RememberSchiff
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Posts posted by RememberSchiff
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Okay then. Let's get back on topic.
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I issued the "Okay then" to move on, but you and only you ignored the warning. Your post was deleted.
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Less bickering , thank you.
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Okay then.
I think we agree this membership decision was made before the polls were conducted which makes the polls, flawed or otherwise, irrelevant.
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@@Nicademus welcome to scouter.com
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Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders course organization and resources.
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My troop has many adult leaders but they are not equal. Some are great. Some aren’t worth asking any question you have because they wouldn’t know the answer.
True everywhere - schools, government, business. The question - are there enough qualified leaders to deliver on the Promise of Scouting. My unit, yes and please take the surplus away. Other units are less fortunate.
P.S. Capping the number of leaders or the number of scouts is an idea that has not been considered. Difficult with other time commitments.
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Another example of one person who made a difference - North Dakotan, Silver Buffalo awardee* Herman Stern who saved over 120 Jews from the Holocaust.
There's a new 32 minute documentary "The Mission of Herman Stern," the website below has a trailer.
https://www.themissionofhermanstern.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Stern
*Herman Stern started Boy Scout Councils in Fargo, Valley City, Wahpeton, Grand Forks which later merged into the current Northern Lights Council.
Boy Scout Camp Wilderness created an award named after Herman Stern, in recognition of his funding and creation efforts for the camp. The Herman Stern Honor Troop Award is given to troops at the end of each week of camp during the summer season. The award is given to Boy Scout troops for camp participation, and adherence to the twelve points of the Scout Law .
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There are half a million Girl Guides and Brownies across the UK, but not enough volunteers
Tens of thousands of girls and young women are unable to join the Brownies and Guides due to a chronic lack of volunteers.
Around 70,000 young people are missing out on the chance to make friends, have adventures and improve skills such as confidence, because of a shortage of people willing to give their time, Girlguiding said.
The charity has launched a new national campaign urging the public to sign up and join in, with the message that a woman’s place is “wherever she wants it to beâ€.
Girlguiding already has around 100,000 volunteers across the UK, working with its half a million members, but more are needed, the charity said.
Volunteering roles vary from helping out at a meeting once a month, to supporting weekend events or running sessions with different groups.
It said that while record numbers were signing up to help out, many have a limited amount of time to give, at a time when more young people are joining the organisation.
The plea for volunteers to help the Guides and Brownies follows a similar request from the Scout Association earlier this year.
In April chief scout Bear Grylls urged more people to help the association, regardless of their ability to light a fire or erect a tent.
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Okay we should all get back on topic.
A local pack is planning a Parent & Daughter invitation to their Pine Wood Derby as a possible January recruitment.
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Man up or call in sick and watch The View.
Some of my scouts have lost more than their "self-esteem"? in service of our country.
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Weeeeell...then our CSE should be a bit less disingenuous when making statements like this:
"First thing's first: We did it because our members requested it. For years, they've been asking us to bring our unique approach to character and leadership development to all members of their families."
Say I have a wall to sell you.
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I grew up listening to the whole argument about the membership policy. From what I’ve read and heard scouting has asked leaders their opinion and gone against them three times. I think the whole benefit of doubt argument went out the window a long time ago. Why would you trust anyone who has borrowed your car three times and returned it all three times with damage to it? Would you trust them a fourth time?
The BSA is not a democracy, so the powers that be are just that. Opinions of the members may be asked or not, considered or ignored, followed or forgotten.
Your analogy is wrong, it should be Why would you trust anyone who has damaged his car three times not to damage his car a fourth time.
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I am amazed if some of you have a school district paying for ANYTHING!
That's the name on the checks.
My experience has been that school Outdoor Education programs and camping clubs are often supervised by History and Foreign Language teachers, not exactly the stereotypical types you describe.
Most schools ask teachers to supervise at least one activity. The PE teachers coach sports. Science teachers do Science Fair. Music and Art teachers do performances and plays. Math and English teachers do academic bowls. This kinda leaves the Social Studies department to do Outdoor Education.
I agree that school based activities tend to have fewer adults (and far fewer parents) involved than in scouting. I find that somewhat ironic considering that scouting is supposed to be more boy led than the school programs.
Maybe larger schools here? With clubs and teams here, teachers follow their interests, e.g., the AP Physics teacher mentors the debating club.
