The Blancmange

My son recently aged out and will be staying on board as an ASM.   He earned 2 youth religious awards and has the square knot on his uniform. My question is whether that can be worn on an adult uniform?  I can't seem to find an official answer, but this unofficial source seems to indicate it can be worn.

https://www.meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Scouter_Awards

Looks like BSA hasn't updated their skit policies to reflect their membership policies.  

 

How could someone, with a straight face, stop some kids from doing a cross-dressing skit after the recent membership policy change? Hypocrisy thy name is Boy Scouts.

Has there been a recent membership policy change that addresses cross-dressing?

Do we have to memorize and recite the Code of Conduct?

What a dip****.  This isn't what scouting is about at all.   Doesn't their council sell popcorn?

While it may be possible for a council to "take over" a fundraiser as described, they really ought to think about the message this sends and the precedent it sets.   Some other things to point out to someone considering this:

1.) A unit does not have to participate in council-sponsored popcorn sales;

2.) A unit does not have to allow a council representative to give a Friends of Scouting presentation;

3.) A unit does not have to patronize a council-owned camp.  

Is that really the kind of atmosphere they want to promote?

There was no "big question" in my area as a scout. And there isn't one now. Must be a regional myth. The one myth I recall was the secret requirement in Wilderness Survival that you had to eat a deer turd to get the merit badge.

That's not really a requirement?

I do not know about other councils but our executive board is huge, 60 members not counting the CORs, and is made up mainly of community leaders and money people who have not active involvement in scouting other than writing checks.  The board only meets once a year for a warm fuzzy meeting.

The "council" is the entire voting membership, including COR's.  They meet once a year.   The Executive Board is a smaller group who meet regularly and actually get things done, and then have them rubber stamped at the annual meeting .   

These fees don't materialize out of nowhere.  Has anyone critical of the fees spoken to anyone on your council executive board?  Does your chartered organization rep attend meetings and express your unit's dissatisfaction with the fees?  In the end, the fees are implemented by people, not some faceless "council."

At a minimum, their name appears on the charter renewal paperwork.  I guess it depends on the council's records retention practices as to how long this information would be out there. 

Thanks for the ideas.   I'm thinking it may be best to have a mix of backpacking and car camping to allow for some mobility around the area. I've been there before and know what the elevation can do to you if you're not in shape so that is definitely an important suggestion.   

Our troop is considering a trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park area next summer. Would like to include at least a couple days of backpacking. This will be a mix of older and younger scouts.  Just looking for ideas as far as comparing camping in the National Park, in the surrounding Arapaho NF, or elsewhere.  Anyone willing to share their itinerary?  

Thanks in advance!

This is awful.  Prayers for all the families affected.  

I don't think the extra bling is a huge deal. But it sounds like Zuzy's son is in the process of doing something akin to working a ticket, which is totally beyond the scope of the course. I haven't seen the NYLT syllabus, but I know how explicit the WB syllabus is that no changes are to be made to the course. Given the similarities, I assume it is there as well.

  But their attitude and 'Scout Spirit could still use some work.  The good kids, but just not always very enthusiastic and helpful to other scouts.   

 

 

Wouldn't the scouts who will be voting whether or not to elect them be in a position to judge this?

I wanted to split this from the "Mamma Bear here again ..." thread, but I don't see how to do that with the new format.  So cut and paste will have to do.  It doesn't really have anything to do with the original topic.

In any case, this line caught my eye:

       "Oh, son is also working to earn his NYLT beads."

What's this all about?  The only beads I am aware of that are associated with NYLT are a 3rd WB bead for adult staff.  Has there been a recent change to the program, like tickets for youth? Or a rogue council devising its own alternative program?

Ours is registered in the name of the Troop, with the address of the troop treasurer's home.  I recognize that the Troop has no independent legal existence, but this was done before my time, and no one at the DOT apparently ever questioned it.  

Our CO is an American Legion unit.

Well, if ATVs and snowmobiles are only for certain ages/scouts, then clearly off-roading would be beyond even those approved ages/scouts. 

 

The only grey area I've ever seen is go karting.

I inferred that the original poster meant that adults would be driving the jeeps.  

It's not an unauthorized activity.  I don't see anything in the G2SS that would prohibit it.  Is your chartering org. OK with it?  I would submit a tour plan, and if it's not rejected, you're good to go.  

The Pack is program operated by, and in essence, owned by, the chartering organization.  If the institutional head  and COR of the old organization find a new organization willing to take over the charter (Appears the COR would be a member of both organizations), and the council concurs, they are certainly free to move the unit.  If individual volunteers and members of the pack are dissatisfied with that decision, they are certainly free to attempt to get a different organization to charter a unit.  The volunteers and scouts are free to join whatever unit they choose.  But there is nothing you can do to prevent this move if the "owners" all agree.   

The program had its own website, I think because they didn't want it publicized outside of scouting. I thought someone here may know something since it is, you know, a scouting related forum.

The hikerdirect.Com is what I was suggesting looked sketchy because of the redirect and fact that it doesn't appear to bear any affiliation to Alps Mountaineering.

Is the Alps Mountaineering Scout Direct program still around? We used it a few years ago to buy some tents and were going to look into it again, but the website, scoutdirect.Com, redirects to some sketchy looking site and I can't find any other links to it. Thanks!

Most Northern Tier routes cross and recross the US-Canadian border' date=' yes?[/quote']

 

 

 

I wouldn't say most, but some do. It is possible to obtain a Remote Access Border Crossing (RABC) permit, as well as to check in with US customs in Ely on the honor system when you return. It is also possible to cross the border incidentally while using traditional border routes in the BWCAW without checking in with border authorities. These rights date back to the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. See http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/br-1842.asp

 

 

This official source would seem to suggest that there was nothing illegal about the scouts' actions, and that the agent's reaction was out of line as well.

http://www.nyclu.org/files/releases/FPS%20Photography%20Bulletin%208-2-2010%20(redacted).pdf

Our camp takes a group picture just before the opening camp wide dinner. The troop gets a free copy upon leaving camp.

 

Ours does this also. In addition, they will email you a .jpeg copy if you want to make additional prints.

Our district does this annually at the local Boys & Girls club. They have basketball, dodgeball, etc in the gym; a game room with ping pong, billiards, board games, etc; a computer room; movies in a lounge. They even have an actual indoor archery range (couldn't be a unit-level activity). They serve plenty of pizza and junk food. No formal advancement activities like KDD's. Usually draws a pretty good crowd.