Hawkwin

??? If you want to argue the validity of their rule, that is fine, you are welcome to take it up with them. That doesn't keep them from having the rule despite what your opposing opinion. You asked what they should sign up for at camp. I replied that some STATES (as in state law) councils and camps restricted shooting based on age at their facilities so for first year scouts, there might be better alternatives. I didn't comment on eligibility. I commented on what may be allowed at summer camp. You seem to infer that I am personally opposed to shooting for 11 year olds

Note that some states, councils and specific summer camps restrict shooting activities by age. Rifle and other shooting sports might be better suited as a recommendation for second or third year scouts. As an alternative, water craft MBs would be a good fit for summer camp as they not only require large(r) bodies of water, they also require otherwise expensive craft that scouts and scouters may not have access to otherwise. My other recommendation would be to take those that are very difficult to complete within your troop or council due to required expertise and/or lack of MBCs. Scu

You might find this of interest as well: https://scoutingwire.org/these-5-women-made-scouting-history/

Yes. Both at District and of course Nationals. Edit: Could not remember her name so had to go look her up. Not sure if you consider this position "executive" or not: https://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/about-the-bsa/national-leadership/national-commissioner-volunteer/

If only it would end there. I have seen information copied from social media where the contact information for the school, the principal, the superintendent, and the diocese has been posted to allow people to share their "opinion" about just how wrong the students were. With the rush to judgment comes for some the rush to respond - usually in less than helpful ways.

Agreed. Considering his age, who are we (or who is anyone) to attack him based on an inference of what his likely nervous smile should mean? Heck, my wife "smirked" at me last week, good thing no cameras were there.

I agree it does few a little odd to advance from one term with a qualifier (cub) to a term without one, and then potentially to another term that adds the qualifier back on. That being stated, there has been a long history of the military doing something very similar (and I always thought that was odd too). This is most apparent in the Navy where you have LT Junior Grade, followed by just LT, followed by LT Commander, followed by just Commander. Also, Vice Admiral, Admiral, Fleet Admiral. I don't have a good recommended solution. Perhaps in keeping with some of the other formats

I wish that was the case but at least locally, my daughter has no interaction with any other troop/"den" that would be part of the service unit. All troops operate in silos even more insular that BSA troops. I WISH that they could meet with other GS troops on a regular basis. Think of the things they (and we) could learn from one another.

I have a success story in the making! A female Webelos - the only one in her pack, recently visited my son's troop to satisfy one of her AOL requirements. She visited us from the next council and county over. As the den leader for my daughter's AOL den (in yet another council and county over in the other direction), we invited her join us at our den meetings. She earned her Looking Back Looking Forward elective with us at our last meeting and will be joining us tomorrow to satisfy Build a Better World #4 - when we are visiting with yet another local pack who has invited the local school b

In my pack, the vast majority of girls came from "no where." They were not members of any other scout-based youth organization. In my den, two girls are CURRENT GSUSA members (so dual membership) and the other is a girl that quit GSUSA two years ago. So, no "acquisition" from any other competing organization. No other organization can claim "dibs" on them.

The pack sees my den of girls about once a month for 90 minutes or less. Hardly a terrible experience.

?!?! Poaching, by definition, is an illegal act.

Poach: illegally hunt or catch (game or fish) on land that is not one's own. No, girls are not their membership (there again you convey ownership). Additionally, GSUSA made no such claim. To quote, "[GSUSA] claim the move by the Boy Scouts will “marginalize” the female organization and “erode its core brand identity.” Further, "Since BSA’s announcement that it would admit girls to its core programs, GSUSA’s fears about the damage that would be caused to its trademarks and the mission those trademarks symbolize have been realized." No claim of "poaching" members ot

The litigation from GSUSA is really rather trivial at this point and I don't imagine that such could come anywhere close to pushing BSA into chapter 11. And "poaching?" Really? As if GSUSA owns girls?

The leadership we currently have is not necessarily responsible for the failings of past leadership that resulted in so many sexual abuse cases. There may simply be nothing any competent leadership team can do to overcome that potential financial burden.

Ha! My daughter said to me last night, "Yalla yalla!" for the first time. I can't get her to do much of anything I ask her to do but my little bit of slang Arabic apparently sticks with little effort. I guess it worked on my too as the only Arabic words I remember from my military days are Imshi, Yalla, Ma salama, and of course As-salamu alaykum and Wa-Alaikum-Salaam (though no one every seemed to say the "a" of alaykum or the Wa")

We are way off in tangent land but "paperwork" sounds like an excuse. If you have adults already willing to volunteer their time and resources, then ask those same adults to help with the paperwork. I was an active and registered leader as well and I don't recall paperwork being a big impediment to me being a volunteer. And, as it pertains to the other troops after my daughter's troop folded, I was always willing to help, was simply told "we are full" if I ever even received a response. I am not trying to say the GSUSA model is easy, it isn't. Frankly, I think it is terrible from bot

Nah. For a den, you can have Assistant Den Leaders. My son's den had 23 boys at one point and the DL has 2 or 3 ADLs. Nothing keeps the GSUSA, and their lack of official positions, from having a very similar solution - and I think it would be even easier for GSUSA since the volunteers would not have the expense of an ADL uniform. In my daughter's first GSUSA troop, I was an active and registered leader. No official title but I ran two meetings a semester at the request of the troop leader. Again, nothing kept those other troops from asking me to do the same or something similar to make

Very easy solution. You ask the new parent to take on an active role in the troop so their daughter can be a member. My daughter was turned away more than once and not once did the rejecting troop even ask me if I (or my wife) was willing to be a volunteer. I literally had to beg to find her a troop. And really, how is this any different than BSA? Have too many scouts to fit into two cars, then someone else will have to volunteer to drive the third vehicle. When my daughter wanted to join cub scouts, the CC asked me if I wanted to lead the den. I didn't really want to but I accepted

Unless I missed it, I didn't see anywhere in that link that said what to call the actual girls that are in Scouts BSA.

As far at troop numbers our council (or maybe just our district) appears to have decided to not allow any duplications within the district. Any other troop number is fair game. I like that they will get to pick their own troop number just like they (well, just my daughter at the time) got to pick their own den number.

Thanks, I was going to cover the rally but I didn't know about the book. Good stuff!

I am working with my AOL den on LB, LF soon and I am trying to nail down the history of girls in scouting. I am seeing conflicting information online as it pertains to when girls were allowed to join Scouts BSA. One reference has it listed as early as 1935 while others have it listed as 1969 or 1971 ("full membership" - which suggests some early version of partial membership). Anyone have something definitive? I even called the national HQ and they could not give me an answer over the phone, said they would have to get back with me. They even acted a bit suspicious and wanted to know why I was

But then would they also ask other Eagle candidates about their pre-marital sexual relationships? Seems like this was only an issue because it was so obviously public. If it had been a private sin of the same nature (on-going physical relationship with another person), would they have even asked or much cared? Does the SM discuss pre-marital activity with all their scouts as part of their SMC? I don't have an issue with it as long as it is consistently applied. One might even suggest that the adult leaders follow the same example.

I heard just this week a scouter proudly tell my scout that he occasionally asked a scout to tie a specific knot while during their Eagle BOR. It was all I could do to not comment in light of the recent Scouting Magazine article.