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Hueymungus

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Posts posted by Hueymungus

  1. Evan: Congratulations to you for DOING YOUR BEST and helping to MAKE THE PACK GO! No easy feat! Speaking as a former Cubmaster of four years, Good Job! It's hard work to get your vision out there and turn a Pack around. As also to your wife!

     

    You have worked the system and tried to work a schedule to fit peoples needs to no avail on the Parents/Boys who didn't show up. Also, putting on a Pinewood Derby alone, alone for me would automatically get you an award from me!

     

    Here are my suggestions.

    1) Call a meeting of the Registered Adults in the Pack and find out what they want to do with the Pack.

    2)Schedule in-person training for all positions and make that happen. These people certianly do not know anything about the program.

    3)Find, fill & train for each needed position.

    4)Have an annual program meeting after all has been done above.

    5)If none of these are going to be fulfilled, tell the Registered Adults that you and family are moving to a new Pack. Sometimes a sinking ship needs to sink so people understand that it is. You will burn yourself out and Scouting will not be fun for your son and you all will quit. And that's the loss right there.

  2. In the Cascade Pacific Council (Portland, OR area) It is $175. It was $150 a couple of years ago. This Council also covers remote areas of Oregon. They would like $175, but will take anything. They will even take a FOS Pledge card of $0 with it filled out. They are looking for the $$, but also the participation.

  3. Congrats on signing up to be a UC. I would talk to the District Commissioner to see where you are needed.

     

    What is your Scouting history? Are you an Eagle? Were you in Scouts? What do you like to do? How do you think you can help?

     

    Generally, strong Scout Units really do not need a lot of supervision. It is the weak Scout Units that do.

     

    You would not join a Scout Unit directly and be a member. You would be their UC and be a member of the Commissioner Corp.

    Have you taken Commissioner Training yet? What other Scout Leader Training have you taken? If you have not taken any, I would look for all the Scout Leader training dates/locations and sign-up.

     

    So, if you were in Cubscouts, take every position. Take BALOO & OWLS. Then Woodbadge. Go to the U of Scouting events as well.

     

    If Boyscout take ITOLS and the SM/ASM Training. Take First Aid/CPR/AED and all the online Trek Safely, Safe Swim Defense.

     

    The same for Venturing and Sea Scouts if appliciable.

    Yes, as a UC, you will need to know and understand all of this for what Unit you cover.

     

    Your job is to understand the program and administrative side of Scouting so you can communicate and help guide the unit to be on the right path.

     

    So, it's One Shirt that is needed.

  4. Cut the cord with the First Troop. Gather all Advancement records and stick with new Troop. There isn't any reason really that I can see to stay. Your son is trying to have the best of both worlds. I understand he wants to honor committments with the first Troop, but they are not honoring him.

     

    Time to go.

     

    Finally, reporting this to the SM is one thing. Do that, put it in writing and advise the COR, IH, District Exec and District Commissioner. He also might need to have a conversation with the District Advancement Chair and/or the Eagle Chair. Just so they know what is happening because it's Eagle BOR time.

  5. Yes, it is a Knot that can be worn by both Youth and Adult. Congratulations on the award. It seems someone thinks your doing the right thing.

     

    You can wear it on the left hand side above the pocket, right where you would for the Religious Knot if you had one of those.

  6. Based upon the BSA Fundraising requirements, and conversations that I have had, going outside of the BSA for items like this is looked down upon. It does not stop people from doing it. One main thing is, if your raising money for non-scouting groups, that is not allowed.

     

    So, your example is not possible if your doing it with putting the Scout Unit on the shirt/item and having the Youth sell it in uniform.

     

     

    http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/510-274.pdf

  7. It is sad that they do not get the Rank of Webelos badge until they get the AOL. That's not part of the program.

    Also, it's highly odd about the finances.

     

    As to the Activity Pins: The work that is done for them can happen inside Scouting or outside. I know that there are a lot of shows put on at the Stake/Ward level. If your son is part of that, that would count in my book. (Former Cubmaster here!)

  8. I am with what others have stated. Yes, there are Troops that have guidelines of helping out here and there as needed. The CC and Committee need to handle this. If the CC & Committee are hesitant, then they are not functioning to support the Troop and what it wants to do.

     

     

  9. Earning Merit Badges isn't the goal of the BSA. Going out, having fun, learning and using skills is the goal. If the Scout understands that what he normally does within Scouting can count for Merit Badges and other bits of cloth, and gets the understanding that this can happen because of his activity.

     

    Sounds like a great Troop and the boys are out having fun!

  10. This was a topic on Linkedin. Here is the response from the BSA:Specialist at The Boeing Company As a follow up to this question, I finally recieved a response from bsaoutdoors@scouting.org.

