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Tripods, plain and simple, maybe add a bookshelf.

Shop classes were nice, but I was all about science in high school (e.g., getting excuses from math analysis class to continue extracting the nervous system from the specimen of the day). Me in vo-tech would only take up the space of someone who really needed it for their career. The home-repairs MB (and whatever craftsmanship I learned through scouting), however, gave me the personal skills I needed and the much-deserved respect for anyone working in the trades.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention ... pick the one or two that best meshes with what your family is doing anyway. Making everything you do into scoutcraft reinforcement will put the boy off. Also, making the scout always be the pancake flipper is not gonna fly! Having everyone working together is best.

Regarding the use of medals. It is good and right to wear the Eagle medal with civilian dress in formal situations where medals are worn. (I know these are rare for most folks. Happens once every few years for me.) Correct me if I'm wrong, but it may never be worn on a military dress uniform (armed services rule, not scouting's). An exception can be made if the scout is enlisted at the time he has his court of honor.

BTW, SR540, congratulations! Mentor pins tell a great story, be they on a field uniform, the lapel of a jacket, the ribbon from a staff, or the arm of a camp chair!

I'm filing your question under "Don't ask somebody for a rule. Otherwise you'll have one more rule in your life."

Although I feel like our banner should read "Troop ###: we take bad kids." We don't countenance any scout being abusive to another. "Sent home at your parent's expense" is the phrase we use. Suspensions may apply. Adults: what they said. I take "I resign" statements very seriously. Unfortunately, the people who make these statements are not the type to find you their replacement. It's the most abysmal form of leadership. It takes very solid COR to say "okay, you're out, X is in."

We had 6 from the same den age out as Eagles this year. They did a lot in terms of coaching each other. We have a project advisor. That's mainly because the process can be unforgiving and you want one person on top of how the district wants things done. Also, our boys often go for these pretty challenging restoration projects, so getting a general contractor to review plans is never a bad idea. For my part, I make a point of just part of my chit-chat with 1st Class Scouts to be: "So, what's the plan?" After a while, they get an idea that I want them to be able to rattle off what they need

Emergency preparedness: home evacuation plan, stocked first aid kit, emergency phone #s, etc ... Citizenship: maintain the family flag and flag pole, make sure everything is in working order and it is stored in a clean place. Ropes: got a clothes line? Get some baler twine and if growing tomatoes or beans: lash a trellis. Tie down lawn and garden equipment for winter. If you hunt, you may need a hanging rack in the garage for that deer or bear you're gonna bag this fall. Plan a family cookout and set up a dining area with a tarp. Or, lash umbrellas to your deck for shade. Fire: do you have a

Sounds like you've got a plan. And while you're at it, hustle up and turn in your youth application for your venturing crew, that way your hard work can apply to an Arts & Hobbies bronze award (or whatever they'll call it in 2014)!

Not sure I specifically recall a scouting example, but have known families whose exchange students have signed up for sports and the like. Host parents have authority to sign the application form. From my experience wih Chinese visiting professors, they are generally enthused to have their kids dive into American culture. (Again, can't think of a specific example regarding scouting ... so your mileage may very greatly on this one.)

I'm gonna give your leaders the benefit of the doubt and take a guess at what happened: Building and maintaining a list of MBCs is hard work. Back in my scout days a hard-working volunteer would coordinate with the DE and identify everyone theyknew with a particular hobby/skill (this often involved walking the exhibits at local fairs and consuming no small amount of funnel cake), ask that person if they would like to counsel MB, exchange addresses, then shake hands. Done. Then somebody's secretary would type it up. In my small town, you could practically get the phone book and just scrat

Since I'm pretty "chill" most days, let me explain BP's leeriness of National from a more ambivalent position. A few years ago, Bill Evans came to talk to our council's VOA. He could have talked about anything, but he emphasized how important it was that every venturer strive for gold and silver awards. No matter how much merit his words may have had, it did not resonate with any of those youth in the room. How do I know? Not one of them have since earned them! In fact most of those youth never returned for a VOA meeting or council-wide venturing activity. That's one an indication a that

