shemgren

41

I have been involved in Boy Scouting since 1970. I like to think I still think like a 10 year old.

Cub Scouts: AOL

Scouts: Eagle with Bronze Palm

Currently I am:

Assistant District Commissioner

Charter Organization Representative

District Family FOS Chair

Trainer

I used to be a Beaver...

NC266

Troop 91 in Zimmerman, MN lost an Scout over weekend in a tragic accident. The committee is putting him in for the Spirit of the Eagle award.

I would like to ask the forum on the way this should be presented to the family. A moving ceremony would be appropriate, but does anyone any ideas of what should be included?

Thank for your input.

Scott Hemgren

The reference in the Cub Scout Program to Akela is on it's basis in the "Jungle Book" by Rudland Kippling. Akela was the the chief wolf of the pack that Mogli was made a part of.

"The Cub Scout follows Akela" from the Law of the Pack refers to any authority figure in the Cub Scout's life, Den Leader, parents, teachers, police officers, etc.

The only exception to fund raising in conjuction with the Eagle Leadership Project is to raise funds for the materials for the project itself. One of Scouts in my troop did a dinner to raise funds for his project and raised about half the materials cost that way.

Scott

I usually give the new Eagle a framed copy of the Eagle Scout Promise, that I run off my computer onto parchment paper I get at my local office supply store. If the Eagle hasn't got his membership in NESA, I will usually pay for that, since someone did this for me when I got my Eagle in 1980.

Scott

"It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"(finally on DVD) or it's modern knockoff, "Rat Race"

"What about Bob?"

"All of Me"

"Funny Farm"

I love Mel Brooks, Monte Python, John Candy, Robin Williams(This message has been edited by shemgren)

i've got the campfire lit. ANyone care to join me?

I have the campfire lit. ANy care to chat?

digieagle1

Contact the District Advancement Chair to inform him/her of your conclusions.

If the Eagle Project was completed before approval was granted (in my council, that is written approval), then it may be invaild. The Eagle Board of Review will have to make that decision.

The fact the Dad did work is not important since the Eagle Candidate is suppose to line up the help to get the project done.

The point of the Eagle Scout Leadership Project is to have the Eagle candidate plan, develop and give leadership of a way to solve a real life problem, that benefits the community, a religous institution, school, etc. If the project doesn't meet this defination, it may or may not be approved by the district or by the Eagle BOR at that time. The Eagle BOR may not accept how the project was carried out and the Scout would have to do a new project.

Also, to the issue of the of the Scout himself not really wanting the Eagle, I had such a case in my troop many years ago, and the Scout never even had an Eagle COH.

It is hard to deal with this, since it appears that you have already angered the parent by questioning the project. Remember, the final decision is the Eagle BOR.

I would say that you have burned the bridge to these parents, and any way you try to help at this point would be rejected. The fact that they by-passed you in the project process suggests that the parents knew it was a weak project and you would point this out to Scout and give him guidance on how to improve , making it longer, and for some reason, they didn't want you interferring.

I serve my troop by advising Eagle candidates through the process, including their choice of project. Every boy who hasn't accepted my help, has struggled through the process.

In my experience (including in my own case), 1st Aid is the first MB earned and the Citizenships and Personal Management are left to last, with Communications and Personal Fitness close to last.

I try to inform the Scouts about this trend and to try break this early on to get some of these badges dine eariler.

Some Summer Camps are aware of this trend and are offering some of these badges at camp.

I too am sadened by your loss of the Unit Commissioner.

The role of your deceased Unit Commissioner should be picked up by the Ass't District Commissioner or the District Commissioner until a new commissioner is selected. One of your current leadership should not accept this role, since the UC should have some aloofness to the unit to be effective.

The "Unit Budget Plan", No. 28-426O, shows repeatedly that dues are to be the primary source for funding for the unit. Many units interupt this to charge an annual unit fee to cover basic expenses of the unit: including charter fees, Boys Life, accident insurance, reserve fund, and other basic expenses (badges, literature, goodwill).

"A well rounded unit program requires suppmental income." This is where fundraising comes in.

Den expenses MUST be included in the overall pack budget. A Den Leader SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO COVER THOSE EXPENSES OUT OF POCKET! The dues should cover the den expenses at a bare minimium.

To gather the dues on weekly or regular basis helps the Scouts develop character. When I was a Cub Scout, dues were paid weekly and I was expected to earn the money myself, not just get it from Mom and Dad.

