Buffalo Skipper

Purely for the entertainment value of the gang. We have laid the groundwork to divide into 3 very small patrols in prep for Webelos crossover and committed new scouts, which will more than double each patrol. Our upcoming backpack trip is divided by age (skill level), not patrol, so we have an unusual ad hoc mix. But the new groups have met and are discussing patrol names, and are choosing yells at the same time. Some of what I overheard are the Geckos (yell: "Fifteen minutes can save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance") and the Sharks (yell: "I am a nice shark. Not a mindless eating machine. If I want to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends. Not food."). There was a lot of support for the Killer Whales, but they couldn't come up with a good yell. They have not settled yet, and have until our next PLC to do so. After this campout, they'll have another week. I can't wait to hear what they come up with....

For Tiger Cubs, the G2SS is clear. It lists "Tiger Cubs (with Adult Partner)." This leaves no wiggle room. A tiger cub must (not "should") be accompanied by an adult partner on all activities. Wolves-Webelos is different. But remember that Cub Scouts is intended to be a Family activity. Though I discouraged parents from hanging out at cub scout meetings when the were not involved with an activity, our pack has always required them at all activities/outings. In other words, if it warrants a Tour Permit (any activity outside of the regular meeting place, by our council expectations), then it requires a Cub Scout (including Webelos) be accompanied by an adult. On the Webelos level, we encouraged a "separation" of Scouts and adults. Say on a hike, the adults hung back 25 or so yards, leaving the Webelos with the leaders. Campouts, always required a parent or designated adult (not the leader) to accompany any Webelos.

I have recently seen a number of Scouting commercials on National TV in the past 2 weeks, mainly on Science, History and Military channels. Cool ads. Out of date. The main Scout is wearing the red and olive hat; and the announcer sounds like a cross between a sterotyped arrogant newscaster and a military drill instructor. Not what I would think is an appealing voice to youth. But it is the first time I have ever seen national BSA advertising on TV. I like it. I am hoping this Indy car thing has somehow come at a deep discount to BSA. I am all for advertising and improving public image. We need it! But it is the value of the advertising which must be considered. Image and perception is reality, in many cases. Our council wanted to launch a $5M captital campaign two years ago, mainly aimed at camp improvements. We hired a marketing firm to come in and evaluate how effective a campaign would be. After surveys and interviews, they said "Don't do it." Most perspective doners had a favorable opinion of scouting, but many did not realize scouting was active in our area. We didn't have a bad image. We weren't visible enough for people to have an image of us. They said we needed to first do a major publicity campaign to improve our image before any capital fundraising program would work. I believe that overall scouting around the country suffers from this image and exposure problem. I am all for any national campaigns to promote scouting. It will benefit us all; not only with new and more scouts, but also with scouting's image and our ability to sustain our national program over time.

The PL and I have been had a couple of "mini" SMCs on this, but they have been very informal. He is generally noncommittal, but overall doesn't feel there is a real problem. The patrol is really no worse off than it has been since he joined. Not having seen how things really are suposed to be run, leads him to the conclusion that they are not really that bad. I do plan to sit down with him about this tonight or tomorrow (the PLC planned 2 meetings this week to prepare for this weekend's backpack trip, which they fell behind on getting ready for). He has asked me to switch "natural leader" to his patrol, but I have not yet confirmed he wants to go. Again, I was hoping to bring it up one of the next two nights. The PLC has not formally discussed the issue to it's conclusion. Knowing that we have significant growth planned has been talked about at the PLC since October, but the actual decision of how to divvy up the Socuts and Webelos has been tabled until it was closer to crossover. I have sat down informally with the SPL, and separately small groups of the PLC to discuss this. Not to make any decisions, but to "chat." The idea of spinning off members to form the core of a third patrol seems to be what they like and where they intend to go. A few more chats produced 3 scouts who want to form up the new patrol. The plan to do this will actually be at the next PLC on Jan 25. I have not really discussed this, but I do have another option (variation) here. Instead of swapping "natural leader" and new scout, we could switch him out with another 2C (almost 1C) scout. This would give each patrol a almost perfectly equal balance of both age and rank. The real advantage here would be that next year, we could peel off the older scouts into a Venture Patrol (which I believe some would like), with each patrol losing one 13 year old. That would then give us additional options next year including forming a NSP, if we wanted to go that route, eventually either making them their own patrol or blending them with the existing patrols.

