Pack18Alex

Thanks for all the great feedback, keep it coming.

I know that for the Pack Turnaround we used JTE as our standard for "How to Run a Committee" and we decided to do the same thing for the Troop. So some things come from there -- the Annual Plan/Budget -- (according to JTE the PLC should have input into the Plan then be responsible for all the decisions within that framework), which I think would help all involved. Established troops have the prior year's to start from, our Troop doesn't really have any records and it's all been ad hoc. After the first year, with a basic framework, I'd expect the PLC/TC joint meeting on the annual plan to be PLC led with the TC bringing school schedules, religious and secular calendars, etc. As an Adult, I've had to learn how to take big tasks and break them into smaller steps, then execute the smaller steps. For training that process, the first thing you learn is to follow the smaller steps, then how to break the larger parts up, it's a process.

"IMHO, the committee has no business setting guidelines."

Interesting, is that really fair? I mean, The CO is offering the program, the CC and Committee are tasked with organizing that program on within the guidelines of the CO (which we do have a bunch of). After years of drifting, we have a LARGE Webelos 2 Den in the Pack, making this year the make or break year for the Troop.

We just did a joint Pack/Troop Campout. Of the 10 Boy Scouts on the roster, 2 attended the entire campout, 1 attended part of the campout. The ones there the entire time had a MAJOR attitude shift from being part of a successful campout (10 Cub Scouts, 4 Siblings, plus the 2 Boy Scouts), where real meals existing, the Boy Scouts fed a late night snack to all the adults, worked with the Webelos on Scout Skills, etc. It was a HUGE change of pace and they are excited.

But the Boy Scouts are clearly upset at their lack of achievement (personal rank AND troop level). To me that reflects a lack of training/mentorship into how to succeed.

Alex as always you make some excellent points. However we still run into the problem that most boys 9 or 10 are just not mature enough to move to Boy Scouts. my 4th graders are banshees. All they want is silly time.

Maybe. That's why I've discouraged registering early, since it's fine for Tiger, okay for Wolf, problematic by Bear where it gets more real. By Webelos, we see the kids pushed too early, they don't get anything out of the program.

It's really sad actually.

scoutergipper, sorry for the confusion, but I think you have the gist of it. The boys aren't learning, and there aren't really senior scouts to teach them. Also, when there is a demoralized group that doesn't feel they can ever master anything, it feeds on itself.

The Scoutmaster also seems to be slow at getting around to evaluating them. So the scouts complain (to their parents) that he's too tough and makes them do everything all at once and if they mess up a little, start over weeks later. So the parents blame the SM's standards. Now, I've NEVER found it beneficial to lower standards, but if the boys aren't learning the material, then there is a training problem.

He's also the third SM in 6 years (but was ASM to the prior two). The first never got his training, the second really liked the Merit Badge process and the freedom of the program, but found the rank advancement tedious. When the new SM came in, there wasn't a first class Scout in the bunch. We had Scouts/Tenderfoots with titles like SPL, so that part has gotten better.

The adults aren't mentoring the leaders well, mostly getting frustrated with them. It's a bad scene.

I don't think that there is much understanding going on. I think it's a bunch of good kids (with 1-2 with bad attitudes) that just don't think that they'll ever be good enough. I know in the Cub Program, the boys were upset at coming back from every Camporee type event without recognition. So we picked an easy category to really focus like hell on and took an award at one of them, and the entire attitude changed.

I'm really looking to get the boys some opportunities for easy wins in hopes that it'll build some momentum for them. We're talking about multiple summer camp options, but really making certain that the new Scouts sign up for the basics stuff and making sure we have summer meetings where they can be evaluated and rank up.

I think if we can get the Scouts that have languished 3 years @ Scout to hit Tenderfoot/Second Class by end of 2014, we'll be moving in the right direction. SM just complains that none of them look at their Scout Manual between meetings, but even if they don't look at it, they ought to accidentally rank advance at some point, right?

