an_old_DC

Fixed that for you. There is nothing about siblings in Scouts BSA

District Executive. A junior-level paid professional.

In my experience, they can’t do that very well. That’s why they need to strong arm council and district volunteers to do FOS presentations and beg parents for money. Anyway, if the Lodge Chief, Chapter Chief and Chief of Ceremonies want to use a group chat or some such to make sure the camp is ready for a Fellowship and all of the Principals have their gear, know their speaking parts and commit to being at camp on time, it’s ok with me and I don’t need to know how they get this done as long as it gets done. if my Crew Pres, VP, and VP of Activities do the same thing to prepare for an event or outing, good for them. I believe that is the leadership and initiative we are tasked with helping them develop.

@Eagle94-A1 does your district have a female DE? Maybe she could help? Does your council have an official or self-proclaimed Family Scouting Advocate/Champion or some such? If so, they should be helping...hold them accountable

Would you pay $30 for all day at UoS which includes a box lunch and patch? How about $35?

Be glad your council only mandates a 15 percent profit. Mine requires more. That’s why UoS instructors pay the same registration fee as participants.

Yep, same thing here.

Units are autonomous and can do what they want: entire packs can go canoeing, unrelated girls and girl siblings can completely mix with boy dens for all activities and even "unofficially" earn advancement, etc. Troops can make up their own advancement policies including when or if a Scout can have a conference with his SM, BORs retesting Scouts and then denying advancement, having SM, CC and other adults' daughters tagalong on camping trips and "unofficially" earn advancement. The list goes on and on. Another good one is that district and council volunteers are paid employees. So as a District Commissioner, it doesn't matter how many phone calls, emails and meetings it takes with a unit to help them sort out problems, because "that's what you get paid for."

I have been back to the website, and watched the accompanying videos again, and I still cant decipher what exactly is going on. After further review, it sounds more like it's for professional development.

@fred johnson, but the Scouts are ignorant of the rules, and generally, so are the parents. That's how these types of leaders get away with "75 percent of the meetings and 50 percent of the campouts" over XXX months policies. They just repeat that over and over until it becomes troop doctrine about what "active" means, and Scouts and parents typically don't know the GSS even exists or that BSA actually has policies on these matters. But I agree with you, btw.

All three of my Eagle Scout sons have aged out of the program, and all three of them and I have the same feeling you expressed above.

My guess is it means fewer low-level professionals with the expectation that district and council volunteers will pick up the slack.

It's not just for units. MBC who fail to meet the deadline will be dropped, as well as district, council, area, region, etc. volunteers.

So...if you can garner some support from other adults on the committee, but the SM and CC show no sign of changing the policy, you and the other adults should speak with the COR. Not an email, but a face to face meeting. Sometimes the COR will just say that whatever the SM and CC want is fine with them. However, if the COR is truly engaged and you have some critical mass (so it isn’t just one parent complaining), then the COR may intervene. You never know, maybe there have been lots of complaints about the SM over the years and the COR wants a change. That can happen too.

@Hawkwin, thanks for the background on the emails. I have mediated this type of situation more times than I wish as DC. Frankly, based on everything you report, I recommend you look for a new troop. I know it’s not right or fair, but that’s where it is. You and your son could stay and your son could live with SM conferences on campouts, but I fear the relationship is already strained. if your son has some buddies who also wish SM conferences were not only done on campouts, maybe they could all switch troops together?

I have to agree with @fred johnson on this. I too believe the SM is wrong on this, but @Hawkwinyou are mistaken if you think somebody will "make" the SM drop his policy. I have seen this played out numerous times, and unless there is a legitimate safety or YPT violation, nothing usually changes. Your son can ask for a BOR under disputed circumstances without the SM conference, and then have the BOR conducted by district volunteers. But what then? Unless he switches troops, he's gonna be "that Scout," and you will be "that parent" to the SM, CC and other adults. It'll be difficult for your son. I have also seen troops tell a family "this is the way we have always done things and if you don't like it, maybe its best for you to find another troop." Not saying any of this is right, but it's the way things play out sometimes.

I am barely holding on now. If what your FiL says does indeed come to pass, I am done.

@nateisenThere has been a lot of feedback in this thread. Some good, and some, well, wrong. For example, parents don't "get" to make decisions about pack organization or structure. Do yourself a favor: call your local council and ask for the Scout Executive. Tell him or her your situation and ask for professional guidance. He or she will tell you how the council is handling girls in Cub Scouts.

No. When news about girls in Boy Scouts first came down from National I voiced my opposition to a young DE who immediately called me a “conditional Scouter.” He is too young and inexperienced to have thought of that on his own, and I later heard that from senior professionals in the office. They are the same people who knew they would get push back from the “red coats” ...which the pros in our area also use in a demeaning manner.

I too believe they will become co-ed. In a few years, BSA brass will announce troops can officially be co-ed and they will say “this is what parents and volunteers want.” It’s the same argument they currently use for mixed gender packs

@qwazseYes, I do know. I have been a Crew Advisor for 10+ years, have taken mixed crews to Philmont and other HA, etc., even had one young lady from my crew additionally serve on the Council’s VOA. So I have plenty of experience with female Venturers. And yes, a young lady was the most efficient, organized and effective President our crew ever had.

@qwazseall of the BSA Family Scouting FAQ say linked troops will have their own PLC, which is responsible for planning their own troop’s meeting and outings

No. I don’t have the time and energy for the baggage that would come with starting a troop for girls. -ongoing struggle to find registered female leaders to be at every meeting and outing -repeated meetings with Samantha Second Class’s parents to explain that unless they are registered ASMs, they cannot sign off for rank req in her handbook -repeated meetings with Tammy Tenderfoots parents to tell them they cannot sign off on her merit badges because they are not registered MBC -Paula Patrol Leader does not like to camp and quits attending meetings because she is in marching band. After scheduling multiple SM conferences with her—and the registered female ASM as a witness—to explain the responsibilities of a POR and clearly stating the consequences of not doing the job, her term ends with her never doing the job. As SM, I won’t sign her book saying she satisfactorily completed the term—because she didn’t. This throws off her timing and plan to be the first female Eagle Scout in the troop and among the first in Council, so Mom and dad call the SE alleging sexual discrimination because I don’t want a girl to be Eagle

Do a beautification project for wherever they meet: VFW, Moose Lodge, etc. paint a building, trim trees and bushes, plant flowers or whatever.

@Eagle1993why aren’t the CM and ACM or CM and CC being the “acting DLs” to keep the boy Tiger den afloat?