ScouterPaul

Thanks for the advice.

All 6 Scouts have been scheduled with the same open period - 4:30. They can participate in open swimming, archery or rifle. They have free time from 4:30 until Dinner at 6:30.

Paul

Advice please. We will be leaving for camp on June 16. We are a new troop consisting of only 11 year old Scouts, all of which will be attending summer camp. We have signed them up for the new Scout program which runs 3 hours per day, with two sessions per day. We have also signed them up for three merit badge sessions. The chose the badges that they wanted to take. Are we filling their day with to much school like activity? I want their experience to be good.

Thanks

Paul

Thanks NJ

Paul

You have received excellent advice so far. As far as the 6 months requirement goes - as Cubmaster I consider the last day of school to be their first day in the next grade. Assuming school is out they are now 5th graders and should reach their six month requirement in November.

20 pins in one year sounds like a little to much to me. I would concentrate on outdoor activities with emphasis on scout skills such as setting up tents, knots, fire building, cooking ect. This is all the fun stuff that might keep their interest until they can cross over. I would also keep working on their Readyman requirements since First Aid is in just about every Boy Scout activity.

I curious have they done any campouts or hikes?

YIS

Paul

Pack 330

Bob White is correct about the blue belt being the correct belt for Webelos. Our Pack chose to have the Webelos wear the green belt as Webelos. You can spread the belt loops a little and they will fit on the green belts.

OGE

Wow!! Sometimes we need to be hit over the head. You are correct. The loss of one boy far outweighs any of our "deep" discussions.

Thanks

Paul

sctmom

I will be attending summer camp this year for the first time since I was a Scout. WE will be taking 6 11 year old first year Scouts. My fears are, in no particular order, not giving my son enough freedom, not having enough patience with the young boys, expecting to much from them, expecting my son to have the same experiences that I remember having. The list goes on and on, I only hope that I will help the boys have a good experience.

Paul

Bob

My apologies. My mouth and fingers sometimes get ahead of my brain. Sorry.

Paul

Sdriddle

You are quite correct. As a group we can get quite passionate about things and go way off on tangents. In my opinion the Scouts should be able to make the decision within set quidelines.

Now having said that I would like to address the wet tent scenerio. I tend to agree with Rooster on this issue. I do not think that allowing the Scout to get wet is punishment. However, if we take all rules and regs as black and white with no common sense then this could be construed as punishment. The leader might be thinking that he has been taught several times how to to that it will serve him right to get wet. Is it punishment?

OGE

Like you I have been think quite a bit about hazing, punishment ect. I don't really see a problem with singing but do realize that it (like almost all activities) can get out of hand.

I would have done exactly what you did and allow the PL to get the boy to participate. I think he would be better off.

What is hazing? Is it making someone do something that will embarass them? If so then making the boy participate in the flag ceremony would be hazing. Remember that embarassment is personal, what embarasses me might not you. By "forcing" that young boy to particpate in the ceremony did you help him overcome some of his shyness? I think so.

I agree with sctmom. Blanket rules generally do not work. Exceptions would include safty issues. It is tough to follow the law exactly when even the Black and White rules aren't Black and White.

Common sense works well in most instances.

sctmom I think I would rather clean the latrine than listen to you sing - just kidding I'm sure you have a wonderful singing voice.

I like what FScouter Troop does by turning over all lost items to the Scoutmaster who then lectures the boy when he retrieves the lost article. I don't know about your Scouts but ours would probably rather sing than get another "responsibility" lecture.

I've been following this thread and the Hazing thread closely. If I understand Bob White correctly he is saying that we as leaders can not punish a Scout at any time. It is up to the Parents or the committee with the parents to determine punishment. Rooster is saying that we as leaders can punish the scouts (NOT Corporal Punishment) as long as the parents are notified and asked for their assistance. WOW!! Who is correct? I suppose it depends on your definition of punish and punishment.

What about the following situation, would it be considered punishment or teaching?

You have a Scout who as been instructed on how to properly set up a tent several times. It's Friday night and it is going to rain. You observe this Scout setting up his tent incorrectly and in the wrong place. You know that the Scout will get extremely wet during the night. You decide to let the Tent stay as is and have the Scout learn the hard way (it is summer and there is not a safety issue). It rains and everything in the tent gets soaked. Is this punishment, hazing or learning a lesson?

Many years ago when I was attending college I took a mid level undergraduate history course. On the first day of class the Professor wrote on the board "History does not exist". He went on to state that every history class that we had or would take would merely be the presentation of a writer or speakers interpretation of events.

