gumbymaster

In our pack, we have generally used the OA for the Arrow of Light award ceremony, but not for the cross over itself.

For the cross over, in a varriation of what @@Stosh said, we use a bridge with the den on one side and the receiving troops on the other. We have bridged into as many as four troops before.  Generally we do all the boys going to one troop, then switch out the troops to do the next set.

My old ceremony, that I really liked, was heavily based on the Jungle Book/Man Cub story where as CM, I asked the SPL to receive the new scout into their own tribe.  Since the requirements change/Ethan, I've had a new CM, so I didn't have to do much, but the ceremony was a little more generic.

As for the OA, they have not let me down yet, (but almost all of them were also members of one of the bridging troops); however, I always keep a backup plan ready to go anytime I am depending on guests to be a part of the program.

It sounds like there was a lot more than just a ceremony going on, so hopefully with the bridging complete, you won't have to deal with the other troop any time soon.

Best of luck (and thank you for all you do), and congratulations on your son's achievement.

Regarding the nudity and its inappropriateness in a scouting statue, can you find any official scouting literature or website which pictures this Boy Scout Commemorative Tribute Memorial? Maybe the Scout Handbook? Sculpture MB? Art MB? Citizenship in Nation MB? Guide to Safe Scouting?

 

As I recall, it is a waypoint for several (if not all four) of the History of Scouting Trail hikes.

http://www.ncacbsa.org/activitiesevents/host-hike/

Does Boys Life count?

http://boyslife.org/features/141272/scout-history-tour-of-washington-d-c/

One I thought was quite clever back in the 80's was the "generic patrol". This was before grocery stores had their store brands, there were white boxes with black lettering that said, "macaroni" or whatever. The patrol used a blank white patch.

If that was my patrol (~1985-1987) SCCC, we had a UPC barcode drawn with a sharpie on the blank batch.  Flag was also plain white with a UPC barcode drawn on.

As @blu said, the rules for each religious award are governed by that faith, usually by a committee designated for that purpose.  The award itself if conferred by the Church, not by the BSA.

In reviewing the awards, it does appear that for most of the awards, it is based on a nomination, for others there are requirements for completion which are usually different from the youth awards.  Sometimes it appears to be kind of a combination where there are requirements/goals/expectations and a nominator is used to verify that you have completed those goals. Being a pastor yourself, I guess normally they would expect you to nominate other adults you are associated with, if you think it appropriate; to receive a nomination yourself or to complete task requirements you may have to work with a fellow pastor.

For the specific issues involved, I recommend you contact the committee listed for the specific award you are looking at:

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Awards/ReligiousAwards/chart.aspx

Probably just inquiring with the appropriate committee about how the award is earned by an adult may put you on their radar if it is based on a nomination process.

We had a similar situation when I was working at a summer camp.

In our case, the staff was informed, and provided a picture of the non-custodial parent.  They were informed that if at any time someone saw that parent, they were to inform the camp director by Radio.

If it came to it, which it did not, the camp director would have 1. Called the police, and 2. Would have arranged for the ranger to lock/guard the gate (we were in the backwoods with a 7+ mile, single road, so easy to control access when needed.  They would have also arranged for the child to be taken to a predetermined (out of the way) location at the camp, to wait out the incident.

It is much harder with meetings and a cub pack that are essentially open events.

Have the unit leadership consult with the local police department for specific recommendations, but in general I imagine that they will ask

1. The leader(s) be able to identify the individual if they show up and contact police

2. Do not engage the individual, but if possible get the child to a safe location

    2a. as safely as possible, get other individuals and children away from any potential confrontation.

3. Make sure to identify as much about the individual (and child) as possible including car, license, and clothing.

Finally,

Carefully review the unit's Social Media policy.  Who can sign up for a newsletter, calendar, facebook or website; who can access event photos; how people are identified (if at all) in photos or other descriptions, etc.