So I am now helping the Troop's turnaround after completing the Pack's turnaround for our CO. One thing to date has been a SM VERY dedicated to "boy run/led EVERYTHING" including things for which they simply aren't capable yet... relatively young troop, nobody over 14, etc. The adults are really stepping back and letting the boys make every decision, but since they aren't guided, they aren't even sure what the universe of choices are. Two of the Scouts are in the Star/Life/Eagle circuit, the rest of the troop is all Scout/Tenderfoot realm with no ability to advance. Recruiting has been dead for a while, it's really a discouraging mess and the boys are really of low morale on their troop going anywhere.

I am now working with the Troop Committee to try to get the boys some successes under their belt, and wanted to know from here what you'd recommend. Things we are doing as the Troop Committee:

Instead of dumping the annual planning on the PLC (which results in a mediocre plan, no budget, and parents paying out of pocket throughout the year as events are sparsely attended), we're going to meet with the PLC to get their goals for the year (based on this year), give them a preliminary annual plan for them to tweak, then work with the tweaked plan to create a budget. Then the PLC will be planning the events 3 months out. Right now the PLC meets for 3 hours/month to plan the next month of meetings, so outings/campouts never get planned, we're hoping that giving them an outline based on the various school calendars and guiding the PLC to pick locations/plans for campouts they'll get more done. Sure you can learn from failure, but they seem to be learning not to try, we want to give them some easy wins so their confidence will grow and we can get them to take more responsibility.

Recruiting: unifying the Pack/Troop a bit more and getting the Webelos involved should help with the currently dead Webelos to Scout transition. The Boy Scouts that have recently interacted with the W1/W2 Dens seem ecstatic now.

Guidelines: we want to set some Troop level guidelines so that First Class Scouts can do lots of Merit Badges at Camp, but lower ranked Scouts are focused on achieving First Class. We have some 3rd year Scouts/Tenderfoots with 15 merit badges and 20 partials. We're also planning to do multiple summer camps this summer in hopes of getting all the existing Scouts to Second/First Class. Is this appropriate, or is this a SM/PLC decision?

Budgeting/Goal Setting: Our Girl Scout Leader is going to adopt the Cookie Training material for the older girls (the same age as the Troop) and address the PLC in the goal setting department. They don't fundraise because it all seems hopeless. We're going to teach them to set the goals for what they want to get for the Patrol/Troop, and teach them how to set their targets, divide up the work, and make it happen.

I believe that the troop can be turned around. I'm guessing that the term for this turnaround part would really be, Adult Led, Boy Run, where the Boys would run their programming, decide on the details, etc., but the adults would be setting up some structure for them to make decisions within. Are these areas I've identified a bad thing to move from Boys to Troop Committee? Are there other areas we should focus on?

Someone asks how'd I'd register a Kindergartener? With the Youth Application. You enter their name/address/birthday/grade/etc, and turn it into Council with a check for dues, and you are now a Scout. I'd never dream of falsifying the documents, but I have kids in wrong grades/ranks all over the place. One parent red-shirted a kid, so he's Scout-year correct, but a grade behind. One parent red-shirted a kid and kept him back from Scouts. Others registered in Kindergarten.

Whatever, I've been doing things by the book but some people predated my involvement. Life is too short to worry about these things.

Are the boys having fun and learning? If so, I've done my primary job. If they earned a Cub Rank at the wrong age, who cares.

And do you not think that Council will process your Troop Transfer application because you're only 10? Don't be ridiculous.

We have two best friends that are 8 weeks apart in birthdays but straddle school years. They both joined together when the older boy was Tiger eligible. He's seeming a bit young in Webelos 2 this year, but we'll see what happens. I've had parents ask about Kindergarteners (particularly ones with sisters in Girl Scouts that started in Kindergarten or even Pre-K on turning 5). I tell them that if they want, I'll register them, the application will go through, and they'll have a blast with the Tiger year. However, when they get to Wolf/Bear, they need to be able to read the book more, take ownership more, etc. If they want to come on the campouts, a parent is welcome to join the Pack Committee (with a Kindergarten aged son) and come on campouts. We open our "big" events to Kindergarteners.

