Krampus

Ask your District Training Chairman if your Eagle scout can test out of SM training. For example, my area requires IOLS and the Leader-specific training. IOLS is essentially the first year scout program rolled in to one weekend. Most good Eagles can do that with their eyes closed. My area allows us to test out. Leader-specific is the one training they may require a young man to take. Most won't let you test out unless you've been an SM before.

Even back in "the old days" I would wager most people could not read maps. Folks would memorize landscapes and landmarks rather than bother with maps. I suspect the maps skills of the masses were better back then than today, there's no debate there. As with anything, Having a back up of any kind in useful. Having a non-technical back up to a technical solution is also good. Having a second non-technical back up to a non-technical tool is further useful Case in Point: This summer we were hiking in the CO wilderness. We were going to another camp during the night for a campfire which was about two miles from our camp. The guys used the map fine. Every quarter mile (or major turn) I encouraged them to turn around and take mental note about the trail and their surroundings. Why? Obviously, knowing what the landscape looks like on the way back is just as important as to how it looks on the way there. Oddly enough, the GPS unit was out back up that night. I dropped a locator pin for our camp and turned the unit off. When the guys got a bit off track using their map and memory we were able to get back on track using both non-technical and technical means.

@@Stosh, I chase storms every spring using GPS and road maps. Most of my driving is in TX and OK. Only had minor issues...and we're talking some minor, minor roads...using Google Maps. The accuracy of the information you receive can actually be tied to your device, the performance of your device (e.g., Do you have a bunch of other apps open competing for location services? Do you have a bunch of apps open competing for compute cycles? etc.) and the amount of storage available on your device (e.g., Do you have room for cached information or does your device need to keep requesting updated static map data?). You cell provider may also be to blame. If you are in a low service area (especially in Texas and OK) you may be competing with too many people for the same transponder. Storm chasers know to have their GPS units in prime condition, free from other background apps and plenty of storage room. They also carry maps and a PND (personal navigation device) like a handheld GPS unit as back up. In short, it may not be the app. It could be your phone, your cell provider, your location, the number of people around you, EMF interference in the area or a combination of any of these things. The navigation algorithms used by Google, and their data centers that run the application calculations, are some of the most robust in the world. The log jam is at the device and location level.

Fixed your post in bold.

FedEx/Kinkos has the exact template for the spiral scout handbook. Simply copy a good template page for a better spiral bound book and they can put the page(s) through their cutter and *poof* you have a new page insert. Getting it inserted takes practice but you can do it in 3 minutes if you really try.

I remember being young. I knew everything, other knew nothing. I was bullet proof. My wife was a hobby and kids were a distant idea. It was all about me. Then I had kids. I must admit, I was entirely unprepared for the hold my kids would have over me. I dropped EVERYTHING to spend all my time with my wife and family. All those other activities went by the wayside...and I never regretted it. I look back now, 20 years later, and have ZERO regrets. In fact, my decision is validated again and again every time I look at videos and pictures of my family and kids growing up. Sometimes it takes growing up as adults to realize what is important in our lives. Sadly, we never listen to the advice we get when we are younger because we are convinced we know better. Good luck. [@@Stosh, camping when you were 4? Weren't the winters so much harsher back then? ]

The new handbook comes out on 1/22. The old one's, if still in stock, I wouldn't buy.

@@htusa31, smart advice here. If you are a young dad spend the time with your kids and wife. That time is SUPER important to make sure your kids develop in to decent human beings. There will ALWAYS be time to volunteer for your boys at the unit level. BTW, being a Cubmaster or Scoutmaster is WAY more than the proverbial 1 hour a week. It is more like a second job. Be patient and take on that task when your kids are older.

...and they do it with their covers on.

My kids were PO'd at me when, in middle school, I told them they won't have any social media accounts until they are a senior...may until they graduate. They hated me...for a while. When they reached 8th grade both thanked my prolifically. They never regret not having social media accounts.

@@RememberSchiff, are any of the issues around the parent not wanting to go through the process due to not being able to "hover" or control their kid's advancement?

I am aware scouts is not the military. But 1) Scouts takes much of its attire, policies and procedures from the military, 2) BSA has no standard rule on wearing covers (hats) and their protocol, 3 ) lacking #2 it is perfectly reasonable to apply a military example (because it is simple and easy to implement) for a unit. That was my point.

