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HelpfulTracks

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Everything posted by HelpfulTracks

  1. HelpfulTracks
    This one paragraph, I believe, is a large part of the problem in many Scouters minds, and why you see so many negative reactions from them. badgering two ASMs because - every minute an ASM/SM spends with you is is a minute he does not spend with the youth. Not to mention badgering gets old.....and why are you asking rather than your son? I really wanted to know if there would be opportunities for my son - you wanted to know, not your son wants to know. What is important to the ASM/SM is what your son wants out of Scouting not what mom or dad think their son wants/needs to get out of
  2. HelpfulTracks
    To those parents I would reply: The amount of protection and oversight a child needs is directly and inversely proportional to the development of maturity. (Notice I did not say age). As both child and parents grow, there is no longer the need to change the child's diapers, bath them, spoon feed them or rock them to sleep. Both the child and the parent have matured beyond that. At some point we mature past picking out their cloths, holding their hand when they cross the street and cutting their food up for them. by the time youth are Boy Scout age, they are becoming very independent
  3. HelpfulTracks
    LOL!! Not the one I had in mind, but it will do.
  4. HelpfulTracks
    For some reason Dark Suckers come to mind.
  5. HelpfulTracks
    Awesome video!
  6. HelpfulTracks
    I recently saw Terry Fossum speak. He is an Eagle Scout, successful business man and winner of the realty survival show Kicking and Screaming. He thanked every Scouter in the room for what we do, because he said it was Scouting that saved his life. He and his brother grew up in a gang riddled neighborhood, they lost their father at a young age and were even told they would not survive living in that neighborhood long enough to grow up. He credited Scouting for teaching him, the adults for leading, caring about and protecting him. Both went on the earn their Eagle. Both have been very succ
  7. HelpfulTracks
    I am torn about using Eagle Scout as a recruiting tool in any regard. It is akin to a middle school coach recruiting athletes with the promise of a college scholarship. It is just not going to happen for everyone. And worse, it discounts the value of the journey.....Eagle or BUST. Eagle Scout is not one of the AIMs of Scouting, and it is only part of one of the methods. Eagle Scout is an worth while and honorable goal and any individual earning it should be proud of that accomplishment. But it is just that, an individual goal. It is not the goal of the program. Character, citizenship and
  8. HelpfulTracks
    Amen, brother. I have said it here before as well as in the non-virtual world. Scouting would be so much better if we could get the adults out of it. I say that with a bit of tongue-in-cheek because adults are needed (adult association, safety, ensure BSA policy and standards etc.), but the vast majority of the adult participation I see regularly has nothing to do with why adults need to be in the program to begin with. Mostly, I see adults doing things counter to being youth-led and counter to the Oath and Law to one degree or another.
  9. HelpfulTracks
    So, I have some frustrations with old Scouters who complain about new parents. So, I have some frustrations with new parents who complain about old Scouters. Mostly, I have a lot of frustration with adults arguing over which of the adults is going to run (ruin) the program. The entire premise of the thread is based on what the adults are doing. Bottom line......be youth-led, adults are there to support, guide mentor the youth, not lead, run, manage the troop. Secondly, if everyone follows the Oath and Law in everything they do, then most problems will take care of themselves.
  10. HelpfulTracks
    From the linked article: "In fact, Sydney will soon sit in front of a board of review and ask for approval to move up the second rank of Boy Scouts, to Tenderfoot. Of course, that’ll be unofficial, too." https://www.outsideonline.com/2196356/why-girl-wants-become-boy-scout I am not sure if those records are being submitted to the Council, but the CO is clearly playing along with concept.
  11. HelpfulTracks
    I believe she is already old to achieve Eagle, unless National decides to count previous work or waive requirements. If she isn't already too old, she will be within a matter of days. I have seen articles with her over the last couple of years. I remember seeing articles that she had turned 16 in late Spring or early Summer. The only article I can find, at the moment doing a quick search, was published 6/28/17 and stated she was 16 years old at the time. If she started today, should could not achieve Tenderfoot before January 16th, She could not reach First Class before February 15th
  12. HelpfulTracks
    I heard that was at least one of the recommendations sent up to national. Respectively, female units in place by early 2019, maybe even late 2018, to be prepared for AOL Crossover. Not sure of the outcome yet.
  13. HelpfulTracks
    Please, do expound.
  14. HelpfulTracks
    Three camps that I am aware of do not provide anything, nor do they allow running of cords for safety reasons. It was the same for Jamboree. Adults that require CPAPs are on their own to manage their needs. Frankly, I would not be in favor of camps redirecting funds away from programming for youth to these type accommodations.
  15. HelpfulTracks
    Interesting. My 15 year old SPL son prefers to, and has on several occasions, handle these type issues himself. In fact he sees it as his obligation. On multiple occasions he has respectfully addressed adult interference in the Troop. He is pretty good at redirecting rather than just saying no to them. Usually he can come up with a solution on his own, but will sometimes seek advice. I can see him embracing the parents desire to go hiking by recommending they take their younger Scouts on several patrol hikes so that they will be prepared for the more challenging AT hike
  16. HelpfulTracks
    I am not sure if this is an update or somehow I have managed to avoid it, but this morning there is a new mobile interface. I don’t care for it at all. It was much easier to navigate the forums via the desktop interface. I looked for “full site” link, but couldn’t find it. If it it exist can someone point me toward it (I’m not able to access a computer atm). If it does not exist, can you please add it. Thanks!
  17. HelpfulTracks
    You can search by Council name. Oddly enough partial name search works better than full name in many cases.
  18. HelpfulTracks
    Ummm, perhaps I am mistaken but I always considered civil as in civil disobedience to reference to citizens rather than civility. Like civil air patrol or civil air defense.
  19. HelpfulTracks
    I agree.
  20. HelpfulTracks
    Actually my thought was right the opposite. Given what we know of BP, I was thinking about how he would apply his values in today’s Scouting world.
  21. HelpfulTracks
    I was told the same by both professionals and long time volunteers. The specific reason it came up was Scouts/Scouters wearing old caps, red berets and red top socks & garter socks.
  22. HelpfulTracks
    It might be that some of that detail was intentionally glossed over. In the early days, particularly in England (and I imagine the US too) troops and patrols were popping up organically. So who gets credit for being first? Does the Troop that sprang up on its own, emulating English Troops, get credit for being the first or the first one after BSA incorporated? Same for the first SM and Boy Scout. Not to mention several organizations were merging to become BSA, so does the first (if it was even known) Son's of Daniel Boone or first Woodcraft Indians get the honor of being the first?
  23. HelpfulTracks
    Given all the issues discussed about Scouting that seem to ruffle feathers of both Scouters and non-Scouters, I wonder which would be the ones that would concern B-P the most. I would not call myself a B-P historian, but I have read a decent amount by and about him, and in my opinion topics that seem to get the most attention wouldn’t be at the top of his list of concerns. My guess is less emphasis on outdoor programs, poor use of patrol method, interference of youth-led philosophy and decline in membership, among other things, would be a bigger concern to B-P than gay Scouts/Scouter
  24. HelpfulTracks
    Two requirements do lend themselves to covering MLK and the civil rights movement , one about monuments and one about speeches. In the end it gives the Scout an option of what to focus on. If I dove in and gave it some thought, there might be other requirements that could cover civil disobedience. I can’t of the top of my head think of any opportunities in CitC or CitW, but there may be.
  25. HelpfulTracks
    It may not be a requirement but we can and should teach it. One of the very few reasons I like MB classes is the ability to cover material not otherwise covered. We cannot add t the requirements, but adding to the teaching is not verboten.......yet.
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