Rockford8070

Again, you guys seem too hung up on it. Is it really the absolute worst thing in the world? Do you have to teach them using the edge method? Sure it might help them to learn it if you did. But it's not a prerequisite. Treat the EDGE method as simply another tool that they CAN use, not one that must be used all the time. How hard is that? Heck, every one of the steps in EDGE are used in some form or another any time you teach someone a skill. And teaching a boy how to use EDGE doesn't take all day. It can be done very well in under an hour. I mean it's 4 steps. You can also teach them ever

There seems to be a lot of chatter over this. Negative, positive, indifferent. Here's something to think about. Do the requirements say that the youth have to use the EDGE method for everything? In every situation? No? I think I saw it a grand total of once, and that was for Tenderfoot. Why not look at the EDGE method as a skill not as just a training method. The youth has to learn the skill, use the skill, and show proficiency in it. BSA mandates all kinds of skills that the youth have to learn. This is just one more. Will they use it later in life? Will they judge their entire scoutin

My first guess would be your council's Director of Camping.

I'd rather see people corrected to say "Webelos" instead of "Webelo."

jamist649, since you enjoyed Cubs so much have you thought about staying with the pack as maybe a committee member? Perhaps in a more or less advisory manner? I know we had a grandpa that showed up once in a while to throw new, well really they were old, ideas at us. It was great having that kind of experience around.

I think a lot of people are forgetting what first aid is. It's FIRST AID. It's not an EMT, it's not a trained medical professional. It's not comprehensive, it's basic. It's a stopgap until a doctor or EMT can get the situation under control. And no, it's not perfect. But are you going to require an EMT to go on every scout outing? If a person has a severe medical problem the responsibility is with the individual to explain to the leader what the risks, signs, and symptoms are. Or are you going to just tell a leader you have suchandsuch, and let the leader read up on it and make his own de

What I've done for our incoming TDLs is take all the notes I had taken as a TDL and compiled them into a document. So they have ideas for go see its, den projects, etc.

One thing I've noticed is that the first time you come out with a new rule you are going to get flak for it. Stick to your guns though and next year it won't be as much of an issue. Heck, before long it'll just become "the way things are done around here."

JoeBob, Scenario 3 could easily be altered to adhere to both common sense and YPT. The leader could take another scout with him. Even if there were 3 scouts and 2 leaders, one of the leaders could stay behind and make sure camp is setup. Or at the very least that nothing gets ravaged by the wildlife etc.

Regardless of whether or not you think troops and packs need bylaws. I think if the troop is to be boy led, the boys have to have input on them. And what better Ah ha moment than for a PL to come to an SPL with an idea for a bylaw that would truly help out the troop, then seeing that idea put into place?

At recharter can you charter the same person as COR and CC? You shouldn't be able to.

Check the date your charter expires. Around here it's the 31st of March. So a scout is registered until that point if they don't recharter. If they cross over into Boy Scouts before that date they only need to pay a dollar for the transfer. After that date it's a Troop problem anyway. I know of no packs that recharter second year Webelos. They simply transfer them to a Troop.

One thing that jumped to mind, how about talking to the other boys and asking for a volunteer. But phrase it in a way makes it sound like a position of responsibility. Giving them a chance to lead.

I have to say I like where this is headed. Drawing people back into scouting is a great plan, and it looks like this will help.

About the only real gripe I have is that you have to re-earn any belt loops that the boy already earned if he needs them for an activity pin. He's not going to learn anything new really. I'd rather see some of the belt loop requirements put into the activity badge, not all of them mind you just the ones the wouldn't have already done. For example, Citizen activity badge. The boy needs to earn the Citizenship belt loop. Well if he's already done it that's a waste. Even if he hasn't look at the requirements for the belt loop: 1. Develop a list of jobs you can do around the home. Ch

Could it be as simple as national has never come out and said certain items are no longer official uniform?

Pack212Scouter, how many 12 -14 year old scouts know their family history well enough to make informed decisions like that?

About the only context I can see something like this being useful is when you are in an indoor setting with no kids involved. The reason I say that is because I don't think that these e-readers are widespread enough that they have lost the "wow factor." Which to me means that most youth are going to be focusing more on the device and less on the content. I think this would be a great tool for things like leader meetings though.

"I do have an issue with being at a long term scout camp during a heat wave and trying to keep the kids well hydrated and their main liquid choices are Mountain Dew, Coke and Pepsi." That's about how I feel. It doesn't seem to matter how many times I tell someone that pop doesn't hydrate you, yet I keep seeing people suck it down instead of water.

Seattle, I've seen Pepsi vending machines at one of our council camps, it made me sick just looking at it.

I believe Platypus is on to something. A lot of the program retention issues are in Cub Scouts. At our council membership meeting they handed out a chart that showed our retention over the last five years, because our council is the product of two merging councils and that's only as old as the new council is. Boy Scouts has stayed very steady. Cubs is what kept going down. The main difference between the two, at least in my opinion, is the parents. In Boy Scouts I remember going to my meetings by myself. I biked to them before I could drive, and then when I was old enough I drove myself. But i

I don't have the figures in front of me. We have a pack of about 55 boys. Last year was a more normal year for us as far as fundraising goes, and we did about $10,000. which means we had about $3500 to play with for the year. We paid for recharter, leadership registration, blue gold, PWD, a pack overnighter, a pack swim at a water park, pack bowling, books, and advancements.

If you are able to send out flyers in the school it sounds like you have at least some school access. What about holding one of these activities at the school? Maybe during an indoor recess? I know most parents don't have time off during the day to help put one on, but it might be worth a shot. Also, what about having current cubs wear uniforms to school on pack meeting days?

My boys are Bears this year. Since part of their achievements included serving as a denner I thought it would be a good idea to introduce the idea and have each boy be a denner for a month. So each month the denner get's to look at the book and decide the things he wants to do and we plan our den meeting accordingly. Come next year when they turn into Webelos I would like to continue the tradition and make it more like a patrol. I'd like to let the boys decide the things we do. Does anyone have experience with doing this with Webelos? How'd it go?

I saw a packet being circulated for the William D Boyce New Unit Organizer Award. From what I heard and read, it sounded like that packet laid out the steps to starting a unit pretty well. Here is a link from my council site: http://www.northernstarbsa.org/Forms/AdvAwards/NewUnitOrganizerAwrdFact.pdf