InquisitiveScouter

8 minutes ago, SiouxRanger said:

BSA has wasted somewhere in the nature of 2 Billion dollars.

And squandered the respect of much of the nation...

22 minutes ago, SiouxRanger said:

As a BSA Certified Angling Instructor, there are many freshwater lakes which have little to no structure in them to nurture fish populations.

There are likely all manner of artificial fish reefs that could be made to improve fish habitat from all manner of things otherwise destined for landfills.

This whole concept needs serious thought by folks with more credentials than me.

An Eagle Scout from our unit wanted to pursue his Hornaday Silver medal, after his Eagle Scout Service Project was also approved for his Bronze.

He worked with our local Fish and Wildlife officials, and constructed artificial fish habitats for our local 350+ acre lake.  

This was during the contortions of changing from Hornaday to Distinguished Conservation Service Award...

He led the construction and deployment of ten of these and sunk them in our local lake:

https://www.fishiding.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw8ZKmBhArEiwAspcJ7nWcsfdTTGGCzuMPOc6oDktN1r6ARrCrBlLWtR6XfAbvyt26c05sTxoC3uEQAvD_BwE

After about three months, they lowered an underwater camera... every one of them had fish hanging about and using them for protection!

He was the first youth in our council to earn the DCSA.

On 7/26/2023 at 8:55 AM, Eagle94-A1 said:

Mixed emotions on MBs at meetings.

One one hand, I do not think they should be done all the time and the primary focus of all meetings. Scouting is not suppose to be school. You will lose Scouts.

On the other hand, if the troop's activity for the month has a MB, and some prep work needs to be done AND the prep work is MB related, I do not see a problem. Best example I can give of this is Canoeing MB. We had a canoe trip planned, and the meeting before it were prep work i.e. part of a canoe, paddle etc, packing for water trips, strokes, etc. we even moved the meeting to a nearby lake to practice on the water before the trip.

But in  rare cases will an entire MB be completed at the meetings.

I am all about the SKILLS for a MB being taught at a meeting, but then the Scout must take that skill to his MB Counselor and demonstrate it to his counselor's satisfaction...

Meetings should not be about requirements.  Instead, there should be skills instruction, and perhaps a competition built around that skill...

After four hours of instruction and practice, a Scout (who happens to have cerebral palsy) who simply would not give up, ties a square knot on his own for the first time.

He grew 10 feet tall 😜, or at least, that's what it looked like through my tears.

1 minute ago, AwakeEnergyScouter said:

🙄 What happened to brothers and sisters in scouting?

Not that I want a lawsuit either, but this suing of the other official Scouting organization in your country is very unseemly IMO. I wish GSUSA hadn't done that.

For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil.

5 minutes ago, T2Eagle said:

Wow, I attended the first Jambo at the Summit in 2013 and it was 40,000.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Scout_jamboree_(Boy_Scouts_of_America)

2 hours ago, QC_ADC said:

Just over 11,000 is the last figure we got. under 2,000 staff, and a few thousand visitors.

Wow... that is... not so good.  They were shooting for 15K, as I understood.

Makes for shorter lines for the participants, though!!!  Enjoy!!

1 hour ago, BetterWithCheddar said:

Apologies for digging up this old thread ~ I just find the economics of the situation very interesting. Has anyone experienced similar issues this year?

Working as a camp counselor used to be a great summer job, but I think there is less interest now that many school district calendars have crept into the summer. How many districts now offer summer classes or 'voluntary' (wink, wink) workouts for athletics participants? Even today's college students are pressured to have a series of good summer internships and not just one internship between their junior and senior years. Further, many council camps used to operate through mid-August. How many have shortened their seasons due to membership declines? There probably aren't as many summer job seekers looking for just 5-6 weeks of employment. I spent 9 summers workers on council camp staffs (ages 14-22) and it's hard to envision a scenario where that would make sense for my son today. It was a stretch for me back then.

Agree with all of your observations.  I have been volunteering now for the past 5 weeks, and general feedback from unit leaders is also along the lines you lay out.  

Program has suffered also, due to lack of staffing to offer some events and merit badges.

HAB crews and Jamboree are taking away some of our more seasoned Scouts, as well, which is an additional hit to staffing.

