scoutldr

A few years ago, we invited the local Astronomy club to work with our troop on Astronomy MB. They registered as MBC, as required. At the COH where the badge was awarded, we invited them and also recognized them with a BSA "Thanks" pin and a Certificate of Appreciation. One of the counselors also asked me for a MB that she could sew on her ball cap, but Council wouldn't sell me one without an Advancement report. :-( With a little searching, I found one on eBay. I don't disagree with establishing a knot for registered Scouters who do outstanding MBC service. I would also like to see knots for things of major accomplishment, such as BSA Lifeguard, 50 Miler Award, Historic Trails Award, etc.

What do adults do at your OA chapter meetings? Around here, we frequently have more adults show up than youth. Some are parents of the youth members attending, but most are not. They are the ones with tons of square knots, WB beads, a coffee cup hanging from the belt...you know the type. Mostly, they just sit around the edge of the room and chit-chat with each other, which I find distracting. I think they just come for the socializing. I have suggested to the chapter advisor that, perhaps the adults should have a separate meeting (same time, different room) and discuss "adult stuff", like how they can be of "cheerful service" at an adult level. I tried to use the opportunity to recruit training staff, but with OA meetings and such, they're "way too busy already." I'd be interested in other opinions. My observation is that only about 10% (or less) of our registered membership are actually active (attend meetings and other functions). The rest just enjoy wearing the flap. Is this the norm?

I'm familiar with a "Scout-O-Rama" and a "Scout Show", which my COuncil doesn't do any more... But what's a "Fun Fair"???

I lost both parents in 1995, so here is my experience: Flowers are nice, but they are a lot of money for something that only lasts a couple of days. Most of them are left at the gravesite and are thrown away within 1-2 days. We were inundated with food within 24 hrs, which is nice if you have a lot of out of town guests. Storing it all became an issue and being able to use it before it went bad. But one of the nicest things was someone who waited a week and brought over a full meal...when all of the initial food had been either consumed or thrown away. It came right at the time when we were most exhausted, all the guests had gone home, and the finality of it all was starting to set in. A donation to a church memorial fund or other favorite charity is always appreciated, if they have one.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

If it's any consolation, the same problem existed back in 1967 when I was a Troop Scribe.

Bob said, "Quality unit meetings have zero reliance on council/district action or support." Is it not the job of the District Commissioner Staff to monitor unit program delivery, identify "problems" and help the unit to initiate corrective action?

Some are of the opinion that it is better to keep a struggling, small unit on the books, rather than to strengthen an existing unit by combining resources. When the quest to "make your numbers" takes precedence over quality programs, I have to shake my head in amazement.

What's a Commissioner? At least you have warm bodies. We don't even have that. Even if we had them, I think the Commissioner role is the most misunderstood in all of BSA, except for the Professionals. Most unit leaders I know would look askance at "some muckity-muck from Council telling us how to run our unit." That's their perception, and "perception is reality."

To each District, our council supplied the basic training "box set"...a large box that contained the Training syllabi, posters and video tapes for eact level of training. These materials are NOT available on the internet. They must be purchased or duplicated from existing copies. The current materials are fast becoming dated, so my council will not invest in new ones at this time. The district training chairs are instructed to turn in their receipts for any other expenses, like Kinko's and flip chart (I mean "turn chart") paper. Even council charges me 9 cents a copy to use the Xerox machine. I have turned in receipts once or twice, and had no problem getting reimbursed. Mostly, the receipts go in my wallet and by the time I remember they are there, they are too faded to turn in. I borrow a laptop and LCD projector from work, and pray the bulb doesn't blow while I'm using it ($500 each). Each course should be "budgeted" to determine how much to charge. The Council training committee should do this to set the fee for each training course for the year. Then that amount is charged to each attendee (usually $6-10), which is to cover cost of handouts, refreshments, insurance, "council administrative overhead fee", etc. This year, training is free to any unit who sold popcorn. Additional charges can be made to cover food for overnight events, such as IOLS and WOE. If a unit hosts the training at their location, they are expected to cover expenses and no charge is made by council. Trainers are NOT expected to fund the training budget out of their pockets, although some do voluntarily to some degree.

