InquisitiveScouter

It's PA law here. All volunteers must have that, a PA State Police check, and a PA Child Services check. All three documents must be on file at the council office (and with your CO), and be renewed every 5 years.

Just keeping feed in the trough...

FBI fingerprint background check, $23.25 for volunteers. https://www.dhs.pa.gov/KeepKidsSafe/Clearances/Pages/FBI-Fingerprinting.aspx Now, this is a result of the state of PA contracting with the company to do state employee fingerprinting at $25.25 a head. Volunteers (who pay for their own) get a $2 discount.

Just another rotation in the death spiral towards Chapter 7?

Sounds like what we do with Unit Scouter Reserve already, but now the fee could be less... Expect units to latch on to this one for money savings until National & Councils find a way to close that loophole, as MBCs are district/council positions, and do not require approval by the COR. P.S. Look for the "Adults registered solely as Merit Badge Counselors may not accompany units on overnight events." prohibition in the near future...

OK, so, does this mean membership fees will be un-coupled from the unit re-charter process? I'm thinking through that one, and do not really see a down side, yet... But wondering about the implementation of it.

Wonder what the impact will be to our local MBC rolls? I expect minimal, as most MBCs I know are already registered as leaders. But I am sure those folks who are not involved with Scouting in other roles will not pay for being a MBC.

I ran into the former Scout one time not knowing who he was. I was surprised he was awarded an Eagle, until I was informed of the situation. There... fixed that for you 😜

Our Troop assists our local American Legion in placing flags for Memorial Day in those cemeteries in their district. It's a great history lesson for our Scouts as well, as we have some markers here from the French and Indian War!! In fact, just the day before yesterday was the anniversary of the first battle of that conflict, out near @qwazse's way (or what we here call western Pennsyltucky) Battle of Jumonville Glen (a skirmish, really)... where 40 Provincial Troops (accompanied by 12 Mingo natives, including two boys) ambushed 35 Canadiens (French Canadians). The provin

I'd bet YOU are the evil one 😈

This is great wisdom.

Key 3 and Training Manager (functional position designated by Key 3) can also see exactly what courses everyone needs in your unit. Post if you want a tutorial...

Agreed, but not all state police or state child welfare records are shared in national databases. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/xreporting.pdf

Your council should have a DVD or thumb drive with YPT on it, as there are many who do not have a computer at home to use for the training. You can borrow this from them to do your training in-house. If your Key 3 grants you Training Manager functional rights in my.scouting.org, you can enter the training courses for your unit without having to file paperwork with the registrar!!! The only restriction is that you cannot enter training for yourself. Other avenues you can pursue to be a trainer that will be helpful for your unit: - You can do in-person Merit Badge Counselor Training

Talk with your Council Training Committee Chair, or your Staff Advisor for Training (a paid professional with that additional duty) It depends on your background. I'll elaborate if you wish. Plus, IOLS is a fairly trainer-intensive program. It takes several instructors and a course director with support managing things to get through the syllabus well. Train-the-Trainer (Fundamentals) D70 Trainer's EDGE H96 ...are two courses your council may wish you to take to designate you as a Trainer.

It's a play on corporate sponsorship. The Bad News Bears were a misfit baseball team that had no uniforms. Probably like a few Troops you might know... the coach took any sponsor he could get to pay for uniforms. It's a joke on the thread 😜

No, you are not the only one.

I have been to camps where the policy is that Scouts must be within sight of adults at all times. How ludicrous! And ignored... It is a balance depending on activity, age, and skill level. And you will never get it 100% right. Will you take risks, or will you eliminate all risk? If you take appropriate risks, Scouts will experience responsibility and personal growth. If you eliminate all risk, you will have a Cub Scout-level program. I have taken too much risk in some instances (with near misses), and not enough in others (with too much "parenting"). Sometimes, I nearly hit th

There is a difference... when you completed your Masters, you did so through an accredited program. When you learned your statistics, and did your ANOVA (Analysis of Variance, for inquiring minds...), did EDGE... your professor explained and demonstrated (hopefully), then guided you through a problem set. Finally, you were enabled (or evaluated, which I think would be a better use of the letter 😜 ) through a test, and on a final exam. You showed a level of proficiency, at the time. I still have to open my Scout Handbook to review and refresh skills. If you needed to do an ANOVA, you'

This, and even then, we are giving the advancement away. Many Scouts are not earning, they are just attending and getting a badge. I see this in several units, and definitely at Summer Camp. Whenever our Scouts are challenged in a badge program at camp, and actually complete the requirements as stated, I go out of my way to thank that instructor/counselor (not the same thing... a 16 year old is NOT a merit badge counselor) for their program. I wish there was a better way for "quality control" or standardization/evaluation of these things...

Yes, Chapter 7 (liquidation) is still a real possibility, IMO.

It is a legit option... not doing advancement, that is. But not doing KP when it is his turn on the Duty Roster? No way! That is the price of admission. (You didn't say, but I am assuming your Patrols have duty rosters.) We have had Scouts who have not wished to work on advancement, and we are fine with that. Just had one turn 18 last December. Great kid, always there, friendly, but no interest in working on rank. (I did cajole him over the years to at least earn First Class. That should be the measure of all Scouts. IMO, because it is skills based.) But, if his Patrol, o

We let all new Scouts and families know that Scoutbook is our primary means of communication, and that through email. Some parents do not wish for their Scouts to have email accounts yet. That is their prerogative. The primary means of communication is still Scoutbook. Whether by an email "push" of information, or a family or Scout "pulling" information from Scoutbook directly (the Scout logging on to parents' account if the Scout has no email) All other means of communication are "supplemental", whether verbal (as at meetings), by texts or phone calls, or word of mouth. Abo

Also, you ought to work to drive identity to the Patrol level. This is the heart of Scouting. A Troop is not made up of Patrols... Patrols come together to form a Troop. Please work to shift to that paradigm. Your Troop identity comes in the form of Troop numerals and a Troop neckerchief (optional) selected and approved by the PLC. That said, if our CO were to ask the same question, we would be happy to comply, but tell them it will cost them the "start-up" fees. Everyone who has already purchased, say, a neckerchief, is vested in that identity, and if the CO wants to change