SWScouter

there was a recent change that added the minimum age for earning AOL. In addition to time you must be a minimum of 10 yrs old now. That is not true. AOL requirement 1 is as follows: Be active in your Webelos den for at least six months since completing the fourth grade (or for at least six months since becoming 10 years old), and earn the Webelos badge. This means that if a boy completes the fourth grade a year earlier than normal (age 9) he could earn his AOL before his 10th birthday. If that is the case, he will have to wait until he turns ten before joining Boy Scouts. S

The last requirement for a Scout to qualify to go on an OA election ballot, is "Scoutmaster's Approval." This is where the Scout in your scenario would not "qualify." IMHO......... sst3rd, I agree. I feel that a lot of the complaints voiced in this discussion are that SMs have added boys to the ballot that really shouldn't have been to begin with. Unfortunately, it also appears that in some places, the boys have elected unworthy scouts. This seems to boil down to training issue with the SM, election teams, and scouts. SWScouter

So how can a unit leader say the Scout was active and demonstrated scout spirit for rank but not for the OA? Are not these standards the same? Here's one scenario, e.g., a boy is active in the troop, attends summer camp and lots of outings and shows lots of scout spirit and earns his first class rank. For sake of argument, say he earns the rank shortly after his troops OA election. Shortly after he earns first class, he basically stops attending outings and rarely attends troop meetings. When he does attend them, he tends to be more disruptive than helpful. When the next OA election comes

This is my third year as den leader for my son's den. I started when they were wolfs. The first two years we met at the assistant den leader's home. This year we are meeting at the church hall. I think she got tired of cleaning up her home (both before and after the meeting ). I think I liked having the meetings at the home more than the hall. Having them at the hall is much more convenient for most all of us though. The boys live in quite a large area, probably 20+ square miles. I live about 12 miles from the school/church. It's the closest Catholic school I can enroll my children in. The par

Okay, I'm getting confused here. First I'll try to clarify some things. Scouters are not elected, they are nominated. Yes the number of nominations a unit can submit to the nominating committee is limited. ps56k wrote, "We have had several scouts elected to the OA who have not even been to a troop meeting in several months." I submit that the SM never should have marked them as Bob White wrote, "deserving". In other words, the troop should not have been voting for them to begin with. My real confusion is what "active" as an arrowman really means. My understanding (or lack thereo

Wow, nldscout actually got that out without stuttering!

Just a point of reference here. There is no Assistant Tiger Cub Den Leader position. For Tiger Cub dens, there is the Tiger Cub Den Leader and an adult parner for each tiger cub. So what position did your "Assistant" register for? SWScouter

I have a Garmin Etrex. It works great on the trail. I wouldn't mind upgrading to an Etrex model with topo maps though not enough to actually spend the bucks. I've also done some Geocaching with it http://www.geocaching.com Here's what I'd like to see happen and how I want to start making better use of my Etrex. Basically, most topo maps haven't been updated for years and the hiking trails tend not exist or not match the trails on the maps. I'd like the trails to be hiked and their tracks recorded then overlayed on topo maps so it can be easier to see where the trails are. It's fairly simp

Way back when I was 16 or 17, a buddy and I planned an overnight luxury backpacking trip. We planned on camping at a lake near Snoqualmie pass in Washington. We packed in steaks, a pineapple and planned on catching trout to supplement our meal. I don't think I ever ate more on a campout. We also decided how wonderful it would be to sleep in hammocks. We were pretty much laden at the start of the trek. It wasn't a long hike, maybe 4 or 5 miles, but it was mostly all up. It took us a good chunk of the day. Well the trip was in the late spring and the higher we climbed the more snow there wa

Bob White, Watch the presidential debate tonight. I anticipate you will hear "I have a plan" and "my plan" innumerable times. SWScouter

Venture patrols are a great way to enhance a troops program, but like everything else it takes planning. You can make it work or you can make it fail depending on whether or not you have a plan. You know, it's very refreshing to hear "you have a plan" instead of "I have a plan"

