jjlash

You didnt say - is this your first time on staff or have you served in other positions? The staff wants the same as you - to give the participants an amazing experience. To kick it up a notch, consider little things that dont cost much or take much effort but add an extra touch. Maybe a bit of candy on each patrol table each morning. Or have the scribe send a note to participants requesting their preferred (Scout appropriate) beverage and have some of those on-hand. Definitely popcorn etc during October Sky. Maybe give each patrol a "smores kit" at the start of their outdoor experienc

I was QM for our last course (in 2014). Now I'm rooming with the QM for our current course so we have compared notes about my style versus his and so on. Here are some things we agreed were very useful: 1) Eagledad hit a couple of the big points - if you are not super organized, find someone who is and get them to be your assistant. You should be the first to arrive and the last to leave. 2) Know your stuff - that is, know what materials you need for every minute of each day. Also know what materials you have available to you. 2a) Have a starting inventory - what stuff was in yo

I agree with NJCubScouter in that I would take a wait and see approach - you dont want to get dragged into whatever is going on. I would be more concerned right now with the stonewalling than with the state of the books. If the committee chair is part of the stonewalling, either actively or by allowing the treasurer to resist, then you will get nowhere. You said the committee _intends_ to step down at the end of the year. Evidently they have not made a solid commitment and begun a transition. So what happens if the committee chair decides to stay? Can you work with someone who has b

My Troop doesnt use SB, or any other site/program. Scouts are responsible for their own in-progress advancement via their BSHB. The advancement person records to Internet Advancement as appropriate. Communication about events etc is via SPL / PLs, announcements at meetings, troop FB page. I tried it shortly after the BSA purchase. At that time (and by all accounts reading the forums since) SB just does not do (or does not do well enough) the few things that the adult leaders wish for. We have not had any requests from Scouts for other tools (and as far as we know none of them is usi

Ah - a lot of units around here go to Many Point Scout Camp in northern Minnesota. I have heard they have a good "older Scout" program that is pretty high adventure. But to be honest, planning your own HA is not that tough even with not much experience - it just depends on what you want to do. I have helped a couple of Troops in my area learn how to do it so Im sure you could find someone near you willing to help.

@@RememberSchiff hits on the thing I think is the biggest issue: they need to decide who the customer really is. HINT: there is more than one. I realize that computer/online tools for Scouts (advancement, outings, service hours) is an easy sell - and there is value in this. But from my perspective, the adult volunteers are the big underserved customer and there is some real low hanging fruit here. How about absolutely anything to that will automate JTE. There is no reason that volunteers should spend their time manually calculating percentages for data that is already in the computer sy

Depends on where you are and what your Scouts want to do....We are in the midwest and prefer a backcountry high adventure. We can do a week long backpacking or Boundary Waters trip for about $250-$300 per person. We self-outfit so this includes everything except souvenirs: fuel and meals on the road, campground the night before and/or after the trek, permits, food on the trail and a sit-down meal when we come off the trail.

We have a district Arrow Of Light ceremony. Troops are invited to setup a table and Webelos/parents are encouraged to visit them. Many Webelos have already made their choice by that time, but many have not.

Same as gumbymaster - my council is my Smile recipient. Dont know how much they receive overall. As you mention, you should be very aware of how any contributions might be viewed by the IRS since doing the wrong thing can jeopardize non-profit / tax exempt status.

Cool - feel free to message me if you have any questions. It is a very well-rounded itinerary.

"Poaching", really? Do you say the same thing when a youth leaves Scouts to play soccer? Scouts are volunteers - allowing for parent influence, they stay involved in the things that are most fun, match their interests and fit their schedule; they stay with the groups where their friends are and where they feel welcome. If Scouts were leaving my unit for another unit, I would definitely be talking to both them and the other unit to find out where we came up short.

Not nearly as much as I would like ;-) Not very much in reality - I may get a few 5-10 mile day trips per year and maybe one 15-20 mile overnight. About every other year my Troop does a backpacking high adventure - usually around 50ish miles over 5-6 days. About every 4 years we do Philmont so 100ish miles over the 10 days.

I say gently educate everyone that feeder packs are not a thing and encourage Scouts to visit multiple Troops and find the one that feels right. This will take time and you will upset some people but it is the right approach. The units/people who are upset likely feel that they cannot compete with a well-run unit. I would even say that the ones who are upset do not truly have the Scout's best interest in mind. Yes, I prefer to get the Scouts in my unit but I'm happy as long as he continues in Scouts instead quiting because he feels stuck in a Troop he doesnt like.

