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Second Class

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Everything posted by Second Class

  1. Never heard of that sort of thing. This will be a self correcting problem, when the CC, COR, Chartering Organization, and Scoutmaster all find themselves with a troop with no scouts.
  2. Just remember to remind these naysayers about 2 deep, and then REALLY follow it. We've got a great kid (22 yo man) who is doing a great job as ASM . Don't limit yourself.
  3. Great for keeping the sleepwalkers from being cold I suppose.
  4. Eye glass collection formre use was one I saw. Another I saw was entertaining the youngsters of people competing in a charity cook off. He set up a temporary playground, recruited sitters and kids to play with the little ones, and built a temporary fence around the site. Creek clean out to help prevent flooding. That was a tough one. There were mountains of debris lining the street three houses long after that one.
  5. Lisabob nailed it. Scouts get to do some awesome stuff that ,out other kids just dream of. IF your troop does it! So DO it! For the kids! (just had to say that).
  6. Let's see; had a group of Life scouts join because their troop folded, for want of a scoutmaster. Had a boy transfer in from out of state. His parents joined the church in support of the troop. Had a boy transfer in because his mother can't play nice with other adults. Had a boy leave because his dad got upset that his son wasn't the focal point with the other new scouts, Had one leave because he was called out as a bully.
  7. The latter. MAN hours worked, total. Including the scout. This is the reportable total on the Eagle app.
  8. American birth rates are declining. This does have a direct effect on available youth. (This message has been edited by Second class)
  9. We helped members of our CO remove storm debris from their houses; we helped troop members remove debris; we helped their neighbors remove debris from their lots (hundreds of trees down); The Red Cross set a minimum age limit of 18 for volunteers in their areas. (kind of excludes Boy Scouts, heh?) One troop in town set up their large pop ups and cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for the volunteers helping with tree removal.
  10. The minimum number of boys to have a troop is 5. 5 to start a troop, 5 to recharter a troop. Based on this, it doesn't sound like you have received your charter yet. Having the minimum number of adult leaders is not enough. 5 is not enough to even pretend to use the patrol method. Starting a troop is a serious proposition. Are you willing to stay on when your son decides to go varsity football instead of scouts? Is there not another unit you can join? Or do they have problems, too? No one is perfect, and no single unit is perfect , either. Have you thought about t
  11. SP, I hope you are not going through that right now. It is not a good place to be. My unit was formed from the split of a unit which had grown too large, and underlying that was hurt feelings and a poorly run unit with no real committee and an overbearing SM. It was with forgiveness and working hard to be civil, that the leaders got passed it and both units are healthy and strong. And speak at Roundtable!
  12. Yes. My troop, and many others in our area used their mobilization plans and helped during the power outage and cleanup after the terrible tornado outbreak last April, 2011.
  13. A corporate benefactor used to provide the Eagle kits, but alas, no more. The troop picks up that cost, as it does all other rank advancement insignia. That's it. We've had 6 Eagles in one ECOH, we've had a couple of doubles, and in the past few years a lot of single ECOH's. I find that nothing motivates a new scout more than an Eagle Court of Honor.
  14. Just a question ? Why must everything have an abbreviation?
  15. I could not agree more. I think actions of committees are sometimes watered down because they are so large; full of people that don't know the program, don't want to know the program, but are there only to trailblaze for THEIR son. It is for this reason that I have begun suggesting that new parents are not automatically placed on the committee. We log them in as "Scout Parent", and gives us time to train them up, and see if they'll "drink the kool-aid". I've seen units that have a stong SM, and an in name only committee. He's burned out now, from trying to do it all. Having
  16. SP, your situation is well known and appreciated. That said, there are many boys that have the complete uniform and look for excuses not to wear it. I agree with the OP in that those that DO have a uniform should wear it, and wear it with pride.
  17. We formed a band in my troop a couple of years ago, had about 22 players. Did a Chrismas concert. A district band should be doable.
  18. So I will assume that a "one or two wheeled cart" is a wheel barrow. This is silly. By this standard a 12 year old can't pull a red rider wagon. http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2012/05/01/check-the-bsas-tool-use-policy-before-your-next-service-project/ OK for Scouts age 14 and older The guidelines recommend that Scouts be14 or older to use the following during service projects(with proper safety gear): Pickaxe Mattock Post-hole digger Wheel cart (1, 2-, or 4-wheeled) Paint roller with extension pole Screwdriver (electric) Handheld sander (small) Cutting
  19. In Cub scouts, it seems to be the exception rather than the rule about leaders staying after their sons move up. From my experience, and I suspect yours, to, is that leaders track with their sons all the way through, and it is the exception, then, rather than the rule that these leaders stay after their sons leave the program. How many 40+ year tenure Scoutmaster's do you know? That you've heard of? 30? 20? 10? How about 5? I read somewhere that the average tenure for Scoutmaster's was 19 months. I think these are the leaders that give the program continuity. J
  20. In Scoutmaster Conference training and in Board of Review training modules, it talks about the rare instance where a scout should not be advanced. The "no surprises" rule is mentioned, (first time it rears its head), in that if a scout is going to not be advanced, he should have been told in advance that he was not going to advance, to give him time to work on what needs work (attitude, etc.) So, based on the literature, the BOR is perfunctory, but not a rubber stamp. As stated, they serve a valuable purpose in the feedback loop of how the SM and ASM's are guiding the troop leadership.
  21. We have two requirements for running for SPL; First Class, and have attended NYLT. The other requirements, verbal but unwritten, I give before the election. The person running must be WILLING and ABLE to give the time to the task. A WILLING scout that has commitments to a crazy band director isn't ABLE, and needs to excuse himself from the slate that is running. On the other hand, a qualified but uninterested scout is just like the first, except perhaps worse so. Don't let them give speaches. The boys know who they want doing the job. (if it's a real job, that is). Ask
  22. Philmont Leadershup Challenge has a big section on SAR, and it is very valuable, for learning how to STAY FOUND. Good stuff!
  23. This was a mistake on Nationals part, and I told 'em so. The new know is NOT equivalent. The jobs for which the new knot is issued are greatly different. This is really dumbing down the program. And those "devices" are just silly. Just silly. So go to eBay and pay the piper. That is one knot worth wearing.
  24. This reminds me of a trek a few years ago, when the two groups decided to share one gas bottle, because all they were going to do is heat water for dehydrated foods. On the first night, team 2 used the entire bottle of fuel because they "forgot" to use instant rice. The storming that resulted was rough, and not soon forgotten. These boys need to rethink this, and a shakedown trip is a good idea. And three methods of water purification is a good idea, too. Youth "assuming" they have access and use of all equipment on a campout is wrong, but pretty common. Maybe the adults a
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