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@Momleader, I agree in principle. But, that presumes that we are starting at zero for both groups. For some CO's that's true. But for many the boys' program is a juggernaut that may require a tweak or two, while the girls' program has no traction. We might have two leaders willing to give it a try, and maybe the boys' committee will lend a hand, but what seems to be zero interest from girls. If the girls seem largely contented with GS/USA, as they seem to be in my area thanks to some excellent moms, stop there. But, how do we promote so as to find out if there are a few girls who would do well in the troop? I think it's our bottom line. I for example, admire cheerleaders. (I think I shocked my kids when I wouldn't allow them to say derogatory things toward them.) But cheerleaders aren't, like a former venturer of mine, trained to pull over at the sight of an accident, safely cross a four lane highway, assess a victim, stabilize a neck, and in a pandemic-be-damned kind of way command by-standers to call emergency services. They certainly can be trained to do that, but it's not part of the curriculum. It is part of ours. Full disclosure: it's also part of GS/USA's curriculum. We just practice in the dead of winter with dogsleds (or whatever outdoor substitute the Sun-Belt folks jury rig).

... and we're happy ...

Forget BSA marketing, which in my mind totally misses the point. In very simple terms, scouts learn to forestall death:

So, you are saying that more youth would enlist in the program if it we used something like "responsible, participating, citizen and unit leader"? That's testable. For a "nominal" consulting fee, I can arrange a marketing survey (from a rhetorician whose kids were never in scouting) to ask a randomly selected sample of citizens. If they'd be more or less inclined to enroll their kids in a program with an RPCaUL as opposed to one with an SM. If, on the other hand, your first proposition (to rid the scouter-verse of tyrannical adults) is the more important motive, the best we have is anecdotal evidence that the title does not mold the leader. Any better would require a massive sociological analysis.

I was hoping that merely referencing this thread about upvotes and downvotes would avoid another thread being distracted by procedural matters, but after seeing the discussion there amass a page of off-topic replies, I figure it's time to give outright resurrection a try. I don't write forum rules, and asking another one to be written violates my rule #1. But, I do operate on rules of my own based on examples who came before me and helped me sort out a load of ideas. I spout a lot of ideas. And some of them are outright stupid. Or, they may have worked for my scouts, but totally crashed for anyone else's. So ... If something resonates with you, if it's something you'd do or have done, up-vote it. You don't owe me or anyone else an explanation as to why you did. If something grates on you, if it's something you'd never do or did and lived to regret it, down-vote it. You don't owe me or anyone else an explanation as to why you did. If something moves you, but you're not inclined to promote or demote it, use the other reactions (Thanks, Haha, Sad, Confused, Like). If something is patently offensive (it happens), report it. Some have. The moderators have called me on it. Not a problem. If you have time, and can put words to your reaction, that's gravy. That's how I operate. You may want me to expect more from you, but I value your time. You may have different expectations from me. But, if I spot a squirrel, you'll have a long wait before I come back to task. Don't worry, a member might have a dozen downvotes and still be able to write another post. (Read this topic from the top if you don't believe it.) This forum is not like many others. It certainly isn't FB. I'm not showing my family album for you to like (and cause me to worry if you disliked). It's not for having a bunch of sub-replies to every single reply. (They tried that once, it was really confusing.) It's for us to sort out our next couple of scouting moves. And, a set of "don't go this way" trail signs might come in handy for the next person who comes along.

There's nothing mean-spirited in down-voting a post. I've made quite clear elsewhere, There is no harm in learning that someone thinks we have a really bad idea. In this case ... concerning ourselves over every twist and turn that language may take, rather than looking at how a word is referenced over centuries. OK, sarcasm. I had a longer list (pastor for PL, bishop for SPL, cardinal for SM), but I didn't want to belabor the point that language is not the terrible oppressor that people make it out to be. Yes, I've read CG's article, and Commissioner Andy's when it was originally written. And the bottom line is: Note that Andy's solution was not "Call him a Scout Guide instead." Changing the language does not get rid of the problem. Getting rid of the tyrant gets rid of the problem. I wish @scoutldr's point would work: It's true that learning to advise a crew made me a better ASM, but only after solid training as an advisor. I think that's one of the blessings of a well run HA base, if an adult can afford to take a crew there ... they give adults a solid experience of giving the youth the reigns. I have seen real tyrants of advisors. If venturing were more popular and teens didn't have other options, we'd see even more of tyrannical advisors, and because demand outstrips supply, commissioners would be hard pressed to remove them. And honestly, at WSJ exactly what was written on an adults patch made no difference in how they managed their youth. Their various experiences did. My best suggestion: get your leadership trainees to crack open a reference (Bible or Oxford English Dictionary). Show how the term "master" has been used as titles for both landlords and rabbis. Ask them which one they think the folks in their care need.

Fine. Call me an Assisstant Elder Scouter Scoutchieftan Scouter Superior Scout Commandant Scoutherd Scout Handbook Thumper Don't anyone dare call me a Scout Guide/Explainer/Demonstrator/Enabler.

No substance clicking through to the venturing crew, so you can take that one off of the table. I suspect that there wasn't room for "separate but equal programs for girls also available."

Yes. Getting out more is a very good idea. It's a hard sell to some parents, asking them to let their kids go join a carol sing in the most infamous part of town (thanks to Steven Bochco's Hill Street Blues).

Because your committee won't think you're at all crazy for acting on suggestions from strangers on the internet !!!

Words around the medallion: All Ages Adventure Coed Values Someone missed the memo on that third one!

