Sentinel947

Yup. We had a at least one outing when I was 18-20 that I counted as the second adult. Old enough to go die in war, work , but not old enough to count as an actual adult to supervise a group of teenagers camping with another trained adult. It's no wonder young adults don't continue on in American Scouting very much. There is no critical role they can do when they turn 18. Why stay doing something you aren't needed for?

That sounds fine. I don't think Gifts are typical for completing Wood Badge, but if it's something small I don't think it'd be inappropriate or awkward.

This isn't a clear cut situation, much of it depends on the CO and the Troop leadership and membership. 1,000 a year no strings attached is generous. 1,000 a year to to staff the CO's fundraiser? Maybe still. It's definitely within the CO's rights to ask for assistance and make the financial support contingent on support for their fundraiser. Depending on the troop size, that money covers rechartering and dues. The free rider principle comes into play very strongly here. If it's the same folks running this event every time, and it's mandatory, you're going to have some ticked off fa

Private Investigation firm hired by the Diocese of Covington released their report today. https://www.yahoo.com/news/report-covington-high-school-incident-225252440.html

I think the requirements are achievable in a single meeting, if the Scout has already been taught and kept refreshed on the material previously particularly if they were Webelos. So that's the real question, did the Scouts really demonstrate that they knew the skills to their Scoutmaster or designated leader per the Scout requirements? More than ever, with new leaders coming into the fold to lead these girls Troops, it's more important than ever that new leaders are made to understand the Aims and Methods of Scouting and the proper role of advancement. Many will not, and plenty will unde

They want her to be credited for an Eagle project, and presumably all of her other requirements she "completed" from before girls were eligible for Boy Scouts.

Agreed. She wasn't a member in the program. She didn't complete the requirements. She has that opportunity now, and it should be a fairly easy process for her to use the extension and earn her Eagle. If the BSA caves here, the advancement process will be cheapened even further. How many other 16 or 17 year old youth will want credit for "prior work." Whether she tagged along at Scouting meetings before she could join the Scouts BSA program really isn't relevant. The Scout rank is clear: "All requirements for the Scout rank must be completed as a member of a troop or as a Lone Scout

Glad to hear you're doing better Latin Scot! I hope your recovery will be smooth!

There's hostility on every forum. Towards every conceivable demographic and category. This forum is very civil and polite vs most forums that I've been on. There are a few members that like to stir up hostilities, but thankfully they aren't regular contributors. Now I'm on my soapbox, so feel free to just skip the rest of my post. There has always been In group- out group status in people. The last couple decades have really stirred up "identity politics." This case from DC over the weekend is just the next chapter. The initial report was reported as a cut and dry case of racism, and hara

Great explanation. You don't owe her that explanation, and as others mentioned, it likely will not change anything. Feedback is a two way street and the receiver in this case has shown no signs she's willing to receive that feedback. Again, you do not owe her an explanation, no matter how much she demands one. You don't owe anybody from the troop an explanation unless you like them enough to let them in on it. Do not worry about the Troop dying. Almost no institutions last forever. You made attempts above and beyond to help that troop, and the committee nor the Scoutmaster, or the

Hey all! When I was reading the Feedback for Adult leader thread I was thinking about resources that have helped me learn more about Scouting and grow as an adult volunteer. I'm hoping members of the forum can contribute things they found helpful here so that we create a wiki resource for folks visiting the forum. As I said in that thread, I think the resources for folks to learn more about Scouting are out there, but people may not know where to look for them. Suggested materials (books, videos, podcasts, websites, blogs, ect.) to post: Any official BSA resources you've foun

I'd rather the Districts/Council not have an inquisitorial staff. Rather this shouldn't be something adversarial in nature. It shouldn't be a performance review like at work. Rather, the BSA requires the basics (YPT, SM Specific, IOLS). Those need to be made stronger and more impactful. Beyond that, the leadership of a troop should desire self improvement. The resources are honestly in place in many places. Wood Badge can be part of that. Participating in Round tables if your district has ones that are useful. Participating in forums like these. There a number of wonderful books to read about

