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HelpfulTracks

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Everything posted by HelpfulTracks

  1. I don't see how it is double speak. it's perfectly clear. A male Venturer is not eligible either. Neither are Cub Scouts, Explorers or STEM. And women are most certainly allowed, IF they are Boy Scout Leaders.
  2. Demonstrate Scout spirit by living the Scout Oath and Law is requirement for advancement. Rank is not a participation trophy, it requires work and meeting standards. I have had parents challenge me on that, but once I sit down and talk with them and their son, they back me. The Scout almost always improves. Only one parent has failed to get on board, unfortunately I rarely see that Scout anymore. Another option, since the parents are "rolling in," I assume they are not volunteers. Hand them an application, tell them what leaders are required to do (particularly the parts about living b
  3. Miss Ireland's story is a curious one that I have had reservations about since I first heard it sometime back. First, her focus seems to have changed over time. In earlier articles I read, her focus was primarily, if not entirely, focused on her desire to be an Eagle Scout. That as a goal for any Scout is admirable, but when I hear that as the primary or only reason to join, then I have to wonder how much the Scout really wants to be a Scout versus pad a resume. As her father seems to be quoted in one article (the article is poorly written so its difficult to be sure), that leaders come fr
  4. Don't think anyone scared her off. By the looks of it she posted and never came back. Her last activity is 4 minutes after she posted. Maybe her issue was resolved, or she just needed to vent.
  5. Over the last 2-3 years we have been moving our troop from almost completely adult-led to Scout-led. It has not always been easy and there have been ups and downs. This morning we held our annual planning meeting for 2018. In past planning we have had a fair amount of adult interaction, it has not always gone so well and taken far too long. Some of the adults were a little concerned because we (the adults) had done no real prep for this meeting unlike in the past. Some of the Scouts were a little anxious that they had to do it all. When we arrived the PLC, armed with information th
  6. No female, or male, Venturer or Venturing Advisor, can be elected or nominated to The Order of the Arrow. If a female Venturing Advisor, is also a member of a Troop (registered adult leader) then they may be nominated by their Troop. The same is true or males and youth, they must be registered with a Troop or Varsity unit and elections and nominations may only come from those units.
  7. I was merely pointing out that there are about 60K Scouts in Canada. There are about 5-6 Councils in the U.S. with larger scout populations, of which 2 are in Utah. In that light I didn't think that Scouts Canada would be a good barometer for how the LDS Church might react to co-ed scouting. My mistake. However, I have received that information from several members of your Church. Comments on several sites, including LDS.org seem to validate that in at least some circumstances YW are in Venturing. Which brings me back to my original question of how you think the LDS Church
  8. DuctTape, I would agree that fundamentals of pioneering must be first and prominent in any pioneering training. However, I would argue the FUN is absolutely one of the real purpose for pioneering and huge reason Scouts keep scouting. Character building, teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving and building are also important and real purpose for pioneering. Something larger project make easier. A completely useless project that my troops scouts came up with one a rafting trip last year is still the "stuff of troop legend" and regularly talked about. After a day of rafting the a
  9. Thank you all for you feedback. Pioneering has always been something, in my opinion, that scouts loved. Anything we can do to make it more accessible is indeed "golden." Thank you John-in-KC, I will ping RichardB
  10. I understand there are risk management issues involved with many of the rules surrounding pioneering, but in my youth pioneering was one of biggest draws for scouts and we were able to build some fantastic permanent and semi-permanent structures; towers, gateways, rope bridges etc. that we actually used. I would love to see scouts being able to do pioneering the way we used to do it in my youth. I am going with the assumption that the rules for pioneering will not be loosened, so I am looking for the next best solution. With approval from the council risk management committee you can s
  11. Our council is a registered ECSI Education Center, and has trained and qualified instructor(s) in council as well. My son and I took WFA last Spring from the council and cost $35/scout(er), which included WFA and CPR/AED. The cost was basically what the book cost to purchase at full retail (you can find it cheaper), so it was extremely good value. More so when you consider that organizations around us are charging $200 or more. BSA is requiring WFA certified individuals for high adventure and some back county outings now, so if your troop is participating in those as a troop you will n
  12. The Latin Scot - I interested in the Scouts Canada's coed policy and how the LDS Church viewed it as well. Of course Utah has a single council, maybe two, with more members than Scouts Canada has enrolled. So I am not sure if it even enters the LDS thought process. My understanding is that before LDS dropped the Venturing program, they did have girls in venturing in single gender crews, just no coed crews. What are your thoughts on the actions the LDS Church would take if BSA were to bring girls into to Scouting through parallel single gender units, or to allow CO's to choose paral
