scoutldr

And that is exactly what they are doing! Some Councils are already giving leaders 1 year fom the time they register to get trained or they are not letting their membership renew. While national has said that that this is not their prefered method (they would rather have the leaders learn and follow the program because that is the committment they made), they are not stopping the councils from doing it. My guess is that if some councils can make this work it will becone a national practice. I hope it does. Many CO's have dropped the ball when it comes to selecting good leaders. You cannot lead a program that you do not know and understand. The Council in which I am registered tried this. The Executive Board decreed it without having the courtesy of speaking to the District Training Committees who were expected to make it work. Scouters at all levels were outraged at being dictated to and the idea died a quiet death when they realized that the majority of units would not be rechartered at the end of the year.

I'm no prude, by any means, but the "pie in the face" and "shaved head" things always rub me the wrong way. Let's make our incentives more positive, instead of laced with violence and humiliation. It's hard enough to teach today's young people respect for their elders. The PLC needs to be involved in the Unit Budgeting Plan. It should be explained to the PLC that in order to fund their annual plan, and take care of other expenses such as awards, registration, equipment, etc, X amount of money needs to be raised. Handouts from parents is , or shouldn't be an option. Why should they need more motivation (or money) than that? One of the cornerstones of scouting is that the boys are supposed to pay their own way, not have it handed to them. Make a plan, then work to achieve it.

Not sure what prompted all this. A sign of emotional maturity is being able to disagree without being disagreeable. Sarcasm, arrogance and condescension are never in good taste. None of us has the secret to the "perfect program"...we only have our own opinions and experiences as to what we feel works or doesn't work. For most of us, we learn most effectively by doing and by making mistakes...not by being preached at. The beauty of the Scouting program is that it allows us to make mistakes, Scout and Scouter alike, without fear of being ridiculed or punished. I expect the same from this Forum. The beauty of our Nation is that it is based on the right of everyone to have an opinion and to be able to voice that opinion, right or wrong, as long as we do it lawfully. No one's opinion is more important than anyone else's. If BSA felt as passionately about the program and it's methods as some of the posters here, leaders (and COs)would not have an option...they would get trained and follow the program, or be removed. Maybe BSA realizes that we are just VOLUNTEERS with vaying degrees of commitment and has the wisdom to know that it's better to have SOME scouting, rather than to insist on perfect scouting. I, for one am thankful for what my fellow volunteers are able to contribute, and will not criticize when it's not quite by the book (as long as we stay safe).

Our friend Hugs is even able to teach us some English. I learned a new word: Main Entry: pedagogy Pronunciation: 'pe-d&-"gO-jE also -"g-, esp British -"g-gE Function: noun : the art, science, or profession of teaching; especially : EDUCATION

Fred, next time you get the urge to post one of these, why don't you just go down to the Riverwalk and have a nice relaxing drink...on me.

Parents' night. Don't get me started. Parents' night used to be Weds. Most scouts were fine until Mom and Dad walk into camp. Then they want to go home. A few did...most stayed because they needed to finish their MB work. The worst is when a child is expecting a visit and no one shows up. What kind of excuses does a leader make up to console a sobbing kid, when you have no idea why they "forgot". Now parent's night is Friday. Almost ALL of the scouts went home...after all, the MB work is done, and it's hot and the dog misses me. Why should we hang around? So what if the leaders have to pack all the gear by themselves the next morning? It didn't occur to me until later that they are now not eligible for OA because they didn't stay the last night in camp...oh well.

http://www.geocities.com/~pack215/leadership.html

Keep shoveling...there's bound to be a pony in here somewhere! Why are some Councils suffering? Lack of leadership and bad management. Failure to replace SE's who continue to fail to get results because they are arrogantly ineffective at motivating and working with volunteers. Hire a new SE and give him/her 3 years to achieve goals legally and honorably. If he fails to deliver, replace him and start over. As has been suggested for volunteers, SEs should have finite terms of office, subject to renewal based on performance and results.

