SMEagle819

I read this post with interest, and read many intriguing ideas. My council is requiring all new adult applications that are submitted must not only have the YPT certificte with it, but also the training completed for the position the adult is applying for. So, if you have someone who wants to be an ASM, they must have taken and completed IOLS and Fast Start before they even turn the paperwork in. I find it very interesting that these must be complete even before the adult leader is allowed to join, and not have that adult come in, see if they want to do it, before spending the money and

Thanks for all of the responses. Yes, we are trying to change the culture of the troop, so we are having some pains. I will get with the SPL next meeting to discuss the ideas.

Received an angry email from a parent, and am having trouble coming up with a response. The backstory: This past weekend, the troop went camping. We had 13 boys go out Friday night, with 2 more joining us on Saturday afternoon (they went to a merit badge class during the day). On Sunday, parent of one the the scouts that came out Saturday shows up approximately 9 am. They were there to pick up little Jimmy. However, little Jimmy is the QM for the troop, and we were no where near being ready to leave. Also, we thought we would need assistance getting everyone home with the 2 late arri

Here an interesting response to a question I sent to our DC. In our Council newsletter, sent electronically via email, there is a place for each district to have news and announcements. In my district's section, the was an announcment that if you did not pick up your planning packet at a large meeting in June, your UC has it. Considering we lost our last UC due to medical reasons, I haven't seen or heard from one in almost 2 years. The previous UC was good; he would come by almost every month, talking to the adlt leaders, and observing quietly in the back of the meeting hall. I can honestly sa

Here is my "interpretation" (uh-oh, someone interpreting the forms for their own good) of the Tour Plan: 1. Only need 1 registered leader present at all times that has YPT training; this means you could have 1 trained leader, and a few parents who are not registered go on your trip. However, a parent can take YPT and not be registered as well. 2. Only need 1 person on the trip with the Weather training. Looking right at the form, it does not state "registered leader" for this training. Again, a parent who is not registered can take this. 3. Only have to be trained in Safe Swim/S

Thanks, UC. If only it was presented in that manner, meaning that in the training for recharter, and some notes, emails, flyers that come out around recharter time, if it isn't in, your unit will be dropped. I have no problem with getting the paperwork on time, and I have no problem with the people who volunteer extra time when the physical paperwork (the ones with the signatures) are turnedin. The only issue I have is the amount of time it takes to get the "paperwork" back (meaning memebrship cards and hard copy of the charter). BTW, I just checked the Internet Advancement page since I h

Much like 5year, I "check" the status on the Internet Advancement website when I go in there to enter ranks, MBs, etc. It would show those that did not wish to stay involved if the recharter has been processed by the council. What I understand about the process, if you have your paperwork in before the expiration date, the unit is OK, even if the recharter is not "complete" in the system. But, I do get asked every once in a while by the scouts (and some adults) where the new membership cards are.....and yes, many of them promptly go thru the wash!

My council has been using the internet rechartering for approximately 4 years. We turn the paperwork portion in in December; we are lucky to see membership cards and other info by April. I can only imagine it will be longer this year with the YPT requirement added for adults. I get somewhat frustrated when the units are doing most of the work by using the internet recharter; how can it take so long for them to be processed?

I'm with you Abel.... We had a really active one the past couple of years; he would show up at meetings at least once a month, talk about upcoming events, pass on info not picked up at RT, etc. This was the first UC that I considered "a friend of the unit" since taking over as SM in 1997. Before him, we might get a visit once a year, never really knowing who that person was, and that was for Friends of Scouting. This put a bad taste in many of the leaders mouths about only seeing district people when they wanted money. Unfortunately, our very active UC had to step aside due to medica

Saw a report on this morning's new about the GSA cookies. GSA is reducing the types of cookies to 6 kinds this year, all best sellers. The report also stated that the cookie sale is a $700 million profit for the GSA. While I realize this is put on by their national office, does anyone have any idea what the BSA popcorn brings in? I agree that the BSA has priced themselves out of the market with the popcorn. Smaller, cheaper packages would se1l much better than the $15 boxes and $50 tins. We are not participating in the sale due to the expense and headache of paperwork, picking the produc

Well, I just turned in 3 "old" Tour Permits for our trips for the next 3 months, and nothing was said to me that the incorrect form was used. I followed something that was just struck down by the Supreme Court, "DA,DT".....

Part C can be found by following RichardB's link. I'm wondering if National is reworking Part C to make them valid for 3 years (36 months) for those 40 and under, like the old version? I know that parents would appreciate it, as well as the scouters that fall in the 18-40 threshold. However, that doesn't apply to me anymore....

