qwazse

@David CO, the scenario you describe with your teachers is precisely the one we are preparing our scouts for in case they are the first to respond to an emergency. In your teachers' case, students are attempting to use their "rank" as a civilian or fellow citizen to justify their petulance. It's a different side of the same coin. 'Skip's scenario is being practiced by 14 year-olds. However, they might not encounter an actual scene for years, and they are adults in 4 years (well, in the UK, I think that's the case ... the US has these bizarre stages of arrested development: 18 for cigarrettes, 20 for alcohol, 26 for no longer being on parents' insurance). So, the issue is not really "facing down unqualified adults" when you are just a kid ... it is facing down peers when you know what's right. I.e., Be prepared ... for life.

In its original application of attempting to understand PTSD in veterans, I believe you are correct, the authority was deemed to be legitimate. Applied to healthcare in this decade, I think "legitimate" is in play. The legitimate authority in the past had been medical boards, but in currently physicians are perplexed my mandates from third party payers, and even the new electronic medical record which some of my physician friends find constraining to the point that patients are harmed. The moral injury comes when actors whose interests aren't always aligned with the Doctor-patient relationship. (Mrs Q and I are dealing with some elder-care issues that smack of this sort of thing.) Obviously, we train scouts to cede control to trained EMTs and physicians, but that's not merely because we think they have legitimacy in terms of chain of command. It's because we expect their training to complement the care the scout would have given up to that point. In the unlikely event that the person the scout gives control to is a malpractionor and leads to the patient's unnecessary death, that could be a kind of moral injury. But the common scenario is somebody using their age (sometimes sex), absent any other credentials as justification to interfere in effective patient care. So the moral injury in this context comes from a misapplied legitimacy. So, the term is not a perfect application to the civilian scenario, but I think it comes close.

I dunno guys, even after a 40% discount on the tent, I can buy a lot of tarp, netting, parachord, and stakes.

We all know now that this demeanor -- while essential for elementary education, religious sensibility, functioning families, and long term personal growth -- has boundaries and will backfire in certain contexts. Specifically when an abuser takes advantage of a culture's willingness to think "an occasional mishap is a small price to pay", the youth in his/her sights no longer becomes a charge and becomes a victim. Some in the medical field (especially here in the US where healthcare is under strain) describe a situation called "moral injury" where pressures are put upon a doctor or nurse to become so efficient that they feel their prime responsibility to their patient is undermined. In lifesaving scenarios, having to cede authority to someone less competent is heart-wrenching. When we teach the next generation how they may forestall death, but don't teach them how to stand up to someone who may abuse their age or some other false authority to undermine a rescuer's ability to spare loss of life and limb, we put that generation at risk of moral injury. What happens to a morally injured first-responder? Well, in @Eagle94-A1's case, he chewed on it and made sure to never let that happen again. Others will commit to never putting themselves in such a position again -- pass on the other side of the road, leave it up to the professionals, never take next level training, or do enough to pass the test and never engage the lessons, etc .... Folks, that becomes a whole lot of training for naught. On the positive side, teaching first aid students crowd control -- or teaching a life guard to not suffer fools at the waterfront, also has the side effect of giving them a tool that may defend them against abuse.

Not to promote stereotypes, but ... Throughout my life, I've noticed average British youth tend to be a little more reserved than other youth. Simple example: at World Jambo, I struck up a conversation with two young women from Kent who were watching me hang a flag. They had heard that the Indians were giving henna tattoos. I showed them the one they gave me and pointed to their camp, encouraging them to pay a visit. They looked at me sheepishly, and asked me if I would make introductions for them, which I gladly did, and soon they had called to their mates two campsites down, and soon Mumbai's lawn was full of English scouts having a henna party. As the week wore on, these girls became bolder. It's a rare American youth who would feel that they needed my assistance. But even our lifesaving instruction usually involves training youth to be firm and directive. It doesn't come naturally.

That said, this troop is doing the right thing by putting itself "out there." What I would like to have heard is not only does the church offer its kitchen, but that sometimes boys come before meetings to cook dinner with their patrol. It's one thing to brag about your tools, it's another thing to brag that your boys know how to use them!

Peer-to-peer recruitment among youth is doing just fine. Purveyors of recreational drugs rely on it to secure their future clientele. If scouts Eagle-and-out it is because they don't feel: needed. The adults will do all the work anyway. challenged. The troop isn't pitching Palms and other awards properly. respected. They aren't being asked to visit elementary and middle schools in uniform to promote the program. They aren't attending naturalization ceremonies, or opening a session of local government, or helping run a booth at a community festival. wealthy. Someone isn't offering them a job to pay for the next big-ticket event. humble. They think they've "arrived" and haven't figured out that they should take their place among other scouts (BSA or GS/USA) in their community. loved. Leaders don't greet them with enthusiasm, younger scouts don't want them at their campfire. Scouters in general don't care about their friends. All of that is quickly perceived by younger scouts.

Is that an inside-the-beltway way of saying "We've just about hit rock bottom?"

I think that's the difference. It doesn't take much effort in any Western PA town -- even Pittsburgh --- to find a ravine or ridge to claim as your own. Our local GS/USA troops take advantage of that, even though camp closures have made it harder for them. It's a rare girl around here who want's more outdoor experience than her GS troop offers. In terms of unique camping opportunities with Scouts BSA: I know of, for example, a troop who shares a cooking campout with GS/USA and BSA troops. Has been doing that for years. So, most girls get their camping "fix", and folks simply don't see the sense of a steep registration fee just to walk into the woods. I'll have to compare notes with the leader in my district who started a Scouts BSA troop for girls. They were an enthusiastic lot when I met them in May. They might just be Venturers in a year. But, I'm not sure if that's translated to growing beyond one patrol.

