Eagle94-A1

Home made bolos and/or Turk's heads if they wear neckers.

I agree 110% I am getting strange looks when I tell folks my son didn't earn a single MB this past summer camp. All partials. Folks think I wasted money sending him to camp. Funny thing is I'm really proud of how he acted. He was assigned by the SPL as "Acting ASPL" whenever the ASPL was out of camp due to baseball. He looked after the first year Scouts, even helping one homesick Scout out. Did I mention he's 11 and this is only his second summer at camp? "Train 'em. Trust 'em. LET THEM LEAD!" As for advancement being secondary, my troop is slowly turning into advancement oriented. Reason being we got a Philmont crew that our older Scouts are going on, but they need to be First Class. Out of the entire group going, only 3 are First Class or higher. Rest are Scout or Tenderfoot.

I personsally am against solo adventures as I beleive in the "Rule of 4:" You always want a minimum of 4 folks when you do adventures. That way 1 can do first aid, and two can go get help. Had a friend who attempted a solo hike in Yellowstone. Despite knowing better, he didn't tell anyone where he was going, when he would be back etc. He just told some folks he was going hiking. Long story short, he had an accident and was stuck on a ledge for a week. Luckily he remembered to pack the 10 essentials, and had his survival kit in his day pack. Yep I had some friendly banter with him when I saw him at summer camp after the incident. BUT when he talked to the Wilderness Survival MB classes veryone was listening.

Little Free Libraries for an Eagle Project? CCCCOOOOOOOLLLLLL! Wife headed up one of those for the homeschool group. Beneficiaries, besides the community as a whole, would be the individual locations if they are not owned by the same entity. If it was in my neck of the woods, I'd suggest the mayor, but he's an Eagle and extremely supportive of Scouting.

Anyone ever here of the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) (SP) award? Wish we could do it here in the US as part of BSA. Alas, alot of what they do is against G2SS.

Ok, how did you make a Scout in Minecraft?

That was me; Life at 13, Eagle at 18. What got me going? 2 things. 1) Seeing my friends and those who I taught basic T-2-1 skills making Eagle. But that was a little motiviation. 2) A comment my SM made after I made a joke about "Getting old" after one of the guys I worked with being recognized as passing hie EBOR. "If some people got off their duffs, they could get Eagle before they turned 18." That comment cut to the quick and made me realize I had less that 8 months to get the last 3 MBs I needed. I pushed it, completing Personal Mangement 5 days before turning 18. As other said, the Scout has to want it.

Definately smaller, and without folks with strong outtdoor backgrounds liek way back when, probably not that outdoor oriented.

I think the biggest difference between LDS and non-LDS units are the leaders. In LDS units, you are "called" or appointed to be a leader, whether you want to be one or not. So there may be no interest in doing a "decent job." In non-LDS units you have volunteers that, for whatever reason, have some motivation to be a leader. It can be their sons, it can be that scouting is their passion. The volunteers have the motivation to do a "decent job." I have a job, in which I am subject to having my schedule changed on a minutes notice, and yes I've stayed late without prior warning several times. I've also had to deal with family health issues which have dramatically impacted my family for the past 12 years. So yes, I understand work and family commitments. But I'm also involved with 2 units, the district committee, and am a RT commissioner. I do a "decent job" because I have a lot of kids, including my three hoodlums, depending upon me. Could I be a better leader, absolutely. But where I'm at, there is a lack of volunteers willing to help out. Someone needs to help the youth.

Unfortunately I know of one Scout who was having major family issues due to divorce. When his grades slipped, mom grounded him, including no Scouts. He attempted suicide because for him, his SM was the only adult that cared about him and what was going on. For him Scouting was the positive, safe environment. Once he recuperated and got help, he returned to the troop until mom and siblings moved. I hope he found another good troop wherever he went.

1) BSA goes with the lowest bidder, 2) When this fiasco started with SCOUTNET2000 in 1998, one of my fellow DEs, who worked in IT prior to and after leaving the BSA, tol dme this fiasco would haunt us for years because: A) Guy in charge had 0% IT background, he was a former SE B) Company being used was known in the IT field at the time for lowballing their bids, making hteir money with fixing the bugs.

