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We don't keep them from scouts as a punishment, but when it comes to school ... We demand a lot from our kids. I tell them that less than straight A's is failure -- partly because they have it in 'em, partly because their aspirations demand flawless execution, partly because must step up for friends who would love to soar academically but severe mental disabilities get in the way, partly because the taxpayer paid for a teacher to present something to you and good citizenship demands you grasp it all. So, if a B or lower is starting to appear, I tell them ... 1. Our religion is forg

Had an Eagle SMC last night the SM and 4 ASMs were in attendance. This boy had a some really good ideas. (Advantage of waiting until you're 17 for that Eagle: you got some solid opinions and the maturity to put them out there when a bunch of adults are listening.) So, I asked him point blank about the # of ASMs in our troop. He said sometimes it causes a little confusion, but more often it's nice to have so many different direct-contact adults around. Point is, it's not the number of ASMs that's your problem. It's the quality of ASM's. I think it's perfectly fine to say you don't wa

Got it. So you really may have some older kids who lack vision. That's why the advisor should give them one last challenge. If the youth say they'll step up, go ask the SE for an exemption. If not, suspend the crew and focus on providing one serious outdoor GS troop for those little sisters. (The term we use 'round here is VIT: venturers in training.) We've seen the same thing in troops where the 14+ year olds seem to disappear. Sometimes they don't realize how they are depriving younger boys of the blessings they had when they crossed over, and they'll come round. Sometimes they j

the crew does not have enough paying members to recharter this coming year. We just need youth to recruit youth. How many do you need? You have four adults all of whom could be multiples of other units and paying their registration through them. If you need two of them to be CC and COR, you can do that. You have your daughter (who I assume would pay) is there one other youth. Boys who are multiple in another unit may be paying there, so that's no problem just ask your SE to waive that requirement. (I've seen troops move 5 boys primarily to their crew, but I hate the shell game. It gets

Anyone ever sew their pocket shut accidentally?

Although I'd like to think I was able to convince my wife to take more camping vacations because she trusted my experience as a scout -- I'm not buying it. Nice graphs as usual, though.

It's kinda sad. Most boys would volunteer -- party or not. And the Salvation Army folks would be a little bothered that a boy was missing out because he didn't ring a bell. You're probably in the right that it should not be called a troop activity. But, it's your son's problem not yours. If he thinks it's unfair he can bring it up with his PL or SPL. If nothing changes he can bring it up at his next board of review and tell the adults just so. If he works hard he can become PL and SPL and make activities on his own terms. He can also vote with his feet. Although I'd hold of

Sounds like your crew is at the tough spot of trying to define themselves. But, they have good people who'll help them when they are ready. I'd tell them they should say they are a general interest crew. When they get sick of calling themselves that, they can make the effort to be something different. Bottom line: a crew is a group of kids who shape themselves. If every other crew in your area is some troop's venture patrol, then they probably should break the mold and be a little independent. Have your crew's officers completed ILSC (used to be called VLSC)? It's a good training

Stosh, I agree that time is your friend in many cases (be it a well cared-for patient or a well built PWD car) so part of the "competition" must be recognition of the things that required time to achieve. That applies to sports as well. When I coached soccer to cub-aged kids at the Y, I reviewed the goal count (and goals given up!) after each game, but more importantly I expected a better quality of game than the previous week. Even if they won, kids could be pretty honest about if their play was better than the week before -- and that improvement in quality often had a lot to do with the

Good idea if the boys are willing to buy-in. I can think of lots of practical uses. The boys grab their totem and present it before pulling out for camp. They can be used for make-shift rosters. The life guard in me likes the notion of pre-built buddy tags for when you go swimming or boating. (When canoeing, I literally put tags in buddy pairs on a stringer in my kayak. I make the boys fashion them out of tongue depressors and permanent marker. It would be nice to have those tags pre-made.)

Competition gives you the opportunity to build character. And it's not just about shaking hands after the game. "Do your best." Well, if someone just like you scored higher (had a faster car) than you, that may be an indication that what you thought was your best actually wasn't. Those tears -- if they're sincere -- may set you on a journey to do better. "Help the pack grow." Well, if you came in first (or came in dead last, but everyone thought your car was the coolest looking), maybe it's time to show other scouts how to do their best. Maybe your dad or mom's shop is better, or t

I had a conversation yesterday morning with a young lady who wanted to join a crew. Her sister was in our crew! She was at the table as well, and I gave her the cold stare! Of course the challenge remains the time constraints put on our culture. For example this young lady just passed up the opportunity to go hunting with her dad because she went shopping at 5 AM with her sister and my daughter. These girls could have been shopping as a crew activity. Or hunting after having trained as part of the crew program. But neither activity is something that one automatically thinks "Hey, why don

Yep, like BDP said, I'm just speculating. From what I've read on the forums, instructors have stuck to their old formats, and have not had to run the course with a new demographic (older, co-ed youth). I don't see a high demand for NYLT among the Venturers I know (who, for what it's worth, have a wide array of cooking skills). I don't suspect any new anecdotes to be available until a summer or two. But, I do suspect BP's hypothetical concern about boys being more stuck in their shell are overblown.

