Col. Flagg

This is a decent idea, Fred. Many of the guys and gals in my son's crew are older high school and college. Our crew is mostly like a high adventure club. It would be odd having folks 14-24 in Venturing, so maybe we change it to 16-23 or so? Maybe Juniors in HS to Seniors in college (not older than 23 or 24). Maybe it's just over 18. Interesting idea.

There's a big difference between a bar, a liquor store and a medicinal pot store and these other locations. Clearly the former are in poor taste and judgement. If the bowling alley is like a Strikz, then why not. If it is more seedy then obviously not.

...or outside the medicinal marijuana shop if you are in those states.

This is exactly why BSA deflates the numbers later on in the year after the annual report. Council "wring out" their rolls at different times, so the real numbers never get reported until late in the calendar year.

Our PLC used this because they thought email was for old folks.Oddly enough it was used for a while but then abandoned because guys weren't checking their text messages any more. Why? Snapchat.

2.7 millions is generous. You'd have to include ALL BSA programs according to the 2016 Annual Report. It is more like 2.3m if you count Cubs, Boy Scouts, Explorers/Varsity and Venturing. Actually that number was revised downward a bit later in 2017. I think the real number is between 2.1-2.2m.

Well all that you say has been tried. Over and over again, I might add. The results has been that those with the energy and ideas have focused on their units instead. This is what happens when you have a group of people that continue to rotate leadership among themselves and people "like them" or that they value. As they all rose through the ranks they left a trail of animosity and ill-will in their wake, so when it came time to backfill and get new blood in no one -- and I mean no one -- wants to take a chance. They had to bring several WB'ers out of retirement to run the district for the las

@blw2 every once in a while this might be fun...but I'd rather be in my Big Agnes.

Yup, we've been doing that for a long while now. We invite troops and packs to camp with us, offer our OA team for crossovers and other events, put on events for packs and even host inter-troop competitions where the patrols compete en masse rather than troop v. troop. This has been very successful on a number of fronts for us. I know your council well if it is the one I am thinking of. Love BDSR. Great camp. I'd flippin' move there in a heartbeat.

I think the Eagle Coach and unit/district leaders did this Scout a disservice approving a project where the most he could do was wield a screwdriver, unless his proposal and plan illustrated how he would plan, develop and lead this project.

Parents and Volunteering: Some don't volunteer because they don't understand the program. Some don't because they want to understand the program but their unit can't/won't explain it to them. Some don't because district and council resources are focused elsewhere other than training and "on boarding" new parents. Some don't because it takes away from their "me" time. Some don't because they are simply too busy running the rest of their family. Some just can't (physical, emotional, psychological reasons). Some just won't. Some do and jump right in

Not sure if you all knew, but Boys' Life has a pretty decent archive going back a long way. You can find a number of the GBB "from the campfire" or "from the hiking trail" columns from him there. Our PLC is frequently pointed in this direction when they need good inspiration. One word of caution: The navigation is a bit weird. Sometimes your search results show up with a link back to your search results...sometimes it doesn't. If can get a bit aggravating if you are in a hurry. Figured I would share this trove if you hadn't already found it.

That's just it though, we have limited free time so we must choose to fix those things where we can maximize our impact. No successful troops in my district will even touch a district/council position. It is just not worth the time and effort. I wish I lived in a different area. I would love to volunteer. But having lived here and experienced this since 2003 there is nothing that is going to change. The platitudes of "it starts with a single step" and "you must be the change you wish to see" are all well and good...and we apply that...to our UNIT. I'd have to be insane to event attem

Some of the best liquid refreshments on the planet are made by these guys. Give them my best next time you correspond.

I can only speak about the WB'ers in my area. They are so high up on their pedestal they can't see us little folks. Surely not all are like this, but in my area they are rabid, nasty and back-slappingly self-aggrandizing.

Good question. The old answer was here.

Wow, so many red flags here. Doesn't sound like this even comes close to meeting requirements given what we know. Only old enough to use a screwdriver? [shakes head] @EagleVolunteer, thanks for helping this kid out. I'd wish his SM and Eagle Coach were a bit more engaged.

But you can't change anything at the district or council level. Why? Old Men's and Women's Club. The WB'ers run everything and if you're not a WB'er then your ideas stink. Or you volunteer, spend hours getting your good ideas put together and supported by the unit only to have some district or council leader poo-poo the idea and literally force you to do it their way. I could go on and on and on. So that's why many of us, myself included, have stopped doing anything for the district. They are like parasites. They will latch on to you and drain you of your energy without any benefit to you

Indeed puzzling. Making me wonder like @Back Pack whether this is the death knell for Venturing. I am have been hearing rumblings from national and council staff, when asked about things related to Venturing, that "That doesn't matter right now." When someone tells me recruiting (aka, making more money for national and boosting membership numbers) "doesn't matter" when related to Venturing -- but they are pushing it like crack to Cub and Boy Scout units -- is very, very telling.

I highly doubt they are teaching non-trek participants about smellables and in-camp safety. They didn't when I have been at PTC. Kids were chasing deer, plugging up mini bear holes with garbage, destroying ant mounds and generally running around untethered. For my money if they are going to double down on the whole family retreat approach, I'd rather they build a seperate place across the road for families. Crews go to Philmont because it is the pinnacle of their high adventure dreams. The last thing they want is to see a bunch of families around the dining hall or cantine. Anyone wh

Right. Cookies, being sold in a questionable location. You can simplify it and say "it's about cookies", but it is about more than that. It is about integrity and safety. I am sure you wouldn't advocate she sell cookies in any other area that might have questionable activities going on, so it really isn't just about cookies now, is it?

In my book the Scout should be doing everything. Your role is one of providing expert opinion for your role (expert woodworking/carpentry). It is up to the Scout to: Develop the proposal and get it approved. Develop the project plan and execute it accordingly. This includes planning and managing all phases of the project plan, so the majority of your interaction should be with the Scout, not the parents. Get his volunteers together and should be the ones doing 90% of the work. The ONLY times an adult should be stepping in is when 1) a health or safety issue arises, 2) t

In our unit the trailer is registered to the church but under the troop's name, using the church's address and the COR's name as the contact. It is listed as a multi-use trailer and has several named users (all ASMs and troop committee people). Insurance is done the same way. When BSA says units cannot own property I think they mean land, although any assets the unit buys (tents, stoves, etc.) are CO property, so maybe they mean property in that sense too. Given that you have not had an audit in 11 years, it makes me wonder what else might be going on behind the scenes. It is suspicious t

I had a similar issue. My YPT is good through 2018 so I am not going to waste time taking something that BSA hasn't figured out which one for us to take yet. When they get serious, so will I. In the meantime I have my old, valid YPT.