scoutldr

Adult leaders are VOLUNTEERS. We don't HAVE to do anything.

Well, with the influx of all the gay and trans youth flooding our ranks, it should balance out. There have been thousands begging to join, right? Is that the sound of violins playing "Nearer My God to Thee", playing in the background?

OK, I will ask the obvious? Why are you doing the Pack Committee Chair's job? As CM, you do not even need to be a signatory on the accounts. As stated above, the CM works the program approved and funded by the Committee. The Committee (and more specifically, Treasurer) figures out the business and financial end of things. Is everyone Trained in their position? If you don't have a functioning Committee, I suggest one gets put into place before you continue with anything.

Bottom line is, the Scout does not get an Eagle Board of Review without your endorsement. You as Unit Leader have to sign your name on the Eagle Application, as does the Unit Committee Chair. Unless he appeals to Council, that is. I would go with my gut. I would be sympathetic and try to get him help and support. But Eagle Scout is now off the radar. He had a chance to repent and go down a different path. He chose not to. His choice, not yours. If you relent and turn a blind eye, you are making a mockery of the Eagle Award and everyone, down to the youngest Tenderfoot, will get a clear message.

https://www.catholicvote.org/external_content/kansas-archdiocese-severs-ties-with-girl-scouts-and-urges-end-to-cookie-sales/

Been a few years since I've been unit scouting, but we (adults) always found plenty of "cheerful service" that needed doing. Most summers, we assisted the aquatics staff since we were qualified in everything except BSA Aquatics School. One year we made major repairs to the dining hall roof. There was one night of the week when all the boys were on "outpost" for Camping or Wilderness Survival and we headed into town for a beer and a pizza. We ARE adults, after all, and should be able to decide how we spend our limited vacation time.

Adulting does not require hashtags.

Your Council has the forms...if approved by Council, they will send it on to National.

Check the box and move on as quickly as possible. That's not "Scout Spirit" in my book. I got mine...see ya.

I was going to post a rant about "when did it become the Adv Chair's responsibility to maintain the boys' records FOR them" and "back in my day (1960s), it was MY job to maintain my blue cards and make sure I had my $$$$ together when it got time to fill out my Eagle paperwork", and "got to stop spoonfeeding them." But I won't bother...got to learn to let it go. Sorry. I think Ankylus and I are on the same page.

You must wear the CSP for the Council you are currently registered in. Any CSP from that Council is acceptable, although wearing it would imply that you were registered in that Council at that time. For example, if I first registered with the council in 2016, I would not wear a CSP that commemorated an event from 2010. But that's just me...

At EBOR, I stress that an Eagle should be interested in "paying it forward" by continuing to be active in his troop, mentoring younger scouts and earning palms. Many of them are knocking on the door of "adulthood" and will be going off to college, so I remind them of Alpha Phi Omega, or encourage to seek out a local unit and offer to help. If you have scouts "Eagle-out" at 15, you're doing it wrong.

One thing to keep in mind, is that the religious awards are not BSA awards. They are awards managed and developed by denominations, some through an organization called P.R.A.Y.. They are intended for the boy to work on with his family and religious leader and not as a Den or Troop activity (since they are denomination-specific). BSA merely allows the awards to be worn on the Scout uniform. And, as has been stated above, as far as I know, the adult awards are nominated by others and not something you can earn on your own...similar to the District Award of Merit and Silver Beaver.

In regards to YPT and co-ed leaders: I think the message we are being sent from Irving is, "if the parents say she is a boy, then she's a boy. Period." No need to change the way you operate your unit. Operate your unit under the premise that you still have a troop of "all boys". Yes, this will be a mess. Waiting for the response from the major religious supporters such as LDS. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/01/31/its-time-for-churches-to-sever-ties-with-boy-scouts.html

Wouldn't the Fair Tax make this a moot discussion?

Well, I got this far thinking "tree stand" had to do with deer hunting.

I had a "break in service" between college and the birth of my first son. I never counted those years. It's my observation that not many wear their stars anyway. It's up to the individual to add up the years and wear the appropriate star. No one has ever "audited" me.

Music or Bugling in one day? Took me years of lessons.

BSA National is funded by corporate donations, product sales (publications, uniforms, etc) and registration fees from individual members. Councils are independent non-profit corporations and are responsible for their own funding, i.e., if United Way contributions dry up, it has no effect on National. Local SE/DE salaries are funded from Council FOS campaigns and popcorn sales and whatever local corporate donors the SE can schmooze. I had assumed the United Way thing had become moot with the BSA change in policy.

Yes, comparing checks with receipts. And some sort of documentation for each debit/credit detailing what it was for. For example, if there is a check written to buy tents, the committee should be able to conclude that tents were actually purchased and are in use. Checks written to individuals should have documentation that the expenditure was approved in advance and what it was for. No one in the unit should be spending/obligating unit funds without prior approval of the committee.

I agree with qwazse...do NOT accept the treasurer job and add your name to the accounts until there is an independent audit. The audit committee should be appointed by the CO/COR and not include any current committee members. Any discrepancies uncovered need to be resolved before the current Treasurer is relieved of duty.

I think this is characteristic of the generation. Not to criticize, just an observation. They have been "spoon fed" everything, at home, at school, and yes, even at Scouts. It's not that they don't WANT to take initiative, they don't know how, because they've never been expected to. I saw it 10 years ago when I was unit scouting, and I think it's even worse now. They wait for direction. When given direction, they willingly react, do just what was suggested, nothing more, nothing less. They think if it's not suggested, it's not up to them to think of it. IT frustrates me at work, because my management style is to tell them what the end point needs to look like, then get out of the way and let them figure out all the intermediate steps. They don't know how to do it without step-by-step direction.

In our camp, everyone is in canvas tents, on wooden platforms. Tents are usually hand-me downs from the last Jamboree. Army-style cots are provided, we provide the bed linens and/or sleeping bags and mosquito netting. Cabins are available for staff members who live there all summer. Meals are mostly communal in a dining hall, but some troops may opt for cooking their own in the campsite. There are one or maybe two troops per campsite. The day starts at around 0800 with flag ceremony and breakfast, then the merit badge "sessions" begin. Younger scouts may be in a "first year" program that concentrates on basic scouting skills of Tenderfoot-First Class. Our camp has an in-ground swimming pool for swimming and boating is done at the riverfront which is maybe a half a Km away. The James River is miles wide at that point with a sandy beach. When I was a young scout, ALL aquatics was done in the river. Doing the Mile Swim against the current was a good feat back then. Evenings have events such as free swim, and free shoot at the rifle range, wide games, scoutmaster competitions, or just hanging out in the campsite. Camp-wide campfires are usually on Sunday evening and Friday evenings. Scouts arrive on Sunday afternoon and depart on Saturday morning. Camp facilities vary widely across the US, depending on how generous the donors have been. Ours is still pretty basic, although in the 80s they added the pool, dining hall, admin building and central showers.

I'm still amazed that your camp provides steak. We got cheap hamburger patties.

So, the lawyer advocates breaking the law while transporting Scouts, as long as everyone else does it too? I'll see how that argument holds up in court.