Thank you for the great advice, as always. I actually cut/paste most replies and edit it down to the simplest statement. I review (and edit) these as often as I see the need. So keep those replies coming--they are valued and put to use. My SPL is an interesting young man. I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say he is unusually small for his age (15) with fiery red hair to match his personality. He is not, nor will he ever likely be a "natural leader," but has reasonably good scout skills, and a willingness to make a good effort. We are mentoring him very carefully and are making progress, though there is still much for him to learn. He and our "challenging PL" butt heads frequently, so he is not the choice to step in with that patrol. Both our "natural leader" and the "challenging PL" are Second Class scouts; each lack about 2 small requirements to be First Class. I expect both will be 1C before Webelos crossover in 6 weeks, but neither have the skills to be a TG, and probably won't for another year. Keep in mind that the "natural leader" is still a first year scout, and that our challenging PL is just finishing up his second year. Both have attended our Green Bar training (5 sessions and a hike completed, only the last session and campout to go). On a bright note, we had our 2nd Annual Webelos Fun Day on Saturday, and there were almost 25 Webelos from 6 dens and 4 packs in attendance; it was a resounding success. The troop scouts led the games themselves, and it gave them a real boost. During lunch, I was going to narrate the slide show, a review of the troops activities over the past year, giving the scouts a much deserved rest after a good job all morning, but two scouts jumped up in front of the entire crowd and said "We'll do it!" So I stepped back and let them narrate the show (without practice or prompting), and I sat back and ate! That's the Al Bundy school of Scoutmastership. The troop did a great job. OakTree, I agree that this is an instance in which "allowing them to fail" is akin to "setting them up to fail," which in this case would be disaster for these scouts. I have allowed scout leaders from this patrol to fail in the past, in spite of careful mentoring, but I believe they are at their limit. With crossovers in 6 weeks we will have a total of 22 active scouts in the troop. These are our best numbers in 7 or 8 years. I do not think we can do that with 2 patrols; I (and other local scout leaders with whom I seek counsel) believe we really need to make 3 patrols, as the dynamics of 3 vs. 2 patrols is very different (in terms of patrol competitions), and really where we need to be going. Our next PLC is set for January 25. I will give the PL until this date to have the patrol yell and patrol flag completed. It is also at this meeting when we plan to divide into 3 patrols (in spite of their small size). This will give us the February campout for the new patrol to "gel" and to get their patrol equipment in order before the new scouts join. Formal elections will be after crossover, with all new rules in effect (For PL: 1C. For SPL or ASPL: 1C and 6 months as a PL. Scouts can change patrols-with PLC approval1x/year, just before Webelos crossover). I am still leaning toward having the "natural leader" and the newest scout swap patrols (for balance). We have 3 scouts who want to form the core of the new patrol with Star, Tenderfoot (almost 2C) and a Scout (joined in November, almost a Tenderfoot), which will put them in the middle, as far as balanced experience. The Star (new PL) is young, and transferred from another troop in September, but he has great skills and will do fine with a new patrol. I expect his patrol will be the one to beat most often. We are also gaining a couple of ASMs (a new experience for me as a SM). One in particular Eagled with the troop 20 years ago, and his dad was the SM for 8 years when the troop was 50-60 strong. His father will be returning to the troop as a committee member. Two other troop alumni are also returning as ASM and CM. As important, the SPLs grandfather (with whom he and his family live) has offered to join as ASM. He is a former SM and professional scouter. His health prevents him from camping, but he wants to be direct contact at the meetings, which is welcome. Slowly, our troop is working its way back to where it was 20-40 years ago. We are gaining a reputation in the district as a Boy Led program, even if I feel we have a long way to go to really reach that plateau. If I can facilitate restoring good health to our Flamingo patrol, I think we will be making a big stride in this direction.

>>I suggested that when patrols were reformed (the "best and final offer", so to speak), we ask that scouts write down their names and the name of a buddy they'd like to be in a patrol with.<< Barry, this may be a viable option for me as well. Do you think this would work with existing patrols? I mean with existing PLs?

