scoutingagain

Calico, I did discuss the incident with the boys. I told them they had done nothing wrong, but every now and then they are going to run into a person in authority who is flat out wrong but they will need to listen to them politely. Then decide if the issue is big enough to confront the person. Other activities were beginning at the camporee and they basically moved on and did other things. After a while I did try and explain the game to the scouter that had interupted the game quietly. She basically did not want to hear anything that did not support her original actions. The sti

1.A scout safely off by himself, jousting at imaginary dragons, ninjas or whatever is not a problem to me. 2.A scout indiscriminately swinging a stick around while on a hiking trail is a big problem. 3.Two scouts doing this, play fighting, is a problem regardless of the circumstances. The latter two behaviours need to be corrected. The first, not in my mind, just a reminder to keep an eye out for others and make sure the scout is away from areas where others may pass. So I don't know if your over reacting or not. If the situation is more simlar to item 1 than items 2 & 3 maybe yo

My two cents. As a youth I participated in both Scouts and Little League. I spent hours and hours trying to perfect the skill of throwing a round sphere approx. 2.5" to 3" in diameter through an imaginary box 17 inches wide and the length of an average 11-12 year olds distance between their shoulders and knees. I never was very good at this skill so I was relegated to playing third base, because I could at least throw the sphere fast enough in the general direction of 1st base where I could get an opposing player out if I managed to get my hands on the sphere if it was hit in my direct

Crewmomma, Along with the others let me thank you and your husband for your involvement with scouting. The discussion on parents reminded me of a parent I ran into during our time in Cub Scouts. The pack had had a full line up activities for the fall. In January we scheduled a snow tubing outing at a local hill. The response of this one parent was quite telling. It was something along the lines of, "You people are doing stuff with your kids all the time! Now this is another thing I have to do. I don't have time for this." yada, yada, yada. Some folks seemed to be thrilled

Seems like the simple answer to this would be to turn this program over to Learning for Life. "Learning for Life offers seven programs designed to support schools and community-based organizations in their efforts to prepare youth to successfully handle the complexities of contemporary society and to enhance their self-confidence, motivation, and self-esteem. The seven programs focus on character development and career education. Learning for Life programs help youth develop social and life skills, assist in character and career development, and help youth formulate positive personal valu

" if THIS is the price of local option, I'll take local option." Pack, this price is already paid. Individual COs have the option to restrict membership and control the activities of the units they sponsor if they choose to do so. There are COs that sponsor units that restrict membership by gender and/or by religion. Unfortunately other COs do not have the option you refer to. SA

The only restrictions on membership in the unit our Methodist Church sponsors are those imposed by BSA policies. My appologies for terminology, but as "Reconciling Methodist Congregation" (upon further research, "Welcoming" is apparently the term used by Universal Unitarian Congregations) there are potentially members of the Church who are not allowed to join the BSA unit sponsored by their institution based on BSA membership requirements, not any imposed by the CO. SA

I have to agree with Hunt. This probably could have been handled a little better, but that Priest as the IH of the CO that sponsors a Troop is fully within his authority to determine how that unit operates as a partner with the BSA. Just as there are COs that do not allow female adult leaders or require that all members of the unit they sponsor be members of a specific faith. I have no problem with this. It allows members and parents to find a unit that best fits their needs for a scouting program. I just wish the welcoming congregation of the Methodist Church that sponsors our unit h

"Every staffer is already either registered in a troop or crew. " Not necessarily so. Every staff member must be registered in a troop or crew at our council camp but may not be at the time they apply for a position at camp. By establishing a Camp Staff Crew, the camp director is then able to hire qualified employees who may not be actively registered in a troop or crew at the time of their expression of initial interest in employment. I don't know if it is a numbers game, but it is a bureacratic workaround to fill key positions on camp staff that may not be able to be filled from

I'm suprised they only charge $180 for the week. That's about 2/3rds of what our summer camp costs for a week. SA

While I will admit to my biases against a young twenty something SM for many of the reasons stated, I would not automatically rule a candidate out because of age alone. I will also admit to the similar thoughts about a female SM, but would not rule out a candidate simply based on their gender either. SA

I get the same thing. If I log onto www.scouter.com the first page I see is the forums page and the links don't work from there. If, from there, I click on the forums link at the top of the page, and the forums page shows up again, from there I can get into the forum topics. SA

Zahnada, I believe Woody Allen summarized your point some 30 -35 years ago in one of his movies, when in a flashback scene to his childhood in Brooklyn, he explained why he didn't do homework with, "What's the point. The universe is expanding." SA

