ScoutNut

Since you do not have the time to commit, and can not support the current SM, I think your decision to step down as an ASM is a wise one.

I get asked to contribute to different causes all of the time. Every time I go to church they pass the plate. Schools, public, and private, sell t-shirts, wrapping paper, candy, etc. There are can drives, penny drives, and phone drives. My local Public Broadcasting Network is constantly asking for money. United Way runs massive fundraising drives (and in some companies folks are required to give). Give us your money, cars, clothes, etc. Your decision who/what you give your money to is a very personal one. BSA members, and their families are not required

Tent is warmer - definitely! There is no way you would catch me sleeping in a bunk, in a 3-sided building, in below freezing weather.

>>"why not effective now? Answer, because we need to sell out the old books first">"then we will required all to have a copy of the new book for the next level of advancement."

I agree with doing Readyman. Talk to the EMT's at the firehouse and have them help. The boys have all ready done the standard tour, by having them focus on Readyman you give them something new, informative, and FUN to do this time around. Why wait until next year?

>>"Do you see value in Boys Life? ">"Does your pack make use of Boys Life in their program?">"Does your Pack purchase Boys Life subscriptions for all Scouts when rechartering?"

>>"Hard to drive the pack when your CM doesnt see the need to meet."

In general, the CM deals with the den leaders, and the committee members, to make sure a good BSA program is being delivered. The CM would interact with the unregistered parents at Pack meetings where he/she is the Master of Ceremonies, and at any Pack-wide activities the CM attends. Yes, the CM signs youth applications, but that does not necessarily have to be done in front of the family. Den leaders can (and should) keep track of, and collect forms, payments, applications, etc, from their own den families. There is no reason for families to have to chase down the CM for that.

>>"ScoutNut, please remind all of the parents in my pack I am a den leader and not a CM. I know the chain of command, but my parents apparently do not. Is it my job to explain it to those parents outside my den? Yes, it is in my opinion."

The Cubmaster (CM) is a problem for the Committee Chair (CC), and the Charter Organization Representative (COR) to solve, not you. You, Scoutwolf, are a den leader. That is your registered position, and your main job. Your job is not to second guess why the Cubmaster (CM) is not attending den meetings, or calling every parent whose kid misses a meeting. Your job is to give YOUR DEN the best program YOU can can possibly give them. Your job is to worry about the families in YOUR DEN. Let the other den leaders do the same for their dens. If this happens, then what the CM

If you have a small Pack, and all of the dens meet at the same time/place, I can see the CM attending every meeting, every week. Basically you have weekly Pack meetings that split off into den meetings. We averaged 35-45 boys in our Pack. Dens met when/where it was convenient for the den leaders, and where they fit into the CO's calendar. We had dens meeting at various different days throughout the week. Most met in the meeting room in the Parish school building, during the evening hours. Some dens met at the den leader's home. My Tiger dens met every Saturday morning in the school meetin

Per the BSA Adult Application, second page, under Approval Required - Unit Scouters : "The chartered organization representative is approved by the head of the chartered organization." Since a COR can not approve a COR, he was registered as a MC instead.

Your COR has been trying, unsuccessfully, to get a meeting with your DE for 9 months. How many District Committee meetings have there been in that time? As a member of the District Committee your COR could have attended, and talked to the DE, informally, there. The COR could also have asked for his issue to be put on the committee agenda. Then it could be handled formally. If the "incident" with the District volunteer was serious enough, your COR should have gone to the SE after being blown off by the DE once.

Tiger Elective # 11 - Help collect food, clothing or toys for needy families with your den or pack. Nothing specific for Wolf, or Bear. However parents might fit it in with the Duty to God requirements. Most Scout Shops carry a Scouting For Food patch. Your Pack might consider purchasing a participation patch for those Scouts that worked the event.

With the cost of uniforms, and how fast boys grow, I think they should be trying to as much wear time out of it as possible! That said, we have never had your problem. I think that most of our parents likely feel the same as I do. If I am going to shell out that much $$, you are darn sure going to wear the thing. I have found that if you start them in Tigers, when they are proud of their brand new shiny uniform, with the expectation of wearing it to every meeting/outing, it will carry on to the future years.