Group dynamics are key here. Unlike BD's crew's last incarnation, mine started with the girls and guys "just friends". Some relationships started later, but it wasn't the pairing off scenario that everyone dreaded. The other key is Venturing Leader Specific Training. Get it for your adults and any key youth who would be willing to devote the day for it. You'd be best served by other advisors in your council instructing, but the syllabus is not that overwhelming that some older venturers couldn't teach it. (In a series of foibles with our University of Scouting, two of my youth to

Ask.yourself (and your boy) what's great about your pack. Is it the CO, your boy's friends, the fact that you guys make some insane pinewood derby cars? Confirm the status of each of those 17 unconfirmed. Be on the level with the remaining parents. If they step up, you can still have a fun program. The good news is you'll only have to make it work for a dozen boys instead of two dozen. Be on the level with the tiger parents. For them, leadership will be the cost. The reward will be a half dozen boys who will cherish you. You know how people always grip about classroom sizes t

Or, is it dishonorable to let the public associate the largest and oldest movements in the USA with your novelty? Even if that movement is in its nadir, isn't it more trustworthy to take a name that doesn't force the association?

The church is probably counting on it's stand-alone youth program to rally those volunteers who would otherwise be scouting. For the kids' sake, I hope that's the case.

Don't get them sat down for anything unless it's to close their eyes for a minute and tell you the sounds they hear. Man, you need your sleep, and the more those little buggers run the less likely they'll pop out of bed to bug you. Suitable activities/requirements: Build a block and tackle. Bottle rockets. Nature hikes. Collect rocks. Play catch. (Trust me, that was the hardest requirement for Son #2.) Identify tools. Aquatic safety. Foil-pack cooking. You get the idea. Organize with respect to the abilities of adults.

Sounds like you're talking about my buddy, the best scout I ever knew, who aged out at 2nd class! Of his many accomplishments, the one nearest to my heart was that he asked me to join his troop! (This was back in the days when packs -- at least ours -- had zero transition from Webelos to Boy Scouts.)

SN, although CoD has been operating in fits and starts over the past few years, so have most VOA's. As with everything with youth this age, there's room for optimism as long as they keep coming through the door. (Or, going out the door on the way to a super service project or activity!) But, more importantly, we as advisors need to be encouraging. "Here's a challenge for you: pontentially personally rewarding, high likelihood it will never get off the ground. Do you want to give it a go?" Then, hope that VOA presidents start taking over the promotion. It's just like the chief in the O/

It's like we have an evil twin crew!!! My co-advisor collected the paperwork and walked it to council HQ herself, just as Stosh described. No offense to the DE's in the audience, but of the things that hamper the start of new units, pros that think they're doing thier job by gaking more one day to reply to a CO or IH top the list.

I hate articles like these on a very visceral level. If you're really doing what Jesus did, you would physically and mentally be right down at rock bottom. No room for smugness in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Nobody ever taught you about sacred cows, did they? Yes, some troops get together and do these kinds of things. Love it when they do, but the leaders get lots of flack if they even suggest replicating it on a grander level. GS love their troops (by-and-large age based patrols). BS love bringing every boy under one roof. They seem very far away from a unified organization.

I forgot about CoD! Thanks for the reminder. As always with things in the beginning, it is a little ambiguous about how this distinguishes a youth who is part of CoD from one who puts her heart and soul into her VOA and never bothers with CoD.

Our SM went as dad (dress shirt and tie): CM was MoC, two ASMs (actually SM emeritus) talked about the meaning of Eagle Scout and recollected the boy's scouting carreer, and I lead the Eagle charge. If you have the depth use it. Actually, (personal preference here) your boys could do each of those. If they're attending in sufficient numbers and are appropriately gifted, use those gifts.