I really like the turn this discussion has taken... Like HICO, I will let my experience speak for my dedication to scouting. I once wanted to take WB when I was younger (early '90s), but did not take the opportunity. Wish I would have taken it back then, being a young adult. Now, with many more years under my belt, and "management training" courses taken thru work, I don't think I would enjoy the WB21. Also, like some of the others, it seems like the course offered in my area is staffed/run by the "good old boy" network (even though I am now "old," but maybe not a good old boy?), with the

Eagle92, Sorry, but I will still have an active registered Eagle Scout sit an an EBOR if he is available and in the "dead zone" range of 18-21. The way I have been doing it is having 3 committee members plus the young adult Eagle, thus creating a full board plus 1. This is why I do not agree with national that young adults can only be registered as ASMs.

Like Eagle92, I also grew up during the '80s, and can recall scouts sitting on BORs. Looking back in my Scout Handbook (yes, I still have it), the "Scoutmaster's Conference" was called "Personal Growth Agreement Conference." Now that I am an SM, I still have older, "higher ranking" scouts sit in on BORs. Not all of the time, but most of the time. It gives the older, more expexperience scout a view from the other side, and lets them interact on a different level with the scouts that are being reviewed. Also, I have had young adult (18 +) Eagle Scouts sit on an EBOR. Actually had one

It was presented at our District Roundtable this past Thursday. I was already aware of it from some other things I had read (can't remember where) and when I was messing around in MyScouting.org for training. I have updated our pin on the map, and like some other posters, many others have not been updated. I like the idea...it even has a function that can tell you how many requests for info you have had about your "pin," and if those requests have been followed up on.

I've been wondering about this ever since my council moved to ScoutNet rechartering...why does it take so long for this to get done when all of the info is already put into the main database for the BSA? My council started this about 5 years ago, and it seems to take much longer to come back than the old pencil and paper method. Don't get me wrong, I like the computerized version better; much cleaner and easier to read than all of the crossouts and adds. I suspect this process to be even longer this year with the YPT requirement for the adults. Even though this can now be done on-line, an

Thought about taking Woodbadge a couple of times. Once was when I was right out of college, and the troop I was working with wanted me to stay around, take Woodbadge, and one day take over for the Scoutmaster who had been there for 20 plus years. Couldn't find a job there, however, and moved back home. Hooked up with the troop I was in as a boy, signed up as an ASM, abnd started going to "general" training classes. Since I was young (and naive) at the time, I was offering to help with any committee out there on the district level. No wife or kids yet, so I had some time. I was never contacted.

Lifetime member of NESA. Per advice from my dad, after I was out of college, and began working, the "automatic" 5 year membership was ending. I asked my dad's advice on joining NESA as a life member. He said: "If you plan on being involved for a long time, or even the rest of you life, join! It will be a benefit to you in the future." So I did, about 20 years ago. My local council does not have an active chapter. They tried to start a homegrown one, but it seems to have fizzled. Would love to see it more active, more than just a quarterly magazine. Do agree with most; needs someone

I agree wholeheartedly. So, what happens if we miss the recharted date? Or, don't have everyone trained in YP before recharter? Troop, pack or crew does not get rechartered, and numbers decrease... oops wrong post. End the end, it is us, the "end user" who suffers from missed deadlines by National, and if we miss one, again, we suffer.

TwoCubDad, been there, done that with the recruiting night. However, your group did better than ours; we had not one boy show up. We have had luck with the word of mouth. Gained a couple of middle scholl aged boys via friends already in the troop. Also have had transfers from other troops to ours because we were a "better fit." One thing that may work with the middle school was a lunchtime sign up. The DE (at that time) set it up for our troop to go in and try to recruit. We had about 20 boys express interest, and 4 came to a meeting and joined. One of them went on to earn his Eagl

We do not scale back for the summer. We continue the weekly meetings, and do summer camp early, and some trips in July and August. We take the week off after summer camp (since we've been together for a week, you do need a break from each other). We understand that people take vacations and such during the summer. However, we give the scouts opportunities during the summertime meetings that you don't get other times during the year: swimming at the local pool, fishing, going to a baseball game, etc. Depending on what the PLC wants to do, we may do a day hike around the city, as the council off

Yes, we have lots of ribbons...so many, that it snapped our troop flag pole at the junction point where one can take the pole apart for travelling purposes. What we have come up with is putting them on our "award" wall in our scout cabin. The boys like looking though them to see who can find the oldest one (we are a 77 year old troop...have some oldies in there). The QM asked for volunteers to take some home and iron them (some had become wrinkled and/or crushed looking after being stored after the flagpole incident). Many of the readily agrred, and have had them ironed and brought them b

This has been an issue my troop has dealt with in the past. We have recruited, sponsored the Weblos den at a camporee, held the crossover ceremony, and even designed and made their Arrow of Light plaques,. Somehow, one of the parents convinced all of the other parents (please note I'm using the word parents, not boys) to go to another troop. Our SPL at the time went to the next CS Committee Meeting to find out what happened. He had a list of questions, and not one person could even look this young man in the eye and give an answer. Later on, I heard the reason the group went elsewhere is that

Great topic. Thanks for sharing.