scoutldr

Completely agree, KS. Our District list has become almost exclusively counsellors who have a notation, "Troop XXX only". In my opinion, this should not be allowed. MBCs are registered with the District, not in a particular unit. These are the same troops who have a reputation of being Eagle Mills. To paraphrase Martin Luther King, Jr., Scouts will be judged not by the number of badges on their sash, but on the content of their character. There IS a difference.

The training is council-specific only because at the end, you print out the local contacts and phone numbers in your area for reporting purposes. It seems to be up to the Council as to how accomodating they will be to out-of-council participants...some will send you your training completion card in the mail, and others will send you an e-mail saying, "this is for our people only, please contact your local council." Another nice feature is that it will then update your training records in Scoutnet, but only if you are registered in that council and the name you entered exactly matches y

Our course this spring will be $145. We are using the Council camp facilities. Registration this year is down, for some reason and the course may be cancelled for the lack of 2 more people. This was discussed at the last Council Training Committee mtg. It was also speculated that Cub Scouters are staying away from the new WB21 because of the camping-out requirement.

Nobody has mentioned Universal Precautions for Blood Borne Pathogens. I know it's hard to believe, but there are HIV positive children (including scouts) walking among us, who may have contracted the disease by blood transfusion, or through birth by an infected mother, and may appear perfectly healthy. In fact, they themselves may not be aware of their HIV status. Such was the case with a Kindergartener in the school where my wife is the school nurse. Her motto is, "if it's wet and it's not yours, DON'T TOUCH IT!!!" One should always assume that the body fluids they are touching are infec

My Dad gave me a moral compass when I was about 12. He said, "when you want to do something, think about how you would feel about having your Mom read about it on the front page of the paper." That thought has kept me from doing a lot of stupid things over the years. When I use written material, I always like to credit the source...I found this about your poem: "Author Unknown to us until August 2002, when we were directed to the official story which includes copyright information from The American Magazine where this was first published in 1934. We formerly referred to this

Perhaps our Professional brothers can answer the question....what's the point of having advancement policies if Councils are free to do what they want? I agree, Eammonn, this is an abuse of the system, and that Troop should be ashamed. Merit Badge mills drive me nuts. On the other hand, if the ASM is, indeed an expert (and the District Advancement Committee should screen this before approving him/her), and the requirements were met, who are we to judge and assume that there was something amiss?

"Camp merit badge counselors must be qualified (see "Qualifications of Counselors" above). Camp staff members who are qualified in the subject and are younger than age 18 may assist the merit badge counselor with instruction. The merit badge counselor or instructor in a particular subject should be available to both individuals and groups. Because of the need for continued practice in some subjects, it will be necessary to meet candidates at a certain time each day. For other subjects, it may be necessary to meet as a group once or twice during the week." "Each counselor must maintain the

Well, I just reread the link that I posted and answered my own question about summer camp. Every time I go look something up, I learn something new!

It is from the District Ops Manual and "Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures", Cat no 33088B...both are National publications, as far as I know. I was having this same arguement with a friend from another Council. So, I looked it up and found out I was guilty of perpetrating a myth (learned from a District trainer!). http://www.meritbadge.com/bsa/info/policy1.htm

KS's post about the PWD gave me an idea. Why not have a separate competition for the adults?

Right on, Matua. If you force them to choose, you frequently will be disappointed! Some Scouting is better than no Scouting. I see today's youth struggling to juggle all of their parents' expectations, including sports, school, scouts, church, etc. Sometimes, something falls off their plates. I don't criticise or embarrass them. I encourage them to do their best at whatever they choose to do, and they are welcome at any Troop activity at any time...if they have competing priorities for their time, I wish them well and make sure they know they are missed. They usually come back. The onl

PS: I hope this also answers the age-old myth that Scoutmasters can sign off certain MBs, e.g., Camping, Cooking, etc. It just ain't so, unless they are registered as approved counsellors for those MBs. PPS: I wonder of all those youth staff at summer camp are legally signing off MB requirements? HMMMMM.

