Thomas54

I think its a great idea. Although we use the six month rotation its easy to see how it takes a full year to develop the scout into his position. Schools use one year terms for their student councils. Why shouldn't BSA?

Packs are Co-ed now; to a degree. It's always family camping as a pack. Those were some of the best campouts we went on. Yea at the webelos level they start camping with troops. They do all the same games at cub world. The girls in a BSA family get plenty of the camping experience. I agree with Beavah on the GSUSA just squandering the opportunities they have. Lost in a befuddled world of chasing demographics and trying to be all things to all people. It could have been the opposite. But I think as much as we may grumble and grouse about it, the Charter Organization approach has wor

Dab-gum-it. I am out! But I just made it to the second round.

To me the vision, mission and EDGE taught at the NYLT is beginning to look like the Montessori school of management. From Wikipedia "Applying this method involves the teacher (SCOUTMASTER)in viewing the child (SCOUT) as having an inner natural guidance for his or her own perfect self-directed development.[4] The role of the teacher (sometimes called THE SCOUTMASTER) is therefore to watch over the environment to remove any obstacles that would interfere with this natural development. The teacher's (SCOUTMASTER'S) role of observation sometimes includes experimental interactions with chi

I think you were correct to put this in the patrol method. Background: Our Troop picks up half of the cost for the scout to attend. NYLT in our council it is five nights/six days. One less than a typical summer camp. For the last few years we have sent mainly 13 year olds at Star rank. And like SMT I expected more spark for the patrol method upon their return. I was disappointed. The way our elections run we have not had an SPL at 3 months into his tenure attend NYLT and then return with a vengeance. No direct comparison is available. I think there a few things here. One

Is there a good book on the history of Boy Scouts? I have many SM handbooks. Even the first "Scouting for Boys" with the psycho-analytical sub book with it. I am looking for a what happened, why it happened and when it happened type book.

Do something Cub Scouts everywhere have dreamed of doing. Build their own pinewood derby car. Set up the track buys some kits, rope off an area for scouts only and let them glue and put them together. Use pennies to come close the weight. Maybe a file or some sand paper. Forget axle polishing.

Beavah, Beautiful post. Wonderfully said.

Actually the discussion flow was leading not to doing away with the Eagle but to making more Eagles. It has become easier not harder. BSA will soon assess that numbers can move in the right direction if the Eagle could be accomplished in a year and a half or better first year first Eagle. Dateline: Near Future Location: Texas BSA announcement: A revamped express Eagle program has been developed. Its an accelerated program where the troop meets three times a week over a 12 month period. Standard time dependant service and participation requiremenst have been waived for the Fas

I would hold out for: Free WiFi A gaming area A candy machine +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ No it does not look like camping. It looks like a sleep over party.

Acco would you then agree that the BSA membership has benefited from an easier Eagle program. The award is more attainable and can be completed at an earlier age, thus allowing the scout to collect more accomplishments before college. Like it or not that does seem to be the BSA Marketing plan. If the ranks and Eagle are not replaced it becomes a youth camping club. Like the one at church, where participation is once or twice and then no more. Certainly there are exceptions but the YMCA and the United Methodist youth campout programs don't get the year round devotion that scouting doe

It may be "better" but it would be smaller without advancement. The principle consumers of the BSA program are parents. I fight to get enough time allocated to get scouts to meetings and campouts. The challenges of soccer, band, football, baseball, orchestra, math club are huge. Sometimes Scouts comes out on top, as the "better" more beneficial program, sometimes scouts is a tier down. With no purpose other than to play outdoors, parents would dis-invest their kid's time in a heartbeat.

The program would either be lost or the program goals would be replaced with competitive outdoor events. If we compare to other youth organizations (nonsports) 4H, Junior Achievement, Debate, they all have a competitive elements The competitions sustain interest. Science and robotic clubs also have a competitive element. What about marching band? Someone may ask. Is that rewarding or competitive? It a little of both But I think Band is more scholastic like a foreign language. Its a graded class in school.

