FireStone

This is so poorly worded and tone deaf. Family Scouting was a smart concept for Cub Scouts. It makes no sense as a marketing tool for Troops. And like Jameson76 mentioned, it's not what 11-17 year olds want. Also pitching this as a solution to inadequate numbers needed to start a single-gender troop is just pure nonsense. This didn't come about to solve that problem and we all know it. I'm 100% in favor of this all happening, it's long overdue, but I don't get this particular marketing pitch to roll it out as "family scouting". It makes no sense.

I've seen it a handful of times but what reminded me of this was seeing 2 in one camp, but in different units. I actually find it helpful, if everyone abides by the square knot rule it's easy to tell who is a late-teens scout vs. a late-teens adult.

I have so many questions... How did the driver get out? The doors had to be pinned shut. The thing traveled 75 YARDS after impact?? Wish there was video of that. How were there no injuries? Lastly, how about the troop gets to keep the car and they call it even?

Adults wearing Eagle rank patches. Not the square knot, the oval. And I'd personally let it slide for an 18 or 19-year-old, but I'm seeing too many 50-something men wearing an oval Eagle rank patch.

If a troop is starting with 11 and 12 year olds, does it even make sense to have an SPL to start?

We're moving ahead with girls-only for now, we have 2 boy troops in town already, and we are already moving along with the AOL boys preparing them to select one of those troops to join at crossover. I could be convinced to change that at some point, but that's not the plan for starting out next year regardless of what we find out in February.

We're in the early stages (working with CO and Council) to kick off a girls troop for a small group of girls completing their Cub Scout journey in March. I'm going through the SM training and trying to start to formulate a plan to hit the ground running in March despite having a roster of 11-year-olds and no older scouts to teach skills and lead younger scouts. We have a CO on board already, same CO as our Pack and CO of a boys troop, and we initially have agreement with the boys troop to have a shared Committee. From a high-level perspective, I'm just curious if anyone who has been through this or watch new troops get started have any advice, recommendations, tips, tricks, cautionary tales, etc., that could help along the way in these early stages of creating a troop and thinking about those first few months and first meetings. What worked well? What would you do differently if you had to do it again? I know there is only so much I can do with limited resources to start, so what should a new SM in a new troop prioritize? Program? Recruiting? Fundraising? Events/activities/summer camp? All of the above?

I guess it depends on how exactly Council is approaching this. From the OP it was described as "the council went after both the troop's money and equipment," which doesn't really sound like they were asking for stuff, more like demanding it or suggesting that it is their property. Even at that, maybe theft still isn't the right word but it still seems borderline criminal if they are effectively making a CO believe that stuff that belongs to them doesn't actually belong to them and should be handed over. Unless the Council rep doing the demanding is ignorant of the policy and thinking they have the right to those assets. But I have a hard time believing that would be true when money is involved. If someone in their professional capacity is asking a unit to hand over money, they should be darn sure that they are in the right to make that kind of a demand and that the funds are handled appropriately.

Pretty sure that's theft. As others have mentioned, the CO technically is the holder of the assets of the unit. It's why a lot of troop trailers are registered by the CO, insured by the CO, etc. They're not Council assets, they belong to the CO. Folding the troop doesn't default the assets to Council.

What's the minimum cabin layout requirements that would be needed to accommodate AOL dens overnight in a cabin(s) with a male den, female den, and parents attending (mixed group male and female) and be YPT compliant? Could one large cabin be used if it has 4 rooms (with doors) to separate all youth by gender and adults by gender?

20 minute drive in either direction (one troop to the east, one to the west, both about 20 minutes away). Entirely different towns and school districts.

I just don't know of any other areas of my life where people congratulate someone for something and feel compelled to say they've done the same thing. I've never congratulated someone for a graduation and felt the need to immediately say that I also graduated from a school. In a broader conversation, sure, things like that might come up. it's just not what I would say in a brief offer of congratulations, basically in the same sentence. It's my pet peeve, I know it's not everyone's. I guess I just like to be more understated.

Anyone know of any data on retention rates for scouts who join troops outside of their hometown vs. being members of an in-town troop? The reason I'm asking: Some folks in my daughter's Pack are discussing the possibility of starting a local girls' troop or having the girls join an out-of-town troop after they finish Cub Scouts. My concern with an out-of-town troop is the possibility of scouts feeling a little disconnected by being in a troop that isn't in their own town and mostly with kids that they don't also go to school with. Are scouts more likely to stick with the program if they have a troop in their own town? Do we know that joining an out-of-town troop is or is not a detriment to willingness and enthusiasm to stick with the program?

Unpopular opinion I'm sure, but: Eagle Scouts who can't congratulate a new Eagle without making it about themselves and mentioning that they are an Eagle (usually along with the year they earned it as well). Why not just a "Congrats, huge achievement, best of luck in your future endeavors."

A post 6 years in the making... So it took a while, but I finally found one of these and picked it up on eBay. I'm going to rock it on my uniform for a bit. 😄