briantshore

I just had this pop into my head the other day. I am a Assistant Scoutmaster, so I will give this to our Scoutmaster and see if I can present it.

Speaker has a box sitting at there feet. They pull out a flag size piece of cloth. It is wrinkled and wadded up into a ball.

" I want you to look at this and tell me if this was a US flag, would this be the correct way to store it? " Hopefully they all say no. " Well why not, it's just a piece of cloth?" You then pull out a properly folded flag. "Is this the correct way it should be stored? They all say yes.

You then pull out a scout shirt all wadded up in a ball. You ask them about this piece of cloth. Is this the correct way of storing it? You point out that this shirt has there troop number, there council patch, there badge of rank. Is this showing respect to those things. You finally point out that it also has a US flag on the sleeve. You then pull out a uniform shirt that is hanging on a hanger, or folded neatly. Ask them if this is more like it.

This came to me, becouse I have seen more than one scout wad up there uniform, and not treat it with respect. I hope this gets the message across.

I planted a idea for my boys at the Pack Meeting. Last year, I had 2 boys out of the Pack in the local June Parade in our town. Our Pack had about 20 boys then, but this was the first time we had done it in several years. I am trying to gear them up to have a better turn out this year. I have a collection of several old cub scout and boy scout uniforms. I explained that they could be a reinactor like they see at historical sites. This time they would reinact of scouts from the past. They all were excited about the idea. I hope it stays with them so we can help celebrate our 100 birthday.

Question #1 a 1940's era uniform came with both a tie, and a full size rectangular neckerchief. Did boy uniforms ever wear neckties?

Question #2 The Neckerchief, Do we just fold it in triangle and wear it like modern ones?

Well, I finally had time to work it into the program. It went very well. Our winner was a Dad who also is on the Pack Committee. We had one older sister of one of the boys that took 2nd place. Our Web. I leader said she was sitting behind her group and heard them whispering back and forth, while they were in the audiance. She could see that they were really thinking bout what they should know. I'll add it to my list of things to do again in a year or so.

We have done this in several of our last Blue and Gold. Local buisness in your area may have things like frizbee's, water bottles with there name on them. One year we got a lot of stuff from a U.S. Army recruter. I have given out neckerchief slides that I did as a project at Roundtable.

We did this last year for our Blue and Gold. We had our Unit Commissioner, and our FOS presenter be our judges. I also bought a stanless steel desert serving spatula, and engraved it with the boys name, date, just like a trophy. It looked reallly good.

In refferance to the Wal-Mart statment in a earlyer post. Sam Walton statment did not say that they would only by US made merchandise. The program was to search out and find a US manufacturer that was competitve with the Overseas maufacturer. If it was, they would buy from the US one. Unfortiantly with the cost of labor, government regualations from OSHA, liability, buisness taxes, it is just cheaper to buy overseas. Even when you figure in the cost of shipping, it is still cheaper.

Of the BSA uniforms that I wear.

2 Tan Short sleave

Our Pack and Troop have the same number. I just switch out the loops, and the Velco backed Cubmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Patches

1 Tan Short Sleeve with my Unit Commissioner Patch

1 pair of shorts

2 pair of long pants

about 5 pair of socks

3 hats

1 leather belt with 4 different belt buckles ( Eagle Scout, Cub Scout logo, Boy Scout Logo, and Webelos Logo.

Many old od scout uniforms I have collected over the years.

4 Cubscout shirt

1 yellow ladies shirt

One Class A Army Uniform that I used to wear

Thanks shortridge,

I had planned on that. I am on staff at Day Camp, so I know that program pretty well. Family Camp, and Webelos camp not as well.

In the past few years, I have been the person in the Pack that has done the promotion for camps. My first method was handing out the information, and saying these are available. I went to the next level, where I was saying " We are going to camp, who wants to come along also." This inproved are numbers. This took our participation from about 2% to 30% last year. This year I thought of bringing some Order of the Arrow members from out troop for a presentation. This would the OA members by making the fulfill part of there purpose( promote camping). They took it even to a higher level. One of the members is a former Lodge Chief. He says that there is a presentation already scripted where the presenters are in Native costume. This is even better than I had hoped. Do you have any special methods?

When I was a Boyscout, in the 70's, our troop would receive a ribon for our flag for camporee's, 100% Boys Life, summer camp ect. The Troop and Pack that I am with now, in a different council hardly ever gives them out. Is this something that is normal now, our just a local thing?

Here is a idea that I have been working on over the past year. Having the adult match up against the boys in there scout knowledge. At first I was going to include the parents. I may still do this, but I am thinking more about the leaders. Just like the game show, "Are you smarter than a 5th grader", the adults pick different boys to help them through. Instead of 1,2,3,4,5 grade questions, it will be Bobcat, Tiger, Wolf, Bear, and Webelos questions from the individual handbooks. The adult would get a peek, cheat, and copy as lifelines. The goal is to challenge the boys to at least study there own book so they at least know the area of the level they are on. What are your thougts?

You could include a list of hints for public speaking.

Brian

Our Girl Scout Troop collected aluminium cans. If your community has curb side recycling, each boy could ask his neighbors if he can help himself to the cans in there recycle bin. If you have a place to turn the cans in, you can get a lot of money fast without having to do the selling. You just need someone with a truck to pick them up, and turn them in. You may also get some from different buisnesses that save there cans.

