SSScout

"the purpose of an organization is often only visible to the ultimate customer. All too often the higher echelons forget that , and only worry about THEIR purpose in the organization." Go listen to "Alice's Restaurant and Massecre" , pay particular attention to the Group W Bench...

www.praypub.org/dutytogod.htm http://usscouts.org/profbvr/reference_room/relemblems.asp I have a really nice booklet about the Religious Awards Program from the National Jamboree Chaplain Corps, but it is not available online, so PM me and I can copy it to you. Define your ticket such that you can actually claim accomplishment . Don't make it too precise. See Oak Tree's example. Ustabean Owl...

Shucks, missed out on earning my COBAL strip... Is cuneiform available? My sis-in-law actually can speak esperanto...

CQ...CQ...CQ....

Water supply... Hard sided bottle (Gatorade, etc.) is desirable. Camelbacks are hard to clean when the "back splash" occurs. Recycle choice: "Box o' Joe" from DD has an all but indestructable plastic bladder within the cardboard. Take it out, wash well with detergent and chlorox, rinse well. It will always smell somewhat like coffee , but it can be rolled up compactly, holds a liter, can be used for swim flotation (not USCG certified, fun only), punching bag, bug juice, sun shower, camp pillow (empty it first!), canoe/kayak flotation,boat bumper, shiny decoration, throw/rescue tosser, filled with sand a weight for training or whathave you, Recycle them "Box o' Joe"...

You will find that there are two kinds of Scouters on these pages: Those that think there are two kinds of Scouters, and those that don't.

Uses for Morse Code: (so far)(other than Scout badge earning) + Saving the world from alien domination + Ham radio + Impressing girl friends + secret (maybe) messages between friends at school + POW communication between cells + Lifeguards commenting on beach patron physiology (okay, this was semaphore when I observed it) + Buddy bonding between upstairs bedrooms across the street (by flashlight) + Saving train from imminent wreck ("Young Tom Edison") + Announcing final railroad spike driving for UP-CP join up + HowmIdoin?

Well, yes, the times they are a changed. I was the Stage Crew Manager in HS, Jr. & Sr year. If there was something about the electric or mechanical systems in the school stage or AV closet, I was often called out of class to help deal withit. As a matter of course, I carried with me, or at least in my locker, a double ended flat/phillips screwdriver, a needle nose pliers, a larger Visegrip, a Diag cutter, a large lockback knife, and a roll of tartape. Not today. No student could get away with that today.

Wisht I'd had a UC when I was a CM. Mighta saved the Pack. We did have a DE whose name and number I knew. He answered my questions, and that is all. Mebbe I didn't ask the right questions. It is not being Too Bold. It is being Proactive. 'Course now, diplomacy is important too, and letting the CC think it was her idea to reorganize the Committee is a Good Thing. Might inquire about the CC's family, there might be dynamics impinging on her ability to do the best for the Pack. You seem to be knowledgeable about the Pack's society, social structure. Are there others who you might prod into helping with this? Helping with ecruiting is very definitely a Good Thing. Thank you for your Work with our Youth. Good Scouting to you!

SF: When and by whom a course (WB,IOLS, OWLS, First aid, matters not)is taught is dependant on two dictums, which I have found true in any setting: "The work is done by whoever shows up" and "Not everyone should be a teacher" even tho everyone should learn. Your 20-80 rule is a good observation , but again, not everyone can or should be a teacher. I know good, dedicated Scouters that don't know which end of an axe to hold. I know knowledgeable folks that I would trust with my life but can't easily communicate their knowledge. Watch them, work with them, absorb decades of experience. but , God lov'em, they could never sit folks down and do it in an organized way. Doesn't mean one shouldn't urge folks to get involved and "do your best" at something new. Follow the passion. It is, however, a Good Thing when folks recognize their own limitations. It is not a Good Thing when others do not recognize someones skill and encourage them to pass it on to the next generation. Do the encouraging.

"HEY, WATCH THIS!!!"