It has been discussed on this board many times over the years.

Can the board ask the scout to demonstrate a knot ... yes

Can the board fail him ONLY because of his inability to do so ... no.

The board can ask, because they can then use that (or similar requests) as a feedback loop to test the effectiveness of the unit's program.

Can the board suspend (not fail) a board of review if the Scouts records (either from the scout or the troop) are in disorder ... yes.

Can the board demand proof of the service hours performed ... not if that requirement has already been signed off in the book.

I wasn't there, so other than @@qwazse, we really do not know if the Scout went into the board of review to demonstrate to them that they were in the wrong, but lets say he did ... then at this point HOW he does it is everything.  It is very difficult for a child to stand up to a room of adults and tell them they were wrong ... this is being brave.  It is very difficult for adults to accept that this young whippersnapper is telling them whats what.  If the board became defensive, as would be a natural inclination, then it is understandable that the scout might respond in a less than scout like way.

Can the board fail the Scout because they did respond in a non scout-like way ... yes ... but ... if they were the ones to cause the situation to escalate, it would be disingenuous for them to do so out of hand.

I could see how the situation could go either way, and either side could be right.  Hopefully, the Scout will be counseled, and also come to understand how it could go either way.  Likewise, the BOR members need to reread and understand the BOR section of the guide to advancement before they should be allowed to sit on another board.

I guess it depend on who your intended audience is. 

If you want a museum for scouts to get a sense of their own history, then the move sounds like a good idea, except that by the time a scout (or scouter) go to Philmont, they are probably already fairly dedicated to the cause already.

Being in a large city, especially a well traveled one, can bring more non-scouting eyes (potentially), and would better serve as a recruiting tool.  In fact, maybe that's what they should do is make it a traveling exhibition that they loan out to museums throughout the country.

Remember that contacting the Council or District does not always or even usually mean the professional staff.

This is one of those things where, if you have a Unit Commissioner assigned, they would be very helpful to resolve this; they will usually know of be able to find out the right people to get it done.

It is interesting to see the differences in elections between units, but in the end, each unit needs to figure out the structure that works for them.

My son's troop, has elections, generally in May with terms that take effect generally in September.  The elect every position, although not every position is used.  For example, sometimes there is a bugler, or historian, etc, sometime not.  They even have the entire troop elect the patrol leaders.  Admittedly, the patrol method vs. troop method is lacking in this unit, and something the new SM is trying to build up.  Even the Den Chief position (if someone wants one) appears to go through the election process.    After the elections, the SM may appoint some unelected (or discouraged from running) older scouts as troop guides, etc.

In general, I'm not a fan of much of this methodology.  I find the leadership for most functions (as observed from a visitor to the Troop meetings and occasional campout) lacking and disorganized.  The SPL does not always get along well with some of the other leadership staff, and so there is a serious lack of integrated effort.  This is for a Troop of about 20+/- boys, organized into two or three patrols, 3/4 are 13 or under.  This unit has more parent/leader coordination on activities and events then I would like to see, but the unit may not have reached a critical age/mass to be more boy run - I don't know.

The troop I grew up in, 50-60 boys, Fairly even age distribution in 11-16 range, some in 17 range.  7-8 patrols including the "leadership corps" organized as their own patrol; had elections every six months. 

Week 1, Scouts wishing to run for SPL would announce themselves and describe their vision and qualifications to the troop. 

Week 2, the Troop votes and the SPL is elected.  The SPL then chose his own staff, which was typically 2 ASPLs (one in charge of the indoor program - troop meetings, one in charge of the outdoor program - campouts, etc.), The Scribe, The Troop Quarter Master, sometimes a historian or librarian, but not usually.  If there were any JASMs, they were usually part of the leadership corps patrol (until we had to many of them, and they also became their own patrol).  At the time, Troop guides were not used. 

