HashTagScouts

The implications are big, and real, true direction is what folks are asking for. To say that 4 scouts from a patrol that want to go for a hike in the town park to work on orienteering skills MUST have 2 registered adults that are 21 or over or the activity can't happen, and that is now our standard of what is OK. But, 4 scouts going to Mr. Jonson's house after school to work on Communication MB, where they will be alone with Mr. Johnson, is also OK makes no logical sense.

It is complicated, and by no means a one size fits all. Crews can come and go- all depends on the focus of the group that are in it and finding more that have that same interest set to keep it going. Our crew is mostly 18-19 year olds. They still wanted to be involved in scouting, but didn't have a great deal of interest in being part of the SM group. They still wanted to do rather than watch is how I would phrase it.

Exactly what @ItsBrian said. Many camps actually forbid staff from signing handbooks. They collect lists of the scouts present when activities are done, and give those to the troop at the end of the week. It is up to the troop to "test" the scouts on whether they have mastered that activity.

I think a lot of folks see Venturing as "competition". In reality, it can be that, but it can be a program for your older youth and implemented to run alongside your troop. Older scouts often just do not want to do the same activities they did at 11, 12, 13, etc. Nor do they often want to feel "strapped" to the younger scouts, and restricted to activities that have to involve the younger scouts. There are those things that older scouts get pulled by- jobs, dating, sports- so the time they have to give to scouting is more limited. Venturing can give them that opportunity to have their own

The food bank

Having prospective youth attend meetings and check out the unit, and decide if Scouting is for them, is totally appropriate. One or two meetings would seem sufficient. However, at no time should their parent, at any level of program, drop them off and leave. Frankly, the units are totally putting themselves at risk for that youth. Anything they did at that meeting- vandalizing your meeting space, getting into a fight with another youth, etc.- you are totally on the risk for it. If they had a health issue, and you don't have contact info/consent from the parent, you are at risk for the dec

They may not be overly familiar with what the BSA insurance program is. I would be in touch with your District Executive- they are vested to help get new units chartered, and may be helpful to you in being able to explain the national insurance program, and what the council's insurance program is all about to your church. https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/alerts/insurance/

I'm not overly concerned with the current size of the troop- you note that your 5 are about to cross over, and twelve is a decent size to reinvigorate. And, you also note that the Pack has picked up momentum on your watch. Big kudos to you for your hard work there. Not sure where you are located, but in SE MA, 18-24 kids in a pack and 12-20 kids in a troop is about an average size these days. Some good advice by others here. What I would say is that this quote from your post is your main focus right now: "The 2 scouter families (me & another mom/dad, 3 of us) can not physica

From what I have heard, it was another senior staff member that "made the nomination" for the "award", and it was something like what you reference and not intended as a racist slur. The other "award" using the term Nazi was also significant- there are several members of staff that are Jewish, so you can understand that was pretty charged term to use. Choice of words is significant, and that's where I was going with having a greater conversation with our youth- they are generally innocent, and generally are not out to be malicious, but if those who are young adults (and in the case of

Perhaps- unfortunately, each year at the camp my son has staffed, there are staff who get dismissed for various reasons, inappropriate language, vaping seem to be the chief reasons. And from discussions with other scouters, seems to be not just isolated to a couple camps based on their observations. I'd love to be able to say the Oath and Law are universally being followed by all who wear a uniform, but I would also favor any other avenue that reinforces it.

I'm still not clear, having watched this thread grow over the past several days, that the scout referenced in the OP actually has asked the SM why he wasn't eligible to be on the ballot. I'm more focused on that part than trying to tell that SM, or any SM, how to handle themselves- if the scout has questions, it's their job to ask the SM, not the parent or us in the peanut gallery.

I often reflect on what Mike Row had to say when asked about the decision to admit girls- he highlighted the more pressing issue that the BSA, and all of those in it, should be focused on - is the BSA even relevant? If you never read this, or haven't re-read it since last May, give it a look: http://mikerowe.com/2018/05/otw-death-of-the-boy-scouts/ "If I were calling the shots, I’d take a stand against the safe space movement and everything it embodies. And I’d do it in the most public way possible. But of course, that might also require a level of risk completely inconsistent with curren

My council. I know those mentioned by name in this article. Exceptionally sad day for many of us. My son is camp staff at a camp outside of Mayflower, and they had sensitivity training as part of their staff week activities. He also is staff for NYLT outside of Mayflower, and they too have sensitivity training as part of their staff orientation. Why not work with some experts in the field and create age appropriate trainings to be used with all scouts? Similar fashion to how we implement cyber chip?

