scoutldr

Some troops will provide a life membership in NESA...the National Eagle Scout Association.

Online training is a reality! YP training is now up and running at the National web site. It MUST be accessed via a link from a local council web site. At the conclusion of the training, the trainee takes a test, and then his/her information is sent to the council for update of training records. The link in the previous post will get you one council's link. Another is http://www.cvcboyscouts.org and then select "training". If your council doesn't have this capability, start bugging them!

Well, potlatch, IMHO, the positions now known as "direct contact" leaders is the point at which the program gets delivered to the boys. Den Leaders, Scoutmasters, etc. All the rest are just support staff. To paraphrase a current popular commercial: "We don't lead the Scouts...we help the leaders lead better."

Yes, the "rainbow motif" is a symbol of the gay community. So is the purple Teletubby with the triangle antenna...I know that to be true, because the Rev. Falwell said so.

Obesity and alcoholism are diseases with complex etiologies. Genetics play a big role. So I would say people who choose to ABUSE food and alcohol (having a glass of wine (Merlot, not Chablis) with your Whopper is ok...once in awhile), but getting sloppy drunk 3 times a week and eating NOTHING but fries and burgers is a bad role model. I am overweight, as were my parents and grandparents, and there's not much I can do about it...Lord knows I've tried. But I can still do the mile swim at Camp...every morning, while the smokers can't make 1 length. I don't drink because 3 of my uncles were alcoholics and died in their 40s of liver disease. Genetics and disease play NO role in CAUSING people to smoke...role modeling does. They CHOOSE to buy cigarettes (at about the age most of our Scouts are) and inhale carcinogens and expose those around them. It's not LOYAL, COURTEOUS, KIND, THRIFTY, CLEAN, HELPFUL, BRAVE or REVERENT. It's your OWN life, you say? Right...until you become disabled at too young an age and your children have their lives disrupted making sure you get to the Dr, get your medications, wait for what seems like an eternity in the hospital waiting room for the Dr to tell you "it's spread too far and there's nothing else we can do", holding your hand while you retch from your chemo and gasp for air and writhe in pain praying for God to take you soon, standing in a freezing rain at your graveside cursing you and God and R.J. Reynolds. Yep, it's your decision...no one else will be affected. Been there, done that...3 times and about to make it 4. Those who continue to defend their selfish behavior are heartless and cruel and I won't have my scouts around them.

My DE submitted my name to Philmont and I got a formal invitation in the mail...when I looked at the cost (not to mention the cost of flying to NM from the east coast, renting a car to get the rest of the way, and a week of vacation time), the invitation went in the trash. After supporting my Troop, FOS, popcorn, and paying for my own xerox copying for training sessions, I have to draw the line (actually, my wife draws that line for me) at spending another $1000 or more. I know it's considered a "family vacation" for some, but my family's not interested and we don't take vacations anyway. I'm happy that those who can afford it have a wonderful time. Since it's not "required" to punch a ticket for the Council, they will not pay for it, like they will to send someone to National Camp School so they can work at summer camp for 4 weeks, never to be heard from again. Sorry if this sounds negative, but that's the way it is on the other side of the coin. Maybe when my kids are out of college and I have more money than I know what to do with...maybe I'm just having a bad day...

OK, fair question, kwc. Apart from smokers being a questionable role model (the same could be said of those of us with ample girth!) the bottom line is, if you have a scout thats THAT asthmatic, you need to have a serious discussion with the parents to get a mutual understanding of what activities the scout can be involved in, the medications required, likelihood of prompt 911 response to your location, etc. Then let the parents make an informed decision whether that particular activity is one in which their child should participate. It could be that the Troop could forego the campfire if it means that the scout can join in. Thats what reasonable accommodation is all about. ALWAYS have a parental permission slip (specifying what activities are or are not acceptable) for EACH trip with a medical power of attorney to authorize emergency medical treatment. In the case of inhaler medication, the scout should have one on his person at all times (he will usually know when and how to use it) and an adult should have an inhaler and a peak flow meter (with written instructions) as a back-up (they are just kids, after all). And always have a means of communication (cell phone, radios, etc.). Location and access to emergency care will be a big part of the decisionwe have a scout camp that is literally in walking distance to a shopping center.contrast this to the back country at Philmont or the Appalachian Trail. Many people dont realize that a severe asthma attack is a life-threatening situation and sometimes fatal. The mechanism is that the doughnut-shaped muscles which surround the bronchi (airways) spasm and constrict, restricting and sometimes cutting off the air supply. (to get an idea, try running a few laps breathing through a drinking straw) . And asthma cases are increasing among our young people at an alarming ratefor reasons we still dont understand. Asthma triggers can differ with the individual, including smoke, pollen, molds, animal dander, even exercise (most of which you will find in the woods). In an effort to not be different, a kid will probably say as little as possible and try to do things that he probably should not be doing (like sit around the campfire), so that meeting with the parents is vitalget the accommodations ironed out before hand so the scout is not embarrassed in front of his peers. It also wouldnt hurt to have a nurse or Doc come in and do an educational session with at least the leaders and senior scouts, so that they will be able to recognize early signs of respiratory distress and help administer the proper care. Contact your local school nursethey are experts in asthma. SAFE SCOUTING!