Following the staff selections, Scouts who wanted to transfer patrols (or outgoing/unreelected leaders) were moved into their new patrols.  Week 3, The newly reorganized patrols then met and elected a Patrol leader, who in turn appointed is assistant patrol leader, the patrol scribe, and the patrol quartermaster.  Sometimes after the patrol elections, some additional troop leader positions (i.e. the librarian or historian) might get staffed, but again, this was not common.

For this troop, this methods seem to work out well.  While it is true, that some youth members may have had difficulties getting a PoR; in general SPLs quickly learned to choose people who could do the job over picking their friends; and the troop and patrols would make similar choices respectively.  This was a very Boy run troop.  4-8 Adult leaders (also organized as their own patrol)  were very behind the scenes.  The boys made campsite reservations, each patrol was responsible for their own menus, did their own shopping, organized parent transportation, and maintaining patrol equipment (checked by the Troop QM), shifts on a paper recycling fund raiser.  The adult leaders had a slightly bigger role in organizing Summer camp and an annual skiing trip, and in maintaining the canoes, canoe trailer, and a Santa/parade float we used for the Christmas season; but staffing the float was again on the patrols for each day they were assigned.

While I understand the concerns of those that like broader elections, I generally think just voting on the SPL/PLs tends to make a stronger troop, and tends to motivate the boys to do a good job in front of their peers so that they do get elected or chosen.

Both registrations should have an attached member ID number.  Contact your District or Council Advancement committee, it is likely that they have the ability to merge the multiple accounts into one, then use that number on a transfer application from the most recent unit.

This may or may not resolve past advancement records getting merged - it may also be possible to use the Scout's book signatures to retroactively update the records into whatever Scout ID you have for his current membership with your unit.

The big problem is he has so few chances to enjoy himself, that when he gets one he becomes desperate to make the most of it.  That desperation causes him to make the worst of it, and he is starting to be afraid to enjoy himself for fear of what will happen. 

 

He is learning stuff and improving.  When you are on the bottom their is no place to go but up.

My nephew is working towards Second Class.  He enjoys parts of scouting, mostly being outside and being able to move around and actually make noise.  The meetings and being part of a group are really hard on him.  Remember he comes from a home environment where he has learned to squeeze through a door only partially open to avoid making noise or letting in a draft.

This, again, is one of the great strengths of Scouting.  We like to call it "a safe place to fail".  Hopefully, with a good Scoutmaster (who should be aware of his situation), the SM conferences can be a place to discuss things like: (1) what he likes, or (2) how things went on *** activity ( see @@Stosh no x's ) and what could be done to improve either the activity or his ability to enjoy it.

It sounds like Scouting is exactly the type of outlet your nephew needs, so I hope he can rise above his challenges and discomfort to really get to enjoy it.

As a side note, when he gets to be 14, I'd really encourage him to go to NYLT or your local equivalent.  The lessons in those programs are really well focused to helping him interact with others, and evaluating what is or is not working (again either within the activity or within himself), overall it is a great confidence builder and I've never seen any Scouting program having such a sudden a profound effect of a Scout's maturity and confidence as that one does.

Give it time.

Scouting is a wonderful venue to expose our youth to activities and interests they might not otherwise discover.  The Merit Badge program is a great way to achieve this.  While doing one of these merit badges, it is possible that your nephew might discover what will become a lifelong hobby or career.

Working with the merit badge counselor will start a process of learning to interact with strangers and dealing with people.

If he is OCD, it is likely that he will want to complete the other aspects of advancement, which will include leadership, working with peers, camping and the outdoors, and teaching younger scouts.

Scouting is not a solution for youth that might have a social disorder - and I am not saying that your nephew does - it is just one more tool to help youth develop skills, ethics, fitness, and an appreciation for something more than the television or other forms of electronic entertainment.

The description of your nephew and his interest probably describes a quarter to a half of the scouts of my son's troop.  In other words, fairly typical for a scout, particularly one that is between 11 and 14.

