shortridge

"We thought that if it was being cancelled, that someone would have come around to tell us." Sorry, I'm confused. Didn't you say that the SPL was told the ceremonies were canceled? "When my spl got back to camp, he said that the camporee director said that due to the weather (It was raining very heavily as well as a thunderstorm going on), that the morning flag ceremony and opening ceremonies were being canceled." Yep, there it is. "I told the SPL that we were going to the parade grounds anyway." So the SPL's statement wasn't authoritative enough for you? Did you want

Unfortunately, BSA's policies on Venturing uniforms don't exactly address all the questions and permutations. The key section from the Venturing Leader Manual, pp. 338-9: "The BSA green Venturing shirt is available for wear by Venturers and adult leaders... [shirt and charcoal gray shorts/pants are] the recommended field uniform for Venturers." That seems pretty clear to me. If you're going to wear the shirt, you wear the pants or shorts, too. But the paragraph then winds up with the extremely broad statement: "A uniform, if any, is the choice of the crew." That sentence, c

Most staffers are 15 to 17 year olds that have just learned the topic during staff week. The instructor may get a crash course on the topic and an outline of what to do each day, but that usually happens in the last couple days of the staff week at the same time theyre trying to get a million other things done like skits, songs, and camp preparation. I'm sorry if this was your experience - sounds like a crummy situation for both campers and staffers. Where I've worked, instructors and area directors were selected for their maturity and expertise in the field. We didn't pick someone w

It sounds like your DE doesn't quite understand the issue, or else is just a jerk. This is money that the council wouldn't otherwise get - essentially free cash, right? The DE doesn't have to lift a finger to get it. All you guys want is to divide it so some of the money goes to the pack. A 50-50 split does not sound unreasonable. Try talking to your DE again and make sure he or she understands that the money may not be coming next time if the pack doesn't get a share of it. Don't pitch it as a threat, but just as a collegial, informational thing. $750 may not seem like a lot, but every l

In reference to halikiki's question, Venturers may not wear the Boy Scout shirt: "Male and female Venturers should not wear the Boy Scout tan shirt with green shoulder loops." (p. 338 of the Venturing Leader Manual) So the decision of the crew does have some limits.

From the Muskegon Chronicle, Sept. 28, 2008: Boy Scouts want out of Owasippe land deal Chicago Boy Scouts are trying to get out of a purchase agreement for the Owasippe Scout Reservation that sparked a zoning lawsuit and fears that the pristine property would be turned into residential subdivisions. http://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1222596916279410.xml&coll=8

As a side note, I'm not sure I understand the concern of the troop committee members in this case. rdcrisco, could you clarify? Scouts go off on their own rather frequently to Scouting events where leaders from their unit aren't necessarily present, and the troop committee has no say in those issues either. They include summer camp, as a provisional camper, and national high adventure bases, Philmont and national and world jamborees, all as part of a council contingent.

I think the "some" who have concerns are correct. Putting issues of malfeasance aside (and financial control is a huge worry if it's concentrated in one person), what happens if this individual gets sick? That's a very simple and non-confrontational way to look at it. If only one person has the keys, the accounts, the contacts, the spreadsheets, the databases, the passwords, the forms, the policies and procedures, then your entire unit is dependent on that single person. In my ideal world, the COR would hold no other position in the unit, but represent the point of view of the charte

rdcrisco - I second Tokala - have your SPL contact the lodge or chapter's elections chairman. A trained elections team can visit and explain everything. However, the troop committee should understand that OA membership is not up to them, but up to the Scouts. The committee has zero say in the matter. If the SPL requests a unit election, and the election is conducted properly, then the Scouts are elected. End of story. The adult leadership only has a say in the form of the Scoutmaster, who must approve all eligible candidates before the election. Conceivably, he or she could disq

What no-cook meals have proven to be backpacking trip favorites in your units? I've used tortilla wraps, bagels, peanut butter, jerky, string cheese, fresh fruit on first day, GORP, tuna fish pouches. Any innovative suggestions? Anything your Scouts really like?

What disgusts me with the types of actions some posters have described is that children are put in the untenable situation of keeping their parents' secrets. That's revolting. Kids should never have to lie for mommy and daddy. To put your child in that situation reveals an incredible degree of self-absorption and narcissism. Placing your personal desires ahead of your child's stability and well-being makes you scum in my book. You're an adult, for cripe's sake - act like one! As far as these relationships in Scouting go, an adult leader whose focus is on wooing another adult leader i

"I have an ASM who can only take one scout to campouts with him even though he has seat belts to accomodate two, the reason....he has a pickup with a stick shift and bench seats and there is worry if he bumps a scouts leg when shifting is there going to be an issue." Unless the lone Scout is the ASM's son, wouldn't this violate YP's prohibition on one-on-one contact? Seems more cost-effective these days to put both ASM and Scout into another, larger multipassenger vehicle.

