scoutldr

The rules for fundraising are on the back of the Unit Fund Raising Application which must be approved by your Council prior to any fund raising activity. Wearing of uniforms while selling anything other than BSA approved items (usually just Trails End Popcorn or Scout Show tickets) is prohibited. The excuse I've heard is that if units sell a product that proves faulty or tainted (in the case of food products), BSA doesn't want the liability or to be identified with products that they have not approved.

I may be wrong, but I think all of the signatories on the application just sign whatever is put in front of them, without noticing which of the many available versions it happens to be. At least, that's what I would do. If National wants to change requirements, then they need to make sure the website and publications are kept up to date, and also make sure that Scout Shops quit selling publications when they are superceded and become obsolete.

If you don't expect anything from these older guys, that is what you will get. I tell my guys when they make first class that they are now expected to be teachers, mentors and leaders. Merit Badges are expected to be worked on their own or at Summer Camp. During troop meetings they are teaching and leading.

Well, the National web site still has the 1993 version available for download. If the requirements have changed, how is anyone supposed to know? I was until recently a District Training Chair and no one told me. www/scouting.org/forms

Welcome, Kurt! Grab a cuppa coffee and pull up a log!

I received my Eagle in 1970 and the lapel pin, mother's pin and medal were sans "BSA". Shortly thereafter, (like within months) the BSA was added to the medal, but I can't say if the pins were also changed.

Of the specific memories of my childhood, I distinctly remember the night I came home after being inducted into a Troop from Webelos. My new green uniform was hung on the doorknob where I could see it all night. I was up well past midnight reading my new Boy Scout Handbook (with Norman Rockwell cover). I still have a 6th grade class picture with 3 of us wearing our Scout uniforms to school. We always wore them to school on meeting days. This was 40 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday. Scouting is more than camping and having fun. It's all about creating memories and friendships that last a lifetime.

OGE, perhaps the "Eagle Mills" out there are balanced by the units who never produce an Eagle because they are holding tight to the standards. In my mind, it's not the number of Eagles produced, but the number of Eagles who decide to earn it and then do so on their own, showing initiative, proficiency and determination. I am an Eagle, but my own two sons aged out at Star and Life, respectively. Making Eagle was not their highest priority and I refused to interfere with their decisions by threatening, pleading, reminding, or doing it for them. They both now have their college degrees and are successful young adults...but they did it on their own terms, not mine.

OK, BSA. I just went to the SCOUTSTUFF.ORG web site. If you are serious about wanting my opinion, put a "CONTACT US" link on your web site and start reading our ideas and complaints. Putting a "survey" on the web site, with pre-determined answers (choose only one) is not a very scientific way to conduct a poll. (How about an "all of the above" choice, or an "add additional comments" box?) And if you are really considering adding "yolks" to the shirt, please don't. That yellow stuff is really hard to wash out.

Our troop charges actual costs for both youth and adults, determined on a per-trip basis. No reimbursement for gas or membership registration. Patrols do their own menus and the designated food-buyer (Grubmaster) determines what each scout's share will be. If there is an extra charge for campsite ($1 per night per person to use Council camp), patches ($3), etc, it is added to the food charge. Typical troop campout runs $6-10 for food. More for adults, but we eat well and don't mind paying for it!

If you have a loyal den and 25 more boys waiting to "come back", just call the DE and offer to form a new unit if he can find you a CO. Problem solved. It sounds like the current CO doesn't care whether their Pack folds or not, and that's something you can't win.

Thanks, Torveaux. But, seeing as how I was teaching a SM Specific course, we didn't have our Cub Scout Leader books handy. Since the word "should" is used, I assume it is "guidance" and not "policy". Since a uniform is not "required", if a Patrol all showed up in civilian attire for a uniform inspection, would they win, since there would be no points deducted? Hmmm.

"I like this uniform, I liked the one before it and the one before that. I will like the next one. I will wear it complete because that is how you wear a uniform." Gosh, I DO hope the next uniform is not a thong. "What the book says is that a uniform should not be mixed with civilian clothes. That it is better to wear no uniform than a mixed uniform." I need a chapter and verse for that, please. I made that statement in a SM Specific course once and some grumpy old man challenged me on it. All I could find was "encouraged to wear as complete a uniform as possible". I have a 100% cotton shirt that I bought new from eBay. It looks good as long as it is freshly washed, starched and pressed. Can't wear it right from the dryer, tho. I doesn't seem to be holding it's color as well, either. As for comfort, it is superior.