26 minutes ago, Eagle1993 said:

Cub Scout fees should be lower.  I don't see how you recruit many new scouts when those parents are looking at:

$140 Council Fee

$80 National Registration

$25 New Scout Fee

$15 Scouts Life

$xx Pack Fee

$75 Uniform/Book

Total $335+ to join an organization to build a pinewood derby car, run around a room a few times a month and visit a local police station.

And the most valuable resource you are asking any adult for is their time!

Cub Scouts is family oriented, and requires a good deal of time from each family to make the program successful.

They'd rather put their kids in an organized program that doesn't then require them to run it.

@fred8033, thanks for spending time with us around the virtual campfire!

I hope your other pursuits will allow a visit from time to time.

It was good to do some Scouting with you, even if only through electrons!

Yours in Scouting,

Inquisitive Scouter 

53 minutes ago, 5thGenTexan said:

Maybe its resolved, but earlier this year there were servers blocking anything from Scoutbook because it was making their SPAM filters go off.

The only issue we had recently was that automatic reminders were not working, so emails had to be sent each and every time you wanted a notice to go out.

On 7/6/2023 at 10:39 AM, curious_scouter said:

We recently did a Saturday badge session.  We had 25 Scouts attend.  The conversations were real, compelling, and friendly.  I think a key was setting ground rules that including this is serious, no teasing, and what gets discussed in the room stays in the room.  Everyone got the badge and said they had fun and learned something.  I think it all comes down to how it's presented.  I will admit when the badge was released I was pretty cynical about it, but having seen it delivered and the way the Scouts responded to it - I'm quite in favor of it.  I do share the wish we could compress some of the "school" type badges a bit and expand the focus on outdoorsy or hands-on badges, but I definitely have evolved my opinion on this badge. 

Curious as to how 25 Scouts completed all the requirements as stated in one Saturday session?

I worked on this with a Patrol of 10 Scouts in our Troop and it took 5 sessions of 1.5 hours each.  Every Scout had to complete the requirements, as stated.  

So, for example, we had 10 different presentations for requirement 7.  That takes a good deal of time.

I think 10 Scouts was way too many for one class for this MB.  BSA recommends a "small group", but does not say how small is "small".

"Due to the maturity and skill needed to serve as the counselor of this badge, it is recommended that this merit badge not be offered in a summer-camp setting. It is not intended to be added onto the existing duties of summer-camp staff members or included in a class setting like a merit badge college. The intent is for the true learning to be experienced through the Scout’s own research. It will work most effectively in the Scout’s discussions with their merit badge counselor or in a small group setting. The goal is to have openness and depth of conversation. (This can be offered in a small group setting or with the merit badge counselor following Youth Protection two-deep leadership requirements of two adults and one youth.)."

https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/merit_badge_reqandres/CitizenshipSociety_Counselors.pdf

4 minutes ago, 5thGenTexan said:

I am not sure that Scoutbook is setup to send out emails in a consistent or reliable manner.

We use it exclusively...  works great.  We have 53 Scouts.  Many do not have email addresses, by parent choice.  Parents get a copy of all emails...

17 minutes ago, 5thGenTexan said:

Our Scouts can not stay still during opening.  They can not keep their mouths shut during openings.  We have not had a proper PLC in two years.  Typically the SM shows up 15 minutes late and the Scouts roam around.  When the SM does show up there is usually no plan and there are a lot of meetings that devolve into playing on the playground.  

Nothing is going particularly well.  Getting everyone in Uniform consistently would be a great start. 

No, it wasnt always like this in the Troop.

Get a long thin dinner candle.

Explain the behavior you want... "During the Scout meeting openings, there will be no talking after the SPL or the Scout opening the meeting has held up the Scout sign, and until we finish the Outdoor Code (or you are dismissed to Patrol meetings, or whatever it is that you do to end the opening."  This period should only last for less than say 10 minutes.

Explain that you will light the candle just before each meeting starts, and that you will extinguish it if the rules are broken.

Tell them when the candle burns down (to a pre-marked level), they will get a treat or some other reward.

Incentivize the behavior you want! 

Recommend you try one at home, and time the burn for say, one hour (or however long you think that should last).  Then mark a new candle at that level.  When they burn it down to the mark, reward them.  Then try it for another behavior, or a little longer...

