Twocubdad

Slowly shaking my head.... It's not like a kid is going to take a pack of Camels out of the smokes pocket on his uniform sleeve, shake up a couple of coffin nails and light up with the guy... NJ, I absolutely get your point and understand the potential firestorm which could arise from kids presenting a gift of tobacco to an elder, but how sad is that. It would be like your inviting my family to Seder and me making a fuss of my children to sipping the wine. OBTW, in my tribe/clan the elders prefer gifts of single-malt whisky.

SP -- this guy insubordinate and has a stated goal of undermining the program. Sometimes you do need to take the bull by the horns.

You becoming SM is a whole different situation. Based on the info you've provided, short of a Road to Damascus experience, this guy is always going to be a cancer on the troop. Take qwazse's advice and say something to him now about his lack of support for the current SM. Q is right, his behavior is appalling. The only job of an ASM is to support the SM. If he can't support the SM he needs to get out. If it does nothing else, it will serve as a shot across the bow for you taking over the troop. As SM, one of your first tasks will be to set this guy straight. Start by explaining

Rare consensus within the group. My advice to you: always sit near a door.

Well, the Scouts in our troop do design their own projects. They frequently complete drafting merit badge in the process. In 10 years we've had only one project which required engineered drawings and that only because the local YMCA was the beneficiary. As a commercial property, the plans and permits required are much more stringent than would have been otherwise required. Our guys have created their own plans and drawings for picnic tables, a number of different styles of park benches, a reading area for a school library, an outdoor fire pit and gathering area for a church group, info

Eagle Scout Requirement 5 While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project must benefit an organization other than Boy Scouting.) A project proposal must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your unit leader and unit committee, and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, No. 512-927, in meeting this requirement. (Emphasis added) I completely disagree with your last post, Stosh. The different

I could, but when I do I will give them a job which actually contributes to the program.

I'd say about 10% of the projects I've seen have been blatantly completed by parents, or at least significant portions. Most parents do a better job of covering it up. Besides, I bet if you wife wrote a letter to that kid's BOR they would have passed it anyway. The kid would have only to come up with some cock-and-bull story about delegating "delivery" of the shelves to his mother. BSA policies try to chase the last fractional percent of everything. They want air-tight policies which require no discretion to administer. Nothing works that way. Consequently we get advancement policies

So, Matthew, let us start where we agree. How many councils are flush with cash, feel like their traditional programs are fully funded, their camps well maintained and are looking for a place to park all that extra cash? No, I don't either. What do you bet these pilot programs come with grant money to run them or at least plenty of support from Texas? Venturing is part of the traditional Scouting program. It's purpose is to deliver a traditional Scouting program to older youth. Exploring began that way, but was somewhat supplanted by Venturing. When our membership policies became a point

SR540B -- the Scouts you are seeing are doing exactly what is asked of them by the EP documents. "Plywood and shingles, maybe" is the standard national has set for effort and planning. Pitiful.

Scouter99 -- I tried to make your point a day or two ago but it wouldn't stick to the server. (Great advertisement for STEM, huh?) I'm fine with the new rash of merit badges. Bring them on. I'd be fine if there were 500 MBs. Last time I checked only about 10% are required, and the rest electives. If a Scout wants all nine of his elective badges to be STEM related, I'm okay there too. Matthew -- your point about the "farming initiative" from years past make my point. Everything you mentioned was merit badge based. No separate "Farm Scout" program to maintain. I imagine troops in I

The pendulum bangs from one extreme to the other. Before the 2011 changes, it wasn't uncommon for out council to TURN DOWN 30-page proposals because the Scout didn't jump through some ridiculous hoop or the other. We've now abandoned any sort of reasonable, rational planning. "I might want to build a few picnic tables somewhere. Maybe someone will wander along and use them. I'll probably need some boards." is an acceptable EP proposal according to the Guide to High-Speed/Low-Drag Advancement. It already includes a Scout's Bill of Rights and I'm sure a toll-free number is in the works. 1-

Is the thought here that out-of-state groups traveling to or even through PA require these checks? How is that enforceable or eve possible? What happened to the Full Faith and Credit clause? Do I have to apply for a PA drivers license too?

