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There are scouters who see us going to the British model. I'm not one of them. If our numbers of scouts had been increasing since 2005, I'd buy the argument. But BSA's number of venturing (presumably co-ed) units has been shrinking faster than any other program. IMHO the show of venturers at Jambo is to justify the "ruggedness" of the new venue. They may not deserve it, but that is what the green shirt has come to represent.

Sometimes websites are great at putting barriers between real people who should be getting together. Your son would be old enough to start on Webelos (that's basically the last two years of cub scouts). So if there is anything particular on the site pertaining to Webelos (or specifically Webelos I) that may be the person to contact. Definitely keep an eye out at school. But, also, don't hesitate to look into packs who meet a little further away. This can be a slow time for any pack, but if there are community parades (for example the fireman's carnival in our community is this weekend), t

Ways I traumatized my daughter: on the morning of her birthday took her shooting with the crew. She had less time to spend partying with her friends (although they wern't going to get together until late afternoon, and one of her friends was coming to this crew event)! Yep scarred her for life. She grew up to be one of the finest ladies on the planet, IMHO.

NWPAS, I sure hope you are too busy to be bothered with checking this. But, in case your are staring at your mobile device instead ... you can take one of the plays from one of my scouts' books. If you find a scout from another country or a soldier about your size, ask to trade uniforms. To of my boys came back with full sets of army digitals! If you find yourself at the head of a long Krispy Creme line (more likely if you are wearing army digitals). Buy a couple dozen doughnuts and start selling them to the folks who've been waiting for them behind you.

I'm not that bothered about the training issue. But ... The MBC paperwork that they lost multiple times. The CPR class that I took at University of Scouting, including the test I passed, but never get a certification. The attempt to get us to fill out a tour plan every time we met outside of our meeting place. The massive medical form -- seems to be the only thing growing in the BSA. The online tour plan that my youth leaders cannot access. The monkey-shine about no tour plan, no insurance. The revised national camp school guideline that says lifeguards shouldn't have whistles.

Then she probably doesn't have insurance and she should be in jail. Some people have a genuine fear of "Big Brother" getting into their business. If they watch the news more than 2 hours a day, they'll be utterly petrified of disclosing common info like this. Or, they are sincerely tired of digging up info for what they thought was a simple favor. (If you could look at our family desk, you'd understand why that becomes such a task. (And, no I'm not gonna send you a picture because you might be able to scan a # and use it against my constitutional rights!!) Of course, some of those people

And I thought it sucked when I got word someon called HQ claiming to represent our troop in opposition to the new policy. You win so much, it makes this Christian boy want to put on one of those hats of yours.

Pack18, venturing #s are down from last year as well. (http://www.scouting.org/filestore/AnnualReport/2012/324-168_2012AnnualReport.pdf page 25)..

Sorry JR. I should have warned you all that when the dog-days hit, there's no escaping the heat. The ridge-tops here just don't get that high (not that you want to be on a ridge-top in the afternoon with the kind of static that's in this air). Some of our prominent features are catching a lot of lightning strikes!

Definitely your boy should proceed has he planned with his counselor. The charting really only needs to be done on the scout's honor, but it never hurts to have a coach help. And while you're at it, ask the Sensei if he would like to be a merit badge counselor. Maybe not for your son -- who sounds like he already has another counselor -- but for other boys in your district. It might be mutually beneficial to have a scout go to the dojo.

Randy, let me answer this question in a little more detail: Yes!

Hey Stosh, they set up these nice drying racks for those wet uniforms!

Apples and oranges. The "personal" badges can be knocked of in 3 months, and "designated scouting activities" are not mentioned in the requirements. Most boys take a couple of years to rack up camping nights, so troop records are generally used so the boy can set reasonable goals toward completing the badge once he decides to do so. The counselor does not declare designated scouting activities for Camping MB any more than s/he determines which constellation is The Big Dipper for Astronomy MB The requirement is quite objective and not one night should require contortions of the English la

Full disclosure: we do a lot of pop-tarts, no gateway, and hike a lot! Regarding meetings, suggest British Bulldog. (BD will love me for that one!) Regarding gateway, suggest something inspiring: http://www.lotrscenerybuilder.org/argonath.php Regarding cooking, leave a note: "Good morning: your pop-tarts have been relocated to the secure locations indicated on the attached map. Enjoy your breakfast hike! Alternatively, eggs, bacon and other fixings are in the cooler adjacent to camp."