The soda machines were a big profit center at summer camp, as was the ice cream and candy. Every choice was of the sugar/caffeine variety. Me and my diabetic ASM would have loved a diet coke once in awhile, but it was not to be had.

My name is scoutldr and I'm a drug addict. R/ "Hello, scoutldr." Went on a campout once and one of the other adults said, "I'll bring the coffee." So far so good. Sat morning, he pulls out this green can of decaf. . I excused myself and went to the nearest convenience store before my migraine headache set in. Once it starts, I'm done for the day. I tried quitting cold-turkey once and was incapacitated for 3 days. So far, other than a slight heart arrhythmia, no ill health effects. Dr said, "it's benign and won't kill you, but if you quit caffeine, it will probably go away." Now if you will excuse me, my cup needs refilling...

I take all extremists with a grain of salt. Their rabid zealousness tends to obscure their message, which turns people off. Zeiger makes Sean Hannity sound like a Liberal Democrat.

Eammon, your concerns are all well taken. However, I have seen the same thing happen at District training courses by Scouters who were so old and so entrenched that no one bothered to check on what they were presenting. We have trainers in different districts who've been doing it for 25+ years. What they remember about running a Tiger Cub den meeting, I don't know. Personally, I'm not involved in the Cub program on a daily basis, so I can't keep up with the program changes. That's why I'm looking to enlist Pack Trainers with more recent experience. The reality is, National disagrees with you, and the Pack Trainer position is here, at least for now. Their job description, published in the Cub Leader Manual, says they are to conduct training in their units. The smart District Training Chair and Unit Commissioner would make it a point to "audit" the training being conducted to ensure Quality. How about a "Pack Trainer of the Year" award at the District Dinner?

If I had witnessed an incident of suspected child endangerment, and those in charge did not act, I would have immediately notified the local law enforcement. The immediate concern should be to remove the youth from danger, not whether the Camp Director is following the proscribed script. If the "use of alcohol" did not occur on Scout property (i.e., he showed up to pick up kids after having imbibed somewhere else), then it's a Youth Protection issue. YP training is required for all camp staff and registered Scouters. The "plan of action" is your council's policy for YP and those reporting requirements should have been followed, if not by the Camp Director, then by whoever witnessed the alleged violation. There are a lot of facts missing here, so it's probably unfair for anyone to comment who wasn't there.

Absolutely. However, onehour gave the impression that he knew the requirements of the G2SS and had concluded that, for whatever reaason, the troop could not meet them. Therefore, the correct answer should be the trip's off, regardless of whether the SPL thinks it's "fair" or not. He stated, "The scoutmasters in the troop feel that we can not meet G2SS requirement for Safety Afloat; as a result, we advise the PLC to choose another activity." He also asked, "Is there any way that we can conduct tubing safely within the G2SS guideline?" THe answer is "yes, by enforcing the rules of Safety Afloat". I would never second guess a leader who thought that an activity could not be conducted safely.

Welcome to the campfire! Are you any relation to Jim? The National policy is stated in Chapter IV of the Guide to Safe Scouting. I presume that violations are handled at the discretion of the Scout Executive in whose council the violation occurred. The Boy Scouts of America prohibits the use of alcoholic beverages and controlled substances at encampments or activities on property owned and/or operated by the Boy Scouts of America, or at any activity involving participation of youth members. Adult leaders should support the attitude that young adults are better off without tobacco and may not allow the use of tobacco products at any BSA activity involving youth participants. All Scouting functions, meetings, and activities should be conducted on a smoke-free basis, with smoking areas located away from all participants.

