SMT224

Is it possible to celebrate God on a Sunday and travel too? I do not believe the two are mutually exclusive. As a Catholic sponsored Troop we often attend Mass on Saturday evening, if there is a Church near our camping spot, or get back on Sunday early enough to go to Sunday Mass. But we can also feel Gods grace after completely packing up camp on a Sunday morning and standing quietly in a circle just before heading out. Yes, family and church time on Sunday is important, but joining together as a Troop can be a celebration of God too.

Can peer pressure be positive? Absolutely! When done in a friendly manner,and when the outcome is positive. If it leads to an apathetic Scout to attend an Eagle Project work day or go to an Eagle Court of Honor, then the outcome is positive. The quote cited is accurate but context is critical. There were smiles and laughter all around, and the Scout in the spotlight, who had said he was not sure if he'd be at an upcoming ECOH, grinned and said he actually was alive and would be there. He did attend and later said he was glad he did. But if it's done in a mean way, with anger and intimidation, the outcome may not be positive, even if the Scout attends the activity. I see nothing wrong with SPL and his Leadership Team putting the Scouts on notice that they are expected to attend Troop activities unless they have a very good reason not to be there.

If his buddy can't get him up, it's up to the Patrol Leader. If he's ineffective, the Senior Patrol Leader should step in. If this is still not working, the entire Troop can stand around his tent yelling and shaking the tent. I guarantee this will work. He may not be very happy when he comes out, but he will get up and get going. Some guys are just not morning people, and getting up on a camping trip or at summer can is hard. But if the expectation of the Troop is that Scouts get up when the SPL says it's time to get up, he will learn to get up. Scouts are much more effective than adults. Sorry momma bear, it's not our responsibility! It's their Troop!

A couple boys in our Troop seem to believe that the appropriate place for the waist band of pants is nearly below the butt, with a significant amount of boxers hanging out, and the crotch nearly to their knees! Every time I see these guys I tell them to pull their pants up 'cause no one wants or needs to see their butt. Nevertheless they persist in wearing their pants like this! They can barely walk around. Drives me and the rest of the adults nuts!

Motivation and excitement for Scouting activities has to come from the Scouts themselves. When we have an upcoming activity, the SPL an ASPL ask who will be going. There is lots of cheering and positive exclamation for those attending. Then they focus on those who are not going, asking (in front of everyone), "Why not? Whats so much more important than this activity? Are you dead? Sick? Then why not come?" Some have have very legitimate excuses like family, school, or sports, and express considerable regret that they will not be able to come. Others who are vague or say they don't feel like it get a fair amount of peer pressure to come. It doesn't reach the point of harassment, but puts everyone on notice that they are expected, as members of the Troop, to attend if they can. At the Troop meeting just after the activity, we show pictures of what happened, and those who went talk about how much fun they had and what a great time it was. This will often motivate the undecided or apathetic to go next time. We have about 50%-75% for most activities, with some favorite camping trips and summer camp nearing 100%.

Talking about water, here's an interesting graphic I found this morning which could be construed to show the value of wetlands... http://www.headcasedesign.com/iwater.html And, having no relation whatsoever to the subject at hand, here's a clever graphic (made by the same folks as above) showing what's going on inside a cat... http://www.headcasedesign.com/icatC.html

We have "Dihydrogen Monoxide ONLY" written on all our water containers, and frequently state at Troop meetings that Scouts will be expected to drink plenty of dihydrogen monoxide at the upcoming camping or hiking trip. Always results in confused looks by new parents! ;-) This amazing substance also, and perhaps more accurately, goes by Hydrogen oxide or Hydroxic acid. But I prefer Dihydrogen Monoxide, as it clearly states that there are 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen, so the confused may actually be able to think it through if they knew what H2O is.

