Jameson76

41 minutes ago, Eagle1993 said:

Scout Me In was a swing and miss.  Clarify how scouting is unique, fun and important to youth development and market that.

 

Agree that Scout Me In was not great.  Seemed to be more focused on younger youth, not really resonating with the older youth.  Though honestly BSA seems hell bent on being a Cub Scout group, I guess they feel that is where the members may come from.  Not sure the "Family" focus will get what they want either.  

7 minutes ago, Momleader said:

Whoa I hope  you’re wrong. $67 increase is a big pill to swallow!   

Does anyone else think there will be a number by the promised 10/23 date or will they push it out again?

Well - as many do recharter in NOV and DEC, gonna have to have a fee at some point.  

Honestly the challenge is, or the question is, that at a National and Council level, NOT the unit level, have we lost our focus as an organization?

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.  The Vision is The Boy Scouts of America will prepare every eligible youth in America to become a responsible, participating citizen and leader who is guided by the Scout Oath and Law.

At the UNIT level we do this with campouts, fun activities, community service, projects, letting Scouts run things etc etc.  From my experience, the vast majority of the units do a good job of this and continue to execute that mission and vision.  Focusing on outdoor activities and doing stuff that other youth based groups (and it is a crowded marketplace) are not doing.

The CHALLENGE is that at the National and Council level the focus seems to be less on actions and more on fund raising (can you say popcorn) and the social issues that BSA feels they need to focus on.  I am not saying that the societal issues are not important.  These would be child abuse, bullying, etc.  But should that be our our front focus?  These efforts should be PART of who we are, not the REASON that we are.

The question is, does the current PAID Executive leadership, and make no mistake they drive the ship, really fully understand the program and what works at the grass roots level?  IMHO I would say no.  

BSA has a unique offering that can truly benefit the youth we serve.  If we continue to focus on non core initiatives, then many of those youth will not even come through the door.

54 minutes ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

Price I am hearing is $75+ per member. That does not include any insurance or council fees.

Nail....coffin   

Noted that Travelers has mentioned the NY State statute of limitations change in their 10Q.  Also understand that the issue and costs is less about the predatory sexual assault lawsuits (which is bad) and more about the accident and injury claims.  These seem to be more numerous than prior years and consequently more costly than prior.  This of course drives up rates.

Concern is that the increase may not be in the $10 range but could be substantially higher, possibly north of $20 range.  That would / could be an issue if it ends up being the case

Did you have any Cubs or Webelos there?  They can be doing some activity to draw in the interest

Rather than a poster maybe a video running on a laptop, motion trumps static display

The COH should be planned, developed, and executed by the Scouts.  They run it, depending on the unit, CM's, ASM's and SM may hand out ranks and merit badges.  Not sure what was covered under citations.  If there was / is a concern with the COH, the TLC (formerly known as Greenbar) should address

The separate ice cream social as a unit, that happened unbeknownst to the SM is a concern.  Actually sort of rude.  If there is a challenge with the SM and his actions (and he has been SM for what...6 months??) address with the COR and the committee, and the SM.  Don't start a troop within a troop.  It will not end well

14 hours ago, 5thGenTexan said:

Our letter from Council was rolled out today stating what other letters have.  We had one huge difference though.  A week ago we received notification of a $5 Council increase to cover insurance and liability.  The communication today said the Council executives voted and will NOT implement the new Council charge as a result of what National is proposing.  

Ours Council letter came out, points to National as the holder of the details and why it's late, also they had this ever so helpful suggestion - 

In addition, we have been working with our partners at Trail's End to ensure we have enough popcorn available for any unit interested in additional sales to raise the funds necessary to recharter in December.

You cannot make this stuff up, fees are going up??  Hey, sell MORE popcorn!!

Lame - 

BSA National has know impending costs for months.  They have know impending membership numbers for months.  

