scoutldr

Merit Badge counselors (MBC) should be properly registered at the District level. It is not a troop level position. If a troop does not recharter, it should not affect their registration. They also need to keep their Youth Protection training current. Your son's SM should be able to get a list of currently registered and approved MBC from the District Advancement Committee. These are the ONLY people who should be signing off on blue cards.

The judgments will be for cash. How the BSA/Councils/COs raise that cash will be up to them.

Also a Scout since 1962. I recall that the "Card" required was a current membership card. Back in B-P's day, the Scout Stave was part of the "kit" that every Scout was expected to have with him.

Years ago, before the earth cooled, there was Pack and Troop 66 which were in existence when I was a Bobcat. When I went to sign up my 8 year old son (before Tigers were a thing), I was told the Pack had become too large and was going to split. Sooooo, I became a DL in the newly cleaved Pack 99. Made it easy to just turn the numbers around. A year later, I became CM for 5 years. Within a few years we had 130 boys, 15 dens and 4 Webelos dens. Time to split again. A group moved to a neighboring school and became Pack 991. Then troop 991. Then we split again and begat Pack 996, then Troop 996. I am now 65 and my Scouts are 41 and 38 with prospective Cubs of their own...that's how we did it.

I went and read the bill...summer camps are specifically exempt. In fact, there are so many exemptions now, it's all meaningless.

I just read that, in my state, the Democrat-controlled stage legislature is pushing forward a bill that will raise the state-wide minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024 and our liberal Governor is sure to sign it. No mention of exemptions. Wonder what this will do to the Council budgets who will now have to double the salaries of the DEs and pay a teen camp staffer for a full 40 hours a week, plus overtime?

I think I just met her on Facebook. Rude and nasty, too.

Then they are not fulfilling the terms of their Charter agreement. To me, this is one of the biggest failures of the current model. The CO/COR are ignorant of, or simply ignore, their agreed upon responsibilities...and the Professional staff are just as happy to be given free rein without outside interference, handpicking the Executive Board to do the SE's bidding. Perhaps scout camps would not be sold off to continue paying 6-figure salaries if the CORs showed up and voted.

Councils are independent corporations. And our new SE is advertising that if the current FOS campaign meets his goals, he will eliminate the "Council Program Fee" that has been levied on each member.

To be "reverant" is "to revere". It need not necessarily refer to God or religion. I know people who "revere" their favorite actor or football team. borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French reverer, borrowed from Latin reverērī "to stand in awe of, treat with deference," from re- RE- + verērī "to show reverence for, fear" I would submit that perhaps the wrong word is being used in the Scout Law and is not specific enough.

A hundred large ain't what it used to be...

No, but we use that information to guide the discussion and see if the Scout owns it.

I can vouch that not all reference letters are positive. I have NEVER seen them returned to the Scout. They are read by the BOR members prior to inviting the Scout in the room and then retained and destroyed by the BOR chairman.

You also need to read Lincoln's writings on slavery and the black man, to get a fair view.

The End is near.

My current YPT was good until March, but was told I had to take it now before I could re-register. It was time consuming, and not much change from 2018, maybe more emphasis on females in units. I missed two questions on the exam because they had multiple answers, but it didn't say "select all that apply" like the other questions did. That needs to be fixed...or maybe add an "all of the above" choice. I did learn that in my state, volunteers are not "mandatory reporters", but employees are. Anyway, it's done and the youth are safe from me. I have the certificate to prove it.

Anyone remember filmstrips and records...advance one frame when you heard the beep...

Yep...not a new thing. Going after youth soccer teams and registering them as Cub Scouts was a thing back in the dark ages...mid-80s as I recall. No Scout uniforms or real program...just soccer. Kinda like the old Learning for Life program that went after kids in school and registering them as Scouts, but not really "Scouts" because then they could register everyone, not just straight young men, without offending the major religious groups.

In my experience, Council never looks at blue cards. just as they don't check the signatures in a Scout's handbook to verify rank requirements. Just the Advancement Report that the unit submits when purchasing the badges...(now electronic??). Unless things have changed...

The BSA has said, to paraphrase, "That's just legal mumbo-jumbo that the law requires. We promise we won't do anything other than the usual criminal background check, same as we've always done. Scout's Honor." I can't believe people are being so naive about this. As my dear late dad used to say..."I was born at night, but it wasn't last night."

If i remember correctly, isn't that how Scouting got started in London?

There is no "harder" or "easier" in BSA advancement...there is "meet the requirements-no more, no less". Many of us have observed the summer camp or MB "Fair" where the group sits there being talked at, resulting in a signed blue card.

Great discussion, but @DuctTape has it. Merit Badge "Universities" (or whatever the local term is) circumvents one of the MAIN purposes of the Merit Badge program. It is NOT supposed to be "listen to this group lecture and answer a few questions and get your blue card signed." It is to teach INDIVIDUAL initiative, decision-making, and action. Having Mrs. Billysmom say "OK, Saturday we are going to the MBU and getting some meritbadges and here are all the ones you can get. After all, we need to get you to Eagle by age 16 so it looks good on your college application" Rather, it is: 1. SCOUT decides he needs to earn a MB if he's ever going to advance past First Class. 2. SCOUT approaches SM and says, "Mr SM, I think I would like to take Advanced Nuclear Physics MB" 3. SM says, "That's Great, however...how about something more useful right now, like Dog Care. I hear you have a new puppy?" 4. SCOUT, "Ok, sounds good, what do I need to do?" 5. SM: "Here are some names of the Dog Care MB counselors approved by the District. YOU (NOT YOUR MOM) need to call them and see if one of them has time to work with you". And here's a blue card to give to the counselor. 6 SCOUT: "(calling MB Counselor with parent listening in) Hello, Mr. Dog Care? My name is Billy from Troop XXX. I have a new puppy and would really like to earn the Dog Care MB. My SM recommended I call you." 7. MBC: "Nice to meet you, Billy. How about Saturday at 9 am? Be sure to get a copy of the Dog Care MB Pamphlet and look over the requirements before you come. OH, and please bring a buddy or a parent with you!" 8. SCOUT: "Thanks! I will. See you then!" 9. Scout and MBC then meet (following YPT requirements) as often as necessary to get it done and signed blue card is returned to the SM. The program was NOT designed to be a group effort like a freshman lecture hall in college. It is designed to get the SCOUT to get off his/her keister and take initiative and initiate some "Adult Association" and learn about a topic from a recognized "expert" in the field either by vocation or avocation. It grinds my gears when a troop registers a bunch of parents as MBC without regard to their expertise in the field and are listed in the District as "for Troop XXX only." Then at the EBOR, we observe that NONE of their MB were obtained from outside the troop or summer camp setting. By prodding, pushing and leading scouts to the MB trough and spoonfeeding MB we are cheating the Scout out of one of the most important developmental lessons in becoming adults.

Remember "Scouting Rounds a Guy Out", which immediately made me the butt of all fat jokes.

My 8 yo Granddaughter goes to dance class for "only one hour a week". I just wrote the check for November...$126 PER MONTH. Her recital costumes will be over $100 each...and she will need two. But it's her passion, and she doesn't do any other extracurriculars. Me paying this allows her mom to have the latest $1000 iPhone, so I guess it's worth it.