I spent a good part of my lunch editing my spun thread about a problem patrol, so I missed the last few posts here. Sounds like though we have different dynamics we are dealing with similar problems. Not close enough to merge threads, but close enough that some of our solutions may well overlap. see-- http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=262781

Originally in another thread, we talked about my challenging scout with an attitude. I want to discuss him further, but this has more to do with his patrol than it does him, so I felt it was good to spin-off. The patrol in question has struggled for some time. Originally the patrol was composed of scouts who crossed over from Webelos together along with the previous years crossover and new scouts (first divided into two different patrols, but later merged back together). Recently, the more disruptive scouts in the troop (all from this patrol) have dropped or become inactive, including 2 of the 3 previous PLs. The patrol now has 5 scouts: one Star, two Second Class and two new Scouts (one transfer the other new to scouting); they range from 11 to 14 years old. Our particular headstrong scout was elected PL back in September. He is a Second Class and the PLC decided then that by the March election, our troop would have grown enough to see that PLs must be at least First Class. Since then, he has attended only 2 campouts (one Winter Camp in which he was the only member of his patrol present). The patrol changed their name back in September, which I have discussed in a couple of other threads. I explained to them beforehand that since they had changed their name 3 times in the past 24 months (at troop expense for flag supplies and patrol patches), that if they choose to change their name one more time, they would have to purchase their own patches and material for a flag, which they have not done. They havent even come up with a patrol yell, which will keep the two new Scouts from advancing. I have reminded the PL that these things need to be done, probably once a month, but no action has been taken yet. Just before Christmas, they began discussing changing their name again (it is currently Flamingos), but didnt reach any conclusions. By comparison, our other patrol is doing fairly well. They have all advanced at a reasonable rate. The core is 4 scouts who crossed from Webelos together (First Class, Second Class, and two Tenderfoots) and a transfer scout (Star). All scouts are 11 or 12 years old. Though they sometimes stumble, they listen, and learn from their mistakes. They have shown considerable growth since they have joined, and they get along well; they have earned the Patrol of the Month ribbon for the past 3 consecutive months. According to the SPL, Decembers ribbon will be theirs as well if the Flamingos dont have a flag or patches in the next 2 weeks. One of my biggest concerns is that moral in the Flamingos is very low; and our two newest scouts dont even realize it yet. If things go unchanged, we will likely lose our two new scouts. No one in the patrol wants to be PL except for the one scout, who isn't really doing much. I am really looking for ideas of how to inspire this scout and his patrol. We have had an extensive Leadership training (Kudus Green Bar) which has gone well, but this patrol has not put into action what they have learned. Obvious options: 1) In an attempt to resolve the Patrol identity issue, I can offer up any patches of old patrols which the troop currently have in stock (we have 5 or 6 they could use) and I would even accept that they re-use the old flag. 2) One member of the other patrol has recently become buddies with the struggling Flamingo PL. This scout is charismatic and a natural leader; but he can be a real handful. I could swap out he and one of the new scouts and appoint him PL or wait until 2 months when he would likely be elected anyway. This may be one of my best options, (put the clown in chargeoften times they will surprise you), but that leaves a bit of a gap in the good patrol. 3) I could dissolve the patrol and have them be absorbed into the other currently existing patrol, making a troop of one patrol (10 scouts) plus an SPL. I really dont like that dynamic at all, even it is just for a short time. 4) We could start over and realign patrols, but we really just did that last year and the year before that. This goes against the patrol unity philosophy I have been preaching to the scouts since the last crossover. I feel this is too much of a step backward. 5) We can leave the patrols as they are and see if we can fix what is in place currently. I am all about having scouts work things out for themselves, but 4 months of floundering with no end in sight (in spite of leadership training and a few quiet Scoutmaster Conferences) simply isnt likely to magically work. Keep in mind, that 7 weeks from now, we are planning to absorb 10 new Webelos: 2 entire dens from our shared charter packs. We had been planning to divide our current patrols into smaller groups in 2 weeks; this was to give the mini patrols (and especially the new spin-off patrol) a campout time to adjust and gel before they take on the new scouts. Yes, thats a 50:50 ratio of new to experienced scouts, something which will be problematic into and of itself (as we have discussed in other threads). I will involve the SPL with this, but not until I have ideas to present to him. Even if he does come up with an alternate solution, his ideas are not always grounded in a realistic manner. So, what ideas do you all have to help us out in this situation? Right now I am leaning toward #2, but I really want to hear what you think.

