scoutldr

I received two prints for Christmas, about 11x17, and personally signed by the artist. They were purchased on ebay for less than $100 each (I hope!).

Sounds like it's going to get like Green Bay Packers season tickets...if your parents don't put you on the waiting list when you're born, you're out of luck. (or so I've heard)

We had the same problem with Astronomy MB. I invited the local astronomy club to come and do sessions with the troop over several weeks. Only two out of about 12 scouts actually completed the MB because they simply would not do the homework and bring it back in. Needless to say it was embarrassing, and I won't make the effort again. If they want a MB, it's up to them to go see the Counselor.

First of all, there is no "Webelos Knot" that I know of. The Arrow of Light knot is worn only by adults. The Arrow of Light badge is worn by youth Scouts and Venturers directly under the Rank patch on the left pocket. The youth religious award knot can be worn by all with a miniature device (in lieu of the medal) to denote which award was earned (Cub or Boy Scout).

Recommend you review the Unit Fund Raising application and rules. Sounds like this does not qualify, since you would be asking for direct cash donations and offering nothing in return.

Just remember next time that Jambo merchandise will be 75% off on Scoutstuff.org afterwards. I bought a whole box full of Christmas presents for less than 50 bucks, including two jackets. That illustrates how much markup there really was.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Suggest you send a PM (private message) to SCOUTER Terry, the owner of this site. I'm sure those of us reading the open forums don't have a clue. There have been recent server issues, so that may be the problem.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

I don't blame the chef for my arterial blockage. I'm the one who decides what to swallow.

As Covey said, "seek first to understand, then to be understood." I spent several hours last night reading about AS and autism. What I learned is 1) it is a real disorder with varying presentations and degrees of severity...no two kids are the same. 2) there is no diagnostic test...diagnosis is based on behavioral traits. 3) It is very hard and even scary to be around AS kids and if there is to be peaceful coexistence, many accomodations need to be made. 4) Most AS adults are successful with a normal to high IQ, but tend to be thought of as "geeks" or "weird". 5) there is a strong genetic component; often one of the parents is also AS. One epidemiologic theory is that Silicon Valley has attracted many AS adults to one geographic area and they are proliferating, which could account for the rise in incidence. That being said, I hear your frustration and desperate desire for your son to be happy and successful. I sympathize and won't say I understand, since I had two sons who are apparently "normal" (whatever that is). But it seems to me that, for the AS kid, a typical scout camp would be such a hostile, unfriendly environment, (full of noise, heat, bugs, crowds, chaos, etc) that I wonder why anyone would want to subject them to that. As you alluded to, and the literature confirmed, the Middle School years (i.e., Scout years) can be the most cruel and hostile. Middle schoolers are typically not "friendly, courteous and kind" and, to coin a phrase, that's just how their brains are wired. From the literature I read, something like a special needs camp, or a computer camp, or a music camp would be much more "AS friendly", since most AS kids are fixated on ONE thing and having to multi-task (such as taking 5 different MB in one day) only frustrates and angers them. And, as I said before, perhaps there is enough demand that your Council should have an "AS week" at camp, where their needs can be more adequately accomodated. Sounds like a perfect Wood Badge diversity ticket item. I also want to agree with kenk that Scouting has a place for all boys...in the proper environment. I myself spent an entire week at the camp pool teaching a Down's Syndrome scout how to swim (the entire troop was "special"). I was "volunteered" because of my quiet, patient nature. At the start of the week, he would go in no farther than his ankles. At the end of the week, he was jumping in and putting his head under. Small victories. But the reward came the following year when his SM told me that he spent the rest of the summer telling everybody how proud he was that "Mr. M" taught him how to swim. I didn't mean to say that the troop leadership was totally off the hook. Of course, every scout (and parent) should have a copy of the Troop schedule and calendar (at least 6 months at a time). Understanding, of course, that schedules need to be flexible because "stuff happens". The "special signals" are also a good idea, and not unreasonable, as is having an educational session for the other scouts. But a scout needs to learn that if he exhibits un-scoutlike behavior, such as grabbing and destroying someone else's property, the consequences need to be fairly and equitably applied to all. There are certain behaviors that can not be accomodated if we are to be safe and adhere to the basic program. Also, I have to say that that many adults spending a week of leisure at the Troop's expense is totally out of line. I would have to object to that, if I were you. Reasonable would be that the troop pays for two (2-deep leadership is required), and the rest pay their own way. I also have to remind everyone that 1-on-1 contact between adult/scout is strictly prohibited. We are lectured on this every year at camp, so having a non-parental adult shadow a scout full time is not a reasonable expectation and violates all our training. We are NEVER to allow ourselves to be alone with a scout, out of sight of others. Thank you for this thread. While you started it out of frustration, it has been highly educational for all, I hope. No offense was intended; just trying to express all points of view.

