DuctTape

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We would hand out patches at the conclusion of the election. If there is an issue with them not being sewed on in a timely manner, perhaps have that as part of the process: 1. Election. 2. Announcement of results. 3. Hand out (new) patches. 4. Sew on new patches. If scouts cannot sew, then look at this as a fantastic learning opportunity. 5. Some type of ceremony acknowledging new roles.

mB counselors sign off on completion of the requirements whilst providing their expertise, experience and the most important, adult association. They might not be able to be the person whom the scout recieves the direct instruction. In this case, if the mB counselor is not a certified instructor in CPR/AED then the mB counselor can sign off on the requirement when the scout recieves the instruction from a certified instructor who does not have to be a mB counselor. The scout may have recieved the instruction during health class at school, or as part of a sports team, or many other venues including the mB counselor hosting a certified instructor. As a mB counselor for other badges, I often sign off on requirements which were completed this way. I often ask the scouts about these experiences, what the learned the most, whether they recommend these venues , etc... These discussions are not additional requirements only a discussion between the counselor and scout. If a scout does not want to discuss it, I of course provide the signature for completing the requirement as written. I also have the similar discussion with them when I was the person who provided the instruction. I am certain to let them know upfront that the purpose of the discussion is for ME to improve as a mB counselor and I am seeking to learn from them. I view the number one job of the mB counselor is to fulfill the adult association method, and for me the main lesson I want my scouts to see in me is that of personal growth, lifelong learning and always seeking to improve.

I do not see a discrepancy. Although both are worded slightly differently, they require the person to be a trained instructor. Which is NOT synonymous with a person trained in CPR who is instructing.

Fun is determined by the Patrol; both in their analysis of the activities and the choice of them. If a patrol says they aren't having fun, then they need the encouragement, assistance and authority to choose more fun activities. Troop, District, Council and National all need to support the Patrol in words and deeds. Regarding cost, the problem most have is that little/none of the $ to national or to council is viewed as benefitting the individual scouts and patrols. They do not see the value of that sunk cost, or the value is not commensurate with said cost.

I am sorry you are dealing with this. Our District has no role in the process. We go straight to Council. Best of luck! If you want, I will call National HQ and complain about your district adding to the requirements.

An opening ceremony is an example of "a troop assembly" .

Pg 22 in my 1959 edition. I find this version to be far superior to the newer ones b/c it provides actual "how-to-do" suggestions, instructions and examples. Most of your questions are actually answered in these old editions which demonstrates the inferiority of the current books.

Another thing to mention is there is a difference between a Patrol Yell, and a Patrol Call. The yell is more of a cheer, something the patrol does to show spirit like when winning a competition. The call, is a way to communicate, get each others attention, respond, etc... These are both described in better detail with examples in the Patrol Leader's Handbook.

That was the 3rd best show on PBS. #1 was 3-2-1 Contact #2 was ZOOM!

We used to use ours before, during and after patrol competitions.

If you have access to pie irons, these can be great for young scouts to prepare and cook their own. Basic premise is butter+ bread + filling. As a kid, our patrol did an entire Fri-Sun campout with just pie irons and a coffee pot. IIRC this was our menu: Fri night: Pie iron PB&J. Pie iron Choc & marshmallow melts Sat: (B) Pie iron sausage eggs and cheese. (L)Pie iron ham & cheese w/ tomato cupOsoup. (D) Pie iron pizza. Pie iron apple pies. Sun: instant oatmeal. Tang, Hot cocoa and powdered milk always available.

Yep. A ton of real life examples. Here is one... A Scout attends a school board meeting to satisfy Cit. in Comm req#3. And it isn't just limited to mBs. 2nd class req#7 "participate in a school..."

I had a few scouts who chose Hiking mB specifically b/c it appeared more challenging.

It happens in many organizations. Sometimes it is necessary to create a vacuum to generate movement.

And this was exactly my main point about putting it into the GTSS. It forces unit leaders to question ALL of the topics in the document, rendering it useless for its main purpose.

These are reasons for why a unit may decide to have a single night campout. But they are not reasons for why the gtss should prohibit it for all.

All good ideas. Another way to introduce map&compass and begin the skill progression is have them use the M&C to navigate to a large object/area on the map instead of a tiny orientering control. For example, take a bearing from their location and navigate to the playground, then take another a navigate to the sledding hill and then another to... . This gets them accustomed to the basics of using the M&C together and not focusing on straight line to stay on the exact bearing. They do not need to be as precise in their bearing so it is more fun, and they will be more successful which motivates them to the next step in their skill progression. Note: In real life this is more what bacckountry navigating is like anyway. Using terrain features and navigating to the large objects like "the pond"; using terrain features as backstops and handrails etc...

But not who is actually attending? This could be a first step towards fully planning the outings as a patrol.

Do any plan and coordinate by Patrol?

I did not say it was easy; anything but. I have had similar experiences. Mostly the scouts want to do scouts. We disagree about who makes the ultimate decision. Certainly parents have the authority, but IMO the ultimate decision needs to be the scouts.

Absent the youths' desire, everything else is meaningless. Back to the OP. Two words. I submitted mine.

Communication tools provided to adults to help them get their kid involved is not the same as marketing to the target audience. One can only aim at a single target.

Little League is not marketed to adults. Kids wanna play baseball so the adults (and community) provide a league. If youth want to do it, their parents would sign them up. Parents are often the volunteers, the youth become volunteers. There is no need to market Scouts to the adults; if the youth wanna do it, the adults will provide. The scouts are the only target audience. IMO part of the problem is BSA (national) was/is trying to market itself to the adults and as a result forgot the only target audience that matters.

Yes., if the youth want to be a scout, then that is all that is necessary. There are other benefits for adults... parents, society etc, but in the end the only target audience that matters is the youth.