scoutldr

Pipsico Scout Reservation (Camp Lions, Camp Kiwanis), starting in 1966, Tidewater Council, VA Hidden Valley Scout Reservation (winter camps), Keystone Area Council, PA

eamonn: If the book is out of print, try www.half.com or www.alibris.com. The former deals in used books and the latter deals in rare, OOP, and first editions.

Or the Chicken Dance or the Hokey Pokey! What if the Hokey Pokey IS what it's all about?????

First of all, these are MY opinions and perceptions only, and before someone jumps down my throat again, I do not share these with those that I train...I sincerely hope that I am wrong. But as someone else pointed out...if a die-hard Scout like me has these perceptions, there is something wrong with how WB is being marketed: 1. Wood Badge was for the GOB club (good ole boys) because these were the same people who got the Silver Beavers, District Awards of Merit, Vigil Honor, and now, James E West Fellows. As was pointed out by another poster, most of these people did no unit level scouting and were not what we refer to now as "Direct Contact" volunteers. In my experience, there are two types of Scouters...those who lead Scouts and those who talk about leading scouts. 2. Maybe it was not consciously kept "secret" but there was always an air of mystery surrounding it, not unlike how the OA appears to the uninitiated. This business of having to be "invited" to attend only serves to foster that perception. If you want more people to attend, then cut the crap and just take registrations like any other course. (Same with Philmont Training Center). 3. After almost 40 years in the Movement, all I know about WB, I learned from this forum. There is NO effort at the Council or District level to disseminate information, other than dates and cost. It's clear to me why they are having trouble getting enough registrations to make a course "go"; to ask someone to give up a week of time and almost $200 has to be accompanied by more than just "trust us, it will change your life." 4. Now that I know more about it, I am almost convinced I do not want to make the investment. It sounds like more of the same we get at work..."Seven Habits", "Principle Centered Leadership", Deming, Total Quality Leadership, Blanchard, Peter Senge, Tom Peters, Covey, yada yada yada. Only at work, they pay ME to go. Consultants with "the answer" are a dime a dozen, just like televangelists and diet gurus. A year later, they are out and someone else is "in" with a new "solution." 5. It sounds like the people who put WB21 together are the same ones who designed the latest basic training courses...I think they were also the writers for "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood". To me they are almost painful to sit through the videos with the bad acting. The most insulting thing to an adult learner is to be "talked down to." Another thread asked what we do to alter the course content...I refuse to talk to adult students as if they are scouts and make them do stupid exercises like "build the bridge." Their time is too valuable for meaningless fluff.

"A ship in port is safe...but that's not what ships are for." I think you have to decide where you can do the most good for the most youth. There will you find your answer.

Certified Industrial Hygienist.(you asked!) I work for the U.S. Navy as a senior civilian manager. Industrial Hygiene is the science of recognizing, evaluating and controlling occupational health hazards, including hazardous chemicals, noise, radiation, ergonomics, and now, chemical and biological warfare agents. In another volunteer capacity I serve as a Director on the American Board of Industrial Hygiene. I have worked in shipyards, as an OSHA inspector, and as a College instructor. Been in scouting in the same Council since a Bobcat in 1962.

Who represents Council at these "chats"? The Scout Executive? I have seen the SE exactly twice in 12 years. Once at summer camp about 5 years ago when he came up on Weds night to meet with the unit leaders (he got such an earful, I heard he never did it again!). Camporees? OA Events? Univ of Scouting? Forget it.

"Handkerchief"? What's that?

Thanks for taking the time, dsteele. That was good information, and more in line with what I was looking for. I have no ulterior motives...but now that I am in a District position (among others!), I'm trying to learn and understand the operations and (uggghhh) politics of a Council. I think if more volunteers understood what the professionals have to deal with on a daily basis, we would have better working relationships. But, too often, I get the attitude of "we're the professionals here...you don't need to understand it, you just need to implement it." And to be honest, a few volunteers I know have an attitude of "you're just here to serve the volunteers." The real answer is we are all trying to work together toward a common purpose, albeit in different roles. I perceive a lot of mistrust and misunderstanding between the pros and volunteers and, frankly, I don't understand why. Maybe it's just a quirk of my Council. Another poster recently quoted Steven Covey..."seek first to understand, then to be understood." A lot more honest, nonjudgmental, non-condescending communication can go a long way, both in this forum and in our Councils. Thanks again, dsteele. Your participation in this forum has been very enlightening (not to mention helpful, friendly, courteous, kind and a cheerful service!). I hope you get your dream job!