Yes! Absolutely! This is a great idea and saves lots of time on Sunday during check in. We have done it for the past two years and will do it again this year. Usually there are 2 or 3 Scouts who miss the pre-camp swim tests we do with the Troop and have to do it at camp. But not having to do the entire Troop gets us to the campsite, unpacked & set up with far less hurry.

codger got it right... "Bullies thrive in an environment where society views the bully and their target as both "victims" of the "system" - because when everyone is responsible, no one is responsible. The number one cause of the spread of bully behavior is that society punishes the target who fights back or stands up to a bully just as much as the bully. "Zero Tolerance" in many cases equals zero responsibility, because the authority figures do not wish to identify an aggressor." When someone who is harassed day after day, or even a witness of such behavior, and then tries to do something about it, is then put into the same category as the harasser, we end up with no action taken at all and the bullying continues. Can you imagine how a kid would feel, if after weeks, months, maybe years of bullying, he finally stands up to the bully, only to be taken down by the authority figures who are supposed to be there to help and protect him? In this perspective on this issue, http://www.fedsmith.com/article/2386/bullied-death-yearold-massachusetts-girl-hangs-herself.html the author wonders why no one stopped the harassing of that 15-Year-Old Massachusetts Girl who hung herself. He notes that, "Almost as disturbing as the incessant bullying was the inaction on the part of South Hadley High School faculty members, staff and administrators. District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel found that many of them were aware of the bullyingauthorities said that Phoebe's mother brought her concerns to at least two of them - and that some even witnessed physical abuse, and did nothing. Ms. Scheibel noted that the school's code of conduct was inconsistently enforced. Though the faculty, staff and administrators' behavior was not deemed criminal, she observed that "the actions, or inactions, of some adults at the school are troublesome." No argument there, except that Ms. Scheibel could have, without fear of contradiction, used significantly harsher language in my opinion. On the day that she killed herself, Phoebe had been harassed as she studied in the library at South Hadley High School, apparently in the presence of a faculty member and several students, none of whom reported it until after the death, according to Ms. Scheibel. I realize that we as a society demand a great deal of teachers, often requiring them to function not just as educators but also as social workers and in a variety of other capacities, but I think student safety is a responsibility they can't ignore. Faculty and staff behavior in a recent school shooting here in the Denver area stands in stark contrast to the inaction on the part of South Hadley school officials. In the Deer Creek Middle School incident, a 32-year-old man shot two students as classes were letting let out on February 23. The carnage would undoubtedly have been far worse but for the actions of David Benke, a math teacher and track coach who tackled the suspected gunman as he was preparing to fire again. Dr. Benke was aided by several faculty/staff members. Despite being widely praised for his heroic actions, he faulted himself for not reacting quickly enough to stop the two students from being shot. In the Denver case, the faculty and staff who took action placed themselves in great personal danger. Their counterparts at South Hadley High School did not appear to be at risk of physical harm had they acted to stop the bullying. While this is pure speculation, I can't imagine that Dr. Benke and his colleagues would have allowed such bullying to occur in their presence. As noted earlier, South Hadley High School officials won't be charged criminally, but I believe they are guilty of gross negligence in the bullying and subsequent death of Phoebe Prince." The author of this article also notes that... "Any hope that the perpetrators would be mortified by the fact that their behavior had caused Phoebe to kill herself was dashed by the posting of taunting comments on her Facebook memorial page." Expecting that a bully will "empathize with the victim and then stop the bullying" is idiotic, yet seems to the be one of the main ways school officials today expect bullying to be stopped. Sometimes this kind of behavior just needs to be stopped cold.

What "vital role" do the easily offended play in our society?

Finally!! Interesting that no where in the descriptive language nor the listed requirements is the 2010 time limitation indicated.