I had a conversation with the new Scouts last meeting. i told them EVERY time they get something signed off for advancement, ESPECIALLY AFTER BORs ( all caps emphasis), they need to make a copy of their advancement sheets and store them in a safe place. Told then about what happened to me, book splitting and then going for a swim, as well as what happened top a friend, council had his records so messed up that he was listed as a First Class Scout when he was going for his Eagle. Told them in both instances, the copies from the book worked because THEY ARE THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THEIR ADVANCEMENT! Everything else is just confirmation.

While not as dramatic as Stosh's 2 stories, one of my Eagles was over in Iraq and the plastic tension thingy on his tent's guy line broke. He fixed it using a taunt-line hitch. His Gunny made him teach everyone in his platoon how to tie that not so that when it happened to someone else, they could fix the problem. And everyone knows the story of the Eagle who was a NASA shuttle commander and his square lashing story?

My understanding is that National is still pushing year round Cub Scouts. I guess they want Cubs to be like Boy Scouts. I don't think the PTB realize how adult leader intensive Cub Scouting is, and that a break from Cub Scouts is needed for the adults. My pack does do activities over the summer. It varies from 2 events per month to 1 per month, depending upon pack leadership.

In Christineka's defense, she did say that her family is LDS, and there are some modifications to the Boy Scout program tailored to their church. The youth are automatically enrolled in Scouting and are expected to be in the church's units. And if memory serves, it is extremely discouraged for them to join other units. So voting with their feet may not be an option. And we also know that just like non-LDS units, there is a wide variety of adherence to BSA and LDS policy with LDS units. I actually discussed the challenges I faced with one LDS church in my district with a very active LDS Scouter ( sorry don't remember if it was the bishop or the pro) and the comment he made was " The further away from Salt Lake City you are, the wider the variety." I know other threads, and even Bryon on Scouting, have discussed challenges that the LDS church have with Scouting units. The biggest IMHO is the fact that leaders are appointed, and are not true volunteers, with rapid turnover. In the troop I tried to contact, the troop's leadership changed 3 or 4 times in less than a year!

First off, if it sound like I am criticizing anyone, I want to apologize. That wasn't my intent. I know different troops do different things, and I am trying to understand what's going on and getting some clarification. Second off, I am a program freak, and firmly believe that if you have a good program, they will come. My troop didn't have a CS pack for the bulk of my tenure as a youth. We survived becasue we had a very active program. Really broke my hear to find out that my troop folded after Katrina. So program is right up there. Third, I honestly believe that the key to everything is the Patrol Method. I cannot emphasize that enough. Fourth, in my neckof the woods now, it seems as if every troop that has a feeder pack, save my pack, has a very good relationship with their CO's troop. There are district/council service projects that everyone in the district takes part in. Or at least almost every unit. I do think that while it should not be a #1 priotity, I do think Scout Sunday, or Scout Sabbath for our Jewish brethen, should be a joint event with all of a CO's units taking part in. I know that prior to me joing the pack, the CO had a crew as well. And the pack, troop, and crew did Scout Sunday. heck even the Girl Scouts that meet at the church attended.

Currently 3 camp outs are needed in order to get First Class, so if he's been only on 1 camp out, he should not be First class, let alone. Star. As for pushing to Eagle ASAP, those of us who have been in a while have seen too many cases of "Eagles" who couldn't tell you about a single thing they did for any of their MBs. In one instance, when an EBOR that denied one Scout the Eagle rank because his family "pencil-whipped" the MBs found out that National granted his appeal, Not only did the district's EBOR resign in protest, the entire district advancement committee did so as well. In all honesty there have been only a handful of young Eagles that have truly mastered the knowledge, skills and have the abilities to meet teh Eagle requirements. Also let me tell you the Tale of Two Eagles. The first Eagle Scout was the son of an Eagle. Dad pushed and pushed his son to get Eagle ASAP. And son did just that; he got Eagle at 13 and left the program after that. The second Eagle was the the first Eagle's cousin. Uncle also pushed him to get Eagle ASAP. And he was well on his way to getting Eagle at 14. But something happened. First he got selected by his troop to do the NYLT of his day, and he had a blast. He then went to Jamboree and did a 50 miler in Canada, again having fun. Then he got into the OA. He was having so much fun, as well as giving back to his troop, that 5 years past between earning Life and finally earning Eagle. Which Eagle do you think had more fun, my cousin who got it at 13, or me you got it at 18?

