Jameson76

What!!! Numbers fudging in the BSA??? Sort of like this.....

Question would obviously be: What did the council do with and/or about the complaint. Was it investigated and could not be substantiated? Was it properly handled? That is (I hope) being worked on and investigated now. There should be no "happened again" in these cases, most need to be treated as one strike and you're out or in jail (after due process)

That is so true. A troop is not all things to all people. Do what you can but also recognize the limitations of what you can assist with and where you can provide support for within the troop.

Yep...you got played We had that happen a few months ago, called parents, no answer, no parents at the pickup, etc. One of the leaders took the Scout home and left message for parents where they were. Leader had a productive conversation on Sunday outing returns with the parent that afternoon. Challenge is how does one manage the parents while offering the program to the Scout. And that is a tough road to travel down. For our unit the majority live under 5 miles from the church. Some live walking distance and after the trailer is unloaded quite literally strap on the pack and walk home. We are very very clear on rally time to start an outing and when we will return from an outing. The clear expectation is that you as a parent OR your designated person will be there to collect them at the appointed time. When we depart for the church from an outing there is an e-mail sent to the troop reminding them we expect to be there by X:XX o'clock and also Scouts call on the way. This needs to be a frank conversation with the parent, yourself, the CC, and maybe another leader to make sure they are understanding of the expectations

When Worf in Next Generation Star Trek started wearing the sash I always thought it looked like he had joined the Girl Scouts...(Today is a good day to sell cookies) On Scout Sunday we have Cubs, Boy Scouts, and the Girl Scouts at the church. The Girl Scouts always look a little random, vest, sashes, not sure.. The uniform is part of the identity of the Boy Scouts. Wearing the uniform is an outward and visible sign of the membership in the organization

Seems appropriate for this discussion https://www.nuvo.net/voices/guest_voices/your-kid-and-my-kid-are-not-playing-in-the/article_768c0500-0f5b-5b63-961d-b2be73b3d7f3.html

Absolutely agree. We actually schedule some of our fall campouts (if possible) to depart early on Saturday mornings. This enables some of the HS Scouts to do the football Friday night, march, whatever and still do the outing. This small change has increased the participation. Scouts should be well rounded and do many different things. Some of ours play football and we do not see them in the fall. Our current SPL plays baseball and he took the fall SPL slot to accommodate Spring ball. His Eagle project is focused on some aspect of the HS Baseball stadium. Some swim, soccer, marching band, water polo, lacrosse, advanced math stuff, church commitments, rugby (yeah we had one of them play that), tennis, golf, AP classes, etc etc. We welcome them when they can be there and figure some participation is better than none. Attendance / participation is not about percentages and checkmarks. Our unit is large, the only written policy we have is about cell phones (single page). Other than that, it is all situational and we follow the Guide to Advancement as best possible. Full disclosure we sort of skim the Guide to Safe Scouting and try our best with that one (is it all applicable??)

The scene where the Scouts go camping by themselves and they rescue themselves is very timely for your discussion. Also when they take on the army to get their SM out of the stockade during war games shows a good level of personal initiative

For clarity from the start we are very clear that the troop is youth led and that either the SM or the Outdoor chair is the leader in charge at outings. Adult leaders are welcome, not so much if you want to come as a parent. We clearly camp away from the Scouts, cook and eat together. As we have explained, our main task as leaders is logistics, safety, and sort of overall timekeepers. For ANY parent attending an outing we require them to take YPT and have that certificate, that diffuses some that may feel the need to come and "assist". We also have a firm transit plan and will only take the needed cars. Scouts meet at the church and we return to the church, end of story. We did have one parent who was sort of oblivious to our efforts, he was an Eagle Scout, but had a different drummer he marched to. He and the younger son have decided to move on to another unit and we feel that is a super decision.

Yes it is. We have a new scout program, ASM for that has not been involved in Cubs for many years. Our goal is to get the new Scouts to the NS campout, then the May event, then summer camp. After that we feel that gives them a good view of the troop, how it may be different from Cubs, etc. After the summer we roll them into existing patrols and off they go with the patrol ASM's working with them within the patrol framework.

FUN is the main thing, actually the only thing. We as leaders need to do what we can to make the GAME of Scouting easier. They lead it and we need to enable and be flexible in our part of it. Scouts competes with many things for attention in the youth's lives. Just this week we had a Scout, went to summer camp, but plays football in the fall, he was back at meetings this week. Let them be part of the Scouts as much as they can Great results and hope it continues to be positive.

The Eagle candidate determines the manpower needed. I have seen many project where too many came to help and the Scout spent way too much time trying to find stuff for them to do. When I work with the Scout our conversation is how many do you need and for what timeframe. The better learning experience is for them to plan and manage the labor needed.