Got home from another Philmont trek earlier this week and figured Id do a combination trip report / gear review to capture some thoughts. I was part of crew 705-L; 9 youth and 3 advisers from eastern Iowa. One youth, the lead adviser and I had all been on previous treks. The third adviser and 8 youth were on their first trek. The lead adviser headed up our preparation this time - his focus was on brushing up skills that we don't use as often in daily Scouting and on teamwork. We covered use of our backpacking stoves, hanging bear bags, wilderness first aid scenarios, navigation and

I completely agree.... But - the time to confirm that learning is before the requirement is signed off, not months/years later at his Eagle SM conference or BOR. In a case like this where the requirements were signed by the previous Troop and the lack of retention is discovered later, there is not much to be done about it. The guide to advancement is pretty clear on not retesting and not taking away what has been earned. If the Scout had been more active, this shortcoming could have been noticed and opportunities to review/practice could have been worked in (i.e. by having him teach so

Welcome to the group Bingo. My first question is - what is your role in the Troop? The ladies are correct with regard to the outdoor skills - if he has earned the merit badges then his outdoor skills are not in question. Please review the guide to advancement for the four steps of advancement: A Scout Learns, A Scout is tested, A Scout is reviewed, A Scout is recognized. Yes, it would be great if they all learned and retained every skill they learned in the early ranks - but that is not the important part of Scouting. As for the project - it sounds like you are making a judgement o

NAYLE is a very hands-on "continuation" of NYLT. Dont know how it might be different at SBR, at Philmont they do geocaching, challenge events, wilderness first aid, search & rescue and a short backpacking trek. They dont do these activities to really learn them, rather the activities put the crew into situations where good leadership is needed to succeed. I only know this because I took the adult equivalent last fall and the courses us the same handbook. The Philmont Leadership Challenge is the best thing Ive done in Scouting - highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take their W

$20 is high in my experience, but then Class B is high in my comparisons. For moderate quantities I can usually get the Gildan "heavy cotton" at $10 -$12 ea and wicking at around $14 ea. I use Advantage Emblem out of Duluth MN. One thing to be aware of with using a local shop: BSA Licensing. If the design uses any BSA trademarked phrases or images, including the BSA "version" of the fleur dis le, it needs to be printed by a licensed vendor and approved by the licensing department. There is a license option that, Im told, is pretty easy to get and allows a shop can do stuff for one un

Thanks RichardB, I stand corrected - the Risk Advisory is not called "Part D".

No, it is still there. Ive seen so many different versions of the med forms I dont remember what Part D used to be. Now it is the "risk advisory" for the specific high adventure base. The website has several PDF links - one with part A&B for "normal activitites", one with A/B/C for summer camp and five with A/B/C plus the part D for the specific high adventure base (and one for Philmont Training Center). Again, dont remember if it has always been, but Part C has a check box for the doctor to indicate that she has read and discussed Part D with the patient.

Im ASM Troop Guides for our upcoming course. I told my guides at our first meeting that they have the toughest job in the course because of all the preparation and the multiple hats they wear. But that they have the best job in the course because they get to truly connect with those 6 people and see, up close, the impact WB has. Yes, it is a lot of time to be well prepared but it is so worth it. My WB experience was pretty good but my first time staffing is what solidified my belief in team building and my desire to become a better leader. That said - I have heard a lot of people wh

Have you checked Many Points Scout Camp in northern MN. Their "older Scout" program lists kayaking on class 1 & 2 rapids, ATV's, Tree Houses and SCUBA. Never been there but talked to lots of local folks who have - they all rave about it.

Is there a place on this site, or another site, to host and share your action plan? As I posted earlier in this thread, my Troop also recently had a Scout die; ours was on a campout. I have written a lessons learned document to capture the things that we did well and that we can improve. I want to find a place other than my Troop's site to host it my document so that it gets more visibility. Any suggestions?

I cannot argue with any of that. However - it is not without value. I use it as a planning tool throughout the year rather than as a yardstick at the end of the year. Not looking at it until the end of the year doesnt leave any time to make improvements. A perfect example, when I updated the sheet last weekend I realized we had not scheduled ILST (youth leader training) yet. That probably would fallen through the crack had I not been reviewing the numbers. I have a spreadsheet setup so I enter our campouts, service projects, advancements etc and the sheet calculates our score. More i

Very sorry to hear of the outcome. Im pretty new around here and we dont know each other, but I have very recent experience with losing a Scout in my Troop - mine was a first year Scout. If you'd like to talk to someone who is not so close to your unit, just holler and I'll send you my number. Jay