SSScout

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.

BIG candles. Collar to catch the wax. No carpets in the ceremony room, bare floor. Cubs will be impressed, no matter what, with candles and solemnity of the adults and older Scouts. Design your own, simple ceremony. It sounds like you have one, go with it. Include Boy Scouts in it if you can, talk about "Scout Spirit" alot, and the passing of the Spirit from the older to the younger. See you on the trail....

Not me personally, but my Troop has been twice. Noted recommendations: READ THE BOOK. Bug spray, sunscreen (SPF 35 plus), two swim trunks or Scout convertables. waterproof bags for phones,cameras, monies etc. Troop tshirts and/or patches for trading. Hats. You can buy souvenir towels or bring your own. Learn to swim at home and practice....

I just have to promote this underappreciated movie: Troop 491: The Adventures of the Muddy Lions See the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPcCsGQ_xjY *Warning, adult language* Order the movie on DVD: http://www.troop491-movie.com/

S947: Nothing rude about it, yep I am Quaker. Scout Chaplain at the '05 and '13 Jamborees. It sure is nice to discuss faith here on the Faith and Chaplaincy Forum. Oh, wait.... The Religious Society of Friends started out in the 1650s English reformation/revolution period. At first, there was a desire to be rid of the hypocritical church hierarchy of the day. Hence our traditional, silent, "unled" worship. Later, in the 1820s in America, there was a theological division that created two main branches of North American Quakers. I'll not bore you with the details, but one branch mostly worships without the benefit of "human" clergy, one branch "mostly" has paid ministry, much like a Methodist Church, IMHO, but they do still accept the idea of Spirit led ministry. Really simplified..... Come by Sandy Spring Friends Meeting (Sandy Spring MD) any time....

Awwww, Stosh, Take a vacation, hike the trail a little. Come back when you want. Always a log with your name on it by this crackerbarrel....

""By the way, I consider being paid to dole out "religion" unethical."" One of the reasons traditional Quakers have no paid ministry.

Scouts Canada often has multiple Jamborees for just that reason. See http://skc.scouts.ca/ca/event/canadian-jamboree Nova Scotia in 2017. ""Our other focus is to hold our Jamborees, where possible, on Scouts Canada owned land. This is important as we look to continuing the development of our properties, allowing them to provide a great place for Scouting adventures. "" Nat Jam at Heritage?

*sigh* I worked in a hospital for a while. We divied up the holidays easily. The overt Christians worked Hanukah and Passover, the Jews worked Christmas and Easter, we all worked thru Ramadan when called upon. It was understood. As for the Scout Promise (I wish it was not called an Oath, because we are not "swearing" BY anything) and the lovely poem called the Pledge of Allegiance, well, here goes: Many faiths view " swearing by" anything (a so called judicial oath ) contrary to their scripture . See Mathew 5:33 etc. as an example . One either tells the truth as they know it or they don't, and be done with it. The old Cub Scout Promise was named that because it was/is a promise and we want our youth to realize the importance of Keeping One's Word, yes? The Boy Scout Promise (or Oath , as noted in older Scout literature) is , I think, so named as to make it sound more important. In court, for instance, a lie is a lie, regardless of what one said before giving that testimony. So: many faiths view the Scout Oath as what it really is, a promise given to behave in a certain way and to do certain things. "On my honor". Among them, doing one's "duty to God"... The Pledge of Allegiance, is viewed by some faiths as, first, an unnecessary Loyalty Oath, and secondly, as being too close to Idolatry, and thirdly a possible breech of the separation of State and Religion. Again, it matters not what one says before, but what one does that defines one's patriotism. Why not pledge allegiance to the Constitution and Declaration of Independence? They are more representative of our nation than a colorful piece of cloth. In fact, that is what our armed forces are asked to do, promise to "protect and defend" see http://www.history.army.mil/html/faq/oaths.html So promising to be loyal to a piece of cloth, no matter how lovely and what it represents (US of A?) may be idolatrist. So the requirement for a Scout to "know" the PoA is fine, but the idea of requiring the recitation of it , ceremonially, may not be for some. I will refer folks to the Supreme Court's rulings on this in the schools for a better elucidation than I can give. Duty to God should be first, yes? And what does that mean? It is , as has been stated many times here in, and perhaps better than I, that God is ultimately defined by the individual, therefore one's DUTY to same must also be individually defined. Agreement with a particular faith will certainly help the individual define that duty. Even B-P had trouble with folks that thought his Scouts were inherently Christian , and THEIR type of Christian, not some other type! Look what happened with that! So if a Scout decides that his Duty to God is to NOT believe in Him, how are we to debate that? Each faith (Jain, Buddhist, Hindu, Jesuit, Methodist, Jew, Muslim,,,,,) has different view of this "elephant" (see the Indostan wonderfully evocative story of the blind men and the elephant) we call God. The Amish ( and I frankly have never heard of an Amish Scout) ask that one "show what a man does with his hands that I may know his heart". Is that not what we are concerned with here?

Aha! I missed that item. Someone in Chap A canceled their arrangement? Even more strange. Why accept the request to help, make all the plans and arrangements and then try to cancel the event? In my pre-retirement life, part of my job was investigating accidents and trying to determine HOW it happened. It was not my "official" duty to determine who was at fault or to find blame , only to collect evidence and testimony, etc. Even so, I realized that in the finding of evidence, I would very likely end up pointing to the cause and who was to blame, even tho I would not be the one to pass judgement, so to speak. Oldscout448, be open and honest in expressing your disappointment and angst. Help to make this a learning experience for your Scouts, and remember, they are ALL your Scouts, no matter which side of the border they live.

