The Latin Scot

Well after all folks, a Scout is courteous, and that naturally implies a measure of discretion when discussing certain things. Infusing young men with a sense of chivalry has long been one of the lovelier by-products of Scouting.

Well THAT'S annoying to hear! We just ordered a new Pack flag last week; I hope the quality isn't quite as awful as you suggest, but now I am not keeping my hopes up. Oh national supply ... thou art such a cruel master.

What on Earth does the committee have to do with a boy's performance in his duties? They have no place in the internal affairs of the Troop; if somebody is going to monitor their progress, it's the Patrol Leaders, and they in turn are supervised by the Senior Patrol Leader. and if he isn't doing a good job, the boys themselves make the choice to choose a new one. The committee has no place in any part of this process, and assigning "mentors" is a form of intervention, a sign that they don't trust the boys to be able to learn their responsibilities well enough on their own. The boys deserve bet

Granted, although I am not talking about Cub Scout uniforms, NOR the yellow female uniform. The citation I quoted is actually in reference to Cub Scout and female leaders in the general tan/olive uniform. It seems that Cub Scout leaders AND female leaders in the tan/olive uniforms both have the option of putting temporary insignia over the right pocket above the BSA lettering in lieu of what would normally be a space reserved for Jamboree patches. My question was more in regards to whether an item placed in that location replaces what would normally be sewn centered on the right pocket, or if

Hey friends! SO my mom is re-working her uniform for her new position as Wolf Den Leader - she has been a Unit Commissioner for the past 6 years, so there's a lot of little things she has to change (loops, patches, et cetera). As she has been doing so, she has wanted to add a few patches she has received over the past year, and so whilst looking up patch placement on the official Uniform Inspection Sheet, she found this little clause in the section on "Right Pocket": "Temporary insignia, including one current world Scout jamboree patch, centered on pocket. Only one temporary insignia may b

Welcome!

I have a few pouched items on my belt at all times - my multi-tool, compass, phone case, flashlight, and key fob. I haven't needed to get any special kind of belt system to hold them in place; all of their pouches have belt loops already so they stay just fine on my normal Scout belts. I do have a question about what belts may or may not be okay regarding the program one serves in. My mother, bless her heart, just agreed to be our new Wolf Den Leader. It's really a huge coup for our Pack to have her serving now; two of my nephews are brand new Wolves this year, and as she has more than 30

I have been a Webelos Den Leader for a couple of years now, and I have found that the best way to prepare my boys for the transition to Boys Scouts is to put a lot of emphasis on the Scouting Adventure adventure and then spread its activities out over the course of the year. For one, my boys start using the Boy Scout sign and salute as soon as they enter my den. We begin every meeting with a full-on flag ceremony, the reciting of the Oath, Law, and Outdoor Code, and a question drawn from the requirements for that adventure - what do the two stars on the 1st Class emblem represent? Who sig

... or how skinny you are. My brother had to get a customized shirt when he was the Cubmaster for his first son's Pack; he is 6'2 but has a 14" neck and a 31" waist. Oh, and his arm span is 6'5 (long, ropey arms define the anatomy of my family. We're basically built like gibbons, lol). Luckily I am much shorter and not quite as slender as he is, so I get by with my off-the-rack shirt for now. But I am saving up for a nice, new, well-fitted shirt and fitted pants so that my Scout uniform can fit as nicely as the rest of my wardrobe. Thanks for letting me know the price range for these thing

I am still having this problem, 9:40 pm Pacific Standard Time

The same program! Ha. The program is dying, and all the talk in the world won't change that. You can claim to be delivering the "same amazing program,", but it isn't that now, is it? That program is dead. If only the world could all see that.

Well, good bye Scouting. I doubt the LDS Church will stay in the program much longer. This is the most tragic death-knell I have ever imagined possible. To say good bye to the Boy Scout of America, after more than 100 years of success, is truly, truly tragic. I can't even express how heartbroken I am. I will miss this program. I can't even express my grief.

