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I met with my ticket guide today. Done with two weeks to spare! We had a good chat. This old grow don worked his ticket. (Yes, it was a big class. None the worse for it.)

Was this an older boy "under the gun"? Or a younger boy who won't be pushed up against the deadline?

FWIW, I caught up with a friend in FL the day after Christmas. His son was quite excited to go to a winter camp put on by their council the next day. However, only one other boy from his troop was going. You may want to think of making a plan for two MB's that the boys want to master. Get in touch with an expert or two to estimate cost for three or four days of instruction. Find out how many of your boys are interested at the cost per boy of, say, 50% of your boys attending. If your desired number isn't met, put the word out to troops in your district on how many open slots you will hav

Also don't let being in an LDS unit isolate you. If there is a den leader from another unit in your area with whom you can compare notes give them a call. Your district executive can help you with that. Growing up, my troop shared some activities with an LDS unit, and I think it helped both SM's do their job better. As to the discipline issues, I think you should work on two activities each meeting. One sport and one craft. It could be an activity where you make a game, then play it. Be sincerely proud of the jocks in your den, that way later you can actually ask natural leaders amon

I'm pretty sure that some of my Girl Scouts would jump at the chance with both feet to earn something as special and as well known as Eagle Scout given the option! thing is, Ithink they have the option to earn something as apecial as ES. Just saw the most BSA-connected young woman I know post her GS gold award on online. Just as proud as if it were an Eagle. As long as girls have the opportunity to earn that toward the end of their GS career, or as long as they can look forward to joining a crew to earn Venturing Silver, I don't see the demand growing. From an adult perspective, either of

Young drivers do express a "creative" use of the technology that can be deadly. Since we can't deny people cars until they are in their thirties, there is no way we can be entirely certain that the difference in accident rates is entirely developmental.

Some things are iterative processes. If Nurture doesn't involve giving the brain lots of challenges, some with a probability of failure, the brain will develop poorly. Nature demands an adaptive system.

emb: ... NOT 'hand drawn diagrams' ... Sorry. Should have said 'graphic artist's analog rendering'! Thanks for the context.

Sounds like a great idea! I'd be surprised if you attracted a fraction of your boys, but I'm sure those who go would have a good time. Are you thinking of picking someplace local or will this involve travel? (In other words, are you all snow chasing?)

Thanks for the history, 00E! (My, I miss hand-drawn path diagrams!) Precedent or not, anything's possible. But, I agree with BP. It's unlikely. As things stand now, there's just not a demand. BP, I bet your crew E-COH's have more young women participating (at the very least, as color guard). Which may generate more interest. If every crew operated like that (or, e.g., if my venturers were asked to contribute to the troop's ceremony), it night bump up interest in Eagle a little more. I think the reverse could happen, more venturers will chase venturing awards, increasing the n

IT'S ABOUT THE BOYS!!!!! If they think it's worth passing on this trip for the sake of unity, then, Boomer, they can pass on the trip. But I've seen a lot of opportunities, small and large, like this. Generally, a boy would prefer to take a chance at being left on shore so his buddies can make the boat. It's not a "black spot", it's an opportunity to use that cash towards a different adventure. TwoCub, you have your head on straight. Give them the options. Tell them what you think is important. (E.g., sons should be given a long straw.) But, leave the decision entirely up to t

It's sad to hear a good troop fade away, but if you and the CO are set on this tack, talk to the DE to make it happen. Some pointers: Get your adults to Venturing Leader Specific Training ASAP. If your COR comes along, it would be a great help. Make a plan for recruiting 8th graders as they turn 14 next year. Involve your boys in that plan. Don't expect any help from the DE on this, but be thankful if it comes. Brainstorm with your boys on some fellowship activities that don't involve overnights. E.g., for Halloween, our crew likes to gather around a backyard campfire after Trick-o

the ASPL really just does what daddy tells him to ... but his dad is also advancement chair, and ha a lot of voice at committee meetings ... It's a bad day when an ASM or JASM is worrying about the Byzantine machinations of the committee. You do know that some troops give their SPL a seat at the committee? More than anything, this is so the boys get an idea of what the committee will or will not push for. At the least, you should have access to the committee meeting minutes so that you can know that those folks are focusing on how to support you in playing the game, not how to make change

both-and is possible. For example, our CO's troop, pack, and crew have the same unit #. All of the boys in your troop can simultaneously be registered in any number of crews. So your troop doesn't have to disappear overnight. The same committee can verve both troop and crew, although separate committees for each is more common. Anyway, this does give you options -- of you have the leadership to support it.