We too have an ASM/Quartermaster. ASM/QM is currently his only function in the troop; he does not attend meetings or campouts, currently. He is also a 4th grade Webelos Leader for his 2nd son, and he is a retired Marine officer. I must commend him that he is very focused on the scouts (QM and asst QM) doing the work. He has shown no inclination to take up the slack , but he has made himself available to advise when needed. He has the perspective, which, in my estimation, is exactly how an ASM should operate. I look forward to a year from now when he crosses over "full time." We are in process of transitioning 2 other leaders who I hope will have the same attidude. If it keeps going like this, it will be like shooting fish in a barrel. Lisa posted while I was drafting my reply, so let me add to what she has said. You may have read that I just had my first ESMC the other night. One of the things I discussed with this young man was his scouting experiences. He said that one of the best outings he had a year ago when he went out on a 3 day hike without adults. This was not exactly true; there were two scouts and two 18 year old (Eagle) ASMs, which he still viewed as peers, as his Boy Scout experience to that point had included being in the same patrol as both these young men. Anyway he said it was a watershed experience for him, going out alone with fellow scouts.(This message has been edited by Buffalo Skipper)

How many of you do or do not keep up with troop camping records in enough detail to submit for these awards? This year we had 37 camping nights (not including 2 overnight lockins). This year, including both summer camps we will have about 42. How does this compare to other troops? Beginning January 1, 1991, as the National Camping Award requires, if our records are correct (we may be missing some Philmont and Seabase troop contingents), our troop has finally reached a new cumulative milestone with 504 nights. In the same vein, we have 2 scouts whom we can document are over 100 nights, qualifying for the Individual National Camping Award. Do many troops track their annual and cumulative camping totals? And do you present the individual award to your veteran scouts? http://www.boyscouttrail.com/external_frame.asp?goto=/docs/formnatlcamping.pdf http://www.boyscouttrail.com/external_frame.asp?goto=/docs/formnatlcampingindividual.pdf(This message has been edited by Buffalo Skipper)

I am not a BSA or BP historian, and I have much more to learn in these areas. But it has been my understanding that BPs "Patrol Method" was the crux of the program he developed. It was, in many ways, a unique new method of education, comperable in some was to educational systems such as Montessori schooling; BP viewed the Patrol Method as a natural means of education of boys and young men, different from any teaching methods of his time. It is understandable then, that he would inquire of the Patrol Method's use in America. But of course, there could have been many reasons for his asking this. You make me want to buy many histories of BP and the BSA to look into this further....

Final update. Our Life scout submitted his Eagle application to the office at 4pm, one hour before close of business the day before his 18th birthday. The Scout office employee who handles advancement (friend of mine) gave him much grief about waiting until the last minute. But the deed is done. I took over the SM position December a year ago. The first week of January, two scouts had their BORs. My predecessor had handled the SMCs for these scouts, and I encouraged him to handle the rest, as one was his son. Likewise, this scout (and another, who is only missing one MB) spent 6 of 7 years of scouting with the other SM. As such I feel that they are a product of his leadership and mentoring than mine. The next scouts coming up are "closer" to me, one of whom I have known since he joined Webelos. I only hope I leave as meaningful an impression on the younger boys as my predecessor has on these who are now finishing up.