At the risk of confusing those in Irving with more facts, the following is from www.heartcenteronline.com: "My mother had coronary atherosclerosis. Was she at greater risk living with a smoker, although she herself did not smoke? Your question revisits one of the most important public health issues in recent years. While it is not feasible in this space to attribute your mother's atherosclerosis to having lived with a smoker, ongoing research continues to show that cigarette smoke is not just a danger to individual smokers, but also to those around them. Indeed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in 1993, classified "environmental tobacco smoke" (ETS) as a cancer-causing (carcinogenic) toxin to humans. It is estimated that 53,000 of the 480,000 smoking-related deaths annually in the U.S. are due to ETS. Studies have also confirmed ETS as a significant factor in increasing the risk for coronary artery disease, including the progression of atherosclerosis. Evidence has shown that ETS exposure increases damage to the cells lining blood vessels and arteries, an event that initiates the process of atherosclerotic plaque. ETS is an even greater threat to nonsmokers already having high blood pressure or high cholesterol. The tobacco industry has put forth great effort (and expense) to downplay, and try to debunk, the science and findings of ETS. Data suggest, however, that adverse cardiovascular health effects due to chronic ETS exposure (in other words, involuntary smoking) are both cumulative and irreversible. " So, let's rewrite the G2SS and make it unequivocal...us adults need protection, too.

Does anyone still do Scout Shows or Scout-O-Rama? Our Council hasn't done one in about 10 or more years. I thought this was an excellent way to display Scouting to the public.

We have laws that prevent adult workers from being exposed to known human carcinogens in the workplace. Yet we allow adults to expose children to carcinogens. Another symptom of what's wrong with society today. Adults who expose children to carcinogenic smoke should be charged with child endangerment. Period. And yes, I'm from Virginia, a state still ruled by the Big Tobacco lobby.

Unfortunately, I have a hard time sorting out what's "policy" versus opinion or hearsay. Where are these "policies" written and how do we get copies of them?

While this forum is an excellent resource for getting advice and venting frustrations, what's with all of the broken links on the NetCompass side of the site? Is there someone who monitors these? There are lots of "teasers" there, but when I click on them, there's nothing, or I get some website that doesn't even relate to the topic. I really appreciate the effort it must take to maintain a site like this...especially for free...but it really is frustrating.

Thanks for being precise, but I actually meant "ranks" as in "among the ranks of the professionals" not as in "military ranks". I was just asking for clarification, as I have come to my own conclusions.

I just taught Youth Protection and NLE yesterday...the policy presented in the videos is clear, "the use of alcohol, tobacco or illegal drugs is not permitted at any Scouting activity", and that "smoking areas must be out of sight of any program area."

I attended our first "University of Scouting" yesterday...in the "Life to Eagle" session, which was otherwise excellent, the instructor suggested that parents should withhold a boy's driver's license until he makes Eagle. One of the hardest things I did as a Scout parent was NOT force my sons to make Eagle...I allowed them to make their own choices and set their own priorities. The result...they both grew up to be fine young men with solid values and problem solving skills. They can cook, wash clothes, make a bed, change their oil, play baseball, survive in the woods, direct a play, play an instrument, have healthy relationships, read and write intelligible English, speak in public, and perform CPR. Were their scouting days for naught because they don't have an Eagle badge in their sock drawer? My younger son, when he was 17 and a Life Scout, said, "you need to make a schedule for me and hold me to some deadlines" (for merit badges and project)...I looked him square in the eye and said, "if that's what it takes for you to make Eagle, then maybe you're not Eagle material." Looking back, I think it hurt his feelings (heaven forbid we should hurt a youth's feelings by letting them have a glimpse of the truth!!!), but he got the message loud and clear that Eagle Scout was not going to be another ticket punch that one gets just for showing up. Before everyone asks, No, he didn't make Eagle...but he chose his OWN path and is living with the results. THAT'S what scouting is all about, in my opinion. When I hear of a young 13 year old Eagle with 50 merit badges, I am not impressed...my heart is filled with sadness that the Movement to which I have dedicated so many years of my life has failed him.

