t158sm

Wonderful - congrats Kristi.

Back to Gilwell happy land - what great memories...

Some are old

some are bold

but wood badge owls

are good as gold

Maybe this will answer your questions.

http://www.scouting.org/factsheets/02-923.html

Does anyone know if tentsonsale.com is still in business? Their security certificate has expired and the website doesn't seem to have been updated lately.

I thought I had the feeling that didn't sound like OGE.

"I was almost knocked out by the smell of alcohol in her breath! I'm not an expert, but she is under the influence!"

OneHour. I spent 10 years working in law enforcement and volunteering with the local EMS on the side. I cannot count the fatalities I've been witness to that were due to alcohol.

Yes it would be a bad thing to lose a Scout over this, but how bad would losing his life because of her behavior be?

Call the police. Tell them the situation - ask them to "ride by" and stop to check out something. Ask them to say dogs have been turning over trash cans, someone reported smoke in the area, there was a report of loud music, something, anything.

Hi Mike and Welcome.

It's perfectly OK to share your website here. I've seen several other folks do the same. No this isn't what you'd call a blog (short for weblog) this is a forum where people have discussions and share information. A blog is a personal journal about yourself that you share on the net. I'm going to check out your site and give the chapter a read. If it sounds decent I just might buy it.

Just because you're a former CM and SM doesn't mean that you can't stick around. This group will welcome anyone in. Take me for instance. LOL

ronvo:

Adults are all too often impatient when it comes to the idea of a boy-led troop. It definitely does take a lot of patience to sit by and let the Scouts fail at something when you know you could guide them in the right direction. But if you always tell them the right way to do things they've missed out on an important opportunity for learning and reflection. Most times lessons are not learned by being handed all the right answers, they are learned by having to overcome obstacles or working to achieve the goal.

I grew up in an adult run troop and I've had to struggle to overcome the natural tendency I feel to take charge and rescue the Scouts from themselves. To do so would be counterproductive though. Scouting isnt about doing things perfect every time, its about learning how to overcome obstacles and to grow as a person from that.

I went thru Wood Badge in '94 and served on staff in '96. Maybe things haven't changed too much. A Scout is trustworthy - A simple written (typed) letter indicating what you have done to fulfill your ticket sent to the Coach Counselor (Troop Guide) sufficed then.

You might try the book Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise. The story is about false friends - $6.99 at Amazon.com.

Here is a review of the book.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33737.asp

Hope this helps

The traditional Scouting skills have taken a back seat in the program. Just take a look at the current Scout handbook. There are times when I'll mention something to a Scout and they won't be able to find it in the handbook. I'll then find that it's simply not there anymore.

There was an article about a kids nature camp I read a year or so ago that mentioned having to teach kids to walk uphill. The kids it seems had spent their entire lives on level ground, never really knowing what the outdoors was like. They even had to be convinced that there were no lions and tigers waiting to pounce on them when they strayed much away from home.

A woman I talked to yesterday was buying a large inflatable water slide for her kids. I happened to mention that they didn't have things like that when either of us was growing up and that we were often happy playing with sticks and dirt. How many kids today would play with sticks and dirt?

To me the adventure in Scouting is simply the outdoors. Away from television, video games, computers, terrorism . . . Hike in the wilderness, float down a river, explore a cave, breath fresh air - anything. The more you can learn about how to get by comfortably and safely in the outdoors the better off you are. The more enjoyment you'll have to boot.

The more Scouting strays from its roots the more it will decline. The more merit badge mills and Eagle factories we have the worse off Scouting will become as a whole. Already Scouting isn't what it used to be. When did Scouting begin its decline? 1972 - with the change in the program that de-emphasized the outdoor program from that of William Hillcourt.

The solution to Scoutings decline - IMHO - Let the Scouts have responsibility and stick them outdoors.

Train them, trust them, let them lead.

Just a few observations from our last camporee a couple of weeks ago.

1. At least 3 instances of leaders yelling at Scouts

2. Most troops under complete control of adults (Several of them on their own ego trips at that)

3. Scout decisions overridden by adults

4. No youth involvement in the campfire program (Other than OA tapout)

Sounds like fun to me.

ronvo:

You asked - "Did you do the merit badges or just activities that could be used for the badges? "

Each month the PLC plans out the following months meetings using troop program features and other materials as a guide. It gives them a good base to start with and they change the meeting plan to suit their own ideas.

Meeting and activity plans are not so much about merit badges as they are practical skills relating to the theme. The idea is to introduce the Scouts to a theme and then peak their interest into finding out more about the merit badge.

For the most part our answers are in line with what OneHour gave.

1. Is your troop boy led?

Yes, but still have to gently nudge and advise more than I'd like to have to do.

2. Do you make good use of the patrol method?

They still think in terms of the troop rather than in terms of patrols. We need a lot of growth in this area. But we are headed in that direction.

3. How many boys are in your troop?

19 - without a pack to provide Webelos into the troop.

4. What has your troop meeting program been the last few months?

Planned out last August by the PLC at the yearly program planning weekend.

September - Fishing

October - Cave Exploration

November - Climbing

December - Orienteering

January - Winter Camping

February - Space Exploration

March - Hiking

April - First Aid

May - American Heritage

June - Swimmimg

July - Canoeing

August - Wilderness Survival

"They always have a well laid out plan for each meeting, but they never quite get the idea of time-limit or keeping to the agenda." - Sounds just like us.(This message has been edited by t158sm)

We had someone donate a used bass drum to us last year. One of the heads was busted. We don't have a Scout band, nor does anyone around us.