There seems to be some significant irony in the whole "get out the vote" movement for this election.

It has often been the common belief of both the right and left wings that

1. (Left wing) If we just get people (who may not usually vote) to the polls, they will vote for left wing candidates

2. (Right wing) We need to discourage just anyone from voting, because they will vote for left wing candidates.

All over the media, you have messages from pop stars urging people to go out and vote because they think that if they do, that those new voters will vote for the candidate that the pop star has made no secrets about whom they support.

I loved the line in Mike Rowe's statement where when your friend wants you to get your vote out, see if they will give you a ride to the polls if they think you are voting for the opposite candidate.

The analysis of this election clearly turned all these assumptions on their head.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/11/politics/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-voters-dislike/

If the voters who hated everyone had stayed home, we would likely have a different president elect.

I am no fan of the Jim Crow laws, but I think an educated (on the issues) voter is important.  I have never, by design, voted a party line, and sometimes it takes a lot of effort for me to decide on a candidate or issue, because (other than for president) the media does not make it easy to make side by side comparisons on their policies or stands (on issues that are actually relevant for the position they are running for).

I really don't care what my state senator (as in state house, not Washington DC) believes relative to the selection to United States Supreme Court justices - they will not have any authority over that decision.

Even our voter guides out here, only state the issue itself - they no longer offer a paragraph or statement from a supporting and opposing sides.  The local paper used to do a nice piece where they would ask each of the candidates the same questions (relative to the position they were running for), and I could review their answers and select the candidate whose overall position most matched mine.  Sadly the paper has since folded, and no one else has taken up the mantle.

My point here is, it is hard to be a voter actually educated on the issues or candidate's relevant positions, but it is important.  Simply voting for whom a Hollywood star says you should, or party lines, or the "apple ballot" is your choice - but may not lead to the results you actually want.

The next time the President order's the flags to be flown at half staff, drive around and see how many of these "patriotic" businesses are doing so.  Maybe I'm just cynical but I just can't help but think that businesses that make a point to fly flags aren;t in it just because of their patriotism or their so-called morality.

Actually, the businesses around here are pretty good about half staffing the flags (except maybe the really giant flag that would hit the ground if half staffed. 

Whether they do it right or not (i.e. full staff then lower, etc) I do not know, but doubt - but they do seem to keep abreast of it.

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I don't want to get into the I&P of which companies do or do not deserve the service; but my general take on it is, if we (scouts) refuse to do it for a business because of what they (or their management) may or may not believe, we are sending exactly the type of political message that it was the BSA's policy to avoid.  I.e., it is OK to do flags for a political event, as long as we leave afterwards.  Doing flags should be beyond simple political considerations.

Now, if the unit truly has a policy not to do flags for any business (or a political event), then I guess that's their choice.  But how far would such a policy extend - even most civic gatherings have corporate sponsors.  Most county fairs are actually run by businesses for that purpose.

(Moderators: If this does extend too far into I&P, please just delete my post, don't move the topic).

I wear my stars for the years of registered adult service - that I actually participated in.  I specify this, because it used to be tradition in my troop that they would keep and continue the registration of scouts whom made Eagle.  So for at least a couple of years, I was registered but did not participate. I have no idea if they actually still do this, but I have to believe from a cost point of view that they do not - if they do, it doesn't match my current scouter ID number.

So I have 4 years of adult service for my 18-21; and another 5 years for service since rejoining with my son - so 9 years of adult service, along with my other cub, scout, and explorer service years.

Now, under current guidelines for the service star - the adult CAN either wear multiple pins, as I do, OR can wear a single (or double to make the number of years work out) adult service pin which includes the years of youth membership.  I.e. 3 years of cub scouts + 7 years of boy Scouts + 3 years of Adult Service + (long gap) + 2 years of new adult service, then the leader CAN wear pins for 15 years of "adult" service (i.e. 1 10-year, and 1 5-year pin).