Hi 5scoutmom - Welcome to our campfire. This a group of folks that hail from all kinds of different Scouting groups across our great nation. The thing about Scouting is that while we all work toward very similar goals, how we get there is often very different. In the Troop where I am Scoutmaster, the Committee is very much separated from Troop meetings and camping trips. The Committee works on fund raising and a very 40,000 feet view of the Troop. Except in a Board of Review, Committee members rarely have contact with Scouts It is the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster who work with the Scouts. And even then, we as adults work through the Senior Patrol Leader and Patrol Leaders. This is most evident on camping trips and at summer camp where I work through the SPL for most everything. We're not perfect, but we work hard to implement the Scouting program. The situation you have described sounds like an very thin skinned adult run Troop. I am amazed that the CC was insulted enough by such a comment that the Scout was sent home and now faces not only a discipline hearing but possible suspension as well. Do these guys run a military school for their regular jobs? Unless there is a whole lot more that went on, it sounds like a tempest in a tea pot. My reaction, as with others here at the fire, is to move on to the Venture Crew and leave these folks behind. They seem a bit too high strung for me. However, if indeed he wants to stay with the Troop, then he will have to play the game. Whether or not the CC should have been on the camping trip, and whether or not he should have been insulted, he apparently was. And if so, then an apology is in order. Perhaps the insult was entirely inadvertent on the part of your son, but nevertheless, an insult requires an apology and hopefully discussion on how he can do better next time. Best of luck with the meeting. Please come back and let us know how it went.

CNN Wire Staff, March 30, 2010 -- Nine Massachusetts teenagers have been charged with involvement in a monthslong campaign of bullying that led to the January suicide of a 15-year-old girl, a prosecutor said. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/30/massachusetts.bullying.suicide/ The above story has now hit most US news web sites. It is a very sad story, and it sounds like this girl was targeted by unrelenting bullying. Why the kids did it may never be known, as no doubt the kids themselves, and most certainly the parents, are now in full defense mode. No doubt this incident will spawn more rules and regulations by the well intentioned to prevent something like this from happening ever again. Anything that looks, smells, or tastes like any form of bullying will not be tolerated. But I think it's even more important to teach kids to resist and repel bullying. Despite the most formidable rules, almost everyone will be bullied at some point in their life. Im not sure what this girl could have done, but it sounds like she was really embarrassed and internalized it. I was bullied a couple times in grade school and high school, and it didnt stop until I walked up to the instigator and punched him. Then it stopped cold. This was back in the 60s and 70s, and I realize this is not only discouraged these days, but considered to be as bad as the initial bullying itself. Nevertheless it worked very well for me and I was a skinny little kid walking up to some pretty big guys. Maybe they were just surprised I dont know. But after I stood up to them, I was left alone. In light of this, what are you doing in your Troop to: 1) ensure that bullying (and were talking pranks here as well) does not happen, 2) help Scouts resist bullying. Thanks!

Perhaps this could be the basis of a teachable moment at the PLC or during JLT. In any leadership situation, if the leader is being ignored, there is likely a problem with either the medium or the message. If I were in this situation, I would talk to the PLs about the specifics of the situations where they do not believe they are being listened to, and why they think that. Working this out in a safe situation like the PLC is a good way to develop either a better message or better medium for delivering the message. This is also a good time for a Scoutmasters minute on how a good follower is just as important as a good leader. Specifics in industry, the military, and public service can be cited.

We usually have one ASM hold and help administer the meds of 2-3 Scouts both at summer camp and on weekend camping trips. This works ok, but I like the idea of a standard Troop form for the parent to fill out with med & dose info. kbandit and artjrk, could you post the language from your med permission slips here? I'd like to develop something similar. Thanks!!!

Trying to pigeon-hole this particular act as "hazing" or a "prank" or "practical joke" is irrelevant. It doesn't matter how you categorize it, tricking someone into drinking urine is a disgusting and repulsive act and must be dealt with accordingly. Could you imagine if this happened at your place of work?! What would you think of a co-worker who tried to give someone (maybe you) urine? Do you think the perpetrator of such an action would be let off with some service hours or just an apology? I think not. It would likely be grounds for immediate dismissal. Scouting prepares boys to be leaders. As such, we as involved adults need to help our Scouts understand the consequences of their actions. To allow this to happen without appropriate consequences hurts not only those who committed the act, but sends a the wrong message to the rest of the Troop.