Ej, I think you're set for the SMC in spirit. Different troops have different levels of paperwork anxiety. But generally we work with whatever the boys bring to the table and identify any steps that must be done. If there's something simple like signatures or letters of recommendations to nail down, we won't ask for a do-over on the SMC. If it turns out you didn't complete your Eagle project, for example, we'd probably have you schedule a conference after after you got that done! Our troop invites several ASMs on the conference so that we make sure we've covered everything. Some

We have to direct our parents to their boys, saying "the first requirement is that your boy needs to know his requirements." Second, we tell the parents that their boys are doing just fine and we love having them around. (We don't have many slackers. Or, rather, their slacking matches their age.) Thirdly, we point them to Joe eagle scout who had a girlfriend (sometimes two, the low-maintenance one had a Rocket 350 engine) and advanced; therefore, we are in no rush to push a boy before "the fumes" set it. If Joe could juggle everything and make it, so could little junior. We do this re

Some older venturing youth were in my WB class. Did just fine. No idea how they are doing with their tickets. No clue about NYLT. I know younger boys in our crew are no less goofy around the older girls. If that's your fear, I haven't experienced any problems with it one way or the other. (Of course boys in the crew have signed on to the co-ed thing, so that may make a difference.) My suggestion, if you do have to deal with it, is ask the older girls what the ground-rules should be.

I really like the broader concept of "Outdoor Ethics." It gives folks the perspective that LNT is part of a bigger picture of collective responsibility. It also should cover the concept that not everyone understands "the rules", so part of our responsibility is education.

BD - Piggybacking on what Stosh said, you have some specific experiences that can add to the life of your crew. First, your recent experience on the AT and that whole discussion about outdoor ethics could be a meeting topic. Second, let your daughter know that you'll be going on the hike in the near future and would like the crew to come along. (The challenge there is finding a female chaperon who's willing to do the miles.) But, they'll need a meeting or two to collect gear and prep. Hopefully if you're available for one thing, another half-dozen parents will be available for

jb, Your model really resonates with me because that's about where I saw my kids want to interact with their world. Thanks to college and military hauling away most of my 18+ y.o.s (and one 17 y.o. who got early admission) that's about all I have to work with. I wish the T2FC were accessible to Jr. High Girls. It would make the venturing program so much easier.

BD: choosing a focus or interest. I am not going to interject my desires or thoughts on what they should pick, but we got a list of possibilities from nationals site and offer that for suggestions. Well, we hike and avoid cabins. So I guess that categorizes us as general interest outdoor crew. But, the only reason is because that's the path of least resistance. If any one of them wants to plan a conditioning program for a backpacking trip, there are four adults (one female) who can serve as consultants. We love it and will make it happen. Their's nothing keeping us from being all

All of these, descriptions, although true, miss the point of Venturing's place. Yes, youth can do anything they want ('cept sky-diving, ATV's and paintball). But that's not the point. Yes, boys and girls can operate in close proximity while safely chaperoned. But that's not the point. Yes, yes a crew can be specialists. They can work closely with a troop, or be very independent. But that's not the point. Yes, they can help a council's recruitment/retention stats. But that's not the point. Awards are optional, but they demand skills in their category at roughly the level of what

Thanks for more details. The guy's a slug. You need some salt. First, remove him from PL before this goes any further. Tell him he can reapply to the SPL for the position (or any other leadership position) when he actually starts teaching and helping for a couple of months in a way that befits the POR he would like to be in. (E.g. for PL, teach a few scout skills; for QM inventory the troop's supplies; for Librarian measure shelf space or sort books.) Show scout spirit by doing stuff without looking for a reward. Second, make it clear that as he gets older, you will expect qualit

Our crew and troop once served as victims in a triage drill at the local airport. They needed hundreds of volunteers. The youths' time and availability was greatly appreciated.

I think the boy has given you an "out" by proceeding slowly with his workbook. This is your opportunity to agree with him and say, "Hey, since we're not focusing on your project workbook this winter would you like to try some things that might make you a better patrol leader?" You could suggest teaching/communication skills. Planning an activity, building a tower, gateway, or (brace yourself for committee member backlash) trebuchet! Is he weak on all skills? For example, can he fold a flag properly? Does he know the parts of the badge well enough to host a Jeopardy game? You want

This past week, I had a couple of non-scouting youth on separate occasions if I've ever hiked the AT. Just goes to show how popular it is. We have to be prepared to "educate" on trail. Chances are the one's who need it will not have read this thread! In fact, the more I think about it. Most of the stuff I've learned about hiking, I've learned while hiking!