The service stars are not a tracked or registered item, so the decision to follow the official guidelines or not is really up to you; however, the Veteran service pins (available for each 5 years of service) will ONLY count registered years of service.

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Now, here is the $64,000 question - does/should years of being ONLY (but registered) as a Merit Badge counselor count?  (Even if no scouts work with you on a merit badge that year?)

When I became the cubmaster of the pack, I was introduced to the UC.  Our pack was strong, had great family involvement, strong Den leaders, and although I was coming off a 15+ year hiatus with Scouting, I was an Eagle, Camp Program Director, etc.

The new role was daunting, but it was a comfort to know there was someone I could go to if I needed to, as it was I didn't really; but it was nice when he would follow up with me.

As stupid as it may sound, there was a comfort in knowing that the UC was completely outside of the pack structure.  I would have a resource I could touch without feeling like I was letting the parents who trusted me with the leadership role down by not already knowing.

I have since taken the commissioner training, although I do not serve as a UC; I am a Roundtable Commissioner.

The first and most important think to note about the UC is that they do not have ANY authority over the unit.  They are not a Leader - as David rightly points out, the UC is not a leader selected by the CO, because they are not a leader at all.  They are not there to TELL leaders of the unit how to do things, they are available to answer questions about things if asked, and maybe suggest if appropriate.

Are they a spy - this may be semantics.  They would not consider themselves to be a spy, why would anyone volunteer for that job.  But they are a feedback mechanism to let the council determine if the Scouting program is effectively (or "correctly") being applied by the unit.  No franchising organization would operate without the feedback, it would be too easy for the franchisee to damage the reputation of the entire organization without it.  But mostly, they see it, as has been described above, to be a way to help the unit be better.

Some UCs are a little more aggressive in providing advice and guidance than they should be, but with the very rare exception (and those should be weeded out), they are there to help the unit be better.  If the UC is too aggressive, then the unit leadership should contact the district commissioner or the district executive (as most won't know who the district commissioner is) about changing the UC, and the DC can decide if the old UC should continue in that role or not.

Are they a toady?  Again, they probably do not see that as their job, but they are more likely, because they already know the unit, to be the one trying to promote friends of Scouting or other Council/District functions.  If I were the UC, I would try to decline some of this, but I would also try to make sure that the unit was at least aware of functions - particularly if they were not in regular round table attendance.

I expect that most UCs actually hate the tracking tools and metrics - they would probably just rather say high, and ask if there is anything the unit want's help with. But I think they also understand the value of being able to actually track, somewhat objectively how things are going - before a unit either from membership, finances, politics, or otherwise goes belly up by surprise.

Are the UCs actually needed?  This is a very circumstance specific answer.  For a unit with good support and leadership, they probably do not really see a need or value in the UC and get by very well without one.  Just like some other units can get by with almost no active involvement from their CO.  However, many more units, particularly in Cub Scouts with the shorter tenure of leaders and rapid turnover as a result; a good UC can really be that crutch that helps new leadership accomplish more of their goals.

I expect that beyond personalities, the other area where UCs and units get off on the wrong foot, and may be part of the perception of aforementioned spying, is that as BSA policies change, without a very BSA active CO, the UCs are in the best position to make a unit aware of the change.  Rightly or wrongly, the unit leadership takes this as being told what to do/or not do and does not like it.  "We've been doing it this way for 30 years and we're not changing now - now go and tattle on us to Council".

My Son's troop, generally, allows any of the adults present at the activity (or meeting) to sign off on requirements for anyone other than their own child.

Most of the adults will defer to others if approached to sign requirements they are unfamiliar with, and the leaders definitely steer scouts looking to get things signed off to parents they think are qualified to do so.

The process is less formal than I think it should be, but in practice, it seems to work out pretty well.