  13. A day hike (or any non-overnighter) by a patrol does not require an adult at all if the SM approves.
  14. The show was awesome. We had 2:32 of totality. Crystal clear skies. Pictures do not do it justice. Things went much smoother than expected and we had about 750 in attendance. Scouts from as far away as NJ and Michigan were on hand. My son and I worked the event and I was worried that we would not make it to the Pinnacle in time to join the rest of our family. But everyone headed up from the events early so there was no problem. Looking at a black moon over the sun was kind of surreal, the 360 sunset was amazing. The light just prior to and after the eclipse was kind of strange, and hard to exp
  15. Just enough to get Eagle? If he met the requirements and passed BoR, an Eagle is an Eagle, 21 merit badges or 121. I know a number of Eagles that have no palms, but did plenty of Scouting, myself included. Our last 6 Eagles all made it right before their 18th birthday. They had maybe 200 MB's between them and no palms (except for the last 2 that fell under the new rule). Earlier this year one finished is second term as SPL just before getting Eagle (no palms as he was under the old rule). The last two Eagles attended Jamboree just a few weeks before their 18th birthday, and one of them
  16. I was an SM for a Jambo troop. I and my scouts had a great time. When asked, all 36 said they would do it again. Where there issues? Yes. Theft, yes. Any theft at a scouting event is disappointing, (yes, that is Pollyanna). So clearly there was too much. But I would say that 1/3 -1/2 of the "theft" turned out to be misplaced. I cannot tell you how often I heard, "Yes sir, I found it under my cot (and I suspect a large pile of dirty cloths). The AT&T stations made for hassles, as scouts stole the charging cables. Occasionally some scout would put his phone on a charger and leave it
  17. ^^^^^^^^^^^ This! I completely agree. The argument that making scouting co-ed because the scouts need to be exposed to co-ed environements is always one I have a problem with. Because..... Our youth (at least my son and most of the scouts I deal with) are in more co-ed activities than single gender. The Scout Oath and Law, if it is being taught and lived by, would preclude this behavior at all times. I hear the argument that scouting is the best (or only) place can get X or Y. My question is always then why not change other organizations to be like scouting, rather than change scouting
  18. That is awesome! I remember reading/hearing about an Eagle project that did something similar with pets. Bringing together scouts working on Pet care MB, and I believe it was cancer patients.
  19. True, particularly for the Scribe, who should be helping maintain advancement records, and Librarian who should be maintaining the requirements via the library. While I agree, I would argue that should be done through the CC to the SM, who is responsible for the program.
  20. First, is his management style having a negative impact on the youth in the troop? If so, you need to address it. But if the youth are having a good scouting experience (boy led, advancing, camping etc.) then don't upset the apple cart because he has a style of management that may be unorthodox. If you think the troop is suffering, then....... The SM is responsible for managing the ASM's. However, you as CC, the SM reports to you. If the troop is suffering you are responsible for making a change. That change may mean sitting down and talking with the SM about what the troop needs
  21. YPT was not a requirement for Boy Scouts for Jamboree in 2017 by National. Nor is it a National requirement for NYLT. I have not seen any literature that any High Adventure base requires it for Boy Scouts either, but it may exist. All of the above could have been required by specific councils I would imagine. Seems odd that youth would be required to take YPT for any reason. I do think it is a good idea that they understand it however, both for the scouts and the adults protection.
  22. Hmmm. SM sounds like he is saying my time is important, yours isn't. Why would a scout be calling an advancement chair? I see no reason for that. As for how we do things. Call - have someone else on the line, if you leave a message I'll call back as soon as I can, with someone else on the line with me Text - group text only - no one on one Email - cc someone else.
  23. Had a great time with my son at Jamboree. Just had our OA lodge 75th Anniversary Celebration My son was elected Lodge Vice Chief. Headed out tomorrow with my family for the councils eclipse event at local scout camp.
  24. I have been as a youth participant and as a Scoutmaster for a troop with my son. Now I hope to go to both World in 2019 and National in 2021 as staff. My son and daughter both want to go as part of a Crew to World, and my daughter wants to go to the next National. My son will be in college by then, but has not ruled it out. My son had a great time this year and my daughter is envious. I love Jamboree, it is crowded but it is also an awesome experience.
  25. blw2 - may I make a suggestion? That is if you still want to give scouting a try. Based what you have said, you son has friends in the troop, possibly his patrol. Have a patrol day outing, away from the troop. Let the boys decide what it will be, a backyard cookout, bike riding, swimming, whatever......if they plan it, or make it up as they go, they will likely have fun, and if you son is having fun, I bet you will too. Maybe mix in a few scouts from another patrol, particularly if you son's friends are in those patrols. Are you are a registered scouter, or are friends with one in
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