Can he do water sports at all? Is the disability permanent? Or, does the boy's doctor have an idea of his capabilities? These kind of things will determine the type of activity that would be a suitable replacement.

It should apply equally regardless of DC or not, but it's the SM's call. If it's not in the normal responsibilities of the DC, I might count it. Then again, I might not.

fred, if these by-laws were about what constitutes a quorum or what needs to be approved by the CO, or special CO funds/facilities that the troop could use and how, etc ... that's adult stuff. I'm sure the boys won't care much about that (unless someones been holding out on an Olympic size pull under the church hall!). When it comes down to uniforming (and here I think Sasha is talking about details not in the BSA insignia guide -- such as neckerchief style, shorts vs. long pants, activity shirt style, etc ...), that's boys' stuff. Insight from the older boys is invaluable in this area.

About half of my 16+ y.o.'s will get some kind of desirable employment, a quarter will earn their families good graces by excelling academically. The other half, live in neighborhoods that, well, there are these street corners ...

Ours does not. We have "policies and procedures" that were written some years ago with the advice of our UC. Part of the goal was to take the weight off the SM. Part of it was to orient new parents. Part of it was to implement what the Guide to Advancement did not specify at the time. We rarely consult it. But when someone does, it makes our current committee cringe. (See recent threads regarding individual scout accounts and extrapolate from there ) By the Venturing Leadership Manual, Crews should have by-laws. Ours doesn't, partly because of the adverse experience above. But not ha

KDD, it started out as a one page memo ... "Be fruitful and multiply. You're in charge now, here are the keys to the planet. Have all the fruit you want ... except that one." Well, two out of three ain't bad.

Yeah, KDD, the guy should have been smoking a cigar! At this age, a kid's special needs can overwhelm him. Especially a bipolar kid's needs. The boys in his troop could have been going out of their way to be helpful and it still wouldn't have been enough. My son is friends with a number of special needs kids, and when they're camping, he needs to do a lot of prodding to keep them positive and engaged. When a kid like that gets old enough to realize that everyone is having to go the extra mile on his account, he doesn't feel like he is giving anything in return. The sense of isolation

My buddy just dove in to the only ripe patch of blueberries on the trail. I told him, "I'll stay on the high ground, while you enjoy yourself 'cause if this is the only shelf, someone else will be itching to raid the cupboard." Sure enough, I found a dried puddle with a complete set of fresh prints. (Wished I had plaster to make a cast.) I guessed it would have stood 4-6' high. On our hike back down, my buddy was a little ahead when he saw her. By the time I caught up to him, she was gone.

One more note: most of us east of the Mississippi who hike in "bear country" rarely encounter one in the wild. (I have only once, and not until I was 47. That was after years years of coming across scat, tracks, and rubbings.) So, if you have the opportunity, go to the back-country. And, go frequently. Cache your food properly. Pay attention to any warnings/instructions rangers may post for the area you are camping in. Keep your eyes open (especially when picking berries, but my buddy startled that one off before I could see her)! Be with a buddy (just in case, for example, you are seated

Pack, I agree. When son #1 was interested in cub scouts, the cubmaster tried to do just that in presenting the program to us parents. I'm pretty sure he was following his own script, not the districts. He went a little too far in describing BSA as a "Christian" organization. (My experiences as a scout -- especially at Jamboree -- showed me how diverse the organization was, so I knew he was being a bit narrow.) But, he was clear to point out that it welcomed boys of all religions and expected leaders to have some belief in God. His statement didn't offend away any parents in the room. A

Drove to Morgantown. Just past the state line there was a bill board welcoming scouts to the 2013 Jambo. (Big improvement over the usual greetings for Pitt fans!) My relatives are all talking about it as if it's just out back. (it's still a haul from there) So fellas coming from the north, enjoy the welcome, but remember you have a few miles to go yet.