SSScout

" Mr. Scoutmaster, a couple of my friends and I are going camping this weekend at the Muddy Glen State Park. Can I use that for camping time credit?" " Is this your Rusty Moose Patrol, Johnny?" "No sir, just some of the guys. I guess Steve is going, but no, not the whole Patrol." " Any parents going along?" "No sir, just us friends, my dad said it was OK, and the other guys all have their parents ok, too. Jake goes hunting with his dad, and Steve and I went to Philmont last year. And Mitch said he went to his church camp last year up in the Adirondacks. It's all ok with their folks." " Well, that's nice, but I can't let it be used for Scout camping time. It isn't a Scout event, is it?" "I guess not. So it has to be a Scout camp out?" "Yep, that's the rule." "Okay. Well, shucks, Just thought I'd ask. Thanks any way." "Sure, Good. And you will be using your Scout training to set a good example, right? Leave No Trace and like that? " "Oh, absolutely. We're not 'that kind' of camper. No sir!" "Okay. Then have a good time and we'll see you next Troop meeting, right? Maybe invite your buddies to join the VCrew, eh?" "Hey, yeah, hadn't thought about that. Well thanks again. " "Good night, John." "G'night, sir."

Tahawk! That's it! It was meant to be a mixture! A camp potpourri!

Back in prehistory, my Eagle Patrol collected a buck each week. Patrol Treasurer kept the little pipe tobacco zippered bag and had to account for each meeting. I was Patrol Treasurer for awhile, I remember having upwards of $30 or $40. in it at times. We would then use this to buy supplies to make our flag, take everybody to a movie, buy plywood to build a box, even amortize the cost of our camp food or buy another Patrol Cook kit after the big pot on ours was lost down a big hill on a hike. The official Scout Dues were collected also by the Patrol Treasurer and given to the Troop Treasurer, parent check, cash etc. the Patrol Treasurer wrote out a receipt, as I remember doing. Boy led? Boy follow?

In our area, we have several choices of IOLS. Sabbath Friendly , some with more physical "challenge" , some not so. Depends on the head trainer. Ask around for the reputations available. That being said,... You can take the IOLS, which is for Boy Scout Leaders, and with the advance knowledge of your Trainer, get credit for BALOO, too. The IOLS is BALOO with more stuff. Lots more stuff. The trainer, if he/she is knowledgeable, can give you the "Cub Philosophy" part, too, and presto! Double credit! BALOO and IOLS for later in your Scout career! Come "Prepared" to camp. And take notes. And participate, not just sit back!

Honey will, believe it or not, come in flavors , depending on the source of the nectar/pollen the bees gather. Barley is a VERY strong flavor. Ask about the choices, if you can, if you find a local source for honey, outside of the big grocery stores! Clover, apple, pear, wild flower, poplar, orange blossom (that's osage orange), among others. Used to be a "Bee Keeping " MB . I am told by one who should know, that this was discontinued because (1) Not too many given out and (2) Irving did not want to consider legal issues from Scouts getting stung and (3) That is why no hives at several Scout Camps/reservations, despite possible apiarists on staff. Wait for it.....

Check with a Scout friendly electrical contractor. They use pipe/conduit that may be adaptable to your use.

(see previous post) We were also told that we should refer to these "young Lions" as Lion Scouts, not Lion Cubs. It was to be "officially" a separate program, held under a BSA Cub Pack , but some weird sign up arrangement. No one in the room pushed the issue with the pro. "Training for adult leaders TBD. "

Back in pre history, my OA always had a "Salamagundi", which was touted as a campout to show off your camp skills. Awards were made, medals and trophies handed out. Camp gadgets, neatness, campfire building (not how big, but how), displays, camp gateways, street names, cooking tastings, emergency readiness (fire stand? first aid station?), home made tents, creative tarp use. Lots of things. judged. Haven't heard of anything like that in many a moon.

