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mrkstvns

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Posts posted by mrkstvns

    CO emblem on neckercheif

    in Uniforms

    Posted

    9 hours ago, ParkMan said:

    I would encourage you to run this by someone from the district too - probably the district executive.  You're starting to get into the area of co-mixing BSA branding and Masonic branding.  There are generally rules about this kind of thing.  Odds are that they'll say - hey, this is great.  But - I'd think it's worth confirming first.

    Whenever you talk about things that affect how the logos and symbols are presented you risk running afoul of the marketing types. Most organizations do have pretty tight rules and guidelines about when things like this are and when they are not allowed. Even if nobody in BSA sees a problem with it, you might have a problem with the Masons, who would also need to buy in (and probably not at your local lodge level).

    Here is some info on BSA's branding standards, but you may want to dig deeper on uniform-specific issues:
    https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/310-0231.pdf 
    https://scoutingwire.org/bsa-brand-center/brand-identity/ 

    • Upvote 1

    ALERT: Scouters who let kids sell popcorn with Trails End app may be targets

    in Open Discussion - Program

    Posted

    BSA is now discovering what happens when you ignore obvious cyber security risks (like pushing kids to download 3rd party commercial apps to manage popcorn sales).

    Trails End got hacked and the media is reporting that exposed data includes personally identifiable info like kids' birthdays, full legal names, names of parents, addresses and more. The extent of the data breach has not yet been made public.

    If you are one of the scouters who let their kids use the popcorn sales app, keep an eye open for signs of identity theft, etc.  No need to become a victim twice if you can avoid it...

    Good luck!

    See story:
    https://www.databreaches.net/undisclosed-number-of-boy-scouts-and-their-parents-had-their-information-exposed-by-trails-end/

    https://www.charlotteagenda.com/178386/boy-scouts-affiliate-data-breach-exposed-kids-and-parents-personal-information/ 

     

    • Sad 1

    Fundraiser shutdown

    in Unit Fundraising

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, CNYScouter said:

    There was an article in Scouting Magazine about doing a fundraiser asking for donations only. https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/01/30/upon-further-review-troops-grocery-bagging-fundraiser-isnt-permitted/

    Interesting article.  I followed the links in there to the FAQ and the Fund Raising Application.

    There, I had to pause at guideline #5...

    5. If a commercial product is to be sold, will it be sold on its own merits and without reference to the needs of Scouting? All commercial products must sell on their own merits, not the benefit received by the Boy Scouts. The principle of value received is critical in choosing what to sell.

    Soooooo, you're telling me that popcorn is actually *WORTH* the ridiculously inflated prices shown in the Trails End catalog?  If it weren't for the promised "benefit to the Boy Scouts", would ANYBODY ever buy so much as a kernel of the stuff?   

    Sign me, 
    Skeptical

    • Upvote 2

    Personal Fitness merit badge question

    in Advancement Resources

    Posted

    12 hours ago, Troop1Mom said:

    Well, of course I now see the challenge in counseling my own kid, but I had asked if it was allowed, it is convenient, and it was going great until this issue.  ...

     

    Yes.  It is specifically allowed and no unit or district should be putting in place rules that state otherwise. To do so is to put up obstacles to the scouts advancement and is a disservice to the scouts. 

    From the Guide to Advancement, rule 7.0.1.4:
    "Approved counselors may work with and pass
    any member, including their own son, ward, or relative.
    Nevertheless, we often teach young people the
    importance of broadening horizons. Scouts meeting with
    counselors beyond their families and beyond even their
    own units are doing that. They will benefit from the
    perspectives of many “teachers” and will learn more as
    a result. They should be encouraged to reach out."

    So, yes, it is specifically allowed. But no, it's not really a good idea...

    The explanation really gets to the heart of why the "adult association" method is so important.

    As a merit badge counselor, I have twice worked with and passed off my own son --- but in both cases it was in the context of a unit merit badge class in which my son was part of a larger group open to every scout in the unit. In that case, it would have been stupid to have said that if my son was doing exactly the same activities alongside his fellow scouts, and I signed off requirements for all those scouts, that I couldn't also sign off for him. That would make no sense and would be unfair.

