SueM

Our local council has basically taken the "choice" out of selling popcorn..we were told very clearly that if our units did not try to sell, the council would not sign any money earning applications that we would submit for other fund raisers!! Traditionally our troop has not sold or just participated in a Show & sell, but this year we've been told that Wal-Mart is not allowing any show & sells at any of their stores because all their fund raising is going towards Katrina relief. (though there are other places we can) We also can never get an adult to oversee the sale..so that makes it difficult too.

One of the things we have done in the past at show & sells was to open the box and sell them for $1 a package..people are more likely to just take a package than the whole box. Another thing that some units are doing is truckload sales..they'll just load a pickup up and drive through neighborhoods and sell it off the truck instead of taking orders and then having to go back and deliver it later. One unit sold $10,000 worth this way last year!!

P.S....It's a BoR..not the Spanish Inquisition!

It sounds to me like your AC is on a power trip and I think you need to have a talk with him! A 2 hour BoR is not only totally unnecessary but can be discouraging to the scouts! Is that what he wants?? Sure, standards should be set high..but they shouldn't be impossible to obtain!! JMO...

...is that the "Don't act/don't tell" rule??

When I do an Eagle SM Conference, I often ask the boys which Eagle required MB they feel should NOT be required and which other badge they feel SHOULD be required and why? It is interesting to hear what they say when they actually have to think about it. It kind of sometimes helps them put things into more perspective..how they all help to make him better rounded in the end.

I think this is a little off from what you're looking for, but I have done a complete outdoor Thankgiving dinner with ALL the trimmings(turkey, roast beef, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, corn pudding, fresh cranberry sauce,etc) for our troop for the past 2 years...the first year I did it just as an incentive to get the adults to our local camp to clean up after the hurricane went through and everyone enjoyed it so much that they asked me to do it again the next year. Last year then, the boys did the actual cooking with just my supervision and we had it in conjuction with our fall CoH and invited all the families and we also did an Eagle presentation at it and did a "change of command" when I offically took over as Scoutmaster too. Anyway..I think we had between 60-70 people there and there was not a scrap of food left! It was a beautiful, but chilly day but everyone totally enjoyed themselves!

Anyway...I had made it a goal of mine several years back to teach the boys that there was camp food beyond hamburgers and hot dogs and that anything you made at home, you COULD make at camp. When I did the dinner the first year, I actually had adults come to me and tell me that they had -no idea- that you could make all that stuff over open fires!! It was like DUH..how did they COOK the first Thanksgiving dinner???

One year for a Spring Scout Show we did an oriental theme. I taught the boys how to make a chicken fried rice and also how to make paper wrapped chicken (which are basically small foil packages that are deep fried when they're cooked). They did a great job with this and everyone really enjoy the food samples that we gave out.

My bigger concern is are we setting these kids up for early burnout? I understand how competitive it is for these kids today, especially if they have college ambitions, to be involved in many areas, but I still wonder...when do kids have time just to be kids anymore??

>Who knows if OJ keeps on doing what he does he >may grow up not to be a Lazy Toad like his Dad.

>Eamonn.

Project C.O.P.E. also has many exercises in teamwork that would be suitable for younger boys too..you might want to explore that.

If you can find a copy of Mark Ray's book "The Scoutmasters Other Handbook" there are lots of good questions in it for -every- rank. I, too, felt very intimidated when I started sitting on Eagle BoR's..just relax and think of what is important to YOU to see in an Eagle Scout and questions will come.

Our District Coordinator has a pet question that he asks almost every candidate "Which point of the Scout Law is the most important?" and the answer he's looking for is that they are all of equal importance because there is only one LAW... 12 points, but one law!

We spent a lot of time talking about increasing diversity during the course, but not specifically how to turn it into a ticket item! I initially had a problem with this too, but after my ticket was complete, it actually seemed like most of my ticket items ended up addressing diversity in some way! My biggest ticket item was to become the Scoutmaster for a year, so since I am a woman, that too also automatically increases diversity within my troop and another was to formulate a survey for women scouter to try and see what if any problems or prejudices they have or are facing and to report the results to the District/Council.

