szekany

But wouldn't you agree that it would be better to do it in the light if possible? Sure. But there's often a huge disconnect between theory and reality. (I should know, being a college level physics student. ) The reality is that we do what's right for the kids.

It really doesn't matter why BSA has made Laser Tag "Unauthorized and Restricted", it has. Ah, but the real question we should be asking is "why"? "I was just following the rules" is always a poor excuse. Have you ever played laser tag? The basic game in our area involves two teams that move around a maze playing high-tech freeze tag. A "tag" freezes the player for 30 seconds, while flashing video-game style lights and playing whooping noises. You get points for tags, but more points for team goals like tagging the opposing team's base. In short, it is a fun no-contact game

So, I went to "training" a couple months ago. (Sidenote: I really hate that word -- my dog is "trained", but it seems to me people should be "instructed" Can't we call it "Adult Instruction" or something?) Regardless, I went to the Safe Swim Defense and Safety Afloat "training". As a background to this, I have significant boating experience, all the way from Class IV+ whitewater kayaking up to big-boat sailing. The meeting began with somebody complaining about some camporee thing. I don't have much to do with the council most of the time, so I didn't really understand all the issue

I suggest you read your G2SS... Laser Tag is specifically prohibited. To be honest, the whole "laser tag is evil" issue just reminds me of an old Calvin and Hobbes comic. To paraphrase, it went something like: "Do violent video games desensitize us to blood and gore?" "Maybe." "Do video games make an effective scapegoat for a violent society?" "Definitely." "Do video games actually cause violence?" "Well, now that's hard to prove." Without even going into the interpretation of the G2SS, I'll admit that we just ignore it. Laser tag is one of our favorite "fun nights".

Thanks for posting this, Beavah! This is a really interesting topic. IMO, we're failing in our mission if we don't adjust and "tweak" our program to meet the needs of our youth. Identifying what other programs work for our youth and why is an excellent first step to figuring out what we should change. So perhaps the question we should ask ourselves is: how can we take the best parts of the "video game experience" and apply them to Scouting? In some ways, there's a fair bit of overlap as it is, at least in the unit I've been with. Lots of Scout run stuff. Scouts advance at their own p

We're pretty much on a first name basis. Lots of nicknames, pretty informal. I'm "Steve" to everyone from the first-years to the Pastor. As somebody else mentioned, we find this helps break down the barriers to developing good adult relationships with scouts. Every once in a while somebody will call me "Mr. Zekany". It totally throws me off...

Last month, we had a focus group of kids meeting to talk about the options of chartering a new "varsity team"-like unit with our chartered organization. They spent a fair bit of time talking about what they liked/didn't like about the current program. The biggest dislike, hands down, was the current BSA uniform. All the usual points came up. The uniform is virtually useless outdoors. The uniform is goofy. Expensive. Beavah's right. We adults can talk all we want about the abstract social status of uniforming theory, but it doesn't seem to matter to our kids.

Oh, forgot to mention - Lots of time gyms will have their own odd policies on age related to climbing. Most of the time, you'll need all the parents to sign a waver form. There might be a minimum age for climbing as well, but it depends on the gym. Just be sure to ask about it.

Gym climbing makes for a great meeting. I'm not sure how much you know about climbing, but you should be aware that every climbing wall will require your group to either A.) prove they know how to belay or B.) do a "guided tour" for the group. Some climbing walls (yours might be one) will only do option B. For option A, most climbing gyms require each person to either pass a belay test or take their "learn to belay" class. Usually this costs extra and takes an hour or two. Depending the climbing gym and ability of the instructor, the instruction quality of this "class" ranges from OK to m

We have a "Parent Handbook" of sorts to answer most commonly asked questions. Here's a link to a version on our web site: http://www.troop8.org/Publications/pdffiles/PHB.pdf It's a bit dated, but still quite good at answering basic questions.

We don't own a trailer, but we spent at least five or six years trying to figure out how to organize our troop equipment room. I imagine the two have a fair bit in common. It's only recently that we've found a system that seems to be working well for us - designed by one of our ASMs who happens to be an industrial operations engineer. Let me attempt to describe our current working system. It involves pegboard placed around the walls of a room we've been allowed to use at our chartered org. The room itself is maybe 12 x 10 feet or so, and probably 12 feet high. The pegboard is divided into

Wow, sounds like quite a mess you've managed to step into. First of all, welcome to the crazy world of Boy Scouting! As you've seen already, some people take the "game" a little too seriously. ScoutMomAng wrote: > 3. The scoutmaster is appointed by the COR AND approved by the > committee chairman!?????? I thought this was the other way. Yes, this is correct. The scoutmaster is empowered by the committee to manage the troop. It isn't so much a "working under" relation as it is analogous to a board of directors and CEO arrangement. The board hires the CEO, but gives

There's no easy answer to the question "how much is too much." So much depends on the circumstances of your troop and the kids involved. My advice is that you listen to the advice of the scouts - hopefully through their elected members of the PLC, who then reflect the opinions of the troop in the planning of the calendar. Of course, this process may need some help along the way; you might consider holding an occasional "open feedback" session for the troop as part of a meeting, maybe once every 6 months or so. Give all the scouts the opportunity to give their feedback on troop operations