Eagle94-A1

Once upon a time, everything belonged to the CO: money, equipment, memorabilia, etc. Sometime in the past 20 years that changed. Challenge is that our troop is so old, that some of the stuff we have predates the council. Also the council has been of NO help whatsoever, for over a decade now. Worse, they have been more of a hindrance than a help. The CC still remembers when he was district CC and was politely call a liar at a council meeting regarding a project he asked to work on. And I have relayed my stories of their interference in other threads. They have lied to us about events being cancelled last minute and why they sold property. So no Scouter active in the unit wants the council to get anything.

Well, the meeting with the CC went better than expected. He concurs with the exit strategy. But one interesting thing happened today. Ran into someone whose troop recently folded. Found out the council went after both the troop's money and equipment.

So I am in the process of dissolving the troop, and it is getting me depressed. I have been doing paperwork, making sure records are up to date so wherever they go, they won't have any advancement issues. I do not want my Scout to face the issues I had back in the day, or issues I have seen over the years. Also wanted to see what we can do to finish up advancement. Also created a calendar with remaining commitments: court of honor, Christmas party, and service project. I meet with the CC later today, and get to tell him we are dissolving the troop. That is going to be a challenging conversation. He has a long history with the troop, and sometimes I think his loyalty is to the troop, not the Scouts. But the CC has not been active since May, and has not been seeing what has been happening. The de facto CC and I realized that even if we did get 1 more Scout, because of the troop's make up, Some Scouts would be unable to do camp outs due to school activities, and it is hard to have a good camp out with fewer than 5 Scouts. And that is a disservice to the Scouts. This week we meet with the parents, and hopefully they will come. But last time I asked for parents to attend, regarding summer camp, no one showed up. I feel this is an issue we tell folks in person, and not in an email. Bad enough I got to tell the two college Scouters via text or phone. And I am also telling the Scouts. Keep me in your prayers.

At this stage of the game, I could care less if the council blackballs me. I already removed myself from district/council activities to focus on my unit. They cannot punish me via my sons, as I have heard some pros have done.

I wonder what the "Trust Issues" are? I know in one council, a camp that was originally in a trust was outright donated to the scout council. The council then sold it.

Forgot about the soda. Can anyone tell me why?

For Sea Scouts Sleeping in a cabin would not count for Camping MB because a cabin does not meet the requirement. Sleeping on the deck under the stars, or on shore in a tent, under the stars, etc would count.

Are your Scouts using nonmotorized means, i.e. paddling, rowing, surfing, or SAILING (emphasis) on a trip on the water of at least four hours or 5 miles? If yes, it counts.

That stat has been around for decades. It is the reason why newspapers have the 5th grade reading levels since at least the 1980s. If you really want to see the decline of writing, read diaries from the 1800s and earlier. Some of the 8th grade drop outs write more complex and with more vocabulary than college grads today.

Trust me, National did indeed give it to him and stated "you do not penalize the Scout for the mistakes of adults" in their letter giving him Eagle. And the entire process was followed to the letter at the time, i.e. denial at EBOR, letting stating reasons for it and how to remedy the situation, appeal to council advancement committee which endorsed the district's denial, and appeal to national. The entire district advancement committee resigned en masse over the issue writing in the letter that ( paraphrasing) if national wants to overrule the local board of review that reviewed the candidate, then they should start conducting them instead. The DE was furious with national's decision. Not only did it cause the committee, which he spent over 9 months recruiting for, to resign, he new the Scout, his family, and the unit the family ran, and agreed with the local EBOR decision. And the Scout had plenty of time to actually earn it: he was 13 or 14 when he got it. Not knowing who he was, I ran into him wearing his MB sash and Eagle patch and medal ( don't ask why, I don't know) to Den Chief training. I tried to strike up a conversation with him, using the MBs he wore to ask a few questions. Complete silence and "deer in the headlights" look as I asked him some questions, especially since I was new to the area, and some of the MBs he wore I counseled. After he left, the DE told me who he was, and I stated, "I understand why they (local EBOR) said he didn't earn it."

There are ways to find out if someone actually did requirements via discussion and not retesting. And remember, the G2A states: "The purpose of the review is to determine the quality of the candidate’s experience and decide whether the youth is qualified to advance. " (emphasis added). Page 29, 4.4.2.1. "Still, if any member dissents, the decision cannot be for approval. In the case of such disagreement, ... As indicated below the Scout is only told what improvements need to be made." P. 56 "If a board does not approve, the candidate must be so informed and told what can be done to improve...a follow-up letter must be promptly sent to a Scout of any rank who is turned down." So a Board of Review is suppose to make sure work was actually done, and can deny approval for advancement. But appeals will get approved.

Forgot to add, an entire district advancement committee, which denied the Scout his Eagle and gave him a plan to earn it properly, resigned in protest over National's decision to give it to him.

I can tell you it is extremely disheartening to other Scouts, especially special needs Scouts who are busting butt to meet requirements, to see someone who is unable to do basic skills, i.e. stuffing a sleeping bag, setting up a tent, etc, wearing a Life Rank on their pocket. The folded troop's SM "don't understand the importance of camping." And whether the Scout is telling me just what he remembers the SM saying, or the SM actually abridging requirements, but He says that SM told him all he needed to do foir XYZ MBs were one of the requirements. Family is pushing for Eagle and family is getting frustrated that we are showing requirements and giving workbooks. As for the Eagle Board, there is not much they can do. National will grant it and say something along the lines of "you do not penalize the Scout for the mistakes of the adult."

Some folks had signed up with an organization that you agree with, and over time the organization changes their ideas in an attempt to attract new members..

When I was a Scout, there was a unit that folded because a CO's IH no longer wanted a troop, and they wanted the troop's money, and equipment to sell at their yard sale. One of the members opposing the decision, and was an ASM or MC with my troop. Prior to folding, the money in the account was used to pay registration, BOYS' LIFE, summer camp, and in a few instances Philmont or NSJ. Equipment got sold to those units taking their Scouts very cheap ( I think we paid about $5 for 5 tents). The troop left about $100 in the account to give to the CO. So I understand the jadedness. In this circumstance, no one has issue with the CO doing that. With the exception of the recent de facto temporary pastor, the relationship has been extremely good. They have provided us with many resources over the troop's long history. They have paid for many things for us to use, and in the past have helped Scouts out financially.