mrjohns2

I feel like merit badge inflation means many scouts are filling their sashes up faster. 40” gives you more space.

I hope to be in staff next year or the year after. I too would be very interested in what was bad. I would hope we all could learn from your experience.

How so? This doesn’t affect individual units. Only when more units camp together. It also affects said multiple units at BSA Camp property or not.

First thing, pay your dues for the OA and get an OA flap and sew it on your uniform. The 2 lodges I have been a part of have their chapter meetings the same night / time as roundtable. So, start attending. In my experience, don't expect a lot, but you are there to make it better. In our lodge, 2 of the lodge weekends a year are more chapter focused since we have 4 council camps, they divide the lodge in the spring and fall. Talk with the chapter chief and see where they need help. After talking with the chapter chief, then talk with the chapter adviser. See where they need help. Between the two, you could find a niche for yourself to start. Find a need and help resolve it. My plan, as my daughter begins to get involved with the OA (she just did her ordeal last month), is to see what she is interested in. Without specific direction from her, I am going to suggest helping to improve elections and move them from just elections to also help promote camp. For my Wood Badge ticket, I did a Where to Go Camping list of ~80 places for our troop. The lodge hasn't had a real Where to Go Camping guide for about 10 years, and I have offered to advice a group of members on getting that going. But, these examples are how I want to help.

The same thing is with the James West Fellowship knot. It is up to you if you wear the lifetime NESA version of the knot or not. My family only got me the 5 year membership (?) when I earned my eagle. When I just recently got back into scouts after almost 25 years I had to buy the knots. I said, well, I only want to sew on one eagle knot. What if I become a lifetime member later? So, I paid the $250 and got the NESA version. I wasn't going to take one off and put another on later. I wear it. To me it shows either your own, or whom ever paid for your lifetime membership, monetary commitment to Scouting. The same as the James West knot.

Al Lambert's retirement was just announced along with some consolidation. Too bad this type of info isn't given out via Scoutingwire or something. “To: National Executive Board, Scout Executives, all National Council Employees The recent reduction in force has affected all levels of the BSA. We are disappointed to formally announce that the Assistant Chief Scout Executive - National Director of Outdoor Adventures position has been eliminated. Because of that action, Al Lambert has decided to retire and his last day will be December 31, 2020. Going forward, John Mosby will give leadership to international programs, Order of the Arrow, the National Jamboree team, and the Outdoor Program and Properties Group. Patrick Sterrett will give leadership to the four High Adventure Base Directors. Al’s iconic tenure with the BSA is best described by the words loyal and brave as found in our Scout Law. Al was passionately loyal to his staff, volunteer teams, and the principles of the BSA. He exhibited bravery when confronted with challenges that most would avoid. He accepted the challenges across his career and rallied his teams time and time again to do things they did not think they were capable of. His loyalty to the BSA and its people resulted in numerous promotions of his team members with several ascending to become Scout executives. Many turned to Al in their toughest and most defining moments. He believes that our movement is built on relationships, volunteer and professional alike, and he worked hard to support all who he worked with. Al’s distinguished and remarkable 40 year BSA career started in 1980 as an Exploring executive in the Chicago Area Council in Chicago, Illinois. He continued as field director for the East Valley Area Council in Forest Hills, Pennsylvania. In June of 1990, he was selected as Scout executive of the Mason Dixon Council in Hagerstown, Maryland, and then became deputy Scout executive of the National Capital Area Council in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1998, he was chosen as Scout executive of the Daniel Webster Council in Manchester, New Hampshire, and in November of 2004, he returned to become the Scout executive of the National Capital Area Council. In February of 2010, he became the Central Region Director. In his role as Central Region Director, he was tirelessly out and about with council teams engaging with unit serving executives and councils across the region. In 2016, the Central Region held an amazing All Hands that focused on empowering new executives and connecting them to our movement. In 2017, Al was selected as the Assistant Chief Scout Executive for Outdoor Adventures. In his role as ACSE, he was known to many as the “Director of Fun” – focusing on the promise of fun and adventure in Scouting programs – from the World Jamboree to amazing high adventure programs. Al has been married to his high school sweetheart, Patricia, for 40 years. They have two daughters, two sons-in-law (one of which is a Scout executive), and five adventurous grandchildren. We ask you to extend your very best wishes to Al and Pat as they transition to this next phase of their lives in beautiful New Hampshire...”

