SeattlePioneer

.(This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)

Generous vehicle allowances for District Executives? Some huge districts ought to have a private airplane for DEs to get around in! Interesting question.

Personally, I glued my YPT Training card to a piece of cardstock so it would survive riding around in my wallet. I added my Scout ID number to it for reference. I find it useful to have handy from time to time. I'll be handing out membershuip cards Monday at our Pack Blue and Gold and PackMeeting. I may encourage Cub Scouts and adults to stick their card on some card stock and cut it out as well. The membership cards have the Scout ID number on it, and it might prove to be useful to boys. Alternatively, you could make a certificate to which the membership card could be glued. I have a large supply of three hole plastic sheet protectors certificates can be put in, and I encourage boys to keep such things in a Cub Scout Scrap book. I'm always on the look out for cheap and easy little projects for pack and den meeting.

Still, I wonder what the take from the ECOH FOS presentation was? Those who say the ECOH is all about the boy are wrong, in my opinion. An ECOH is a great way to motivate younger Scouts and their parents to adopt Eagle as a goal. It's a way to showcase the troop to the Cartered organization and the larger community. Politicians may attend with an agenda not much different than the DE with a FOS goal he wants to make. Rather than rule out a FOS solicitation altogether, I'd be more inclined to ask when and under what circumstances might a FOS presentation of some kind be appropriate? Sorry, I'm not a pursit I guess.

I would let 5th graders be troop visitors if they attended the troop spring recruiting night, whenever that was. If they showed up in March, I'd likely go for that, too. Boys that age aren't likely prospect for Cub Scouts, so I'd carry them a few months as needed until they met eligibility requirements. And I'd explain that to boys and parents so they would understand any limitations. If it was November or December, I'd point them towards a pack with a Webelos II program.

Our council rechartering uses the on line rechartering only. Are other councils still using paper as an option? Perhaps that's why we got our charter and membership cards promptly....

Sorry Baden P, I'm not a worshiper of Baden Powel's. He was a pragmatist. When he saw something that needed to be done, he did it. Outdoor Leadership Skill Training is required for SM training, and it contains a good deal of training on safety related issues. Just as an example, the course I took was presented by a very able Scouter who demonstrated the "contact" method of splitting wood. Before that I had sneered at that --- "the way lawyers chop wood." After practicing it I found it pretty practical and a good deal safer than the methods I had commonly used. The outdoor leader skills training is a suitable venue to teach Scouting safety --- in particular because everyone choosing to be "Trained" will be exposed to impiortant aspects of safety training. If you made Wood Badge the venue for such safety training, only a small number would be exposed to it. While the Outdoor Leadership skills trainings is not a comprehensive safety program, it's a good introduction, and a suitable place for such training. When I took Wood Badge in 1985, we lived as a patrol while camping for a week. I don't recall that safety training was an object of the instruction, but it was something people has a chance to learn about "on the job" while camping. So no, I don't think Wood Badge is a suitable venue for such training. Wood Badge has other purposes. The Outdoor Leadership Skills Training IS the suitable venue for that kind of training. Indeed, it aims to perform the function of Baden Powel's original Wood Badge course by training Scout leaders in outdoor skills. The course in our district does that overthree long days if my memory is correct. They do a fine job of doing as much as they can during that time. So I suggest that Baden Powel's original Wood Badge course is replicated in the outdoors skills training course while the Wood Badge course we know and love today has a quite different purpose, which goes above and beyond what Baden Powel planned for his Wood Badge course.

If your district has troops with a reputation for being "Eagle mills," does that reflect itself in the kind of projects that appear for district approval?

Oh, my!

What's up with all the man-boys? http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2011/02/21/whats-up-with-all-the-man-boys-wsj/comment-page-1/#comment-469

Again, splendid program idea, Stosh! This provides a maximum incentive for Scouts themselves to make a weekly dues system work, and a tangible reward when it does! I think you'd be doing your district a favor if you took that program to your Boy Scout Roundtable and made a presentation on it. I'll have to think about that as program for Cub Scouts. I'm afraid Cubs would be likely just to bum a quarter off their parents, defeating part of the idea behind the program, but maybe it would still be worth while....

Acco, > I think this is the right answer. And I think that when Packs are recruiting new Cub Scouts in the spring at schools, the same effort should be made to talk to 5th and 6th grade boys and invite them to join Boy Scouts. In my experience, that DOES pay off! 5th Grade boys recruited in the spring may need to wait a few weeks to formally join at the end of the school year, but by all means recruit them and get themstarted in the program!