As I read thru the above, I note the following: 1) Keep good records of who said what to whom, when. 2) Scoutson has one merit badge to finish. Therefore, the Eagle Application can not be signed and then presented to Council in any event. Finish the Merit Badge. 3) Scoutson is within his rights to go to Council and request a review of his advancement record. Make sure everything is complete and in order there. Council would do this when the EAp is submitted in any event. 4) The National standards are as presented above. Scoutson cannot be denied a Scoutmaster Conference, it sounds like he already had one if he knows that SM wants "more proof" of Scoutson's exemplary Scout Spirit. If SM declares that the absolute number of camping days/nights is indicative of Scout Spirit and nothing else to his mind will do, get "in writing" what that number is, and how it compares to the actual number. As stated above, he cannot declare such a requirement unless it was declared to the Scout way before now, and this standard/requirement must be applied equally, fairly to all. Is there any indication it has or has not? 5) It sounds like we have not heard "the whole story" and it sounds like there may well be some underlying bias involved. Proving such is very difficult. 6) In all your dealings, encourage Scoutson to be , in all things, polite, cheerful, honest and non-accusatory. Stick to the facts. 7) If there are others who might share your feelings of unfair treatment, certainly discuss with them, but KEEP TO THE FACTS. 8) If there are other examples of Scoutson's Scout Spirit (adhering to the Scout Promise and Law, demonstrating the Scout Motto and Slogan) both in and outside of Scouting, such as OA, Camporee events, Unit leadership, school activities, House of Worship activities, family duties and participation, other service to community, etc., be prepared (there's that phrase) to document these with dates and whatever. 9) Make it easy for the people involved to Do The Right Thing. Backing them into a corner and grabbing them by the scruff of the neck is the very last thing you want to do. After you have all the facts in hand (Advancement record complete, Service Project complete and signed off by the accepting agency, camp nights numbers declared and done, other examples of Scout Spirit detailed, EAp otherwise all complete, ), then you might want to go to the Committee Chair, then the Charter Org Rep, and /or the Institution Head about your experience with the SM. That is when you bring forth the National Standards and compare Scoutson's record to the treatment you have experienced with the SM. Follow the chain of command. 10) If you have already complained to Council about your experience,("they are investigating") you have, in my opinion, jumped some steps. After all is said and done, you can always appeal thru Council and thru National, but then you will have to document your experience as I have outlined above. And you will most likely win the appeal, but at what cost? Again, go slow and steady, and give them the chance to Do The Right Thing themselves. It may take a Higher Up (COR? IH? DE? Council SE?) to convince SM and CCh to do this, but it is "nicer" in the long run. See you on the trail.

Offer to organize a "Scout Leadership Weekend" and model it after the National program: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/ILST%20FINALS%202011%20-%20Item%20Number%20511-016.pdf It is official BSA, the PTB may have a hard time not allowing it. You might even promote it as making THEIR job easier! and/or promote your local Council NAYLE program, assuming they have one like NCAC's : http://www.ncacbsa.org/training/national-youth-leadership-training/ which comes from: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/Resources/NAYLE.aspx If the adults don't see the benefit of "Train'em, Trust'em, Let'em Lead"..... then perhaps by encouraging the boys to improve it on their own, or by their realization of what they are missing out on, things can change , a little at a time. Having fun in Scouts is important, but seeing the boys make the fun themselves is better.

Camp advice: Play the "What if " game, and then decide what you can do without for the time you are away from mama's kitchen. When Scoutson "bridged" over, we said in celebration, we would buy him anything he wanted from either the Scout Shop, REI , or Sunny's Surplus. WE walked thru Sunny's , Scoutson picked out a 5 Dcell Maglight. Okaaaay... He carried it ONCE on a Troop camping trip (mostly, I think to impress his friends with the bright light). Next time, he took a 2AA cell pocket LED light. He took a 60L. ... ? began with an "M" 8 years ago to Philmont. He outgrew it, gave it to another Scout. , and bought a new on last year, a Gregory. I took a Deuter to Spain, et al, and am very happy with it. That , and my 30 year old REI frame pack. Strap almost anything to it.

I like Calico's idea. Ask the CSDC people , they might have some "Special" awards you could make up with the Cub Bling. We have done such before. Also, your RoundTable Commisher might like them for the same purpose. Some plywood, varnish (or poly eurothane) a few stick on letters, presto! "Star of the Pack" , " Compass to Follow" ....

Forwarded this to our Troop Treasurer for consideration.

At a recent Council Commish meeting, we were told that our Council: 1) Will have the Lion program available for "testing". 2) That a Pack may "ask" to be allowed to do the Lion program when the details are announced , end of May, perhaps, that if the Pack was deemed a solid pack, (this was not explained, only they did not want a "troubled" Pack to try a new program , if they had other problems), Council would work with them.... 3) "Wait for details, to come".............

