InquisitiveScouter

And how does that situation square with "The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law."??? Rhetorical... it doesn't.

Definitely high numbers... Our unit is strong. We have 60+ youth on the roster. At recharter, we have dropped approximately 10 due to aging out, attrition, and transfer. We expect to see those added back through Crossovers and recruiting during the year. We just barely hit our 85% retention rate for JTE Gold. Agree with @1980Scouter. Even a "rolling" one or two year average would be more indicative of reality and would flatten out the highs and lows.

Thanks for that @Cburkhardt!! I did not know of this "accepted" (?) avenue for dealing with such situations. Would this also apply if an adult on Camp Staff was accused by a youth Camp Staffer of an infraction? Who would be in the CO role to write such a letter in that case, since both are "employees" of the council at the time?

Third cause: Council not facilitating, educating/training, supporting the work it takes to administer a Troop Fourth cause: Parents not willing to put in the time or effort to create a Troop and mentor youth in through the program. Fifth cause: Council not focusing on a healthy unit climate and working to create the needed unit structure. Lack of a good leadership structure (including pay) needed to recruit, train, support, and retain DE's... which results in a lack of a solid District Volunteer Staff, Commissioner Corps, etc. etc. etc.

Thanks for opening up your story. I think you have a good outcome so far. And it seems as though the Committee stood up for you. (?) That means they may see things in sort of the same light as you do. Recommend you have a private chat with the other two Key 3 to confirm. As someone mentioned in your previous thread, a good idea is to always have an adult buddy with you. This has saved my behind several times over the past years, in different ways. IMHO, due to increased screen time (vs face-to-face time), young people (not just Scouts) are becoming less proficient at reading people

By adhering to our legal principle of presumption of innocence. BSA has turned this on its head. If someone accuses in BSA, you are guilty until proven innocent. Except, you are never given the Kafkaesque opportunity to prove innocence. And even some who have been proven innocent are still left on the IVF. In the case @Eagle94-A1 relates, the Scout accused an adult of "solicitation of a minor" or "unlawful contact of a minor", or some other statutory violation. We should take accusations seriously, and clear the air when they are made, because sometimes, they are based on an

Recommended reading to help open your aperture a bit... https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/boyscouts/pdf/511-420.pdf

Assuming you mean the Historic Trails Award. https://www.scouting.org/awards/awards-central/historic-trails/ Yes, completed this multiple times. We are surrounded by many historic trails around here, fortunately with camping opportunities attached. However, it need not be one of the trails on the BSA list. There are literally hundreds of other opportunities for you to meet the requirements if one of the BSA trails is not convenient to you. Many state and national historic parks have opportunities for you. Any place on the National Register of Historic Places would qual

Character, citizenship, fitness, leadership... Would helping this Scout with 3 out of 4 be acceptable?

As @mrjohns2 relays, it is entirely up to the council. Start with the Registrar. Call and explain the situation. Ask if there are any Lone Scouts in your council already. If yes, then they will most likely add this Scout. If no, ask if the Registrar would support you if you asked for this Scout to be added as a Lone Scout. Although it is the SE's decision, it is the registrar who will gain the extra workload. So, if the Registrar is on board, it makes things easier. If the Registrar declines, then go ahead and call your SE and ask, but expect the answer to be "No". If

OK, then you have a camping club, not a Scout Troop. "The patrol system is not one method in which Scouting for boys can be carried on. It is the only method." - BP I would submit this is where you have to start. “The formation of the boys into Patrols of from six to eight and training them as separate units each under its own responsible leader is the key to a good Troop." - BP If you cannot get other leaders to agree to this concept, and to help implement it, then you should leave and find another Troop...one that uses the Patrol Method.

What does your son's patrol want to do? Get another adult, and take them camping, if that's what the Scouts want. Does not have to be the SM on every trip.

@5thGenTexan, you don't need the council... What level did you get? Just order the patches, if you want them, and recognize your Scouts at the level of program they achieved. We filled out our worksheet, sent it to our FD (we don't have an assigned DE) with a cc to our District Commissioner (we don't have an assigned Commissioner), and ordered our own patches. Here's a link to Gold: https://www.scoutshop.org/no-name-provided-656986.html

If anything happens on church property, then the church will get dragged into the lawsuit. "Sue everyone, and let the courts sort it out," says the lawyer corps. (While the church hemorrhages cash in lawyer fees probably seeks a settlement.)

LOL, Don't know how they got this, but I remember Scouts singing "Come on Eileen! Oh, I slid on my winks..."

Don't overdo it at first... Just a tune or two during a lull around the campfire. Don't make it your show 😜 Make them short... Don't do 100 bottles of root beer on the wall. Don't demand that everyone sing... Youth often don't know the words, so are reluctant to sing. They have to hear the song many times before they feel comfortable with the words. Wanna help them? Print out a few copies and hand them out. Don't get upset if they wind up in the fire. In fact, make a game of that. Print on the bottom of it "Burn Only After Singing!!!" Learn Scout Vespers... that's a g

Yup! In a BSA context, I would say the term should apply to overnight camps where you stay in one place the whole time.

They couldn't anyway... NCAP specifically excludes unit camping, and directs it fall under G2SS: NATIONAL CAMP STANDARDS APPLICABILITY, SA-001 Exclusions. The World Scout Jamboree, National Scout Jamboree, and National Order of the Arrow Conference are mass events subject to additional health and safety requirements specific to those events which are equivalent to or more stringent than the National Camp Standards. Unit activities are subject to the Guide to Safe Scouting. https://pdscouting.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2022-NCAP-Standards-v2-430-056.pdf

LOL, is the National OA Committee implying that a unit run "resident camp" must comply with NCAP?

Q/A: Resident Camping Requirement Q: I have a question about Unit Elections. For the camping requirement of six consecutive days and five nights of resident camping does the camping have to be at a BSA owned and operated camp, or can it be a unit long term campout allowed by the council? A: There has been some confusion over what camping qualifies in meeting the membership requirement for camping. Three factors apply: Camping must be under the auspices of an approved BSA program. The decision on what specific camping meets the spirit and intent of the camping require

OK, still having coffee and waiting for my teenagers to get out of bed, so... Back to philosophy. Here's another twist: Q: Who decides what camping activities qualify for the camping requirement needed for election to the Order of the Arrow? A: With the camping requirement, as with all other eligibility requirements, it is the unit leader's job to interpret whether a Scout has met the requirement. As stated in the Guide for Officers and Advisers (2021 revision, page 18): Other than defining the length of time needed for a camping activity to be considered a long-te

Love it; will do!

From the article: "Short-term campouts provide variety in both preparation and experience, and the Scouts are more likely to have to set up their own tent and take more responsibility for outdoor living skills. A long-term summer camp is still a long-term camp even if the Scout is there for only a portion of the time. It’s an entirely different adventure and usually doesn’t call for the same level of self-reliance required for a short-term camp." I think we'll count the canoe trek as 5 short-term camping experiences, with a day of canoeing between each one 😜

Same reasoning I was questioning, @UKScouterInCA. It is all poorly worded. I believe the intent is to have a Scout set up camp multiple times, in a multitude of different settings, and fit into the mindset @qwazse outlined above. Look at the relaxed OA requirements for camping above. If you are a letter-of-the-law person like @mrjohns2 , then a Scout could have camped in his own back yard 27-31 May (5 nights in May) and then 01-05 June (5 nights in June) and have been eligible with short term nights. Never move his tent for this "virtual camping" experience. Not exactly what we'd be

Not shirking. But I am a spirit if the law person, rather than a letter of the law type.