Jameson76

We give out the rank badges at the end of the meetings when the scouts complete the BOR. Scout does BOR and bam...he is recognized and goes home with the new rank patch. Neat thing is seeing them with the new rank on their uniform at the next meeting. At the COH they are awarded the card and small pin. Yes, we do pick up rank patches on occasion. One scout came up the next week and was seeing what could be done as he had lost his patch. We asked what did he do with it last week, he said put it in his pocket, as he touched his left pocket on his shirt. I asked if he checked both pockets, he said yes, then reached into his right pocket and like magic, there was the patch. He shuffled off to patrol time

They are literally everywhere, if the Scouts look. We encourage them to look at organizations they are involved with if possible so there will be a higher sense of ownership and buy in. Also many have come from relative that are involved with shelters, schools, etc and the scouts take on those - Schools - Churches - Sports groups - Parks

The frisbee works, just gotta make sure you wipe off the dog spittle

For those who really like to delve into the minutia and detail, how do hammocks fit into all of this?? For Rank - the Scout must “spend the night in a tent that you pitch or other structure that you help erect, such as a lean-to, snow cave or teepee.” Sidenote - do the OA can't do Indian stuff people know about the teepee deal in the requirements?? For Camping merit badge - Sleep each night under the sky or in a tent you have pitched.Sleep each night under the sky or in a tent you have pitched. What if they sleep in hammock under the stars, with a rain fly?? Soooo many questions. For the record, we count sleeping in hammocks as a camping. Honestly at summer camp most of the scouts sleep in hammocks anyway

Good luck to him That being said, the whole Scouts for Equality group could be a thread or forum unto itself. As with many things, the name sounds OK, but then you drill down to the politics and it gets more polarizing. Hey, let's get this group top change to what we want them to be....

Local district OA got weary of doing multiple Crossover ceremonies, so they now do 2 Saturday's, at 2 hour intervals. Also they do them in February, so time compressed for Web II We have worked with the packs at our CO (there are 2) and now we the troop handles the Crossover ceremony. This is done late March. We have the bridge and the Scouts do the ceremony. Actually works well, not as elaborate but moves along. Webs get the AOL and arrow presented by the pack. Then we do the crossover, they wander the bridge, shake hands. Then there is cake.

Interesting on the paper stuff. Due to trash and mounds of debris we moved away from paper products many years back. Admittedly the cabin with the single kitchen is a one off. Don't do a lot of cabin camping below the Mason Dixon line. We are a larger troop and typically camp with 4 to 6 patrols (sometimes patrols combine for an outing) with 35 - 45 scouts camping. Even with no paper products, 3 pot method, etc still have to police up a bunch. Scouts bring mess kits etc etc

Is this another Buzzfeed deal? What council is proposing this and when (if) does this go into effect?

Some of us are already on that train and well down the tracks.

The Government impasse has impacted Cub Scout camping off the GA coast http://www.myajc.com/lifestyles/shutdown-sends-cobb-cub-scouts-camping-trip-home-early/IctvwkpBO44GYHYzR1uBQM/

Wait...there are other troops out there??

Depends on the troop and the experience. We backpacked one time as a tropical storm was heading into the area the day we hiked out. I knew we could take a developed road out to the vehicles and there was a shelter at the campsite. We had a a good day on Saturday; hiked, camped, and explored. The rains came during the night. We knew it was not going to be cold and the hike out was only a couple of miles. The hike out in the pouring rain was epic. Scouts has a fun, we got a little wet. Loaded up and headed out. Key was we knew what was coming and when. I would not have gone out if the storm was coming in the day we were hiking in, too many issues with wind and trees.

As the captain on the Titanic said...the ship is sinking, time to go

These quotes (if accurate) fill me with confidence "What will we recommend?" Surbaugh wrote. "Frankly, I'm not sure." "And, don’t even get me started on all the abuse I get from those who don’t like any of this because it’s not fully co-ed," Surbaugh wrote. "Any miscellaneous garbage that comes out of this office will 'face the wrath of the dark side of the force,''' he wrote. Also...the "family" things rears it's ugly head again gave an option for members to choose a "family troop" that would contain both all-boy patrols and all-girl patrols. This pretty much sums it up... However, Surbaugh's email suggests that the board is still unclear about the "philosophy and program design" for welcoming older girls in Boy Scouts troops. Train is rolling down the tracks, the conductor has no idea where it will stop or how it got in this set of track, no idea where the stations are, and sadly no idea where the passengers are hoping to go

Likely it would look sort of like this

Hey - my book has the same pages!!!