I just filled up at Costco ... 2.479 per gallon regular. The Shell station on the corner is at 2.599. I know that is low compared to other places, so I'm not complaining. The lady on the other side of the pump island struck up what I thought would be a friendly conversation, commiserating about the prices. As she got into her Mazda to leave, her parting shot was "of course you guys in your SUVs are just enabling them." Yes, I just bought a 2005 Ford Explorer 4x4 to replace my 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was costing me about 1500 a year in repairs. As I have stated before, I refuse to feel guilty. I have a good job and can afford it. My SUV routinely transports scouts and gear while their parents sit at home and my own sons have aged out. My SUV gets me up the mountain to my in-laws' rustic cabin near the AT. My SUV is safe. My SUV has room for a wheelchair and oxygen tanks to transport my terminally ill Mother in law who just moved in with us. My SUV will safely evacuate her in case of a hurricane and power failures that will threaten her life. My SUV gets around 17-18 mpg around town...probably more than those souped up Honda civics driven by 16 year olds at two speeds...fast and faster, always at full throttle and high noise levels. The gas prices haven't seemed to slow them down...they probably buy their gas with Mom's credit card. So to all of those self-righteous ladies at the gas pump...as soon as all the teenagers get off the road and back on the school bus, I'll trade in my SUV. Then you can get off my back and figure out how to get your own kids to camp, while I sit home in the A/C. Sorry for the rant.

Bonjour, Hugolin. Bienvenue. Your English is magnifique. My experience is that Europeans speak better English than Americans do most of the time. I have a Cuban friend who has been like a brother to me for 30 years. He tells me English is a stupid language and very difficult to learn. I reply to him that at least in English we don't have to remember whether a table is male or female!

I agree...if a scout is 42 inches tall, then 43 inches of water is all that is needed. I think the intent of this requirement is to demonstrate that the scout can initiate forward momentum from a stationary position, without the aid of a dive or running start. Simulates falling overboard or off of a pier. We want to see how the scout handles himself in the water....presence of mind, etc. Deeper water is preferable...but not required.

Could it be that new DE's are being trained "You can't wait for the volunteers to get around to doing things...it needs to be done, and if you want to keep your jobs, you must do it yourself." I see a pattern here.

"Scouting Rounds a Guy Out"...1965 was a rough year for me!

The visual I had is of a bunch of old men (and women!) sitting around the pot bellied stove in the old hardware store. No topic was too good to spark a good argument. And no matter what you say, someone will be happy to argue the other side, with vigor! And most of it is unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

The best practice for any donation of materials is to just describe the donation , e.g., "three used toner cartridges, model XXXX". It's between the donor and the IRS to determine the value of the deduction, and there are strict rules for doing so.

Raffles are considered "games of chance" and are not permitted as unit fundraisers.

This is listed in the Scouter.com directory: Cub Scout Pack 609 Malden, Massachusetts Boston Minuteman Council Web Page Address None on file E-Mail Address BRW098@aol.com Site/Unit Offers Meeting Date/Time Monday's at 6:30 p.m. Meeting Place Lillian Road

I would prefer to see the pocketknife presented at the one-year mark...at the Court of Honor where they receive their First Class badge, and AFTER they have earned their Totin'Chip.

I joined an Explorer Post in 1968. I had been elected to OA as a Boy Scout so I continued my activity in the OA. The other Explorers in the Post had never been Scouts, but they were OA members. My Post Advisor held the Vigil Honor and Silver Beaver. We participated in more OA Lodge events than we did district or council events and had a blast. The Post became co-ed in 1970, when several Senior Girl Scouts joined. Yes, there were relationships and "other activity". Things were never the same.

I don't disagree, Bob. But that's not what it says. It says "troop". I can't help but think that the Bubbas in Irving read the things we argue about and laugh their fool butts off! Does it really matter? Whatever the troop decides to do is fine with me, as long as the boys have ownership of the process and are not dictated by adults.

It says "the Troop decides by a vote"...I read that to mean that all youth members get a vote...not just the PLC.

I had two of the most loving, caring parents one could ask for. They loved me enough to know when to let go and let me grow up and take care of myself. That's a problem I see with today's kids...they are "growing up" at a much later age...if at all.

She was turned into a pillar of Iodine????? Man, I missed that translation!

Myron Floren passed on to that great bandstand in the sky on July 23. It was a day of mourning in my house. Thank you-a boys-a! Adios, au revoir, auf wiedersehen! Good night!

OGE said, "I am not sure about your area, but the Venture Program struggles to establish its own identity and having Ventures in the OA only blurs the line more. Of course dual registered boys can be members, in their troop." So I take this to mean that Arrowmen who join a Venture Crew, but do not maintain dual registration, are no longer members of the OA and should no longer participate?