*Neat, small, stick in the ground signs. "Your Lawn Could Look this good: Callllll::" Put'em in before, tak'em out when you leave. *Uniformed staff. Tee shirts, ball caps. *Leave a neat, raked up job. No grass clippings on sidewalks. *If your truck leaves ruts, fix them without being asked. *The customer is always right, even when they aren't. You can always charge THAT one more the next time. *Be prompt, on time for appointments. *Use the local "penny papers". Craigs List. *Participate in local festivals, street fairs, etc. *If advice is asked, give it freely. *" Price list:Finger pointing, free. If we cut your lawn, $xx per hour. If you watch us cut your lawn, $2xx dollars per hour. If you help us cut your lawn, $3xx per hour." *Be attentive to local recycling/EPA/etc. regulations. Make sure your customers KNOW you are being so attentive. *Leave your business card EVERYWHERE, with EVERYONE. You can never tell when your name will come up at just the right moment. "Do Your Best"

1) The boy did not have to wear his uniform to the meeting. Once upon a time, Scouts were expected (and were proud to ) to wear the uniform to "important" events. Even to school (shudder). I love the story of the Cub Scout who was told he was going to attend his cousin's wedding and he should put on his best clothes. He puts on his Cub Scout Uniform. The fact that he had on his Scout uniform has no bearing on this episode. If reported faithfully, he did not present himself as someone "officially" representing the BSA or his Troop. The fact that he asked to speak and the council welcomed his comments is one of the keys here. 2) As a citizen ( so I presume) of the town, I would think it is the boy's duty and right to make his opinion known to the folks that represent and decide on his behalf. I hope the council realizes that. If they viewed his comment as merely an annoyance, then we have more than one adult problem. I wish I could more often do as the boy did on some of todays issues. Publicly declaring a "stand" is often not the choice people make. Grousing to your friends in the coffee shop is usually first. Maybe a letter to the editor (now email?). "Why doesn't somebody do something?" Well, this boy chose to take his opportunity and do something. 3) How is this Scout being disrespectful? He is in his best clothes, speaking his mind. He did not curse, he did not single out any one councilman, he did speak directly to the issue and even give some of his background and reference for his remarks. He could've shown up in shiny shorts and a hoody. I would think , for a 12 year old, he did quite well. 4) Was a time when council meetings were the best entertainment in town. Folks made sure not to miss them. Now, it is a chore to attend them. Can't miss "Dancing with the Stars". This young Scout has a future in public works or (shudder) politics or any of many doin'-for-others activities. 5) The debate between incarcerate rather than educate is not new. But it is a hard choice, and needs more debate. For a 12 year old , however dressed , to see the necessity of improving the chances of training and educating, thereby making incarceration LESS necessary, is a good thing and should be encouraged. 6) Scouter Williams overreacted to a non-event. In his desire to make sure everybody loves Scouting (his Scouting? not the boy's?), he has made it impossible for the boy to see the benefit of his Scouting. William's Scouting has no courage, has no passion. It is that of the beauracrat and not of the boy. The encouragement of being "involved" is the message here. How to do this? By apologizing for wearing a uniform? 7) If an adult teacher or corrections officer had stood and spoke, whether in or out of "uniform", it is the message that needs hearing, not the dress of the speaker. Of course, it helps if the speaker is so dressed so as not to detract from the message being presented. I fail to see how the dres of this young man detracted from his message, that education is preferable to incarceration.

Saw this done once, left a thoughtful atmoshere. Put the words on magnets and let the participants WATCH as someone plays with the positioning of the words. WIN ALL YOU CAN CAN YOU ALL WIN CAN YOU WIN ALL ALL YOU CAN WIN YOU ALL CAN WIN

