SSScout

1) Make sure all your adult volunteers get the required/necessary/appropriate training. 2) Get yourself noticed. Go to your District RoundTable, the District Committee meeting (look online? ). Communicate with your District Commissioner, MAYBE , just maybe , you have a Unit Commissioner assigned to your Unit and he/she/you don't know about it. 3) Put a sign outside your Meeting Place, Council/District can get you a generic one, so folks will know you're there. Put an ad/article in the local paper. Media exposure can't hurt in recruiting. 4) Oh, apropos #1, get your Scouts into the next NYLT camp from your Council/District. Nothing like some pumped up Scouts to make a Unit grow.... 5) Go camping.

Indeed, check with the COR. Let her/him "earn their pay". At the very least , contact the Charter Org Head (Institution Head in BSAspeak) and find out how important the Scout program is to the Org. It would be VERY nice if you can get some Org members to join the Unit Committee for planning, oversight, "attaboys" when appropriate, general support. An independent treasurer sounds nice , too. Congratulations on your assuming the responsibility to resuscitate the Unit, but be realistic. Do not jeopardize your health or family dynamic or sanity if , after major efforts and communication, it becomes apparent that it ain't gonna happen. Sign over the Unit check b0ok to the Charter Org and move on...

The three words no Scoutmaster wants to hear: "Hey, watch this !" I was reminded when I rode a motorcycle regularly by an old timer that a helmet was never required except by law and when it was needed.

Younger Scouts... How much younger? Are they just out of Webs? Maybe they aren't used to/ready to take up responsibility . "Mom did it all", that kind of expectation can stick to the Young Scout for awhile. They have to realize the Fun of Big Boy Scouting comes from Doing It Myself, not just doing what Mom set up for me. Running around and being crazy? Yeah, I bet the PL was like that sometime in his past. Any leader has to realize that part of his "job" is reminding the team that the meal doesn't get cooked without the stove/fire being set and lit and the food being prepared and the water bucket being filled and the dishes being cleaned up afterward. Sports? Competition in being your "personal best" and being on the team (Patrol) that does the best in the Troop. There is a pride earned in having the neatest campsite (Gate? Signs? Gear? Tents don't fall down? ), in doing the map & compass course the fastest... Those Young Scouts will remember the Older Scout that took the time to teach them (By example? By instruction? By gentle reminder?) how to stay dry in the rain, warm in the cold and cover distance in the hike....

I concur. If the event is overtly pro-political party or candidate, I would politely refuse the invitation. Candidates debate? Maybe. Election/Get out the vote promotion? Maybe. Public parade, historical commemoration, something like that, by all means, go and wave the flag in uni.

1) Have lots of SMMinutes about the Promise and the Law. And personal responsibility. 2 ) Address the Scout, in the presence of the parents. Do not address the parent, except as it applies to them, "their" requirements, not the Scout's. If the parent(s) ask a question, ask the Scout about that, "Jonny, what do you think about that?" Do not let the parent drag you back to them, it MUST be about the Scout. 3) If the Scout needs accommodation (ADHD, physical disablement, psychological problem, separated family dynamic, autism spectrum, etc.) ,sit down with parent and work up a definite IN WRITING IF NECESSARY (emphasis intended) plan. Get the Scout to agree, he has to understand and admit his limitations. This is a good thing, if done correctly. Seek guidance from pros, school counselor, county health Dept. etc. 4) Ask the Scout (in private SMC) who packs his backpack? I remember it was a "Big Thing" when I told my mom "that's not the way a Scout should do it". I think I almost made her cry. 5) See #2 above. In your conversation with parent(s), (see #2 again) , remind them gently but firmly, it is BOY Scouts, not PARENT Scouts. Remind them it will be Johnny who picks out their Assisted Living Facility. Do they want his resentment coloring that? Or do they want him to come back from Philmont/Summit/Northern Tier glad to be home? 6) Scouter: YOU do not cut the apron strings . The parents do not cut the apron strings. The Scout must be the one who either cuts or rips from his parents hands the apron strings. Always good to have some string handy, never know when something needs to be tied up (or down). See you on the trail.

