Spiney Norman

We are looking into at least a full day of training. There are some local clubs and other offerings in and around Chicago that we are looking into. They seem a little pricey but considering the risks perhaps not. We spoke with a scoutmaster who had just come back from a trip there with a small crew. The Samoset council sends out, what he thought, were two young but serious and deliberate guides. They are equipped with vhf and weather radios and were experienced out on the water. He also recommended that we try to train in the same style of kayak and that we load them with as much gear as

Our scouts are considering this as an option for High Adventure next year. After checking out some outfitters it looks like the Samoset council offers the best program for the money. I was just wondering if anyone on the board has any advice on open water kayaking in general and the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin in particular...................

Good post Scoutfish, which is why I advocate handling this in a SM conference rather than a board of review. Scoutmaster conferences can and are held at any time, not just for rank advancement but rather they are those teaching moments that help boys and young men become good scouts. After all isn't that why were here and not just some patch of cloth?

BD , I sure hope this would be handled by the SM well before any BOR. While I think it's a valid topic for a BOR it should never get that far. And while SM's appear to be omniscient they do need the support and input of those around them to issues like this. So yeah, I vote SM conference. Ken

TT, Again it sounds like you have a great program but are just missing that one spark. I hate to sound like a broken record but TLT is just the thing I think your troop needs. Not just for the boys but for the adults as well. You're sure to get more resistance from them than anyone else. However, I am not advocating that the BSA TLT syllabus is the panacea for troop operations. Myself and another ASM in the troop developed the program we use over the last 5 years. Yes, it is based on the BSA syllabus, but it is also based on the previous Junior Leader Training syllabus and a lot of infl

If the young man chooses to have a public conversation on a electronic medium for all to see than why shouldn't he be held accountable. I find it curious how well this generation separates their online life from their physical life. They seem to think that one has no bearing on the other. I would not go on a fishing expedition to find dirt on anyone but if some mention is made publicly of such an instance it certainly bears investigation. Myself and another ASM are friends with many of the scouts on facebook. I very rarely ever comment or engage in conversation with them either private

TT, It sounds like you all have great program but who designs and drives it? What are you PLC meetings like? Are they adult run or adult directed? If the older scouts feel no ownership of the program that may be a reason they leave. Our troop has been working for years on making the scouts responsible for their own program. It takes training, training the adult leaders to see the vision of boy led and continuous training for the scouts as they move through the program. We are on our 5th or 6th year of regular yearly TLT training and the difference between that first year's PLC and the pr

We had something akin to this happen this year with our troop only in the reverse. A few of the first year dads come up and camp with the troop. We do our best to keep these guys busy, engaged and away from their sons. Sometimes these dads have to leave camp before the week is out due to work schedules etc. Almost like clockwork the homesickness appears, usually it starts with "my stomach hurts" and ends with a long convo with an ASM or older scout about what they have been doing and how much fun they have been having.

I like the camp we go to every year. They focus only outdoor badges . Up until this year the only required MB's offered were Swimming, EVS, and Lifesaving. This year I was aghast when at the Monday morning leaders meeting they announced that they would be offering all three Citizenship badges at the same time. From 6 till 7 in the evening the shooting instructor would be helping scouts work on those three badges. I don't think he had a set curriculum but even so the 6-7 hour was during dinner/dinner clean-up. In my opinion scouts belong with their patrols helping with clean up,(it is a P

Holy Moley! $26K as in twenty-six thousand dollars? Is that American money? That sure seems like a lot of money for any troop no matter how large. Our troop of about 50 scouts usually has between $1500 and $3000 of non-scout account money. It fluctuates throughout the year and we will be pretty much on our last nibs when we get back from camp and finish paying for advancement materials, etc. As a committee we worry that sometimes we have too much money, but then sure enough something breaks or equipment needs to be replaced and we end up thankful that we had a reserve.

"Based on your suggestions, I've compiled a Top Ten list to post at summer camp on the bulletin board. Additional ideas? " NOPE! That about covers it. I've printed a copy and will be bringing it to camp with me.

