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HelpfulTracks

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Everything posted by HelpfulTracks

  1. So my question is was your SE not trained or was he just poorly trained?
  2. HelpfulTracks

    NOAC 2020

    Indeed. Sad, but not unexpected.
  3. This one of those post that makes me shake my head in bewilderment. 1. How does it equate to endorsement because National took a photo of youth wearing neckerchiefs using friendship knots? 2. I’ve know Crews that used them well before world Jambo, as was suggested (I think with tongue firmly in cheek). In fact, I my NSJ necker is laid together with world contingent necker and tied in friendship knot (it also has a unique slide in one side that was gifted to me). 3. Some youth prefer knots, some prefer slides, let them choose. (Although I can see a unit asking them to choose one or t
  4. I’m going to disagree with Fred and Eagle 94. It depends on the Scout and the adult leaders. My project, way back in the day, was not high tech, but had a lot of very specialized craftsmen. I did a lot of planning, site drawings and sat down with the craftsman multiple times to go over options. When the project began my Scoutmaster made sure they knew that I needed to be the leader. I directed and lead them. When we hit a snag, they would come to me and we discussed options, but I made the decisions. My son did a digital video with high end video, audio and editing equipmen
  5. So with the Coronavirus/Covid-19 changing our country and the world on a daily and hourly basis, I expect we will see a great deal of permanent cultural changes in most societies in the near future. Among them I expect to see the handshake becoming near taboo, including the Scout handshake, and thereby the OA handshake. The left handed handshake and clasp are such an identifiable part of Scouting worldwide that it is hard to imagine it going away, but unfortunately I think it will. What method of greeting and respect, that would be unique to Scouting, could we adopt to take
  6. As for dates ask the council for a Person Listing for your Scout. It will list dates for everything you need on an application.
  7. Depends on the Scout, their interest and what they have already accomplished, but some that come to mind Hornaday National Medal for Outdoor Achievement (which requires 3 Outdoor awards + other requirements) Both of those are rare awards and can be earned by youth until age 21
  8. If you still have concerns after reading these fine replies, just pull the Adviser aside and let him know. We are the Brotherhood of Cheerful Service not the Brotherhood of Fantastic Voices. I am infinitely more concerned about attitude, work ethic and character than the ability to carry a tune or remember every word. Of course I can’t carry a tune in a bucket and my memory is horrible and somehow I made it through Brotherhood and was honored with Vigil. So don’t sweat this and don’t let the youth sweat it either.
  9. I continue to hold that if you believe Scouting is emasculating our youth, it’s your own fault and you are doing it wrong. The opportunities for a great Scouting outdoors experience are there if Scouts want to take them. A friend of mine just took his Crew on a 4day/3 night 30 plus mile AT trek over the long weekend. Both of my kids are likely to earn the OAHA Triple Crown and have more than enough camping for the silver National Outdoor Award and enough high adventure for National High Adventure Award gold x 2. But they work their tails off to make it happen.
  10. This is actually a selling point for my family. I have two teen scouts, who had 10 weeks of Summer break (71 nights x 2). They had 68 scheduled nights camping between WSJ, high adventure, unit outings, NYLT, summer camp and staff. They were home all of 2 weeks at the same time. That’s more nights than an average Summer but not by much. They already have over 200 nights Scout camping between them and my youngest has been in Scouting less than 18 months. They already have 38 nights scheduled for next Summer and they aren’t done (pending how much money the raise). Throw in that I
  11. Sure they could. All they need to do is come up with a design, slap the official OA logo on it, copyright/trademark it, make it and sell it. I have no doubt OA National would make a good deal of money and profit. But the OA does not want any patches on the back of the sash and only Anniversary patches have been approved for the front. The OA could make a nice profit on things like this, but have chosen to keep the sash free of such clutter. In addition, the legend patches expose an important part of the induction process to the general public unnecessarily.
  12. Absolutely, there were several overseas contingents at the last 2017 NSJ. In fact, they were in Subcamp Echo or Foxtrot ( can’t remember which) and it was the place to be. When the site for the Jamboree comes out it should have info for you.
  13. I know there are a couple of days left in the Jamboree but I figured I would go ahead and start a thread on how things went. The Good: from everything I am hearing, the programming has been great. Both of my kids are having a great time. They are meeting people from around the world, making friends, trying new foods (that participants brought and at the country tents where they can purchase food). They are trading items and getting a few things. Both have been to events at the Summit before, so they were more focused on meeting people than hitting the activities. But the only complaint I
