Beavah

Yah, if yeh have ever been in some of da popular summer hikin' areas and such yeh realize how much everyone with neon tents (more than clothing) and such disrupts da enjoyment of other visitors. Especially the photography. Clothin' choices also can be a reflection of our own personal attitudes, eh? That's why we use uniforms in Scouting, after all. Neon clothes say "Look at me!". Neutral colors say "Don't mind me, look at the world around you." If the lads are wearin' neutral colors you can even sometimes encourage 'em to stop well off trail and quietly out of view instead of drop

Yah, always. It's always a symptom, eh? It just might not be da diagnosis. I reckon a kid being "just off the rails" also isn't much of a diagnosis, eh? More like da sort of story we make up in our heads to justify a response to a lad that's more based on our emotion than our thoughtful better nature. For me, there are really only two times to remove a lad. One is when the troop lacks the capacity to deal with his issues. This varies by troop, and it varies within a troop over time dependin' on the strength of the youth leaders and the adult leaders. I personally like da

Yah, hmmmm.... So a group of newbies is goin' to go to the fellow who has been runnin' things for years and demand changes after goin' on one trip, eh? Like da custodian at Hogwarts they want to see some punishment!!! How do yeh really think that's goin' to go? In many troops it's goin' to get a CC or SM sittin' with da group, listenin' and noddin' sagely, thankin' 'em for their input and then havin' the "this is not Cub Scouts and you are not in charge" conversation. Comin' in and demandin' to see some punishment of other people's kids isn't a great way to start life in a ne

Scouters who have been through trainin' for kids with special needs will also recognize this to be a symptom of kids with certain learning disabilities, eh?

Yah, I'm findin' it really disappointin' that da new Forum software doesn't have a spin-off function eh? This topic came from Patrol leader election question. These days we all know that check writin' is bein' replaced by electronic transfers, eh? Heck, da banks don't even want yeh to deposit your checks anymore, yeh just take a picture of 'em with your phone. This is da world our boys are goin' to live in, though, and I reckon it makes for some new possibilities especially for teachin' Personal Management and for handlin' troop operations on da youth level. I'm wonderin' if anybod

Yah, as you say, da over-regulatory CARD Act made it more difficult for minors, eh? Because it's always better for parents to do for young people what they are capable of doin' for themselves. As @@Stosh says, because of da CARD Act it's now easier to just use other card types, like debit cards or prepaid cards. As far as I know, just about every bank/card company offers linked debit card and checking accounts for minors. One of da legal absurdities is that although a scout of age 12 can have a bank account and debit card, he can't use online banking or change his personal information

Yah, well, in that case I reckon it's an injustice to take a course of action that leads for worse outcomes for everybody, eh? It's certainly a sadness, eh? I don't think we can justify actual harm by arguin' that the rules made us do it or by pretendin' Justice is on our side. JMHO.

Yah, interestin' @@Cambridgeskip. I wasn't aware that da stage awards got computed that way over on your foggy isle. I think I'd tend to agree with you, eh? That seems like a bug rather than a feature. What I'd say is this... I'd expect your new scouts to earn Chief Scout Gold by meetin' da same basic expectations for skills as their peers. Anything else seems destructive of group dynamic and da quality of your program. So yah, absolutely, a new 12-year-old should learn First Aid skills appropriate for a 12-year-old, eh? Not a beaver. The one area I'd make an exception

Yah, this is unrelated, eh? I'd encourage yeh not to do this. Boy Scoutin' is not Cub Scoutin', and your son won't truly be a Boy Scout if yeh behave the same way yeh did when he was a little tike. Take a look at the campout calendar right now and pick half of the campouts that you will not go on. Your son will need some space to make Boy Scouting his activity. After he finds his feet and the troop becomes truly his as a Boy Scout, then you're in a position to come on more trips as a supportive adult who keeps to the adult patrol and eventually serves as an ASM. Both you and he will

Yah, hmmm.... OK, if yeh think yeh have this figured out and da problem has been isolated to Mr. Naysayer Gunship, then yeh proceed on that basis, eh? First option is to do as @@qwazse suggests, eh? Give up on da whole digging-dirt dramafest. Don't argue, don't fight, don't call him names, and don't yield. Just keep on keepin' on, buildin' relationships and movin' the troop along and more or less isolating the fellow until he gets the hint. This requires time on your and other people's parts, eh? Yeh have to be puttin' in (lots) more time than he is. Second option is get to

Yah, GrubDad, welcome to da forums, eh? You haven't made clear what your role is in da troop. Are you "just a dad"? An ASM? A Committee Member? What yeh choose depends on what you're role is. First thing to get past is da notion that some sort of "policy and procedure" can address youth behavioral issues. That's not the way kids' brains work, and it's da wrong approach to teachin' character and citizenship. We don't behave well because there's a policy, we behave well because we choose to. I'd say if this was your first camporee that you should give it another few tries be

Yah, might just be me. I tend to reserve da word "injustice" for things like crippling poverty, wrongful imprisonment, violent oppression of women and da like. Treatin' a request to go camping to receive an award in an outdoors program as "injustice" strikes me as what the boys would call a First World Problem. Besides, the lad isn't tryin' to change the troop's new participation requirements, eh? He's just arguin' that the rule shouldn't apply to him. As close as I can tell, the outcomes here could have been better for the boy (he'd have finished Eagle in his troop, had an ECOH w

Yah, hmmm.... Yeh do realize that goin' to a store and buyin' somethin' is enterin' into a contract, right? Kids do that all the time, in all 50 states. Kids also serve as babysitters (enterin' into a contract with da parents), as camp staff, as lifeguards, as fast food workers, as lawn mowers and all sorts of other things. Besides, in da case of a troop, the lad wouldn't be actin' on his own behalf, he'd be actin' as agent for the troop. The troop, whether separately incorporated or as an unincorporated association or as a program of da chartered partner can enter into contracts

