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I think along the line that Jeff H does. If a scouter shows up in civi's and helps a boy map out a hike plan through a wilderness recreation area, or if a scouter is conversant in religious issues that a boy may have, then I feel that we've applied the methods to the satisfaction of our CO. We aren't making either put on class-A's before having that discussion! Later on our conversation with those scouters will involve the quality of the coffee, the beauty of the campfire, or their opinions on how the boys are coming along. As uniform issues arise among the scouts, we ask the SPL to address

It's a shame boys don't carry wallets anymore. (What's with that, by the way?) I'd have them flip to their membership card and show what unit they're in.

As much as the scout brings in fundraising, less budgeted expenses. E.g., our big fundraiser is a spaghetti dinner (on the 31st, if you're in Pittsburgh then, PM me). The boys get $2 for every pre-sold ticket, they work shifts at the dinner, and the remaining revenue less expenses and what we think the troop will need in the following year is divided by the total number of shifts worked and allocated to each scout account accordingly. Nearly all the boys use the funds earned to offset camp fees, after that we encourage them to "gear up" so they are prepared for any outing we do. As a re

As much as the scout brings in fundraising, less budgeted expenses. E.g., our big fundraiser is a spaghetti dinner (on the 31st, if you're in Pittsburgh then, PM me). The boys get $2 for every pre-sold ticket, they work shifts at the dinner, and the remaining revenue less expenses and what we think the troop will need in the following year is divided by the total number of shifts worked and allocated to each scout account accordingly. Nearly all the boys use the funds earned to offset camp fees, after that we encourage them to "gear up" so they are prepared for any outing we do. As a re

because of the family nature of cub scouting they have done a lot of cub scouting through the years. Can GS host activities that involve boys (e.g., family camping weekend, community dances, service projects)? I've always assumed the answer was a strict "no" because that was part of the motivation for some cadets to also join my crew. Is is officially the case?

I think the main thing working against Venturing is the demographic you are trying to reach. Yep, I guess we should only focus on program for 11 - 13 year olds. Tell your SMs to stop wishing for a cadre of high school students and a handful of young adults to help his troop grow. They tend to stick with things they've been involved with in the past like their troop, sports or church youth group. Except their friends are in different troops, they play different sports, and go to different churches. Moreover, many are hungry to go deeper in these different areas, but don't have

The value of my time is worth a decent cup of coffee, a beautiful sunrise, and a good campfire story. The occasional bear or shark sighting is gravy.

Rejection sucks. No, holding on to what is not rightfully yours, stinks. If you come in to jump-start a program, then you jump off as quickly as possible. All of us (you too, ALB) should be in the business of finding our replacement and fading in to the background. The nation wasn't cultivated by Johnny's dumping all of their apple seeds in one massive mound! Finding out that a unit is not your little fiefdom is a healthy discovery.

cam, I think my experience meshes with Beav's. When we work hard at getting boys and adults perfectly uniformed, we might get well more than half our boys looking sharp. But, time spent doing that is time not spent teaching first aid, or a survival skill, or something else. Moreover, time spent in anything but the gentlest discussion with an already-very-caring adult about the issue is time not spent counseling the boys, etc ... You only have so much time, so you pick your battles ...

So, B.S., since it's been 3 years where are these boys now? I met one of our troop's graduates when he was on leave after his first round of marine basic training. This was a boy who got by most times on his phone for navigation. You could never be sure how much sunk in. One of the first things he did was thank me for the map-and-compass training. He excelled at the night orienteering course on Paris Island because of it. And honestly, with this kid, I could barely get two points across in a sitting. Evidently they were the ones that mattered.

Time to call your COR and ask him to step up to the bat for you. Give him your council president's number. Make it clear that this could leave volunteers deciding if they can put $ in the offering plate or if they need to make an FOS contribution to be considered a scouter "in good standing". I'm pretty sure most CO's would have problems with this. Most of them don't have membership fees, and they would expect your council to play by the same rules.

Venturing is the anti-Boy Scout program for the folks who don't like the structure and rules of Boy Scouts. Except for the 2 G's (Gays and God). I wonder if that's why we bring in the co-eds? Venturing is the Seinfeld of Scouting. Love it! I'm gonna use it at tonight's crew meeting!