Without looking it up, so I hope I won't need to eat crow. CA is for Assistant Cubmaster similar to how SA is for Assistant Scoutmaster. SWScouter

First, I am not nor have I ever been a SM. 1. No. This is service for becoming a member of the OA. Also, I'm surprised that only 5 hours of service were performed. 2. Yes. 3. No. 4. No. To me, this is "normally expected" of his religion as part of confirmation. 5. Probably not. I might approve it for future ushering activity though. SWScouter

Hey Eamonn, though I wouldn't know, I suppose it's better to look like a dork than to be a dork.

Boy ScoutNut, you sure have a case of the stutters I like troopmom's suggestions too.

To me, first the pack committee needs to become functional. Once the committee is functioning to some extent, things should start improving. So, how to get the pack committee functioning. First, it needs a real CC, not a paper CC as the COR currently is. I suggest that the troop committee infuse the pack committee with some of its own. Obviously this may be difficult, but seems like a good way to directly help the pack. This could just be temporary, like an interim CEO. The main thing is the pack needs leadership and your troop may be in a good position to supply some. Since there really

One of my Eagle patrol members is putting together a woodbadge site and has the Gilwell song there. I don't know where he got it from. http://www.woodbadge.ws/songs/gilwellsong.html

JD, I would start with your council. They should be able to give you some contacts, especially if there are any religious committees associated with scouting. For example, in my council there is an Interfaith Committee. It has published a wonderful booklet, I think called, "A Scout is Reverent." It also organizes a Ten Commandment hike every year, the day after Thanksgiving. It's about a five mile hike that stops at different churches of different faiths. Also, the council service center or scout shop may have religious emblems work books for various faiths. You could either purchase a fe

Sylvia, I would work through the parishes, not necessarily the troops. I'll assume the CO for your troop is your parish church. There are probably some boys in the parish that are in a different troop than the parishes, or a nearby parish may not have a troop. If, e.g., you're planning to counsel for the Ad Altare Dei, advertise in your church bulletin and those of the nearby parishes that don't have a troop. If a nearby parish has a troop, then talk to that troop and see if it is offering the program or not. I hope that helps. By the way, I'm a trained Catholic REC too but I am invo

Way back when I was a scout, there were a few snipe hunts. I also remember going on a hunt for sidehill gultchers. A mythical bird with one leg longer than the other, that tends to hang out on the sides of hills. Bagging a left-sided gultcher is quite a prize because it is much rarer than a right-sided one. I never did learn how Pope and Young scores them though. Yes, I remember disappointment in not even spotting one, especially when the older boys did! In general this was simple pranks that never really caused any problems. One prank I remember though, really did get out of hand. We wer

BW, I hope that is what is planned though I get the impression that it is not. Mostly from what happened at the Leader Specific training and how the Outdoor training was advertised there. Again, I shall touch bases with the training chairman. SWScouter

Thanks for the replies, they basically confirmed my understanding of the two courses. As I said, it appears that the two courses will be combined as one and the Webelos leaders will be considered trained for Webelos outdoor activities and likewise, SMs and SAs will be considered trained for their outdoor program. I think I need to talk to the District Training Chairman and find out what's up and voice my concerns. A similar thing happened a couple of weekends ago with the Cub Scout Leader Specific training. All the Cub Scouters were put in a room and received exactly the same training, a

Hi, I'm curious what the differences are supposed to be between the two courses, Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills, and Webelos Leader Outdoor Training. I'd like to know because, mid October, my district is offering the outdoor training, i.e., the above mentioned courses and BALOO. As far as I can tell though, Webelos leaders are being told to attend Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills. So, if anyone here is familiar with the syllabis for both courses, would you compare and contrast them. Thanks, SWScouter

Thanks Cajuncody, this made my morning! SWScouter

Thought you might enjoy this article: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/gilbert/articles/0825gr-thomason25Z12.html SWScouter