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qwazse

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Everything posted by qwazse

  1. Just a thought: OA chapter chiefs and venturing officers should be planning/administering district/council activities. My point, if a youth are promoting the events, they may be more sensitive to expenses, etc ... Certainly we have negotiated for better fees when our VOA cabinet says "that's nice, but too expensive for me and my crew." Also, if a kid is collecting the fee, you might be less frustrated about paying it.
  2. "Trust, but verify. In that order. " No way... "Verify ... decide if you trust the verification ... consider closely monitored events." Yeah sure, like, if the guy's been a collegiate football coach for years, you can trust that verification more than if some young buck's scoutmaster tells you he is worth the bling over his left pocket? We see how well that worked for the kids in Happy Valley. Don't get me wrong, we need to be on our guard, but like Beav explained, the strangers are no more of a threat than the familiars.
  3. If you think it's unfair for leaders to pay for stuff only the youth would use, then you need to factor that into the cost of the event. (E.g. for 20 youth to bring 2 leaders, cost per youth would be 10% more.) Then let your boys decide if it's worth it. I had to "vote with my feet" this summer because another adult and I were charged full price for chaperoning an $40 event. This was a change in policy at council from the previous year. We weren't aware of it in time to adjust our budgets or to find adults who really wanted to get the patch, t-shirt and headlamp that came with the even
  4. LV, if they dole out a knot for wilderness soloing with less than 5 lbs of gear for a week, I hope you wear it. I'd like to pick you out of a crowd and shake your hand.
  5. I honestly have not heard of anyone turning down any young adult solely on the basis of his/her age. No offense to the Mrs., Eng 61, but you all sound a little paranoid. Trust, but verify. In that order. That said, if the SM feels adult:youth ratio is a little top-heavy, he may not feel like taking on another ASM, so signing up newcomers to town doesn't always need to be a given.
  6. TT, just keep in mind that getting rid of the trouble maker doesn't get rid of the trouble. In your case the trouble is a boy who is picking up a negative vibe from his parents and using it as an excuse to "coast." So, as much as it will be a thorn in your side, you're stuck "coaching" this dad to be positive with his son wherever he lands. That includes encouraging the boy to step up and do his best in his current youth-led unit until the day he transfers to another. Waffles are better with butter or syrup.
  7. Being an ASM, I expect to: Pay my own dues. Get trained on my own dime. Maintain certifications in First Aid, CPR, BSA Guard (council lost the paperwork on that one, I can't find the card, so I may be stuck). Maintain a vintage uniform (thus teaching the boys thrifty and clean at the same time). Attend troop meetings. Attend committee meetings as time allows. Inform and apologize when I can't make one. Offer my opinion to the CC only when asked. Communicate with the SM regularly. Support his views. Coach him where he needs it. Fill in for him when he's not available. (To one of
  8. This is one reason why I'm no fan of NSP's. They can easily become NSC (New Scout Cliques). But, even with crossovers fed directly into existing patrols, you can experience these kinds of splits. I am much more in favor of splinter groups starting their own troops rather than giving some other SM a new set of headaches. It gives the adults a chance to learn and grow and discover "no matter where you go, there you are."
  9. Wow. Where have I heard this before? Here's a few suggestions to make sure you avoid that slimy feeling. Let the SM know he might get an "influx". Explain the situation as you understand it, and ask him if you could touch base in a few months to see if he hears something that your troop may need to address. Dismiss boys from POR's based on performance only. If one of these boys has been doing his job, but wants to try out the other troop because his buddy just relocated there, make note of his time served and encourage the new SM to line up a similar position for the lad. Mak
  10. Well, technically (see other threads fretting about internal revenue, etc...), the balance is not the scout's. It's the troop's. You have only allocated certain amounts from fundraisers for the scout to use so that he can be properly equipped for the good of the troop. That said, I agree with E92. It's a big deal. Some boys are embarrassed that they have money at their disposal (or more properly, have stewardship over troop funds) when others do not. Other boys who have less (or none) might feel defeated by those who do. Having online balances that anyone can browse allows for both
  11. That's pre-judging the boy. (Sorry any TG types reading this, I tend to stick with anatomical-at-birth definitions.) It's also not based on world-wide experience of co-ed movements. (Including girls on football teams, etc ...) Most teen pregnancies are a result of associations outside the organization. Of course, most co-ed orgs don't publish their experiences with TG children, but I don't think the risk of unwanted pregnancy among group members is elevated because of them. So, not looking at the FB page, and given the unlikely outcome (here's hoping), I'd say "Yeah, funny."
  12. RW - in my experience, it will only help if you use them as potential conversation starters: "And you could earn this knot if you'd just do ___". They might say "I don't care about your stinkin' knots." But at least you'll have put out what you would like to see from your adults in terms of action. If they're like me, they'd wind up doing what you want, and refuse the knot! I think knots are a nuisance. But, if you're going to recognize me anyway, I'd rather a knot than a plaque or a mug.
  13. 83EagleI just assumed the Bad Idea girl was a a venture scout. For future enlightenment, it's "venturer". And, from time to time, one may have dress code issues. I usually pawn those off on my female adult leaders. Maybe I can just have my crew president propose a by-law "No dressing like the models on the Scouter network."