Yah, hmmmm.... Not sure why yeh think that, @@sst3rd. From my perspective da only time that it benefits Scouting to start a new troop is when all da available troops in an area are at capacity, eh? Then in addition yeh have an identified underserved and interested market, along with some known good leaders, a likely strong sponsor, and perhaps some older boys or a "brother troop" who can help the new one get on its feet. Startin' a new troop because adults are in some sort of adult drama ego contest almost always ends up with some boys and families in the new troop, some boys and f

Yah, hmmm.... Not sure I understand you, @@Stosh. Da requirements for S-T-2-1 and da requirements for S-L-E are very different, eh? A First Class Scout has developed a set of well-defined basic skills. A S-L-E scout is buildin' experience in PORs and independently pursued MBs of his choice and more service and such. I don't get how the "dynamics" are identical. The usefulness of any award as a Method to inspire kids to work and grow depends on the award havin' real meaning, eh? It must mean that someone who has earned the award is in some way "better", eh? That's why kids c

Yah, hmmm... I confess I'm not as fond of joint crews/troops in many cases. Either this happens, or da crew program is shortchanged and becomes just Older Boy Scouts. Stand-alone crews seem to work OK, but then what we're findin' across da country is that they don't have staying power, eh? They tend to fold after the founders age out. That having been said, I know a couple of programs that run joint troop / crews that work very, very well. They're runnin' more on da international scouting model, where crew members are also leaders of troop patrols and help run troop (or somet

Yah, I think that's an excellent thing to go on for now! If the boy loves it and is fitting in, then he's growin' in all sorts of ways you perhaps can't see yet. Bein' the workhorse first year boy around a bunch of older boys leads to a lot of growth and maturity just by way of osmosis. What will likely happen with time is that your son will become one of the primary leaders of the troop, eh? And in doin' that, he'll no longer be "an average kid". I'd encourage you to feed the fire at home. Kids who will work their butts off for pizza can grow quickly, eh? By all means talk t

Yah, hmmmmm... Maybe there's a part of this where you need to do the Apple Computer thing and "Think Different", @s'morestashe. If you're comin' up from Cub Scouts, you might have a notion that advancement is somethin' that proceeds like school, eh? Everyone works along on things together, boys have to do things where they "get credit", etc. Boy Scout Advancement works differently. It's more individually focused, and at each boy's own pace. Yeh need to think of it a lot more like being a video game than being like school. It's not about getting credit so much as it is abou

Yah, hmmm.... odd. I generally tell parents of first-year lads not to get too uptight about advancement as long as their son is goin' on trips and having fun. Part of being a first year scout is just watching and figurin' out how things work, eh? We often forget as adults how hard it is to break into a new community. It's only after yeh start to feel really comfortable and a part of da community that yeh have enough brain cycles to start workin' on advancing within that community. So from what you're sayin', I'm a bit more interested in his lack of participation than in his lack

Yah, hmmm.... Interestin' conversation. I confess I like da Troop Vote idea. Maybe even ask the boys to write a brief reason for their vote. The boys see the behavior of other boys when no adults are watching, eh? No reason why the lad can't ask for a Troop Vote as soon as he gets Life, eh? Then one of two things will happen. The boys will affirm their confidence in him, or the lad will learn that he's got some work to do. I think that sort of feedback would be powerful. Troop Votes would be good for only 6 months or so, eh? It should be how you're showin' Scout Spirit n

@@Eagle94-A1, what was da problem with da youth gettin' the neckers? Oh, ah, just reread that. It's his embroidery machine. Easy answer to that, eh? Just go find someone else with an embroidery machine. Even if yeh have to pay a bit. "Well, Mr. Naysayer, you just seemed really busy and we didn't want to take up any more of your time, so we went ahead and did it ourselves. A Scout is Courteous." It's that sort of "rebellion" that I think is great for kids to learn, eh? If there's a roadblock yeh don't complain, yeh don't argue or fight... yeh just go around, or over, or un

@@Eagledad, are yeh channeling the spirit of Kudu with your 300 foot comment? I'd say "Have fun and tell me all the stories when yeh get back!". Beavah

Yah, hmmm... Dat's quite a luddite camp yeh have there. Probably the youth says to himself "Sheesh, what a pain. I'm goin' to shift da outing to the state park where I can make an online reservation without da hassle." Otherwise the lad signs it the same way my secretary signs most of my letters, eh? He signs my name and then follows it with his initials. Or he just uses my electronic signature . Then he goes over to Mrs. Jones da treasurer and picks up a check to mail in. As @@qwazse says, the lads do a fine job with just about all of da jobs we think of as "adult" jobs

Yah, in another thread @@MattR says: The BSA created this monster. The term Eagle sells this program like none other and yet the meaning of that term is the source of all the grief. It's not the adults that are the problem so much as the definition of Eagle. Seems like that's a worthy thing to discuss without all da sturm und drang associated with a particular case. I can't figure out how to spin off a new thread in this newfangled forum software, so I'm just startin' from scratch. I reckon @@MattR has a good point in that we aren't very consistent about what we view as an Eagle

Yah, I think this is becomin' more and more common, eh? Let's face it, the days of paper checks are mostly done and over. Go with a reputable online payment processor. Some of da Scoutin' specific web hosting services offer this feature, and they're fine. There are lots of others, though... just look for ones that are more friendly to small-payment NFP entities. Yeh should be able to get by with only around 3-4% overhead in processing fees. Never, ever, ever take CC numbers yourself. Never. It opens yeh up to a world of liability. Make folks log in themselves and pay onlin