Why look for ready made necker slides when you can make your own? Get a stamp of your favorite cow type, and use it on your preferred material to create your own slides. You can get leather shapes online ( http://www.ssww.com/search/?v=leather%20shapes&ac_flag=1 ), a steer head leather stamp ( http://www.bonanza.com/listings/Leatherworking-Stamp-Handle8200-Steer-Stamp8226-Craftool-Co-/40698000 ). Punch a few holes, add some cording, and you have a real nifty slide. If you want to go cheaper still - get a rubber stamp ( http://rubberhedgehog.com/Cattle-Rubber-Stamps.htm ), us

First rule of the Tiger den - Adult Partners MUST sit next to their Tiger. They MUST participate WITH their Tiger. Adults are not allowed to sit in a corner by themselves and simply watch/chat. This is easy for the den leader to do. Get there early, and set the room up with all of the chairs in pairs. Take out any extras completely. As the Tiger Teams come in direct them where to sit. If the adults try to move their chairs into a corner away from the boys, politely tell them no, to go sit next to their Tiger. When you do your opening ceremony do not start until everyone is on th

While a SM does need to know that the Troop's program can be financed, unit finances are not his job to oversee. A SM's job is the Scouts, and their program. Unit finances, and doing all of the behind the scene stuff that supports the unit's program, is the job of the Committee Chair. Any "discussion" with the Treasurer should include the Committee Chair. BTW - Why is the Troop paying for the Scouts summer camp? The Scouts should be paying for their own campouts (summer or otherwise). If the Scout does not have enough in his Scout account to pay for his summer camp then his

>>"He is CM, SM, COR and CC for both and district activities chair...he works full time as well."

My question would be WHY? Obviously the Troop's "general expenses" are pretty expensive. What, exactly, is the Troop paying for? Is the Troop paying for things that should be coming out of the Scout accounts? Since most of the Troop's fundraising dollars goes to the Scouts, most of the Troops expenses should be paid for by the Scouts also. The Scouts should be paying their own way. I suggest that you contact your Committee Chair and have a long talk about budgets, Troop finances, and who is paying for what. Also, just to be clear, the money in the Scout accounts does

Since popcorn is not a "national" fundraiser, there is no one way that councils must handle their sale. Every council handles their own fundraising differently. Not every council uses Trail's End for popcorn, heck, not every council sells popcorn. Our council does not deal with customer checks (and the possibility of bad ones). They require cash, or a unit check, to pay for the unit's popcorn. They are, however, very lenient in their return policy. We can order, and return, all varieties, by the piece, not case. We routinely have units ordering enough for Show/Sell to cover Take Orde

I think finding out from the boys themselves why they do not attend specific activities will help you. As for the high adventure - were the boys ready for the Boundary Waters? Are all of the boys comfortable with their canoeing, and wilderness camping skills? Did you do any prep outings? There are lots of places a lot closer than the Boundary Waters to get your feet wet (so to speak). Try something close to home first. Have your Scouts take a look at the Kickapoo river in Wisconsin. It is great for beginners, and experienced alike. You can do a day on the river and go back to your ca

With your son's school, all funds put in the jars (coin or paper) went to a charity. In your Troop, all money is going into a Scout's pocket. Big difference. At school, I would be more than happy to put $5 in another class's jar knowing that it was going to help a charity as well as lower the points of the other class. In your Troop why should I put my $5 in someone else's Scout account? It doesn't matter a hill of BB's what his points are, I am out $5, and the other Scout is $5 richer.

Checking thru our council calendar for this year it looks like - Cub Scouts - 5 Boy Scouts - 7 Venturing - 3 Misc - 5 OA - 5 The above does not include youth training or summer camps. (This message has been edited by ScoutNut)

Well, since one of the requirements for both 4a, and 4b, is to "discuss your report with your counselor" that is what I would do. Discuss THEIR (not another Scout's) "homework" with each Scout separately (and privately). You might want to start with Scout #1. If Scouts #2-4 comment about Scout #1 "cheating", simply tell them it has been handled, and go on to discuss their work.