  14. Having had hours of my time wasted by "sweep-under-ther-rug" types, I lean toward calling HQ. Of course having talked with several adults, I have gained some idea of what's acceptable (sharing a bunk-house with another adult and 20 other cubs) and what's not (grooming behavior toward a particular boy), and realize the SE has gained the same common sense. If you think only a BSA reg is violated, call your council SE and ask for advise. If you think a youth was actually harmed, report to the authorities first, then call the SE. Either way, this is not a comfortable situation for an u
  15. RW, pursue what you can for your adults. The worse that can happen is council will say "no" to a particular award, but they may direct you to other ways of recognizing them. Some could care less about awards and knots. The best thing about the one I got was a note my daughter and her friend composed listing the reasons I should be nominated for it! So, SP's suggestion about letting the boys be part of giving the award is really significant.
  16. We're an average size troop, so we have a little margin when it comes to food ... less when it comes to transportation. But usually there's a boy who cancels during the week, so we can usually fit a latecomer. Our problem comes because sometimes only a few can make it to an event. We have canceled events because not enough boys signed up the Monday before departure. When someone says "Oh, I was meaning to sign up ..." and they realize their procrastination ruined it for a couple of other boys, that solves that behavior. For crew events, I'm more willing to pull things together for a
  17. It's been a while, but yes keep it simple for cubs. Mountain pies: If several families have pie irons (we had 3 and the CM had 6) the boys could make their own pizza's and then cherry or apple pies. You needed adult supervision of the hot irons and making sure kids washed hands before the prepped food. It took a couple of rounds before everyone was feed, but everyone had fun and when you weren't cooking you could run around. Soup is also a good option. Each den makes a different type. Keeping track of cups and spoons is a hassle. It is getting tough to do it all on $10 a wee
  18. One of the advantages of NOT having adults in uniform at EBOR's may be suppression of the "I'm a super scouter" attitude. A boy might have a perfectly solid understanding of the rules. The same reply might come off as courteous and helpful if he was explaining it to a bunch of suit-and-ties, but might come off as challenging (e.g. requiring a "with all due respect, sir/madame") if said in front of six unis with four rows of knots each!
  19. Acco, I think a lot of boys feel the same way. I know one star scout who didn't count the hours he did music for church, even though every week it involved an hour learning the tunes, and an hour rehearsal. (Turned out he didn't have to, some adult neglected transfer hours he helped on Eagle projects into that software thingy.) I'm not entirely sure he thought it through, but most of us figure some things are just duty to God, and in our hearts don't want it to be counted as anything by anyone else. Growing up, I sure would have scoffed at any help I gave to a church (mine or some othe
  20. Yep, the stuff of peoples lives can just drag you down. On several occasions, a divorced parent has asked me, "What would you do in my situation?" I've had to say, "You two need to decide how you're gonna co-parent. The sooner you do, the better for all parties involved." But, I would never say that without one of the parents opening the conversation. Sadly for the kid, like Eng pointed out, there's nothing you can do. You can tell them that they have a fine son, and you'd love to see him around, but you'll understand if that's just not possible. Or you could not tell them anyth
  21. Beav, I don't think it's a valid assumption that None of those organizations are giving him a free-will recognition, the way a lifesaving award might be. They each have requirements of service for the status conferred. None stipulate "for the sole purposes of recognition by this organization" is the community service to be performed. I look at it this way: scout performs six hours community service the weekend after earning star rank. Should the SM recognize it for rank advancement? Yes. Should the NHS recognize it? Yes. Should the FFA recognize it? Yes. Should his churc
  22. resq, I was thinking of cutting up a sleeping pad, then I saw that my camp towel folded several times was the length of the kid's arm! Thanks for the SAM splint suggestion. Thanks for the ideas guys! I'm glad we weren't too far off the mark in terms of equipment. I think what hurt us was the preparedness factor. All of the boys present learned "inside the box" first aid. (The trained boys who were on Philmont contingents graduated last year, leaving us a little inexperienced.) This made it hard for them to help figure out what would work best. The SM and I are thinking of
  23. Yep. Talk. Don't write. Good luck. Call the dad as well. Just let him know you miss seeing him around, and as a First-Class scout he has a lot to offer your boys (or any group of youth wherever he goes). If the mom is sticking around, I would suggest that she help on the committee and spend time with parents of cross-overs encouraging them to fundraise, come to camp, etc ... Needless to say, you don't want to be anybody's therapist! If you have a divorced mom on your committee, she might be able to listen to gory details. But your focus is on a find scout who should be finding
  24. Gunny, In the community garden our scout set up as part of his Eagle project the answer would be "no." The food is grown to provide fresh vegetables for the food bank. Since we they can't predict who will be out of a job next month, they can't guarantee a surplus for the folks who worked the garden but whose families are doing OK financially. (Although, I think in the past couple years there was enough to go 'round.) That said, I get your point. POR's overlapping is a different issue. When that happens, I want the boy to do both well or give one up. (Just read the riot act to m
  25. An SM might ... talk about an honorable fellow still does his duty to God and puts in his hour in church on Sunday. No matter how much work he did for client X, an honorable fellow wouldn't charge that to client Y. And if the kid says to SM Beav, "Well sir, I heard on Sunday that God reaps where he does not sow and expects me to do the same with my talents!" Anybody know if there's a medal for that! Seriously, for our school's National Honor Society, the point of the juniors reporting their service hours is so that the seniors can write up an introduction that recognizes the can
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