LOL...so in your example the military rules would serve them well: Dining Hall is indoors, take off hat. Get to keep hat. Outside, wear hat. Get to keep hat. Worn properly (bill in front), get to keep hat. Worn improperly (bill any way but forward) lose hat and learn the rule. I find it funny that the leading purveyor of the Patrol Method and letting kids do all the work while adults watch and guide, is on the side of "it's really difficult to expect them to know what's going". A wise man once said (paraphrasing), Teach them. Let them lead. So teach them the current military cover rules and let them use it. Imagine the look on any adult's face when an 11 year-old takes his cover off like a snap upon entering any building on camp.

BSA has no standard, and often bases their process (in whole or in part) on the military. It would not be beyond the realm of reason to use the military rules around cover wear. Military rules are very simple for a reason. Extending them to kids and volunteer adults makes sense. That's what we have done and we never have a person questioning when and where to wear a hat...like we have here.

Covers are worn outside. They are taken off indoors. They are never taken off during a funeral. The rules for the military are simple.

We are overlooking one important factor: Parents! Their involvement (be it benign) like simply being there and volunteering, or more like a helicopter parent forcing their kid all the way to Eagle, plays a HUGE role in kids involvement in the program. Can be both good and bad.

Interesting. I'd say it works as both really. Patrols are the meat of how we organize and participate in events. They come up with the ideas, are responsible for their execution and for performing various things. All that bubbles up to the PLC and is spread across the troop. Patrols stay patrols at all events. The PLs are the leaders. The SPL manages the PLs. They are a team that run the troop. The Leadership Corps we have developed is built along the lines of the old fashioned group BSA once had. It is a virtual patrol of sorts. They camp as a group but they eat and work with their assigned patrols; a PL mentor if you will. Their job is to be the elite older scouts which demonstrate strong leadership and core Scouting skills. The LC gets some freedom to do what they want but only after doing their duty for their PLs. To get in to the LC you need to demonstrate leadership and strong scouting skills. Just being 15 and Life won't get you in.

A few things we use: How to request Eagle congratulatory letters. Some groups that send Eagle letters and here and here. Eagle gift or COH ideas.

Yup, I know that. But if a council is in a state where there is a second system used -- and they suspect the added burden of secondary confirmation is causing a drop in volunteers -- it would seem prudent to use that secondary system as part of BSA verification. I know, I know, I am assuming BSA can use logic and make things easy on volunteers. Horrid assumption on my part.

Interesting. So what does BSA use when they conduct checks? It would seem smart for BSA to use the same system the state uses. It would consolidate steps and bureaucracy.

We used to use an older boy/young boy patrol concept. We grouped 11-14s in one set of patrols, 14-17 in an older boy patrol set up. Eagles in a third. The intent was to obviously group like-aged kids together in the hopes of developing the esprit de corps one would want in a vibrant unit. The result (over a 9 year period) was anything but. The older scouts never engaged, felt/acted elitist or simply went off on their own. Many factors contributed to this result. We tried tweaking the concept, adding accountability for the older scouts, etc. Did not work. As soon as went went to integrated patrols (11-17) AND instituted a rewards-based "promotion" in to a Leadership Corps-style unit for older scouts who demonstrated continued leadership, then things got better. Bringing this back to younger scout retention; this last program change GREATLY increased younger scout activity levels and retention. It also increased OLDER scout retention. the young guys wanted to be like the older guys. The older guys wanted to been seen as rock stars to the younger guys. Win-win. That worked for us. As @@RememberSchiff says, your mileage may vary.

We do the following: Troop Eagle plaque with the names of all our Eagles. We add each name as awarded. Each name is an individual shield added to the plague (think employee of the month style). The Troop has the Eagle certificate framed. This is paid for by the Troop through funds raised during the year.

Since the last crash in December: Cannot see "Thanks" button in any thread. Cannot see the "@[username]" link under the user's name under their avatar pic. Notifications seem spotty. Sometimes quotes are notified, sometimes not. Replies to threads or posts are similarly spotty in notifying.

In that area of town, and using that builder, those "mistakes" are well known. That's why those house go cheaper than most. That said, not even the third little pig's house would have withstood the F4 winds that went through there.

I'd agree with @@Hedgehog. If they don't camp more than twice in the first few months before summer camp (July) they will likely not recharter. Looking back our number is about 43% chance of that happening. We have found being more selective in recruiting has helped keep that number down. We also have a "policy" that new scouts are paired with their friends coming in, even if it means lopsided patrols. Boys are more likely to stay in scouting if paired up with friends. Lone wolf scouts tend not to last long. We've pair these guys with Guides but that does not always work.