Student

Hello, Trevorum. I've used both types extensively and here are my thoughts... 1. Internal-frame packs look much more "high-tech" than those old-time external-frame packs. When it comes to style, internal-frame wins every time. 2. The internal-frame packs generally consist of a single large pocket, accessible from the top, while the external-frame packs generally have numerous pockets, accessible from the top, sides, and rear of the pack ("rear" meaning the side opposite the shoulder straps). So the internal-frame can carry much larger items, but numerous stuff-sacks are necessary if

Merlyn_LeRoy, is the ACLU declining to accept court-authorized payments? I was under the impression they accepted payment awards and contributions and they paid their lawyers. "Free" is what you do as a volunteer Scouter. NJCubScouter, thank you for your explanation of how the funding process works. What is unfortunate about the process is that while the ACLU may receive cash if they prevail, they are not penalized if they fail. However, their target IS penalized, because the target had to pay legal fees and take time from other work to defend itself. So the ACLU can file lawsuits k

"Get Off My Honor" is, by far, the most rigorous review and analysis of the activities of the anti-BSA groups in print. I commend Mr. Zeiger for the considerable amount of research he conducted and for the clarity of his editorial position. His argument is compelling, and I found myself getting upset (again) at the various special-interest groups attacking the Scouts. (Side comment: how many hours is the ACLU spending in service projects this year?) One aspect I found quite fascinating was the review of some of the internal BSA responses to the opposition, such as policy changes by individual

We've had success with an indoor compass game that teaches the concept of following a bearing. Working in a large room (we use a school cafeteria), the leader prepares for the game by taping small pieces of paper on the walls, perhaps ten feet apart and at eye level. Each paper has a single letter on it, small enough that the letter cannot be read from a distance. The leader then prepares an index card for each Scout or team, listing a sequence of bearings to be followed (each team having different instructions). Each bearing leads to one of the pieces of paper. This would look something like

I'd echo madkins007's recommendation of Dave and Kathy Lynn's youth fundraising book. The book has a large number of ideas, and some of them are a scream! The Lynns make two particularly salient points: 1. Units should distinguish between raising cash from current members of their organization or from outside sources/customers. I know parents in our unit get tired of buying the boys' latest product. 2. The fundraising effort should support the organization's other goals. For example, Scouts selling lightbulbs door-to-door don't have the same experience as Scouts selling birdhouses th

If you will forgive an edited reposting of a comment previously made in a different thread... Have you ever noticed that when an adult begins an exercise program, he or she starts wearing athletic apparel--a sweatshirt, perhaps, or a sweatsuit, along with fancy shoes? Sometimes it's just for that brisk walk around the neighborhood and sometimes it's for hours around the house before and after. It's part of the perceived process of becoming a fit person. By putting on that athletic uniform, the individual is "becoming" what he or she has selected as their goal. This has been known fo

As we all know, orienteering skills need to be demonstrated for rank advancement and for the Orienteering merit badge. To improve their map and compass skills, some Scout units participate in orienteering contests. These contests are developed by individual Scout units, councils, and camps, and the U.S. Orienteering Federation (www.us.orienteering.org) runs a large number of events nationwide. At least one website focuses on Scout orienteering events (www.scoutorienteering.com). Now to my question. We are preparing to host a council-wide orienteering competition, and we must choose betwe

That certainly makes sense, bbng. One consequence would seem to be that change in units is driven internally rather than from external forces. We can't make "those guys in that unit over there" do better, but we can influence what happens in our own units. Student

One negative factor seems to be the significant amount of ego in the leadership of some units. Some individuals want to hang on to their position as CM, SM, CC, or SA regardless of their abilities or performance or the growth (shrinkage) of the unit. They get to wear their uniforms and be important. Unfortunately, this drives away other potential volunteers who see that their time could be spent more productively elsewhere. Of course, it also drives Scouts away.

Mr. Prairie_Scouter, I believe many of us feel your pain ("I question my own role as a leader because of the amount of time it takes away from the rest of my family. The burden becomes even more because of the difficulty in getting other people to help"). You're obviously committed to the success of your program and are willing to put in the extra effort to get tasks accomplished that otherwise are left undone. I hope your family supports your commitment and what is at stake for the boys in your unit who might otherwise miss the positive influence of Scouting. Over the last year, as part

Isn't this the same issue the education folks are contending with as they debate raising school standards?

