scoutldr

Ummmm, how about because most areas of Scouting are in dire need of more parental involvement, not less. We are asking them to donate their time (and money), why in the world would we attach more conditions on that? Lest we forget, there are many reasons why someone would be considered not "physically fit". It's not always because we are just lazy slobs who are unable to control our food intake.

Den meeting time and place is usually up to the Den Leader, with consensus of the parents of the den. That's one of the perks of volunteering...you get to decide what's convenient for you.

Let's see...the only hole left is "mentally awake"...minimum IQ of 100? Submit college transcripts? Voting record?

I agree this is ridiculous. I see no reason why both events can't continue... 1. Scouting is for the boys...to cancel a youth-centered event because of an adult training event is just wrong. 2. Just based on numbers, say a District Camporee would attract 500 people (youth and adult). How does that compare to WB which may involve, say, 5% of that number from the district (all adults)? 3. Any unit that can't attend a camporee because one or two of its adults is attending WB is a unit in trouble. 4. To force a unit to cancel an event that they volunteered to plan and host is wrong. If the dates had been agreed upon in advance by the district committee, then it needs to continue. 5. If this happened to me, it would be a cold day in Irving before I ever volunteered to do anything for the district or council again.

From a Troop perspective, it's even harder to sell...dressing up a 6 year old in a blue suit and have him sit outside the supermarket begging is hare to turn down... The council pushes popcorn, because they get a cut of every unit sold...that's why a $4.99 three way tin sells for $30. In our troop, any profit made from popcorn is credited to the "Scout account" of the scout who sold it. They can then apply that money to any scout function...summer camp, ski trips, dues, whatever. Don't sell popcorn, then write a check for the full amount (which some parents prefer). That may work to some extent for the Pack...come up with a Pack Budget to cover all expenses for the year and establish a per capita cost...which can be paid either by check or by popcorn sales. I see no problem with small prizes...maybe a pizza party for the high-selling den? Make sure and take lots of party pictures and show them at the following pack meeting. Nothing like peer pressure to increase sales! Cubs won't care that they saved Mom $100 in day camp fees...they will care about a new football or a pizza party.

Wow, do I feel better! Now we can get back to important stuff like... like....uhhh...help me out here... ;-).... (Nice job...looks good!)

I ordered at the Scout Shop counter...they were in within 10 days or less. Simple and painless.

The MB program, when used properly, is designed to do several things...reinforce the method of Adult Association, teach the scout planning and initiative, get outside his comfort zone by contacting a stranger to make an appointment, and to introduce him to a wide range of "experts" who can share the passion for their chosen vocation or hobby. Very seldom do you get that when "Joey's Mom" (or Dad) is the counsellor for 13 merit badges, all spoonfed by the troop. Sorry for the bluntness, but this is one of my pet peeves.

I would impress upon the young man that this is when continued service to others (and the troop) is expected. Too many Eagles grab their medal and say "thanks, it was great, see ya!". Eagle is not the destination, just another step along the journey....

My religion allows me to eat pork and shrimp. So, where's the accomodation for me and my beliefs?

How about sending them to NYLT?

"to a spear point made of Spanish steel, just in case I'm forced to kill a wild pig to feed the tribe." Just curious as to how one would get that past the TSA x-ray machine?

Mr. Maynard, The other thing you may consider is that this is exactly the type of situation that your Unit Commissioner is there for. If you don't know who it is, contact your District Commissioner. If your COR is "name only" or doesn't want to get involved, your UC or DC can help advocate the proper response. Bottom line is that, from the facts you have presented us, this "parent" has no vote and no power over the unit to compel any sort of "Board". If he is unhappy, he can vote with his feet and find another unit. While you may have made some minor mistakes, such as Beavah pointed out, stay strong and don't let them bully you.

Thanks, Beav for helping to make my point. In the parents' and scouts' simplistic view, if all you want is to make Eagle, then you need merit badges. If all you need is merit badges, you can get them at any camp. So, all other things being equal, they'll vote for the comfort. For older scouts, I can't get them to go at all any more...after 4-5 years at a camp, what else is there to see or do? Which gets back to Hops' comment on patrol method. If the older troop leaders won't attend, there is no patrol method. SOmeone mentioned in another thread that we should go ahead and adopt the LDS model...segregate by age levels at age 14. Perhaps not a bad idea...

In the military, the leaders (POR) are not "elected" by their peers. They are selected based on experience, expertise, rank, and skill. How ridiculous would it be for the new E-2 recruit fresh out of boot camp to be "elected" Captain of the ship and handed his Command at Sea pin at a ceremony? While the 50 year old Naval Academy grad gets elected "Laundry Officer", because he needs a POR for promotion to Admiral. Hmmmmm....in Scouting a 12 year old Second Class can be elected SPL, then we expect him to "lead" the troop...including the 17 year old Life Scouts. As Rachael Ray would say, "how dumb is THAT?" (Before someone jumps in with a "W" analogy, I'm just talking about the uniformed military...not the civilian govt leaders)

Unbelievable.