Personally, I'd like to see Cubs become Lions/Tigers/Wolves/Bears from K-3, and move Webelos to a separate program for 4/5 graders that isn't a part of the pack, but it'll require BSA to revisit their concept of COs and Units and move to a single unit / multiple programs within the unit approach.

Technically speaking, it should be okay for a Troop, but not a Pack.

The literature refers to a Pack as "all the Dens that are part of the Charter Organization" so you can't actually have two packs.

In the case of the troop, I think it's probably more reasonable to have two, we've been trying to figure out what to do with our Troop's legacy problems and some very strong Webelos Dens coming up.

Making the Troop Program 10-13 wouldn't certainly have some issues... Boy Run is harder with no leadership. Our plan once we stabilize the Troop, if the Girl Scout Troop retains the older girls, is to set up a Venture Crew for the High Schoolers. It would meet after the Troop/GS Troop meeting to go over plans for the High Adventure trips. Basically, leave the youth to provide leadership for the middle schoolers coming up the rank, letting them work on Gold Award/Eagle Projects within their Troop, while getting a chance to do some fun activities that neither group is big enough to handle on their own.

The UC program makes no sense in light of new technology. As described they are supposed to attend committee and unit meetings to observe and bring problems to the district committee and district commissioner to get solutions. At 6 visits a year that means that a problem occurs, they bring to two meetings, they work on it for a month then bring help at the next visit two months later. Alternatively unit leaders can email in and resolve the problem.

I think that selling off scout property in general is a good thing. Real scouting takes place within the unit. Real estate is a more complicated business in 2014 than it was 40 years ago. Standards have changed, accessibility has changed, etc. Down here our county and state parks offer lots of camping options that are cheap because the parks are taxpayer subsidized, trying to run the properties to use two nights and two days a week is insanely expensive. Two thirds of scouts are in the cub program and I'd guess 2/3 of resources go to support troop level resources. Unless the scout camp offers something unique (like a Boy Scout summer camp that needs unique facilities) we are better off using subsidized resources. It is really expensive to maintain property that is mostly vacant. If the camps aren't fully because the units don't want them, the problem is the camp, not the units. We host our big Camporee at a county park because we need more space. We have been forced by council to host Cuboree and district camporees at council camps, which pisses off the volunteers. We have volunteer rangers and a professional scouter overseeing it, it's a done of resources if rather see plowed into programming and recruiting.

1. Severe allergies are terrifying, food can kill you. Processed food that is (sadly) the staple of American diets is likely lethal.

2. Peanuts and Corn are the staple crops of north America. They are staple legume and staple grain. Being an American allergic to either is like being Asian and allergic to rice.

3. Something in our environment has caused severe life threatening allergies to staple foods from our country to crop up in one generation, that's NOT genetic. Yes allergies existed 30 years ago, but they were rare and uncommon. It is absolutely terrifying that something is happening around us where basic food stuffs are now lethal.

4. Volunteers can NOT be expected to handle special case severe medical conditions. It's simply unreasonable to dump that on a volunteer. If your child has these kind of allergies, you need to step up as a volunteer and keep your child alive.

5. This is Scouting. Unlike the rest of American life, we don't coddle from risks, we teach the management of it. This is the perfect environment for your son to learn (under your guidance) how to navigate the food challenges that they will face their entire life. A few months back an article made the rounds of a 16 year old at a family camp that died after eating some desert that included peanuts and the child didn't think to ask. I was unpopular for suggesting that there was a parenting failure to teach their child to ask and verify all food items. Creating "nut free bubbles" around children is extremely dangerous, because it is failing to teach them to navigate things.