Mr. DanK's initial post mentioned that in a free market poor troops would die off and good troops would grow and prosper. This will of course happen to the extent that information is easily and publicly available about these troops, so that families could join or move from weak to strong troops and troop leaders (adults and PLC) could compare their units with their "competition". Mr. OldGreyEagle's accreditation gets after this. It communicates information about the unit that wasn't previously available to potential new members. The Quality Unit designation does the same sort of thing, b

Have you ever noticed that when an adult begins an exercise program, he or she starts wearing athletic apparel--a sweatshirt, perhaps, or a sweatsuit, along with fancy shoes? Sometimes it's just for that brisk walk around the neighborhood and sometimes it's for hours around the house before and after. It's part of the perceived process of becoming a fit person. By putting on that athletic uniform, the individual is "becoming" what he or she has selected as their goal. This has been known for years by marketers of consumer products, who sell to who people want to be, rather than to who th

Perhaps one reason Scouting comes out second in scheduling conflicts is the year-round nature of our program. The boys can always come back to Scouts after their soccer/swimming/football/baseball season is over. (Solution: excellent activities every month that the boys really, really don't want to miss.) Building on this is the common practice of denying youth "starting positions" on game day if they missed a practice.

I have not heard of any situations in government where passing more laws increased the freedom of the governed. One of the unfortunate effects of by-laws is that by-laws limit both the individual Scouts and the troop. By-laws are never written to enable the troop or a Scout to do bigger, bolder things than it or he had ever done before. Instead, they are written to prevent something from happening. They protect adults from having to take a stand or represent an ideal. From the discomfort of trying something that hasn't been done before. From having to tolerate the sometimes-sloppy-but-wel

Mr. Fscouter and Mr. White, I understand you do not care for the adult patrol concept. Let me then ask for your advice. As I had posted earlier, the adult "Scouts" include our (trained) committee chair. It also includes the majority of our committee members. So the tactic of signing these folks up for troop support positions or training is unavailable. In conversations with our CR, the CR does not distinguish the issue. After a thorough search, I have found no recommendations in any of the BSA literature. Your recommendations? Student

The "old goat" patrol might also serve as a training platform for those adults who will become Scout leaders in the future.

Seattle Pioneer, the adult patrol is an excellent suggestion. I can see it being particularly effective on camping trips. There is a fringe benefit in that the parents will not be embarrassed in front of their sons by any lack of skill. We'll give it a try. Student

A comment and a question... Clearly there is a need for sustained adult leadership development--equivalent to the succession plans used in businesses. Perhaps troop committees should be looking a bit farther into the future, identifying and then training future adult leaders, who can then "hit the ground running" when a vacancy appears. It seems time and a bit of the program is lost if each new leader (however talented) has to come up to speed after they are in office. This would also prevent any incorrect practices getting started by untrained volunteers. Our troop has some adult vo

After watching several years of Cub Scout and Boy Scout fundraising activities, I've grown concerned that we may be losing sight of our Scouting ideals and methods. My question: are these concerns misplaced? Most fundraisers in our council consist of sales of commercial products, such as popcorn, candy bars, and the like. These products usually have little or no tie to the Scouting program, and do not support the program except in the literal fundraising way. Our troop committee has deliberately avoided such sales, even to the point of declining to participate in council-sponsored p

I suspect the core Scouting program content will remain essentially the same but the numbers of Scouts (or, more accurately, the percentage of Scout-age boys who are Scouts) will slowly decrease. This would happen at the same rate as the decrease in other traditional cultural activities, such as church attendence. Scouting will then be a stable specialty program much like club soccer, swimming teams, and the like. Scouting's continuing stand for appropriate moral behavior will be increasingly at odds with modern American society's declining standards. Much like traditional church congreg

Eamonn, I compliment you for your question and encourage you to stay with this topic. It is really quite important. I grow concerned that Scout leaders (youth and adults) may have some expertise with the individual tools and procedures of Scouting but do not have a clear, compelling picture of what an individual Scout or a troop should be. Not what the best Scout in their troop looks like, or the best troop in the council, but rather the ideal Scout. Many of the leaders with whom I visit have not considered what possibilities exist--rather, they strive to maintain the status quo, whateve

In our district, one energetic volunteer compiled a list of the troops, their meeting times and locations, number of Scouts, contact information, and any special notes the troop wanted to make known (significant upcoming activities, extent to which Scouts led the troop, etc.). This booklet was then distributed to every pack in the district. This has been a significant resource for the packs, as most of the Webelos leaders and families did not know what opportunities were available. Overall retention levels increased--most troops gained new members that would otherwise have been missed. Also