swilliams

This is one of the "lightbulb" moments that come from this forum that make it so helpful. At our Court of Honor last night, the plea went out again to the new parents to step up and help. This is probably the third or fourth time it has been said. That simple statement above will help redefine how we ask for help and what we're asking for help with.

I'll come back and read the rest of the thread later, but wanted to comment quickly on this video. For the first half of the video, we see the boys doing the action (kayaking, biking, rock climbing, ziplining), and the girls standing on the beach at sunset, eating marshmallows, and walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. It gets slightly better later on, but if the message with the name change is about meeting the needs of all youth, they need to start being more careful about their visual messaging. This female would greatly prefer the kayaking and ATVs to a walk across a bridge in the city.

Add to that burnout the difficulty of finding adults who are still involved who don't treat the scouting like it's their absolute last priority. My younger son is done. He indicated he wasn't really interested in scouts about 18 months ago, but seeing what his brother has gone through in that same time period (and experiencing some of it himself) he doesn't feel like any fun or value he's still getting out of it are worth the aggravation. Key examples: merit badge counselors who take weeks to respond, then can't find time to meet the scout once they finally answer, scoutmasters and assi

Didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so you get an upvote instead.

Better/finished picture of the rain garden and bocce court behind it.

Interesting. Filling out the application today and having it signed tomorrow anyway, but very good to know. For those who were following son's project woes in the other thread... here are a couple photos. He had some problems with drainage of the court after the beneficiary changed the location, and there was a 3-4' diameter mud puddle. (The first location would have had the drainage trenches leading directly to a ditch.) So he got to fundraise a little more and add a rain garden to the project. Behind the rain garden is the other scout project (gaga pit) that was referenced before.

If a scout is finished with all requirements and is filling out the Eagle Rank Application, but finds out that his Committee Chair is out of the country, and the scout will turn 18 within days of the CC's expected to return to the US, is there anyone else who can sign the application in the CC's absence? Does the scout need to wait for the CC? What happens if there are flight delays, or something else unforeseen happens?

I filled out my application and turned it in to Council April 12th. Heard nothing back, so I called and left a message asking about my status on May 3rd. Got an email on May 7th saying I needed to turn in another adult application, along with the consent form, as this is a separate position. That seems nonsensical and redundant, but sadly used to this with scouts. I filled out another application and sent it to our committee chair to sign (having received no instructions to the contrary), then she forwarded it to Council. We (CC and I) then got a passive-aggressive email back saying

On the name change... because removing the word 'shooting' makes it much safer. (Yes, that's sarcasm.) 'Range and Target Activities' sounds much less troublesome, if you're the type to be troubled by shooting, but if that's what they were after I think it's a mistake. It's not only okay to let kids know something is dangerous, but going into it with that in mind helps reinforce the seriousness of handling not only firearms, but any instrument that sends a deadly object flying at great speeds.

For anyone who uses Troopmaster: when viewing a scout's advancement, and you click on "Palms", the participation requirement shows up with a notation about # and the year 2024, and it lists 90 days participation. Does this mean the requirement to wait 90 days after earning Eagle before being awarded Palms is back in place? Or is this just Troopmaster weirdness? This is my son's record. He has 30 completed MBs (one not entered yet, so 29 "officially"), so with instapalms he would have had at least a bronze.

Combined with the requirement now that all adults who attend scout events have to be registered... yeah that's great!! Our Troop wants and needs parents to be involved but can't afford it, and if you ask for them to volunteer then turn around and tell them they have to pay for it, that's not going to go over well. At all. We're in a position with the Crew already where only ONE of the five consistently involved adults has a kid in the program, and that kid graduates this year. I suspect the decision will be made to fold the crew.

My boys like the old-ish uniforms. Not the old canvas pants and cotton shirts, and not the stuff they started offering when the branding switched - where the shirt just says 'BSA'. The shirt is some sort of synthetic or synthetic blend, as are the pants, but there isn't any lycra or spandex in them. Two gripes are that the pants are ill-fitting (but that has always been the case, regardless of version) and they tear/wear a little too easily. When everything changed the last time, I scooped up two shirts and a pair of pants. I did end up having to buy a second pair of pants off eBay.

Take baby steps wherever you can. I'm not Scoutmaster, nor even an Assistant Scoutmaster. Our SM, like yours, expects the SPL to lead the entire Troop, and the scout who was doing so just quit last Tuesday. It's too much to expect one scout to rein in 30-35 younger ones. Very, very few of our older scouts will come to the weekly meetings anymore because it's "babysitting" (with all scouts in one big, unruly group). So here's an example of a baby step. I create and run an orienteering event every year. I didn't even ask permission, I just did it and invited whomever wanted to come.

Isn't Raccoon Ridge the best spot? When it's just my daughter and I we stealth camp in a little grassy spot just south of where the ridge opens up to the views. I use AllTrails, plus I have paper maps of the AT from Swatara Gap in PA all the way through the Berkshires. That link is very cool, though. Going to take a closer look at it after dinner.

Thank you! That's sort of why I was asking. Our older scouts want to do an AT backpacking trip in two weeks. Delaware Water Gap to at least Camp NoBeBoSco but more likely to Crater Lake. 3.6 miles Friday evening to the Backpacker campsite. 9.1 the second day. 2.0 Sunday morning. Worried that might be too much for our Webelos who are crossing over tonight and have never backpacked. Younger son suggested making it "high adventure" and limiting it to scouts 14 and older. I'm a little surprised younger son wants to go. My boys went to Philmont last summer. The scouts narrowly vote