We rotate through a few of the Eagle required with some specific classes outside the meetings every couple of years. Cit in the Community, Personal Management, Family Life. Scouts do most of the work outside the class. Class is really a time to check on how they are are doing, what needs to be done. Each MB has some specific instruction needed. Just coming to the classes will not earn the MB. They have to do and present the work, do the time period tracking etc. As noted if scouts are active there are multiple opportunities for advancement.

Now I can hang out in the troop's office at the church for all eternity...that will be great

Come on now, having those bank robbers and other miscreants around the campfire will up the bar on conversation. "So Mr Smith, how easy was it to evade the FBI?"

We play that game but call it the trash can game. Use a 50 gallon trash can and the scouts drag each other to "touch" the can. Touch being you drag each other to violently interact with the trash can. Great times.

Absolutely spot on. We are going down the fortress of solitude path. There are two packs at the CO. One is (was??) embracing the addition of girls into the pack, but not sure how that will be done. One is not. We are not 100% sure about the annual Webelos visitation in the fall, not sure if there will be any girls. Key is we will set the bar that yes they can visit, but they cannot join this particular troop. As the large troop in the area we are planning to continue business as usual. If the CO wants to sponsor and start a BS4G troop, enjoy. Our position at this time is that would in fact be a separate unit. There was a Venture crew at the CO and the advisor wanted to dual register all of our older scouts to keep the charter. Our feedback was that's great, but that will be the scouts decision, and you will need some program for them. As they had no members, it was a tough sell. Same will be if there is a BS4G unit. If they need leaders, they will need to recruit leaders, get trained, and enjoy their scouting journey. No paper leaders

Honestly it will become a movement of many types of units. (talking the 11 and older crowd, lord knows what cubs will evolve to). The family based units will rise and fall, take a lot of care, and will not be scouts as we (well some of us) know it. There will also be the BS4G units, these will be new, maybe some experienced scouters, they may be "sister" troops to existing units and these will quietly become co-ed units. Then there will be the traditional Boy Scout troops. Those of us running these and providing Boy Scouts the outdoor program, patrol method, and leadership experiences will continue on. We will be there, doing monthly outings, weekly meetings, Greenbars and scouts doing the planning. Already some of these units do not participate in district events, shun the council camporees. We will take a wait and see what happens attitude for week long summer camps as that develops. If you want to find us, come out to the woods. The scouts will be camped in one area, the few leaders a good bit away. No families, siblings, or pets. Vehicles parked a good well out of sight. Hopefully the troop will be one step above Lord of the Flies running a program that at it's core is designed to fail, so the scouts can learn from that experience.

But, as the day is not over, one can never tell with BSA National. They do seem to sort of do what they want. In this case maybe, just maybe, they will do a survey, then based on the unpublished results of the survey (questions and/or answers) make a proclamation that all the work done prior to being officially allowed in the scouts can in fact be counted so as to clear the road. This will be done because XX% of those surveyed, even though they are not in the program, feel that a program such as the Boy Scouts of America (NOTE - Current name and subject to change based on survey results) should allow exceptions for the heretofore excluded class known as girls. Also they might join a group that undertook such an action While sounding far fetched right now, check back in 12 months

Maybe we are just waaay old school, but I can (and have seen) how what you describe can happen. We are not that kind of troop. We do have to engage drivers. While we there is reimbursement, in the last 10 years nobody has asked for it. Note we have 30 - 40 scouts attend outings, so 8 - 10 cars each trip. Usually mostly leaders but a few spare ones for transport. Mostly we recommend deducting the mileage. We do have moms drive and some non camping dads. Clear emphasis is to get them unloaded and back on their way asap. That being said we typically can camp within 2 hours or less of drive from CO parking lot. There are the longer summer camps and (upcoming) winter trips Expectation is all vehicles out of camp area for the weekend. Even if only 50 yards in a parking area, get the cars out of camp. Only exception is the vehicle with the trailer. No dogs / beer / siblings / etc. If we leaders can setup where they cannot see the scouts, que beuno. We were doing a wide game one campout. The scouts were maybe 1/3 mile way down the road, clearly out of site and sound. We packed up on Sunday morning and then debated should we just leave as the ride back would be quieter. We conceded to go get the troop. Drove around the bend, camp was down, gear was lined up, and scouts were out policing up the field of play. Love it when a plan comes together.

He is an NYC lawyer, I feel you have answered your question