This issue raises a good point.  I have always trained that the emergency care provider (FAMB / ARC First Aid, etc) would provide the care until more qualified help arrived (EMS or a better trained bystander).  Now when I used to teach the ARC Advanced First Aid course, we did ask the students to at least inquire into the level of training (The Advanced First Aid course at the time was very sophisticated, and just a step or two below EMT level training), but they were never asked to verify those qualifications.  With the changes in the CPR best practices, it would not be out of line to ask the bystander either how long ago they were trained or which method they were trained with before handing over control.

Just in the last month, one of the airlines got in trouble for not believing that an African American woman was a qualified physician when they asked for assistance.  This is not the type of judgement call our scouts should be making.

If the scouts are taking notes on their treatment - as they should be doing, I would believe it to be sufficient to record the time and the name of the individual asserting authority.

It is also important to encourage them to still remain on scene (1) to Call EMS if not already done or direct them to the scene when they arrive, (2) When EMS arrives, they may want debriefing, (3) There may be additional victims in need of care - check the perimeter of the scene, (4) If the new care provider may need assistance, take notes on condition and treatment, or the scouts may have better emergency materials (i.e. a first aid kit), (5) It is wise to observe the person who took control and at least feel comfortable that they know what they are doing, (6) To help control the scene - keep away the bystanders (not by any force or authority, but for respect and scene safety).

On a side note, the most qualified professional may not always be best suited for treating the injured.  EMTs, WFA, and community first aid courses are trained for in-field response, and generally have supplies and materials suited to their level of training.  A physician may have more medical knowledge, but may not always be able to provide the best care at the scene of an accident.  A respectful offer of help from a "less trained" individual may still be welcome or needed.

As a counselor, I generally leave it up to the scout(s) to tell me what they want from me.

If a Scout is already well versed in the subject matter, I am content to meet with them, go over and verify that they have the requisite knowledge and can demonstrate skills that require it.  We discuss topics together, again as the requirements dictate.  This does not prevent me as a counselor skilled in the subject matter from adding trivia or other experience to help bring the topic more to life - but generally is outside the requirements anyway. 

This also is usually the way I help scouts complete summer camp partials - While I may ask about prior requirements, I accept what the other counselor has signed off on.

At the request of Scouts (as a small group of friends, or by the unit plc/patrol) I will also conduct instructional courses in the material of a merit badge - if possible I will try to get skilled older scouts to do as much of the instruction as I can.  Over the course of several meetings with the group I will have confidence that I have taught them what they needed to know and be able to verify, for each individual, their explanation, demonstration or discussion of the respective requirements.  I try to keep these groups to about 4, maybe 6 (some topics can work better with slightly larger groups).  I don't get too many calls for these, maybe my reputation for making them earn it has leaked out .

It also has to do with what the badge is about.  My standards for Space Exploration are much different than my standards for First Aid.  Some of the more academic, career, hobby, or interest topic badges can be completed relatively quickly in group settings.

My son has done some merit badge days, and I feel that he was able to satisfy the requirements when he as done them, but for me, that's not the type of session I like to run.

Back to the original topic ...

It saddens me when Troops need to play these types of power games with the scouts.  There are a lot of leaders out there who have a per-conceived notion of how old a boy has to be for this or that, or without any other considerations of what make the boys different from one another.

Some don't like it, but "one and done" is the rule for advancement.  As for revocation, as has been shown from the documents, it's only if the scout could not have earned the award, say not having enough camping days for camping, or hiking miles for hiking.  Even merit badges like communications that require visiting a city council meeting or the like can still be completed at fairs and summer camp(*) if the scout has prepared for these per-requisites before the camp/fair and done the requirement.

(*) Technically, some say to discuss with the counselor before going - so here you can either (1) Say this could not technically been done since you did not know/talk with the counselor before the event; or (2) Accept that the materials for the camp/fair indicated that the scout needed to do these per-requisites and thus that counts as having the counselor telling the scout to do it in advance.  Some will split hairs over the requirement term 'discuss'; I'll stay out of that one for now.