Yep, no one ever earned the first highest award: Silver Wolf.Things change, things stay the same. Usta be boy joined Scouts (the Boy part), then earned Tenderfoot, whenever you could. Knots, Scout lore, flag ettiquette, . During the next three months, or later, he could earn Second Class, which was about being comfortable hiking, for the most part. Plant/animal ID, Hike (?)3 miles, basic first aid, couple of knots, fire building, hygiene, that sort of thing. Another three months, or later, First Class could be earned. More hiking, but now more about REAL camping and skills. Map and compass, better first aid, Morse code or semiphore signaling, cooking over that fire you built in Second Class, camp construction, better knots and lashings, night sky astronomy (Polaris?), dadada. Now, after First Class, one was expected to be able to TEACH the skills you mastered. Lead a hike. Help plan a good meal. Be a reference for tent pitching and care. Might have more than two dozen camp outs under your pack. Couple of summer camps. First Class, ready for Philmont, Mt. Katahdin, Northern Tier. First class: NOW you can earn those neat Merit Badges you've been reading about. Aviation. Rowboating. Canoeing. Even Basket Weaving.Hey, some are easy. Reading? Drama? Music? I do that stuff at school, almost automatic. Auto Mechanics? Carpentry? I take care of that helping around my home. I can get an award for this stuff? Great! It's kinda fun being Patrol QuarterMaster.Troop bugler, Music AND Bugling Merit Badge. Six months or longer , and Star is a possibility. Patrol Leader? OA? Found out about that and waited for my turn. ASPL? SPL? Naturally. Another 6 months or so, Life Scout. Service to others? Our Troop does the church's lawnmowing. We get out to clear trail at the camp. Helping to usher, bus table and park cars at the church's suppers. Lotsa help with dad's Lions Club, and more stuff at school. Service required? Heck, it's fun doing this stuff. (No Eagle project per se required. Only "serve your community"). Eagle? More Merit Badges. Is it worth the effort? What effort? The Position just sort of happens. It's my turn to be JASM. Mom and pop are there for me. The other Troop families are there. Me and the buds are taking care of business. Court of Honor? We read the script, but it seems to mean something now. Not just words to repeat. Even the younger Scouts seem to be more important now, not just ... irritating. It's neat when the Tenderfoot can actually send and receive wigwag. Oh, wait, he's a Second Class now. Cool. Another six months and.... Paper work. Another Board of Review. ANOTHER Board of Review. And Eagle . Seems so long ago.....

Well that was an education. I could find nothing definitive about numbers in the National trove. Only descriptions about what each type of person needed is (Committee Chair, Scoutmaster, Scout, etc.). I found several Council sites that mention "5 youth members" as a minimum number for (re)chartering a unit, hence for FOUNDING a new unit. Here are some pages to consider: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/28-402.pdf http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/media/relationships/thenew-unitprocess.aspx But no easy answer or rebuttal about how many youth members are required to start a new unit. I suppose it depends how hungry the local DE is for membership and unit numbers. (!) Good luck.

This gives the onsite leader a fall back reason, in counseling Sammy Cub that he should not be using the rock hammer, while Dad Sam is asking why his little tool user is not being allowed to use the impact drill? Uses it all the time at home... It's kinda like me telling my daughter that she could always use me as a reason to back out of an uncomfortable situation: "my daddy wouldn't let me" might sound better to her friends than "I won't do it 'cause it's dumb and dangerous"."

And an hour or more on the bus each way, how many hours away from home? When to eat breakfast? Dinner? With or without family? *Less stressed parents? How bout MORE stressed teachers? a ten hour day 5 day week? Divying that up would be a nightmare, maybe not impossible, but wow. * We micromanage a 6.5 hour school day (8 hour for teacher) into 7 class periods and .5 lunch . The students can and do walk between classes (4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes, depends on the school). And at 7th period many of them are wiped out, ready to nap and/or veg out by the tv. Many acadamicians believe the better way is to LENGTHEN classes and SHORTEN the class period (ie. instead of 4 months of a 40 minute class, make it 3 months of a 50 minute class, and stagger them thru the semester. *The private school I sub for does 6 periods , .5 lunch, in 8am to 3pm. Smaller classes, longer times, subjects rotated thru the semster. Not the same rotation every day, frinstance Science twice a week, spanish twice a week, music/drama twice a week. *And why not make the year one of equally spaced Trimesters, and let the parents choose which two per year to attend? Let teachers bid for which two to teach. Equalize things. Or , if the student is up to it, take the trimesters straight thru, shorten high school by a full year. Graduate at 16. *And hey, add 15 more students to each class, make school much more efficient. Fewer teachers needed. Nothing wrong with 45 students in a class. Band and Orchestra does it, why not history or algebra. The problems (all of them) stem from this , which any teacher can attest to: about 1/ 3 of the students above 6th grade would learn if dropped on a desert island with sufficient books/internet connection, 1/3 want to learn and can with a little help and guidance, 1/6 needs to be constantly reminded of the benefit of education and the remainder will (as a phys Ed teacher once told me) "never get it". The scheduling adjustments mean nothing if (1) the teachers are not dedicated and properly rewarded (2) the students are not encouraged and disciplned by loving and attentive parents and (3) the schools and are not properly equipped and maintained. See #2 above.