Qualifications of Counselors Persons serving as merit badge counselors must be registered as a merit badge counselor with the Boy Scouts of America. They must be men and women of good character, age 18 or older, and recognized as having the skills and education in the subjects for which they are to serve as merit badge counselors, as well as having the ability to work with Scoutage boys. Register merit badge counselors by using the basic adult registration form. All merit badge counselors must be approved by the council advancement committee. Merit badge counselors are not required to p

I know for a fact that some organizations (the local public school, for one) conduct raffles, the proceeds from which are then donated to the United Way campaign. I also know for a fact that more than a few UW dollars are extorted from unwilling employees who are threatened, coerced, and otherwise made to feel uncomfortable and "not a team player" if they refuse to donate. I once had a fellow employee who refused to donate based on religious grounds. THe boss then put money in himself under the employee's name, just so he could show "100% participation", and thus meet one of his performance

How does one get hurt with a jackhammer? 1. Permanent, irreversible hearing loss. 2. Raynaud's Syndrome (vibration "white finger" disease) 3. Injuries from handling high pressure air hoses 4. Foot injuries (are you going to buy everyone a pair of $100 steel-toe boots for use on the "project") 5. Eye injuries from flying debris 6. Back injuries because young scouts are not "conditioned" for heavy labor I can just see the lawyers drooling...

I have a 100% cotton shirt I found on Ebay....didn't know it was cotton until it arrived. I like the look and feel, and have been reintroduced to the fine art of ironing, since my wife refuses to touch it!

Welcome, Shirley. And thank you, on behalf of your Troop for taking on such an important position. Whatever you do, don't ask to see the Rules and Regulations of the BSA! Even us good ole' boys don't get to see those!

If BSA considers wearing of the flag "optional", it seems odd that they come already sewn in place on the shirts...they don't do that with any other common insignia, including the world crest, which is not optional, as far as I know. Just curious. Not complaining...the few patches I have to sew on, the better.

If BSA considers wearing of the flag "optional", it seems odd that they come already sewn in place on the shirts...they don't do that with any other common insignia, including the world crest, which is not optional, as far as I know. Just curious. Not complaining...the few patches I have to sew on, the better.

OK, I think I see a basic flaw in the system. In order to meet his/her "critical achievements", the DE MUST delegate the work. It's impossible for one person to do it all (although I've seen some try). Unfortunately, the only people available to delegate work to are the volunteers. As a volunteer, the work is VOLUNTARY, and I can't be held accountable for it in any meaningful way, other than to be persuaded, coerced, or replaced. Therefore, while he can and must delegate responsibility, he cannot delegate accountability...a fatal flaw. So I understand that the DE has to be, first and for

I stand corrected, Barry. The drivers' qualifications are listed on the back of the new Local Tour Permit form. The tour leader must be 21. Drivers must be 18 or 16 if they have 6 months driving experience as a licensed driver, no accidents or moving violations, and permission of the riders'and drivers parents. I learned something tonight. Don't necessarily agree with it, but that's the policy.

At our last Fall Fellowship, we had an "Aluminum Chef" competition among the chapters, modeled after the "Iron Chef" on the Food Channel. The featured ingredient was "Spam" (which they didn't know about ahead of time. What a hoot! They all got identical cooking gear and a propane stove, and got to select other ingredients from a large table (scavenged from the dining hall). Amazingly, there were some real creative "presentations".

Sorry, should have been "their own cars." My English teacher did learn me better.

Just to clarify, KS...scouts with drivers' licenses can drive, but not with other scouts in the car,unless they are over 21 and are listed on the tour permit. Many of my scouts are reaching the "magic age" of 16 and are "meeting us there" in there own cars. We usually load them up with troop gear, too! My question is, when does a scout event end, thus making it legal for a 16 yo to drive another scout? WHat if Johnny says, "my mom says I should just ride home with Steven, who lives next door"?

One suggestion: ask for a parent volunteer to visit the local thrift stores (DAV, Salvation Army, etc) once a week and look for "experienced" uniforms. Get to know the folks there and tell them what you are looking for...when one comes in they can give you a call. Also, tell everyone to watch for uniforms and camping equipment at yard sales. Also, eBay is good, but I'm finding their prices getting a little too high.