Let me understand this. Chapter A has too few members and a newbie advisor to do a quality call out at their camporee, in 11 days, and asks Chapter B for help. Chapter B has a camporee callout scheduled a few weeks after Chapter A's, so Chapter B muscles up and arranges to go to Chapter A's Camporee to help with the callout, with the understanding that if it can't workout, Chapter A will come with their candidates (?) to Chapter B's camporee to have their ceremonial callout there. Is that correct so far? While the OP is enroute to Chapter A's camporee with gear and fellow OA ceremonial team members, SOMEBODY (who??) texts (email??) everyone (really? Everyone?) that the callout is canceled? An hour before the agreed upon time? Was hurricane predicted?? You picked up the pieces (got a crew together) and (forgive the Cub Scout mention) "Did Your Best". Oldscout448, you and your fellow Arrowmen) "did your Duty". You were "Trustworthy". And "Helpful". And " Loyal". You have nothing to be ashamed of and reason to be proud. I would feel "put out " too. I would beat those bushes and find out who canceled and why they thought it should be canceled. Canceled? Good googamooga, they had Scouts expecting SOMEONE to be Called Out (usta be "tapped Out", I know....). Tap out, call out, put out... Chapter A MUST realize (and if they don't their DE or SE needs to make it plain), that no matter how small or irrelevant they may feel as a group, they have been very unScoutlike to you. If Chapter A is in the throes of a rebuilding, then here is a prime example of a chance to "make things right". Understanding. Apologies. Cooperation.. Owning up to a very poor faux pas. And Chapter B has a chance here , too. By YOUR example, give Chapter A a leg up. You won't be sorry. See you on the trail....

Thank you, Merlyn for the reference to Mary Dyer , et al. When political leadership is questioned, it is often folks that "go to the source" that do so. "Believe as I tell you to believe" has always been a contentious idea. Just ask any Quaker farmer who was forced to move from Virginia to Ohio so he could legally free his slaves. "Duty to God" is always an important part of the Scout experience, but defining that duty , and how to judge it's successful accomplishment (can it ever be considered fully accomplished?) is how we get into nasty debates here on Scouter dot com. As a parent, I came to the realization early on that my job was to give my children something to either agree with or rebel against. Many parents never realize this, or that they do this not only by instruction but by example. Such will happen whether or not it is done consciously.

Howarthe: Have we answered your question? Well, I Sure Hope So. If not, please feel free to come back any time, and rephrase it , so we may attempt to answer it again.

blw2: Amen to that. I tried to start "Junior Webelos " and "Senior Webelos" but no one else seemed to pick up on it. Now, we usta have Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, Lion and Webelos (look at the initials : Should have been "Wobeli" but that didn't ring in the ear as well as "Webelo" , I guess. Turns out it stands for "We'll Be Loyal Scouts" . Which came first, the word or the symbology? Seven rays can remind us of these seven virtues... well, if any 11 year old can remember that, he can remember the 12 points of the Scout Law as a 8 year old Wolf, right?

Aye, there's the rub. Qualifications. If the Scout meets the qualifications (days/nights camping, etc. ) and haven't actually broken any of the Scout Law, but merely bruised a point or two, then the SM needs to make it clear in his introductory remarks to the Troop before the elections, as to what is expected, how to choose between the various candidates. They are electing a Scout as an "Honor", not a "Reward". ((? Is there a limit as to the number of Scouts that may be elected to the OA in a Troop? I forget). I like Q's comments: ""At least twice before the election we remind the boys to think about each candidate along two very important dimensions: 1. Does he serve cheerfully? 2. When you or your patrol needs help is he there?"" Do not make it specific to the Scout, except privately , in your SM Conference, how he has not met your expectations in being a "Good Scout", but let all the Scouts know, what is expected of them.

Here we are, talking about doing TOO MUCH in Scouting. Really, us? :-) Look at the few comments above. And other writers on this forum. We have every type of career represented, both active and retired. We have husbands, wives, Gmoms and Gdads. Single folks, you name it. The secret is "balance", Grasshopper, balance. And juggling is a good metaphor, too. How many plates can you keep spinning with out losing some? Which ones are the important ones? Wife, kids? Career, boss? Church? House maintenance? Shoe polish? Scouting is important to you, that is obvious. It shows in your short intro above, in the fact that you sought out this forum. You see the benefit to your son and the sons of others. How do you translate that into action? How to transfer that passion to others? And you NEED the others, believe me. You are valued for your Scouting experience and organizational ability (they want you to be a SM???). Someone else (the same CO?) wants you to be CM and help resuscitate a moribund Cub Pack. Do you have any OTHER parents/adults who share that desire? You say you lost a bunch of Cub Leaders, why did they leave? Perhaps discovering that might help with your decision as to your course. You DO NOT want to be the ONLY Cub Pack Savior. How can you be a Leader when there is no one to lead? If it was me, (and you are not me!) I would opt for the Cub Pack, assuming I have some support. The Scout Troop might need a new SM, but that can wait. If it is already a viable Scout Troop, there are some other candidates in there, somewhere. A Cub Pack can be breeding ground for new Scouts and new Scout Parents. Take those boys hiking, to CSDC, to the museums and zoos and ship overnights. Show those shy young parents how easy it is to help their boys to be confident, independent and able. When they reach Boy Scouts, they will help transform the new Troop into the Boy Led Troop we seek. Seek to hear that boy who says, unbelieving, "you mean I can do that?" You can (you will) help your boy in his Scout career by being his dad (Pardon my assumption) (and how about mom? Where does she come into this, ummm?) . Parents do not necessarily need to "bridge over" with the boy. Some of the best CM and SM are the ones without boys "in the program". AND don't forget to take the training. All good things. SLS, BALOO, all the online stuff, and look for the U of Scouting in your council. Even the SMaster stuff can be of benefit to a CM. Wood Badge? Eventually, don't hurry it. See you on the trail.