    However, as a rule, I will refer him to another counselor or sign him up for a class at summer camp, even if I am an approved counselor for a badge.

    By the way, a previous scoutmaster once told me that the reason it was better to work with another counselor wasn't that Dad might be too easy on his own kid, but rather, Dad might be tougher on his own kid than he would on somebody else. I think that is often true.

     

    • Thanks 1
    • Upvote 1

    Cyber Chip

    in Advancement Resources

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, TMSM said:

    I don't recall seeing this pledge before and don't remember any reference to porn in scouting. Thank you for the link.

    The Internet Pledge I've used in teaching Cyber Chip is the one that's printed on the back of the cards you hand to scouts when they complete the requirements...

    image.png.443352520461c3e3f64d7f2df740d137.png

    Cyber Chip

    in Advancement Resources

    Posted

    16 hours ago, TMSM said:

    Looks like Netzsmartz no longer has a scouting section to do some of the requirements (grade 6-8 #4). I wish BSA would do away with this stuff.

    It's good that BSA is doing something to introduce scouts to the myriad cyber risks that exist today....but I'm not convinced that the Netsmartz materials ever treated the topics as broadly or deeply as they should have. It's also bothered me that many of the Netsmartz materials appear outdated with few new videos that adequately explain the ever-involving risks of using social media, smart phones, downloading apps, etc. 

    Scouters who want to do a good job talking to scouts (and parents) about cyber risks can educate themselves by looking at sites beyond Netsmartz.  There are quite a few that I visit regularly, and one of my current favorites is GetCyberSafe, which is run by the Canadian government:  https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/index-en.aspx 

     

    Cyber Chip

    in Advancement Resources

    Posted

    13 hours ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

    I agree 110%. Kinda like what National did with the Leave No Trace Trainer youth POR. In order to be a LNT Trainer, you had to go through their training. And few places wanted 16-17 year olds in the class. most wanted 18+

    Yeah, I think that enlisting older scouts as the Outdoor Ethics Guide (new POR name) is a tough sell, although it really is the most mature scouts who are able to "own" that role and make it sing. (Most troops never fill that POR and many that do never train their OE Guide.  VERY few troops have any adults who really understand OE either.)

    I think it may have been a Center for Outdoor Ethics guideline that suggested age 16+ for LNT training.  I'm seeing councils nowadays opening up their LNT Trainer courses to youth 14+ (which I think is good, since the training costs $$$ and is a significant time investment at 16 hours for the Trainer course).  A trained 14-year old can potentially provide OE leadership to the troop for up to 4 years, whereas a lot of those 16-17 year olds were going to age out in only a year or so. 

     

    Community Event

    in New to Scouting?

    Posted

    3 hours ago, qwazse said:

    Ummm,, I'm pretty sure those activities were in my and in my boys' Cub Scout handbooks. (In addition to model rockets, boats, rock collections, etc ...)

    Could be.  And that is exactly why they make good subjects for a community booth --- they are things that scouts DO and things that are fun and interesting.  (Not so sure I'd do a 10x10 booth around rockets or boats, but if more space were available....

    Community Event

    in New to Scouting?

    Posted

    Science is cool, and there are SOOOO many fun things you can do that bring science to life.

    Take a look through the NOVA program guidebook, or just read through the requirements for the Cub Scouting NOVA program:
    https://www.scouting.org/stem-nova-awards/awards/cub-scout/ 

    In almost every award, I can see ideas for doing things that Cub-age kids would get into, and that could make for a very fun activity that would fit within a 10x10 booth.  You could....

    • Do an animal tracking activity (maybe plaster casts?)
    • Make a fog machine
    • Make an erupting volcano model
    • Build a simple bird feeder (or bird house)
    • Do a fake archaeological dig
    • Build a mock wind tunnel and "test" paper airplanes (or models)
    • ...

    Flag help needed

    in Open Discussion - Program

    Posted · Edited by mrkstvns

    In my personal opinion, I would not recommend a flag bigger than 4x6' or a pole higher than 5 feet.  The reason is simply one of practicality: how big can kids handle?  If you go much bigger than 4x6, you're going to have flags being dragged on the ground when they carry the flags.

