scoutldr

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)

My troop is back from its OOC experience: PRO: Private showers and flush toilets in every site A/C dining hall with real chairs (not wooden benches) Food service contracted out - excellent in quality and quantity New pool - 3x the size of ours Enthusiastic staff Camp is new (first year), so everything is state of the art "Leaders Retreat" - A/C lounge with sat TV and WiFi (no, I didn't partake!) Good cellphone reception Professionally built climbing tower CON/Neutral: Heat/humidity/bugs - same geog area as our camp Distance - waterfront about a mile from campsites Good cellphone reception (most scouts have one now :-( Rear flap of my tent was literally 4 feet from rifle range boundary tape - very noisy during the day-interfered with naps Most troops present were OOC MB program - lukewarm (almost "Mill" status) On the plus side, our lily-white uppermiddle class troop was placed in a site with an all-black troop from a neighboring city. The scouts immediately meshed together and became fast friends ... and the adults did too! What a great bunch of guys! I love it when you can put color aside and just work for the common goal of training fine young men.

Your "present status" is that of "Jamboree alumnus". Wear it with pride.

So I guess I don't be understandin' da logic here, eh? The Insignia Guide tells us where the patch should be worn, if earned. Why would moving it to a different position indicate "humility"? If ya want humility, then just wear a plain shirt with nothing on it....or don't go to Jamborees. And what the heck is a "popinjay" anyway, eh?

One of the most frustrating things for a parent is to take their boy to "Join Night", fill out an app and sign a check, and then wait for the phone call. Make sure that the parents understand up front that their participation is part of the program...no new den leaders, no new dens.

Congratulations! If you don't already have them, I remind my scouts that several MB have probably been mostly completed without them realizing it, if they are somewhat active in school...Scholarship, Reading, Music (Band), Sports, etc. Sit down with the requirements book (or www.meritbadge.com) and see where you are! Others: Basketry, Computers, Collecting, Cooking, etc. Good luck.

Thanks, meamemg. That sounds reasonable. (I can't believe I said "there" instead of "their"...I am so embarrassed!)

The only thing "inappropriate" is to wear the uniform incorrectly. The Insignia Guide determines what is correct.

At least two. There is no one-on-one contact allowed between adults and light bulbs.

However it happened, I think it's great. Remember, the rules were different in the 1940's. Adults were allowed to work on and achieve Eagle Scout, with no age limit. It wasn't unti l952 that the age limit of 18 was instituted. POR and service project were added in 1965. Source: http://www.troop97.net/bsaeagle.htm(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Interesting rule about no OOC ordeals. We live in a military town, and frequently, a scout or scouter will be called out, then they get transferred out of the area prior to the ordeal. If they move OOC prior to the ordeal, is there election nullified?

Yes. You will need a letter from your Lodge Chief and Lodge Advisor requesting the courtesy of conducting the callout and ordeal for you. Contact your lodge advisor for more details.

Not to my knowledge. There is a time limit for JSP and Jambo troop numbers....which most seem to ignore.

This issue illustrates a problem with multiple failure points. In my district, the District Adv Chair issues a monthly report of advancement by troop. Troops that do not submit an advancement report for more than a month are "red flagged", and the Unit Commissioner is notified to follow up. No troop should be allowed to go more than 2-3 months without a visit. If the problem is widespread, the Training Chair should also be notified so that training sessions can target this issue. If the problem is recordkeeping at Council, then the district Chair should be having a discussion with the DE and SE.

The most common comment I hear is about the weather. Our council camp is near the coast where a typical July day can be 97 degrees, and a dew point of 75 (think AP Hill). A troop can drive 3 hours and be in the mountains where the daytime temp is 80, nights in the upper 50s and the mosquitoes and ticks are nonexistent. Lying in the bunk at midnight when the temp is still 90 with sweat and DEET pouring off you is not pleasant. We can't compete with that. On the other hand, when I encounter OOC troops at our camp, I make a point of "interviewing" them. They think our camp is wonderful. Go figure.