I agree with @Thunderbird that assigning multiples of the same PoR is a good idea in a large troop. This is especially true for a troop that has lots of 1st year scouts and their summer camp has closed. You may need multiple instructors or JASMs to provide the skeleton for events while the PLC manages schedules and takes direct care of their scouts. In a smaller troop, those Instructors/JASMs can be irrelevant make-work positions. Sometimes, some drywall just needs to be hung. A scout doesn't need a patch to start sizing and nailing. He/she just needs guidance from competent scouts or adults. (Guess what I learned to do at age 12 in my scout-house?)

I'd not overthink this. But, be intentional. There's something in your troop to needs to get done because it's falling through the cracks of the other responsibilities. Maybe the scout house needs a sharp-looking bulletin board, or your CO's flower beds could use some serious weeding. Assign the scout to complete that project. When she's done, sign off. I assure you, you could give the simplest task, and some scouts would rather wait to win an election or get an appointment. Edited to add ... nearly any service project can be made relevant to nearly any PoR. It will depend on the scout. For example, a scout might be a good APL because she like making people's (especially their PLs') lives easier. A particular project -- like making a portable buddy board for boating/swimming -- might make life easier for the BSA guards in a troop. So, both PoR and project tap mutual talents/passions. I think that's what an SM should aim for with assigning projects. Don't focus on what might suit their PoR, but what might suit the talents that came to the fore while the scout held her PoR.

Enjoy scouting without the hassle of your boys. I'm told there are scouts in Central America. They'd love to camp with you. Oh, and nobody has a demanding job. They just say yes to it more often than they should. Yes, you have to pay for college, campers, etc ... but you can adjust priorities and still do well. Empty nest? We hosted college interns with our churches youh ministry. Our nest had revolving doors.

Clearly someone is not as sure about it being a loser. I agree that that someone may be wrong. That said, what is the other premier sailing organization for youth that the USCGA could charter?

Ahem ... switch off ad hominem mode ... check ... proceeding ... One very rewarding action that I did with my crew: during a game/pizza afternoon that they hosted on MLK Day, I had them read one of his speeches ("I have a dream") out loud. Each scout taking a passage. Neither they, nor their guests (who I could see were visibly uncomfortable with the direction I was taking them), nor, I think, the adult who was helping me ... had ever read it in full. (Well, the Italian scout might have, but not in English.) Seeing as it is being sorely misquoted these days, it would be a very good idea for your scouts to take a moment to read "Two Americas" in full. Same things for the writings of Washington and Lincoln -- and even Columbus -- on their days. R for Reference --- the first real step in teaching a scout to master any skill.

Or rather, it is doing nothing, albeit virtually.

I think the IT issue is there is a disparity between "registered with the BSA" and "registered in scoutbook" as it pertains to MBCs. BTW are any FB users getting ads sponsored by Aloha council offering for $20 to register your scout in an MB class? Basically, it's an MBC matching program.

Yeah, in my day, the councilor list was hanging on a bulletin board and we'd tell the SM that who we'd like to take the badge from. Same principal, but less global. Of course the SM didn't have to log much -- just stack up his portion of the blue cards then walk them over to Mickey's Men's store, grab a form, and order the badges. I'm not entirely against scouts using more global resources. But it certainly does slow down the process because the IT Group wasn't prepared to deliver the SM what he needed to be confident of his scouts' counselors the way older, smaller, districts used to be.

Didn't your scout meet with his SM before requesting a blue card? Weren't these counselors ones that your SM recommended for your scout before he contacted them?

The alternative is quite simple. If BSA believes that BLM has merit, they should: Encourage scouts to participate in the rallies in uniform either with the movement or with the police (both-and is possible), and help all participants maintain peace and order as they advocate their position. No merit badges, no rank advancement ... just another good turn daily. It's not original either. It's what we do. From two years ago: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39804471

You ain't kidding they are missing a huge opportunity: https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2020/03/05/on-the-100th-year-since-the-19th-amendment-lets-look-how-scouts-stood-with-suffragists/ Who want's to volunteer their kids to slap on uniforms and relieve the lines of riot police?

As someone who spends a lot of time brokering in sensitivity and specificity, and having chatted with a neighbor who was likely a false negative .... the whole "scarlet lettering" with antibody tests is unnerving. Given the current known accuracy of such tests, this all but guarantees that each camp will have at least one positive scout. Plus, what to do with a positive? He's going to remain so for who-knows-how-long after their body has killed that virus dead. And then we rack up the false positives who everyone thinks are no longer contagious and they wind up breathing the air of the false negative .... Controlled quarantine would be the most reliable. With your patrol 300' away from other patrols for a week. Then, if clear, with your troop. Then, march over to summer camp. Three weeks of increasing confidence in "no cases here" is the way to meet everyone's absurdly high expectations. Now that I think of it ... this may be why one of my Aunt's Campfire Girl camps lasted for "weeks on end". The first week was going to be rough not knowing who was bringing in what, but the subsequent weeks would be with an isolated population.

Each district in our state will be in a different position ... both financially and in terms of pandemic response -- which will vary by county. As I mentioned earlier nobody's writing checks in advance for the public health workers who would ideally be on site to trace contacts. There's a lot of potential for that to happen politically, but those gears need to turn faster. In general plans are being made to minimize and stagger times in the building. We might finally get those small class sizes that people think are important. At the university level, Pitt is starting the fall term early and ending before Thanksgiving. This *might* free up some volunteers to tutor high school students who aren't navigating the curriculum well. (Most of our universities have home tutoring programs.)

From the article that I noted above: So, does hating on a guy who the Third Reich hated make one more or less vile than the Nazis themselves?