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Since I'm certified, I offered to pretest one year, but some boys weren't present so I had to catch them later. I think we still wound taking a few boys to the lake at camp for testing. I concluded it wasn't worth my hours of free time just so the troop could have an hour more to puttz around at camp. My time was better spent 1. helping those boys who couldn't pass in previous years work out the kinks so they could swim well. 2. Prior to a canoe trip, Testing those few boys who didn't make it to camp in the past year, and 3. Checking my rescue gear to make sure we could forestall

Finally got a look at this. My biggest problem with it is that it seems that youth cannot access it. If you want your crew VPs or troop SPLs taking responsibility for their trips, the fillable .pdf's seem like the best way to go. TL, check with your council, but I suspect one plan under your unit would suffice, especiially if you all are starqting from the same meeting point. Once submitted, send a copy of the plan to the leaders of the other units so they know the unit point of contact, etc...

Good Friday is no time to be blowing an April Fool's kudu horn! I think the council in which you'll be teaching is the one that will service the applications. Call their SE and ask them how to do this. Wouldn't hurt to find out who taught the last round of courses at the facility you'll be using. You should find out if there were any issues that came up and see if they were resolved. My council has a reputation for losing paperwork from courses done at summer camp! Happened to me two years ago, and I'm still trying to straighten it out.

All of those clear nights when I didn't need a tent, but went through the trouble of putting one up! So many stars, so little time to count them ...

G, Better idea (simply because someone out there loves paper): At the end of the online YPT, bring up a dialogue that asks non-members, "Would you now like to complete a BSA membership application?" It would then collect the info online, then let the user print it. It will leave boxes for info that needs pen-and-ink ( signatures, soc for background check, etc ...) , and print the YPT cert in the corner! User then turns it in to CC faith the registration fee. Get that adult app down to one piece of paper!

Or, Pack, we are fashioned in the image of a benevolent Maker, and are just trying to figure out how to reflect that before we muck things up too much. Either way, enjoy the show. Let's face it, sometime we scouters forget how the way we run the program may not mesh with a parent's world view. Reading how different folks react to a situation I may likely find myself in helps me choose a course of action in the real world that will be respectful to all.

SN, If this advisor is anything like me, he probably didn't make clear who the at-home contact was. In this day of cell phones and unlimited calling plans, the at-home contact isn't leveraged as well as they should be. But as is the case here, such a person could save a lot of unnecessary cross-talk.

Okay, there's a big difference between throwing a stop to an amusement park in the plans and, say, choosing to tackle a class IV rapids on the spur of the moment. Different units demand different levels of flexibility. Obviously if cost overruns are steep or frequent, it will have a long term effect on membership.

... if you took geocaching in you IOLS course, someone at your course chose to change the syllabus, and teach what they wanted to teach. There is only good old fashioned orienteering taught in both IOLS & OWLS.. The course was called SM basic at the time, and the orienteering chapter was garden variety map and compass. Geocaching was mentioned in passing. As was a comment on the two correct forms of the taught line (... if the knot holds when the line is taught ...). It's the little things, donchya know?

I know a couple of scouters that toss their "donation knots" in a drawer. For one guy, his uniform is the respect we accord him. (That includes being the brunt of many of our jokes.) He's definitely a 5-row guy who would rather not have the cloth get in the way. So the knots are simply not there. (He had a UC in his face once for not wearing them. It was kinda like watching an ant trying to stomp on an elephant!) On the other hand, I know a bunch of "5-row" guys whose personality shines through and it's like the knots aren't even there. Kids love working with them. To each his o

It's not a true "prisoner's dilemma" if you can't make your case to your other prisoners. In WB terms, it's a chance for the bead throwers to confront the axe throwers and ask them to play nice so everyone can get a slice of the pie. Remind them of the first point of the scout law, etc ... Or, they can offer the threat: "For the next rounds, we will throw axe until you show a gesture of good faith and throw beads. The round after you throw beads, we will throw beads. If you throw axe, will throw axe next round. Get the picture? If you want to lead, we'll let you. But you will gain

Out, Your situation sounds more optimistic than my brother's. (SM went AWOL with blue cards. Bro had to move on to college then sail a destroyer 'round Vietnam.) If you unearth your paperwork, give it a go. At the very least, your son should be handed down the newspaper clipping of your project. If this exercise only results in you doing that, it would be worth the trouble.

My rant about EDGE aside (although really, if courses said: "Have participants read page x from book y," it would do a lot to remedy propagation of misinformation. Paying for photocopies of material with plagiarized trademarks is just ridiculous.) All of this comes off as oh-so-much horse-hockey to a guy who took his kids car camping when they were still in a crib, and backpacking before they crossed over, with a guy who took his daughter backpacking when she was four. I am so glad I never wasted my time with OWLS. I am thankful for the den leader who did, even though she came back

Well, you could play with the distinction between "should be conducted" and "must be conducted". I wouldn't. It's that whole qualified supervision thing. Make a parent get their certification and have them do the work for you.

