Jameson76

Some take COPE, some have taken some MB classes they have not had an opportunity to take prior (Welding / Metalwork / One took Orienteering), some have participated in the whitewater challenge (5 days / 5 rivers) some have taken the offsite options; backpacking / whitewater / other things. One Eagle took BSA Lifeguard one year. They assist as JASM's for the week and guide the new scouts. Our guideline is scheduled things during the morning before lunch. Afternoons enjoy the camp, some sleep all afternoon.

Never have I seen or been aware of ANY council or district professional or volunteer actually going out and meeting with successful units. Success being either sustained growth or maintained membership. Also they can check within the council on regular advancements for a unit. Do some benchmarking. What is this or that unit doing. Not all situations are repeatable, but likely with enough data points there will be some commonalities that can be used Some of these may be: Strong outdoor program Regular high adventure Outings where scouts have fun Youth led unit Regular meetings where scouts lead Regular TLC meetings where scouts plan Youth decide where to have outings and events Engaged leaders that mentor Adult leaders that realize scouting is part of the scouts activities and may not be their only activity

In the annual report (at least 2016) they also noted the 492,159 "Scouts" in Career based programs and Learning for Life. Also interesting drops since 1998 Cubs - 43% Boy Scouts - 19% (honestly less than I may have been led to believe) Venturing - 54% Total - 36% Pretty good drop for Cubs. Thought that was the growth area.

You can tell that the firm of Dewey, Cheathum, and Howe has been hard at work in Irving, TX What a joke, you have to be at least 14 to use these??? Pickaxe Mattock Posthole digger Wheel cart (1-, 2-, or 4-wheeled) Paint roller with extension pole Screwdriver (electric) Handheld sander (small) Cutting tools (e.g., Dremel, small) Paint sprayer (small, less than 50 psi) 16 or older to use these??? Residential lawn mower (self-propelled, riding) Commercial lawn mower (push, self-propelled, riding) Line trimmer (electric, gas-powered) Edger (electric, gas-powered) Leaf/grass blower (electric, gas-powered) Hedge trimmer (electric, gas-powered) Belt sander (electric, cordless) Pressure washer (50 to 100 PSI) But Everyone can use these tools Leaf/grass rake Hoe Shovel Hand clipper (small) Screwdrivers Nail hammer Handsaw Trowel Hose spray washer Wood sanding block (handheld) Wood chisel (Scouts with Totin’ Chip) Pocketknife (Scouts with Whittling Chip or Totin’ Chip) And over 18 for these Circular, reciprocating, jig, or radial saw Band and scroll saws Router/planer Chain saws Log splitters Wood chippers

Creeps me out that my phone knows where I'm at, don't want my jacket keeping tabs on my comings and goings. Also would you need to plug your jacket in to keep it ready to roll? Great...now I have to install outlets in the closet. It NEVER ends!!

I led what I guess would have been a precursor to Venturing which was a High Adventure Explorer post in the 80's. Had some guys from the troop, then a few sisters, and BAM we had a post. Ran it for 3 years or so. Hard part was over 21 females, burned through a few girlfriends dragging them on outings. Then the ones that started with it become HS Seniors or graduated and drifted away, then we tried recruiting some, and it sort of faded away. Tough to sustain without a good feeder program (Cubs to Scouts). That is soooo true. When there are serious audits on membership numbers for LFL and Scoutreach it is comical (in a really sad way). Yes it can and should be a good program and the councils get a feel good see what we are doing moment. The best is when professionals who are supposed to be working with the units have no idea where the unit may actually meet. Members who have no idea they are members.

Assumed since it was noted schools, that mean Learning for Life, but I stand to be corrected The "Learning for Life" and "Scoutreach" seem to serve the same populations but (from what I can read) in different ways LFL - Learning for Life (LFL) is a United States school and work-site based youth program that is an affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America. It utilizes programs designed for schools and community-based organizations that are designed to prepare youth for the complexities of contemporary society and to enhance their self-confidence, motivation, and self-esteem, and for careers. Learning for Life is not considered a traditional Scouting program; it does not use the Scout Promise, Scout Law, uniforms or insignia of traditional Scouting. All Learning for Life programs are open to youth and adults without restriction based on gender, residence, religion, sexual orientation, or other considerations, other than minimum age requirements. Some Explorer posts may require background checks and satisfactory school transcripts as conditions of membership. Scoutreach is a division within the Council with an emphasis to recruit passionate adult leaders and to develop strong relationships with organization in urban, suburban, and rural areas, removing barriers to ensure that all youth have the opportunity to join Scouting. The Council is dedicated to ensure that every child has an opportunity to join Scouting, no matter their circumstance. Scoutreach assistance can provide camperships, uniforms, handbooks, transportation, and leadership of a Scout unit.