A Scout is Trustworthy, unless your are BSA National apparently

On 9/12/2019 at 9:14 PM, Momleader said:

3. So if your kids are pretty much done why are you still doing it?

When I was in my 20's and working on a second degree I worked with my home troop, was an Eagle Scout there, was my home church, so parents saw the connection.  Did not get any awkward questions.

My son is now a Senior in College and 4 years removed from the troop I have been working with 10+ years.  He worked at our council camp, so even those Scouts that did not know him from the troop days, met him there, etc.  We are a smaller community in a large urban area, so I have actual Scouts that live on my street.  I suspect as a few more years roll by, that connection will get more faint.  Then I'll just be the old Scout guy who hangs around.

Dad was Eagle and a long-term council Scouter, my brother is an Eagle, long-term council Scouter, so I guess I have Scout street cred.  That being said, with all the press about past issues, we need to have the elevator speech about why we still are involved at the ready.

34 minutes ago, T2Eagle said:

, nowhere does the system tell me which powers a delegate receives and which they might not be able to exercise. 

Typically Astral Imprisonment, hypnosis, memory manipulation, psychic persuasion.  If they have been to WB and have 5 beads then they are granted powers over the time pace continuum, with approval of the Council Commissioner

In all seriousness this seems like a systemic issue??  Have you looped in the council service center to assist?

They are spinning the big money wheel in Dallas to decide,  gotta make up for the 20% impending drop in revenue (LDS departure) while protecting the National Scout Professionals salaries.

Easy way is to donate to the CO (assuming the are a 501c3) FBO (for the benefit of) the troop for a period etc.  Depending on how much may be good to get a board to oversee.

We have built one for the troop (not the backpacking one) and started with the Philmont recommendations.  Then we have added many items; band aids, additional wipes, etc.  Mainly things for small injuries.  Also added more of the large band aids.  Good to keep some antiseptic cremes, ant-acids, on hand.  While some do not, we do keep ibuprofen, some benadryl, and other pain relievers in the kit.  Also there are some splints, chemical ice packs, some other more severe care items.

This is in a large kit.  We were fortunate to have a parent donate an AED, that is kept in the kit.  The top of the one we have has a smaller section that opens and we keep small wound care items there.  Due to the AED (concerned about the heat and the battery) we keep the kit at a leaders house, bring it to meetings and then outings.

For backpacking we carry the standard PSR load out.

On 9/7/2019 at 2:53 PM, Scoutmom1989 said:

What kool aid

As others have noted,  reminder that while WB does pass along some management techniques, it is not the end all be all of the BSA nor does it make anyone who completes their ticket an expert at running a unit.  The training is more management and less specific to actually running a unit.  The nuts and bolts come from position specific training.

The kool aid comment is the reminder to take the course for what it is, and recognize it for what it is not.

For actual training on how to run a unit I would suggest position specific training, also reviewing some of the older (for now Scouts BSA) SM handbooks, and some of the older Fieldbooks that show woodcraft and outdoor items.  Remember that successful units have fun.  There is the mission of the Boy Scout - The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.  It is hard to prepare young people for all of that if you do not in fact have young people in your unit.  Main effort should be to have an engaging program as the first priority, then the mission etc comes as a by product.

Local council is gonna want it's cut....

Remember that drinking the kool-aid is a choice

As an interest point, what (if any other than an interested parent) is your role with the troop?

Though it does not always tend to work this way, The Scoutmaster is selected and recruited by the troop committee and approved by the chartered organization representative.  If there is an issue (perceived or real) that is the place to begin.  Challenge is many times the committee and COR are not directly involved in the troop operations.  But that is a place to start with your concerns.

I would not recommend the talking to other parents, generating some groundswell of support for your positions, sort of going the back door route.  If you have concerns, speak with the committee and be open about them.

5 hours ago, TMSM said:

Didn't know dodgeball was prohibited. I'll add this to my list of things we thumb our nose at.

As will we, and post photos of us doing so.  We clearly state that Scouts are not to target the other scouts, they are to aim for the area beside the scout and if said scout elects to move into that area, then so be it.

