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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. BSA does not have a policy on individual scout accounts. It encourages them without specifics on how to spend them or what to do when a boy graduates or transfers to another unit. So, I'm trying to guide our committee into procedures that are compliant to recent IRS opinions, and someone gives the treasurer and old Troop policy, that if we continue to follow it, would be deemed unethical by some.

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 having them hurts us because our youth don't always have a clear vision of what we're about. If I were you, I would ask some of the older scouts (including SPL's, young ASM's) if they would join you for breakfast (on the troop's dime) and help you get a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on each law. Only work on what they say really needs to be amended or appealed. DO NOT LET ANY ADULTS GIVE YOU FEEDBACK UNLESS THE SM and SPL IS IN THE ROOM!!!!

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 builds quickly. All that to say, integration is really really hard. I'd say only about half of our special needs kids manage to "fit in" with our troop. The others have serious emotional conflicts that they just cannot overcome in a wilderness setting. Can you give special needs kids a hundred yard distance? Depends on the kids. But usually, no. The adults in their life have just barely begun to understand them. Maybe they have one or two friends who really "get" what's going on, but those aren't their fellow scouts. (Think about it. Even odds, their ideal outdoors partner is of the opposite sex, and therefore not a member of the troop. Then of his male buddies, not all are interested in scouting.) Typically these adults are not "helicopter parents", they've been doing that 24/7 just to help the kid survive until now! They are happy to back away, but they need to be around 1. to help the boy when (not if) and emotional crisis hits, 2. to coach the rest of us (adults and youth) so we can do what we do in a way that helps the boy(s).

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 treating your blister while the bear you're destined to meet pops his head over the bank across the trail from you). And be grateful to the Almighty for the opportunity to be reminded of your place in creation!

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. And, even if a couple folks weren't the church-going type, I think they appreciated the disclosure. He made no mention of homosexuality. Not because he was naive to it, but because it wasn't even on his radar considering the couples in the room and the age of youth he was dealing with. For the Venturers (and older boys), I have encouraged them to read the fine print on the youth application ("reference" being one of the foundational steps of teaching any skill, especially scouting). They are more than welcome to ask questions. Some Christians do ask for clarification on how broad "non-sectarian" is. Generally I tell them "very broad" and that they might find themselves in the company of the kind of people Jesus would bunk with, so their parents probably would not approve. I've also made it clear that I have no intention of applying the "gay ban" to youth. So far, it hasn't scared any of them away. (On the other hand, the possibility of little Jenny being around boys with the prevailing orientation has been the occasional deal-breaker!)

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.

I guess it depends on the bears. Most around here might be drawn by the sent of berries, but not try to come near a "bush" that was mixed with the scent of sweaty human and no other food. (Bear bagging is necessary in most PA trails.). Keep in mind that most bears here contact humans via their garbage. If they sumell you, they will start looking for any food you left behind. Actually encountering a person is low on their bucket list. That said, neutral smelling stuff is usually preferable for other reasons. It's amazing how those scents can lead to skin irritation when combined with a days rugged walking and limited water for washing. So if your trip involves a lot of backpacking, you might want to think of limiting your soap collection to unscented body wash and baby shampoo.

Thanks for joining in. The hardest thing for us Advisors is seeing 18y.o.'s suddenly become too "grown up" for all his scouting stuff. It's encouraging to hear of another young adult jumping in!

Welcome to the forums and thanks for your service to our boys! I've found the back-and-forth on some of the various forum topics under patrol method very helpful for setting the groundwork for our crew. I think some of the answers you need are there too. Honestly, you will have boys going back-and-forth. But, be positive and show your most dedicated boys a lotta love. Even if they don't exactly have your vision, let the older one's know it's their turn to shape the troop and you trust that if they stick around, they'll do a great job. Help them understand that managing these new numbers of scouts will be a challenge, but something to look back on with pride. There's nothing wrong with a camping-with-friends club. That's what each patrol should be. The issue is the little cliques have to turn into effective gangs otherwise the friendships wont be anything worth remembering. In the field, try to give your patrols some physical distance from one another. Give them different assignments for meetings. (E.g. one patrol does color guard, another room set-up, another clean up.) And the best way to learn stuff is to teach it, so don't let the older boys get discouraged. We all forget stuff. Finally, brace yourself. It's easy to prejudge one another on the web. So half of what's discussed will miss the mark. Keep in mind that someone out there will benefit from the discussion. So, one specific situation at a time, one out of ten suggestions might be applicable you, and that one has a 50% chance of working. Stick with it and the odds will eventually mount in your favor!

Two campouts devoted to cooking and you'll be set. Plus the boys who didn't take the course can learn by example.

There have been a lot of different meetings over the years, and quite a few agnostics have darkened the doors of our church, Jews as well. But you're right, I don't think we had too much in common with Albert. Besides, his visit to the 'burgh were rare and brief (http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/August-2012/Einsteins-Relatively-Short-Visit-to-Pittsburgh/) The point is that Einstien was quite outspoken, and if he thought the Bible was keeping our society in shackles, he would have made some attempt at "liberating" us.

I love the implication that Einstein was too chicken too declare himself an outright atheist. Maybe the scientists (leaders in thier fields, responsible for extending the lives of untold thousands) I meet for prayer on a regular basis are also cowardly athiests and merely taking time out of their otherwise busy schedules to keep up a pretense.

Thanks. An interesting read indeed!

Every SM get's panned for saying just that. Comes with the patch. Apply this simple test: Are you inviting every member of your patrol, troop, crew, etc ... ? Note that the question is in present tense. The working assumption is that the scout is getting approval IN ADVANCE. As in "what's the writing on the little scroll in the shape of a smile?" If you feel like you need to make up for lost time, here's a retrospective test: was there an invitation on the patrol/troop/crew mailing list or calendar?

What if it was an IYA as recommended here: http://meritbadge.org/wiki/images/e/e0/Individual_Youth_Accounts.pdf Or here: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/financeimpact/pdf/CFD-Manuals/Product_Sales_Guide.pdf (specifically, page 9) Contrary to your statement, National seems to condone scout accounts. Can you give us a link that expressly prohibits them?

Back when I went to Jambo, we didn't have no stinking schedule! Each day we got handed a stack of Hollerith cards for events at certain times, and we mixed and matched until we had a stack of events to suit us and how far we wanted to walk. Here's hoping your scout learns how to game the system t suit his fancy,

Wow! I wonder if they'll have a booth at Jambo! I have had the occasional scout with a pink/purple pack. I'm sure your daughter will enjoy her gift. Good work, Dad!

And camping and hiking? Don't forget that we do that for the purposes of character development as well. If a boy is not prepared to hike with us, we cannot provide the public benefit of well trained youth on our nation's trails, inspired conservation projects, and a knowledgable citizenry when it comes to issues of environment. P.S. - For the record, I'm just playing devil's advocate here. I hate ISAs. don't have them in my crew, and wish my troop didn't have them. My son and I would be just fine rolling the dimes credited to him into shaving costs for everyone.

Well, like I tell my boys: when a door closes, it's time to knock a hole in a wall. Keep putting yourself out there. There's gotta be someone in your district who would take advantage of you. My son #2 still has a 4 year old partial BC in swimming. So not every camp is a slam-dunk.