I was a VERY modestly competent trumpeter in junior high school. Circa 2004 I bought a BSA bugle and made an effort to become a modestly competent bugler, but I fell short of the mark. I wouldn't have passed myself for the Bugling Merit Badge. However, I did some troop bugling ---- doing my best. That can still add excitement. And I had a bugling competition at Camporee. Each boy in each patrol had a chance to blow my bugle. For most it was their first experience. After each did their best, the patrol selected their best bugler to compete for the best bugling patrol at Camporee. The person they chose could choose any bugling melody to play, Taps being the usual choice. You could discover a few horn players that way, although the bugle was still a challenge even for them. The best buglers became the Camporee buglers for the rest of the event. So even though my skills were below an adequate standard, they still allowed me to make bugling a part of the Scout program in meaningful ways. Sometimes I actually came pretty close to a modest competence too! Darn, maybe I should start practicing again ---- I might get my lip in shape for Camporee in June....

eisely, What kind of quality control and oversight does the district committee commonly need to exercise? Do some units tend to submit project that are too simple and others that are too complex? How do you manage such issues?

Crew 21,

Baden P, > I agree that WB had no impact on accident rates. That's not surprising, since it wasn't a purpose of the course. You really acknowledge that in your next sentence: > If pigs had wings, they would fly! Disputing WB is good fun, but this particular argument makes no sense in my opinion.

We got our charter in right at the end of the year. I got the charter and membership cards back the first week of February.

There might be a tactful way to do that, but a typical FOS presentation doesn't strike me as appropriate. So let me ask what methods MIGHT be appropriate for soliciting contributions? Leaving flyers in the back has been suggested. How about a display board of some kind with brochures in front? Suppose the DE stood in front of the display board prepared to answer questions? Suppose the DE were to invite FOS contributions when socializing with people at the ECOH? Of course the DE should get permission from event leaders before doing any of these things.

Good idea there, Stosh. How much were the dues? I found collecting weekly dues a BIG pain in the neck as a Den Leader, and the parents just paid them anyway. But giving the Scouts incentives to pay and collect the dues as is supposed to happen sounds like a fine idea. (This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)

Good in theory. Not worth the nuisance.

In one recent thread, a Scouter related his experiebce winter camping as a youth. He was in his first effort at a snow cave, which was collapsing around him. At 2 AM his Senior Patrol Leader and Patrol Leader were making the rounds to see how Scouts were doing, and pulled those who were struggling out for hot chocolate and sorting out who needed help and encouragement. Now THERE was a troop with effective boy leadership! I also liked Remember Schiffs comment that ice coated highways might be a suitable reason for cancelling an outing. If you have checked and KNOW that drivers are properly equipped and experienced and READY for demanding winter driving ----fine. But if they aren't, trying to push people into doing something they aren't ready to do is a mistake, in my opinion. Same for Scouts.

You pose your questions in an interesting way. I was a vounteer for several years and deliberately postponed taking Woodbadge. I decided I would wait until I was starting to wear my initial enthusiasm out, using Wood Badge to rekindle that enthusiasm. I'm not sure that was the best decision, but it did work that way for me. Also I consider Wood Badge a luxury. If the time and money you contribute to Scouting are issues for you, I wouldn't do it. The two primary effects of Wood Badge for me were 1) a deeper emotional understanding of Scouiting and the Patrol method. 2) a deeper commitment to Scouting as a life long commitment. I would say it only marginally improved my leadership skills. And I wouldn't let myself be guilted or sold into going. I encourage enthusiastic Scouters to take Wood Badge but I don't do a sales job on them. I don't even mention Wood Badge to people who aren't enthusiastic, committed Scouters ---- not likely to be worth their time is my assessment. (This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)

Camping trips can deal with some bad weather if tents are decent and leaders are skilled and paying attention. When I've done Boy Scout snowshoe hikes, I generally take a tent with me. A tent allows you to end the exposure of people in cold, wet windy or snowy weather. Put several chilled people in a tent and they start to warm each other up. After a while toss a bag of cookies in and a bit later usually usually start hearing boys laughing, playing or singing. On camping trips you not only have tents you have the massive insulation of sleeping bags available too. The things to look out for are people going off on their own, failing to eat, getting lethargic, not getting out of wet clothes and getting out of the weather and so on. And dont be afraid to stop and camp early if need be. Pushing on when you should stop is often a mistake.

Eagle92, I'd like to show up for Wood Badge in a skirt and be prepared to point to your post for anyone raising their eyebrows.... However, should I report people who BAT their eye brows? Some people can be SO stuffy.

We have a Scout troop that has sold tickets to their famous salmon dinner for years. Scouts and Scouters do the cooking, greeting and serving. I believe this usually goes a long way towards sending Scouts to camp. Local individuals and busineses are solicited to donate goods and services, which are auctioned off in a silent auction during the dinner. They do quite well. (This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)