Using the military as a model, they have a uniform that displays the member's acomplishments and a different one for working in the field.

I don't support the idea that one uniform should do all, that why the activity uniform exists as illustrated on page 13 of The Boy Scout Handbook.

There are times and activities the offical BSA uniform simply is not appropriate in any form, and the guidelines of the BSA recognizes this and DOES NOT make the uniform manditory at all times!

The uniform should be worn when the Scouts are in the public eye as long as practical and safety does not prohibit such clothing.

We are as a group are too small to have a seperate working uniform, the cost would as high or higher as the current uniform.

Therefore, we need to use common sense to use the uniform as appropriate, and not use it when it is not.

I believe it is a manufacturer's mark. The one I hold in my hand has a old english style "S" in a square in the back.

Terry Grove wrote a book: "A Comphrehensive Guide to the Eagle Scout Award" as cited in Mark Ray's "The Eagle Court of Honor Book." I don't have Terry Grove's book, but it may have the answer your question. It is available here: http://www.tspa.com/books.shtml

Scott

I had a Scouter present me with an Eagle Scout knot when I turned 18. It was my first knot of many. I treasured the fact that someone recognized my achievement in that way.

Ed, I agree! I serve as Eagle Project Advisor for my troop and any Scout who want to go forword with the Eagle process, I am willing to work with. Some have been more work than others, but that is the difference in boys.

The youngest I have seen is 13, but he was from another troop. The youngest in my troop was 15 1/2 when he started and almost 17 when he finished.

The stats are still on the low side and SHOULD BE or Eagle wouldn't mean what it does. My troop is 30 years old and we have had 11 Eagles in that time, the majority in the last five years with a good program running. Over the years, we had 100's of Scouts go through the troop and 11 Eagles is about the right percentage.

Yes I do, but only for formal occassions, Eagle COH, District Dinner, etc. The rest of the time, I wear the offical ball cap or the CO's ball cap.

I wear my uniform "loaded" with all I am entitled to since I am a trainer and a Commissioner and use my uniform as a tool to show the leaders I work with what is possible. If I didn't have these responsibilities to Scouting, I would keep my uniform simple, Eagle Knot, AOL and Religious knot, OA flap and a temporary patch.

I serve as an ADC for 3 communities, COR for my local troop and pack. I do not UC these units!

Also, the district uses me to troubleshoot units in crisis, as well as training. My council is farily small and rural, requiring those serving at the district level to take several roles to get the job done.

I only recommend the sites, I am not responsible for them.

A couple of sites: www.eaglebook.com in the archives are listings of address. or try http://post369.columbus.oh.us/scouting.d/eagle.d/address.html for a extensive listing.

The guidelines for the Scoutmaster Conference are found in Chapter 10 ot the The Scoutmaster Handbook, no. 33009. The Scoutmaster Conference is discussed, starting on page 120 and includes sample questions for each rank.

A rule oriented guideline is in the Adavancement Committee Policies and Procedures, no.33088D, starting on page 25.

The bottom line is the review process is NOT A RETEST! A Scout is Trustworthy! He has his advancement signed off by other Scouts, Scout Leaders and Merit Badge Counselors, and all these people have tested the Scout and found him passing, or they should have not signed off on the requirement!

The purpose of the review process is to ensure that he has completed all the requirements, to determine the quality of the troop experience, and to encourage the Scout to the next rank. This doesn't include retesting the Scout on all the skills he has learned! Things it does include are examining his handbook for proper signatures, that the troop records are up-to-date, etc.

The Scoutmaster's Conference is designed to:

* Establish trust and understanding between a Scout and the Scoutmaster.

* Reinforce the ideals of Scouting.

* Allow the Scout and Scoutmaster to share ideas and ask questions of one another.

* Set goals and outline steps for achieving them.(This message has been edited by shemgren)

The cuts are decided by the council Cub training committee. I recieved a revised schedule and follow that.

While I train according to the syllabus sections as outlined by the above mention committee, we don't do the bridges in NLE due to budget cuts at the council level, and the smaller groups I normally teach makes it simplier by not having as many questions as in a large group. Larger groups take closer to 4 hours to complete.

Yes, we teach our Webelos leaders in a verison of WOLF delvolped by our council training committee.

Currently, we don't teach NLE as a seperate course, it is incorporated into the indivdual training courses.(This message has been edited by shemgren)