FireStone

I don't see the need to "lighten up" on something that arbitrarily adds time time to advancement. It's not about any disrecpect of the SM's time. That's why the clause is there for ASMs to take conferences, when the SM can't do it. If an SM wants to hold conferences outside of meetings, make more of a thing of it, fine. But tying it to a specific event, one that could be at least a month (or in some units a few months) away, that's not right.

So hypothetically, what happens when a Scout misses their Eagle deadline by a couple of weeks or months and then in looking back through the records it is noted that a SM conference was delayed for some time because of this unusual unit policy? Seems like a position I wouldn't want to put myself in as a leader to possibly have had a hand in that. Scouts are responsible for their own timeline and keeping track of the calendar for advancement, making sure they give themselves adequate time to advance. Arbitrarily throwing in an unofficial policy that will delay advancement is not something

He already did, it was denied.

We're doing the same here, using the new "Scout Me In" stuff in local stores, libraries, etc. In trying to maximize exposure with limited budget, doing a short print run of color flyers that can be posted in public places puts a lot of eyes on our Pack info without doing a 1-flyer-1-family ratio. We targeted local places with high traffic and/or high numbers of kids and parents, like the community center, libraries, ice cream shops, supermarkets, etc. We're putting up posters in schools (5 schools, 5 posters, it's fairly inexpensive), digital flyers are send home through the school distr

He had to know going into the project that his chance at the Eagle rank was going to hinge on the appeal process. It was a gamble all the way through. Some choice wording in the article, the author's bias is glaring. "Technicality derails Eagle bid..." You can't derail a train if gets started off the track. Is it still a "derailment" if a scout joins up at 16 and can't make Eagle? Is it still just a "technicality"? "It seems there's a rule requiring Eagle candidates to hold the rank of Life Scout for at least six months..." It seems? No, it's written, clearly. It's not some hidden

I was (possibly mistakenly) under the impression that the updated uniform pieces for Cubs would be out by summer (June). I briefly saw the new red Wolf neckerchiefs online, but then they were gone just as quickly. The only thing I've been able to find so far is the new solid-color-cover handbooks. Anyone heard anything about the uniform pieces? I was kind of hoping to tell my Wolf den we'd be wearing red in the fall, but right now it's not looking good for that to happen. I'm thinking I should plan to tell parents to buy the yellow hats and neckerchiefs.

I view adult uniform patches with utility in mind. How useful are they, and do they communicate something of value? There are patches that (I hope) instill a sense of trust in the parents of the kids in my Den. "Trained" for example. I realize it doesn't take much to get one of those, but I like that it suggest that I did something other than just buy a shirt and show up to be in a position to attempt to teach your kid something. Den Leader, Cub Master, etc., patches seem useful. Makes it pretty clear what each leader does, and any parent can just take a glance at your shoulder to know w

I'm kind of amazed that water guns and laser tag are subjects worthy of so much discussion. It has never occurred to me that either would really be all that important in a Scouting program. If I look back at my 12 years as a youth in Scouting, I don't think I'd ever have the thought that I missed out on anything by not ever having the chance to play laser tag. Also in thinking back on my youth Scouting days, I remember my Troop ditched our Council camp for many years because of the poor camp program. The issues expressed in the original post here sound a lot like problems/concerns I hear

The one case we know of in Scouting, the NJ boy, my understanding of that case is that the only reason anyone found out is because the mother informed leaders, and word spread to a parent who took issue with it. On appearances, no one could tell he wasn’t born a girl.

I agree civics is lacking in this country, but is Scouting the best venue for teaching it? Seems like we're picking up the slack where schools should be doing a better job. Personally I'd be fine with seeing all Citizenship MBs gone.

Amen. Scouting is far from doomed, because of the local effect. Scouting is thriving here in my town as well.

I can't help pointing out the contradiction in this statement. What if a scout's "own pace and time" is to reach First Class in a year? I always find it odd that we applaud a certain timeline (a longer one) for advancement while criticizing another (shorter) one, even though neither are encouraged or discouraged by the rank requirements. The time between ranks that occurs because of POR requirements is the only deciding factor. So why do we judge one choice vs. another when neither break any rules or adhere to any BSA standard best-practices? One of the most dedicated Scouts I've e

Love this idea. Definitely going on my list of suggestions. I know the town has a pretty rich scouting history, some names on the original charter are family names that are still around town. Probably could find a good number of people in the area with past affiliations with the unit, alumni, etc.