1) Times change. People change. Expectations change. 2) Yep, if you are disadvantaged sufficiently, you can earn Eagle thru "alternative" requirements. A wheel chair bound Scout should be denied Eagle without a blink? Not very Scout-like to me... 3) My Eagle did not include a Service Project. But then, I learned Morse Code and had to identify constellations. Things change. 4) Are today's Scouts too protected? Possibly. Depends on the Scoutmaster and the helicopter mom that packs the kid's backpack. And the kid that let's her do it. 5) Are today's Scouts encouraged to hunt and kill animals? Only if they have a parent that enjoys such and teaches the Scout such. Scoutson once trapped, butchered and served up a rabbit to his Troop. His buddies thought it was not as good as the burgers in the other Patrol, he said. I had nothing to do with it, but thought , wow... He raised rabbits in 4H (barn had 35 rabbits in it at one point. Mini Rex. Won some ribbons.) 6) I know Scouting began in a desire to help make boys more able to be good soldiers. I would like to remind folks that later in his career B-P voiced the hope that the international brotherhood of Scouting would foster not so much better soldiers for their countries but a more peaceful world. I often pray that humankind might finally learn from their past mistakes. 7) Skills, independent thought and confidence in one's judgement, ability to make one's way in the world , either the wild part or the more civilized part. These are what I found I wanted for Scoutson. Despite the modern limitations, I think he gained a good deal of all that.

Yes, I saw that too. I wonder at a Cub leader who would "remove" a Cub from a Den, for ANY reason. 1) As in many events, perhaps we do not have all the information. "Chicken Gate"? What does that mean? 2) I would hope we encourage our Scouts to think for themselves. If Ames did his homework (sounds like he did?), he asked a reasonable question and got a reasonable answer from the Senator. 3) I am thinking, if I am still around in 30 years, and in his state, I might vote for him for governor.

I like Tampa Turtle's list. Note for the adults eager to "go to camp".... It is BOY Scout Camp, not MAN Scout Camp. Female adults? Them too. I am sure there is a volunteer program for the Scout Camp. TAt the NCAC camp Goshen , there are the Goshen GOATS. Put the extra adults on to this, I know the camp can use extra hands for projects and supervision, IF they have had the necessary training and registration. Adult registration? Dues paid? YP? SMS? IOLS? Back Country First Aid? Powder Horn? Put those Adults to work on behalf of the Scouts ! It is NOT a vacation, yes?

As in everything else in the world, we remember the things that are/were important to us. My phone number when I was in third grade: Walker 4-7221. Five things CAN make a skill remembered: Good, pleasant associations, Bad, unpleasant associations, Repetition, Need of use, and Pride of use. When I teach ropes and knots to Cubs, I try to give them pleasant, fun associations and repetition and pride. * ""Cubs, NEVER buy rope with only one end, such rope is inherently defective and will only give you trouble. ALWAYS buy two ended rope."" (Oh, the looks on their faces...) ** Show teach them some "fun" knots, like the Chain Knot, or the multiple string knot... *** Bowline? Show'em the three types ( only one will "pass" the requirement), the three ways to tie the correct one... **** "Mr. SSScout, what kind of knot is THIS (showing a jumble) ?" "What's your name, Scout?" "Tommy!" " Well, that's a Tommy knot !" ***** Tie it again, tie it to your neighbor, tie it on your mom's arm. Square knot? We tie each Cub's practice rope to his neighbor's, in a big circle, and see if we can tug-o-war the circle. Will it hold? Will any knot come loose? Granny, is it? ****** Scouts should always be given REASONS to practice these skills: Build a tower, a catapult, a gateway, a handwash tripod, (shudder) set up a tent/dining fly without bungee cords. ******* Patrol competitions in Troop meetings, in Camporees. Tie the knot/lashings the fastest, correctly. ""Oh, we have an emergency ! A Patrol forgot their tents ! We need TRIPODS and EXTRA LONG POLES to set up tarps for shelter ! Oh, who will be the quickest !" Itsbrian, if your complaint is valid (yeah, it is), the fault lies equally in the Scout's and his leader's lap. The Scout hasn't seen the need, hasn't had fun at it, and hasn't taken the pride in the knowledge. Give'm the opportunity. Give'm the "attaboys" when they deserve 'm. See you on the trail.

Install an E-Z-Pass gate on the CO's parking lot (tongue firmly in cheek).

Then, too, there is , perhaps , some precedent. Our school's fourth graders go to "Outdoor Camp" for three days each school year in a County Park. Bunk rooms, they must bring or borrow or get loaned sleeping bags. It is highly chaperoned and adult overseen by park people and teachers. It is not Cub Camping, not as we would like to think of Cub Camping., but for many of the kids it is the epitome of "roughing it". Some may not even see any sort of summer camp, not even a day camp thing, so this is looked forward to by all the kids. The school curriculum even includes some "training" for the kids and parent chaperones. (You want your mom on the camp with you? ) . And of course, some of the kids want nothing to do with this insult to their indoor/ipad/smartphone/computer ethos. Deal with it, kids....

