HashTagScouts

Always a problem when you have your program tied to an outside third party... The videos are still there, not nicely grouped under a Scouting specific page. Here's a link for the internet safety pledge. http://archive.ikeepsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Internet-Safety-Pledge-II.pdf

It is part of the induction guidelines for Brotherhood to write a letter declaring one's desire to move to the Brotherhood level. We conduct "interviews" with the Brotherhood candidates during the weekend to fill that need.

How a Lodge handles Brotherhood induction differs. For ours, attendance on Friday night is generally required, but if you have been active member since your Ordeal, they may be able to work with you ahead of time. As Qwazse said, your Chief/Adviser is typically who you should contact to look for special handling. I wish you luck on securing your bars! WWW

You ever try running on a beach? Two feet of sand in a gaga pit would be a hazard on ankle sprains in my book.

Only very few patches should go above the BSA name. Directly above it should be any translator strips, above that name plates, and then above that Jambo patches are about the only thing that should be worn. Some units, including ours, that are chartered by the American Legion will wear a Legion patch. I have seen some councils adopt the practice of putting the NYLT patch there, though that is technically not correct. As with anything, I wouldn't worry extensively about "the uniform police"- I tend to say looking neat and tidy is the most important thing when it comes to uniform.

Come to Venturing. They've redesigned the switchbacks for the 3rd time in 5 years, and they are still awful. If they would design them the same as the fabric/style as the green ones, just in gray, we'd be golden. I have just got to the point that I don't want our Venturers wearing the "official", I tell them to go to any store and find gray shorts and/or cargo pants.

For the purposes of the Eagle application, and being that I am not sure if Scoutbook will allow 'ASM', then you can call them JASM. Like Qwazse, I would encourage having the youth in positions like QM, SPL, Scribe, etc.

While most do, it is not required for a Lodge to have Chapters. Most that have them set it up as each District has a Chaper, but I have seen some that have a Chapter for every two Districts, or divide it entirely unique from the District division.

I would suggest each troop have an ASPL for TG. If you have half of your TG as first-timers, the ASPL may need to step in and devote additional time with those patrols/mentoring the TG. It would be spreading them very thin if they had to oversee two troops. My $.02.

We generally work with the family to expect to have CoH no less than 6 weeks from the EBOR. That also gives time to get responses to congratulatory letters from dignitaries.

Our legacy council used to the say the same, but in reality only the completed Eagle application went to National- the project binder stayed at the council office until the credentials came back from National, and then the binder with credentials went to the unit to present to the Eagle. Your council is likely doing similar, but i would reach out to your district advancement coordinator to confirm.

I have never experienced any Pack that didn't award AOL as a group, nor keep doing pack activities after the AOL was complete (maybe for a couple of weeks, until the Blue & Gold). My bigger point is we are hitting towards mid-August, and those kids have now missed out on a summer camp opportunity, and likely a whole lot more that a troop could offer.

I was thinking the same thing- why has the troop not asked any questions??? Technically, once those kids earned AOL, they were no longer Cub scouts, and if they haven't completed an app for a troop, then they are not even actually "in scouts" at the moment. Yikes! @Jburts911 "Crossover" or "bridging" is a celebration of recognition, it is not a formality of when a kid moves from one program to another. If the kids in your Den have met the age requirements to be Tigers, then they are Tigers and you should go ahead and administer the Tiger program as you are able.

GSUSA is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, they are not a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

What give our Eagle candidates envelopes that have the SM's address as the return and addressee for the Scout to give to the folks they are getting the recommendation from.

Just keep in mind there are more of us out here who did not earn Eagle than there are that did. Eagle is a great accomplishment, but it should not be used to define who is "a good Scout". Enjoy what time you do have for Scouting- make memories for a lifetime, participate when you can, and just focus on the next step. If you only have so much time to give to your Scouting per week/month/year, put a little planning- if the troop is camping in August, but you cannot make it, how about September? And if you can make that trip, grab a friend who is already 1st Class and ask them to work on compa

We used to require the Scout to have a face-to-face meeting with the District Advancement Chair to discuss their project before he signed on it, but now it is handled by email. My son was under the previous requirement, and I liked it. It's a valuable life skill we should want youth to develop, how to present and I feel it is good prep for their EBOR. We do still require the letters be written by the references, and I would not want that to go away- both for the same reason as above about having to talk to others, but also because it gives the Board members an idea about the Scout and

Hang in there. My son is working in SE MA and dealing with. He's assigned to a cabin with no electricity, so he and most of his mates are sleeping in their hammocks under the stars.

If I were your son, I'd reply "Hopefully when you all send care packages for Johnny, there's enough for him to share with me, as I'll be there as well" .

A BoR is not a re-test. The committee's job is to evaluate and provide feedback to the SM if the youth are coming in prepared in a less than fully competent manner. The question mark is then really about who has signed off on the kid, and why. That is really the purpose of the BoR- to evaluate how the program is going, not the kid themself. Your issue with that particular youth seems more of a conversation for your next committee meeting and ask the SM why the kids don't know the Law. A BoR shouldn't be given until all the requirements are signed to begin with, so it should be ultra-r

Correct, this is not a training that the district/council should be conducting. Years ago when I was a Scout, we had Junior Leader Training that the district did coordinate, but that was before the days of NYLT. Troops are supposed to provide the basic instruction, and then NYLT is supposed to be the "advanced training". I don't disagree with that, and think NYLT is an excellent idea for all to take.

If the youth had drugs at a Scout camp, the Camp Director wouldn't even give the unit the option of "a second chance", he would need to go immediately. I am a believer that behavior outside of scouting, when it involves acting directly against the values of the Oath and Law, are significant. Truly, the actions of this youth were/are being noticed by the other scouts, and that is directly affecting the unit morale and cannot be ignored. I'm a bit lost on why the option was for the parent to come in the morning- I would have had him sent home ASAP.

Probably one of the oddest things a SM could say- frankly, a kid giving their time to spend time working with 1,000+ scouts, some who may be from their own troop, should be celebrated. The pay for any camp staff is not great, so it is really selfless for a kid to want to do it. Kudos to your son, and from one parent of a staff kid to another, give him kudos for spending a summer at camp versus plunked in front of a TV or computer!

I've seen some troops give their kids a printout of the MB schedule they had determined for themselves and a copy of the general summer camp rules (presumably given to them at the last troop meeting before the camp week). I'd be shocked if 75% of those kids actually remembered to bring it with them ( and I'd drop that percentage for the kids vs parents that packed it), and I'd bet by day 2 if 1/3 still had it or knew where it was. Having a general printout posted to a bulletin board is by the far the best option. One troop I saw brought an easel with a white board they kept under their rain

The CC cannot remove a CM, nor a SM. Only the COR/IH can remove someone.