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srisom

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Posts posted by srisom

  1. Good Luck on the job.

     

    Had an Eagle Scout who joined the Air Force and after basic training was assigned to a base. After he had been there about 4-6 weeks, he was summoned to the Base Commanders office. Of course, he was trying to figure out what he had done wrong, especially since he had been there such a short time.

    The Base Commander was also new at the base and had been going over personnel records. Turned out he was also an Eagle Scout and was calling in all the other Eagle Scouts there to chat with them.

    They apparently chatted for almost an hour and the young Eagle Scout left feeling a lot better than when he went in.

     

  2. National OA just introduced a Lodge Advisor Handbook. It includes the guidelines for one adult per unit per year. That's the way it's been for a while.

     

    However, the OA issued an Operations Update on 7/16/12 which changed that to allow for more than one adult per unit per year:

    "The number of adults nominated can be no more than one-third of the number of youth candidates elected, rounded up where the number of youth candidates is not a multiple of three. In addition to the one-third limit, the unit committee may nominate the currently-serving unit leader (but not assistant leaders), as long as he or she has served as unit leader for at least the previous twelve months."

     

    Apparently, the new guideline is to try to get more adults into the OA, similar to the move years ago to chnage the youth guidelines to get more youth into the OA.

     

    Looks like they should proof their own material, but having these differences are nothing new.

  3. My council has just recently announced that in order to purchase Rank Badges ot Merit Badges, you will be required to turn in an advancement form. This to purchase them from a National Scout Shop. They stated that this was the policy from National.

    Not sure how they will handle the need to purchase badges for additional uniforms.

  4. What we found in our council was this - as long as the Scout Shop was operated by the council, you had to submit an Advancement Report in order to purchase badges. Once it became a National Scout Shop, the shop did not require any report. The shop and the council were separate.

    At most National Scout Shops, I have found that they will sell most anything to anyone. They want the money and don't care about any reports. Sometimes they do encourage and remind you to submit a report.

  5. The unit copy of the blue card is handled by the Advancement Chair. If a boy then transfers to another unit, he has his copy of the blue card. Along with this, he should be given a filled out Transfer Form that lists all of his advancements. This is the only form that flows from unit to unit. This form and $1 gets the boy transferred. If the unit wishes to give up their copy of the blue card to the other unit, they can.

  6. As a MBC on several badges, I try to encourage the Scouts to use what they have learned or done in school to help with a badge.

     

    One good example is Reading. Most of the work is being done in school, so why not give the Scout credit. No reason for him to have to do it again.

     

    By informing the Scouts of the possibilities, it sometimes encourages them to go after badges they might not have considered.

  7. Around here, Scouts and leaders used to be used as victims in sccident scenes for drills. Even had them involved in a terrorist plot with one of the leadrs, a minister, playing the main part of a terrorist.

     

    They stopped using the Scouts a few years ago saying it was a potential problem with insurance. Not sure that was the real reason.

     

    The Scouts and adults had great times helping with the drills. Maybe we can get them involved again.

  8. Less color on the shirts. Seems that's the way National is headed on the uniforms.

    Don'e want to show that there is a uniform, too much like the military.

    Look for more changes. Perhaps to like the Girl Scouts and no uniform, so no one would have to worry about knots.

  9. Looking at The Summit site, it appears that visitors are being contained in a small area. Also, it states that there will an appropriate fee. It also looks like visitors will have to pre-register.

     

    Lots of changes for everyone for this Jamboree. Says they are going to be more like the World Jamborees.

     

    Does that mean we can expect other changes in the near future concerning other aspects of the BSA to match up with World Scouting?

  10. Sometimes COs are not directly involved in a unit, but be sure that a member of the CO has a key to the storage area.

     

    Several years ago, we had a trailer that was stored on the CO property. However there was no one from the CO that was involved in the unit. We tried to get the COR more involved but no luck. One weekend the trailer was broken into and most of the unit equipment stolen. The CO submitted a claim with the insurance company and it was denied. A lawyer on the unit committee took it to court. The judge ruled in favor of the insurance company and the claim was denied. The unit had to raise funds to replace over $2,500 worth of equipment. The jusges' statement was that he wanted to rule in favor of the unit, but because no one from the CO had access (a key) to the trailer he could not.

