to take WB. But for some folks it's reason enough.

This is where den chiefs have their largest impact. Also, boys from the troop help adjudicate the pinewood derby.

Thanks! Gives those boys interested in Programming MB something to chew on!

At the NR4 Venturing Officers Association Summit they set up a LAN party a few years ago.

BTW, I really like your idea of splitting the boys into smaller groups. Give each group a reference book (specific to chess -- or a dictionary ... I just found en passant in Websters) and assign them a couple of things to look up. 10 minutes later, have each group present the definitions they found to everyone else. If there's a good way to demonstrate these things, that's a help. So, challenge the group to think of a creative way to present each item. You can correct any rough edges as you go along. Does your meeting place have a floor the checkered linoleum tiles? You get where I'm g

S99, you know it's more complicated than that. E441's troop is expecting a cradle-to-blue-card program. What will their reaction be if he comes to the first meeting saying "These guys on the internet told me y'all are gaming the system!"? Even if he pulls out the GTA and rattles off section 7, they'll treat him a lot like they did Moses the first time off the mountain top! E. just tell the SM you think a good MBC will want to go over the requirements with the boys anyway. But, you'd like the troop scribe to keep track of the attendance, and then for each boy list his attendance record

What Tim said. Yours is actually the ideal situation IMHO. Unless the second adult actually adds something to the instruction (e.g. a fellow climbing instructor), he/she can be more of a distraction. And like Son #2 said to me "You can put up with nearly anything, no matter how boring, if you have a friend with you!"

Grand though it may be, it's still not attuned to youth-led units, especially venturing, I need registered YOUTH to perform these functions! 1. President and VP-Admin manage the organization. 2. VP Program fills out tour plans. All I do is read and sign. 3. VP Communication maintains address list and sends targeted messages 3. Historian tracks awards and recognition. 4. Treasurer places orders for advancements and arrange for payments. Until I can assign youth to have "first-line" access, and their respective adult "shadow" to get notifications as YOUTH perform these functi

No Specific regs. But a venturer should be in a position of responsibility to get the most out of the course. Just my opinion.

So, your telling E441 it's okay to not offer the boys the merit badge pamphlet or some other reference? That scouts will learn better without it? Should they simply hang on E441's explanation (very good though it may be)?

We were very fortunate to have parents with diverse talents. I did the science stuff. That included bringing in a hundred page workbook with printouts and graphs of a recent analysis. I thought it would be "throw it on the table and move on." But the boys really dove into the details of interpreting the data. Another dad was in advertizing, and showed the boys how he did a lot of his work. Definitely how to craft stamps is right up that alley. (You'd have my wife hooked!) I actually carve stamps as a hobby. (Usually as a distraction at family events where the youngsters look bored to

Like you, I put off going until I was ready to put up with the demands of the course. I'm sure that was a factor in my success. Don't disrespect the "going to do anyway" smack. There are lots of things that we think we're going to do anyway, and they don't get done. During my 18 months I was advising my crew in going to Seabase Bahamas, it wasn't a ticket item because I felt it was "routine", but it consumed 2/3rds of the 18 months allotted to work my ticket. Several of my goals (the diversity one comes to mind) would have been more successful if I had incorporated them into that super-

"When it says discuss, our troop does it like this: The counselor teaches, the student takes notes, the notes are turned in and graded, the counselor decides whether or not the notes satisfy the requirement." E441, it sounds like we are asking you to swim against the grain of a troop's culture. We all have our baggage when we're replying to you. So pardon if we dump our frustrations. But, by letting us rant, you may be doing thousands of scouters a favor, who would otherwise agree with the approach above. Why would they agree? Because it sounds an awful lot like the the disastrous and

I love it! Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. The boy's obviously already done some things with the other pack, so: 1. Identify the things he hasn't done. 2. Ask him what his favorite achievements were and would he like to do those again, helping the other boys in the process? If those things are activities the wolf dean wants to do, put him in wolves. If they are bear things put him in bears. This is one of those don't-blind-yourself-by-the-color-of-the-necker moments!

Simple advice: don't make yourself the middle man. The boy who contacts the MBC can simply say, "I played in a tournament with my troop" and talk to him about how it went. Scouts Honor. In tour class should try to "teach" the meaning of the things in a fun way. For example, you may have a student read the requirement and the description in the pamphlet, and then try practicing that term. Or acting out the movement of pieces! The boy who wants the badge, will "test out" by discussing them with the MBC.

BP, trademark infringement does not stand on the exclusivity of a particular word. Rather if there is a "likelihood of confusion that consumers will believe the products or services originated from the original trademark owner" (wikipedia, citing Harvard Law Journal). All BSA has to prove is that a consumer, hearing the name of an organization with "scouts" in it, is likely to make the association with the "Boy Scouts of America." This is easier to do with a youth movement named "Hacker Scouts" than with a hobby group called "Dog Scouts" or, hypothetically a car club called "International

Dad was real clever making me work at his beer distributor as a kid. I was in and out of every bar in the county by age 13 and had absolutely no interest in beer since then. I don't complain about meeting occasionally at the CCs house and seeing a beer or two being served, they have soft drinks available so I feel welcome. But, going for a drink to settle your nerves after a rough weekend with adults ... I don't know. Sounds like a recipe for alcohol dependence. I strongly recommend finding other means of de-stressing.

For camping in September? 10 x 20 foot tarp + 75# rope for a ridge line + baler twine + wooden stakes. Shelter for 6 to 10. Always the ones who got away ...

FYI - In situations like this, I find flowers or really nice chocolates with your sons' signature on a simple card go a long way in conveying how important it is to have someone "step in the gap" on your behalf.

Don't count your chickens until the hatch, but ... You have a whole lot of the right kind of problem to have. By now you know each parent comes with their own baggage. Best you can do is have your most enthused parents talk to them and explain the commitment without whitewashing anything, and explain the rewards without downplaying the little stuff. (In my units, that includes them knowing that espresso will be served 4 miles in.) This is where a good CC earns his/her place at the campfire.