When we have 7-10 adults along for a Summer Camp, for about 15 kids, I do not feel it is unreasonable that they accompany Scouts to their activities, assuring ALL scouts, not just mine, can attend the Merit Badges of their choice. Tell me, if you were looking forward to learning leather work and wood carving, and were forced to attend environmental science instead--a topic that you have NO interest in--just because that's what another Scout wants...And that's what happened for EVERY ONE of his merit badges 2 years ago. What about the scout who needs Env Sci for Eagle (as they ALL do), but is forced to do Leatherwork instead because your son needs an escort? Is that any more appropriate? I have been attending summer camp for almost 30 years...changing schedules is the norm, due to low or high enrollments, staff availability, schedule conflicts, and failure to meet prerequisites. If the morning Swimming MB class has 2 scouts and the afternoon session has 45, schedules will be changed. That's the way it is. My point is, part of teaching a scout to be self-sufficient is to expect him to complete the week without direct supervision. If they go home without completing their MB, they can explain to their parents what happened. The opportunity was certainly provided. As a leader, I will do spot checks of program areas, I will talk to scouts in the evenings to see how they are progressing, and I will talk to staff to make sure scouts are showing up. But following a scout around all day every day will not happen. For one thing, it could constitute a YP violation. I spend a week of vacation time and about $220 of my own money to attend camp, so it will be on my terms. I will say that your adult:youth ratio is out of whack, and with the same size troop, we only have 2 adults spending the week. I would hope that the adults in your troop are actively serving the camp in some way, and not reading trashy novels in their hammocks all day. If so, they are just taking up bunk space that could be filled with a Scout, and need to stay home. Our adults are working their butts off all week, serving as staff (I am a BSA Lifeguard Counselor), taking adult training, or providing manual labor to the Ranger such as painting, plumbing and cutting grass. No one I know sits around all week. I guess what I am trying to say is, if you think your son needs 100% supervision (or protection?), then you need to provide it. But I don't think that's doing your son a service. By age 13, he needs to be learning to overcome his disabilities and live in the world successfully without Mom by his side, rather than expect the world to adjust to him. No one wants to deal with an emotionally out-of-control teenager. That's what "mainstreaming" is all about, isn't it? Let me finish with the caveat that I am not a mental health expert...if I have said anything ignorant, I apologize and am willing to learn.

I've been toying with the idea of spinning off a Crew/Ship from our Troop. In order to form a Ship, do you actually have to have one (or boat?)?

Most councils: New York? (I think there are 3 or 4 covering NYC alone)

I still wake up in a cold sweat worrying that i have an exam in the morning that I forgot about. And I've been out of school for 30 years.

This is wrong on so many levels...I feel for you. I would be interested to know how the Council took your registration money to join a unit that did not exist (valid charter). At the very least, I think they owe you a refund so you can pay it to your new unit. Unless you were registered under some other unit, or as District Members-at-Large, there was no way to process your application. You and your son's applications (and money) should not have been accepted without the proper signatures on them. If you don't have a COR, CC or CM, I would want to know WHO forged their signatures! You are correct about the liability issue...that is a huge concern, and the DE should be resolving this with the CO without delay. Fortunately, in Cub Scouts, advancement records are not strictly tracked as they are in Boy Scouts, so this is not something that will come back to haunt your son when he's 17 and filing his Eagle application. The Arrow of Light is the only Cub award that the scout takes with him to Boy Scouts. Go ahead and register with the new unit, allow him to wear his Bobcat badge with pride, and sign off the Wolf requirements that you know he has completed. The new Den Leader should take that at face value. Happy Scouting!

I've been reading these posts with interest, and, at the risk of sounding insensitive (I'm not), I'm afraid I have to side with the leaders. It's important to remember that the Scouting program is delivered by volunteer parents who are neither trained nor, in most cases, have the inclination to be therapists or mental health professionals. The only obligation of a volunteer leader is to try to ensure that the scout gets his meds on schedule (and even that's been debated here) and to ensure that one scout's behavior (whether there's a DSM IV code for it or not) does not disrupt the program nor cause a safety hazard to himself or the other scouts. We have to be fair to ALL the scouts...not just the ones with special requirements. If a scout can participate within those parameters, he is more than welcome. The scout program is designed to be "boy led" and that's how leaders are trained to deliver it. Each scout also is expected to "do his duty" to help others and to pull his share of the load, contributing to the team. It sounds like the scout program does not "meet his needs" and perhaps you should look for other options, such as forming a troop for AS kids. It sounds like there's a lot more of them around than there used to be. To expect the Council to provide an adult or another scout to follow a 13 yo around to make sure he goes where he needs to and does his MB work, and doesn't encounter any "melt down triggers" (and if he does, someone must be made to "apologize" to him?) is unreasonable and a cost that most camps can't afford. It wouldn't happen in my Council or troop, either. We have precious few adults participating anyway, and we can't devote one full time to one scout. My best advice is that if your council does not have a Special Needs program that meets what you think are reasonable standards, they would probably be thrilled to have you volunteer to get it up to par and help raise the funds to support it. That's the only way things get done in Scouting at the youth OR adult level...if a gap exists, get in there and fill it. Don't expect "someone else" to provide it for you. Good luck.

