Trevorum

Oh, I don't know, I rather enjoy the meandering of these threads. From the title alone, one never knows what uncharted waters (or dead horses) are in store. At any moment, Semper may start us all punning, or Kudu is apt to go off on long, meticulously documented tirades, or Rooster will wade in with his predictable lightening rods. Some threads are short and sweet but others weave several conversations simultaneously (just like the dinner table!)

Hillis, Your crew is lucky to have such a dedicated leader. Right off the bat, you are ahead of the curve. I'm certain you've done already troop-level JLT and Silver Pines, right? And the COPE experience you have scheduled will be just the thing to draw your crew together as a team. These training experiences can prepare you as a leader, but nothing is better than just doing it and learning by experience. You'll make plenty of mistakes, for sure. At COPE, at Philmont, and all through life, but the trick is to learn from them. I'm sure you're going to do terrific.

Hillis, Your crew is lucky to have such a dedicated leader. Right off the bat, you are ahead of the curve. I'm certain you've done already troop-level JLT and Silver Pines, right? And the COPE experience you have scheduled will be just the thing to draw your crew together as a team. These training experiences can prepare you as a leader, but nothing is better than just doing it and learning by experience. You'll make plenty of mistakes, for sure. At COPE, at Philmont, and all through life, but the trick is to learn from them. I'm sure you're going to do terrific.

That sounds great, Hillis! I'm looking forward to it and looking forward to meeting you. Last weekend I was at Griffith League with the troop, but I know ya'll were busy at LPSR. Say, what trek are you on? We're doing 7-02.

Ahh - climbing at Enchanted Rock. I actually think that sounds like more fun! Have your guys done the council's COPE course? Our Troop did this and they are still pumped! Everyone said it was the best Scouting experience they've ever had, short of Philmont!

I don't know about Lis'bob, but I am locked out within the first 10 seconds (and probably sooner).

Hillis, I plan on being there (that'll be three weekends camping during March!)

(not to hijack the thread, but ... I, too, can not edit my own posts. I'm envious of those who have been granted this special power. No one has ever been able to diagnose the problem or offer advice. Ahh, well. It teaches me to be extra careful and think twice before I hit that 'post' button ...)

Welcome Ivan! It sounds like your troop is lucky to have you as SM. If you're looking for a diversity of opinions, you'll certainly find plenty on the forums here!

sunsetandshadow, welcome to the forums! We're glad you're here, and we're especially glad that you are providing the Scouting experience to your sons. All of us here are ardent supporters of Scouting. Here you will find many Scouters who believe in God as you do. But you'll also find those who believe differently. The diversity of viewpoints is vibrant. Regardless of how we believe, the fact is that BSA is not a Christian organization. It does not claim to be and does not try to be. Rather, BSA welcomes people of every faith tradition, however they choose to define God. Importantly, "BSA does not define what constitutes belief in God or the practice of religion." (BSA policy statement, June 2000).

In the 6 years I been with our troop, I have never ceased to marvel at the way the troop constantly reinvents itself. Each year there is a group of new guys, and earlier new guys morph into seasoned vets, but the faces are always different. The old traditions are passed on, the old gear gets replaced, and the old troop rolls along.

So, Cub packs will now be conducting FOUR parallel programs?? That seems a bit complicated to me. Lions (K grade) Tigers (1st grade) Cubs (2nd, 3rd, 4th grades) Webelos (4th, 5th grades) I wonder why they just didn't make Tigers a 2-year program

Calico, I love learning new stuff and I thank you for this tid-bit! Wikipedia confirms the etymology of "girl": "The word "girl" first appears during the Middle Ages. The Anglo-Saxon word gyrela = "ornament" may have given rise to the modern pronunciation of "girl", if the change in meaning can be explained. While there is no general agreement about the etymology of "girl", it is found in manuscripts dating from 1290 with the meaning "a child" (of either gender). A male child was called a "Knave girl"; a female child was called a "gay girl". Like many other words that originally were not gender specific, "girl" gradually came to be used primarily and then exclusively for one gender. There are manuscripts dating from 1530 in which the word "girl" is used to mean "maiden" (also originally applied to both genders), or any unmarried human female. " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl#Etymology

Thanks to both of you guys! I appreciate your words of wisdom. I just spoke to one of my Woodbadge patrol mates who said they also had an incredible recruiting year - 35 new scouts in that troop across town. I plan to stay in close touch with him this year. Wish us both luck!

Kudu, what is the timeline for this case? I couldn't find this anywhere in the links you posted.

IMO, use of the term "youth", while accurate, is mildly demeaning, emphasizing their inexperience. I call them "guys" or "fellows", or formally, "Scouts".

This is one of those welcome Issues on which Rooster and I agree. To the troop, I am "Mr. T." However, the grey area (here Rooster is shaking his head, saying, "There you go again!";)) is the older boys. I don't insist on formality from the 18+ year old Venturers.

Our troop just had our first meeting with all the newly crossed over scouts. There are 29 new guys this year. Holey Moley! I was expecting less than half that number, based on discussions with the Den Leaders, but evidently whole Cub Patrols decided to stay together and join our troop rather than splitting up. So, I need some advice! As my boss says, "These are the problems we like to have!" They have organized into 3 strong patrols and elected PLs. I would like to hear from all you successful Scoutmasters (and emeriti) on what works with such a huge crop of new scouts. And what doesn't work. Thanks!

With the flood of newly crosed over fellows into our troop, we are now updating our email lists, an it's got me to wondering how other units stay in contact with their families. We use Yahoo! groups to host our email list. It works out pretty well although for some mysterious reason, some people have had a dickens of a time trying to join the group. Plus it provides us with a troop web page to upload forms, pix, files, etc. Does anyone have better solutions?

~~~

That's generally my understanding, too. As I recall, my project (and others of my generation) was not nearly so complicated as the ones I see today. I'm curious how and when this evolution occurred.

Does anyone know the history of the service project as an Eagle requirement? The requirements and procedure are significantly more robust today than when I earned my Eagle in the late 60s.

Kudu, I think I understand where you're coming from, and I don't disagree with much of what you say, in principle. However, I would like to debate one small, but (I feel) very important, point. You said that by signing the DRP, Scouts have affirmed "... they believe in a god who putters around with their daily lives..." This is dandy rhetoric, but I think it vastly misstates the BSA position. BSA does not demand belief in an active, intervening god, or even a personal god. "BSA does not define what constitutes belief in God or the practice of religion" (BSA position statement) While a majority of Scouts and Scouters probably profess belief in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic deity of the Old Testament, this is not a requirement (as you certainly know!). Scouts and Scouters are free to use the majority's definition of god, that of a minority, or their own personal definition. That being said, I will concede that we certainly get mixed messages from National on this point and I am sure there are many people who would be pleased if BSA were to narrowly define God.

In general, I feel that fund raiser credit should be directly proportional to the Scouts participation, but I suppose it depends on the nature of the fundraiser. Our troop holds an annual BBQ and scouts sell tickets. For each ticket sold, the scout gets X dollars credited to their account. Our troop treasurer keeps the books. Scouts may use their earned balance for any scout activity fee (summer camp, etc). The only exception is monthly campout grub ($10/campout). Scouts may also use their earned funds to purchase gear (tents, sleeping bags, etc.) with the prior approval of the SM. In this case, they submit a reciept to the treasurer and get a refund.

"We respectfully bow our heads during grace and Sunday camp service..." Gern, I have never understood the ritual of bowing one's head. During prayer, my way is to turn my face up towards the heavens, not down and away.