Guy, I am in the middle of this process, so I can second much of what others have said; but let me also add something here. 1) Educate the Adults. Getting the adult leaders on board is one KEY to this process. We are fortunate here that we have several adults returning to the troop who were scouts 20-25 years ago who remember and understand boy-led methods. This will help us in the coming year as we continue to transition with young scouts. 2) Educate the Parents. As stated, this is easier said than done, but it is impossible to accomplish Boy-Led without parental buy in. Even a few parents who think things are not working out to their satisfaction have the potential to upset the program. I have learned to handle the parents fairly well, so this has not been a big issue for us (yet). We are, however, on the "grow," so I/we will work to minimize the impact of this. 3) Commitment to Patrol Method. I believe that a troop can be reasonably Boy-Led without strictly following the Patrol Method; but that is not a troop I want to be a leader in. The Patrol Method will greatly (let me rephrase that: GREATLY!) improve the success of a Boy-Led troop. When scouts come to me asking a question, I respond with "Have you asked your Patrol Leader?" (not SPL). If a Patrol Leader asks a question, I ask "Have you asked your Senior PL?" Likewise, I encourage the SPL to generally accept questions from the PLs, and refer scouts back to them. Obviously there are exceptions, but they are rare. Here is where getting the youth buy-in is crucial. If you have older scouts who are more accustomed to an Adult-Led environment, then getting them out of the habit can be tough. We have a couple of new scouts who have recently joined (no cub scout background) and surprisingly, they seem to respond best to this and rarely come to me, but I see them inquiring of their PLs frequently. Fortunatly, most of our older scouts are about to age out, leaving all but 2 active scouts below the age of 13. When the Webelos join this year, I am hoping that this transition will be complete. 4) Roses and Thorns is an excellent tool. But beware of the danger of overusing this technique. We had a great scout a few years ago who kept using this at every other meeting and on every campout. It really bored the young scouts and the value of the method was somewhat lost. I try to use this only when needed, and of course, where possible, I work this through the SPL. 5) Recognition. Another thing which I do is utilize a number of small recognitions for scouts. We employ a simple knotmaster program, which, though I created and keep an eye on, I ensure that it is run and perpetuated by the scouts, giving them a real sense of ownership of the program (I give a special woggle with a "do a good turn daily knot" woven into it; green to do 6 knots in 2 minutes, black to do the same knots blindfolded in two minutes). Monthly, we present a "Patrol of the Month" ribbon, in part to promote patrol activities and teamwork and to recognize their accomplishments. We do an annual "Big Foot Award" for the best hiker and a "Bent Paddle" for the best water sports/canoer. At our final annual COH, we present a "Scout of the Year" to whom we feel is most deserving. Also at this COH we recognize each scout's accomplishments for the year, showing "meetings attended," "camping nights," and "miles hiked" and "paddled"; this has become one of the highlights of our annual program. I also am big on IMMEDIATE recognition. When a scout turns in a blue card, I present the MB patch to him that meeting, or if we don't have it in stock, at the next one. Ranks are presented immediately as well, but by the SPL. We have a Rank Board and when the rank is presented, in front of the troop the scout goes up to the board and moves his chit (like a swim tag) to the next level. All these things make scouts proud of their accomplishments and encourage others to do more--giving them ownership of their accomplishments. And you must constantly keep an eye on your program. Don't try to continously change or upgrade the program. Be consistent, but be mindful of where trouble may be brewing, without lording over the scouts. When relevant, I take the opportunity to quote either BP or Yoda. Does anyone know where I can find a book of Jedi Quotes? Surprisingly Jedi ideals are not far from those of scouting, and the scouts can relate to Yoda pretty well. Oh and the "Al Bundy" method is great (I've got to remember that one)! So, to sum up, get EVERYONE on board, give the ownership to the scout but most of all, see that it is all FUN. If it isn't fun, your missing the secret ingredient, and what a disappointing stew that would make.

Hit the Lodge outlet store in So. Pittsburgh, TN and bought $400 worth of iron. That isso not fair! Can we get a moderator to throw a flag or something? I tried to get the other leaders to stop there on the way back from Skymont (summer camp) 18 months ago, but they wouldn't have it. I want more cast iron...(This message has been edited by Buffalo Skipper)

Jeff-o, Not to disagree with you, but the requirement is to show evidence in "you community." I view this as key. I see it as raising awareness of what animals (or plants for 1C) are in your area. I do interpret this loosly; when we camp within 75ish miles of our home, which is 85% of our outings, I consider that local/community. I also like to see that the scouts know of whether or not the animals/plants are indigenous to the area. As an example, wild boar are not native to North America, but it is not hard to find evidence of them in some places. That is not to say it should not be counted, only that scouts should be be aware of the difference of native species. Likewise, if one was up in the upper reaches of the Smoky Mountains, seeing the dead Frasier fir trees would be evidence of the Balsam woolly aphid, which is native to Asia.

Barry is a good one to quote. And this instance is a good time to do so. Kudos to your and your efforts with the troop and scouts. Think of that gray as a badge of honor.

Not a criticism ... just pointing out that YP rules still apply to a SMC. Yes they do! I and I would bet YP was not violated. Sorry if I was a little free with the word "everyone." We had our treasurer in attendance, who piddled around the scout hut straightening this and that and not getting involved or even close enough to listen in. Interestingly, over a year ago, when this Eagle candidate was SPL, he wanted to meet with me, and I said no because of YP. He was confused, but I explained the policy of no one-on-one adult-to-youth contact to him (he was 16, I figured he was old enough to understand). Instead he looked at me funny and said: "That's creepy," which in turn made me a little uneasy. Certainly the previous SM and leadership had always followed YP, they had just never explained that to the scouts. Since then, I have made a specific point of explaining to every scout (used precisely here) that he should never put himself in a position in which he is alone with an adult scout leader.