*sigh* When my Fearless Leader told me (us trainers) of the email announcement ("Immediately", see above) he had just received , three days before our BALOO Saturday (requested and organized by a local Pack with parents who collectively had NO camping experience and wanted to give the Cubs the "adventure " they had been promised), we collectively said "huh?". F-L declared he would proceed with our original plans and he would send our collective protest to Irving via Council Training Committee. Our Saturday included about 20 adult Cubbers, from all around our District. We started in the aforementioned "church social hall" and went outside for equipment demos and the charcoal lunch: Hamburger and 'taters in foil. It worked. Lots of questions, lots of sharing of experience, no "death by powerpoint", not even a bruising by newsprint pad. F-L asked folks if they thought an overnight would have been a good idea, they reluctantly said , maybe, but again, how would they prepare for such when NONE of them had ever been Scout camping? Some summer camps back when they were many moon younger, but they were cabins and dining hall camps. We had many compliments and thanks from them in the evaluations. F-L and us trainers all thought, how much more trouble an overnight tent camp with well meaning Cub adults would be? We also do the IOLS, and that is a fun thing. Most IOLS folks have some camping under the belt and them that have help them that haven't. F-L and I haven't talked about the adjustment that will come . As was testified to above, regardless of the curriculum, "It Depends" very much on the Trainers.

EBoR s here abouts usually work like this: The Eagle candidates (plural! These are scheduled in advance !) bring their Scoutmaster to introduce them, and usually parents and maybe some other interested adults. There might be two or three EBoRs that night. Each EBoR is chaired by a District Eagle Coordinator (usually different from the one that counseled the candidate earlier), and the other Board Members (two or three more) are made up with the other Eagle candidates' parents or Scoutmasters. I have sat in on several such Boards. The Candidate's Scoutmaster (or designee) introduces the candidate to the EBoR and then leaves the room. He does not observe, that is considered a breach of etiquette . The "drafted" Board members might serve on another Board that night , if needed. It can be impressive or challenging or just fun, depending....

Is it "Boy" Scouts or "Man" Scouts ?

Back a few years, I served as a Chaplain at the 2005 Jamboree. The Scouts could earn a "rocker" for their Jambo Patch by going to the Relationships Pavilion and talking to their faith's exhibit folks. If they didn't have a "faith", they were supposed to speak to the "Chaplain on Duty" at the front of the Pavilion. I did that duty more than once, and the stories I listened to were either very personal (" I'm not too sure about this God stuff") or were just matter of fact ("Are you the man I speak to for my rocker?" ). They didn't have the same arrangement for the 2013 Jamboree, but I heard from my fellow Chaplains about some sit down and discuss sessions. Duty to God? Hey, what's God's duty to me?

Goats. What's a goat, when the challenge is fundraising? On another level, back in the days of "possible", for many years, my dad's Lions Club sponsored a horse show on a local farm. This was a traditional fund raiser and community event. ( as happens, the farm is now a shopping center. Sic Gloria Agricola). The event included dressage demos, hunter/jumping classes, big horse teams (Percherons, Clydesdales in 4, 6 and even 8 horse hitch), lots of horse events, dawn to dusk, all day. Us kids, many Scouts, all were put happily to work in various capacities. Messengers, escorting celebrities, policing jumps, handling gates.... Part of the event involved the raffling of a Shetland Pony . All us kids wanted to win that ! Regardless of the lack of acreage or fencing in our yards. One year, my buddy Henry and I were put in charge of escorting the pony around the County Fair while our dad's sold the raffle tickets. I remember loading the pony into the back seat (!!) of Mr. Stabler's Oldsmobile, big battleship of a car, and driving to the County Fair like that. Nice pony.... Ah, the memories....

qwazse: Said very well. Thee speaks my mind, friend. The perceived need to try and define YOUR belief by insisting you match MY belief has fueled more conflicts than any other reason. Christ may indeed be The Way , but other ways may well get you there, albeit in (what some may see as) a circuitous route. "" 519. The Humble, Meek, Merciful, Just, Pious and Devout Souls, are everywhere of one Religion; and when Death has taken off the Mask, they will know one another, tho' the divers Liveries they wear here make them Strangers. "" = William Penn, 'Some Fruits of Solitude' =

Bugling ! Good for him. As an "older guy", I teach Bugling Merit Badge. Tell your Scout that when he gets good at it, he can even make a little money (which he might want to donate to a worthy charity), by offering his services to the local VFW or American Legion. They are always looking for buglers for ceremonies, especially burials. And, check with Bugles Across America" http://www.buglesacrossamerica.org/ He can also find some old TV shows that featured bugling on YouTube: "Boots and Saddles" and "Captain Gallant of the French Foreign Legion" . The later will help him learn "Tatoo" and the French call to the clors !. Carry your bugle and be close by the SPL so you can serve the Troop at camp ! A tourist was lost in New York and was looking for that famous theater, Carnegie Hall. He saw an old gentleman coming toward him on the sidewalk and stopped him, saying, "Pardon me , sir, can you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?" The old gentleman pointed his finger at the tourist and declared: "Practice, practice, practice !!"

