scoutldr

I am Lutheran by faith, and attended a Mass of the Resurrection last night for the Dad of one of my scouts. There were more similarities than differences...I knew the words to most of the liturgy and acted like I belonged there, although the Priest kept mentioning the "Christian Catholic family", letting me know I really didn't belong. The gist of the message was, although the dearly departed was a Southern Baptist by upbringing, he recently "converted" to Catholicism in June (after being diagnosed with terminal cancer) so he could be buried from the church that he and his family had attended for years. Our troop attended as a group, in uniform, although this particular parish has a "policy" of "no Boy scouts" dictated by the PP. I once wanted just to borrow a classroom to conduct adult training, and the answer was still a resounding NO. The parish 2 miles down the road, however, charters a Pack, Troop and Crew, open to all. We had our district meetings there, until very recently. The Priest is an Eagle Scout and sits on EBOR from time to time. Go figure.

Our local "Friends of the Public Library" does this - collects used books and then sells them twice a year with proceeds going to the Public Library. You might want to check with your library to make sure you're not stepping on their toes.

Welcome to the forums, Mike. Is the priest new? I'm just wondering if this is a new policy. Yes, the chartered organization (CO) can set membership rules, as long as they don't conflict with BSA policy (no gays or atheists). Usually, though most units are open to all. I would tell "Father" that it is up to him to explain to the non-Catholics why they are no longer welcome in the Pack, and view it as an opportunity to form a new unit that is more ecumenical and forgiving. Good luck.

Absolutely! That was the purpose in creating the position. To be considered "Trained" in their position, Pack Trainers must complete the Trainer Development Course. That being said, many Councils and Districts have been slow to embrace the Pack Trainer concept. In my experience, the "training teams" (read: cliques) are reluctant to give up the "quality control".

One of the objections in the school that I am associated with has been the use of school staff time. The Prinicpal asserts that it is not the job of school staff to handle flyers (including counting, collating, distributing, etc), nor is it proper to divert instructional time for the purpose of a "boys only" assembly for the DE to give his pitch. In the past (pre-SOL days), these were common practices.

I agree the prices are high, compared to what you can buy at Wally World. But it's a fund-raiser. The same people who complain about the price of PC are the same ones who won't think twice about paying $3.50 for a bottled water or $6 for a bottle of beer or $7 for a glass of wine at a concert or ball game.

Our DE has tried for years to get into our local Elem school to hand out the latest recruiting incentives to the boys during "boy talks". The principal that I mentioned above answers this way: "Unless you're going to bring something for the girls, too, the answer is no." Other schools in the district are wide open, and another principal served as our District Chairman. In this school system, the Principal is the lord and master of the building. Appealing to the Super does no good. How do the Girl Scouts handle recruiting? Every morning as I get ready for work, I hear a commercial on the radio for Girl Scouting..."Where Girls Grow Strong". Where are the BSA public service announcements (or paid commercials)? I recently saw a Food Network commercial for the Iron Chef show, featuring a Boy Scout troop doing their own Iron Chef competition. It was great, but I only saw it once.

I got my Bobcat in 1961. It was a pin back then, and it was pinned on upside down, until a "good turn" was performed, usually for one's mother who would then turn the pin around. When I rejoined Cub Scouting with my first born son in 1984, the tradition was to turn the CUB upside down and then pin on the badge. That is now considered "hazing" and is not permitted.

I've been accused of being an old fuddy-duddy. I'll admit it. But my concern is how todays teens and pre-teens are spending their time on Earth. How is spending 4-5 hours a day on Myspace or playing computer games or listening to obscene lyrics on their illegally downloaded iPod preparing them to survive in the world? I'm sorry, but we are launching a generation of functional and social illiterates because we are not taking the time to make them study and learn. How many kids today do 2-3 hours of homework a night, like we used to do? How many can balance a checkbook, diagram a sentence, explain the platforms of the current political parties, change their own oil, or like, carry on like a conversation in like proper English and stuff with like someone like older than they like are? IF they are going to be successful adults, they simply don't have time for this crap. They are the future voters of this country, and I am truly afraid. The Eagle candidates that I see are a ray of hope, but they are a very, very small percentage.

I see nothing wrong with wearing the blue blazer/grey skirt/trousers uniform, if that's what you're most comfortable with. It is an official uniform, as listed in the supply catalog, when worn with the bullion (gold metallic thread) embroidered BSA symbol on the blazer pocket, and the red/blue/grey official scarf.