That could be an interesting project. Many of the challenges I see with Eagle project plans are not the concept, but it's the write up and assumptions. Key for the coordinator is to find what is on point and guide the Scout to ensuring they meet the requirements. You are correct that there is no "build" requirement for an Eagle project. The basic requirements are: While a Life Scout, plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community. (The project must benefit an organization other than Boy Scouting.) A project proposal must be approved by the organization benefiting from the effort, your unit leader and unit committee, and the council or district before you start. You must use the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, BSA publication No. 512-927, in meeting this requirement. (To learn more about the Eagle Scout service project, see the Guide to Advancement, topics 9.0.2.0 through 9.0.2.15.

Remember what the DE mantra is... More applications equals more green.....

There are other troops out there, seek one that meets YOUR Scouts needs. Troops are like musical groups, while the vast majority seem to have 2 guitars, a bass, and a drummer, they can be vastly different and can appeal to a variety of specific tastes

To coin a phrase...and try to refrain from saying this to everyone (though you want to) Boy Scouts (11-17 year olds) was NEVER intended in any way shape or form to be a family event or group. If parents feel the need to interpret it that way, they are missing the point. 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 aims are character development, leadership development, citizenship training, and personal fitness. The methods are Ideals; Patrols – The patrol method gives Scouts an experience in group living and participating citizenship. It places responsibility on young shoulders and teaches Scouts how to accept it. The patrol method allows Scouts to interact in small groups where they can easily relate to each other. These small groups determine troop activities through their elected representatives; Outdoor Programs; Advancement; Association with Adults – Scouts learn a great deal by watching how adults conduct themselves. Scout leaders can be positive role models for the members of their troops. In many cases a Scoutmaster who is willing to listen to the Scouts, encourage them, and take a sincere interest in them can make a profound difference in their lives; and Personal Growth While the family is a critical part of the youth and his identity, the goal of scouting at this age is to have them learn and grow on their own. They lead, they make their own decisions, they become a better person. They work with their peers (and that is good and bad) to do things. Also they are part of the troop and EVERYONE needs to follow the goals and traditions of the troop. If not then YOU have two choices; stay and endure or move on. Based on your input and earlier posts, you are a more patient person that I am. Good luck as you move on, there are many great Scouting experiences out there.

I would not think you would need WFA at Summit as you ride the trams between the attractions...though I may be confusing Summit (sorry THE Summit) with the Goofy place in Florida

Good Lord...is there a secret decoder ring that comes with this matrix??

I'm with you on this. WB is not about running program for scouts (though it used to be). Now it is basically billed as a management course and the "ticket" items may help program for scouts/youth. Note that ticket items may be unrelated to actually assisting in program. Billed as the pinnacle of BSA Adult training, but not sure that it what the results may actually be. But...apparently you get a neat pink neckerchief, you can culturally appropriate kilts if you desire, you can freely join the WB cult and drink the kool aid, you get the beads (by the way, Q - how many WB beads does a 100 year old oak tree yield? A- One), you get to become a critter of some sorts, and you get a sense of smugness related to adults scoutery... Well worth the price of admission

Make sure any milestone anniversaries fall at the same time as a High Adventure trip, that's a real crowd pleaser....

Not to split hairs or lessen the impact, was this a Scouting / Troop sponsored type event or was this just a gathering of youth, some (most??) of whom belong to the troop.

Not skip the fact, just the public discussion of the occurrences. Just saying that that part may not be a good section to be discussed if the choice is to have the SPL address the troop. Not sure all the troop needs all the details. That does not give a pass at all on his actions or the inactions of the PLC group. This may need to involve a higher level within BSA. As with all disciplinary actions the facts are not typically broadcast or discussed outside the ones involved

Seems like a good plan. May want to have the SPL be more generic in his mea culpa, just that there was bullying, it is inappropriate, skip the details. Tough one as the PLC was involved and stood by. Good luck

We wear the "official uniform" in transit to outings. Actually we call it Class A and are just hoping the uniform and or phrase police stop by and try to ticket us. But anyway, when we arrive, the Scouts take off the class A (typically tossing them into the dirt) for setup, activities, etc. Most scouts have the Class B troop t-shirts / summer camp / fleece / hoodies to wear. When we depart everyone is back in the Class A shirts. Also good times with many calls that their Class A shirts have been stolen until someone points to the tan lump under some leaves.

Troop total: 13 outings per year, 40.3 average scouts, 2.3 nights average per outing = (roughly) 1,205 nights of camping last year