Once had an older woman in the community donate her son's Cub Scout uniform to us. The uniform was from the 1950's - complete with blue and gold community strip. That's something I treasure.

Greetings and salutations from The Heart of Dixie.

My entire adult life I've considered myself a conservative Republican. But now with the things (our) government is doing, I begin to wonder.

Untold millions - billions of dollars spent on foreign countries but, "W" wants to cut domestic programs to the bone. What has our country come to?

Homelessness, hunger, drug abuse. So many problems, yet these are the things that are expendable.

Even the foundations of our countries birth being swept aside. Are we becoming what we've fought against so many times?

."Death borders upon our birth, and our cradle stands in the

grave. Our birth is nothing but our death begun."

Bishop Hall

Since I became a Scoutmaster in 1989 four of my former Scouts have passed away.

First there was Chris. A Scout when I first became the Scoutmaster. He was very troubled. I tried to help him get past his problems, but he didn't stick with us. A couple of years later he'd gotten himself in a mess and didn't see a way out. He took his own life.

Next was Johnny. He was a good Scout despite problems within his family. Scouting was helping Johnny to grow as a person. He was one of those Scouts that make you realize what you're doing is making a difference. Johnny had to leave the troop when his family moved to Texas. Some of the Scouts kept up with him and I knew he'd been able to join another troop and was doing well.

After he'd gotten of age, he moved back to Alabama on his own. About four years ago Johnny was killed in a car accident.

He was hit head on by a drunk driver.

Last year Jack died in a work related accident. He'd only been a Scout for 4 - 5 months. I always remember him as a young mischievous, rambunctious kid. Certainly not a bad kid, just a little excitable.

Wednesday Adam died in another car accident. I don't know the details of it yet. Adam and his brother had only went on one camping trip with us. Their registrations were turned in but they never came back. That camping trip was special. We stayed on an island in the middle of Lake Guntersville (The Tennessee River) in December of 1998. They were both good kids.

They were all good kids - just in different ways.

One of the things we do in our troop is to light candles in memory of those Scouts that have passed away. Next time there will be four candles. I wish there wouldn't ever have to be more.

At one point 10 years ago or so I figured up the time I was spending on Scouts. The very conservative estimate I came up with was almost 1000 hours for the year. (Scout meetings, Cub meetings, two weeks of summer camp, monthly campouts, PLC meetings, Wood Badge staff, roundtables, OA . . .) My actual time is considerably less now. (No Wood Badge, No Cub meetings, No roundtables, less OA.) Before anyone says anything about my not going to roundtable - they've changed nights to the same as our Scout meeting night now.

Still a few hundred hours a year now.

EDIT

Due to the temporal distortions we have been experiencing in this time continuum this post will actually be made after EagleinKY' post.(This message has been edited by t158sm)

I wish every Scout leader could see the vision and experience just what the Patrol Method can grow into.

"Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth. And let me remind you, they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyrannies. Absolute power does corrupt, and those who seek it must be suspect and must be opposed."

Barry Goldwater

This past weekend at camporee was one of those that make you wonder if what you're doing is having any impact at all.

My problems are a little different. I had some difficult health problems around the turn of the century and the troop was pretty much inoperative.

After recovering I had to build the troop back up from scratch. The challenge now is trying to instill the patrol method into the Scouts without any older role models for it. Our oldest ones have just turned 14. This is proving to be a quite difficult task.

I keep telling myself - baby steps, just simple baby steps. We are blessed to now have 3 ASMs and a good committee. For the most part they understand what I see and are able to follow along pretty well. Sometimes parents are a different story.

Welcome in beaver96:

Great thing your doing for your grandson. Sounds like you've had a great Scouting experience, hope he does too.

I agree with scoutldr. As long as the campout is in a controlled, secure location (Scout camp or private property) where there probably wouldn't be contact with the public, let them go through with it.

Just have them be extra aware of the buddy system and what areas they can use.

P.S. it might not be a bad idea to get them to check in every so often too.

"But we are all still human beings and should have the decency as such (especially as Scouts) not to treat one another with impudence."

That in a nutshell was the was the point from my original post on this thread.

If you treat another person with respect (civility, dignity, politeness, etc.) - this greatly increases your odds of being treated with respect in return.

"More and more respect is something that becomes the rarity rather than the norm.

Society has changed that way."

Simple observations at the camporee this weekend gave me proof to that.

Is it easier to show respect to a person in the flesh than it is to faceless words on the internet?

Of course it is.

On the net can we have the audacity that anonymity brings. But we are all still human beings and should have the decency as such (especially as Scouts) not to treat one another with impudence.

On Thursday night I talked to my Scouts about respect during my minute.

I asked them - if they wanted to be respected?

Every one of them said yes.

I then asked - what is the best way to be respected?

One bright young Scout quickly said - to respect other people first.

I told him that was exactly the answer I had wanted.

More and more respect is something that becomes the rarity rather than the norm.

Society has changed that way.

Don't we owe it to the Scouts we serve to be that examples that our world so desperately needs now.

God Bless Everyone this weekend. I'll be gone to our camporee. It'll will be interesting to see what replies are here Sunday.