""The Work Is Done By Whoever Shows Up"" **Sigh** Lots of folks (I have a hard time calling some "parent") are sick with the "Soccer Syndrome". Symptoms: Desire to drop kid off and come back in three hours. Desire that kid become "good citizen" under tutelage of somebody else. ANYBODY else. How to combat this? I 'm not sure if anyone can. There is a fear that , now that I have a child, I will be unworthy/unable/unskilled/not knowledgeable enough to BE a parent. If you can only get the parent to participate , with the kid, (that's one of the ideas of the Tiger/parent pairing . yes ?) , on a Cub activity, they will see how easy it really is, and how much FUN it really is... I had the Nature Pavilion at CSDC one summer. One day, we talk about Leave No Trace. I set the Cubs up with their Buddy, and send them out on a short hike: Go straight out THAT way 100 paces, turn left, walk THAT way 25 paces, turn left and walk back to the pavilion, and pickup ANYTHING that God didn't put there. Boy , did we get a pile of trash. In the mean time, the adult "DenWalkers" stay behind and sometimes we talk about Scouting. One hour, this lady was on her cell phone the whole time: "I can't believe the work I will have on MONDAY !! Why couldn't someone ELSE do this?? Teddy doesn't need me all day ? It's so... " and she went on, oblivious to everyone else... It was sad, I couldn't break in....

"It Depends". If you're at a Camporee, by all means, label and organize. Troop flag/entry "Welcome to" sign... , Patrol flags, tents in nice "streets". Poles, label the Streets with paper plate, marker, duct tape. Mini City, earns a ribbon for the Patrol and Troop for "Camp Site " layout. Have fun with it, make it a creative thing for the bored Scouts that have "seen the usual Camporee". At Summer Camp, same thing. Take some pride in your campsite, doll it up, make it not only a "camp", but a "community". At one summer camp I attended, we totally rearranged the tent platforms into streets, etc. The camp inspectors basically dropped their jaws and said "wooow" as they walked around. No more tents here and there. Lashed together (Pioneering !) a "Gateway" with the flags and a carved (traditional !) sign on it. On the trail, I like the carabiner thing. But is your Troop so large that the Patrol Leader cannot have aegis over his Patrol's arrangements?

BALOO is/was the Cub leader requirement to take a Cub Pack camping. The old training was a long morning, afternoon of discussion, equipment demo, experience sharing, group dynamics study. We were recently informed that National has decreed a new set of curricula that requires (!) an overnight camp , sort of another IOLS for Cub leaders. The consensus around here is that the BALOO (lost the acronymic relevance with the elimination of the Kipling Jungle Book connection) was meant to be an introduction to folks that may not have had ANY camping experience at all, that Cub camping need not involve "roughing it". Why the desire to immerse newbies in an overnight, set up the tent, cook outdoors for a first time out kind of thing? And how hard is it to get Cub parent leaders out for an afternoon of training, much less a WEEKEND ? And why the "Immediately" declaration, rather than "as of...." sort of scheduling. Maybe Irving is seeking to employ the classic psychology of the "Cognitive Dissonance" phenomena. Make it so undesirable that it has to be desirable... http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/510-033(17)BALOO.pdf

Renting goats is very traditional. Folks used to do this waaaay back before power lawn mowers. Fence in the cemetery and turn the sheep and goats loose. A day or two later, close cropped grass ! Tether the beastie in your yard and move it around every day, trimmed grass. But one must be careful of the ddesired flower beds, poor goat doesn't know the difference between weed and begonia....

Lots of "if onlys" and "what I woulda dones" here. ""The work is done by whoever shows up"". Everybody (you, me, them) has to make choices as to what is important when. MB? Now? Is it possible to complete later? Will I be able to help at other service projects? Did the other Scouts voice the idea the MBcompleters had "diched them"? Is that where this came from? Did some other Scouts choose the project over completing their own MBs? Colors the issue.... The ASMs' alleged comments/diatribe/discussion might better have been done at a SMMinute. Make it obvious the values that are valued (completing assigned duties, project "cheerful service", supporting buddies, pride of successful completion), maybe the MB completers could have fulfilled their "duty to others" with another job... but that would 've been on them to offer, rather than the ASMs insisting, yes? This comes with maturity and experience. And, hey, what is Scouting about if not gaining maturity and experience? IMHO, the ASMs dropped the ball. Counsel the MBcompleters PRIVATELY. Give them the opportunity to Do The Right Thing themselves, rather than dragging them thru the gauntlet of the Troop. This ain't Marine Corps Bootcamp.

The three words no Scoutmaster wants to hear: "HEY ! WATCH THIS !" The point of this discussion I think is whether or not the SM can trust his Scouts, out of his hearing, not to say those three words....