     

     

    The question is here:

     

    "According to requirement 5 for this Award (http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/430-016_WB.pdf), “The troop earned at least one outdoors-related* merit badge per Scout.†Further down on the application it lists the merit badges:

     

    Backpacking, Camping, Canoeing, Climbing, Cooking, Cycling, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Science, First Aid, Fish and Wildlife Management, Fishing, Fly-Fishing, Forestry, Hiking, Lifesaving, Orienteering, Pioneering, Rowing, Scuba, Snow Sports, Soil and Water Conservation, Swimming, Water Sports, Whitewater.

     

    Is this list supposed to be all inclusive for this award or is it guidance? Canoeing and Rowing are acceptable; what about Small Boat Sailing. I guess one could earn Small Boat Sailing at an indoor pool with a big fan. I am also not how sure why Wilderness Survival wouldn’t be on this list either. Maybe there are Troops having Scout build shelters indoors and staying the night in them. There are plenty more merit badges that I would argue that are “outdoor-relatedâ€Â

     

    I know what my logic tells me, but I wouldn’t want to change the requirements. Has anyone received clarification on this?"

     

    THE ANSWER:

     

     

    "In my email I specifically asked about Geology, Small Boat Sailing, Search and Rescue, and Wilderness Survival.

     

    The response that I recieved from the Chairman of the National Camping Task Force (Jim Blair) was that: "The merit badges mentioned above certainly qualify as outdoor-related. The Troop does have the leeway to identify these outdoor-related merit badges. The principles of good judgment and encouragement of outdoorism apply."

     

     

     

    The whole thread can be viewed here.

     

    https://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=44601&type=member&item=5808931533129551873&trk=groups_search_item_list-0-b-ttl&goback=.gna_44601

  11. Are the tents that they use packed in by mules/oxen and set-up? Do they have potbellied stoves inside? I am thinking that it's a MASH Unit like I saw on MASH!

     

    All I can say is that if they are camping in tents with Cots, their undersides will be COLD!. I can see Cots in Cabins/Yurts or something like that.

     

    While this style of "car camping" is fine, it does not give the entire experince of being OUTDOORS as what the BSA is trying to provide. I would not fault the Scouts since they generally follow what was done before. Also the Adults have a lot to do with it if it's an Adult Led Troop. Hopefully, a SPL or Patrol will look into trying something different.

     

    I wonder if those Troops who Car Camp even know about the 50 miler?

  12. No. Not really.

     

    I used to have that happen from one Den to another. They would ask where their awards were to hand them out. I would reply...did you update Packmaster and let me know you needed them to be bought. They would reply...Oh...yah.

     

    I did have a Wolf Den, now Webelos II that barely got in all the requirements for the Wolf Badge. I ended up firing that DL. He limped everything in. It was my first year as Cubmaster and he is an Eagle. He sold himself on that and how his family was way into it. Suckered in. I got my lesson that year.

     

    So, they could be updating the advancement area and not handing things out because they forgot to buy let the Awards Chair know to buy.

     

  13. You use the Annual Planning session to map out the entire year of Meetings. Most are cut/paste from last year. Den's can modify as needed. The Pack Meetings, Outings and Events are plotted out on the Calendar, handed out to the Parents and communicated. If Scouts start not showing up, you ask what's going on. Come re-Charter Time, which is just after Join Night, you have their Join Fees and register them. Keep after them as to why they are not coming if it's an issue. Ask why. If it's the program, then you fine tune it.

     

    If they do not come back after Summer and to Join Night, you call/ask if they are. If no response, you drop. No check for the next year, drop.

     

    Alaska has Winter more than most areas and they still meet. Be creative.

  14. EDGE is required for people to be Trainer's. Not just Wood Badge. The Cubscout Program is changing in 2015. Philmont Training Center has a course that explains/trains about it this Summer. I like the coming changes. Having people fully understand what is required for the Program is a good thing, since what is done in Den/Pack meetings vary wildly from Unit to Unit. Plus having people trained in what the Program is and how to put it on will help retain Scouts, Scouters & Parents within the program and get them to the next level. Plus, if everyone in the Pack Committee understands what is supposed to happen, then there will be/should be less headaches.

     

    EDGE training besides what's in a Troop, is based upon how to provide better training to those who show up. It's a good class. I have taken it and helped put it on. Besides, if you have Trainer's who are training and do not have EDGE, technically, those Training Cards are not vaild...;) EDGE Training is valid for three years.

  15. Once the Scout meets the requirements of joining a Troop, he can crossover. It can be in Feb or May or whenever. The sooner the better since he needs to get camping with the Troop so he understands what is required for Camporee and Summercamp and make a lot new friends.

     

    There, that was simple. Carry on.

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