Jameson76

Is that like the Pantomime horse from Monty Python? Literally everything I know about the British I learned from Monty Python episodes.

Interesting you add Oath and Law at BOR and EBOR as an added requirement. We always have the Scouts start the BOR (and EBOR) with the Oath and Law, not as a pass/fail but as a way to set the tone. Same for uniform, not required but encouraged. Same for the handbook, though while not specifically required at the BOR it is needed. Never a test, but they should be prepared to discuss their accomplishment and what they have gained from the advancment

Many topics on 72 hour rule, recent additions of Scouting magazine, etc etc. Real question is what are units doing this fall that is first and foremost FUN and selected and planned by the Scouts in the unit? Most important thing is keeping the OUTING in Scouting For our unit this fall: Outing at the lake with boats, tubing, canoes, swimming Kayaking trek, working with local outfitter Biking on a rails to trails converted train path (25 - 50 miles depending on your stamina) Canyoneering through a State Park gorge, maybe take in a drive-in movie on the Saturday night Webelos visitation outing with skills classes and pioneering fun

Seems if the "activity" was supposed to be interpreted as the whole year (whatever that may be, calendar, school, program, Martian) they should have actually Said that clearly in the G2SS (what's another page when you already have 100+) Defined a year They appear to be making up stuff as they go along

The six months is the minimum time he needs to be a Life Scout. The requirements are that 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. Also the scout needs a position of responsibility, all the required and number of merit badges to complete the rank. Does your unit have a Life to Eagle coordinator that can assist or give guidance? Also all work MUST be completed prior to his 18th birthday

So - in 10 years with my current troop and and 375 plus meetings I have seem a commissioner twice. Oddly both times they rolled in for a Court of Honor. We are a good sized unit so maybe they ignore us. Always felt the commissioners look really good in theory, not so much in practice.

Sadly it comes down more often to who will step up and actually do the job needed. Many times it's not so much the choice of Mr/Mrs Right and more the case of Mr/Mrs Right Now. The DE is charged with adding more units and scouts, they need a leader and X number of adults and Y number of youth. If you sign up and pay your fees, you are the leader. The professional is not looking for the best leader, they just need A leader. In some cases the CO will be engaged, but often not so much.

Sometimes that is a necessity due to size, in some cases it is someone making their little empire.

I am going to so steal that analogy....

But hey...she's woodbadge trained 😁 Wonder what her critter is (was??) Full disclaimer..never attended WB nor do I plan to. There is likely some good to it, but see waaay too many adults who basically treat the WB experience, staffing, course personage as their contribution to the scouting program when if fact they have not camped with a troop or met an actual scout in years and basically are part of this adult cult of the pink hankie. WB does not make you a scouter. Leading youth in a challenging program and helping them along their journey as you work with them on the trails, in the rain, in the cold, in emergency situations, in trying times, and in a variety of situations to be productive adults, that's what makes you a scout leader. No special knot or tartan scarf needed.

That is not good Our unit is pretty old school I guess. All the key leaders (SM and ASM's) are guys, same with the committee members that regularly attend campouts and summer camps. We have female committee heavily involved with multiple support functions, but none in youth facing roles. We get support from moms (and dads) for driving to and from outings, etc. Not sure what is happening at the district level, that does not impact us. We are the largest troop in district at 100+ (x2 from the next sized one) so we have momentum and resources to do our own thing. That is in fact a blessing.

If a unit has to "force" older Scouts to attend to get a SM conference, the issue of conferences is likely the least of their worries. While we would always welcome more of the older scouts, the key to get them to the outings is to have engaging and fun / challenging outings. If the outing is solely based on advancement, then likely it will drive many away. If the district or council camporees do not get enough attendees, maybe pass on those (yes one could get involved and maybe plan more engaging ones but that is a long play). Key is to do stuff they may not do with their friends and families...backpacking because it's there, hiking back country rugged trails into a gorge because it's fun, getting hauled around the lake on a tube...well because, canoeing in a swamp because seeing alligators maybe 10' away is wicked fun. That is how you get older scouts to attend, not only doing SM conferences there.

It is a interesting study and article. This speaks volumes to peer pressure, also it speaks volumes to what is not known about gender identity and how transgender feelings are formed. One hopes much of this is not like tattoos, they seem really cool when you are 18 - 20....25 years later many wonder what in the world they were thinking.