I didn't say we shouldn't have stretch goals. I only meant that if we don't meet them, it's not always because of our shortcomings and it doesn't help to beat the volunteers harder(as is happening in my area). Indeed, it's very counterproductive. Yes, I increased my pledge this year...but the only response was, "it's not enough, we need to do more."

In some states, if you are a registered Scout leader, you may be a "mandatory reporter"...meaning if you have reason to suspect child abuse and do not report it, you may be guilty of a crime, as well. I think you need legal advice (I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV).....if you cannot afford one, look up "Legal Aid" in the phone book. Be very, very careful about your allegations. State (verbally or in writing) only what you know to be facts through personal knowledge or observation. State only facts (on this date, this is what happened), not opinions, conclusions or moral judgments on your part. Passing on what you have heard from others is considered to be little more than gossip (hearsay) in a court of law and can leave you open to a slander suit. DS had good advice...if your reporting is done to your local government Protective Service agency, your confidentiality will be protected...they will investigate and determine the facts for themselves, and at most, all you will get back from them is that your complaint was "founded" or "unfounded" (meaning they could or could not independently substantiate your perceptions). Is NJScouter out there?

The original post stated that FOS pledges were 20% down this year. When most people I know have lost 40% of their retirement savings in the current Bear market, I would say they are 20% to the good. The glass is half full! Let's keep it in perspective.

Barry, You and I are obviously from the same school of scouting. And big fans of Curly in "City Slickers". As I enter the second half of my life (I hope there's at least half remaining!), I have also adopted that mantra, oft reminding myself of what's really important in life. My latest hobby is collecting old scouting literature and reading about our "roots". Some of my most fascinating reading is that of the words of the Founder himself, B-P. I read a passage about Scout Masters (as they were called then) that suggested that the ONLY badge a SM should wear is the SM badge of office, as that was all that was really required to identify him. Any other adornment of the uniform was thought to be self-serving and therefore of no value to the boys. In another passage, B-P admonished leaders that the uniform should be neat and presentable and that wearing every award to which one was entitled only served to clutter the "look", "lest one appear like a Christmas Tree." I am reminded of a visiting Troop from another council at camp one summer, whose SM proudly wore 7 or 8 rows of square knots and about 6 service stars and WB beads, looking for all the world like General Patton marching his perfectly uniformed troops, down to their socks, to assembly every evening, rather than silently watching his boys lead themselves from the shadows. It was truly impressive, but we silently wondered how much fun and leadership development was happening in that Troop. By the way, the Scout Staff (stave) was considered by B-P to be an integral part of the scout's "kit", along with the full square neckerchief and woggle. It was necessary equipment in order to "Be Prepared". Every part of the uniform down to the sock garters (made of wool thread with which one could repair holes in the socks) had a purpose and was designed to be functional and "hygienic". I'm also a fan of Miss Manners...it is never considered proper to suggest to someone that their appearance does not meet with your approval. As someone who's fought a weight problem for 45 years, I happen to agree.

Actually, from what I remember from Chemistry 101, a liquid is a state of matter that will flow to conform to the shape of its container, and is not compressible. Therefore a gel hand sanitizer is a liquid.

OK, I concede the point on "Troop X only", that is the MBC's choice. My point was, it's getting to the point in my District, that unless a troop goes out and recruits their own MBCs, they're out of luck. And in my opinion, that circumvents the intent of the MB program...that is for the SCout to show initiative, seek out someone in the community that they may not know, introduce himself, get to know them and learn something from them, in addition to learning and practicing necessary skills for living and working in the world. Not to sit in a troop meeting while "Billy's mom" teaches a class to the entire troop. Call me old fashioned, but I think too many of today's parents and leaders miss the point. It's not about badges. Really. It's about preparing them for life.