Live class with internet used fro communication: Good. Internet and computer based MBs: bad

Gotcha. We're fortunate in that the camproees are actually rather good in my neck of the woods. Except for the year it was MBs, specifically the Scouts had to chose from 4 MBs to work on. Several units skipped out, and the district learned their lesson when most of the Scouts complained.

From some literature I've read, January. But I know that national supply, and a lot of council stores do Inventory int eh late December/early January time frame. GHonna be interesting. And thanks for the italics! As for LDS units and 11 year olds camping, it's a national thing. They are limited to 3 campouts per year. That may need to be changed since I think 6 are required for FC now. Sorry I glanced at the new requirements.

Isn't it listed in the MB requirements?

2Cub. But do you invite Webelos to meetings, camp outs, etc? Are there any district/council activities that encourage Troops to bring Webelos to? Are there any service projects and other CO activities that both the pack and the troop participate in? I ask because in my neck of the woods the district and council camporees encourage troops to invite Webelos ( you get points towards your score). Most packs and troops work together on Scouting for Food and our district's Memorial Day Service Project. What about Scout Sunday?

The document is a comparison chart from what is currently listed in the Boy Scout Handbook to what will be in the new Boy Scout handbook. I have the 2014 printing of the BSH, which actually was reprinted from the 2012 printing and prior to January 1, 2014. So, Cooking is not listed in the current handbook, but was updated in the 2014 Boy Scout Requirements book So if this is a comparison of what is currently in the book, to what WILL BE in the new book, and Cooking isn't listed under the new requirements, Me thinks the need books needs more editing before coming out.

Why join my troop? It depends. The main questions the Scout should ask are 1) Are you meeting my needs, and 2) Am I having fun? We are a "hiking and camping troop" with boating thrown in during the summer. We are doing some outdoor activity every month, except January. That's becasue of all the Crossovers we get in December. So we have a lock in with a trip to the climbing wall, and some other activity. Why we exist? Old pastor saw a need for the Scouting program in the church. He viewed it as an outreach program. New pastor is A) and Eagle, B) father of a Scout, and C) Loves the outdoors. He knows what Scouting can do, not only for his church but also the community, and is behind it 110% Heck he's going to Philmont again with his son next year. Do we do school recruiting? Not really. We have flyers posted around the church, and do have article inteh newspaper. But a lof of our non-prior Cub Scout Boy Scouts come from word of mouth. Have we had folks jump ship? Yes we have. Some folks had friends in another troop. One Cub who went to a different troop because his older brother was already there, but htey didn't have a pack. And sometimes another troop is a better fit. My troop is not advancement oriented, as evidenced by the folks who are still Tenderfoots after 3 years. We focus on providing the advancement opportunities. One Scout, or more likely the parent, wanted a "high speed, low drag" approach to Eagle. So they transferred. However we are getting a bit more advancement oriented. We have a crew going to Philmont next year, so we are focusing on advancemt a bit. Monday's meeting was split between getting ready for the camp out next week, and having folks buddy up to work on Scout and Tenderfoot badges. And sometimes folks lose interest. As for jealosy, we are not if someone transfers. We are actually happy for them that they are still with the program. BUT what we are jealous of is one established Troop that is the best in the district. They are a true model of the patrol method, and we are jealous that they have older scouts who are working with and mentoring their younger ones. But we are workin gon that Pack - Troop Relationships? Troop I grew up in didn't have a feeder pack until I almsot aged out, so we recruited primarily through word of mouth. I've seen first hand what happens when a CO's pack and troop do not work together, eventually the troop and possibly even the pack folds. Unfortunately I'm seeing this with my pack's CO's troop: they don't do anything with the pack. My troop's CO's pack is a completely different story. We share the same committee, and the CM is also an ASM with the troop. Plus several of the troop's parents are DLs with the pack. So there is a very strong bond between the two. Inviting Friends? We have an open door policy, so freinds and Scout age siblings are invited. My son's PL, who is now a CIT on summer camp, got into the troop becasue his younger brother kept buggint he heck out of him to try out the troop. Canoe trip did the brother in, and he's suppose to go to Philmont next year, if he can get First Class.

Could it be that "OUTING is three-fourths of ScOUTING." ? Or maybe "ScOUTING IS OUTING!" ? Sorry I couldn't resist quoting Green Bar Bill.