Is it worth risking your house and future income to get off the "hate list"? G2SS is clear: Tubing is mentioned, but the rules are no different All trip leaders must have Safety Afloat and Safe Swim Defense Training At least one leader must have CPR training All scouts must be Swimmers One BSA Lifeguard is recommended PFDs must be worn by all participants Cub Scouts (which includes Webs) may not go on "running water" and may only participate in approved Council or District activities (This message has been edited by scoutldr)

I rememeber the gas crisis of 1974...lines of cars around the block, you could only buy gas on even-numbered days if your license plate was an even number, a 6 month waiting list to buy a new Honda Accord. At that time, gas reached the outrageous price of about 69 cents a gallon. The only thing that will get people to give up the gasoline habit will be to make it prohibitively expensive. Appealing to their patriotism or environmentalism doesn't work. We're much too selfish for that as a people. I work for a health related organization and we recently requested that the vendor add some "healthy choices" to the snack vending machine. Lo and behold, the "healthy choices" cost $1.25 while the junk food still costs 50-65 cents. Guess what people are buying? "Change will not occur until the pain of remaining the same exceeds the pain of the change."

The reason I suggested splitting the Pack is because he said "we have a HUGE pack". My original pack grew to 150 boys. We had 15 dens and 4 Webelos dens. It took 2 hours to give out all of the arrow points and badges at a pack meeting and we had no time for songs, skits, or anything else. The Pack meetings became tedious and no fun for anyone. Yes, you will need to do some preparation, and it can be done. That's much preferable to the Packs that say "we're full and not accepting new members." BSA recommends 6-8 boys per den. More than that, and you should split it.

The "Pack Trainer" position is a registered position in the Pack. In order to be "TRAINED" and wear the Trained strip, the Trainer Development Conference is required as the position specific training. According to the Cub Scout Leader book, the PT's responsibilities are to keep track of the training records, orient new parents to the Pack, conduct training for new leaders (NLE and Specific), and promote and encourage leaders to attend District and Council training such as Roundtable, University of Scouting, Wood Badge, PowWow, etc. This position replaces the old Den Leader Coach position. The Council in which I serve has recently tried to mandate 100% trained leadership...they have since backed down and have stated that it is a "goal" to have every leader trained...with which I agree. But the only way I am going to be able to achieve that as a District Training Chair is through the Pack Trainer. My plan is to "deputize" them as members of the Training team, after serving an "apprenticeship" and attending TDC.

Correct me if I'm wrong (i don't doubt that you will), but I thought the choice of uniform for Webelos was up to the Pack, not individual boys. Webelos dens will wear either blue or tan, not a mix. Same procedure as a Troop voting on choice of neckerchief, headgear, collar out or folded in, etc. Hence the term "uniform"...

Time to split the Pack! Your DE will love you for forming a new unit. I have done this several times...build it up, split it, build it up again, split again (like cell division for you biologists).

I still think that swimming and lifesaving are essential skills for all scout. Being able to ride a bike is not. Every scout in my troop is a Swimmer by the end of his first summer camp. That's our goal, and we always meet it.

I was one of those fat nerdy kids who would rather sit in his room and read a book than go out and ride bike or play baseball. This year at camp, I was struck that the majority of the kids looked just like I did when I was that age...bellies hanging over their bathing suit, flabby chests and love handles...but now from video games and junk food instead of reading. No wonder there's an epidemic of Type 2 Diabetes among teenagers now. When I joined Scouts, I was transformed. I was still heavier than than the other kids, but I became fitter and managed to earn Swimming, Lifesaving, Marksmanship, Rowing, Canoeing, Three 50 Miler awards, Mile Swim, Red Cross Sr Lifesaving, and Water Safety Instructor. Was "awarded" the Eagle badge at age 16 and BSA Lifeguard and Lifeguard Counselor as a adult. Nobody gave me any slack along the way. You either met the requirements...or not. Don't say it's too hard. I did it. Ya gotta want it. SA is correct, alternative advancement requirements are available, but I think you need a Doctor's certification and Council approval. Being a couch potato won't get it.

Is it any worse than charging me $350 for an FOS CSP and coffee mug? Or charging the public $30 for a tin of popcorn that they can buy for $3.99 at Wal Mart? (But the tin is "collectable"!!) If you have problems with it, then call it what it is...a token gift in appreciation for your donation. As long as it's clearly identified as a fund-raiser, I think it's fine.