We traded our '98 Durango,5.2L V8 15 mpg, family vehicle for an'06 Highlander, V6 24 mpg avg. (Sorry OGE couldn't sell HWMBO on the xB) So far based on our family's typical usage, there has been nothing we did with the Durango, we havn't done with the Highlander, including hauling a small utility trailer, scout trips etc. The Highlander is a bit smaller in terms of hauling cargo though. My company has also purchased a number of Ford Escape Hybrids and I've driven those on occaision. They average about 28-29 mpgs and drive and feel like a larger SUV. However given the cost difference

ASM915 said, if I'm wrong, I'm sure I'll be corrected. Our District Adv. Chair just gave a presentation on Eagle Projects and the subject of financing came up. A scout may have to organize a fundraiser to fund his project. However, if he does organize a fundraiser, it should meet BSA fundraising requirements. This means among others things, scouts should not directly solicit contributions. Something of value should be offered in return, ie. a product, or service. In general direct "donations" of cash are not encouraged. So, yes the scout can organize fundraisers for his project,

I would like to second the points brought up by Fscouter. While transparency is important with respect to troop finances, completely open books can be a nuisance as described by Beavah. Our treasures produces a monthly cash flow statement similar to that described by FScouter. Beginning balance, revenue/income, expenses, Ending Balance. The committee generally knows where the $$ is going, but occaisionally expenses include camperships or direct expenses for scouts whose families are having financial problems. I'm not sure some of the families involved would be comfortable having the

Personally, if he had indeed informed the Patrol, and there was food available for him, I would let him attend. If functionally, the outing can proceed with no impact to others, I see know problem. The troop is there to serve it's youth members. Will the boy learn more by attending the outing or will he learn his troop is a training ground for when he has to deal with the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. The membership is not there to serve the unit's beauracracy, although I'd remind him of the importance of getting his paperwork in ontime. On the other hand, if the Patrol informed me, they

"..I hesitate to insert my thoughts too far into the process." I don't think there is anything wrong with coming up with suggestions for outings. Most boys will not have had the depth of outdoor experiences as active adult leaders. We just need to remember, and keep reminding new parents.. who makes the decisions with respect to activities. SA

"The funding of an Eagle project is the scouts' choice. " True, but I was under the impression that any fundraising for an Eagle Project should follow the basic guidelines for scout fundraising activities. That means providing something of value in return, like a car wash, pancake breakfast, spaghetti dinner etc. Raffles and direct solicitations for donations are a no no. At least that's how it was explained at our Life to Eagle presentation by our District Advancement chair. However, there is no requirement that fundraising needs to be done at all. That seems to be an ongoing m

Going back to the great ketchup debate, I'll bet that big troop buys the big 64 oz. size ketchup bottles, thereby proving beyond a reasonable doubt they use the Troop method. Not that that's a bad thing once in a great while! But I agree, it should not be the norm. SA

Wow, work as a CIT for free! What a deal! At our council camp the CITs PAY THE COUNCIL for the priviledge of a week of NYLT and then working at the camp for a minimum of 3 weeks! I might add they usually get more applicants for this program then there is space available. My son is headed for his third summer on camp staff as well. It's been one of the best experiences he's had in scouting. SA

Our council provides NYLT just prior to summer camp. All incoming camp staff and counselors-in-training, (we call them Lead Scouts), are required to participate in NYLT. The class is limited to 50 participants so after staff and Lead Scouts, it leaves about 20 - 25 openings for at large attendees. Youth that wish to attend the course must apply and there are usually more applicants than available spaces. I'm not sure how scouts are selected but I imagine preference is given to older scouts, with demonstrated commitment to serving in leadership roles in their unit, as opposed to those w

I'm simply making the assumption the "book" for SEs Beavah refers to in his post actually exists, and this book authorizes the SE to allow some flexibility in the administration of the overall scout program within his/her juridiction. Personally, I've followed this thread and tend to agree with the concept that when rules are written, it is impossible to anticipate every circumstance and permutation that could arise and that there should be some level of appeal to an authorized authority that would allow a rule to be "broken" or changed in a specific circumstance. SA

So if a duly authorized "rule changer", i.e. an SE, changes a rule he is allowed to change in a specific instance, is it really changing the program? SA

I have a scout at VT as well. Aged out as a 1st Class Scout last spring. One of those informal leaders that liked camping and hanging out with the troop, but didn't care for the advancement thing. Overall a good kid. Worried all day yesterday and didn't want to bother his mom who I'm sure had a traumatic day as well. Based on what I've heard today, I'm relatively confident our scout is OK. I also have a son away at school and thought about how those parents must feel. The grief would be incomprehensible to me. Thoughts and prayers go out to all. SA