Jameson76

For High Adventure we do one each year. Odd years Seabase and even years Philmont. Well, unless there are fires or pandemics.😁 We set a timeframe before our final commitment to the HA base is due. You pay a deposit, if you pull out, you lose your deposit. As this progresses if a Scout drops out, they do not get refunds unless we can fill the slot or the base refunds. Each Scout is responsible for their fees. We have good data so really no surprises and all know the commitments and costs before signing up.

Well...I guess what was old is now new. For a several years a Scout could get Eagle without swimming, camping, cooking, or ever actually going outdoors. Look up the requirements from the 1973 handbook. There were various skill awards one could choose from. Only required skill award was Citizenship. There were 12 in all. Swimming, Conservation, First Aid, Family Living, Environment, Community Living, Camping, Personal Fitness, Communications, Hiking, Cooking, Citizenship. A Scout had to earn a total of 8, so if you did not do Camping, Cooking, Hiking, or Swimming ..... that was OK

Is the first train running East or West? I was not clear on what time it left the station or the horsepower of the engine. I think it was steam, but not sure. Pretty sure the second train was delayed by the hurricane. Who takes trains these days anyway? My answer is they will never meet

The lease deal and the Shared Services Agreement is an interesting twist. When I first saw this was the setup for Summit, it did seem like an accounting exercise in order to keep assets off of some register. Not saying it had ill intent, but it may be the most transparent way to spend $750 mm on strip mine. In many many businesses there is the company that runs the business and one may think they own the business. When you peel the onion back you find a much more complicated view. An example of this is Eddie Lampert and the KMart / Sears - Sears Holding. His group bought Sears then

Reminder that being a SM is in fact a job. Not paid, but it is a job. You will need to evaluate this as one might a job. Are YOU able to contribute AND more importantly, does the position satisfy what you are looking for. Many times when one takes a new job it looks really good, recruiter says the right things, the people you meet say the right things...but then you get smacked with reality. The job is not a fit. At that point you are faced with the decision to endure the mismatch in the job OR move on to look for something new. Only one person can make that decision. Not the i

We held our own summer camp in July, great success, Scouts has a great time. Over 30 Scouts and leaders Started in person meetings first of August. Our troop typically meets outside in the Scout area behind the church. The church is not having services, they have no issue with us meeting but asked we not be on campus. Troop is meeting at the park across the street at a large pavilion. Going camping this weekend at the lake. Over 40 Scouts and leaders. Scouts will be transported by parents, no tent sharing, no hammock stacking. Spreading the patrols out. Doing what we can,

I get that and am glad your unit had a good week at camp. That being said, not sure one can really evaluate the camp and program there without fully acknowledging what a huge waste of BSA resources this was. Yes is it likely a nice facility. The National team did in fact spend north of $750MM on the place and there is no real path for this vanity project to be in the black. At this point it is a facility looking for a purpose. Where did all the cash go over the last 10 years, well you were there.

As others have noted, not sure the group (NEC Team) really understands how things work now. They seem to think that making some adjustments or tweaks will make everything better. The NEC should have presented a plan on how to FOCUS the Scouting program and movement on our strengths and market differentiation (outdoor program, youth led, self reliance, problem solving, personal growth) and how to leverage that to grow the program. Hint - it's not STEM, safety, popcorn, and professional staff Lastly, this is great - since financial challenges prevent us from being able to meet de

Agree Not making any excuses, but to judge peoples actions by today's standards or reporting is not really a great comparison. A lot of moving parts, many scouters were booted from their troops, but there was not a good avenue of recourse. Parents did not want to involved the police. Yes there were some failures, but not to the degree portrayed and in many cases actions were (for the time) appropriate. Not saying right or wrong, just appropriate for the time.

Sadly...Let's all jump on the bandwagon

Saw this from Save the Children Save the Children places the highest level of regard on security and protecting our donor information. We have removed our data off Blackbaud’s servers, and will continue to prioritize security, both internally and with all of our third-party vendors. Our supporters trust us with their information, and we do not take this lightly. We have and will continue to take steps to protect supporters’ information in our combined efforts to ensure every child gets the future they deserve. Guess I missed that part in the BSA statement on actions to take

First question, why is this from the CTO (I assume of the BSA but it does not actually specify) and not our new BSA President? Either you OWN what happens on your watch or you don't. Guess he doesn't. Candidly not assured (even though they told me twice to be assured). Well, we were notified promptly 174 DAYS after the initial breach. That is some fine detecting work there Lou. Pretty sure all that background detail everyone sent in at the end of the year is in a SUPER SECRET file that nobody can get to 😝 Blackbaud assured us that no encrypted data such as Social Security numbers, b

Yes. If they design it source it, and fund it, yes.

