RememberSchiff

When does your unit participate in Scouting for Food?

For us, Fall weekend backpacking trips tend to be shorter, fun, intro/training activities - proper gear, water management, cooking, hiking, map reading,..Spring weekend backpacking trips tend to be longer and more challenging (terrain, mud season, bugs) as preparation for summer treks. My $0.02

salary or subsidy?

Inform and invite your COR (Charter Organization Representative) to attend. If most attending parents support the CM, the COR can overrule the CC.

Yes who is in charge is an issue around here. If I were to amend the Eagle Project/Application further, the first thing I would add: If your District has no active Eagle Review Board in place with names and contact information clearly stated on the Council website, the troop committee will serve as the sole review board by following the guidelines stated in the Eagle Workbook and Eagle Application. It is important that there be a consistent core of reviewers who interface with the Eagle Candidate. We have Districts about without Eagle Review Boards or even a District Advancement Chairman. These districts tend to use ad hoc review boards, e.g. "Tell you what, just bring your workbook to Round Table and we will round up some folk." Just awful. My $0.01

Twisted life lessons? Like being prepared, using a checklist, managing time, backup plans...Our scouts mail their own paperwork to Council, in some cases this was the first time they have used the US Mail.

Sign these people up as legit MBC or register yourself as sort of a proxy MBC - the scout contacts you and you outsource to someone else but still attend all meetings. Either way, the signature on the card has to be a legit MBC at time of signature. Yeah the merit badge system is broken but we scout on and deliver the promise of Scouting - teaching scouts to become men step by step.

It is the scout's responsibility, that is part of the merit badge process. "Facilitating" with merit badge universities and merit badge camporees/campouts short changes scouts in this experience with associating with adults. From http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/GuideforMeritBadgeCounselors/MBCounselorGuide.aspx "A Scout first expresses an interest in a particular merit badge by letting his unit leader know. To get him started, the leader gives him a signed Application for Merit Badge (blue card) along with the name and contact information for a district/council approved merit badge counselor. The Scout then contacts the merit badge counselor and makes an appointment. The merit badge counselor sets a date and time to meet with the Scout and his buddy, and may suggest the Scout bring the merit badge pamphlet along with the blue card." P.S. Many "can be MB Counselors" but one needs to "really be (registered) MB Counselor" to sign the blue card.

Two-ply TP

Long ago, when I attended summer camp as a scout, partials were the norm as few could pass Lifesaving, Rowing, Marksmanship, Archery,... in a week. It was commonly accepted, that a scout would have to come back for another week, or next summer, or contact a counselor to finish up. Maybe if we returned "to those thrilling days of yesterday", we would have more skilled scouts and summer camp reservations.

Well brettw777 time to get involved and make sure scouts are not short changed. First start small as the model MBC. Set expectations, in writing, up front with scouts and their PARENTS. My name is Bret Maverick, you have asked me to be your MBC for nnnn and here is what we will be doing and what I expect from you. Define your availability. Set class size. Summarize classes and state there will be 3,4,6 meetings to meet the merit badge requirements. You will not accept partials from summer camp, merit badge universities as you need to be sure the scout has actually done the work. Make it clear this is your class not the SM or Council, don't like it, then seek another MBC. Scouts 1. Read the merit badge pamphlet 2. Arrive on time, in uniform with merit badge pamphlet 3. No prior work accepted, clock starts at first class. 4. This is a hands-on brain-on lab, not a sit on yer butt tune-out class. 5. parents can attend, but not interfere 6. Give me your best work because that is what I am giving you. ... Fail to do the above and I will provide a partial merit badge card as a parting gift. Succeed and you EARN Merit Badge nnnn Welcome to Merit Badge nnnn. The hardest part is dealing with parents whose expectations have been lowered by Council merit badge camps, District merit badge colleges, and yes Cub Scouts. To them, paying $ and attending guarantees a merit badge. Expect parents and scouts to find and promote these quick and easy paths. This is where you need a SM with a pair to say NO. Hey another volunteer opportunity. Don't get discouraged if your class is just your son and his buddy. Step 2: Ask like minded adults to help you with your merit badge classes and hopefully plant a seed that they become merit badge counselors too. My $0.02,

Then again, if National's various servers start shutting down tonight...