"A Cub Scout follows Akela, A Cub Scout helps the Pack GO, The Pack helps the Cub Scout GROW, The Cub Scout gives Good Will". It is little known, but thru an editing error, the last part of the Promise was left out: "...the Parents help the Pack go, too." So the CM, thru his/her example, sets the pace/standard. Encourage your Dens to be active, to individually do things: go to the Zoo, visit the Fire House, hike the Nature Center...etc.Each Den should be the Cub's "Gang", they should WANT to hang out with and "can't wait" to go with. Encourage the Cub Den to be the "BETTER ALTERNATIVE" to video games (?Havoc? ?Lethal Weapon?GrandTheft Auto?) or The Simpsons. When they come together in the PM, celebrate their advancements,lead cheers, sing songs. Arrange for some big things that a Den couldn't easily do: State Parks "Scales and Tails", fireman gives a dress out demo, cook something in the church kitchen, divy the Dens up for a relay race of some sort, invite TV weatherman to come out & do show and tell. If it sounds fun, DO IT. Ask your Cub Scout for ideas.Find out what the Pack parents do , and enlist them to SHOW OFF! One of ours was a Transit Bus person, he brought a WHOLE BUS to the meeting once. Any contractors? Do you have any idea how cool a TRACTOR up close can be? Camp outs and Saturday hikes are great, and need to be on your schedule, but not to the elimination of the PM. Put the aannouncements in a short handout and DON"T BORE THE CUBS WITH THEM. Above all, as CM, you are the RingMaster. Go ahead and MAKE THEIR DAY! KiSMiF YiS

The Scout"leader" you describe is a classic bully. He is out to make sure those "younger" than he remain subservient ,not equal, in stature. He has other issues. The need to laugh at others misfortune is a characteristic that does not indicate maturity. I would expect some problems at school, also. A sit down with him, with his parents, and perhaps with the PLC may be in order. I favor the Scout Promise and Law approach mentioned above. The fact that they are Scouts means they "are better than this". Sometimes Scouts need to be reminded of this. I was sub teaching a class when an office aide came in and handed me a note for one of my class. I asked for "Sarah Smith" and three hands shot up. (Let's play with the sub!) One immediately took her hand down and giggled. The other two indignantly argued that THEY were Sarah Smith. The seating chart indicated which was which, and I passed the note to Ms Smith . the other girl I took out in the hall and we discussed the idea of lying and telling the truth. She had a hard time letting go of the idea that she could "just be kidding" and not have consequences. The fact that I took her seriously in this, to her, minor thing seemed to make an impression on her. Make the impression on this (and the others ) Scout.

This is a volunteer organization. Everybody "signs themselves in" to the asylum. And signs themself out. Your son will continue serving others (I daresay it won't matter if it be Scouts or some other entity), no matter what.At least until something really drastic happens. "The work is done by whoever shows up" I'd say "where do you have to be, son?" and then get him there.

That's pretty much it. Unit keeps a copy, District/Council get a copy. Commissioners, if they are on the ball can keep track of them. Toward the end of the year (new charter) , Unit pulls out the old JtE form and calculates how they did ("Scout's Honor") How'd they do? Check with Commish or DE for appropriate award. Fill out next years form. Rinse and repeat.

"".... though a little heavier than purists would like. "" Purists? A "purist " wouldn't have a tent. He /She would have a tarp or (shudder) a hammock. Suggest your more adventurous Scouts try this: Get a 10 by 20 plastic tarp. Lay it on the ground and peg down the 10' end, and about 4 or 5 feet further on, depending on where the grommets are, Fold up the tarp about3 or 4 feet, hold that up with poles cut on site, again depending on where the grommets are ( you did bring rope with you , yes? Tautline hitch use, bowline use). Lay out the remaining 5 or 6 feet over the bottom as a roof, hold it up with poles cut on site and pegs cut on site (using the T/C skills, right?). Presto, Tarp Leanto. All you need. Shelters one Scout and gear, use a larger tarp for two boys. Easy to carry, versitle, adaptable, don't need a seperate ground cloth, inexpensive, easy to find replacement parts. Waddaya think?

Aye, welcome to the forums, laddie. Ye'll find lots to do an' confab an' comisserate aboot here. As to the wearin' o' the tartan, look ye to http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/ an' http://www.scottish-tartans-world-register.com/find_tartan.aspx among others.Aye, many others. Who's the "authority" ye ask? Well should ye, too. When ye find out cum an' tell the rest 'a us.

In the mean time, seriously, I do hope that Willamor finds the REAL solution to his quandary Good Scouting to you, Wil.