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Krampus

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Everything posted by Krampus

  1. Epilogue We spent the two and a half weeks since this tragedy helping the families to heal, to help the troop and friends find a way to grieve and remember our lost Scout, and to find a way to move forward. It has not been easy. We have a support network in place to help the families over the summer as they attempt to get back to a sense of normalcy. We've raised over 30k for a scholarship fund in the Scout's name to help others. The unit is coming up with a way to remember him on our uniform, and they have created a few other things in his honor which will become part of our unit's lore.
  2. Parent? Depends. Council? You betcha! If the SM and CC are so far off the reservation that they are doing the things noted here, I just might...but only after my kid makes Eagle. If the CC and SM are this wrong, then BSA owes it to the other kids in the program to talk to the CO, show them what's being done wrong, give them a chance to make the CC/SM "get right" with the program or find replacements. This simply cannot be allowed to continue. What they (CC/SM) are doing is not Scouting.
  3. Exactly! Leadership development, citizenship, self-reliance, personal growth. Put these in context with all the things Boy Scouts must do to operate and that might help sell the brand. Of course, this might also push away those who join looking for that instant gratification which seems so prevalent in today's culture. Would that loss equal a greater gain?
  4. I have to laugh...I live in Mosquito Country but I just don't get that worked up about them. I put the picaridin on in the evening and that does the trick. Doing up my clothes and such just is way too much effort for the slight bother of these guys. Now in MN I can see the fuss. You other guys must have clouds of these things. We have tons here but if you do the normal spraying you are fine. Must be those eastern, atomic waster, genetically engineered mosquitoes you guys have.
  5. Just for the sake of argument, wasn't the original de facto Pack leader back in the 50s and 60s, moms? Was there a higher crossover rate then? If so, you think it was due to shear numbers going through the system? Less organized stuff for kids to do? In our area moms are just as likely to camp as dads. Heck, I've got some guys who won't step foot in "the woods", even if it is a posh state park.
  6. It's the Ding Dongs, my Leige.
  7. Unofficially, we go hunting. Just not in uniform or as a troop, but we go. Just so happens that all of the folks going are scouters or scouts.
  8. In my area is you want outdoors adventures your direct competition is family and friends. Next would be church groups or companies that put together or specialize in outdoor stuff. Parks and Rec departments have some things and in Texas I have to admit they are pretty good. Clubs or groups like the Y are really not that popular here and really don't compete with Scouting. It is really sports, school, church/faith and clubs that compete for time in our area. There's just so much to do out there that if you wanted an "outdoor" lifestyle, with plenty of parks, outfitters and companies out
  9. We built these pvc frames for the nomal netting. Cost about $10 to build and they worked perfectly. Based on the old fashioned frames the Army used to use for netting. Just make sure you put a ground cloth down on your floor. Those suckers like to fly up under those crate floor boards. http://www.bsa50.com/drupal/sites/default/files/articles/image00.jpg
  10. But if they are not implementing the BSA program as designed and making stuff up council can remove them and compel the CO to find new ones.
  11. We went to summer camp at a VERY popular camp in the eastern US. It was VERY Christian. From the campfire to the all camp gatherings to eating meals, we prayed and thanked Jesus for everything. My non-Christian Scouts simply rolled with it. As my Jewish Scouts told me, "Mr. Krampus, we just substitute 'Abraham' for 'Jesus' and move on."
  12. The original discussion was lead by Bad Wolf a while back. I searched and got the links used but don't have time to find it right now. It is in this forum somewhere. He did a pretty good analysis back then.
  13. Well, considering the SM's second signature on the blue card is not needed to be considered complete, I would simply go to council.
  14. I hope that helps. You sound like you all (pack leadership) are talking to the right people. I would engage the DE early just in case, same with the COR (assuming they are active). Maybe even a nice pre-appreciation gift for those who volunteer. One of the packs that folded had been around for nearly 20 years. It just got to the point where the parents could not be bothered. Hopefully your parents sense the urgency, realize you guys will train them and give them support. Good luck!
  15. I hear ya. It is never easy when there is not a clear succession plan. I can tell you that two of the packs that folded in my area did the following: 1 Year Out: Met with the Pack parents to let them know who was leaving in a year. Asked for volunteers to under study roles. Monthly: Continued to ask parents to help out, train them. Noted that if no one stepped up the pack would fold. 8 Months Out: Brought in the DE to help get parents motivated. Showed parents how easy it was to take over. 6 Months Out: Continued to encourage parents to volunteer. 3 Months Out: Told parents the pack was
  16. But you can't think like that. Your pack has other parents, let them step up. We did, didn't we? We did it so our kid (and the other kids) would have a pack and den. I have seen three packs locally fold from such ambivalence by parents. It is easier for them to pick up and move to another pack then step up and take over the existing pack. You can only do so much for others until they have to do for themselves. At some point you need to just walk away and move on, knowing you've done all you can to help position them for success. The rest is up to the remaining parents.
  17. You gave them notice, that's considerate. The CC and CM should be putting 2 people in each role so that the second person can under study the primary person. Succession planning is one of the goals of JTE. If you are in a "gold" unit then this should already be in place. In Cubs you need to just stand up, give notice of your intended departure, take steps to transition your knowledge (either in person or via a document) and then you leave. There should be no guilt in your leaving if enough notice is given and knowledge is transferred.
  18. I have seen some units (regardless of ethnic background) isolate themselves from others and treat any friendly outreach as an imposition. Odd since that is not what Scouting is about...but it happens.
  19. The 2014 numbers came from the published annual report. The 2015 numbers came from someone involved in the collection of the numbers before they were submitted to the group responsible for putting together the annual report which will be released shortly. The 2015 numbers you have represent memberships reported before duplication are eliminated. Odd that they elected to report such numbers this year and never in years before.
  20. The troops bear some responsibility here. We usually talk with the guys crossing over to see what type of fit they will be for Boy Scouts. It does not happen often, but there are times we actually talk guys out of going in to Scouts. By that I mean there are obviously a few kids that are only signing up because they think they should or that's what comes next, not because they love or even like Scouting. Our first year retention rate is about 90-95%. Second year rate is about 85%. This year we have 70% of our guys who joined in 2010 still in Scouting. Nearly all made Eagle. Of that lot nea
  21. My Pack and then Troop did this every year. We would require one parent to register and volunteer for something. This helped the parents get involved more.
  22. I will amend my comment with this: There is a *HIGH* correlation between Scouts that move on to Boy Scouts and the level of involvement of their parents in Scouting. We observed that when parents are actively involved in helping their Cubs complete requirements and activities (and not just let the DL and Pack do all the work), the boys were more likely to move on. If the parents were leaders the correlation was even higher.
  23. We see about 1/3 to 1/4 of W2 dens not crossing over. That's up from 5-7 years ago. That's me neck of the woods.
  24. @@UncleP, also be sure to check with the Cub Scout unit, or district or even council for "scholarships" that can help your nephew. Many units, districts and councils provide financial support for families who cannot afford uniforms or going to day camp/summer camp. When he hits Boy Scouts, may camps have financial aid for underprivileged scouts. Of course, many units also have fund raising programs too, so the scouts can learn to pay their way through their own work. Together both mechanisms can help teach your nephew valuable lessons on his trail through Scouting. Good luck!
  25. We do the same thing. We put out around 200 flags (5'x3' flags on 8' poles). Project has grown so much over the last 6 years. The neighborhood loves it...and so do the boys.
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