Can anyone explain the difference between the following paid professional positions? Who does the Scout Executive report to? Scout Executive, District Executive, District Director, Field Director. Also, where can I find information on pay scales of these positions?

Man...what an eye-opener this forum is!!!! I never realized there were so many troops/Councils operating in Bizarro world! My advice...find another troop...and council if you can! There is nothing I can see about this troop's operation that upholds the Scout Oath and Law, not to mention those "Rules and Regulations" that no one has seen. My only hope is that with over 400 "active participants" logged on at a given time, some of those lurkers are from the Council/Regional/National level.

Showing my age here...in the 60s, boys were eligible to join at age 8. The ranks were Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Lion, then at age 10, you went to a Webelos den for a year. UNtil then, you stayed in the same den, and worked on achievements and electives at your own pace with your parents. The "Den Mother" just recorded what your parent wrote in your book. At age 11, you graduated to a Scout Troop, regardless of what your peer group was doing, and, as I recall the AOL was automatic as you walked over the bridge. BTW, the term "WeBeLoS" originated from those ranks, Wolf, Bear, Lion, Scout. FF to today, where I see that MOST advancement work (and even religious awards) is done in the den meeting, and if the DL doesn't do it, it doesn't get done. Maybe that's a symptom of today's society, but I would rather see the parents taking a more active role.

Officer SL here. The red jac-shirt is an official piece of the uniform, and patch placement on it is governed by the Insignia guide. To my recollection, the only things authorized are the universal BSA patch that comes with it on the left pocket, the Philmont Bull (which is where the jacket originated) and a SINGLE back patch, such as the OA patch. I see many scouts, as well as scouters with their jac-shirt filled with patches, but this is unauthorized. Some on this forum have said that activity patches may be worn on the MB sash, but I think that is in error.

Please don't teach your scouts to use denatured alcohol or other solvents (flammable ones at that) to clean their hands. In addition to the obvious fire hazard, it can lead to defatting of the skin, resulting in a nasty, cracked dermatitis and infection. Only use hand cleaners designed for that purpose, which also contain moisturizers.

That one went over my head, too.

Just saw an alert go out to the professional safety community...a recent incident occurred where (a nurse, I think) had just used hand sanitizer when a static spark ignited her hands. Sounded at first like an urban legend, but after reading this thread, I don't think so. CDC has just recommended to the health care community that alcohol based hand sanitizers are much more effective than soap and water. We use this stuff almost exclusively now when camping, and I will instruct everyone to make sure their hands are thoroughly dried before getting near fire or spark. There is even talk of the airlines banning the stuff on airplanes, although I don't see it being any more a danger than, say a bottle of aftershave.

You're right, Bob....I'll pull my claws back in. Perhaps my paranoia was working overtime last night. But if the R&R are that important to the operation of the COuncil, I don't buy the story that "we can't find it." THe correct answer should have been, "come in next Monday and we'll have it available for you." THen scramble to get a copy, even if you have to borrow one from the next council or have a replacement FEDEXed from Irving. It may not be relevant or useful, but that's not the point. THere's too much of an attitude among the professionals that "we're running this organization and we'll tell you what you need and when you need it." Since the volunteers are the backbone of this movement, they should be bending over backward to facilitate what we do, not to dictate. And I still think posting on the Internet is a wonderful idea...then you only have one copy to update. How hard can that be?

Absolutely! It used to be that BSA would stock square knots with the appropriate background color to match the uniform...for instance, Eagle knots (R/W/B) could be purchased with a dark green, blue, white or olive green background. It looked much nicer.

"One need not display every achievement and honor accorded." I believe the quote is from B-P himself, referring to Scoutmasters, and I think the rest of it is "lest one appear like a Christmas Tree." I will look for it ...