Nut-free childhoods fails to teach those for whom nuts are potentially lethal how to avoid them. They need to learn how to navigate them.

Someone suggested making our Day Camp "peanut free" to accommodate peanut allergic scouts. The Scouters HOWLED in protest. This is Scouting, this is where we learn to handle life's adversities. The rest of the world can coddle and avoid, we teach boys to meet their challenges head on.

Technically speaking, there are Tiger Leaders, Den Leaders (Wolf/Bear), and Webelos Leaders. All three positions have separate codes. In theory, if your Tiger leader moved onto Wolf, or Bear Leader onto Webelos, one should submit a new application. In practice, they tend to just move up in June, and update the charter in December, but in theory, fresh applications to CC/COR should occur.

CC/Committee are responsible for filling all leadership roles, but once named as Den Leaders, they are the responsibility of the Cubmaster to mentor/oversee.

In a Pack with 2 Dens/level, for 10 Dens, a Cubmaster can re-assign any of the 4 Wolf/Bear Leaders to any of the other 4 Dens with no need for approval. The Webelos 1/2 Leaders can be swapped. Technically Tigers are in a Tiger Group (I believe this changes next year), which is why we have Tiger Leaders, but no Tiger Den Leaders OR Assistant Tiger Den Leaders -- BSA already updated the Leader Awards to reflect Tiger being an normal Den, but there is no way to actually appoint an Assistant Tiger Den Leader in BSA's system.

So the Cubmaster assigning someone that is a registered Bear Leader to continue as a Bear Leader in the summer/fall, instead of moving up to Webelos Leader in the fall, is 100% permitted. In fact, moving that Bear Leader to Webelos Leader requires consent of CC/COR, but leaving them as Bear Leader requires no intervention.

OTOH, if your Pack is actually functioning this way, you're in trouble. Though I did have to explain to a parent that didn't like something in the program that I didn't really care that he felt it should be more than my decision and should be up to the Pack Committee, Scouting doesn't work that way. The Cubmaster puts on the program, I organize the program, and we both run things in coordination with the Charter Org. Suggestions are always welcome, but there is no "appeals process" to our decisions unless you want to go to the COR to get us removed.

He's a nice enough fellow, so I just ignored it. No need to start a religious feud. As I said, I'm a Catholic in the South, I'm used to stuff like that.

Seriously... I volunteer to see the youth, if an adult wants my counsel, he can pay my hourly rate...

Given the historical disputes between Catholics, Protestants, and Jews throughout history, I'd say what we encounter is trivial... we get along surprisingly well.

There is a reason that the Jewish "toast" is L'chaim, "to Life." Alcohol is a poison, and can be drank for bad purposes, to death. When we have a drink, we sanctify the Lord with a blessing, and we drink to celebrate Life, not to abuse it, which would be to death.

"I wonder if the Christians ever thought about how Jesus prayed considering he was Jewish and not Christian???"

Probably in a mixture of Aramaic and Hebrew. Perhaps some Greek for when he was addressing the Romans drawn to him? (Eastern Roman empire spoke Greek, not Latin).

There isn't "Jewish prayer" there are specific Jewish prayers, and they are said in appropriate circumstances. Before eating, you say the blessing over the food you're about to eat. The morning, afternoon, and evening prayers are written out and standardized, the core for about 1700 years or so.

In terms of the wording type situation... Jewish prayers fall into 3 general categories:

Blessing, which are generally praising Hashem for commanding us to do something, or creating something that we're enjoying. They have a specific Hebrew wording.

Tehillim (Psalms), that are read at specific times of the service, OR said for a purpose. Certain Psalms are said when hoping a relative gets better, the one for the return of captives is real big right now (after the 3 teenagers were abducted in Israel), etc. Some have a custom to say all the Psalms, for someone, which generally means divvying it up amongst dozens of women (saying of Psalms is a women's custom) to each recite 1 or a few.