"The Work Is Done By Whoever Shows Up." Thoughts: 1) The OA was originally intended as an AWARD, not something that could be directly EARNED or CAMPAIGNED for. The boys of the Troop/Post/Ship were supposed to elect the fellows that DESERVED the recognition. Is this still understood, has that expectation changed, or have the ADULTS somehow forgotten to explain this to the Scouts? 2) Thru its own events/program/training/stuff, the OA encouraged the ideas of Cheerful Service To Others, that such service was it's own reward, "without thought of recompence". Or has "what's in it for me" gotten the upper hand here? 3) The OA members ("Arrowmen". Never heard that term until I was an adult. I was " OA", that was all.) were , as recognized, duty bound to help the younger Scouts along the way they themselves had traversed. Camping, hiking, nature study, conservation, service to the Charter Org. This was explained , to me, by the older OA, and by the adult advisors. Set expectations? Express disappointment? Who does that any more.... 4) Ya gotta make choices. Scouting, OA, school band, Xbox, football, traveling softball league, camporee, Philmont, Summit, family lawn mowing, college visits, uncle's fishing trip, Kids know about this, and sometimes the choices do not sit well with the adults. Sometimes the kids don't realize the results of their choice until years later (what, no pro baseball contract?) . 5) Youngsters tend to learn (remember waaaay back when?) by the EXAMPLE of their elders. Elder adults, elder kids, elder TV shows, elder politicians. What happens when you act a certain way? Do others appreciate it? Is the action appreciated? Does it really matter who fixed the hinge on the door if it helps folks going in and out? 6) When kids go to camp, do they really think about who set up the tent for them on that platform? It might matter to them that the last Troop before them retied all the ropes neat, and cleaned up the site and put up some firewood , but not who initially set things up. It would be the leadership of the previous Troop that reminded their Scouts how the site looked when they arrived. 7) That's all. Now I have to go down to my wife's office and fix their restroom faucet. See you on the trail....

Well the Jamboree is coming up. Our Committee just received word about the Faith and Belief Pavilion. That is where every faith sets up a display for folks to stop by and compare theological notes.... Seems this time around, BSA wants to charge per floor footage . For the smallest area, 10' x 10', they will provide the big tent, a wood floor, electric hook-up, a table and two chairs, and some other amenities. Charging $1450. This, in addition to normal Staff Charge, etc. Seems that the BSA Jamboree wants to "cover expenses", by also charge (?how?) Merit Badge areas. Well, corporate, commercial exhibitors, yeah, but the faiths? Rumor has it that the OA is also to be "charged"? Last time around, no charge. Faith is as ever, a large part of Scouting. However, now, it is a defined requirement in each rank. Does this now make it part of the "Program"? The letter we received is labeled a "Draft", which implies this charge is yet to be firmly determined . Might cause some smaller faiths some problems, stretching of small budgets, reconsideration of their attendance or at least presence in the Faith and Belief Tent. Ummmmm.... I came to think of the Jamboree as a working vacation, that the Staff charge was , if not cheap, at least almost reasonable for the entertainment and fun stuff included. ** How'bout knocking a hundred off the charge.... I don't need another duffle bag, this one is still good!

I really will eventually (eventually) have made and sell a bumper sticker that reads "Will Work For Colorful Scraps Of Cloth", with a Scout fleur de lis in the corner. U of Scouting can be inspirational, informative, fun, useful, meaningful and tiring, uneventful, worthless, boring and waste of time. "It Depends". Patches are what you want them to be, and the Uniform Police will counsel those that need to be reminded of the importance of "Patches" :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvfsfS6NVUc&nohtml5=False U of S patch looks good on my red Jacshirt, just under the right front pocket.

The problem boils down to the need of (many) adults to "Get Things Done". There are some who have no patience in letting kids /Scouts get things done in their own time and way. How, exactly , did the ADULTS learn to do it? I will refer you to our well known training consultants, Mssrs. Bob and Ray: "Wait for it". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktYwuw9Mnjo

In thinking about it, thru my Scout career, I have had training in no less than six different techniques . Each was an improvement over the previous, based on the science then known. Each was the best known at the time for dealing with drowning, water accidents, heart attacks. Each was presented as an OPPORTUNITY, a POSSIBILITY to save a life. At any given time, one of your Scouts may be the only one around that has any knowledge of those techniques. In my 68 years, I have only been called upon to use that last learned technique once. Teach your boys (and girls!). Learn the CPR your self. Learn the Bee Gees song. Contact your local Red Cross, your local hospital, they will be glad to help you organize a CPR class in your Scout District. Make an opportunity for that possibility .

**Low rope monkey bridge (" Over the Mighty, Piranha infested AMAZON!!!" ) . For this, you need "lifeguards" on each side as they walk across. ** Two signal towers, as tall as is allowed and convenient, send a message to each other by semaphore or wig wag. Signaling Merit Badge? Have a race with Texting?? See Jay Leno's show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64tfnG77Nl8 ** Dutch oven brownies.... ** Set up a HOT fire, use a branding iron to create coasters on "cookies" cut from a log (get old broken round fence post from Home Depot) cut by Cub Scouts on two (person) saw. ("Scout symbol and Troop xyz") ** Pioneering set ups of various types... ** Nature Merit Badge set up with tracks in plaster of paris, woodpecker holes, scat pictures, work with your local parks ... ** Movie theater? Show home movies of Scout campouts, etc. : "Down and Derby", "Troop759 of Harlem" , CSDC promos of the Council, etc.