Hacker scouts bow to continued BSA legal pressure and decide to change their name. http://hacker-scouts.org/blog/hacker-scouts-and-bsa-decision

Agree. Back in the day, a scout flew solo on the Eagle project, as soaring Eagles-to-be should. In my case, I did mine over a summer only to get rejected by the Troop Committee. They agreed that I did some hard and helpful work but the project itself did not qualify and I should have checked with them first. You will have to start over. Hard lesson learned.

I must have missed the memo(s) on this, but last January some minor changes occurred with the Eagle Project workbook. One note there is an "Eagle Coach" which is a role as opposed to the Eagle Advisor which is a position? The Eagle Coach role, depending on what one reads or hears, starts AFTER the project proposal has been approved or BEFORE. The Eagle candidate is NOT required to have an Eagle Advisor or have anyone serve in the role as Eagle Coach if he so desires (old school is still possible ) So some polling questions

I see this software supports "sticky" topics in forums. Is this handled by any moderator? For example, Kudu posted this topic The Patrol Method of William Hillcourt containing much useful reference information. Seems to be "sticky" topic candidate.

Definitely would make a great scout song. A couple variations come to mind, e.g., What Does the Fox Say, the Scout Knows...

A side note, this would make for a good question or two at a Board of Review - "Tell us your experience in contacting a merit badge counselor for ..."

Odd situation, talk to your Pack Committee and Charter Organization and ask questions. Appearances can be deceiving. A cubmaster cannot "move' his or her Pack. The Charter Organization (church, VFW, etc) owns the Pack and provides the meeting location (which can be moved, but 80 miles? unlikely). A Charter Organization may drop a Pack and another Charter Organization (80 miles away?) but within that scout Council could then recharter that Pack. Any awards would follow along with the Pack. A cubmaster can move to another scout council and with other adults and another Charter Organization form a new Pack. If the old Pack number is not in use in that Council, then it could be issued to the newly chartered Pack. So there could be as many Pack 154's as there are Councils (~300) in US. A new Pack would not have any awards, Gold or otherwise. The Cubmaster could earn a square knot for starting a new Pack. I suspect the Facebook page is owned by the Cubmaster and not any Pack. My $0.02

?? I think we agree that checking temperature is important. I did not mention a particular method. I have not used a thermometer except at home with oven and microwave. If that makes me paranoid, okay.

Yeah paranoid about bacteria, a bout of food poisoning is not fun.

Yes but I was thinking with less talk and more show 1. Explain the importance of washing your hands including how often. Show how to properly wash your hands in the kitchen and in the field. List the diseases that may spread from improper washing and their symptoms. How should bathroom trips, runny noses, and sneezing be managed (No snot in the pot!) 2. Show how to properly clean and store pots, pans, utensils, water containers. If you use cast iron cookware, show how to clean and season it. 3. Explain common injuries such as burns and knife cuts and show how to treat those injuries. 4. How do you keep food safe and determine if it is not? (Add a lot of detail here on checking temperature, bulging containers, freshness dates, cleaning vegetables, cross contamination, etc.) What illnesses can occur from the improper storage, cooking, and serving of food. How do you recognize and treat? My $0.02

Trying clicking on link below http://www.army.mil/article/94295/Boy_Scouts_visit_Soldiers_in_Kuwait/

Many Councils hold a "University of Scouting" where scouters teach other scouters. Here's a link to the next one (Jan, 2014) for the Greater St. Louis Council: http://www.stlbsa.org/training/pages/university-of-scouting.aspx also a facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gslacuniversity

Rumor here is that the new requirements are somehow harder. Maybe the first requirement will include personal safety and first aid, i.e. "Explain the hazards of ..." or maybe a really hard life skill requirement like "Brew a cup of coffee for your scoutmaster. To pass this requirement, the scoutmaster must say "Now that's a great cup of coffee. May I have another cup?". Anyway, this rumor has fueled a rush to start if not finish Cooking under the current requirements.