Welcome @octo. You will find that much of your involvement with OA will be of a "solo" nature. That doesn't mean you won't find other members of your troop participating, but it would be a rarity that if you chose to be part of your lodge ceremonies team you would be with members of your troop, or if you ran for an officer position that you would have other members of your troop also on the same officer group. Look at the OA as the brotherhood of scouts, and consider it an opportunity to be around scouts from other units/backgrounds/interests to learn and form new bonds beyond those you hav

The requirements for cooking nowadays specifically point to "a campout from requirement # X". You have to be sure on reading the related requirement on what it defines a s a campout.

For all the infinite good that can be attributed to the BSA, here is where I roll my eyes. In all instances, in any material being published- SAY EXPLICILTY WHAT YOU MEAN, and then those of us out here trying to make this work won't be confused If in the first part you spelled out "21 years of age or over", spell that out every time. I believe what that second part is supposed to say is: Adult Supervision Q: The Barriers to Abuse say that there must be two registered adults 21 years of age or over present for all Scouting activities and meetings. Does that include merit badge c

i am getting a good chuckle from this. As a MBC, that is the usual response. Previously, the requirements were five 10 mile hikes and one 20 mile hike (and no requirement of having to do them in set order). I've probably had 5-6 scouts over the years that got through the 10 milers, and then after talking to other scouts about how much more strenuous the 20 miler is, give up and decide to go work on swimming MB. I like the more graduated approach under the current requirements myself.

The mention of "buddy" has never explicitly stated that the "buddy" must be another scout, let alone a scout also working on the MB. It is/was for 2 deep reasons that you couldn't have a MBC meeting one-on-one with a youth. "Buddy" could have been a parent, sibling, or another youth. Straight from the BSA's website, current language states: "Scout Buddy System. You must have another person with you at each meeting with the merit badge counselor. This person can be your parent or legal guardian, or another registered adult."

The camp my son attended and worked at had a lot of problems with some MBs, and E Sci specifically. I spent a bit of time at the nature area my first two years attending summer camp as an adult leader (mostly as it was the closest program area to the campsite, and we had a # of kids going through there working on MBs). They had two desktop computers to be used by like 30 kids working on E Sci, on top of those working on Space Exploration and any other MB in camp that needed the internet to look things up. Considering that kids today are not going to handwrite a report unless their life depe

A lot can be explained by troop programming. If most troops put their first year summer campers in a "flight to First Class" program, along with swimming MB, those scouts get all their aquatic requirements for their ranks knocked out, and an Eagle MB to boot. E Sci is probably the suggestion most troops make to their 2nd/3rd year summer campers. As there are not a huge number of scouts who have earned Sustainability in the few years it has been a round, then you would have to assume that means there are few scout summer camp staffers that have it, and can not easily then teach it. Plus

Being that it is one Wednesday (which hopefully is not your meeting day?), I'd do the cost/benefit analysis of whether you would make more money for the unit if you kept the profits from the events than the $1,000 annual payment. I'm not saying that means you commit to it, but I would use that as part of my rationale to the CO on why the arrangement doesn't make the most fiscal sense. By the same token, if the expected profits are less than a $1,000, the math then works to your favor on why not to do it. if @Jameson76 's math is close to the real picture, you can find fundraisers that will

Definitely could be a better design. for my son, i took a small length of paracord and created a loop that went around the metal piece, and the epaulet went through that loop.

https://oa-bsa.org/uploads/publications/OA-Cub-Crossover-Ceremony-2018.pdf https://oa-bsa.org/uploads/publications/OA-Arrow-of-Light-Ceremony-2018.pdf

Or be labelled as the troublemaker. Most adults, even a great number of those were in scouting as youth, either don't want to really know how the cake is made, or would rather just let someone else make it and stay out of the kitchen. And so, if you begin to question the method, you just might find yourself as the one who looks to be disruption what is, in their eyes, "working". I'm sure since the inception in 1910 there have been those units that just took the requirements and rattled through them in the easiest, fastest way possible. i see way to much of it today though, and that mi

There was a symposium at NOAC that was to talk about best practices, and potential to create some norms while allowing local customs/traditions to co-exist. I have not actually had a conversation with anyone that went to that symposium on what was discussed. By all measures though, everything I have heard was to ensure that any regalia used at these ceremonies are appropriate for the region. Chapter ceremony teams also have different roles based on the Lodge. For some lodges, Ordeal weekends and/or Brotherhood conversions are the responsibility of the Chapter, not the Lodge itself, t