34 minutes ago, Cburkhardt said:

Summer Camp Experiences GREAT This Year

Nothing is ever perfect, but my 2 experiences at summer camps this year showed me that we are moving in the right direction. 

I dropped my beautiful daughter off at Owasippe (reservation for Chicago area located in SW Michigan) to serve as a CIT and stayed 5 days with my wife.  The spirit of the Scouts and Scouters could not have been better.  Only 4 campsites remained available for the entire summer.  Demand is through the roof.  Better yet, there was relief and optimism on the part of the Scouters I met about the departure from bankruptcy.  Confidence in the future seemed high.

I next spent a week as Skipper with my large Ship at Goshen Scout Reservation (large reservation for DC area) and came away with the same basic impression.  Attendance was up, spirits were high and program was restored to a high post-covid standard.

Admittedly, these are 2 reservations historically operated at the highest levels of quality -- but there was regardless a great improvement of quality and confidence among the scouts, unit leaders, staff and professionals.  We still have many things to achieve until we are past the troubles of recent years, but the joy of youthful participation at camp this summer is something to admire.  

My friends, all is going to be well.     

Our local camp is operating at approx 70% capacity for entire summer.  Normally 8 weeks of camp, they even cut one due to low demand.  Historically, 6 out of 8 weeks were full.  Fourth of July week and final weeks of camp consistently had some space remaining.

Most of Staff is young and inexperienced.  Enthusiasm helps, but is not a substitute. Most of our 18+ college students did not return.

I am volunteering here for the summer to help fill the void.  We would not have been able to open some program areas had I not been here.

Have seen and talked with "the usual suspects" in our council over the past 3 1/2 weeks. Generally upbeat all around, but there is a sense of decline among senior staff and unit leaders.

Council leadership reached out to me for this support.  Guess I am finally out of the doghouse 😉

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

From my vantage point, we have a way to go before we are out of the woods.

We have a robust uniform bank, including gently used socks and belts.

"We cannot afford a uniform" is, therefore, not sufficient reason for a Scout to be out of uniform.

If you are going to set a requirement, then help provide the means or opportunity to attain that requirement.

Want all new uniform bits, but cannot afford it?  I have loads of yard work for the Scout to do...  

A Scout is Thrifty:

"A Scout works to pay her own way and to help others. She saves for the future. She protects and conserves natural resources. She carefully uses time and property."

Correctly wearing a uniform is an extenuation of "A Scout is Thrifty."

1 hour ago, Eagledad said:

I don't believe in hounding scouts to dress like the SM. I do believe in teaching the PLC that the scout handbook gives each scout uniform recommendations. They are leaders and leaders the scout handbook is an important guide to how scouts should perform and behave in the troop. And I let them control, or not, how their scouts dress. This is a scout run program after all. I find that most true scout run troops are typically less uniformed that adult led troops. But, they have more mature youth leaders. Youth leaders will typically take uniform seriously, but they don't hound their scouts. Uniforming seems to be a good indicator of maturity. Older scouts typical dress very well (like the SM) most of the time. 

I know this is a long way of saying that the adults should have some guidelines to uniforming, and it should start with the SM. But, don't make uniform a pride thing. Uniform has a purpose and if method is used correctly, scouts and adults will wear the uniform to show their pride of being a Scout or scouter in your troop. Pride of the troop can't be force, it has to be developed over time.

Correct wear of the uniform is a demonstration of leadership and setting the example.  Be, know, do!

Also, you can point out to each Scout who has a Position of Responsibility (PoR) that it is in his basic job description.

https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/510-046_PocketCards17.pdf

That is, if the Scout with a PoR is not "wearing the Scout uniform correctly", then he is not doing his job correctly.

Does a Scout have or want a PoR, and is not wearing the uniform correctly?  Help them set a SMART goal to achieve that standard, and then get them to agree that, in order to receive credit for the position for rank, they must achieve that goal. (Unless there are extenuating circumstances, that is:  "the dog ate my uniform" 😜 )

1 hour ago, DannyG said:

Is it worth adding my youth member ID to my profile? Apparently mine is so old the local council cannot find it. It was before online records.