Things we're doing right: -Patrol leaders plan and execute Troop meeting programing. Over the past year they have gotten quite good at preparing and executing relevant meeting topics. -Patrols hold regular offsite and not on Troop meeting night Patrol meetings. Attendance isn't always great but the boys are slowly getting better at these. -Patrols set up their own patrol fly and prepare and clean up all meals. Adults do not cook separately but are invited guests at the patrol site. -The PLC decides where we will camp at a yearly planning meeting before the committee meets

49 Days............. Can't come soon enough and once there it will be over before I know it.

I am the ASM who takes the lead on TLT in our troop and I must say the latest syllabus leaves much to be desired. I have been running the course for our troop for about 5-6 years now and feel that we have finally found a model that works. We do use the TLT training manual and are sure to cover all the material listed there. (some of it I feel is nonsense acronym jingoism, but I cover it all the same) I also some of use the late 80's-90's cousre material where appropriate. Most importantly I use some of Kudu's methods and take them outside and camp like a patrol and DO things like a patrol

I read this and it gave me the chills. You hit the nail right on the head here, and what you said is still relevant! "What it was relevant to though was the needs of boys, to the adventures and experiences that they craved and that helped them grow into decent young men. In fact, B-P started scouting specifically to make up for what had been lost as the world modernized. Boys were stuck in urban settings, cut off from the outdoors, missing out on opportunities to do simple but useful things with their hands and to test and prove themselves, and they were isolated from male influences for

"That's why da folks who proudly wear the uniform of the United States and use da expression "Huaah!" would never condone such acts. They believe in honor, and an honorable man does not torture a captive. To do so is an act of cowardice, that undermines the values of the United States, puts our fellow Americans in uniform at risk around the world, encourages the enemy to fight rather than surrender, and provides an enormous propaganda victory to the enemy." "It is against the law. It is contrary to our values. It gives aid and comfort to the enemy. It is fundamentally an act of treason. I

At the last committee meeting we discussed getting insurance for our trailer and contents. Our trailer, purchased early last year cost us $7500. Our Scoutmaster sent me an e-mail today valuing the replacement contents. His figure came to just under $20K. Quite a bit of fundraising that, and something for us all to think about. If this equipment were damaged, stolen or lost en masse could we continue the program. I'm sure we could, but it would take years to reassemble the equipment for 7 patrols. Of course these figures did not include the inflatable penguin, that, is priceless.

Honestly, I don't mind rehashing old topics addressed before. The folks on this board do change over time, as does the discourse. Many of us "old timers" may remember one or two contributors, now no longer active and who shall not be named, who would only parrot the policies of the BSA and broach absolutely no other than a "by the book interpretation." People change, interpretations change and policy, albeit slowly , changes as well. It is always good to get a different take on someone's reading or application of a policy. Sometimes, I think that is why the rules can be so vague at times

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=269344#id_271358

Havn't we already had a pie thread? Search Noob I"ll chime in and ask for Pecan.

I think one of the things I enjoy and find the most captivating about Hillcourt's writing is that I can imagine him sitting in a chair just across from me telling me all these things in calm knowing manner. One of our scouts brought some old scouting memorabilia to last night's PLC meeting. There were plenty of patches and such from the sixties but there were also some, what looked like, magazine supplements entitled First Class, Second Class scout and another that escapes me at the moment. I recognized the writIng and the drawing immediately. Sure enough there was Bill Hillcourt's name on t

Yesterday I picked up a circa 1950 edition of the Patol leaders handbook. What a GREAT resource. I have spent most of my free time reading the book cover to cover. I must say this book has more info than the present edition, the new scoutmaster handbook and the TLT syllabus combined. Just reading this book gets me pumped up about scouting. What old literature do you use?

We do use some white gas as we have few older lanterns. The propane ones sure do make a racket. Here in the midwest the white gas can cost between $7-9 dollars a gallon and is becoming more and more difficult to find.

So Buffalo, Where did you get the 10# tanks and do you remember what you paid. We have priced them out and the pricing seems outrageous compared to a 20# tank. Now that we have 7 patrols we need to be as thrifty as possible. Thanks, Ken

I did a Google search and found this: http://bsatroop47.org/training/woodbadge/sr-639/administrative/PDFs/StaffGuideAppendix.pdf What you are looking for is on page 40. Hope it's what your looking for. Good Luck.