Supplications: these are going to be what you're thinking of... you're asking God for something...

The wording is generally, "May it be your will" -- and they aren't ad-libbed. There is a prayer for livelihood inserted, a prayer for healthy children, etc., and they are inserted.

But, the "May it be your will" is important, we never ask Hashem for something, we tell Hashem that we hope he chooses something.

There is a fourth, "offering of a blessing" type, that is most appropriate for that. Which is an ad-libbed "offering of a blessing." But it's phrased in the May it be God's will format.

"Thank you all for gathering here, and if I may offer a blessing, may we all return here in good health next year, God Willing" Often these more "toasty" blessings are followed up with the person eating/drinking a small amount of food/drink, so that they can "offer a blessing" but then processing to make a required blessing.

In terms of English/Hebrew, technically speaking, prayers can be offered in any language understood by the petitioner, or Hebrew, but Hebrew is preferred. In a Reform Temple, most of the Psalms read as part of the service will be read in English, often responsively. In addition, the Morning Prayer and "Additional Prayer" for Sabbath/Holidays is merged into one prayer service in Reform Temples. Conservative and Orthodox Synagogues maintain the traditional two prayer services in the morning. Conservative Synagogues will generally do a bunch of Psalms in English, Orthodox Synagogues will generally speed read many Psalms mostly to themselves.

But the Travelers Prayers (usually translated as Wayfarer's Prayer) would be a very appropriate one for a Jewish Scout to offer. The prayer offered after a life threatening situation might be a good one to know. The prayers over food come in handy.

But as Jews, we never "pray in your name" -- we would never presume such as thing. We thank the Creator for things he has done and commanded us to do. All our blessings are blessings of Thanksgiving, NEVER direct requests.

Try this for starters...

I assure you all that no aggression or defense was intended in agreeing with my Jewish pal, if in more vivid language. I'm more than happy to adhere to the rules you're referring to if you'll favor me with a hyperlink, I don't see any threads started by MattR within the first 5 pages of this forum.

 

If there's one thing for pre-modern times, its cosmopolitanism. Post-nationalism, there can't be any real coexistence. National identities and systems depend on creating identities that fit the biggest group, which creates minorities that must either leave or be given tolerance, which isn't acceptance. Without national identities there are no minorities to be mistreated based simply on identity or considerations to give them, no constant looking for slights real or imagined.

I for one took no offense to Scouter99, and I apologize if those thought it was intended as offense. I think with the exception of one or two active members of this forum, everyone here takes BSA and our mission seriously. So are there disagreements with what that means? Absolutely. Is "Reverence" and "Duty to God" complicated in a multi-religious organization? Absolutely. But I for one think it's worth hashing out in forums like this one.

I have a different take on the Jewish scouts that mumbled through the "prayer." I have a couple of Jewish kids in my troop and they are bright, and well educated in their faith. They would do the same thing. It would be great if one of them started with the Shima in Hebrew but they're young and peer pressure is a big thing. The real issue, as in a lot of these types of things, are people with authority making assumptions. I watch out for these kids so it won't happen to them. Not every scout gets that support.

I don't disagree with any of this. It's part of why we're trying to grow Jewish Units in our Council, so that Jewish Scouts have an opportunity to learn reverence within their own faith.

I guess I disagree with the idea that they can be "well educated in their faith" and would "do the same thing."

While one could certainly make an argument that a Jew offering a Protestant style prayer is doing so to the God of Israel, and therefore NOT a Christian prayer, it's certainly not ideal. It might NOT rise to the level of Idolatry/Blasphemy/Avodah Zara, but it's certainly moving in that direction. It depends how seriously you take Jewish law. I'm personally Shomer Shabbat/Shomer Kashrut, and take Halacha quite seriously (the last conversation asking about Jews and other minority faiths was launched on a Friday evening and more or less died out by the time Shabbat was over - an example of how big the divide can be amongst well intentioned Scouters).