Many of us not wholly excited about the changes to the program are heavily involved in the program and have been now for many many (oh so many) years. We are running / working in our units day in day out, week in week out, monthly outings, Saturday night campfires, taps being played in the evenings, flag ceremonies, Courts of Honors, meeting with Scouts on advancement, running merit badge sessions, engaging the troop in high adventure, developing leadership among the boys, working to have them in patrols...all the scouting stuff one does out in the mud and the woods. We see the changes as fundamentally altering not the stated aims of the program, but the tenure and tone of the program. To believe that adding girls to the program and that tone and tenure of summer camps or outings if one is doing the Linked troop model, will be same as prior is to deny the obvious. I am not saying it will be necessarily bad, but it will be different from the program I grew up in and the program my son went through. That loss is what we mourn. At this point those of us not wholly excited can continue business as usual. Candidly I feel that in a few short years the separate boy and girl units or the linked models will give way to a full coed program. The pressure from aging girls (and their families) who do not have a unit to move to, or the one they start is new and inexperienced, so they will not be able to earn the Eagle will become a conversation about disparity and unfairness.

And in your case actual field reality comes up against National direction. That direction is Girls and Boys in the same pack but single gender dens. If you do not have enough girls to make a den, then mixed ages in a den. This case you have 1 girl and then only other girls in the pack are 1st graders. Not a good situation if you are seeking to follow the program

But he's got the US Flag behind him....and a blue blazer with the BSA emblem and everything. Seems to be able to spin a tale, I might by a used car from him....

It was sort of all in wasn't it. Maybe a tad bit of overkill. More interesting may have been details on the Philmont recovery plan, information on the Northern Tier fires, what some units did instead of Philmont and how they accomplished that effort, Venture fest at Summit...you know...actual scouting stuff The focus on "Family Scouting" from National sort of reminds me of when you start seeing tons of ads for an upcoming movie. The amount of ads and promotions seems inverse to the actual public demand / interest for the actual content of the movie

Yep. I was the advisor for a coed explorer post in the 80's. For meetings, doing the Scout show, day activities, etc at that time only 1 leader was needed. No requirement for female or male, just a leader. The female leader was needed for the outings, and yes, the struggle was real to make that happen.

My comment was on the messaging and the actual mismanagement and continued mishandling of the program changes messaging. Likely, at this point, they are identical, never said they were not. There are issues with the tenure and tone of the program changes The original Oct 17 rollout specifically noted separate troops, then 30 - 60 days later linked troops was an option National rolls out updated YPT and sets a different standard for girls and leaders than boys in that if there are girls then there must be a female YPT leader. No such gender specific requirement if there are boys at an activity Summer 2018 there are two specific handbooks denoted by gender

I am very serious. The messaging concerning Boy Scouts (AKA Scouts BSA) has been IDENTICAL programs, no changes to the program, the same program for all, etc etc. Step on up and get your Eagle. Now there are in fact two handbooks, a Girls Handbook and a Boys Handbook. One would assume actually 4 handbooks, 2 for Girls English and Spanish and 2 for Boys English and Spanish. What message does that send? Basically subliminally telegraphing that there are in fact differences. There probably are not any other than the photos, but is that in fact the case (one would hope that is the case). Again, even another botched message from the tone deaf crowd at National.

There is not. The GTA does speak to the SM delegating the responsibility for the SM Conference to another leader if they are going to be absent for an extended period

But but...it's all the same...They promised Except.... Then they added the linked troops, then the early adopter units sort of looked the other way for girl only dens, then the councils looked the other way for the same, then units in Oregon played the system and started a girls Explorer Club and called them a troop and brought them to camp and there was much rejoicing, and then National rolled inconsistent adult leadership requirements and there was no explanation, and many units said they were just going to be coed, then many councils started inflating the number of perspective girl interested in cubs to look better, then they changed the name of the program for youth aged 11 - 17, and then there were 2 versions of the scout book for apparently the same program, listed by gender which we have been repeatedly told really does not matter Well done CSE and National Board, well played

This does seem an additional hoop that needs to be jumped through While the SM conference can be done at any time, as practice we have made that the last requirement before the BOR. This gives the ASM / SM an opportunity to review the book, make sure everything is signed off, etc. Our unit the ASM's perform the Scout / TFoot, and 2nd class SM conference. The SM does the 1st - Star - Life - Eagle. That being said if there is a scout requesting a SM conference and SM is not at an outing the SM will designate a unit leader to handle that so as not to hold up the process. For these we do work to get the Scouts to schedule them prior to meetings, outings, sort of the whole plan ahead thing. May not always work, but try move down that road Saturday evenings at campouts there are scouts circling looking for SM conferences and BOR's.