I believe that his intent was to make us, the students, study history with a critical eye and to question what was being presented.

Rooster stated

"If a troop made a boy do a presentation on safe food handling (because he blatantly disregarded the same), would you consider that hazing or harassment? I would hope not. It's merely a consequence for not doing something right."

I couldn't have said it better.

Good Post Rooster

Paul

The frying like bacon sounds a little to much. Singing a song doesn't sound like hazing to me.

Paul

Here is a thought. Have you checked the Troop's finances. Maybe the troop has spent the money and they don't have it to give to the young Scout.

Well here is my two cents worth. I turned 18 in 1976 and have voted in every primary and election since then. I voted for Ford in 76 and Reagan in 80. I saw the light and have voted Democrat ever since.

I must say that I'm not surprised that there are certain segments of of country trying to make Carter look bad. Hind sight is 20 20 but I wish I had cast my vote for Carter.

Congratulations!!!

Mike 100% right. If your senses tell you something is wrong then you MUST check it out!! I would rather have someone mad at me for being overprotective than I would having a parent mad because their child was abused.

Since we are a brand new troop we are trying to get things started off right. We use the planning sheet from the Scoumasters Handbook and we do have a written agenda for campouts. We as leaders prepared the first agenda which included menus, gear ect. We are following the new patrol method with each Scout getting a turn at PL and APL. We had the PL and APL sit in and watch our planning session for the campout. We then had them sit in on the post campout critique, and yes we forgot a number of things. For our second campout the PL and APL during a patrol meeting planned their menu and gear. We met with the PL and APL and critiqued their list, and yes the forgot a number of things. Here is our method: First we do they watch, second we do they help, third they do we help and fourth they do we watch. We are trying to install the importance of planning on our Scouts. Plan your work and work your plan!!!!

sctmom

My feelings that I can be alone with my child at anytime. I also have the same problem with my Son's best friend who is in Scouts with him. It seems that either of the two boys are spending the night with one or the other everyweekend. On scouting events I will not be alone with him while on normal weekends I will. I have no problem with this I believe that sends a good message to the other parents and leaders.

sctmom

My feelings that I can be alone with my child at anytime. I also have the same problem with my Son's best friend who is in Scouts with him. It seems that either of the two boys are spending the night with one or the other everyweekend. On scouting events I will not be alone with him while on normal weekends I will. I have no problem with this I believe that sends a good message to the other parents and leaders.

Does our Unit perform yearly Youth Protection Training? Truthfully - no. As the new Cubmaster and ASM for our new Troop I will change this.

Who is trained? At the minimum all the leaders, new and old. Optimally every parent,leader in the unit.

How is the information provided to the parents? Good question. I think that a good start would be the parents meeting at the beginning of the school year.

I agree with you on the complacency and comfort levels is where Youth Protection starts to fail.

Just this week I attended my sons field trip to the Zoo. I was assigned 4 boys to be in my group. I was uncomfortable with being the only adult with four boys. Luckily the Zoo was crowded and at no time was I alone with any youth. There were numerous other adults around. The bathroom situation drove me nuts. I stood outside the mens room while the boys were using it. However other adult males were going in and out while they were there. What should I have done?

First things first. This man is sick and deserves to be incarcerated for a long time. Anyone who sexually abuses a minor, man or woman, whether is happens to a boy or girl, is equally sick and deserves to be incarcerated.

Rooster you asked:

"3) Okay, I know this guy is a pedophile. Neverthelesshow come whenever a story such as this is reported, we're supposed to forget the guy's orientation?*"

The article stated that he is married. This tells me that he is a hetrosexual. I'm not an expert by any means but I wonder if the crimes that a pediphile commits are based solely on sex or are they more of a "power" or "violence" type crime.

If Youth Protection is strictly followed then this would not have happened. It didn't happen just because he "was an homosexual" or it didn't happen because he "was an hetrosexual". It happened because of failure to follow Youth Protection.

Just my thoughts.

Paul

Coffee Lady

Keep up the good fight. Sounds like you took a Troop that was being run by the "parents" who treated the boys like they were still in Cub Scouts and are transforming them into leaders. Old Grey Eagle is correct there are many fine Scouters here who can give advice.

When you mentioned the monthly Leaders meeting were you talking about the Committee Meeting or were you talking about Roundtable? If it is your units monthly committee meeting they should be asking questions about what you and the troop are doing. That's if they are not active in the troop. If they were active committte members then they would be at the weekly meetings and attend the outings. Thus they would know what you all were doing and that you were doing things the right way. If it is Roundtable then it sounds as if Council is putting pressure to get their summer camp numbers up.

Paul