What I did as a specific one though was to present a program on religious diversity with the whole troop in preparation for participation in Scout Sunday. We talked about the various religions of the area, acceptance of others even if you don't agree with their views and then also gave information about the BSA religious emblems that the can pursue.

A friend of mine who was in the course is doing a program on disability awareness, which I am going to help him with. We originally wanted to do it on the District level..set up various events that the boys would have to perform with a simulated disability...such as only using one arm or being in a wheelchair, etc.

Think outside the box...keep in mind what diversity entails! Good luck with your ticket!

Sue M.

"I used to be a Beaver"

Sorry...I did not see it there! There are so many threads that it is easy to overlook things..

sue

Ships are co-ed too and although most areas of the country don't have Crews..some do. The Learning for Life program is also co-ed, but that's a different situation

Found this on my council website today.

sue m.

New First Class Requirement

Beginning January 1, 2006, an additional requirement will be added to the requirements for First Class rank in Boy Scouting. Scouts beginning their First Class requirement work after this date must complete the new requirement. Scouts working on First Class requirements prior to this date will have until June 30, 2006, to complete First Class rank without completing the new requirements.

The new requirement tests the candidate's persuasive communication skills and can help make Scouting available to more boys. It reads as follows:

"Tell someone who is eligible to join Boy Scouts, or an inactibe Boy Scouts, about your troop's activities. Invite him to a troop outing, activity, service project, or meeting. Tell him how to join, or encourage the inactive Boy Scout to become active."

The 2006 requirements book will be updated with this new information. All Scoutmasters were sent a DVD containing tools that young Scouts can use to asssist them in completing this requirement. Scouts can also find support for the completion of this requirement at www.thescoutzone.org.

I found this on our council website today and thougt it was worth passing on

sue m.

New First Class Requirement

Beginning January 1, 2006, an additional requirement will be added to the requirements for First Class rank in Boy Scouting. Scouts beginning their First Class requirement work after this date must complete the new requirement. Scouts working on First Class requirements prior to this date will have until June 30, 2006, to complete First Class rank without completing the new requirements.

The new requirement tests the candidate's persuasive communication skills and can help make Scouting available to more boys. It reads as follows:

"Tell someone who is eligible to join Boy Scouts, or an inactibe Boy Scouts, about your troop's activities. Invite him to a troop outing, activity, service project, or meeting. Tell him how to join, or encourage the inactive Boy Scout to become active."

The 2006 requirements book will be updated with this new information. All Scoutmasters were sent a DVD containing tools that young Scouts can use to asssist them in completing this requirement. Scouts can also find support for the completion of this requirement at www.thescoutzone.org.

I have also heard rumors that they are

(FINALLY!!!) updating the YPT videos too! Since there are more co-ed programs, there are issues that also need to be addressed from that standpoint which weren't.

Though I didn't get to go with them..my boys went to Blue Ridge Mountain this year and all the adult leaders just loved it! It's got something for everyone camp wise though they did have complaints about the food...the "amount" of food, especially!

THAT'S it..I was thinking there was something else I was forgetting..the SPL and ASPL books!! I got the SPL one but not the other!!

sue

Our troop has one major fund raiser for the year..a BBQ dinner...we do between 1200-1600 dinners. The boys get $1 into their account for every ticket that they sell and they can use that money then to offset summer camp fees or towards other scouting activities, then the rest of the money goes into the troop fund for other uses. We also have a $1 a week dues..which of course, they never seem to remember to bring. We have recently change this to be paid on a quarterly basic and is collected at our quarterly Court of Honor since that it the time when whe have many parents in attendance. Our treasurer prints out a statement for each boy which we mail to their homes to make SURE that the parents get them! (I think we all know that giving information to a scout and expecting that it will get passed on is akin to just dumping it into a black hole!!) The troop then totally covers the cost of rechartering for the boys (adults pay their own fees) from the troop funds and it also covers all the awards that are given through the year too.