Yahtzee! Drinking is for the older, college-aged kids into micro-brewed IPAs and porters.

We all know what has driven this, right?

My 7th grade English teacher turned me on to the Foxfire books. They are a compilation of articles written by a high school journalism class documenting mountain living, skills, traditions and folkways. Volumes 1-9 are on the shelf behind me now. As a result, in high school I started building a cabin. It took over 10 years to build (college, jobs and a new wife slowed progress), but now my sons and I all enjoy going there, walking in the woods, following the creek, sitting by the fire. I still want to try building a still, though.

debbi -- RichardB is one of the health and safety guys at national (Richard, you may want to fill in some of your bona fides). You should print his response and give copies to everyone in the troop. Not that they'll listen, but.....

blw2 -- see my post, #9 above, on how we cover merit badge topics during troop instruction time. From time-to-time the troop does sponsor merit badge classes where appropriate. We've got a class for Personal Management cranking up shortly. But it won't be held during troop meetings, rather Saturday mornings or Sunday afternoons. Extra effort and initiative is required -- you don't just sit through a regular meeting and get the badge. Three or four parents with finance backgrounds -- a CPA, a banker and a financial planner that I know of -- will be leading the class. That gives us a s

BSA is not a "provider" (or whatever the terminology is) so HIPPA is not an issue. Folks who get wrapped around the axle with privacy concerns are a bit of a head-scratcher for me. IMO, one of the purposes of the health form is to let the troop leadership broadly know what issues they may be dealing with. I believe the health histories are more for the benefit of the volunteers who are in a position to head off emergencies than the medical professionals who, as others have noted, aren't going to rely on a form. When a scout is turning blue it's too late to be finding out he's allergic to pe

Yeah, after two years of banging your head against the wall, I'd resign too. Or how about this: Create a spreadsheet listing everyone in the troop sorted by the date their medical expires. On the 15th of every month, send emails to everyone with an expired medical explaining they are no longer eligible to attend troop activities until they submit an up-to-date form. Quote Section V of the Guide to Safe Scouting, "All Scouting Events. All participants in all Scouting activities, such as local tours and weekend camping trips of fewer than 72 hours, need to complete and return to their uni

From a practical standpoint, it doesn't matter. We collect A/B medical form at crossover and whenever a new Scout joins. By summer camp they need to have part (physician) submitted. It isn't as if the Scouts bring a new medical form for each activity/meeting/whatever. With the forms in the notebook, we're good regardless how you read the policy.

Do we have a PR problem? Sure. Would better visibility of the good works Scouts do help? Absolutely! Will making this part of JTE help? Nope. Anytime Scouts are in the public eye, they should be in uniform. But from a practical standpoint, service projects are often messy work. Not many Scouts have a separate uniform for painting. But how about making a point of having the Scouts wear their uniforms for a photo op, even if they change afterward. We provide out Scouts "Eagle Project Underway" signs for their projects. We also provide he Scouts with small, permanent plaques to

It's been years since I looked at the leader award requirements (no one from our troop wants to waste time at Roundtable, so we don't bother with the awards) so I hadn't realized they linked individual awards to JTE. That's just confirmation to me that JTE has ZERO to do with quality programs and everything to do with the professionals making their numbers. Why don't they link youth advancement to JTE, too? I guessed they slept through the goal setting session in Wood Badge. I thought the "A" in SMART goals stood for attainable -- making sure that goals are within your power to achieve

Run your program. JTE is just extra paperwork.

If you've made up your mind to go, best of luck to you. That's a perfectly reasonable decision. But if you're still pondering, my first stop would be to meet with the chartered organization and ask 1) if they still want a troop and 2) what support they are willing to provide. It's their 25-year history to preserve or not.