Welcome back.... Well, there is debate and there is discussion and there is confrontation. Friendly and Courteous and Kind come to mind. Sometimes humor can allow recognition and illumination of problems in argument. Sometimes smiling and mentioning a personal experience can help. Sometimes walking away and hoping for a chance to catch the fellow alone to ask him, gently, did he really mean that last night? My ex-wife's grandfather on her dads side was an ex-Ku Klux Klanner, even tho he lived in California. I only met him once, at dinner. I remember when he sought to disparage Hank Aaron as a baseball player because of his African heritage ( I am cleaning up the language) I gently reminded him that the baseball didn't notice who hit it, but the bat might remember who it hit. The silence at the table was palpable. My ex-dad in law later congratulated me, said he never liked the SOB either, and then told me of the old man's KKK history. I had an english teacher in high school. Our class somehow had gotten on to WW2 history and the subject of the Nazi atrocities came up. One of the boys in the class (all seniors), obviously parroting his parents, said that most of that stuff was fantasy, made up stuff. Our teacher got noticeably red in the face. He sat down on his desk and proceeded to tell us , very calmly and matter of factly, of his time in the Third Army Division, how they were the first to walk into Buchenwald and what he , himself, had seen. Our friend got very quiet, even years later I remember his quiet. Pick your time. Think about what to say, even now, it may help the next time. Scoutmaster's minute here? Letter to the Editor , to get it off your chest? Letter to the Scouter's Digest of your Association?

Yep. Soak an hour (overnight is better), drain, rinse, soak TWICE, drain again, and BOIL the beans. Allakindagerms anda toxins....

In May of 2013, I set off with a friend on a personal expedition Some months before, he had lost his dear wife to a long illness, resigned from his job (they questioned his leave useage while tending to his ill wife), and decided he needed a break, a time away to think things out. He is Catholic, I am not. He had fallen away from the faith of his upbringing and wanted to reconnect. We had known each other thru Scouts, our boys had grown up together (different Troops, but camporees etc.) . So he calls me one night and asks if I would "take a hike with him".... What he had in mind was not the C&O Canal, or the Appalachian Trail, but 800 km in northern Spain: A traditional Catholic Pilgrimage Trail named Camino de Santiago. I won't bore you with the details of that, it is well accounted for on line. But why me? of all the people he might invite, why me? He paid me the great compliment of saying that he knew me , knew my stability, we were of fairly equal capabilities, and, to use his language, he "needed a lifeguard". We hiked and talked and had many adventures and met many different people from all around the world (who would think that hiking in Spain would be popular in South Korea?) . When I returned home, (talk about scheduling!), two weeks later, I was off to the National Jamboree in WVA. MORE HIKING (!) and adventures. On the Camino, there were ,as Stosh mentioned in one of his last posts, many soul connections and farewells as folks met , hiked a spell together, and then went their separate ways. Long discussions in broken mismatched languages, eyes meeting, understandings and help given and accepted. Everyone on their own journeys, but similarities recognized and valued. One thing was universal thruout the Camino: The greeting. "Buen Camino!" When I got to the NatJam, I again met many new folks, each on their separate journeys and adventures ("will this phone EVER charge up??"), but I eventually decided one of the things I missed from the Camino was the shared greeting, the acknowledgement of our shared experience. "hello, Hiya, Good morning " didn't cut it some how. We needed a multicultural, cross borders connection. I would therefore like to suggest, all you 2017 and 2019 Jamboree bound folks (I haven't decided yet) consider adopting a new greeting: " GOOD JAMBO !" Any time you pass a new friend on the Consol bridge, raise your hand, and wish him "good Jambo!" Hey, that cook in the Camp E mess hall, "good Jambo!" Waking those Scouts up in the morning: "Good Jambo!, Hey! , get yer lazy carcass outta that tent! Good Jambo!" Acknowledging the Scouts in your Merit Badge area, "Good Jambo, welcome to the...." The tradition starts with somebody doing it. You have a year to practice.,. Good Jambo to you all!

Oh, and I just noticed the title of this thread: "... Eagles produced". Not "earned?" or "awarded"... DId BSA use that terminology too?.

E94: GIve him time and opportunity. If he fulfills a requirement and you can catch him at it, (cooking for the Patrol?), sign it! We had a Scout who was the same way. At one CoH, he was awarded ( in sequence) Second Class, First Class and Star. Big standing applause! He was 16 then. He is now a Asst. Cashier at the local bank. In about 20 years, I expect to vote for him for governor.