So, while the classical Reform Positioning (19th Century German version, not 20th Century American version) would be completely okay with this, Orthodox and Conservative Rabbis would likely consider this seriously problematic.

When prayer was removed from school, Jewish pupils felt less like outsiders, and it paved the way for Catholics to join public schools. OTOH, that "outsiderness" of Judaism has been a core marker of Jewish peoplehood from the Babylonian Exile until the Enlightenment era. If Scouting is going to encourage Jewish Scouts to grow in their Judaism, I'm not sure that "blurring the lines" between Protestant Christianity and Judaism is the way to do it. I think it's accidental backdoor prostelyzing.

I absolutely agree with encouraging scouts to learn more about their own faith. But what about the kids that aren't exposed to much more than the two days a year they have to go to church/temple? The Jewish kids mentioned are no different than a lot of Christian kids. I'm not sure prayers of any style will encourage them to do anything. As in most things scouting' date=' I can see the adults really messing this up by saying this is the way you do it. Maybe scouting has more powerful ways to get through to kids. A service project where the boys see the result, helping another scout that has Asperger's, an awesome view, just talking about these things and getting an honest answer from an impartial friend. I don't know. My scouts listen to me a lot more when they know I'm not telling them what to do. I think it all gets back to a scoutmaster with a light touch that knows his scouts.[/quote']

 

I don't have an answer for you. But we have lots of unaffiliated Jews that joined our Pack in the past year. They go to Temple 2x/year, but want their kids to be more exposed to Jewish friends and more Judaism. We don't preach, we're not a minister. But they will see our leaders with a Tallit on praying sincerely at our Campsite, then leading the boys off to the archery range. They are sitting down for two formal Shabbat meals at a Campout, hearing Havdalah on Saturday night. They are using separate mess kits for meat and dairy. I'm not sure if we're leading them to be more serious in their religion, but they are certainly exposed to it more.

 

At every campout, without fail, a Jewish Scout is walking by our Campsite and hears Jewish prayers and joins us for Kiddush. They see boys with Kippot on at campsites. They see boys with uncovered heads tossing the football with kippa wearing Orthodox Jews. I'm not entirely sure what we're doing, but it all seems positive to me.

I think next time I'm asked what could be done to include my unit in Scouts Own, I'm going to tell them that it starts with a Bris... Pretty sure that that's the last I'll hear of it.

Trail Life, with it's explicitly Christian and implicitly Protestant flavor, avoids this issue with a dejure religion. As long as BSA wishes to remain non-sectarian in a majority Protestant country, joint religious activities will have a Protestant flavor but in an organization committed to encouraging non-Protestant Scouts to grow in their religious identity, there should be active efforts to encourage them, not passive efforts to not-offend them.

I find the Jewish tendency to get offended at public examples of Christianity silly and petty, and would be better channeled into growing in their own Judaism.

Stosh,

I would prefer that in these joint meals, etc., Jewish Scouts, especially when 10+ over 13 are present, be encouraged to Wash, make Hamotzi, and Bench afterwards, rejoining their Troops for the meal and being with their co-religionists for the religious portion, than the status quo... The status quo is to adopt the Protestant Grace ritual while leaving out Jesus's name.

My suggestion, which obviously requires a "critical mass" of Jews and some of them educated enough to do so, would encourage Jewish Scouts to grow in their religion, instead of being accommodated into the majority one.

When our Troop goes to Camp, they don't eat in the mess hall. A volunteer heads to the kitchen, grabs any of the food that's kosher, and brings it back to the camp site, where the Troop eats their meals separate from the group. Such a process works to help our Scouts maintain Kashrut standards at the camp, but fails to offer an opportunity to include Jewish Scouts in non-Jewish Troops an opportunity to participate.

At the Cub Scout level, where we camp for weekends and eat by Unit, this is a non-issue.

