scoutldr

One of the things I enjoy most about this forum are the philosophical offerings of our friend, Eammon. I think that the experience called "Scouting" can be rendered down to a single thought, which was passed on to us by B-P in his final message to Scouts and Scouters. That is, to strive to leave the world a little better than you found it. The Scout slogan, "Do a Good Turn Daily" is the way we pass this on. Each day when you go to bed, we should ask ourselves, "have I done my daily task". We can't cure World Hunger, nor prevent all crime and delinquency, nor solve all of the political and moral issues that make this country the great melting pot that the forefathers envisioned. But everyone can do something to make their corner of the world a little better. As Scouters, our duty is to pass that ethic on to our children, Scouts, neighbors and co-workers...just a little bit every day.

Green wool jac-shirts were made in the 60's (and maybe before, but I'm not THAT old). Green was for youth and red for Scouters and Explorers. I recently saw a BSA supply catalog from around 1965 and on the cover was a Scout wearing the green jac.

This "mandatory training" thing has got to be a nation-wide thing. Too many Councils thought of it at the same time. Our Executive Board (encouraged by the SE, IMHO), mandated it, complete with the "no training, no renewal of membership registration" rule, and then quickly backed off when they realized it would be shooting themselves in the foot. Many unit leaders objected to the tactic on principle. Compounded by the fact that the training records are ridiculously hosed...SMs with 30 yr tenure show up as "untrained" on the computer. The Council training committee was not consulted first, and there was a minor rebellion. My personal feeling as a trainer was, as Eammon said, that I have family and unit responsibilities, too and I'm not going to do training every night of the week for 2-3 people at a time.

I have heard it explained a little differently...yes, you can "designate" an agency for your donations. But it is decided ahead of time how much an agency will get. For example, if the allocation is decided to be $1,000, and people "designate" amounts of $500. The agency still only gets $1,000, not $1,500. If the amounts designated are $1,100, the agency will get $1,100. Perhaps this policy also varies from region to region.

The law in Va is 40 feet...not nearly enough. I am intrigued by this "early voting" thing. This is the first year I have heard about it. Some polling places are schools, also some fire houses and churches. Not sure how they are chosen. I disagree with using schools if it means the kids have to miss a day of school.

My polling place is the local elementary school. Due to security issues, students get a day off, which I'm sure makes the working parents happy. My pet peeve is the poll workers who line the sidewalk (not to mention taking up parking places), making a voter "run the gantlet" having brochures shoved in one's face. There ought to be a law that all campaign activities must cease at 6 am when the polls open.

Ok, I'm old...I'll admit it. They were for "Denner" and "Asst Denner". I believe in the 70's it was changed to a yellow shoulder cord (two cords for denner and one for asst) that could be easily removed and passed on to the next guy.

Some days I am quite down, and some days I am quite up. I think I'm bipolar. Some days the voices in my head are quiet and some days they are loud. Class dismissed.

The OA pocket ribbon signifies that you were elected to OA and passed your Ordeal. The Lodge flap signifies that you are a member in good standing of your local Lodge. If you fail to pay your dues, you are no longer a member of the lodge and should remove the flap. You may not belong to a lodge (and wear the flap) other than the one serving the Council where you are currently registered. The OA sash may only be worn at OA functions.

What's all this talk about violins in Scouting. I think Scouting would be better off with more violins. Heck, we should allow Homo Sapiens, too!!! They seem to be good people! My daddy taught me to get along with all people, even them Homo Sapiens.

In a nutshell, if the CO, in good faith intends to resurrect a Scout unit in the future, they may retain the property. If not, the charter agreement requires them to offer it up to Council for redistribution as Council sees fit. I think the rationale for that is if the equipment/funds/property was donated or solicited in the name of Scouting, it should remain in the service of Scouting.