It's the old adage...Do we raise money to enable a community to have Scouts OR Do we have Scouts to enable a group to be able to raise money. Agree that way too many volunteers feel the "Council" is the end all be all, the oracle or knowledge, the giver of permissions, the experts on Scouting. Actually the Council is supposed to support the unit and LOCAL Scouting. Sadly it does not work that way and many of us wonder what in fact the cast of many at the Council office actually do all day. How in fact do they (The Council and the minions there) bring value to the BSA program in our com

These are the basics of the BSA swimmer test - BSA swimmer test: Jump feet first into water over the head in depth. Level off and swim 75 yards in a strong manner using one or more of the following strokes: sidestroke, breaststroke, trudgen, or crawl; then swim 25 yards using an easy, resting backstroke. The 100 yards must be completed in one swim without stops and must include at least one sharp turn. After completing the swim, rest by floating Nothing says length, etc. Just the 100 yards must be done at one time. Yes 10 laps in a 30' pool could be different, but it is not specif

To use the quote from Blazing Saddles - We've got to protect our phony-baloney jobs, gentlemen. We must do something about this immediately, immediately, immediately! Often times is seems the Councils are more interested with staying in business than serving youth. Rather than figuring out how to do it more efficiently, just sell stuff and raise fees.

I question that, not that they have been donating their time for a long time, but are they really aware. And I mean currently aware? My concern is that things change. Many things are constant, but the outside influences can vary. There are many difference just over the last 10 years in technology and in many ways the expectations of participants. As these key leaders are more removed from active work with actual Scouts, their frame of reference is not current, not saying bad, just not current. When was the last time some of them went camping with a troop, ran a pack meeting, worked a

My suggestion is to tell the district and council to...well...go have a nice day. Our troop zoomed in the spring and we managed to hold an actual week of summer camp, run by the troop, last week. Now the challenge is fall. Schools are on-line, the CO (church) is not meeting so concerned about the optics of possible meeting when everything is shut down. We have a calendar, but not sure it will be implemented. Parents want us to go camping. As for edicts from the council / district, who cares. Our main concern and focus is the unit. If you are hoping the district or the council w

We are in the midst of our own "self" summer camp right now. Running merit badge classes and typical summer camp foolishness. No shooting sports but many other things

So our Council Camps as many, did not open. We attend 2 camps each summer, the out of council did not open. Also our Philmont crew was cancelled. As I have noted, we took the go it alone, run your own camp route. We are currently in camp (6 days and 5 nights) taking over the Pioneer area of a State Park maybe 45 minutes from us. We have 24 Scouts, maybe 10 leaders. We are offering some aquatics, mt biking, full slate of merit badges (21 different ones and small classes), new scout program. In addition to the leaders we have some Eagle Scouts that have turned 18 assisting. Also some

I do not get the cost (well I guess it's the BSA supply overhead expense) for the T-shirts BSA sells. Our troop prints our own T-shirts each year. Dri-fit, goods quality, left chest (single color) and full back (single color) screens. Run of about 100 shirts, maybe $11 per shirt. Boys like them and they are subtle BSA shirts. Do not screams SCOUTS. I see them wearing them around town. Keep the colors neutral. Many of the camps we go to have pre-sell of camp shirts, but those are $20 +. I get you have to make a buck, but cut the overhead and pass the savings on.

Not saying do not be safe, and risk management is important. My point is that HEY, WE'RE SAFE is a very poor marketing slogan. Yes we can be safe, but that cannot be the reason for the BSA

Again - WE CANNOT BE A SAFETY ORGANIZATION. That cannot be our reason for being. It can and needs to be PART of what BSA is, but it cannot be the WHY of the BSA. The tail is wagging the dog and the optics on this are not good. Many leaders and professionals continue to over think the safe aspect and literally never leave the porch. They feel very safe doing Scouting as a virtual idea. Worst idea ever. Scouting is getting out and trying to do things. While trying you may in fact fail. This document wreaks of those who have NO CLUE how to run an actual unit or programs that

That is a scary one. So what are you actually paying a "fee" to be able to do? What is this exactly? A camping club??

Reminder on the fundraising questions - *This application is not necessary for contributions from the candidate, his parents or relatives, his unit or its chartered organization, parents or members in his unit, or the beneficiary. All proceeds left over from fundraising or donations, whether money, materials, supplies, etc., regardless of the source, go to the beneficiary. If the beneficiary is not allowed, for whatever reason, to retain any excess funds or materials, etc., the beneficiary should designate a suitable charity to receive them, or allow the unit to retain them. The un