Our biggest issue doing this is that we have the BBQ dinner in February and our new boys come in the first of March, so they do not get the opportunity to sell tickets and build up any funds in their accounts. We like to encourage the father of new scouts to attend Summer camp with them the first year, so to encourage them to do that without causing undue financial strain of having to pay for 2, we will either cover Dad's fee or if this is a camp that allows for a certain number of free adults, we allow them to fill one of those slots.

Trevorum

I don't think there is anything else that I can remember at this time...I will check though when I go to our local shop later this week. I only knew about these because our district Training coordinator mentioned it at our last Wood Badge Association meeting at the end of July (he is also the chairman of the WBA)

I has only been out since around July. I would also like to mention that there is a new Scoutmasters Handbook and a new Troop Leadership Trainng module too...you will need the new SM handbook to go with that as there is no longer a video, etc. but the training explanation is more detailed in the SM Handbook then in the Training module.

BSA pants are definitely not made for women...especially women who have had children!! I have the same problem..what fits me in the waste is too tight across the hips! I put my Class A pants on to go to an Eagle BoR last week and they felt like they were going to rip before the night was over!! (I hadn't had them on in a while) In our troop, we allow boys and adults to wear anything that "looks" like BSA pants (olive colored) that they can wear for normal meetings if they choose. We do encourage them though to have a pair of Official pants to wear for CoH's and BoR's etc.

Sue M.

You'll be happy to know that there is a new JLT out..as well as a new Scoutmaster's Handbook to go with it. It's actually called "Troop Leadership Training" now. It's bases around the concepts of (what a scout must) Know, Be, Do and EDGE (Explain, Demonstrate, Guide and Enable). There is also the National Youth Leader Training too, which is basically a Jr. version of Wood Badge. The new syllubus itself though is very short, but there is more detailed information in the new SM handbook to go with it. Check with your Council Service Center for it. #34306A

While the videos were outdated, in some ways I liked them. For troop which may have become "adult led" over time, I think they offer a bit of understanding to the boys as to what they should be doing!

Hi Tom...I too am a fairly new scoutmaster..almost a year now, which to me, is a "newby"! It's certainly a challenge but it's also a lot of fun! I'm new to this site too but have already found it to be very informative and a great resource! Good luck to you!

Sue M.

"I used to be a Beaver"

One of my patrols decided to change their name to The Cable Guys and their patrol yell is Git 'er Done! and on their patrol flag they have a TV drawn with rabbit ears antennae.

Another patrol is the Sea Monkeys..I don't think they've ever come up with a real patrol yell other than to look at each other in question and say "Patrol yell????"

AK Eagle,

Thanks for the welcome! I try not to take things too seriously when I deal with these people..I "consider the source" and figure that that if they didn't have the..umm..err.."guts" to step up and take on the job, then they have no right to criticize me for the job I do either!

When I was on staff at BSLT last year, (we were a small staff 2 men & 2 women) one of the first questions that came up from one of the trainees during the Scoutmaster Specific training was "When did women start to play such a prominent role in Scouting??" There are still plenty of "old school" scouters out there who don't believe that women should be leaders. My answer to them was that one of the reason why I got my son involved was to give him other male role models in his life, since as a military family we have never had other family around to help influence him in that sense, that I understood his views and concerns...but that has nothing to do with my LEADERSHIP ability! There are plenty of other male leaders to act as role models and I make adjustments in the troops so that if there are things that the scouts don't feel comfortable with discussing or doing with me, that the men can deal with them. When I go on camping trips with them..I am a leader first and then a leader who just happens to be female.

When I was deciding to take on the job, one of the committee members said "I wonder how the boys will feel about having a woman scoutmaster??" and one of my ASM's immediately said "What does it really matter WHAT they think!! First of all, they don't get a say in who the leader is and if Scouts can't deal with a woman in a position of authority as a 12..13..14 yr old, what are they going to do when they're adults and have to deal with them in their work places??" It is good for scouts to have to deal with diversity of ALL kinds in order to grow...but unfortunately, living in the south as I do, when I talk about embracing diversity, everyone jumps to the conclusion that that is only a black/white issue!