This is our written policy on the issue for summer camp, and applies to our monthly camping trips as well... DO NOT bring electronic game devices (Gameboys, etc.) and DVDs & DVD players. They are strictly prohibited and will be confiscated until we return! Boy Scout camp is a time to return to a simpler world without the intrusive impact of our modern world. Thus, the following are STRONGLY discouraged, and the Scout is fully responsible for any loss or damage: o CD players & CDs, iPods, MP3 players: If a Scout cannot possibly live without his music, use will be restricted to headphones inside his tent only. Use anywhere else will result in confiscation. o Cell phones: Cell signals at camp can be poor and roaming charges high! We strongly discourage bringing a cell phone to summer camp. Phone conversations or texting will take the Scout away from Camp and Troop activities and make homesickness much worse. Use is restricted to tent only. Use anywhere else will result in confiscation. This is enforced by the older Scouts who will call out any Scout who plays with a cell phone or other electronics at Troop meetings or on any activity. Several years ago the parents of a nervous new Scout gave him a cell phone at the direction of his therapist to take to summer camp so he could occasionally text them and calm his homesickness. Well, the kid stayed up till 2 or 3 every night in his tent texting back & forth with mom on how miserable he was and how horrible camp was and how much he missed them. Of course the next day he was exhausted and even more miserable and more homesick. The constant contact with mom never let him get over that Tuesday or Wednesday hump when a Scout discovers he can have great fun w/o mom & dad and really start to enjoy an activity on his own. When mom told us about the nightly texting, we understood why this kid was so miserable the entire time at camp... not surprisingly he dropped out a few weeks later. Since that incident, we realized we could not totally prohibit electronics, but the best we could do was restrict their use while Scouts are out and about on an activity, and work to teach responsible use when the kids are out of view in their tent. Before summer camp I sit down and talk with new parents and tell them the above story, and highly recommend they not send a cell phone with their son. But if they do, after a text assurance that all is well at home, do not engage in any further texting!

We have had the best success with special needs Scouts by welcoming one of the parents in to the Troop as an ASM. This way the parent is there to give meds and give the Scout extra attention if necessary. Most of the time the parent stays as far away as possible from his or her son, but is there just in case. After a number of camping trips with the parent in the background, the Scout can usually handle being on his own as he has become used to the Troop culture and the other Scouts. This "training" period seems to work better than tossing the special needs Scout in to the fray and then trying to repair damage after a bad experience when the kids goes out of control. We once had a parent send his severely ADHD son to summer camp without meds to "see what would happen" without out telling anyone. Not a fun experience (he was actually tied to a tree by one of the merit badge counselors - wrong, but not surprising considering his way-out of control behavior). By Tuesday, when it was clear things were out of control, we had the parent drive the 3 hr one-way trip with meds. After that unfortunate experience, we involve the parent of any special needs Scout immediately, and have them come on as many trips as necessary until the kid understands what kind of behavior is appropriate on Troop activities. We now have two ADHD Scouts and three Aspbergers Scouts. They have integrated well into the Troop, and are no more outrageous than any other kid of that age. Their particular issues and behavior have been accepted and I think we are all better because they are in our Troop.

If this happened in our Troop, there would be serious consequences for all involved. First of all, SPL and PL would be brought in to sit down and talk with the Scouts involved on how inappropriate this kind of "prank" is and how it does not fit in the Scout Law. Once we discovered who was actually involved, parents would be called, and the involved Scouts would immediately be removed from the activity, and would be placed on suspension until a Scoutmasters conference could be convened with the Scout, parents, Senior Scout Leadership, Scoutmaster, and relevant Assistant Scoutmasters. Following this, a Board of Review with the Troop Committee would be required before there would be any consideration of lifting the suspension. Until then, the involved Scouts would not be welcome at any Scouting activity. Further suspension would be based on what each of the Scouts did and how they take responsibility for their actions. This would all be done very transparently and within full knowledge and view of all Scouts and parents. We do the best we can to run our Troop within the Scout Law. The prank described was far outside of the Scout Law, and must be dealt with swiftly and accordingly. Scouting should be a safe place, and no Scout should ever be subject to such a humiliating and disgusting "prank". And if any of the Scouts or parents have a problem with the above, they can find another Troop.