Has anyone else ever read the national insurance and the local supplemental? It sucks. I would have to look it up again, but if I recall it was something like 10,000/50,000. $10,000 per person, $50,000 per incident. I’m on my phone, so such super sleuthing is harder, but I was shocked at how crummy this insurance was. Update Council rider - $7500 per covered condition, $15000 per incident, Death benefit $10,000. Does anyone buy the supplemental unit insurance? Why would I buy that if national covers us? https://www.hsri.com/camping-insurance.jsp Update 2: National’s $1,000,000 per person.

Ok! Good points. I agree, those are issues and we have tried to work around them (even though we shouldn't have to). What we have done is have the Scouts continue to have PL or a Scout 1 rank above the rank they are working on, sign off in the paper book. The Scout themselves can then go online and mark it complete in Scoutbook.com. Once BOR happens, the BOR chair marks the whole rank complete (in one swoop, not individual requirements) and leader approved in Scoutbook. The system doesn't require, nor does our troop, to have each requirement in Scoutbook.com leader approved if the whole rank is marked approved. Thanks for the clarity.

I found this interesting. What do you mean? Can you elaborate on your observations? I ask to make sure we aren’t falling into a “trap” or habit.

Opps! That was an embarrassing typo from my phone! It is www.campdoc.com. I thought it was webdoc.com.

An interesting twist is Michigan Crossroads Council has moved to an online WebDic or something. This would be great. I wouldn’t even mind if I had to print a consolidated report. Please national, take $4 of our fee and do something like this. Make our lives easier.

What is the “white sheet”?

Sure! As a Scout, for about a year, I did a different slide each week. My point was to not buy a lion, tiger, wolf, bear, Webelos slides as the BSA seems to encourage. At $6 each, I don’t know if $30 on slides over 6 years is money well spent.

I’m an officer in the uniform police, but I can’t argue with the logic. Cubs start out with the blue uniform. They should wear it until it doesn’t fit or they join a troop. If it doesn’t fit before they join a troop, buy a tan replacement. Pretty simple. Get the right hat and neckerchief. Get the official slide. If lost, get a replacement that matches your current program. For the belt, just get the wolf buckle. Never get the tiger socks.

Actually, we are. One test and many privileges open up. Like boating to the middle of the lake.

Some other post asked how national could lose $3 million on a Jamboree. Pretty easy. Misjudge how much to charge or go over budget. If you misestimated by $50/participant and went over budget by $50/participant, that is a cool $3 million with 30,000 Scouts. Very easy to do.

We just called around and found a high school pool with open swim. We asked them if we could use a lane. They said no problem. Each Scout had to lay $2.50 to get in. We asked everyone to ask friends who were lifeguards to administer the test. We found one who could do it. It worked very well. This is a small troop of only 10 Scouts. The pool is now open again after being closed for the virus. We will do this again. We also politely asked if we could do our rescue requirements if we didn’t get in the way. They had no problem. It took a bit of work. Nothing fancy, but it worked better than 20 laps in a backyard pool.

I agree. I keep thinking about to Green Bar Bill and his troop 1 at Schiff. He had to stay grounded and to experiment with different ideas. That was perfect. I assume many of the top leaders are not in units. I know the design director of Boys' Life has Scouting age kids, but how many on the National Board have been on a campout with a normal unit or a den meeting with a den in the last 10 years?

Actually the ones with elastic were from the mid/late 1990’s. The ones from the ‘80s didn’t have the elastic bands on waste/hips.

Cubs -one hat, one neckerchief, one belt, and one slide from lion to Webelos. Only need to replace if it no longer fits. -I have heard they are already getting rid of the tiger socks (did you know there was such a thing?) and tiger/bear/Webelos belt buckle replacements Scouts -Totin chip and firemn’ chit and cyber chip patches -those dumb mini sashes. Oh, wait, those are already not official. -make good hiking socks that are official. I have tried the Therlos. Not good. Venturing -green uniforms, special pants, special socks. Use either standard BSA uniform or Dickies like Sea Scouts or the option to have your own crew’s.

The fact that these use existing decent quality shirts/pants is such a neat “innovation”.

Talk about protecting sacred cows! These guys are really digging in.

Like many said, this isn’t much of a vision or plan. Getting distracted by Rovers is pretty dumb. They seem to be cutting out some distractions, but to think a distraction like Rovers will help the core program, they are mistaken. Get rid of the garbage and the focus of national on a small set of out of touch volunteers is a big part of the problem. Doubling down on excellent execution of the current program is the answer. Any org structure or flanking program that distracts from Cubs and Scouts BSA is a mistake.

No, not at all like joe Venturing was supposed to be. Right now if a district or council wanted to do a 6 week stem program (and be coved by insurance), there is nothing to fit the current model.

What are you talking about "agency"? Also, it has been clearly shown it wasn't a policy. You may have been subjected to an age limit, it wasn't part of the program on a national basis.