There's always British Bulldogs.....

Well...I guess that's one way to raise a million dollars

This is comedy gold from the FAQ section:

Ways you and your unit can raise the funds to cover the $12 Insurance Fee

-Participate in the annual popcorn sale and have each Scout sell an additional three (3) containers of popcorn.
 

Not sure what the question is...but the answer always seems to be SELL POPCORN 

12 hours ago, T2Eagle said:

I most often have this conversation in the context of becoming an Eagle Scout:

"You should become an Eagle Scout because you want be an Eagle Scout, not because you think it will get you into college, not because you think it will ever get you a job, not because you think it will ever "pay off" in any way, but only because YOU want to be an Eagle Scout.  I have had been involved in the hiring of hundreds of people over my career, I never hired anyone because they were Eagle Scouts, and no one has ever hired me for that reason.  Being an Eagle Scout will not get you a job, will not get you a scholarship, will probably not ever get you anything.  But 30 or 40 years from now you'll be happy you're an Eagle Scout if you become one because it's important to you."

I try to have a similar conversation with parents, I think the scouts pay me greater heed.  

Sort of agree.

IIMHO it is correct that JUST being an Eagle Scout will not get you into college, a job, or will "pay off" down the road.  However, if you actually ARE an Eagle Scout, the soft skills and lessons learned on the journey will put you ahead of the crowd, and will benefit you down the road.

It is amazing how many people do not really understand how to actually get something done.  Being in a storm and determining best path forward, salvaging a meal when somebody has forgotten something, having to make decisions quickly while your patrol looks on, trying to organize a group and complete a hike, watching the looks in the Scout you are working with finally gets up on the water skis; all of that imparts upon an Eagle scout the ability to get stuff done.

On 9/1/2019 at 11:13 AM, Eagle94-A1 said:

Maybe I am a pessimist, but why would they listen to the Scouts and Venturers on anything, when they do not even listen to the Scouters who volunteer their time and treasure to the program? Don't believe me, well there is the "Instapalm" survey of 2015 in which 94% were  either against (18%) or strongly against (76%) the idea, and they did it anyway.

You know, if they really really were interested, possibly "they" (whomever they may be) that are in fact making decisions, policy, and program decisions could actually go out and see Scouts in the wild.  I have asked this question to Council Board Members, Scout Executive of the Council, Council Camping and Program chairpersons; when was the most recent time you were on an outing?  Typically their answer falls into two areas 1) I was at Jamboree, the Council Event, came to Summer camp for the day OR 2) I was a leader XX years ago.  

My follow-up is when was the last time you been in the parking lot as a troop assembles, driven to the outing, wandered about the outing as the youth setup and started camp, sat with the adults, cooked a meal, mentored a youth on properly cooking bacon (Protip - you have to peel the strips off the big hunk-o-bacon for it to fry up), participated in the weekend program, maybe administered some first aid, counseled two youth who may have had a disagreement, maybe sit on a BOR one evening, pack up camp, loaded the trailer up, waited at the church for the parents.  That is where Scouting happens.  If the powers that be were truly interested, there are lots of troops out there, camping every weekend.  GO AND SEE, talk with Scouts and Leaders.

Surveys tend to tell you want you want to hear.  Real change or understanding involves actual involvement with the program.

We went very simple

All are 3 x 5 flags, these are on 8' standard 1" dowels (available at Home Depot).  We stained these

• US flag was made in USA and sourced locally at the hardware store
• Troop flag is the new one from wherever they come from
• State flag is a synthetic, not sure country of origin

5 minutes ago, mrkstvns said:

Here's one writer's venture into the rabbit hole of conjecture...
https://daily.jstor.org/boy-scouts-and-the-phenomenon-of-boyification/ 

 

Wow - that is some Educational Ivory Tower wide ranging ramblings.  Interesting the writer makes a number of broad statements, but little or no actual foundation.

Some interesting revisionist history, they fall into the trap of viewing historical events in the lens of current thinking.