I recommend having extra igniters they seem to give the most trouble. Make sure you have fresh batteries for the launch control.

The fella's that hangout cook and camp just to hang out with other old timers have a name. Those are Man Scouts. Please people we need to keep our stereotypical and judgmental categories organized.

I have drifted away from hobbies. I have left behind great people, the warm friendly and welcoming type. These hobbies often filled a need/desire at the time. I left these things that I liked for various reasons. Money would be near the top. Hobbies are expensive. Time was another, often these hobbies were not shared by my wife and kids so it became a matter of separation and balance. I have been in boat clubs, horse clubs, bike clubs, shooting clubs and running clubs just to name a few. All filled with fantastic people and events that enriched my life. But at some point I lost in

When you are wrong you just have to admit it. I posted that this was going to get ugly and battle lines would drawn, sides taken within the committee. This seems to have been avoided in your committee. Congratulations on having a good group of folks.

Did he post when these scouts crossed over? Was it last year and are they reaching Star in about 12 months? That's pretty fast for a 12 year old to absorb all the material before him, such as first aid, cooking, camping skills, let alone leadership skills in the POR. A more experienced SM and CC would have been able to see this coming and perhaps steered this away from the apparent conflict. The new leadership is a bit befuddled on how to handle something that seems to be putting advancement ahead of skills and the overall Scout persona, service, helpful...

I have been both. In truth we all have. But particularly in scouting I have entered units or new positions with gusto; wanting to move away from stayed approach of the current leadership. I have also been a GOBN participant defending the methods employed and the purposeful nature of them. GOBN, are not an elite associations with knowledge of Goldman Sack's trading programs or the Secrete society of Skull and bones. Most of the GOBN is based on time served, training (to an extent) and commitment. Hang around and serve the scouts, unit or council a few years before you tel

Ah the SPL and PLC come out on top. The PLC is in my experience more objective and rational than a committee of parents. Scouts are usually more in tune with their peer's true intent. Was it malicious or an accident? In this case an accident. The SPL remained calm and tried to diffuse the situation. The parent cannot see past his own legacy standing in front of him and loses it. Don't be surprised if this guy is forming his own coalition within the committee to thwart your banishment. The drama will not end tonight. (This message has been edited by Thomas54)

Good advice silasm. Here is a general diagram for double staking. http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=7275&highlight=crutch (This message has been edited by Thomas54)

If you are going to get rain on a campout a night rain is the easiest to deal with. A morning rain will delay breakfast and mess up the schedule for the day. An afternoon rain requires ponchos and rain gear. An evening rain requires large rain flys to keep people together while they wait for a break in the weather. I would look for high winds as a big risk, these can really flatten a big cheap tent as seen at many cub scout events. But a 2 hour shower with a moderate cold front behind it, I think I would keep the event. On the flip side. Most people who have never camped in the

Today's Committees are not the committee's envisioned by the founders or even the one characterized in the current BSA Handbooks. They are not impartial members created by a sub group of the charter organization's leaders. That was the vision that is not the reality. What today's committees are made up of are parents from the unit. Often populated by the ones with the biggest desire to meddle in their kids lives. Ones without scouting and camping experience are drawn to help where they can. Those that want to clear obstacles for their child's success. Those with agendas, not open minds.

The SM is looking at this way: He has 20 scouts on paper, 14 show up at meetings and ten or so on outings. That's one patrol, he thinks. It's easier to buy food for, (he thinks) I don't have to worry about who bunks with who life just get simpler. To convince him that troop efficiency is not a program method you will have to persuade him to allow 4 in a patrol at campouts. Emphasize that cooking is actually made easier with smaller patrols. That one 13 Year PL is better equipped to keep track of three scout in his patrol of 4 then 7 scouts in a patrol of eight. That is, you old B

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