BobM

Our Troop has a new scout/parent orientation guide that we handout at our new parent orientation meeting that is held a couple of weeks after the new scouts join. One lesson learned from the last meeting was that we spent too much time on general scouting information (that is the history of scouting and our troop, BSA organization starting at the unit level and working up to national, those sort of things) and not enough on the "nuts and bolts" of our unit. Some topics that I think are important to cover: - unit organization (stressing of course boy-led) - rank advancement process/

Let me add my 2 cents with our Troop's recent experiences. I've been in our Troop just over two years and recently was asked to be Scoutmaster, the position I now hold. Since joining the Troop, we had not competed in a camporee until just a few weeks ago. During that time the prior CC and SM debated the value of camporee; that plus scheduling problems led to us missing camporee for those two years. I also recall a discussion at my first summer camp with one of the other leaders about the merits of competition. His view was basically what I've read others say on this thread, "Why does ev

Our troop uses MSR MiniWorks. They are fairly easy to clean and the pump outlet screws directly to a Nalgene bottle, no hose. There is no need to "guess" which hose goes in the stream and which one in the bottle. It also reduces the chance of the outlet end being dropped in the stream. Below is info from the REI site. Weight: 14.6 ounces Removes: Bacteria, protozoa Filter medium: Ceramic with carbon core Field cleanable: Yes Dimensions: 7.8 x 3.8 inches Pump force: 10.4 pounds Output: 0.83 liters per minute Pump strokes per liter: 72

OK, OK.... I'll join in.... I've been lurking on and off for about a year, more steadily for the last couple of months now that I've taken over the reins as Scoutmaster for a large troop here is Southern California. As a boy (many years ago) I was in a small troop on the east coast and left scouting after two years at the rank of Second Class. My troop then was nowhere near as active as the Troop I now lead. I've been with my current troop for two years (since my son joined) as ASM and now SM. I've learned tons from our very active Scouters and even more from this forum. I find this