E92, I got that guy too! The official stance is whatever risk the aquatics director can accept! I need to know you can stop motion in the water and relax. If you sink, I need to know you can bring yourself to the surface in a kick or two, get your breath, and not panic if you sink again! If you have a 16 year old with a proven track record of sinking, that's different than a 12 year old who simply has never tried to stay afloat after wearing himself out swimming 100 yards. But talk to the person(s) supervising the aquatics area, they know their staff and what they're capable o

Funny thing about life: most of us don't ask for instructions. Few of us think we're living it for anyone besides ourselves.

Not acceptable! Wait for the boys to grow. Their lung capacity will double, enabling them to float. Until then, keep them in the beginners area. I need to know that swimmers who get a cramp or are just plain tired can give a guard a few seconds of floating while he/she attempts to deliver support. Try dog paddling with one leg immobilized (simulating a cramp) sometime. It's an interesting view with the surface above you! If you're worried about First Class requirements, don't. It's perfectly fine if some boys take 4 years to earn the rank by rights. If you have a k

Yeah cross, as CC you have the right to call BS on any such shenanigans! You don't have to approve any advancement you don't feel comfortable with. Furthermore, as COR you have the right to remind any adults in the audience that the CO expects the program to be implemented with the highest standard possible, and you are standing behind the SM. Our committee has called boys before it for disciplinary reasons. Literally, at summer camp our CC had to tell a couple of boys that if they didn't straighten up instantly the would have to pack their stuff that hour and sit by the road until the

Yet one more cluster of victims of EDGE without "reference." Because the instructor (or whoever taught) him/her was trained to formulate materials that explained source material RATHER THAN READING THE SOURCE MATERIAL ITSELF. How hard would it have been to read G2SS and other materials out loud on the subject? Perhaps during training, have everyone take turns reading through theG2SS tour plan material. Then the competent CC would know to present trustworthy sources at round table. For the love of all that makes us human folks: Reference Reference REFERENCE

Eng, I have a friend who did just that. Cubs was fine, but when weekends were gonna be impinged upon, and she wasn't about to trade any of hers. He felt like giving up even one of the precious few he had with his boys was too much. Making matters worse, he didn't have strong friendships with any of the leaders.

1 Tan shirt ASM (same patch that I was awarded when I turned 18)! Kakhi shorts. Olive hiking socks. (Got sick of wearing out the standard issues.) I have the Jambo patch from my youth, and a patch from the first 50miler I hike, for the memories, on my right pocket. I hang whatever most recent patch I've acquired there as well. 1 Green shirt for this awkward in-between position of Advisor to VOA VP-Program. It also doubles as my Crew advisor uniform when I'm someplace were folks are expecting a field uni. Anyway the shirt was on clearance so I decided to bite the bullet. My one pair of gre

Our crew has effectively two tracks: a HA track, and a skills acquisition track -- my terms not the youth's. The HA track is "activated" whenever a couple of kids with means want to pursue it. The skills acquisition track is ongoing and consists of all of the outings and low-budget super-activities that we do. Officers are challenged to work out a balance between the two. From the youth's perspective it's just different committees planning different activities. There is no fat in our budget, no discretionary fund. So some kids do wind up bowing out of an HA track because of finan

KC, Agreed, to a point. The SE may have two resources: 1. the scouter's track record, and 2. CYS on speed dial. If this is the first call ever, the SE may call the COR and raise a concern. If this is the 5th in as many different units, the SE might demand an investigation. That action would be hard on everybody, but if there was no abuse it is the best way to stop the rumor mill. It is impossible to judge this situation from a distance. But sounds like Mom has a plan that will serve her. In my case, I had to summarize facts in evidence in a letter to my DE. That p

Of course it's harder, you have until 21! I've also challenged Eagle scouts to go for the Hornaday award. No takers yet. Age appropriate challenges are important for all of us. For example I'm in a club where the guys throw down challenges to one guy to entertain the group at the next quarterly meeting by presenting something interesting on a seemingly mundane topic. (The topic is usually chosen by the last guy who presented.) You need to be prepared to be interrupted and cross-examined as you present. It's all in good fun. But, it's not something you'd ask a young kid to do.

The code does not specify one way or the other. Obviously keeping the poles vertical guarantees that a flag is at its highest point. And, if you have a cub, his adult leader may block the view from a particular angle, so maintaining that height may be a good idea. Otherwise, it's just a matter of style.