Failure to retain the information (which does not appear to be the case here) is not grounds for removal of the badge.  This does not mean that retesting is prohibited - it is permitted as a means for the SM to evaluate the effectiveness of the program (not your son) for future consideration, etc.  However, any such review needs to be conducted in a way consistent with the Scout oath and law (as well as all the other Scouter legalese).

Finding a better matching troop sounds like a good solution for your / your son's needs. Good luck, and I hope you do well.

I always had a love-hate relationship with the OA.

As a scout, in my troop, they were the older boys that were looked up to, and did some service work at the summer camp - but I did not know much beyond that.

When I was elected and completed the ordeal, I really began to understand what they stood for, but it was complicated by the fact that most of their activity revolved around the summer camp(s), and our troop did not attend our council's camp.  When I was elected, I ordealed and joined the lodge for the council for the camp we went to.  I did the camp service, but did not attend other meetings.

As the Program director for that same camp, a few year later (+/- 1990), I became very frustrated.  The youth OA members on the staff were very clique-ish, which was not good for team building.  While the Lodge did have a fantastic dance team, that put on a performance one evening each week of camp - by that time, the other activities of the Lodge at the youth level seemed ineffective, and they were not able to field enough arrowmen for an event they traditionally did for closing campfires. 

While there were many very good and dedicated adult advisors involved - it was a youth led and run program and with their leadership at that time it was not a really strong program beyond the dance team.

All of that said, however, For the boys that did really embrace their role in the OA, I think it did do a lot to help older scout retention, as service back to their home troop was (effectively) a requirement.  My observations have also been that youth members that embraced their role in the OA and took on Lodge, Area, and Regional youth leadership roles have been some of the strongest and best leaders (youth and in adult life) that I have ever known.  It is one thing to SPL a troop of 30-40 scouts, it is quite another to Section Chief for dozens of lodges and hundreds of arrowmen.  These Scouts became true leaders.  While my experience is limited, just about anyone I know who has been a Lodge chief or higher has been a great leader - with Clan leaders or regular members, my experience is they are about the same as other Scouts.

These days ... I pay my dues and may actually start attending/visiting meetings if my son is eventually elected by his troop (and needs transportation anyway), but until then, I'm just another adult, and I have enough unit and council jobs as it is.  I do participate in their service projects when I can.  The OA helped to staff the History of Scouting trail out in Washington DC, so after years of participating with the troop/pack, I also served as a location guide for that event.

I am currently a Brotherhood member - have been since the late 80s, and since I do not plan to become involved in the AO adult leadership enough to be considered for Vigil, I am content.  In Venn diagram form, the Vigils I know are some of the best scouters (and scouts) I know, but I also know a lot of great Scouters (and Scouts) who are not in the OA at all.

We are usually able to get an OA team to do the Arrow of Light ceremonies for our pack - although other than the costumes themselves, that seem more of a function of the troop we ask than the OA lodge.  But the ceremony is impressive and inspires our transitioning Webelos.

Just like with Troops or Pack in general, I think Some OA groups are strong and accomplish a lot, and others struggle just to exist.  There is a lot of value to be had from the program, but I do not look down on units (or youth) that do not participate - it may not match their needs or bring value to their program.

Maybe as kind of a CYA thing, but in my earlier days I belonged to an Explorer Post (pre Venture Scouts) that provided an NYLT like program - week long summer camp divided into three phases geared for 11-12, 13-14, 14-16 year old boys and girls.  The program was open to Boy Scouts, Explorers, Girl Scouts, etc.

If a girl was participating in the program and was not old enough to register as an Explorer, my understanding was they were registered as a Camp Fire Girl, and were then covered for participation in the program.