This incident strikes close to home, as I live in that area, and I know some folks from Covington Catholic. Not sure I know any of the youth involved. As has been said, there are a lot of different interpretations one can draw from the various video's floating around based on which cut you watch. Most folks are going to sort into whichever camp supports their "tribe." For a lot of folks in my area the original headlines were pretty easy to take at face value, we've had some racially charged incidents across the Northern Kentucky/South Western Ohio region make the news over the last coupl

I'm not sure if you're trying to make my point for me, or rebut. 🤣 Either way. My point is that there are much bigger and more powerful forces at play than just "The Improved Scouting Program Sucked." Which I believe it did hurt Scouting. I don't believe it was a decisive as some folks make it out to be. I could be wrong, and I am generalizing, but it's my understanding that the BSA is less successful in the inner cities as it is in the suburbs and rural areas of America. That's not to say there aren't strong pockets of Scouting in urban areas, or areas where there are significant non-w

The birthrate of American children also nearly halved in that time period. It's difficult to pinpoint how much of the decline was based on the "Improved' Scouting program, and how much of it was demographic destiny.

Male or Female, I'm going to refer to Scouts that are ages 11-17 "Scouts." Just like I have since I became an adult leader. I don't have a problem with referring to it as Scouts BSA if that's what the BSA wants it to be called, but otherwise I plan to refer to the program for 11-17 year olds as "Boy Scouts." If there are girls involved, I'm calling it "Scouts" or "Scouting" or "Scouts BSA." I've effectively "retired" from my Troop, but we're staying all Boys. We have no intention to start a Girls Troop. So for us, it's remaining "Boy Scouts." We'll refer any interested girls to a troop in

It's happened at both of my council's camps in 2016 on the same night. One tent was unoccupied. The other had a Scout in it. His patrol mates jumped into action and got help, and he made it through well, and he can still walk, play sports and is involved in Scouting still. We are very fortunate and grateful. My council has since aggressively targeted dangerous trees that are near campsites for removal, but as @JoeBob stated, that can have some unintended consequences. A buddy of mine sent me a shot of the tree that landed on the unoccupied tent. I've included an article about the Scout t

Especially after Fascist Italy coped all the Imperial Roman Imagery during their regime. Native American imagery was the right move for the OA at it's founding. It was something distinctly American. I think the OA has some bigger challenges facing it than what symbols it uses. @sst3rd summed it up pretty well. I liked the video. I remember hearing something similar, but I can't remember where I heard that story of the first OA ceremony. Good stuff.

Nah. US media will spin it. Positive stories don't get clicks. Only scandal and destruction. The headline will be: "BSA throws expensive international event while declaring bankruptcy to avoid creditors."

I've always heard it as the "12 points" of the "Scout Law." Ymmv.

For Philmont stoves I second @69RoadRunner, I do not recommend jetboils or pocket rocket style stoves that screw onto the top of the canisters. Philmont encourages cooking in one or two large pots. Putting a large pot on top of a canister stove is going to be a tipping hazard. A pocket rocket's arms literally cannot take the reflected heat and weight. Last Philmont trek I went on, we used one of these. https://www.msrgear.com/windpro-ii Other manufacturers make similar models with similar or better performance for less cost. These are more stable, while still getting to use the ispro but

Yikes

The other thing we aren't considering is the boondoggle that is the Summit. This article is a few years old, and predates the loss of the LDS partnership. I can only imagine these numbers are even more grim today. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-boyscouts-finances-specialreport/special-report-a-439-million-camp-adds-to-boy-scouts-money-crunch-idUSBRE96E08B20130715

As a Catholic, I've seen several dioceses declare bankruptcy due to the sex abuse crisis. Victims deserved to be heard and compensated for the failures of leadership to protect them and hold predators accountable for their crimes. For the church, I think of the beautiful old churches closed, sold and demolished. The charities damaged by the declining donations from scandalized Catholics. The elderly Priests and other religious who have spent their lives serving others, and now some diocese struggle to financially care for them. The people who will reject the teachings of Jesus because of the a

I'd consider myself fairly religious. I guess you could consider it a prayer of sorts. I do ask God to help me identify what is will is for my life. I appreciate your kind words. I should also thank the many members of this forum. I've learned a great deal of things about Scouting and life from my time here. I will still be dropping in from time to time here, but like my Troop, I'll have less to contribute as I scale back how much time I spend on Scouting.