     

    Lesson learned. Key was accepted by the CO, but the trailer was also moved.

  11. The requirements for the Brotherhood Honor are the same for Youth and Adult.

    As for Vigil, you have the wrong idea. You were chosen by others for the Ordeal Honor, but you had to then earn it. You can earn the Brotherhood Honor by completing the requirements.

    You are nominated for and perhaps then chosen for the Vigil Honor after being a Brotherhood member for at least two years.

    The Vigil Honor is not something that you can earn or seek. It seeks you. The more you try to find it, the harder it will hide.

  12. Scuttlebutt sounds similar to Atomic Drum or Reactor that our units have done over the years. Can be great fun and great to watch.

     

    As for the ribbons, it seems like some feel good slipping in. Since normally would have a 1,2 and 3 or perhaps some ties, most units would get a participation ribbon. This would hopefully encourage them to work harder the next time. No one really likes to get just a participation ribbon as it means you lost.

     

     

  13. Having the DE at camp does take him away from the District and work that needs to continue there. If a DE has not been good at communicating during the rest of the year, camp time makes it worse.

     

    The main reason for using DEs for camp duty, at least for the council, is a cost factor. They have already invested heavily in training for a DE and using them at camp is a way to get some return on that. They also save money by not having to hire someone for camp and still have the DE in the district.

     

    For the DE, they need to have camp duty on their resume if they hope to move up. With no camp duty, they normally can not be considered for any higher position in the BSA.

     

  14. You will never be able to prevent OA elections from being a popularity contest. Unless everyone that is eligible is selected, it will be.

    Having served as Chapter Advisor for 15 years, I have seen many elections. After many of them, the SM wished it could be done over. He or other leaders would see good canidates passed over for poor candidates. However, most relized that it was the yourhs' choice.

    Have seen several where youth did not turn in a ballot because they had been in the troop a very short time and were not comfortable making a selection.

    The most unusual election was one, several years ago, where there was a small unit. Only three youth at the meeting (but then only 6 in the unit at the time). There was one youth eligible so he would have to receive two votes to be selected. He only received one. Even the SM wondered about the vote. Afterwards, the eligible youth told the SM that he did not vote for himself as he felt he was not deserving of the honor. Apparently, there had been some type of problem with him in the unit.

    He looked inside himself and found something wanting. Can't argue with that. Needless to say, his stock went up with the adults.

    He was selected the next year and stayed in Scouts and OA until he went to college.

    Trust the Scouts. Things will even out in the long run.

     

  15. In our Lodge, at the Fall Fellowship, the Lodge Advisor forms a committe of youth to determine the adult recipient and a committee of adults to determine the youth recipient.

     

    Each committee is given 4-5 names, but can add others. They then discuss each nominee and select the recipient.

     

     

  16. As a MB Counselor, I agree that the worksheets can be ahelp to the boys, but they are not a replacement for the MB book itself. Most of the books give a better explanation of the requirements.

    Had a Scout recently working on the citizenship badges. Called me and made an appointment. He and his Dad Came in with the worksheets all filled out. I'm sure he expected that I would just sign off and he would be gone. Instead I went over them one requirement at a time and talked with him about it. Turns out he didn't even know what he had written, just copied it off the internet.

    Signed off on some of the requirements and told him to study some of them more and we could discuss them. Have not seen or heard from him since. Probably went to find an easier counselor.

     

  17. There are no age limits on merit badges. Actually, as soon as a boy is a member of a troop, he can work on a merit badge. Therefore, he could technically be a Scout and have all 124 merit badges.

     

    I agree that it is best for them to work on the rank advancement, but it doesn't hurt to get them to work on some merit badges along the way so that the work is not all bunched together later. If they are earning the merit badges as well as rank, they feel like they have accomplished more.

     

    Used to be no working on merit badges until they were First Class. Never was sure why it was changed. With the push to be First Class within a year, it really wouldn't be a problem to have it that way again.

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