InquisitiveScouter

You said "anyone, anywhere"... LOL

The call just came out from our council... -------------------------------------------------------- Thank you! for your willingness to serve youth in the XXX Council as a Merit Badge Counselor. There is more to merit badges than simply providing opportunities to learn skills. There is more to them than an introduction to lifetime hobbies, or the inspiration to pursue a career—though these invaluable results occur regularly. It all begins with a Scout’s initial interest and effort in a merit badge subject, followed by a discussion with a unit leader, continues through meetings w

LOL. This is a rare occurrence. They keep observing the trends, but usually take no action to correct. They talk a good game about how to fix something, often coming up with good ideas, but hardly ever implement their fix. This is very annoying, but, in our Troop culture, the adults know not to step in and do it for them. I have seen this malady in many organizations, including the military. In exercise, after exercise, after exercise, you'd see the same "deficiencies". They are supposed to be "Lessons Learned"... we often joked (on the inspection teams) that they were simply "Lesso

Thanks, but I do not buy into all that other stuff you cited... as I am not a conspiracy theorist... Which is why I also looked into the veracity of Open Society Foundation's (using Soros's money) injection into the support of "progressive" (really poor word to describe) candidates into the justice system, before posting. Everything in that article bears out to be factual. (BTW, it is their constitutional right to do exactly what they are doing. But that does not change the disastrous consequences of what we see happening in the justice system in the US.) @SiouxRanger ask for exa

Agreed. I'm more of the "How can Johnny be a First Class?? He never learned to tie a taut line hitch!" kind of person.

Although the guidelines are very loose for SM conferences, I see what you propose as out of place. So what happens when you find out Johnny does not know a skill, but says he did it once and got it signed off? If you aren't observing the instruction and evaluations, how do you know the instructors and evaluators are teaching correctly? "The conference is not a retest of the requirements upon which a Scout has been signed off. It is a forum for discussing topics such as ambitions, life purpose, and goals for future achievement, for counseling, and also for obtaining feedback on the u

I see I touched a nerve there @mrjohns2 Care to elaborate?

That is too late. SM & ASMs should be doing "random sampling" of sign-offs to gauge instruction and completion of the requirements as stated. That is, they mentor the instructors and evaluators...

We make it clear that this monkey is on the Scout's back. That is, the Scout is responsible for completing and tracking his own advancement. If he wants to mark something complete in Scoutbook, fine. He must then go to any youth who is approved to sign off, or to the assigned Assistant Scoutmaster for his Patrol, to get things signed in his Scout Handbook. Once the Handbook is signed, he notifies the ASM, who then marks completions in Scoutbook. The Handbook is primary. Scoutbook is a back up (for when the Scout loses his Handbook 😜 ) We even have our Scouts contact our Advancem

Quite a leap there, partner... Answering the question about US institutions in general, per the post above...

Soros' group and the US Justice System: https://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/george-soros-criminal-justice-reform-227519 Media bias dividing US social cohesion by hyping incidents (particularly those claiming racial causes): https://apnews.com/article/poll-misinformation-polarization-coronavirus-media-d56a25fd8dfd9abe1389b56d7e82b873 Destruction of military readiness through attempts to revise policies about gender, sexual orientation, sex changes, etc., https://www.heritage.org/defense/commentary/military-readiness-takes-back-seat-wokeness-the-pentagon Finding "by whom" is

Just Google 'BSA "rape culture"' and you'll get lots of results.

@AwakeEnergyScouter, you see this confusion everywhere. There is a common misconception that our "core product" is Eagle Scouts. Ask parents what they want for their child out of Scouts, BSA... you'll get this answer most of the time. Our core product is actually parsed out here: "The Scouting program has specific objectives, commonly referred to as the “Aims of Scouting.” They are character development, leadership development, citizenship training, and personal fitness." https://troopleader.scouting.org/scoutings-aims-and-methods/ [Or, in my words, we are about making yo

Bingo.

I love the dirt-smudged hands and faces in that video, @AwakeEnergyScouter!!! I tell people, IF you want real adventure and Scouting, you need to step outside your (flush-toilet and hot shower) comfort zone 😜 , and accept some risk to get a greater reward. A saying I love, and use in an SM minute from time to time is, "A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for."

We are no longer the Knights who say "Ni!" We are now the Knights who say, "Ecki, ecki ecki, ecki, pakang, zum-boing!!" C'mon people, we put this change out years ago! See time mark 0:18 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZvsGdJP3ng&ab_channel=KennyFerry Now, go find a herring!

Sorry, I cannot answer that, as I have never had occasion to see a 911 bounce back message. So, I do not know if it is the same as other message delivery fails... Might vary by carrier and phone type as well (Android vs I-phone, etc.)

In case you did not know... A text message requires much less signal connectivity (strength and duration) than a call, or to load up some data. Some 911 call centers accept text messages. Your mileage WILL vary 😜 The Federal Communications Commission REQUIRES all carriers to notify you with a "bounce back" message if your text to 911 does not go through. https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/what-you-need-know-about-text-911 If it does not go through to 911, next try sending a text to your designated support person back home. (Yes, you need to recruit someone to fill

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^this

Most people never experience what you are referring to in your post. They will forever remain "In Search of Scouting." I just finished a 6-day river trek, with 10 Scouts and three other adults, in two crews. All Scouts earned their 50-miler award (the 10 hours of service is actually the most difficult part...) The older Scouts also did the Kodiak Leadership Challenge. Each night, we camped on an island in the river. A few had pit toilets. Even then, Scouts preferred to dig and use their own catholes. 😛 We brought a good deal of fresh water, but for meals (since we had t

If I may offer a kind suggestion: For your own mental health, please stop posting. P.S. As you also find this forum to be distressing, I have gone back and removed my downvote. Be well.

If you go into the wilderness... (I now define "wilderness" as no cell signal, LOL), consider purchasing one for your crew. At around $400, they are getting more affordable. Recommended reading for your edification: https://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/emergency-406-beacons/ One example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PPJGFKK Register your device, if you get one!!

We did our own Summer Camp in 2020 (COVID). 31 Scouts in 6 Patrols; 11 adults. Scouts did shopping in three stages for the week, for cooking requirements thru First Class, or Cooking merit badge, whichever they needed. Each Patrol had an SPL/ASPL or adult guest for each meal. (Rotated for each meal.) We had great fun just doing activities... tubing, fishing, canoeing, swimming, exploring, etc. Scouts said one of the things they enjoyed the most was time to just hang out with the other members of their Patrol. (Each had their own campsite.) We offered Wilderness Survival, Mammal Study,

They could really make this easier on themselves. Adults! Come volunteer at the Jamboree! You'll need to bring your own camping gear (size limits on the tent), but we will feed you. Your fee will be to sponsor a Scout from your council to attend the Jamboree as well. Yes, this could be your own Scout! I would have done that... would you?

Yes. Yes, they did.