Maybe I'm missing something, but shouldn't all questions about the project be asked by the District Advancement Chair before the BOR is scheduled? The BOR is too late to be bringing this up.

1. Work on the physically fit thing...I renewed my BSA Lifeguard last summer and it darned near killed me. I should ideally lose 100 lbs, but will do what I can before I develop diabetes. 2. Return to my church. After my parents died in 1995, I drifted away....too many childhood memories in that building. 3. Try to be more tolerant of my 74 year old mother in law who just moved in with us. It's like having a teenager in the house again who doesn;t worry about washing dishes, putting trash in it's place or having to pay the electric bill, and who sleeps all day and then wonders "what's for supper".

First of all welcome to the forums! To perhaps over-simplify, the primary function of adults in the OA is to serve as advisors to the youth leaders. The Chapter Advisor serves as the advisor to the Chapter Chief, and as such is also an ex officio member of the District Camping Promotion committee (at least in this Council). You should expect to attend all chapter meetings, the Lodge Executive Committee meetings, all OA events, and District Committee meetings. From the title of your topic, if you are also a SM, it might be a little much to try to do both jobs, that's up to you, but an Arrowman's first obligation is to his/her unit.

As long as the professionals are judged by the numbers, there will be creative bookkeeping. I think peer-to-peer recruiting is the most effective. In my house, if it looks like "junk mail", I don't even get to see it.

If I was COR, I'd have many questions about the quality of the unit aquatics programs/procedures if anyone less than a BSA Lifeguard is signing off on the BSA Swim Test. John, I am a BSA Lifeguard Counselor and I'm not aware that only BSA Lifeguards can sign off the First Class swimming requirement. Did you just make that up? If you have a BSA Lifeguard in your unit, it's fine that you ask him/her to sign it off...but it's not a requirement that I know of. Of course, if you are doing the swimming requirement as a unit, then all Safe Swim Defense rules should be followed, including "qualified supervision".

Thanks for the update, Eisely. Please thank your son for his service to our country. As a DoD civilian, I know too well that civilians, both civil service and contractors, work side by side in harm's way with our military comrades, and often the only difference is the clothes we wear. I don't begrudge them their medals and other recognition, but there are many more people serving than what is seen on the 6 o'clock news. Their families' fear and anxiety is not any less.

No, Ed that is not the definition of hazing. Go back to the beginning and carefully read the thread again. Merry Kwachrismakah.

When I was an Explorer in the early 70's, the Sea Scouts changed to Sea Explorers. Now they are back to Sea Scouts and Explorers are now Venturers which is not the same as a Venture Patrol, and Explorers are some other group part of Learning for Life that is not part of the BSA, but really is, except that gays and atheists can join because so many of the COs are govt agencies that can't discriminate. And then there's Varsity, which is part of the BSA but is really sports, and was created for the LDS church but is open to all, but I don't know of any non-Mormon units. I'm so confused. Am I still a Scouter?

Just a word to the wise...if your kid is on Myspace.com, take a minute to log on and scope it out. I did this with my niece and her boyfriend, because my sister suspected she was into sex and drugs. Turns out the boyfriend had illegal handguns (visible in the picture) and was engaged in hate and gang activity. Also, a lot of personal and obscene information was posted. You would be amazed at what you can find out about your kids and their friends. If your kids are under 18, you have an obligation to know what they are doing on line.

Beave, just because your state has legally defined a term, doesn't mean the BSA can't have higher standards and a different definition. Most states also define discrimination in legal terms, but the BSA definition is different in many cases. This concept is common...in the Safety and health field, OSHA has defined "hazard" in legal terms, but employers are free to define it in more stringent terms if they feel it is in their best interest, as long as they meet the minimum requirements. Now as an employee, you may think that the more stringent requirement is silly, but you are free to choose a different employer. In addition, as you describe your state law, it sounds like it applies in an educational setting and is probably not relevant outside the school setting. I would venture a guess that in most states, "hazing" is not illegal outside the school setting, however other laws may apply, such as harrassment, libel, slander, assault, battery, child abuse, sexual harrassment, etc.