I have seen "creativity" in chartering units. For example a unit CO (church) is physically located in one district, however, the SM, all of the boys, the COR and IH all live in a different district, so they are registered and participate in that district. I guess the DE wasn't smart enough to figure out there was a unit in his district that he wasn't getting credit for. In this particular council, we have 7 districts within a 50 mile radius, so distance is not an issue. It all depends on how you fill out the paperwork. Think outside the box.

Try this: http://www.scouttroop.org/stl/bsa/58/Firebuilding.html

As a former District Training Chair, we were asked for name suggestions every year, and whatever names we submitted got an invitation. If you are interested, let your District Training Guy know that you are a) interested, b) able to go, and c) what course you want to attend. I don't think there's any limit to how many names can be submitted. Most people who get invited don't or can't accept due to cost or work schedules.

Pipsico Scout Reservation, Tidewater Council $180 ($195 after March 1) (all troops use dining hall) Leaders - 2 free per troop, $50 each additional

Is this an LDS troop by any chance?

Your pack should be scheduling summer activities in quest of the National Summertime Pack Award. Packs who have year-round programs generally have higher retention rates. I have seen Packs who struggle to "get started" again in Sept, and frequently don't get the ball rolling until Oct, Nov or even December, losing boys and leaders in the process.

Ahh, but that's why companies are taking their mfg business overseas. No EPA, No OSHA, no minimum wage laws, no labor unions demanding more benefits. That equates to more profit for the stockholders.

The Troop is owned by the Chartering Organization. They and the Troop Committee decide how to run the troop, ideally through the Patrol Leaders Council. A District Commissioner's job is to recruit and train the Commissioner Corps within the District, which consists of Assistant District Commissioners, Roundtable Commissioners, and Unit Commissioners. A Unit Commissioner is typically assigned 2-4 units which he/she will routinely visit, get to know, and monitor their program. The UC's job is that of a friend and mentor to offer advice on improving the program. Also, a UC can be sent in to trouble-shoot a troop that is not advancing, not participating in District events, etc. All are symptoms of a troop in trouble, and keeping a unit from folding is a #1 priority of the District Committee. In the situation you describe, it sounds like the DC was asked for advice and he gave it. I don't disagree with the advice. In the Troop I serve, we don't inform or involve parents except in the most serious situations. I think the Scouts appreciate the fact that every little infraction is not going to be reported back to the parents, but we deal with it "man to man", so to speak. Of course, I would have no problem calling a parent if the situation warranted it.

The Advancement plan was changed via the "First Class, First Year" emphasis allegedly because a study showed that most drop-outs occurred before a Scout achieved First Class rank. Back in my day, you had to earn Tenderfoot before you could start working on any Second Class requirements. My experience is that Scouts do not make FC any faster than they did in my day. Theoretically, a Webelos can bridge over in February and be First Class by the end of July if they attend Summer Camp. I have not heard how the FCFY emphasis has affected retention rates. It has been my observation that most drop outs occur when a Scout turns 16 and now has competing priorities of cars, girls, sports and jobs.

So, were there any "actionable outcomes" or was it just a gripe session of the obvious.

I agree the demand to remove the ear ring was out of line. Good on the SCout for standing tall for his convictions. Yes, the armed services allow tasteful ear rings, but only for the girls.

Let's see...they are all Boy Scouts, on a Scout outing, playing a game with friends, having fun, using chips with no value that they can't keep anyway. And we are looking real hard for a reason to stop all this. Sheesh. We should probably ban Root Beer, too, just to be safe. Magic and YuGiOh deal with the occult and supernatural, so they have to go. Capture the Flag is a war game - nyet. As to the religious question, whether cards, gambling or food, I don't see it as my role to be the keeper of the Kosher, although I love Kosher food. If a boy has been raised in a Kosher household, it is up to him and his parents to keep the family religious tradition. Of course, if the Scout requests accomodation of his dietary requirements, religious or otherwise, we gladly agree and provide alternatives, but if he voluntarily piles the bacon on his plate, that's between him and his God. I work with a Jewish guy who will meticulously pick the bacon off of his cheeseburger, but will always show up for "all you can eat shrimp" night. I don't begin to try to understand or keep track of how individuals interpret their religious obligations. I know what Leviticus says, but there seem to be a lot of people out there who didn't get the same translation.