"Item three apparently had a great deal of discussion. Units are *expressly* forbidden to use a percentage participation in advancement in any manner (which is how the "scout spirit" part gets in there). For instance, a unit may not say Johnny must attend at least 25% of troop meetings to be considered active (or to have scout spirit). " The word "expressly" means it's "expressed" somewhere, i.e., written down. As we say in my line of work, "show me the reference". If no reference can be produced, it's just the opinion of a PTC instructor, third hand.

As the Italian Eagle said, "there is always more to the story". While I don't doubt what you have told us and don't doubt your motivations and good intentions, a former boss once explained it to me this way (when he hired an unqualified person to be MY boss)..."It's better to be wanted than to be qualified." My advice, find (or form) a new troop and move on. As long as the CC has signature authority on the adult apps, you won't win. You DO deserve an explanation, however and I would demand one from the CO.

Cubmasters wore blue ones and Explorers wore brown ones ... mine was a "clip-on" as I recall. The frequently show up on eBay.

I like the compass idea. The German scouts are called "Pfadfinders", or "Pathfinders". Ausgezeichnet!

In our school district, it's left up to the individual Principals. The school in my area will not let the BSA in the front door to hand out flyers or do "boy talks". Our feeder pack has gone from 150 boys down to 6 in the last 10 years. I agree, it is not the school staff's job to handle BSA paperwork or take time out of the instructional day to promote a private program. With the advent of Standards of Learning testing, there is not a free moment in the day that's not directed toward the SOL test.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but the Scouter's Training Award medal originally was a "V", not an "A". It signified completion of the "5 year training plan" (I think it was called)...the V being a Roman numeral "5". When that plan was discontinued, the V became an "A" which has no significance, as far as I know. You can still find the medals on eBay from time to time. I am in the market for a Cubmaster Award and Cub Scouter Award medal.

While not really an "award", if he is bilingual, he is eligible to wear the Interpreter's Strip, a small patch that says "Deutsch", worn above the BSA strip above the right pocket.

The word should have been "pulling". I have no idea how that smiley face thing got there.

Just thought of a great BOR question, especially for Eagles: "Do you have a Myspace web page?" ::Pulling out a laptop from under the table:: "Would you mind if we take a look at it right now?"

I'm afraid the scout may be in for a hard life lesson. "I didn't read the directions" is not likely to be met with much sympathy, unless perhaps, he was ill-advised by an adult mentor. As my troop's "Eagle mentor", I am VERY careful to make sure they understand that NO work may begin until the approvals are obtained.

The terms of service (TOS) of Myspace are that members must be 14 or older. My 12 year old nephews and niece have accounts, and they list their ages as 19. Their parents didn't see anything wrong with this since "all of their friends are doing it". That is, until my son (age 27) took them on a tour of myspace and showed them their children's pages, full of sex talk, hate speech, provocative pictures and lies. Personally, I think that's irresponsible and sends your children the wrong message. Any scout who lies about his age to join is not "Trustworthy".

One of the primary duties of the Troop Committee is to conduct all BOR. Not just the ones you're comfortable with. If the SM has indeed signed off that the requirements, including Scout Spirit, have been met, then the BOR needs to happen, even if the outcome is not positive. If the BOR is withheld, the Scout has grounds to appeal to the District Advancement Committee. After the BOR is held, by all means, the Committee Chairman needs to have a chat with the SM about his quality standards.

This is a new concept to me. I always thought OA regalia was home-made.

When I made Tenderfoot and came home from camp with my first merit badges, Rowing and Basketry, my Mom handed me a needle and thread and said, "it's time for you to learn how to do this." Been hand sewing my own stuff ever since. I did machine sew all my knots on a new shirt once, but constantly changing colors on the bobbin was a pain. It's a great summer camp project for those "dead times" when you need something to do. I sat an Eagle Board last night as the District rep. The Eagle candidate had one of the best assempled and pressed uniforms I had ever seen. When questioned about it, he admitted his Dad, a Naval Officer did it for him. I'm more impressed by a less-than-perfect uniform knowing that the Scout did it himself. "Never do anything that a Scout can do"

Beav, thanks for the law lesson. I'll freely admit that I am not an attorney, and my comments are my opinion, based on a layman's understanding of the law. My opinions are also based on a recent seminar I attended on Workplace Violence conducted by a police officer. As a manager, I also am required to have annual training in Sexual Harrassment Prevention. My job also requires me to be able to read and comprehend laws and regulations and be able to translate them into practical applications. My wife is a school nurse and an "expert" in child abuse. I am approved by the Council to teach Youth Protection Training (as well as all other BSA Leadership training except Wood Badge). I also admit that laws and customs may vary among jurisdictions and Councils. In my Council, this is reportable as a YP issue, no question. Now what are your credentials?