I do not know if something like that would work in this case or not - certainly there was the other thread about the mega "unit" that had venture scouts, boy scout, all levels of Girl Scouts, and Cub Scouts all under one roof (as activities dictated).

http://scouter.com/index.php/topic/27649-what-if-the-boy-scouts-went-coed/page-9?do=findComment&comment=443564

Or maybe BSA smells the money and creates a new registered youth position of "sibling" and collects a registration fee to cover the liability risk - without opening up the advancement issue.

We do a single best appearance car.

Each scout ballot has a first, second and third place vote - multiple votes solves the problem of a scout voting for their own car.

We score with three points for first, two points for second and one point for third.  Sibling and Adult (if we have them) cars are not eligible, and only the Scouts vote.

Then the cars with the three most total points are third through first respectively.

Tallying the votes takes one person about 10-15 minutes for our pack of about 35-40 cars.  Easily done while the race is going on if the voting is completed before the race starts.

I apologize for not having the reference or link to point to, however, I am reasonably sure that I did see that female venture scouts CAN be Den chiefs.

Now, that said, our pack has always made the events and activities sibling friendly - open to the entire family in fact.  They are welcome on the hikes, pack bowling/climbing/camping, we do a sibling heat for the pinewood derby, etc.

At the pack meetings, we generally try to have a table set up in the back where younger siblings can color or do other activities.

The siblings are less common at the Den meetings, but it is not unheard of, they might participate in the activities but do not participate in advancement.

Over the years, several of our Den leaders have put older siblings to work as helpers - if a Scout, then as a formal Den Chief with the consent of their Scoutmaster; however, adult helpers should be registered, YPT, etc.  If not an adult and not a Scout, well, that's probably up to the Den leaders to decide what works for them - the privilege of volunteering for the job.  I've not yet heard a complaint from parents, although I have seen a few den leaders "fire" their helpers who were not being so helpful.

Every Eagle's journey has been a unique experience.  For this reason, I have generally liked the ECoH ceremonies for one Eagle at a time.  Their friends speak of memories of the journey - they are often accompanied by photos or video.  I think these tend to be very motivating for the younger Scouts.

The Troop of my youth made planning the ECoH the final (unwritten) requirement.  For me, there was nothing as awkward as how to plan a ceremony for honoring onself - at least a first.  But as speakers are identified and asked, and other parts fall together - it becomes nice.  My journey was very different than that of the 3 other Scouts who got their Eagle the same year I did, we each had our own circle of Scout and non-scout friends and family to invite.

Since each Eagle did their own ceremony, it was up to them to plan the food to be served, the venue to fit the planned attendance, etc.  It was very much like planning a wedding - and an experience that served me well when I helped the family of my best friend's bride plan and set up parts of that ceremony, or when I was able to intelligently offer advice to, or do assigned tasks for, my own bride as she and her mom planned ours.

The Troop did the usual kit, 1 year NESA membership, etc.  Someone got the cake, not sure who.  For the rest, I worked within a budget established by my family (not that I was an extravagant spender anyways).

Now, some families cannot afford such an elaborate ceremony, so I can see a case for the troop having a "starter budget" or similar, or dovetailing a troop CoH.  It's really got to match the Scout and their needs.

I don't know your situation but using the example you provided, you would print the confirmation of payment by credit card and give it to the treasurer at the weekly meeting and probably have a check that night.  Even if you waited until a statement arrived for some reason, you aren't immediately charged interest (not on my cards anyway) and there would be plenty of time to get you a check.

 

If you are good and thrifty and pay your cards off in total every month, then this might be true.  However, if there is any balance on the card, then the interest charge starts immediately with the moment the purchase is made and remains until the moment the CC company receives the funds from the cashed check.  Higher math functions involving the natural log can be used to calculate the exact amount.

In our council, while they do accept checks for payment, you cannot complete online registrations without online payments, and if things fill up while waiting for that check to process - sorry.  They also don't really provide a mechanism for each parent to electronically pay for their own scout, the troop as a whole needs to make the payment at once - so that's usually on someone's card / trust / good faith.