Jameson76

Change is inevitable and to say that BSA National has not handled the recent changes and no doubt upcoming changes in a professional and seamless manner, well, that would be kind. I saw an article that called out 4 common change management mistakes leaders make. Seems like BSA managed to hit all the key ones. Hopefully over the next 18 - 24 months and as they move to the girls joining in 2019 the messaging and details will maybe get better 1. They underestimate resistance 2. They neglect to define the ‘why’ 3. They underperform at change sponsorship 4. They believe and behave like the project ends at go-live

Maybe they did not read all the labels....Just remember, if there is a label, someone did it

As information - this is from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smokies this morning - It is beautiful but can be a tad steamy Clingmans Dome Friday 8:00 AM Mostly Cloudy 55 °F | °C Precipitation: 15% Humidity: 100% Wind: 2 mph

Disney Scouts......

The best was this nugget in the announcement While High Adventure opportunities are at capacity at Northern Tier and the Florida Sea Base, there are opportunities at The Summit and they would be happy to accommodate your crew. They keep pushing the Summit...they keep pushing it

You have to have the solar one, works great (or so I have been told)

Don't be hating on scavenger hunts. We do one for our Webelos visitation. Give the Patrols a listing of 80 items and give them 40 minutes to find. These range fro nature items to items Boy Scouts should have at a campout. Then we do a quick show me the item and see which group has the most items. Afterwards we do a review and talk about how do you accomplish a task such as this, how do the patrol leaders allocate their available manpower to accomplish. What were some of the obstacles? Snacks to the winners

We did a sham battle several years back (bringing back the oldies). Used sandwich bags, flour, and cornmeal. Made a projectile about the size of a closed fist, taped it up and let them have at it. The scouts had a lot of fun. The labor to make the shams and the time to clean up was not as much fun. We still enjoy a big annual capture the flag game and also manhunt games on campouts...in the dark...in the woods...organized by the scouts...with actual winners and losers...(we live on the edge)

To be clear, the GTSS (bow your heads) merely states Wheel cart (1-, 2-, or 4-wheeled) to be used by Youth 14 years and Older. Using my on-line law degree I note that cart, wagon, non powered conveyance is not specifically mentioned as forbidden. That which is not included is assumed to be excluded. If the wise ones from on high that handed down the tome that is the sacred GTSS had intended for wagons to be part of the decree, they would have stated thus. For examples the age group 14 and older are the ones that can use a pickaxe and a mattock, which seem to be the same (see below) but are in fact listed seperately PICKAXE MATTOCK

Got a nice note after camp a couple of weeks ago for our camp SPL thanking me for helping him with leadership lessons at camp. Also his mom wrote a note and thanked me for still being involved and being a leader even though my son aged out a few years ago We get the handshakes and thank yous in the parking lot, but the actual note or e-mail means a great deal

It is interesting to observe how mom and dads interact differently, and by extension how female leaders and male leaders interact differently. Full disclosure we do not have any program facing female leaders with our unit. Many support with committee roles, but we have not had a female camp with us for over 10 years. Note that we are a troop of about 100 scouts. When we get back from outings the moms almost instinctively pick up the scouts gear at unload while they are running around being boys. Many time we remind them that the scout needs to do that, they always seem to respond..oh right, sorry. Same for advancement and other inquiries, we gently remind them that the boy scout needs to drive their advancement. It does take both a mom and a dad (and sometime a village) to raise kids, and a mom is always a mom. God Bless them

Agree - there are maybe better venues for some of the non-outdoor merit badges.

Out of curiosity, Is this a coed den, or just different dens meeting at the same time and place?

There are definitely some LNT zealots out there. Can we all do a better job of lessening our impact while camping, absolutely. If you were camping in the 60' and 70's as the low impact became the thing, the thought was to not camp where others had camped as that would lessen the impact, no designated sites, it's gonna be great. Well, you ended up with impact all over an area. Now rangers and whatnot have realized that if you can direct the impact, you can in fact lessen the overall impact. Impact the crud out of this area, but it lessens the impact elsewhere The challenge is for people (normal everyday people and not those that camp for a living) to appreciate public lands, they need to have access to the public lands. These people pay the taxes that support that, eliminating ability to visit the lands (and oh no impact them) will make them less valuable and relevant. Geotag all you want. More people that are excited to visit, more potential tax money.