I went to Canyon Camp, Blackhawk Area Council as a youth. They had a special award that the staff would present to the troop that best exemplified the Scout Spirt at the end of the week. It was called the Gilwell staff. This was a forked staff that was sanded and varnish. This award was voted on by the staff during the week. Our troop never won while I was there, but received it during my brothers tenure. I went to L.E. Phillips in Chippawa Council this year. They had won called the Baden Powell award. The troop had to do several requirments during the week to earn it. Does you camp have any type of special awards?

I was talking to our Committee Chair tonight, and we were discussing which level we enjojed the most as Den Leader. I have done all levels as a den leader. My favorite was Wolf. his was Webelos. I was wondering what everone else thought.

Does anyone know what the job is about? Do they take away from the Pack Trainer the job of a orientation session for the parents of the new cub scouts?

I understand Day Camp to some extent. 5 days and 50 miles round trip each day. I did work it out that I had 7 boys at Day Camp, and most parents were walkers for only 2 days. The only exception was a Tiger Mom. The events that I am talking mostly about are simple 1 day events, with a option for a overnight campout. Most of them are at our BSA summer camp. I want them to see the facility, and have the boys see what can be in there future if they stay in scouting. Unfortionaly, most of the boys just are aware of what goes on at Pack level. I want them to see that there is so much more.

After 4 years as den leader, I have stepped up as Cubmaster. One of my goals have been to get better participation in District and Council activities over the year. In the past few years, I would guess we only get about 5% of the boys to a event except Day Camp. Last year we got about 40% to daycamp. It may be how we have sold the event. In the past it was a flyer, and a announcment that this is a event that parents can go to. My goal is to make them realise there is so much more than just there den and pack, but a whle new world out there.

One thought I have is to make a announcment that the (PACK) is going to this event. At Pack meetings, really pump it up about how great the event was, and this is what you missed out on. I would like to hear your thoughts.

My units have expressed frustration becouse they feel that they are not working on a fair playing field. Council does not want to step in. As a Commissioner, I am gathering information to present to our Commissioner meeting for discussion on what actions should be done. I posted this to see if others have run into the a situation like this.

Let me try to clear a few things up.

1. Protestant Pack and Troop meeting the same nights. If a Den Chief from that troop attends den and Pack meetings, he misses out of the troop meeting.

2. This quote from one of the Protestant leaders that" our boys are going to go to the Protestant troop" was that one person's statment, not necessrily a Pack opinoin.

3. In the past the DE has said to the units, Roundup will be these days and times at this location. There are many neutral locations that this could have been held.

This has been addressed to the previous 4 DE's and they do not want to step in and make peace.

4. This is something that has been going on longer than the 4 years I have been involved in this town.

5. In further discussion, I have found out that Catholic Troop has run a Pancake breakfast in early Feb for the last 25 plus years. Protestan Troop a few years ago then goes and helps out the chartering org with a pancake breakfast the week before the Catholic's, and directly compets against the other unit for the market. Was this a oversight? One can only guess.

5. As a unit commissioner, I am in a difficult possition, since I also am a leader for both Catholic Pack and Troop. I want to address this, but I do not want to appear to be taking sides. As others have said, this is not very scout like, or christian like.

In past sign ups, I have sent boys to the other side, becouse we had a boy looking for a bear den, but we had no boys in the age group, or leadership in place. My goal is to give any boy the best scouting experiance that I can. If it is my unit, or any other unit.

I am working on a presentation for our Commissioner meeting. I am in a small town of 6000 or so. There are 3 Cub Packs, and 2 Scout Troops. I have seen some serious rivalry in recruting, that falls on the Roman Catholic sponsored-Protestant sponsored line. The Protestant Pack wants the Catholics unit to supply Den Chiefs to them, even though they have flat out said our boys will not join your unit. They meet on the same night as the Protestant Troop. The Protestant Pack just set up our Fall Roundup for the town at there church, instead the traditional neutral site. Our DE seems to not care about this, even though it has been brought to his attention before. For the record, I am a Protestant serving both the Catholic Troop, and Pack. Have anyone had a problem like this, and how do you resolve this. I am not a commissioner to either of these units, so I cannot effect them in that way.

One of my favorite lines in Drum Line:

You must first learn to follow before you can lead.

If you read my original post, I said the flags were hung verticle, not draped.

I work for a large retail store that opened in March. I both sides of our enterances we display a US and state flag verticly. We have received a lot of flack over the correct way to display it. Every referance I have found says US flag on the left, higher than the state flag, and union{blue field) on the top left. We have had several veteran complain about this is in correct, saying the union is displayed in the top right in time of war. I have yet to find a referance verifying this. Has anyone else heard about this, and give me a referance?

Thank you

In other sections we have discussed Eagle mills and AOL mills. What are your thoughts of training mills. I just took OLS. Not becouse I needed it for my position. I serve as a Den Leader, and Unit Commissioner. I took it to expand my knowledge on the Boy Scout side of things. I have to say that most of the things were skills that I could have taught. But with a large class, some of the area's such as fire building, map and compass, did every one have a chance to show a thourough knowledge of these subjects? I guess what I am really looking at is how well do you absorb the teaching, before the class is done, are you able to prove to the instucter that you have truly learned the lesson? When I served in the army, every year there was a written exam on our job discription that we had to take. Each year there was a set of stations that each person had to go through of common tasks that they were required to show knowledge in. Would this be something that would help us as leaders? What are your thoughts on this?