... and his step father does not embrace scouting in any way shape or form. Actually, I think that works towards him staying in the program! I've seen lots of boys part ways with their dad at about this age because dad was just a little too enthusiastic about scouting. My youngest is age 14. Loves the fun -- doesn't want to work to have it! You'd almost think he didn't care. But ... Last week, for a boy's Eagle app, council HQ was having trouble finding all the troops MB slips from 2009 summer camp! As soon as I told him, he hustled up and checked his blue cards. My col

Actually, my first YP course was from a camp committee chair who was well informed. He did go over number of incidents/allegations and described some of them in detail, including how they were handled. One of them did involve our troop. Nobody ran for the door.

I think some basic concepts: Be part of the conversation around you. Tune into our campfires. Ask if you may use a tool. Ask how you may use your device to improve the life of the troop. Earn money and pay for your own devices. No cussing. Whatever the medium. Buddy system. Don't browse alone. Discard batteries safely. Gotta talk to the GF? Your fellow scouts have the right to say 'Hi'! (This roughly parallels our social policy in the Crew. On activities, you are not sole property of your GF/BF. There is no "snogging time".) Not all of these need to be on the chit. For

Processing fees are a hidden expense that discourages volunteers. Worse, volunteers are the gateway to the units. What if a unit decides to stop inviting FOS to present in retaliation for exorbitant fees on its volunteers? Make the calls as suggested above, but I'd also go with facts on how many prospective FOS contributors you have access to. In leiu of $, maybe you can provide phone #'s?

Local rules apply, so ask your district advancement chair. I'd be happy to see the boy in either Life scout or ASM uni. Both reflect to me that he has a strong connection to the troop. But, if he wanted to feel "grown up" and wear suit and tie, I'd take no offense. Most of our 18 year-olds show up to BORs with their life scout uniform. They're still getting their heads around the whole adult thing. Some of them give me blank stares when I hand them their voter registration and say "Happy birthday, run my country well!"

People don't look to sports for a moral high ground. Coach can be as promiscuous as they come, as long as he aint groping kids and is winning championships. Round here, conservatives send their kids to private schools, and demand vouchers to cover the expense of having to do so because of "corrupting" mandates. Or, they run for school board and attempt to muzzle permissive teaching.

The gal that liked to camp, be outdoors, etc. doesn't mean that Venturing has gained a good or natural leader, it means the gal likes to camp, be outdoors and so she joined a Venturing Crew. Agreed, there is nothing in her equating Venturing to outdoor activity that indicates her leadership ability. You'll just have to take my word for it that she was a strong leader (not entirely natural, a work in progress), and without her efforts we would not have had half the hikes, no sailing, etc ... My point is she didn't name any of the leadership that she exercised as what defined her life in t

I've heard from youth who love their respective program as-is and don't want it to change. I know others who wish things we're different.

Adding to JMH, I would say that natural born leaders produce a vision that suits them, finds people who will fulfill that vision (either because they share it or are willing to adopt it) and ignores folks who don't have that vision or aren't willing to adopt it. That's where conflict may come in, and natural born leaders have to learn to become good leaders, just like the rest of us. Because you may need the folks who you've just ignored, and suddenly impersonal skills that might not have been part of your toolset have to be deployed. If you don't have them, you may have to set aside you

I hate to say it, but this may be one you can't win. But, before we throw in the towel ... By prepared, are we talking boys preparing their own meals? Are the recipes involved enough that scouts have to tend fire, get water etc ... as they prepare them? Ideally you have scouts busy enough that they work up an appetite as they cook. If not, the boys need to be active in a wide game until just before meals. Idle time is the carb-loader's playground. (Personal experience talking here!) Snacks are for after supper (that includes clean-up). Maybe even after evening campfire.

[Meant to post this as a new topic, but got an error. Anyway, it fits here.] I went to a Venturer's senior dance recital. The program had bios of the graduating class (submitted by the youth). This youth mentioned Venturing as one of her activities, but did not say that she was an officer at the crew or council level. What she did say: "often goes hiking, camping, and sailing" It's not that she wasn't a leader, or that we did not spend a lot of time focusing on leadership training. But her *focus* was not the leadership, but rather the tasks of our crew. I think natura

Same device, no delay reading topics this AM. However: - I tried to start a topic and got an error message. - I just got an attack warning trying to open a thread Ea just started.

I don't think there's a knot for that in the current program http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Media/InsigniaGuide/10K.aspx. There used to be one for Explorers who earned Ranger. Medals are intended to be worn on lapels for formal occasions.