Then there's that old classic..."Thongs for the mammaries...."

"At 8 a.m. Wednesday, Boy Scouts from around the world will raise three fingers to their brow and recite the Scout pledge in honor of the 100th anniversary of the organization." Sorry I missed it. I just checked my Council's website, and nary a mention of the occasion. Just a banner headline about the latest FOS fundraiser dinner. Glad to see the priorities are still intact. Well, I'll be looking forward to 08/01/2107...for the 200th anniversary.

Welcome to the forums...and congratulations on stepping up to the plate! To quote a former member of these forums, "training, training, training!" First of all, everyone in a registered position should get trained...if they are not already. Secondly, the CM is appointed by, and serves at the pleasure of, the Chartered Organization(CO), not the Pack Committee. I am accused of the very same things that you list as shortcomings, and I was a successful CM for 5 years. Standing up in front of crowds and making a fool of myself is not my thing...so I made sure that the Pack meeting agenda included as little of that as possible...fill up the time with songs, skits, stunts, cheers, awards, refreshments, etc, all led by other people...each den can be responsible for a portion of every pack meeting. If your Pack is too large to do all that...then your Pack is too large and should consider splitting. That happened to us...with 150 boys, it took 2 hrs just to hand out awards ... BOOORRRRINNNGGGG. Thirdly, continuing education. Monthly Roundtables and annual Pow Wow (or whatever your Council calls it) are a wealth of information and the exchange of ideas. Good Luck and Good Scouting!

Since the OA is a Boy Scout program, I would say no. If adults were elected as youth, they can remain members, however. Adults must meet all requirements, except to be First Class. They are not "elected", but are recommended to the Lodge by their Troop Committee. Recommendations should not be considered a "reward" for service or longevity, but should be in consideration of what they can offer the Lodge as adult advisors.

It's what, Gonz? An extra X chromosome? I say hold her (him?) down and do a cheek swab and let's nail it down for sure. Otherwise, let's MYOB. I would say, "Wow, that's odd", shake my head...and move on. Got too many of my own issues to worry about.

I like the concept, however I think a better idea would be to have ALL BSA pubs and forms available for .pdf download...that way they could update individual pubs as needed without having to wait for next year's CD. (The OA is in the forefront on this). We could have them password protected (BSA membership number?). Charge an extra dollar for registration to offset the revenue loss? Maintaining pdf files is a whole lot cheaper than publishing hard copies. Heck, Irving could probably lay off a whole department of staff members, to boot! I would still have the basics available in hard copy (Handbook, Fieldbook, etc). But all that other stuff should be online and free to members.

We had a similar situation with an adult. We submitted his name for OA induction, but he just couldn't make time in his schedule for an Ordeal (despite 3 scheduled opportunities). It took a lot of time and trouble to fill out the form and track down the information needed. Won't do that again! Congratulations to your son, Crossram. It used to be standard procedure in my Council that scouts had no knowledge of their election until the big bad Indian came up and grabbed them during a Camporee campfire (aka, the "Tapout" or "Callout"). The "candidates" were then lined up and marched out of the campfire ring where they were informed they were now candidates for induction and given a fact sheet, their candidate's arrow and other information about upcoming ordeals. It's then up to the scout and his parents to register and get there on the appointed date. The others are correct in that the Ordeal must be completed within one year of election. There are no exceptions. After that, the election is void, and you start over. It's unfortunate that your SM appears to be somewhat inept and your son will have to deal with the consequences.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Old MB books do not have much value, unless they are REALLY old (tan cover). Most on eBay go unsold, since they are so common. If you really want to get rid of them, I would donate them to the local charity thrift store (or OA Patch auction). (I never destroy or throw away a book!) I just gave a whole box of them to my LD nephew who is 12 and still can't read or write. But he does love the subj material, and maybe by putting a book in his hand (other than a school book) it will do some good. If it were my decision, I would replace them only as needed...no sense having the current issue of Beekeeping or Fruit and Nut Culture, if no one's interested in it. I would have the Eagle required ones, then buy others as requested. I find they don't read the pamphlets anyway.

"To me, the quality of the staff and the program is the most important thing. Acceptability of food (be it dining hall or unit kitchen) is a second tier. A/C, chairs, showers in the campsites, flushing lollies, that's all eyewash." True, unless you're eleven. They don't remember that Oceanography MB was easier than it should have been...they do remember toilets. And if the camp next door has them, you'd better have them, too. It's not about what the Staff or BSA thinks is important...it's about what the CUSTOMERS think is important. That's why our camp is on a steady decline...the old-timers have refused to listen to the customers...if it was good enough for us in 1966, it should be good enough now. NOT! PS: In-council Camp fee for new camp was $220...5 bucks less than our camp. So, from a customer point of view, more value, less money. Of course this may have been a "first year" one time good deal to fill the camp. We'll see what the fees go up to next year. (This message has been edited by scoutldr)