I know I said I was done, but I kept on reading and now am a bit confused. - BW said, in talking about councils' roles in recordkeeping: "They do not have to do this." But training recordkeeping is no longer a district function, right? If the councils don't do it, does it revert back to the individual? That seems to be what's happening here. Individuals still have to provide councils with their information, despite councils having taken over the recordkeeping function. The difference between council and district recordkeeping seems to be that one did not have to doublecheck the distri

Asking price for Avery Hand: $1.4 million. From the ad: The property is in first rate condition and has full camp ammenities; dining hall, activities/craft buildings, staff lodging facilities, bunk house cabins, high ropes course, fishing/recreation pond, open area for sports and team building activities, camp fire sites, woods and trails for hiking and tent camping, archery/rifle range, maintenance buildings and 3 bedroom caretakers house on premises. Full details here: http://tiny.cc/1EP5T

The camp where I worked for several years in the '90s had an "orienteering" kit similar to what you describe, left over from the 1960s or '70s in an old brown envelope with the BSA logo. I haven't seen it sold for a while. Keep in mind that while such a course or kit will teach proper compass use, it doesn't do anything for teaching them proper orienteering skills, such as those now used for Orienteering MB, which focus on map-reading and navigation. Check out www.scoutorienteering.com for more info, and have fun!

An ultralight backpacker named Ray Jardine makes his own pack, tarp-tent and quilt (instead of sleeping bag): www.rayjardine.com/papers/magazines/1998-backpacker/index.htm. I haven't gone for the tarp yet because mosquitoes are heck where I'm from. A collection of DIY plans for a lot of gear can be found here: http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html

Sorry - the system isn't letting me edit the post... That should be "Scoutcraft skills," not Scoutcraft stills. (Though I've known a few people who could probably lash together a gin mill...) John-in-KC - This is entirely in the brainstorming phase right now, but I don't see any major costs other than any "throwback" uniforms or special training for the instructors, and maybe a reprint edition of Scouting for Boys.

The first edition Fieldbook (brown cover) has a picture of the pack. (Alas, it refers readers to Boy's Life for plans.) I've been looking at lots of plans online for DIY ultralight backpacks (no frame, like a slightly oversized daypack), and am very curious how the GBB Pack compares.

I know it was a while back, but I stopped in for a day at the 1989 jamboree as a second-year Webelos - we worked it in as part of a visit to my grandparents. It was an overwhelming experience, in all senses of the word. There was a lot to see, but not much to do. Kind of boring overall unless you liked standing in line. I vividly remember being eager to see Steven Spielberg, who was launching Cinematography MB at the jambo that year. You could barely see the stage for the crowd. It put me off NOAC and other similar big events more or less permanently. I figure I can go on 20-30 campo

In my council, 2010 will mark two significant moments - the obvious centennial of Scouting and the 45th anniversary of one of our council camps. I've thought it would be neat to offer a "throwback"-style summer camp program for older Scouts - going back to some of the original merit badges and rank requirements, old-style Scoutcraft stills to include tracking and trailing, using the original Brownsea patrol names, old-style uniforms, etc. Call it "Century Camp" or something similar. It could also incorporate some of the history of this particular camp. Has anyone out there encountere

Wow. I'd never worked through all the different permutations of the rules. Thanks - I now have a massive headache!

Fantastic! Thanks very much. On a limited budget, I didn't want to go around buying up old books if I wasn't sure it was in there.

The technical term for a bowling-pin hammer is "schmoo," alternatively spelled "shmoo." They are fantastic at hammering in wooden or large metal stakes. Also for adjusting outriggers and 4x4s when setting up platform wall tents at summer camp.

A few points, and then I'm closing my book on this discussion. We can all politely agree to disagree. * The council is clearly the gatekeeper of the data, both input and output. National does not send out letters to individual Scouters about new training requirements - councils do. That makes them the responsible front-line people. It doesn't matter if the database is kept on a National server or a council server. * If councils can drop Scoutnet - as dluders' reply indicates - then councils do have an option in this case. They don't have to use the National system. Councils also have

BW, Spot-checks of data make sense, but what the PD in this case described is something else entirely - double-checking the outputs every time: "We have gotten in the habit of reviewing those reports before we send out mailings like the one you just received. With the volume of names however, it is inevitable that we will miss some of the errors." If you don't trust your system, then scrap it! I can't imagine that a private business would keep a system that consistently screwed up its inventory, fulfillment or payroll records. There would either be too many complaints from insid