mrkstvns

I've never been a scout campout where meals didn't begin with a pause to say grace. Some scouts use a standard form of grace followed by their family or church. Some scouts like to make up their own free-form grace, fitting their prayer to the place and moment. Some scouts use standard forms of grace they get from BSA camps. Here are the 5 most common BSA graces heard throughout scouting... Philmont Grace For food, for raiment For life, for opportunity For friendship and fellowship We thank thee, O Lord Sea Base Grace Bless the creatures of the sea. Bless this pe

Another scout in Houston has earned every merit badge. 138 of 'em....(137 are current, plus he picked up one that's being discontinued). Story: https://abc7chicago.com/localish/teen-earns-all-138-boy-scout-merit-badges/5579341/

Sounds good! Any particularly innovative techniques or approaches we might benefit from?

I've been trying to get my son interested in them, but he has less than zero interest in trying to re-create logs of every single scouting activity he's ever done.

Do any of you have experience with the Messenger of Peace award (which goes around the World Scouting crest)? I'm reading about the program on the BSA web site, and I'm not really sure what projects should and should not be regarded as meeting the criteria. In the requirements section (https://www.scouting.org/international/messengers-of-peace/) , it says... In terms of the MOP initiative, peace encompasses three dimensions: The personal dimension: harmony, justice, and equality The community dimension: peace as opposed to hostility or violent conflict Relati

BSA is gearing up for the 2021 National Jamboree. The theme will be "Face the Challenge". Dates: July 21-30, 2021 Cost: $1,175 Info: https://jamboree.scouting.org/

What?! Girl Scouts use same motto as Boy Scouts? Good thing their program's emphasis on being indoors prepared them for adventures in the urban jungle! https://abc13.com/society/girl-scouts-spend-3-hours-stuck-in-elevator/5582230/

I can also see some who can't wait for the opportunity to brag (yet again) about the wonders of their program. I'm with RainShine though --- most scouters are just good people doing their best and they won't mind some ideas for improvement.

As Webelos bridge into troops, they are expected to learn about the patrol method for requirement 3 for their Scout rank ---- 3b specifically includes a patrol "name, emblem, flag, and yell" and we have a patrol meeting with the new guys to work on these things. The boys are always expected to make their flags from scratch. No scout shop kits or pre-mades, no moms designing and sewing a beautiful embroidered flag, no anything you can buy at a store. Thankfully, most of the boys adopt silly mascots like "flaming nuclear mutant bacon ninja poodles", which don't exactly lend themselves to mass-

I'm not seeing any mention of it, but I found another page that talks about the historic trail awards available to Boy Scouts, and further down the page, has a section for Girl Scouts which basically says they can feel free to do a walk (but no mention of whether they get anything out of it beyond a good cardio workout). https://www.gblth.com/group-scouting

I particularly like this one... Anything that is new and different is a great opportunity to deliver on the promise of "adventure" (which is mighty hard to do if your troop just keeps going to the same local merit badge summer camp. I've heard that Indian Nations Council in Oklahoma has a camp that offers Jet Skis (Z-Base....aka, Zink Scout Ranch).

But, but, but.... If your kids aren't reading Boys Life, how will they ever know important things like whether or not it really WAS Baden-Powell who first said, "Give the people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fail. But in time, they will join you in the sun." Boys Life readers know for sure who the role model was who uttered those motivational words of wisdom....

A frugal scout should also be able to find a local pizzeria whose dumpster contains several perfectly edible burnt pies. Free

I always try to remember, "never let an adult do what a scout can do." In our troop, the SCOUTS are the welcoming committee....and they are much more effective than anybody the committee might throw at the non-problem.

Probably. BSA let its historic trails program get overgrown with weeds and most of the trails on the "officially approved" historic trails list are very OLD. (In some cases, calling the local council gets a response of "Never heard of it!") The Gettysburg Trail is different from most of those on the BSA list....it appears to be well documented and supported by the local council with good, useful info about their trail. Wish I were in the mid-Atlantic area --- I'd definitely want to hike that trail! See: https://newbirthoffreedom.org/programs/gettysburg-historic-trails/

Hmmm. I see your point. Having such specialists is a GREAT idea! In fact, it is just the BEGINNING of what is possible... I just sent an email to National suggesting that the following positions be created to further "specialize" skills. We need... * New Member Welcoming Smile Chairman - studies and recommends the best strategies for smiling so that it is welcoming and not perceived as a smirk or worse, a gratuitous mask * New Member Welcoming Hearty Handshake Executive Chairman - evangelizes the hearty handshake --- not so tight as to squeeze, but not so weak as to appe

That is one of the best ideas I've seen on this forum in a long time! Make it a regular thing...and keep the focus on values. Excellent!

That is a good problem to have. I would gather the parents for a "welcome meeting" or something of the sort and let them know, straight up, that the troop only works if everybody works. It is EXPECTED that every parent volunteer in some capacity. Those who like working with the boys and being outdoors should be ASMs. Those who aren't comfortable with that should be committee members. Every parent should sign up to be a merit badge counselor. Tell parents that you will help point them to training classes if they have no experience in these roles. Tell them that there is also online trainin

I've been meaning to talk to you about your flair...

Invite Tim Horton to the meetings, eh?

My kid looks at the comics page.

Mmmm... Maybe just fun things like Motorboating, Shotgun Shooting, or White Water. If he's actually up for a challenge, a Hornaday might be a boast-worthy achievement, or maybe a Supernova...

Got it! Great idea....especially for packs! Soooo....all the people at Council who were already promoting membership or handling training are getting replaced by someone with a new job title? If not, I still fail to see what value a "New Member Coordinator" brings TO DISTRICT OR COUNCIL. I still see no point in having this job title outside of a unit.

Well, my friend, if you think the magazines have too many ads now, just wait until you get them online "for free"... Or haven't you noticed that the "free" apps and web services are the ones that bombard you CONSTANTLY with irrelevant ads and that require you to sign onerous terms of service and that collect your personal data (often illegally) in an effort to not only get you to buy stuff, but to sell your info to anybody in the world who wants it and can pay a price (any price). Haven't noticed that stuff, eh? Well, in the real world, quality of anything costs money. You may feel

When I first heard about units appointing a "New Member Coordinator", I thought it would be a good idea for a lot of units --- especially packs. It would give units an opportunity to organize their thoughts and offerings and present a coherent message to families who were coming into scouting brand new. Obviously, this would be a job that would be most important in Cub Scout packs. Now I'm hearing that there is a District-level and a Council-level New Member Coordinator, and I just want to yell out, "WHY???" Does anybody REALLY think that District or Council staff should be the wel