I think that the efforts to offer "non-sectarian Grace" are well intentioned, but NOT productive to encouraging Jewish Scouts to grow in their religion. The example of Jewish Chaplain's Aides offering a Protestant-style prayer is an example of them NOT growing in their religion, but learning to participate in the majority Protestant faith.

One side effect of this is that devout Protestants think that they are bending over backwards to include Jews (which they are), and resenting that "it's not enough." I think that it's enough, it's plenty, it's just counter productive if our goal is to encourage Scouts to grow in their own faith.

There is conflict between between being actively religious and the participation of minority religions. If BSA is really pushing the interfaith as required, they have crossed a line. In encouraging youth to grow in their religion, they will have people that take it seriously, and those religions come into conflict. That's not defensiveness, that's obviously, and what that means to people has different impacts.

This is why Scout's Own poses a severe danger to me of my eyes rolling out of my head.

Well, I have this conversation all the time. Our Pack/Troop do not participate in them. I won't discipline a boy if he chooses to head over to it, but it doesn't go on our schedule of events at our Campsites, and as a Unit, we do NOT participate in them. It's NOT a matter of content, it's the format of the prayer. Tefillot (prayers) take place at our Campsite each morning.

The only Jewish boys who've been our Chaplain's Aide have been sort of wishy-washy guys and their closing prayers don't sound any different than the Christian boys who've been prohibited from saying "in Jesus name"--they both say the same stuff and end it with "in your name"

Yup, and while those boys might know that they are Jewish, they have little to no Jewish education, nor know what that means. They are asked to lead a prayer, and they lead a Christian prayer. The fault for that lays within the Jewish community which has done a HORRIBLE disservice to our youth over the past few generations. This boy has a religious experience on a monthly basis, and it's Christian.

The decision of the American Reform Movement (and defacto Conservative Movement) to walk away from Scouting resulting in Jewish kids joining a Church Youth Group for Scouting is outrageous, and one that the leaders of those Jewish movements will answer to in the heavenly court, not this one. Over a spat about adult issues, they basically threw up their hands and turned Jewish youth over to Christians to teach them reverance.

Lots of recent discussions because of Scouting and a Boy Scout leading Grace and what it means. We talked about how it's similar to the blessings we say before eating.

Now, if someone DEMANDED my son participate or say Amen, we'd have a huge row over religious freedom and bullying. But if we demanded that they not say grace before eating, they'd have a huge beef with my over religious freedom and bullying.

A Jewish youth, in growing in his faith, should be trying to learn the prayers before/after eating and when to say them. Ideally, a short (2 min) D'var Torah (words of Torah wisdom) prepared when asked to give a prayer would be good. But giving a prayer "in your name" just shows that his religious community abandoned him and he was welcomed by another.

We had a Buddhist boy as CA, his one time he did his job and held a service on a campout was definitely not non-sectarian, it was Buddhist. Big deal, it was interesting.

Well, it's a big deal if someone's religion prohibits them from participating in anyway in a Buddhist religious ritual.

There is no non-Christian "grace" it's a Christian prayer. Jews and Muslims offer prayers to Hashem and Allah respectively according to Halacha and Sharia. We don't "offer grace."

BSA is non sectarian. Those within it are sectarian. No such thing as a non sectarian prayer. Prayer is offered to a deity. Pretending otherwise is silly. Prayers offered not to a deity aren't prayers, they are well wishes. Christians say grace, Jews say Hamotzi, Muslims offer their prayers. The idea of a non-sectarian prayer that includes non Christians is a Christian fantasy. Suggesting that dropping the name of the Christian savior while leading a Christian prayer includes non-Christian monotheist sis insulting to those of us of other faiths.

BSA allows leaders of all religious persuasions. An LDS Unit can require LDS leaders, a Catholic Unit can require catholic leaders, and a Jewish Unit can require Jewish leaders. Most units are relatively secular but chartered to Protestant churches, but nothing requires that.