    There's been some talk lately about synthetic flags creating noxious fumes when it comes to burn them. Well, if you stick to cotton you can eliminate that problem.

    There's also been talk about the hypocrisy of buying American flags that are made in China. Well, it's not that hard to find good quality, American-made American flags....

    Here's one that I'd buy:
    https://www.united-states-flag.com/american-flag-4ftx6ft-cotton-best-brand-by-valley-forge.html 

    As always, your mileage may vary...

    • Upvote 1

    Philmont Gear Review

    in Camping & High Adventure

    Posted

    I'm kind of surprised to see so many folks embracing the idea of hammock camping.

    That's great because there are a lot of situations where the size/weight advantage can let you go further or deeper into the wilderness, and there are a lot of situations where hammock camping can help us be "conservation minded" by putting less impact on the environment (hence, more LNT friendly).

    But it's not always the case....

    In many situations, hammock camping is actually a far BIGGER impact than tent camping.  It just depends...

    So what does the experienced and responsible outdoorsman do? 

    Well, the same thing he does for every other outdoor activity. He observes, applies knowledge and wisdom, and relies on the "authority of the resource" to guide him.

    In some ecosystems, the trees simply aren't plentiful enough or big enough or strong enough to adequately support the stress of a hammock. In other cases, environmental conditions (like drought) might already have stressed the trees far beyond their ability to recover from the relatively short-term stress of a hammock or the relatively limited bark damage of a 1-night hammock stay. It just depends...

    Scouters who love their hammocks but still want to be responsible outdoorsmen and who embrace the Outdoor Code can educate themselves about how the potential pitfalls of hammock use occur and can become aware of what natural factors affect the decision of whether or where to use a hammock.

    Here's a good source of basic info that really helps understand just why hammocks can be a problem.
    https://hammockinformation.com/do-hammocks-hurt-trees/

     

    • Upvote 1

    An alternate reality version of Boy Scouts' founding...

    in Scouting History

    Posted · Edited by mrkstvns

    What motivated Baden-Powell to start the boy scout movement?  Was it purely an altruistic desire to see boys grow up with values, confidence, and integrity?  Or could it have been a bit darker, reflecting his own shortcomings in battle and a yearning to recapture the innocence of his own youth?

    Here's one writer's venture into the rabbit hole of conjecture...
    https://daily.jstor.org/boy-scouts-and-the-phenomenon-of-boyification/ 

     

    Practice makes "be prepared"

    in Scoutmaster Minutes

    Posted

    It's always a good idea to practice a skill and make sure you can do it before it comes time to put it to the test.  Work out the kinks before training other scouts. Do a dry run of an event...don't wait until it's too late to find out you're not prepared.

    Came across this interesting Scoutmaster Minuted on the retired scoutmaster web site....

    Practice it First

    I recently saw a program on TV about President Harry Truman and one event stuck in my mind. When he first ran for office in the early 1920s - it was for something like County Board - some of his army buddies thought it would be impressive for him to arrive for a speech by airplane. Now, this was in the early days of flying and a lot of people had never even seen a plane, much less flown in one. He agreed and at the appointed time the small plane circled the fairgrounds and landed. The candidate got out of the plane, sort of staggered across the field, leaned over a fence, and threw up. This was not the impressive entrance he had planned. But Mr. Truman learned something from this experience. Sometimes ideas that sound good don't work out well when you go to try them. So it's a good idea not to do it for the first time in front of a crowd. Practice it through first to see if this idea is really going to work as well as it sounds or are there some bugs to be worked out.

    • Upvote 1

    Philmont Gear Review

    in Camping & High Adventure

    Posted · Edited by mrkstvns

    1 hour ago, Pale Horse said:

    I like the Ursack, much more packable. That, and in Northern Michigan, while we do have black bears, we're much more likely to lose our food to raccoons and squirrels. 

    I'd also recommend their opsack for sealing the odors.

    https://www.ursack.com/product/opsak-odor-barrier-bag-2-pack/

    Just thought I'd mention that in locations requiring bear-proof food containment operated by National Park Service or US Forest Service, the Ursack is not an approved container. If you're using an Ursack in the back country, you can still get fined for not securing your food --- not sure why since the Ursack does seem effective against bears...

    • Upvote 1
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