  14. I know things may have changed over the last 40 years, but Philmont is hardly crowded. Except for Base camp and some activity camps, I don’t remember seeing other crews much. I think we may have seen a couple in passing, and at Baldy and the Tooth. But 98% of the time it was my crew, the mountains, trees and animals. The memories are great and still strong. I loved Philmont.
  15. My son and daughter at there, in Delta 3. My son had the Francesinha and really wants to make it at home. Both are having a great time meeting peoplpe, trying new food and taking it all in.
  16. No myth, I have seen it happen too many times. The kids want to make friends, with rare exceptions. Some find it easier than others. The process is messy, disorganized, loud and sometimes a bit crazy. All things that run counter to our adult need for things to be organized and orderly. That is why we attempt to "assemble" friend groups. But core groups of youth with form into friends groups and eventually patrols. Leaders will emerge. Some youth with struggle to fit in, that is where adults nudge, whisper in the leaders ear, listen to the youth, ask questions and lead them toward making
  17. I have read and heard this and similar questions / conclusions / complaints before. I am bewildered each time. If Patrol method is not working in a troop, then it’s because of the troop. More often than not, Patrol method is failing because it is being impeded by adults. Left to their own devices youth will naturally gravitate towards what we call the Patrol method. Yes, the recent policy changes of requiring 2-21+ registered leaders makes it more difficult, but it does not make it impossible.iu In my time as training chair, the hardest thing I had teaching SM/ASM’s wasn’
  18. 1. BSA, PLC and SM ( in extreme cases) make the rules. So, unless MOM is a new acronym I have missed see 2 below. 2. Present mom with a brand new kite kit, let her figure it out*** 3. Looking at photo, I see 3 separate rugs, so just pull the rug in 2 inches and problem solved. 4. The only real reason I can see for a similar rule is if a stiff rug is sticking out 3-4 inches it can give the appearance of a solid step and cause someone to stumble. Simple solution, see 3 above, but no need to remove it. *** I would never tell a Scout to tell someone to go fly a kite, it
  19. Personally, I love my Crocs, but I’m not a fan of them for camping. They are too soft to offer real protection and tend to get slippery (inside the shoe) when wet. They are more expensive, but my whole family uses Keens. As much as we camp though, it’s been worth the cost. We would have worn out several pairs of Crocs at this point, and I can’t count the number of times they have saved toes from protruding rocks and roots.
  20. Similar here. Church was sold and torn down to make room for larger church.
  21. Okay, I know I am a bit jaded when it comes to the news media. I read news with numerous questions about what the REAL story is far too often. In this case, the article is about a civil law suit, filed 2 years ago, about an accident 5 years ago, being dismissed. That happens dozens or more of times a day in a city (MSA) the size of Buffalo. So what is the news worthiness? Is there any real news here? Was it just an excruciatingly slow news day in Buffalo? Or, is there some other agenda. Of course how one reads an article also lends a bias, but I still don't get the news value here.
  22. Ahhh, the ubiquitous records fire. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard our council or lodge lost their records in a fire. Apparently a whole lot of councils and lodges should have their firem’n chit taken away. As for your search, I have no information. But good luck, I hope you find something. Start with the troop, they may have some history files. You might want to check the local paper archive/history and photo archives. I have heard of some newspapers keeping kill files on articles not printed, as well as all photos taken. Also some churches will have o
  23. Actually, no. The election, it’s requirements and how it’s run belongs to the Lodge, which must follow national guidelines. The unit leaders discretion ends at determining who is eligible, again, based on national guidelines. I have to admit, I’m not following this paragraph. I will say I follow the spirit of what the OA is trying to achieve, which is to select honor Scouts with an emphasis on camping experience. Specifically, national has said you cannot split long term camping, like a 10 night Jamboree, into 3 outings of 5, 3 and 2 nights. But I cannot find anything o
  24. Like @qwazse said. I prefer zippered binders. If you have need things that don’t fit nicely into binders, zipper pencil bags or good old ziplocks (hole punched) are good. I like to keep things organized by unit paperwork in front and Scouts alphabetically behind that. Being really overly organized I tend to use labeled dividers for each subject/scout. I always keep an identical binder for anything I need to turn in, which has come in handy on more than one occasion. Any meds go in a lock box where I and two trusted adults have keys. I will also keep extra cash/prepaid ca
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