I would posit that they were out of touch in 73 with BOYPOWER MANPOWER and the Improved Scouting Program...so I would move that timeline out to at least 45 years. Though the uniform update in early 80's (Thanks Mr De Larenta) was a brief shining moment

More time may be spent debating what is 72 hours than just registering folks and moving on. For weekend outing, even long weekend (like MLK) 72 hours is stretch. Meet at 6:30 am on Saturday and return to CO at 5:00 pm on a Monday, that is maybe 60 hours. Most weekend trips are at best 48 hours; Friday night to Sunday afternoon. We register anyone attending or staying at summer camps, just easier that way.

The boys need minimal direction, a clear goal, and ability to have fun. Some of the best activities we have are when we can just let them have a goal, and they come up with the way to get there. The troop provided 3 boxes, a plastic painters tarp, and a roll of duct tape. Goal was to build a boat for one person to navigate to a buoy about 50' out and back. They had 1 hour The "iron chef" competitions. Give them 3 random ingredients they need to include in their patrol dinners Build some check dams for a conservation project, 5 minutes of instruction with PLC of what a check dam is and how they are built, one hour later 4 good check dams to slow down water are in place Agree on the school work merit badges. Many of the scouts have zero interest in completing them, or see them as heeewge mountain to climb. More action, let them lead, keep them between the ditches. Also give them time to socialize and enjoy the day (or evening) at campouts. Every minute does not have to be scheduled.

NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. - Authorities are investigating a deadly incident at a Boy Scout camp in Newton County. Newton County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Jeff Alexander told Channel 2 Action Newsthere was an incident at the camp that resulted in a death. We have a reporter and photographer headed to the scene to learn more information. WATCH Channel 2 Action News for LIVE updates. Radio reports indicated this happened during a storm, possibly tree down on tent

Maple Syrup, Hockey, and the liberal use of the word "eh"??

Don't forget the turkey leg eating contest...

My intended poke at the current expectations may have been missed, yes there will be impact. I hope it will it not end up a repeat of ISP in the 70's. Listening to the CSE and Reading the FAQ this is the blanket statement - Q: Will girls have to meet the same requirement to achieve Eagle Scout? Yes. Young women will have the opportunity to earn the Eagle Scout rank by meeting the same criteria and achievements as young men. To your point and to many who have made the point, I think this is a simplistic view to assume that things will not change. Who can predict what the final "product" will look like. If, for example, summer camps are not game planning 2019 and beyond they are behind the curve. Will the merit badges that fill up now be the same as what the revised population of the Boy Scouts...sorry Scouts USA wants/seeks? There will likely be some push back and adjustment on some requirements. One challenge may be some related to outdoor and camping. Will new girl troops be able to offer enough outings and secure enough female adults to have these? Our unit goes on 13 outdoor events in a year, will a new troop be able to quickly offer that depth? Not saying they will not, but that could be an issue. Even with seasoned troops that is a challenge sometimes, though more for attendance than cancelled outings. If the hope (plan??) is for these multitude of new units that could tax resources.

You need to get on-board with the expected offerings, the BSA program will not be "specifically for girls"...the BSA program will be the same for Boys and Girls and there will be NO CHANGES to the current program with the addition of girls to the program The FAQ (15+ pages I might add) on Family Scouting states that and if it says it is so...it is so

Oh where to begin: Two registered adult leaders 21 years of age or over are required at all Scouting activities, including meetings. There must be a registered female adult leader over 21 in every unit serving females. A registered female adult leader over 21 must be present for any activity involving female youth. Notwithstanding the minimum leader requirements, age- and program-appropriate supervision must always be provided.

Maybe....

We provide for the patrols cooking gear, water bladder, stove, lanterns, tarps, table, fire bag. Scouts provide everything else In the trailer we carry consumables; propane, mantles, trash bags, whatnot. Also we have dutch ovens as needed