Quack practitioners.

No slight. Just saying it's a big country. I''m observing in my community is a strong preference for GS/USA as the program for their girls to achieve what Boy Scouts achieve. That's a credit to their leaders. No point in starting a troop here among mostly contented girls. So, I'm just buying their cookies. In communities where it is seen as as a (i.e., one of many) program for their girls, Scouts BSA is launching a troop or two -- roughly the size of a patrol. In communities where Scouts BSA is the opportunity for girls to achieve what Boy Scouts achieve, you will have the 5-patrol Scouts BSA girls' troops.

Because our GS/USA troops are outstanding, and I don't want to jeopardize my cookie supply chain.

I encourage SMs to counsel the badges in areas that they are better than anyone else. I earned Music from my SM.

ScoutBook does not recognize MBC's by district. It asks a search radius. It's not clear to me if it limits us to our council. Just say "yes", don't worry about what scoutbook does and continue on as a small dirtbag.

The latest NASA/NOAA report, including links to gory details: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-analyses-reveal-2019-second-warmest-year-on-record One of those links https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/201913 shows that we in North America are a little late to the warming party ... In a link to the press conference slides https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/briefings/20200115.pdf, we have a note about Alaska's bumper crop of +6 deg F warmer this decade than the previous 8-decade average. We have been spared loss of life, but doing so in the US wasn't cheap. The last slide in that set shows that in the past four consecutive years we've endured more billion-dollar disasters per year than any time except 2011.

Talk to your DE. Each council does this differently. For ours, the commissioners call you, and you just have to renew youth protection. Even if you've done it for another position, you might have to fill that background check release form (the one they rolled out last year) again. It all depends on how the registrar organizes the council's files. Then, once you've jumped through the hoops, log in to Scoutbook periodically and see if your name comes up under the appropriate MBs. Better yet, have your ASMs log in and be sure they can find you. Again, that link depends on the registrar, and if you've got one who's slow on the uptake or simply overwhelmed, the connection between your member id and the badges you counsel might not be made. In spite of the hassels, the registration requirements for MBCs have really helped provide our youth with up-to-date lists. I imagine the embarrassment of a scout calling a counselor, getting the spouse or other loved one, and finding out he/she died four years ago.

So, did you actually confirm two crews? Or, did you get put in the lottery for two crews?

This has been coming down the pike for a couple of years. Nation-wide fewer packs have been sending their leaders to round-tables. With some districts now the size of councils, travel to RTs has been a limiting factor. My prediction: expect to see more issues discussed/resolved via Scoutbook forums and more home-grown online training. There will be some interactive online forums, but that will vary with the volunteer pool and access. Also, expect to see packs and troops within reasonable travel distance forming ad hoc districts.

I do make an effort to get introduce our senior scouts to executives. I think it is important that pro's see the "end product." DE is a discouraging job in the face of shrinking membership. It is definitely not an end in itself for most pro's. But, it can pay a few bills, and if one sticks with it for a couple of years it demonstrates that you are willing to work harder than average. Future employers value that in managers. And, it is one of those rare jobs where you talk face-to-face with a lot of people, and help them navigate a complicated organization on behalf of their kids. Some of those people run business, and need employees to help their customers navigate their complicated company, so the opportunity to network is not trivial. Honestly, the only way to make a DE's job easier is to show up at HQ with a pile of membership applications and maybe the address of an interested donor that you met without his/her assistance.

Just a little update ... this year starts with WOSM officially welcoming as it's 171st memo: Afghanistan National Scout Organization (ANSO) https://youtu.be/TQX0GjqbOrA

Tell me about it ... the Orothodox half of me has been waiting for you all to come back for 10 centuries. But that half ain't roses either. Although sure of themselves when it comes to restrictive sexual ethics, they are unparalleled in global political intrigue (living up to every nuance of the word Byzantine).

Unlike the BSA, the UMC parishioners affirm one catholic (i.e., universal church) in the Apostle's Creed. Letting issues be local or regional is not an option. That is why the folks who are slinging a permissive sexual ethic want the restrictive folks to operate under a different name. They believe that their permissive ethic is the outflow of a united methodical Christian exercise. Basically they are saying to the traditionalists, "You can have your heresy, we'll keep the brand." Obviously the folks with the restrictive ethic would rather the permissives move on, but to my knowledge they've made no offer to give them their capital. The offer to keep properties at (presumably) no cost for separation is a generous one. For reference, many churches among the rising Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, and other spin-offs of the PC/USA paid substantial sums for an amicable separation.

Bugling seems to have the same problem as pull-ups. Really hard to increase your count if you only practice on weekends. It seems that there should be a way to sync this with personal management or personal fitness. @SSScout, I think you should write a scouter's guide to skills acquisition. Call it How to Get There from Here.

Call the captain at Seabase and ask how to best put in for multiple Big Munson dates. Most troops have one date for any adventure. That's why the system is set up to pick that first, and troops select as many adventures as they would likely accept on that date. Then, if you "lose" the lottery in the first round, you are contacted about other similar adventures/dates that "winning" troops passed on. I sort of wish they'd have an instant run-off. As soon as you are registered you get assigned a number. That determines your "draft" order. A low number means you'll likely get your pick. A high one means you have to wait for the low numbers to lock in their choice. The top of the draft has to make their pick of adventure and date in a week. It's a little rough on the troops who get a high number, but at least they know that they should prepare to accept scraps or start looking for a plan B.

The restoration of migratory bird sanctuaries in the Middle East is a perennial challenge. One conservationist deploys scouts to help.