shortridge

Unless your troop is huge (5+ patrols), why do you need an SPL? Try going without one for a while. Put the PLs at the head of things, where they should be. See how it works.

In my former career as a reporter, I got to hang with the local SAR team on a training day. Coolest experience of the job. I wish I had the time and flexibility to do that. Maybe in a future life ...

Camp isn't camp without Daddy Longlegs in the tents.

There's really no way to prove that someone passed the swim test within a year, short of signoff dates in the handbook. My camp doesn't keep records for any length of time, and swim tags can easily be forged with markers. I think an MBC is entirely within his rights to ask this, especially if it involves Scouts he doesn't know.

What about targeting past members who did the sash 'N' dash? Letters asking them to re-up, maybe for a limited-time discount, might be effective. Link it to a cool outing.

I need to go shopping where y'all live. I have never once seen part of a Scout uniform at a thrift store.

Twocubdad, Do you mind if I ask what your CO is? Refreshing to hear of one that takes such an active role.

Two deep refers to leadership on outings. It is primarily a way of ensuring backup if one leader gets ill, has an accident, has to leave, etc. Two deep does NOT refer to the prohibition on 1-on-1 contact. There is a fundamental but oft-misunderstood difference between the two.

Violations of YP are to be reported to the SE. The G2SS: "Notify your Scout executive of this report, or of any violation of BSAs Youth Protection policies, so that he or she may take appropriate action for the safety of our Scouts, make appropriate notifications, and follow-up with investigating agencies." You can certainly let the COR know, but if they're like 99 percent of CORs, they'll have little idea of what you're talking about. I would find it hard to believe the CC hasn't noticed this stuff already and just turned a blind or ignorant eye. What have your conversations and relationship with he new SM been like on this topic?

All but No. 5 are wrong. 5 is ok - that's the same procedure we have Scouts follow to meet with a MBC. Two- deep leadership is required for all *outings*, and is different from the prohibition on 1-on-1 contact. If they have a buddy, it's fine. This guy's view of YP is seriously messed up. Also, insurance coverage has nothing to do with uniforming. You have an obligation to report. Please make your next phone call be to the SE.

Don't go for any of the commemorative knicknacks and geegaws (read: expensive junk) from the catalog. Consider starting a troop tradition and give something that has meaning for the unit - a hand-carved or woodburnt totem, a small troop flag, a framed map of the favorite summer camp, etc. Or go with the practical - some small, cool piece of outdoor gear that he could use to continue camping while working after high school or in college.

Bart: Someone has to pay to have a patch, banner, commemorative booklet, etc., made. That someone shouldn't be National, or any council. As I've said, if a CO wants to celebrate its history, the CO should pay for it. If you want to pat yourselves on the back, go ahead. No one's stopping you. But don't look to National or your council HQ to organize it. The BSA should not be taking sides and highlighting one CO over another.(This message has been edited by shortridge)

He worked on the last 4 merit badges by himself -- Why is that a problem? You do realize that's how it's supposed to work, right? MBs don't have to be earned in troop meetings. If he was going to the SM first and getting a MBC's name and completing them, that sounds pretty active to me. It also sounds like the SM really missed a great opportunity to have a heart-to-heart SM conference - make that four opportunities. I have to say this sounds really familiar to me. I could have been this Scout. My troop held almost no interest for me after 15 or 16. I was active in Scouting - camp staff, lodge positions in the OA - but my attendance at troop meetings was fairly spotty. I approached my last summer of Eagle eligibility with a few MBs and a project left, and decided not to go for it. Camp staff was of far more interest than building picnic tables at the Little League park. My leaders never seemed to ask why that was. That's an opportunity you have now. Ask this young man what might have kept him engaged. Bigger trips? More leadership? A different SM? Think about your troop program, look at what it offers to boys of all ages, and make adjustments with the PLC as necessary. Work on this for the next fellow in his shoes.

Well, then you guys can pay for those patches. My money shouldn't be going towards it. I would say the same thing to the Methodists or the Elks. If your CO wants a celebration, it should organize it itself. Deal?

Since the Methodists and other groups started in 1910, thus marking their centennial in 2010, and Irving didn't do anything special for them, I would hope that nothing is planned for the LDS Church. As Austinole said, good for the church, but it should plan its own celebration. BSA should definitely NOT be singling out one religious group over another.

I began a new job a few months ago, stepping into project and personnel management after five years as a worker bee. It's my second stint as a manager, so not unfamiliar territory. But after using some mental muscles that hadn't been exercised in a while, I've come to recently realized how many of those muscles were developed in Scouting. >> From my time in the OA, I learned how to work with people much wiser and more experienced than I was, solicit their opinions and gain their wisdom. (And occasionally make decisions that they didn't like and stick to them in the face of opposition.) >> As a lodge service vice-chief, I learned how to plan and execute projects simultaneously, make instant decisions and the importance of having a Plan C, D and E. >> From my time on summer camp staff, I learned the value of good training and teaching and how to hold someone's interest on a boring-but-important topic. >> As a camp area director, I learned the importance of setting the example - doing the grunt work alongside your staff, spending siestas in the area and practicing one's own skills daily. >> I also learned to take care of oneself emotionally and physically. If you're behind on sleep and not eating well, your performance suffers. >> From my time as a patrol leader, I learned how to estimate resources and budget properly. (If you have eight hungry boys, buying 10 hot dogs will create a near-mutiny.) >> I also learned that you can't be everything to everyone. My first SM promised the parents of a Scout with serious developmental disabilities that he would be well taken care of in the troop. When he was placed in my patrol without any guidance given to me, I realized that the SM had grossly overestimated the troop's abilities in an attempt to try to make everyone happy. (I was 11, and the failure was apparent even then.) I cringe every time I hear a suit from Irving talk about "building leadership." I don't think leadership is something that can be easily taught in a conventional educational sense. But there are some practical lessons you do pick up along the way. These are mine. What are yours?

At what point did the leadership say "Hey, why isn't this apparently qualified kid going on our campouts? Maybe we should ask him why the program doesn't interest him." I'm guessing never, given all this angst over this last-minute Eagle stuff. That's a failure of this unit's leadership, and that's where the emphasis should be for the future Scouts. A Scout who doesn't camp isn't a Scout.

Temp insignia pocket.

The ASM, no. PORs are for youth.

Wish he'd been photographed in uniform and in action, not posed in a business suit. First impressions and all that.

... or hold the Court of Honor outside ... on a camping trip ... in a park ... in a back yard ... in a swimming pool ... FMC events (Folding Metal Chairs) are the worst kind for keeping an audience engaged.

For the record, Candid Camera closed Delaware.

Those other Scouters are full of crap. Your son has up to seven and a half years ahead of him. He should be focusing on the rank requirements and maybe doing a MB if it's something he's super interested in. Either way, he needs to explore on his own and you need to take a step back and have a cuppa. Relax. He'll do just fine.

"Be Prepared" covers 99 percent of it. "Ask your Patrol Leader" covers the rest. Nothing special, just think about it a bit and have your son take the lead.

Beavah - How was the tent-in-a-tree accomplished? Just for information's sake, of course.