I am a smaller guy, and so not all of my patches fit on my sleeve above the cuff. After the council strip, veteran unit bar, troop numerals, and position patch, there was just barely enough room at the edge of the sleeve to squeeze on my trained patch. I am a pretty fine tailor so I had the others all lined up as neatly and closely as could be, but there just wasn't room above the cuff for that last item, so right on the cuff my trained patch lies, with maybe a few centimeters between the bottom of it and the edge of the sleeve. All of the patches run right up against each other, with no space

As I related on another thread some time back, my BALOO training was, for all intents and purposes, awful. Just, absolutely the worst. What was supposed to be an "all day session of the most fun training you'll ever have!" (as the syllabus claimed) actually consisted of 90 minutes of some old cynical Scouter complaining about how he didn't want to teach the course in the first place, then showing some irrelevant powerpoint slides on camping gear he liked, a handout with long-outdated BSA policies (like, from the 80's before I was even born), and then the signing of our cards to indicate we had

@@qwazse I appreciate your measured response and your ability to both understand and articulate both sides of the issue. Thank you for that post.

I must correct the false information posted here before it explodes into false rumors and spreads beyond this thread. Clearly you did not read the application very carefully. Or you have misquoted it, though why I can only imagine. My friends, I have in front of me a youth application, picked up a few hours ago from my regional Scout Service Center. It is the latest and most current application to come from the BSA. Under the heading "CUB SCOUT PACK," on the second page inside, it says "Pack membership is open to boys." No further comment. Under "BOY SCOUT TROOP/VARSITY TEAM," it

I INTENSELY oppose the first and third suggestions. I am confused by the second one, though. When you say "the creation of a parallel program," isn't that exactly what groups like the Girl Scouts or the Campfire Girls are doing? Why expect the BSA to come up with such a thing when there are plenty of other programs doing just that? People say "the Girl Scouts won't change," and so they leave them alone. But when the Boy Scouts don't change, NO! We much MAKE them change! Why then afflict the Boy Scouts instead of accepting what our program is, like you seem content to do with the Girl Scouts?

I actually feel just as uncomfortable with the idea of Cub Scouts going co-ed as I do with the Boy Scouts considering the same. They are far younger and more impressionable at that age, and for them to be raised in a setting where we are basically telling them that there is no difference between the two sexes is, to me, highly objectionable. That said, I don't believe it is wise nor productive to waste time speculating on whether or not it is going to happen. As of right now, it has not, and any local units doing so, do so against official BSA policy. But I know that I would not allow any

I notice that in ALL of the examples you provide, it either states simply that the unit leader gives information for a merit badge counselor or recommends the name of one to the Scouts. In NO instance does it say that the unit leader can deny a boy the right to work with a different counselor. Yet all of them mention the phrase "district/council approved merit badge counselor," which implies that the power to make that approval decision lies in their hands, not the unit leaders'. The Scoutmaster has the power to offer and recommend names, but ultimately he cannot approve or disapprove of a

It bears repeating and should be noted that if you read the Advancement Guide at 7.0.1.4 it states emphatically "Approved counselors may work with and pass any member, including their own son, ward, or relative. Nevertheless, we often teach young people the importance of broadening horizons. Scouts meeting with counselors beyond their families and beyond even their own units are doing that. They will benefit from the perspectives of many “teachers†and will learn more as a result. They should be encouraged to reach out." So for unit leaders to impose limits on their Scouts, stating

My pleasure! That's what the boards are for.

Because of the schedules of my families, and the fact that my Ward (= local congregation) has a designated night of the week to use the local meeting house, I hold my Webelos meetings every Tuesday at 7, excepting weeks when we have Pack Meeting. This is later than I would like, but since it's the same time and place as all the Boy Scout, Young Women, and adult activities, it means that many families are already there anyway, so it's not much hassle to get the kids there. It's late, yeah, but there's nothing stopping us from having a Saturday event here or there as long as we communicate that

Absolutely; it's not "recommended," per se, but its absolutely permissible. Here's the link: https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/11/19/merit-badge-counselors/ Just as an added note, the blog at scoutingmagazine.org, "Ask Brian" is one of the best sources for information out there. Many of my questions have been answered after a quick sweep of his posts. Just like searching here! Hope this is helpful.

I wear mine whenever I am in uniform, excepting of course places where it would be deemed in appropriate or unsuited to the activity (places of worship, eating places, any place my grandmother is around, etc.). But I look for opportunities to have it on, not for the times when I have to take it off.

Got it, sorry if it sounded like I was attacking your post - I was just surprised and eager to get more information. Might I ask please, from whom did the e-mail come? Was it an official BSA message? It's just such a big change that I would have thought they would make a bigger deal of it, lol.