You can try, but it may not be in the system, and so may not be recognized...

12 hours ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

To quote Vezzini...

INCONCEIVABLE!!!

Here're some that have worked for me...

Go the extra mile:  Send out a notice that you will sew on one patch for any Scout or leader who brings their uniform to the meeting.  Bring a sewing machine and your box of sewing notions to a meeting and set up shop.  Hand or machine sew... it doesn't matter.  Offer to teach a Scout how to use the machine or hand sew.  Keep track of who you sew on a patch for.  They get one and only one, and you might help or guide on the rest.

Bring sewing notions on a camping trip!  Same idea...

Incentivize the behavior you want!  We hold a quarterly uniform competition.  The Scout in each Patrol with the best uniform for that Patrol wins a prize (like an ice cream sandwich!!)  Best in Troop wins an overall prize.   Same for Leaders... best wins a prize.  You are automatically not in the running 😜

Keep track of who wins.  At the end of the year, have a special competition for the Scouts who won during the year.  Get a good prize like a new Suunto compass or a 1-liter wide mouth Nalgene water bottle, or some bandages or a good pair of scissors for a First Aid Kit.  Or $50 off Scout camp tuition....  (Never announce what the prize is before you have the competition.)

Have a pizza and movie meeting night.  Price of admission?  A complete Scout uniform.  (Don't worry about insignia for this!)  When you announce this event, a month or so in advance, have a bin of old uniform items handy.  If someone doesn't have something, they can take it from there...

Yes, the uniform is one of the methods.  And if your unit is not wearing uniforms, then you are not fully Scouting.

Check out your local KOA.  Sometimes $40 per night for the whole family, accepts pets, and they usually have a swimming pool, and a lot less hassle.

Call them... you might even get a discount if you tell them you are a Scouting family on your own 

https://koa.com/states-provinces/wisconsin/

Some have group sites, and you can camp as a Den or Pack there.  KOA's should be on the council approved Cub camping list.  ("Cub Scout camping is limited to their council’s designated locations with appropriate facilities.)

$180 is outrageous for a family of four at a local Scout camp event, especially when not including meals.

I have counseled this for a few Scouts.  One was a trombone player.  As he already had experience playing, he was easily able to adopt his embouchure to the different mouthpiece.

Bugle (field trumpet), trumpet, or cornet, as the MB pamphlet says... but not trombone or guitar 😜 

From the requirements: "*NOTE: A bugle, trumpet, or cornet may be used to meet these requirements."

9 hours ago, KublaiKen said:

We have 18 new Scouts (12 going to summer camp this Sunday - been good knowing all of you) and I'm not sure we're done. That's double what we usually had in a good year pre-COVID. I know we're an outlier, but I hope we're also a bellwether. 

With 12 newbies, you may wind up with bats in your "bellwether-fry"

You have to order the awards directly from NRA.  

https://materials.nrahq.org/QualificationAwards/

Packet has certificate, medal, and rocker patch.  Reasonable prices, but I do not know if that pricing is for NRA members.  Please let us know.

---------------------------

As to wear on the uniform?

Two pieces of guidance apply from the Guide to Awards and Insignia:

One rule that applies would say "No" you do not wear it on the uniform...

"Badges of Other Organizations: The general rule is that badges awarded by organizations other than the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) may not be worn on an official uniform. This includes military medals and service ribbons." (page 9)

However, another rule could override that one...

Special Local Badges and Insignia: Local councils are authorized to adopt special badges and insignia as awards for particular purposes in harmony with national policies and to permit their use upon the official uniform in accordance with the Rules and Regulations, policies, and guidelines of the Boy Scouts of America. (page 7)

I would say that the NRA awards are "...in harmony with national policies..." because the BSA relies on NRA programs and qualifications to conduct Shooting Sports using firearms.  Check with your local council.

https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33066/33066_Section_1_WEB.pdf

So, another poster here asked to procure a medal.

I called my contact in supply.  She found none in a system query.  After a few phone calls, she discovered that any that were in stock were recalled by National Supply Division a few months ago.

(Thanks for the announcement, National!)

She had not heard whether there was a new medal in the works, so could not confirm that report.

So, if you have a previously-issued National Medal for Outdoor Achievement, then you have a collectors item.