Have your Pinewood Derby District or Council Championship at the local mall. A neighboring Council has an annual Merit Badge Midway at the mall...booths set up where the scouts can spend the day and come away with 5-6 completed merit badges. All in full view of the public. Until the mid-late 80s, we used to do an annual Scout-O-Rama/Scout Show and sell tickets to the public for $1. Not sure why they were discontinued.

OK, so the simple answer to this is for the CC and DE to sit down with our COR and explain up front what our criteria are for accepting "gifts". No targeted fundraising using immoral, illegal, or "against policy" methods. However, if the CO wants to budget a certain amount out of their annual budget and designate it for Scouts, we won't ask where the money came from. As long as they are not "avowed" BSA fundraisers, it's ok. (Sorry, couldn't resist that.)

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 your registered name in Scoutnet (e.g., "Bill" vs "William"). Our experience so far has been that we get more "no match" names on the printout than we do matches, meaning the DE then has to figure out manually what went wrong. Bottom line is, local Councils have had the information needed to stand up the on-line training since at least Jan 1. If it's not available in your area, you need to shake the tree and get it moved to the front burner. That's what I had to do.

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 infective. There is currently no law that requires disclosure of the HIV status and they are free to attend school and scout camp just like any other child. According to the G2SS: Because of the possibility of exposure to communicable diseases, first-aid kits should include latex or vinyl gloves, plastic goggles or other eye protection, and antiseptic to be used when giving first aid to bleeding victims, as protection against possible exposure. Mouth barrier devices should be available for use with CPR. Protection Considerations for Bloodborne Pathogens Many people are concerned about the rapid spread of HIV (the AIDS virus) and try to avoid exposing themselves to this hazard. Health professionals and amateur first-aiders like those of us in Scouting may find ourselves faced with special concerns in this regard. Therefore, we must know how to act and how to instruct the youth we lead. Try to maintain the BSA's tradition of rendering first aid to those in need. Recognize that often the victims we treat with first aid are friends and family members whose health we are familiar with. Therefore, in such cases, except when we know they have infectious diseases, we should not hesitate to treat them. The Boy Scouts of America Recommends Treat all blood as if it were contaminated with bloodborne viruses. Do not use bare hands to stop bleeding; always use a protective barrier. Always wash exposed skin area with hot water and soap immediately after treating the victim. The following equipment is to be included in all first-aid kits and used when rendering first aid to those in need: Latex or vinyl gloves, to be used when stopping bleeding or dressing wounds A mouth-barrier device for rendering rescue breathing or CPR Plastic goggles or other eye protection to prevent a victim's blood from getting into the rescuer's eyes in the event of serious arterial bleeding Antiseptic, for sterilizing or cleaning exposed skin area, particularly if there is no soap or water available. Individuals (medicine, fire rescue, and law enforcement Venturing crew members; volunteer first-aiders at camporees, Scouting shows, and similar events) who might have been exposed to another's blood and body fluids should know the following: The chartered organization and its leaders should always explain and make clear the possible degree of exposure to blood or body fluids as a result of Scouting activities. As a precaution, adult volunteers or youth members should consider a hepatitis B vaccination. The cost of the shots will not be borne by BSA, nor is the chartered organization required to underwrite the cost. The chartered organization may arrange to have shots given at a reduced rate or free of charge. If vaccination is recommended, any adult volunteers and youth members who decline the shots, either at full cost to them or at a reduced rate, or free, should sign a refusal waiver that should be retained by the council for five years.

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 poem as "Man in the Glass". "The Guy in the Glass" Written in 1934 By Peter "Dale" Wimbrow Sr., 1895-1954

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 exact standards as outlined in the merit badge requirements -- nothing deleted, nothing added -- and make himself or herself available at the time most convenient to the Scouts. Partial completion of merit badges should be credited to a Scout on the Application for Merit Badge and given to the Scoutmaster at the end of the week. There is no time limit for completion of merit badges other than age 18." I'm pretty sure it doesn't happen like this at our camp, either. But, I will pay more attention this year. I seem to remember the Program Directors complaining that they were up until the wee hours Friday night signing all of the blue cards. The way I read the policy, a qualified MB couselor needs to be at each program area, with under 18 youth staff assisting, but not running the show. Maybe someone else is familiar with camp accreditation standards...I don't have access to them.

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!