Do you have sisters, girlfriends, and buddies (non-scouts) who want to be part of the program? Are your 18-20 y.o. ASM's comfortable with being "youth" again? Do you have several female adult leaders (moms or 21+ older sisters) willing to support you? (That not-enough-adults-for-an-outing can still occur if you don't.) In other words: is there a need? And, are your boys and their families up to meeting it?

The boys have a lifeboat problem! Ask them what they think is the best way to solve it. If all 5 of them have put $100 (or whatever your monthly payment would be) down, let the boys know that drawing straws is okay. But, it's their call. If they want to sit in a room and talk it out, that's fine. Unless your troop has some deep pockets, I would strongly encourage you to remind each boy that money is non-refundable unless they find their replacement and he is willing to negotiate deal for that open slot. If any boy does not have any money in the game, yet. He's out. Let

There's no merging with AHG any more than there is with GS. If this happens, I think there are two pathways: 1. BSA becoming co-ed. That's a long way off given the American's strong cultural bent toward unisex programs. The only way I see this really happening is through a concerted effort of chartered organizations. 2. The BSA National Youth Cabinet fielding a petition (to whom? not sure) to allow earning First Class via Venturing. There would be no tenderfoot or second class rank: one advisor's conference, one board of review. All of the requirements would need to be translated

You are on the right track wanting to interact more with the other leaders in the pack. This sounds obvious, but it actually is quite hard for us to do: communicate, communicate, communicate. I think that's where you felt the impact of "poor teamwork." Scouting for Food is a huge challenge, and folks don't always appreciate how daunting it can be to a new parent -- even if their kids love it. Sometimes we have to adjust goals, sometimes request more manpower, sometimes give people a vision of how important this is. A go-see-it to a food distribution center or a visit from a represent

The man is trying to help new crossovers for the first time! 'Fish, your troop may do it differently, or you may have confused SMC for BOR. Either way, it's not the problem that these folks are trying to make it out to be. The boys will have a fine scouting career with caring adults like yourself. Also, back to knots, the taught line can end with the last hitch going around the the standing in in the same direction as the first two, or in the opposite direction. It will hold under tension regardless.

Get to know the crew officers and help them arrange a dinner in which the recognize their advisors. The recognition itself can be as simple as a toast or a song. No plaques, please.

I'm no expert, but it sounds like incredible fun if you can get the right gear for the right people who are at the right stage in their training to use it!

Great question. Keep in mind that even though it's messy, your fellow scouts our learning the importance of electing good, not merely popular, leaders. If your SPLs had 6th month terms, then maybe you could ride this one out. otherwise admit that this is going to be a tough 8 more months. Secondly, do you have good PL's in place? If so they can muddle through quite well without a strong SPL. Help them by providing Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops course. Encourage individual patrol activities. Mabye have individual patrols rotate who opens and who closes meetings by signing

Oh, and twocub: I suppose the biggest problem I noticed first-hand was with co-ed patrols going around jamboree, but at it's core was a boy-girl couple holding hands. That's gotta mess with your patrol dynamics, huh? Just make the boys hold hands more often! But seriously it can affect crew dynamics, so each crew can set their own guidelines on public displays of affection. It's interesting to see how that plays out within a crew over time.

That Venturing Silver Award is a rare bird, even after factoring in the fewer numbers in Venturing. I would encourage any young woman to strive for that award and not fret over the ineligiblity for Eagle. I am Adivising a young lady who is working on a bronze award, and the level do effort seems to roughly compare to that of our star scouts. If the equivelancy carries forward (life : gold, eagle : silver), I don't see the status quo changing anytime soon. The demand from girls for access to Eagle Scout rank just is not all that great.

If an organization can't write its own application without help, that's a really sad little organization. Just because: BOY SCOUTS LOVE PAPERWORK Doesn't mean everybody has to. Membership Applications are not scholarly publications.