Some of my proudest moments as a Scoutmaster are watching our Scouts prepare for a camping trip. It's not chaos when they are focused on figuring out food and equipment. The older Scouts have learned the hard way how important planning is to have a good camping trip. And they are also very focused at the Troop meeting after the camping trip when discussing what went right and wrong and what to do differently next time. Back in January, they were especially serious and focused when preparing for winter camping, carefully reviewing equipment and advising the younger Scouts what to bring. They all knew how serious cold weather was, and there was no chatter or side conversations. Their planning paid off and everyone had a great time in nearly a foot of snow and temperatures in the low teens. Yes, things can be chaos, but without any adult intervention, the Scouts themselves can really pull things together and plan and implement at least 10 camping trips a year. However, this culture does not occur spontaneously. It takes a number years of adult help, training, and controlled failures to get a Troop to the point where Scout Leaders have the experience and knowledge to conduct an outing, and the rest of the Troop understands what it means to be a good follower. I think either A or B in the original post has the potential to become a great Troop, but it sounds like a number of changes would have to be make to get it to the point of being an active Scout run Troop. But hey, it's only an hour a week... and it only took me 10 years to change a very adult run Troop into a Scout run Troop that I can stand back and watch with pride.

Our Troop has a meetings almost every week during the entire year. We camp every month except December. 3 of the 4 meetings we have during a month are focused on either preparing for the camping trip (2 meetings), or cleaning up from the camping trip (1 meeting). We work on Scout skills, advancement, and play skill games when not focused on camping. We do some merit badges during the meetings but only Eagle merit badges taught over a several months, and only to older Scouts who are Star rank and above. The Scouts primarily earn merit badges at District weekend events and summer camp. Our Troop is very much Scout led and run, and is all about their favorite thing - camping! Not for everybody, and the Scouts advance slower than other Troops, about a rank a year, but they have fun and do a lot of participatory leadership!

Did someone let the fire go out again...? Seriously folks, we've got to work together the keep the embers bright and the campfire burning here!!!

You Tube has a number of good videos on killing and skinning rabbits... For example: Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8qMr7Js8e0

The between the lines messages in the OP... "Other scouters in my district did not object and thought it would be a good thing for the boy." seems to indicate that if the Eagle were to be awarded, the life of this young man would put on the straight and narrow and he would be a good citizen forevermore. Maybe so, but most likely not. However, if the Eagle were not awarded (despite the implication that he has pulled himself out of the muck by his boot straps, "...completed some of his merit badges while detained."), then the implication seems to be that he would most likely return to a life of crime and spend the rest of his life in misery. However, in this case, not earning Eagle because of his behavior may actually end up being better motivation to clean up his act than getting such an honor when he knows he did wrong. But what is good for the boy (despite how ever likely or unlikely the two scenarios described above) may not be good for the Troop or Boy Scouts in general. What message will this send the rest of the Scouts... especially those who really are living the Scout spirit and keeping out of trouble? It will tell them that all their efforts avoiding temptation are for not - clearly as this case indicates, one can screw around, commit crimes, and still make Eagle. Why should they stay clean when there is no good reason for it? This will teach them that the Eagle award is a fraud. I would think that unless he was framed or unfairly convicted, the award of Eagle would do more to dishearten those who truly are on the trail to Eagle than it would help him straighten up. And in the final analysis, based on the information at hand, that this would actually be a "good thing for the boy" is very doubtful.

For our feeder Pack, B&G is in February, AOL & Crossover are combined in April. It's a very cool ceremony. In front of the Pack, the 2nd yr Webelos are called forward to receive their AOL patches and amid flames of candles and discussion of their time in Cubs. Each of them are then given a 4 foot piece of rope which they collectively tie together using square knots, forming a circle, standing on the outside. Next they invite the 1st yr Webelos inside the circle. When the 1st yr Webelos are all in the circle and all holding on to a piece of rope, the AOL Cubs step away, leaving the circle to be held up by the Webelos, and line up at the bridge. The Cubmaster bids them good bye, the parents take off their neckerchiefs and shoulder loops, and they leave the Pack and cross over to the Scouts where they are welcomed as Scouts. After they have been outfitted as Boy Scouts and a bit more ceremony has taken place, the Boy Scouts depart the room, taking the new Scouts with them, and leaving the Pack and parents behind.