Thanks all for your comments. The scout and I had a great talk last night. We both foresaw innumerable potential interruptions, so he and I patiently waited until the meeting had ended and everyone had left before we began. We talked about his scouting experiences, good and bad. We discussed how he had learned from both. Eventually I steered the conversation to his future, a topic on which we dwelt for some time. And of course we talked about procrastination. It ended up being an enjoyable conversation for us both. As expected, he brought neither his book nor his application. He knows that the ball is in his court now; he knows where to find both myself and our CC to get the necessary signatures, and he must turn in the application tomorrow. Nothing like cutting it close. I had no intention of making this a pass-fail exercise. I was, however, disappointed with both his procrastination and his lack of preperation (book and application). Yet, I was somewhat surprised at his bearing and the way he handled himself. He has truly matured and will be a respectable Eagle Scout.

Thanks for the replies. All of them. I will keep you all posted. Nothing like sitting back and watching the last minute excitement fly....

So what do I do if he doesn't show up with his book? Or what if he doesn't bring his Eagle application for me to sign? (I expect he will bring neither). It also requires the Committee Chairman to sign the Eagle app. He may or may not be at the meeting as he works offshore. I do not feel it is my place to run around seeing that he gets all of his signatures for his Eagle, just because he waited until 3 days before his birthday to finish this.... I will, of course, ensure that if he turns in his 3 remaining blue cards that the troop submits an advancement report online and is transmitted to the council before he gets his application to the office. Lucky for him, he only lives about 4 miles from the council office. So how would this be handled by the scout volunteers in the UK? Oops...wrong thread.

Yes, I do plan on signing his application. That said, this scout has given me some trouble, but it has been more an issue of growing pains with a change of leadership (SM) and expectations than that he is a troublemaker. The first half of his 6 months as SPL were spent under another SM, but I was the one (rather than the SM) who was at most meetings and activities. He was with me during the last half of this tenure; during his time as SPL he made only 2.5 of 6 campouts. Though I was disappointed in his performance, he did what was required. He is a funny kid. Very bright, but rather lazy because of it. He makes As and Bs without studying. As such he has a "devil may care" attitude, and he will struggle when he goes off to college because of poor study habits. He brought this attitude to scouting and being SPL. He never prepared for a meeting, but did "good enough" in spite of it. After his tenure as SPL he almost completely dropped out of sight, announcing in advance that he would not be camping again with the troop except for high adventure at summer camp with his friends (also 17). Most of our current scouts hardly know who he is, and except for one or two of our older (young) scout, he has not signed off a single requirement for any of them. After Thursday, I expect that I will see him only before his EBOR, and assuming he passes (no reason not to believe this) at his ECOH. I do not believe he will be stick around as an ASM, which is unfortunate, as he has excellent skills and a genuine ability to work with younger scouts. He really is a nice guy, he just has his head in the wrong place. I am not going to make him "sweat it out," but I want him to know that I expected more of him, and that doing more will serve him well for the rest of his life.

Eamonn, I don't think the label "Little Toad" would have been my first choice, but in some ways it is not too far from the mark. He has not been active for a year now, but he did attend summer camp (high adventure program away from the troop). He has contributed little to the current troop, but as I have explained on many occasions, there is an age gap between he and his gang and the current scouts. In some ways, it is almost like there are two troops: the old troop and the new. He fulfilled his obligations as a part of the old troop, and wants nothing to do with the new troop. I am looking forward to the experience myself. Though I do not intend to ride him all the way, I do not expect our meeting to be strictly a "warm and fuzzy" look back on his boy scouting time. I will, however, take your advice to heart and not be too hard on him. ;>) Keep the ideas coming. I am taking notes and welcome any and all advice you all are willing to offer.

Tonight I am to conduct my first Eagle SMC. The scout is meeting with his last MBC (Personal Management) early in the evening then coming to the meeting to turn in 2 other blue cards (Cit/World, Personal Fitness) and to have his SMC. His 18th birthday is Thrusday. Any ideas on how to approach this. I know the direction from which I intend to approach this, but I am always open to fresh ideas.

For tarps, we like the Kelty Noahs tarp 12. It weighs 2.5 pounds, uses poles and can shelter 3-4 scouts. For car camping we string it high, but for backpacking it can be staked directly to the ground. See this picture: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsessionid=IEAJVOWWDATXFLAQBBICCOFMCAEFCIWE?id=0038273517301a&type=product&cmCat=froogle&cm_ven=data_feed&cm_cat=froogle&cm_pla=1500250&cm_ite=0038273517301a&_requestid=46182

We usually utilize 1 stove per 2-3 scouts. Since our patrols have been small, this generally means 2 per patrol. But we are looking at picking up a few new ones to help accommodate the upcoming growth. A few scouts have their own stoves, but this has not really not caught on as a desireable piece of personal gear, probably because of the cost.