Yes Yes - Learning for Life Scouts. A program with great intentions and really can fit a need. That being said, it is rife with potential for abuse and membership shenanigans. These Scouts are 14% of the membership total for BSA (2016 numbers). The councils and nationals solicit monies for their membership, so in many cases no real cost to the participants. They may not even know they are involved in Scouts. Actually in some cases they did not know because the groups never met and were paper only units.

The significance is this shows the level of pointless corporate speak within the BSA, dare I say lack of professionalism, and almost looks like the kids are playing at being a corporation. This is from the highest levels of the same organization that made a major organization change with really poor roll out, weak plans, amateurish communications, no full understanding of the impact to the units, and no serious plan on how to carry out their master stroke. This "job" posting shows how poorly the corporate BSA is run. Not saying the same about councils, but helps fill in the holes we have all wondered about what really is going on with all the Gold Tabs

Hopefully not this

Need to get used to Streamlined things, this way everyone can get.....

Hey...those photos weren't sending themselves

Russian hackers... Also - Don't want any of this foolishness

Myriad of issues here, but the headline about fighting changes to state’s Hidden Predator Act is not favorable to the program - the Boy Scouts said they “strongly support certain parts of HB 605, which would reform the civil statute of limitations for child abuse giving survivors more time to pursue justice. We do not support it in its current form, however, because it does not strengthen efforts that experts agree can help keep children safe and includes provisions that would hinder the ability of youth-serving organizations to protect the children they serve.” http://www.myajc.com/news/crime--law/boy-scouts-among-groups-fighting-changes-state-hidden-predator-act/lJ5sDKg4tROfpQf9abQcAK/

No joke, maybe I can apply online via their dial up modem using my Blackberry - You need to be have Expert level proficiency using Adobe Creative Suite. (which had the last release 6 years ago) Adobe Creative Suite (CS) was a software suite of graphic design, video editing, and web development applications developed by Adobe Systems. Each edition consisted of several Adobe applications, e.g., Photoshop, Acrobat, Premiere Pro or After Effects, InDesign, and Illustrator that are the industry standard applications for many graphic design positions. The last of the Creative Suite versions, Adobe Creative Suite 6 (CS6), was launched at a release event on April 23, 2012, and released on May 7, 2012. CS6 was the last of the Adobe design tools to be physically shipped as boxed software as the model for future releases and updates would be delivered via download only. On May 6, 2013 Adobe announced that CS6 would be the last version of the Creative Suite,and that future versions of their creative software would only be available via their Adobe Creative Cloud subscription model. Adobe also announced that it would continue to support CS6 and would provide bug fixes and security updates through the next major upgrades of both Mac and Windows operating systems (as of 2013).The Creative Suite packages were pulled from Adobe's online store in 2013, but were still available on their website until January 2017.

CO built us a 16 x 20 shed. We put shelving in and it works great. The troop is the only one with the keys. Also we have a small trailer we load for outings If the CO will let you build one, one of the garden sheds, maybe a 10 x 10 would be about $2,000. Which may be out of reach, but a longer term solution and likely less expensive over several years

Some definite measurable deliverables there

We carved out and built a meeting area down behind the CO on their land, backs up to some houses. Put in a bridge over a gully, assembly area with flagpoles and benches in meeting areas for patrols. We hang lanterns for lighting. You come down a hill to get to the area. If one comes later pretty neat to look down and see the lanterns, Scouts running about.

Natahala is fun but we tend to gravitate to the Ocoee, more frightening

Overburdened?? You just have to get on the membership train, more stuff is BETTER Used to be 3 years of Cubs then one got to Scouts (waaay back in the day) Let's make it School year so they all advance at the same pace Let's go camping Let's all go camping as a family Let's add a year of Webelos so we can lower the entrance age Let's add Tigers so we can lower the entrance age again Let's add popcorn sales Let's add camp card sales Let's add Girl Dens / Boy Dens / Coed Packs Let's add kindergartners so we can lower the entrance age again Let's do Cub Scouts for 6 FUN FILLED YEARS!!!

A good bit of Monday morning Quarterbacking sadly going on. Yes he was a bit odd, but law enforcement can do little unless actual laws are broken. There may have been red flags, but not sure if a red flag is against an applicable law. No real laws against being weird. Good input that someone on certain medications and diagnosis maybe should not have firearms. Cannot disagree. But how is that enforced? Database is trumpeted, but with HIPPA and privacy laws, not sure how that would be done Well he was a little crazy, but the efforts to get somebody involuntarily committed are onerous.

The on-line sign up and generating of attendance rosters from Excel saves tons of time. Can see which events need more promotion and which are doing fine

Definitely no weight challenged, would not be able to fit all of them into the group photo

Correct In looking at the approved and provided photo (graphic??), Family Scouting also does NOT include: Only children families Families with more than three children Children more than 3 years apart unless the youngest is an infant Single parents (male) Single parents (female) Families with children of the same gender Male parents shorter than the female parents Bald parents Frowning