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AltadenaCraig

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AltadenaCraig last won the day on November 17

AltadenaCraig had the most liked content!

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About AltadenaCraig

  • Rank
    Semper Optimus
  • Birthday May 13

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Greater Los Angeles Scouting
  • Occupation
    Council Commissioner
  • Interests
    Continuing to learn about Scouting in general and the Patrol Method in particular.
  • Biography
    - May '23 - Present, Council Commissioner, Greater Los Angeles Scouting
    - Dec '22, Beaded, Wood Badge W4-33-21 "I am an Eagle!"
    - Mar '22, Recipient, Silver Beaver Award, Greater Los Angeles Area Council
    - Feb '19, Recipient, Rose Bowl District Award of Merit and Unit Leader Award of Merit
    - Aug '18, & Jul '13 Adult Advisor, 6-1/2 day, 72mi trek along so. 1/3 of JMT/PCT incl. 14,505ft summit of Mt. Whitney
    - Feb '20-May '23, Committee Chair, Troop 1, Altadena, CA
    - Feb '15-'20, Scoutmaster, Troop 1, Altadena, CA
    - Feb '15, Vigil Honor, Order of the Arrow, Lodge 33
    - Feb '08-'15, ASM, Troop 1, Altadena, CA
    - Feb '06-'08, Cubmaster, Pack 1, Altadena, CA
    - Feb '04-'06, Den Leader, Pack 1, Altadena, CA
    - Life Scout, Troop 401, Claremont, CA
    - Arrow of Light, Pack 434, Claremont, CA

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  1. AltadenaCraig
    Excellent points made by @yknot & @fred8033. YIS - -Craig
  2. AltadenaCraig
    I won't disagree that 5.5 has been too long of an expansion; however, the alternative allows youngsters to be captured by alternative programs (Y-guides, AYSO soccer, etc.), which all have programs for small-fry. Without a BSA small-fry program, a youngster's life would already be full with alternatives before a BSA program ever gets a chance at him/her.
  3. AltadenaCraig
    If I'm welcome, I'd like to add my $.02. I find myself of two minds on this topic. On the one hand, between the Unitarians, Scientologists, Buddhists, and Humanistic Jews (among other sects) - all of which are welcome in Scouting (and have their own BSA-Approved Religious Emblems) though none observes a deity resembling the God of Abraham - if one can't find a spiritual home in that landscape then I expect it's not the BSA that's being exclusionary. On the other hand, the "Duty to God" program has somewhat puzzled me since it's introduction about the same time the BSA allowed for gay sc
  4. AltadenaCraig
    So for my first crack at "Bard" (Google's Artificial Intelligence experiment) I asked "Please write a three-paragraph essay on the importance of The Patrol Method in Scouting." It delivered this answer in less than five seconds: A few more than three paragraphs, but clearly three sections (background, bulleted benefits, conclusion). All in all, not bad.
  5. AltadenaCraig
    The GSS wording states "All adults staying overnight in connection with a Scouting activity must be currently registered in an adult fee required position as listed or as an adult program participant". I'd expect both Chapter & Lodge Adviser would be covered as "an adult program participant."
  6. AltadenaCraig
    Random reactions (in no particular order): Changes to Cub Program: so this explains it. I've had a devil of a time relating to the current program since the demise of "Program Helps". That was a huge help to me when I was Cubmaster. Hopefully they can resurrect something like that when they finalize a new program. TOTALLY agree with those troops which funnel volunteering adults through the Committee their first year. Gotta unlearn the DL mode. "Proficiency"? When has it ever been about "proficiency"? Even B-P himself emphasized relative merit between capable and less c
  7. AltadenaCraig
    When promoting OA in my unit I've likened it to the "Scout version of All Stars". I expect there will always be a role for OA to fill the All-Star needs of our committed scouts. What it looks like going forward is unclear, but I hope it always retains its "All Star" cache.
  8. AltadenaCraig
    In all candor I have to admit our Linked Troop resembles several of the flaws @Cburkhardt has enumerated (undersized, resembles a 'patrol' more than 'troop'). And I wholeheartedly agree with @DuctTape that the Linked Troop rollout was less than ideal. Nevertheless I feel compelled to share a couple of our Linked Troop's successes if only to ensure we don't mistakenly "throw the baby out with the bathwater" in our collective search for improvement. First, our Girls' Troop scouters benefit greatly from the camaraderie & experience among the scouters of the Boys' Troop and Linked Troop
  9. AltadenaCraig
    I didn't mean to suggest there's none, only that 'Nature' MB is no longer required for Eagle.
  10. AltadenaCraig
    I worry we're running afoul fo B-P's admonition not to "trench the role of schools" with four(4) out of 21 merit badges emphasizing ... to use your words "concepts of understanding diversity, equity, etc". IMHO we've not only muddled those civics concepts with our overkill we've foregone other, more important lessons for which Scouting is uniquely suited. "Nature" MB, for example, used to be an Eagle Required MB - but no more - and I'm sure other Scouters could list even better examples.
  11. AltadenaCraig
    To me the irony is the BSA already has the answer with Citizenship in the Community in particular and community service projects in general. Lurching for popular remedies like "Citizenship in Society" just introduces more boring adult "requirements" while taking our eyes off the ball where focus needs to be: in our local communities. Indeed author Scott Galloway literally cites BSA membership as a metric in his book "A Nation Adrift" where he makes the point that what's needed is "Participation on a Community Level" at 6:40 in this clip: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2022/10/01/smr-gal
  12. AltadenaCraig
    I agree that was the most likely motivation. In our hyper-competitive world, what parent doesn't want their kid to acquire skills to "be the boss"? I find it easier to swallow "Leadership Development" when it's defined non-traditionally. "Servant Leadership" comes to mind. Same with disaggregating leadership into its constituent parts: first learn to lead oneself, then how to lead oneself within a team, then within the leadership of that team, before finally learning the responsibilities of being "the leader". Of course, this is just me & my $.02. BSA has got much bigger f
  13. AltadenaCraig
    I wish the BSA had left well enough alone and kept "Leadership" as one of the Methods of Scouting rather than slipping it in as an additional "Aim of Scouting" as they did a few years ago. With "Leadership" now as both an Aim and a Method, not only has the BSA confused the concept of Leadership they've also muddled the foundational principles of the organization. Inexcusable.
  14. AltadenaCraig
    If the GSUSA had marketed their Gold Award half as effectively as they've promoted 'Thin Mints' and 'Do-Si-Do's' we wouldn't be in this mess.
  15. AltadenaCraig
    Agreed. Scoutbook is particularly guilty of troop-centric approvals/permissions. I'm hoping COVID-19 will spur changes to Scoutbook to allow for (perhaps even promote) Patrol-level management.
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