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I think this is an unfair comparison - your keys words here are "Funded by school district". Let me make that even clearer - funded by taxpayers. This puts the school district at an unfair advantage, wouldn't you say? The school district just simply spends taxpayer dollars on these trips. No need for fundraising if you can just collect taxes from everyone and spend it as you see fit.
In the meantime, the Boy Scouts have to go out and fundraise - even for a "much leaner and meaner outdoor leadership and adventure experience". They can't just tax entire towns to pay for this.
How do you propose that the BSA become leaner and meaner? What is the lesson they should be learning? What can they do to lower the costs of Scouting? How can they compete with a school district that can collect taxes?
Semantics. Sure the taxpayer pays. Here the school district decides if there is a band, chess club, outdoor club and "funds" accordingly, the taxpayer has no say. But look at that funding, is it less or more per person than what scout families are paying. It is lower. If the schools decided participants pay their own way, the costs would be upfront and still less. And unlike Scouts, activities would be within their financial means!!!!
Anyway,look at what our competitors are doing.
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As a parent, the middle-school and high school coed outdoor clubs that I have known have had few adults involved. Two or three outdoorsy manly or amazonly advisors and none of them were student parents. Transportation via school mini-buses. Funded by school district. There are no uniforms, advancements, or fundraisers, just a much leaner and meaner outdoor leadership and adventure experience. That is what the BSA needs to relearn.
My $0.02
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Isn't this just a little misleading? There is a huge difference between a Scout with special needs and a Scout that doesn't have strength or stamina. Special Needs is a pretty specific set of circumstances - lets not try to apply it to the non-special needs young Scout who hasn't been able to complete more than 1 pull-up yet because they don't have the strength.
I would expect that the flexibility given to special needs boys would extend to girls with special needs.
I would not expect these requirement adaptations to extend to the non-special needs girls who can't do more than one pull-up.
I would not expect requirement adaptions to extend to any non-special needs but the pc reality is all are special. Kids are not overweight, they have eating disorders.
My prediction is that as girls join and approach Eagle, the no's will demand stricter adherence to the requirements for all. That could be a good thing for the program.
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I challenge all of you to go through the current rank requirements and tell us one - just one - that you think will need to be changed - and be specific - none of this "girls don't have the strength so the BSA will have to change requirements" non-answer either. Tell us specifically what advancement requirement a girl won't be able to do because of lack of strength or stamina. I can't find a single one.
Instead of fearing that the BSA will make requirements easier, why not prepare to bombard National with messages if they do try to make a requirement easier by shaming them by pointing out how sexist they are for assuming girls can;t do what boys can do.
Current rank requirements are changed for boys who don't have the strength, stamina, or cognitive abilities, so if girls need flexible requirements the mechanism already exists.
https://www.scouting.org/Home/GuideToAdvancement/SpecialNeeds/AdvancementFlexibilityAllowed.aspx
Wish that was not the case.
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These days, if I see a scout swimming with a coordinated swim stroke and breathing, smart money is that he/she learned as a swim team member or from a private tutor not the Red Cross and not Scouting.
Somehow the program became checking off the swim test and not learning how to swim.
My $0.02
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One of our creative ASM's has told some "family campers, helicopter parents" that the BSA insurance does not cover them and that "scout family outings" cannot be considered scouting activities for advancement.
Though it stretches the truth, it seems to be working.
Maybe add that into advancement requirements.
Since joining Boy Scouts, participate in 10 separate troop/patrol activities without your parents or guardians unless they have been Boy Scout leaders for at least a year (mitigate the Cub Scout culture effect), at least six of which must be held outdoors. Of the outdoor activities, at least three must include overnight camping. These activities do not include troop or patrol meetings . On campouts, spend the night in a tent that you pitch or other structure that you help erect, such as a lean-to, snow cave, or tepee.
Hmmm.
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Good grief. A November hike in New Jersey? I will be at a high school playoff game thinking about walking around to stay warm.
Public access to Scout properties reconsidered?
in Open Discussion - Program
Posted · Edited by RememberSchiff
With increased vandalism and public use almost to the point of squatting, should the common policy of allowing public access when the camp is not being used by scouts be reconsidered ?
Three years ago, Nobscot Scout Reservation was vandalized causing an estimated $20K damage . A press release from Council stated, “The Knox Trail Council, Boy Scouts of America provides public access to hiking trails at the facility,†... “This is an outstanding community resource and should be treated with respect.“
The ownership of a lTreasure Valleys boat ramp is now disputed. After Council allowed "public access" for years, the local town believes it owns the ramp. The town is now funding a $10K land survey to clarify ownership.