"How many packs have a Pack Trainer? There are not many in my council." That's my point. That's akin to a Pack saying "we don't do Pack meetings because we don't have a CM." It's not an option. It's the PT's job to ensure that their Pack leaders get trained...either by getting them to the District training, or by delivering the training at the Unit level. In the COuncil in which I serve, the SE has declared that every new leader will get basic training within 30 days of registration. If that's to happen, every Pack needs a Trainer and they need to get busy. The District training team (me) can't do it all.

We had an incident a few years ago where a Dad was "called out" and showed up for the first night of his Ordeal. His son was also among the Ordeal candidates. Along about bedtime on the first night when he realized what was happening, he declared loudly, "I ain't puttin up with this BS!" and went home. The next day, he showed up as a parent to exercise his right to observe. It was an awkward and embarrassing situation, but in the end, he was allowed to stay.

The Pack Committee operates the Pack, not the CM. The committee needs to start scheduling monthly Pack meetings, and then have them...with or without him. If he doesn't show up, have an Assistant CM run the meeting. One person should not have the power to derail the entire Pack program. Just work around him.

In this city, if I want to use a school for a Scouting function, all I have to do is fill out a form and have it approved by the building Principal, and the Superintendant's office. So far, if the space has not already been claimed by another group, I have had no problem. Schools throughout the city are being used by Packs, Troops, Dens, Training, Roundtables, etc. It's free of charge unless it's on a weekend, then there's a fee for the custodian to be there. In some schools, the cafeteria is a church on Sunday mornings. The taxpayer funded buildings are there for the public's use...including Scouts.

Is it that kids are less well-behaved, or that adults are less interested in exerting control and discipline, lest some kid's self-esteem get bruised? Your basic 8 year old boy has changed little over the years...if allowed to run amuck, they will. If that energy is properly corralled and their hands kept busy with firm and consistent expectations, they will respond. We had an entire Webelos den join our small Troop this year. The same phenomenon is happening...parents bring their sons and then pull up a chair and sit for 90 minutes around the edge of the room. It definitely changes the dynamics of the meeting, however we can't tell them they can't stay. One thing I did was sign them up as Committee Members, and we have BORs almost every week now. Another parent is doing duty as a MB counsellor.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

Most of us have had sexual harassment training at work...this is analogous. An insult is whatever the receiver decides it is. Therefore, the only proper thing to do is to treat others with respect at all times.

That someONE would be the Pack Trainer, formerly known as "Den Leader Coach"...this is a resource that many Districts and Council Training Committees are ignoring, and a lot of Packs still don't recognize. Their role is to deliver the basic training to new leaders in their Packs and then to provide ongoing support. I am experiencing resistance in my own Council...seems like the other Trainers don't want to "let go" of the training and entrust it to people at the unit level. "How can we ensure quality control?"... So, instead we plod along with a 20-30% training rate, but at least we know it's good training. Or at least as good as the syllabus, which I agree is not very good and does not meet the customer's expectations. To pile on the analogies...if I want to learn how to ride a bike, don't bore me with the organization and financial status of the Schwinn Corporation.

Not sure I understand your question, Dan.

Most of this is covered in SM-specific training. If you haven't had it, it should be next on your agenda.

My council has an "Eagle Log"...a register of all the Eagles ... it is open to anyone who cares to look at it...I found my own name listed. Your council may have something similar. What you do with the information is up to you...I would just file it away in the back of my mind and recognize that the person has some problems. You may want to verify all of the names on the plaque...just to be sure you have everyone.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

At least the CVC is planning a new camp, provided their capital campaign is successful. I can't help but wonder how many years it will take...

The one in Irving is by R. Tait Mackenzie, and was presented by the Philadelphia Council when the BSA was located in New Brunswick, NJ. You might try contacting the curator at the National Scouting Museum.

Sorry about that. Try cutting and pasting the whole link into your browser.

Colonial Virginia Council http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/williamsburg/dp-00424sy0oct20,0,4849841.story