It's a little tricky to figure out from the article, but it basically sounds like this woman has issues with events taking place on the church property, which she lives adjacent to. So her response, with kids present, is to fire off a bunch of rounds in what seems like a deliberate attempt to scare children. Classy. 🙄

Ever looked into the BPSA? They kind of do that already, just with more progressive membership policies (no restrictions of the basis of gender, sexual orientation, or religion). But their program is definitely old-school, primarily outdoor-focused and with a much shorter list of merit badges.

I think there are uniform regulation lines that just shouldn't be crossed. Maybe sometimes those lines are a little blurry (am I really going to give an 18-year-old a hard time for wearing the Eagle badge?) and then I think there are lines that are crystal clear (the 40+ year-old Council guy wearing the badge is ridiculous). Some things we let slide, while some things are sacred in the BSA and should be respected. This is one of those things that I think needs to be respected. We're not talking about an improperly worn Bobcat badge here. This is about improper wearing of an Eagle rank bad

There's a guy at my local Council office who wears an Eagle rank badge and an Eagle square knot. He's probably in his 40s or 50s. I have not yet met him directly but I've seen him around and I'm sure the time will come when we cross paths and get to talking. We'll see how long I can bite my tongue. I'm guessing I won't make it much further than, "Hi, nice to meet you. So what's up with that rank badge?" 😁

Absolutely. I'm just saying that if this online system works as it's been explained to me, it would at least cut down on those "no report, no badge" trips. Again it's all in theory at this point, but if it works, you could basically show up at the shop and get a badge for your unit that is in the ScoutBook system as complete as of the minute you step up to the register. Of course this is the BSA, and so my skepticism regarding how smoothly this will all work as it has been explained to me is of course highly suspect.

I'm at the Cub level so I don't know exactly how much variation there is when it comes to the goal of quick recognition. But I do know that it is heavily emplasized by the BSA at the Cub level that recognition should happen quickly, no more than 2 weeks after completion of something. We want the Scouts to make that connection between what they did and what they received to mark the achievement. If months go by, the system is less effective. I suspect that the intent at the Troop level has to be about the same. We always want to connect the "doing" with the "recognizing", and for the youn

Breakdown of the intent and spirit of the Patrol Method was happening 20+ years ago by my memory, probably longer really. I don't think it's fair to try and pin any of that on the recent changes.

I've been told that with ScoutBook becoming the new National standard for advancement tracking, actual "paper" paperwork might go away. Not 100% sure yet, but it sounds like we could effectively show up at a Scout Shop and have advancement verified via computer, so no more delays in getting badges. In theory, at least.

They're not playing on any half-million-dollar fields over here. The field our Little League uses has almost as much grass on the infield as the outfield.

What I don't get is why anyone feels it necessary to wear the Eagle rank badge as an adult, when there are plenty of opportunities to display your Eagle accomplishment in other ways. There's the square knot (and 2 varieties to choose from if you want to pony up for the NESA Life Member option), Eagle neckerchiefs (again, multiple options), You can throw in an Eagle neckerchief slide if you want to, or wear an Eagle bolo, Eagle belt buckle, if your Council has a special Eagle shoulder patch you can wear that. There are Eagle rings, necklaces, jackets patches, various other patches and emblems,

I didn't think I was putting anything down, this is just my assessment of a cost comparison to what we most often get compared to, which is sports. Scouting is often viewed as the more costly activity, which I think is unfair being that we're a year-round activity. I'm not pitting anything against anything else. I just get tired of hearing about how expensive Scouting is, meanwhile families are doing other things that I believe are actually more expensive on a cost-per-month basis.

I think it's all still a bargain compared to other activities. Our local little league costs $125 per season (includes team t-shirt and cap) but that's for 3 months. If it were year-round like Scouting, that fee would probably be $500, and although their "uniform" is paid for in the registration fee, equipment isn't. Probably at least another $100+ annually for gloves, bats, pants, socks, etc. Want to do a week of summer baseball camp or extra training? That will cost more than the regular season. And it all gets you access to a grassy field. Scouting gets you access to indoor and outdoo