InquisitiveScouter

Agreed that the membership regulations put an onus on SE & Council Pres to work in concert when taking such action. But the Scout Executive has wide latitude to remove district and council positions. Removal from Scouting has it's own procedure. Page 12 https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Rules_Regulations_Sept20.pdf "District and Council Scouters. District and council Scouters must be approved by the local council Scout executive. Council Scout executives may remove or refuse to renew the position registration of a district or council Scouter when the coun

you won't be tried for Boy Scout Treason? Yes, you will... in absentia, with no formal charges, defense, or appeal. You will be blacklisted and excluded from participation at district and council level. This has happened to me and others in this forum, for asking questions about decisions, governance, and finances. @Mrjeffis probably right about board members, but when word reaches the professional staff, you could (repeat, could) have backlash. Just tread carefully.

If you use Scoutbook, just put the plan on the calendar there. No need to come up with another product. At the meeting, you can project the calendar on a screen one month at a time, and everyone can follow it together. Technology can really help with this. Or do it by Zoom and screen share. (or your favorite platform) We do a trip-by-trip approval. When a trip is approved, we put "Committee approved" in the admin notes on Scoutbook.

As from posts above, the Committee looks at the plan first through the lens of "Can we rally the functions, logistics, and bodies we need to support our Scout's desires?" An example might be that the Scouts want to do a Troop cycling/camping trip. You expect 25 Scouts to attend. How many adults will this take to provide transportation and supervision? Two isn't gonna cut it. (Unless you've got a 20+ passenger bus that one leader drives, and the other leader pulls a large trailer that can carry 27 bicycles and Troop gear. You get the idea.) So, what's it gonna take, and can we provid

The advice was more to obtain a warning for the OP'er if they don't have a good sense of the culture in their council before starting to ask these questions. Hopefully, your District guys (talk to volunteers first) have been around a while, and can give you a good sense of how the council operates and treats them. Their input and experiences will be a good indicator... concur that they won't necessarily be close to council ops, but the Chair or Commissioner may wear other hats in the council that do give them better insight.

1. Who is allowed? It depends on what's on the agenda. Some meetings are open (you may attend), some meeting are closed (you may not.) It varies by council as to whom will decide which it is. If all of yours are closed, it's a shame. These meetings should be on your council calendar. Call your District Key 3 and ask if you may attend. (Yes, start at a low level to gauge what the reception to your questions will be, and the volunteers may have some knowledge about your specific council.) Be prepare to answer the question "Why do you want to attend?" 2. Can I as ASM, OA,...? See a

OK, there is a lot to unpack there... and some new info which is disturbing. I'm not gonna delve any deeper from a thousand miles away. But I will offer the following: 1. You are young. Unfortunately, with a group of other adults (parents), your views are not going to carry much weight. They are asking themselves : "What is this college kid doing here? He should be off with his friends doing college-kid stuff." So, you are probably viewed with some suspicion for hanging around instead of "letting go." That's probably the origin of #1 and #3 above, but just a guess... It's a w

Not indefinitely. We have buildings that should be condemned (black mold, roof leaks, rotting structural members, etc.) because of deferred maintenance. I have repeatedly asked since I moved here to see our council's plans for camp... non-existent. Our new Ranger, whom I know well, is scheduled for NCS soon, has asked for same to review and take with him to Camp School... crickets... Not going to give money to pay for further mismanagement.

Lord, no! Nor would I. And why would I? I wholeheartedly believe we need to gut the bloated structure we have, consolidate councils, reduce unnecessary/unproductive labor overhead. Too many feeding at the trough as it is, with no value added to program, unit service, camp improvement, training, etc., etc., etc. After all these years, I'm not gonna throw good money after bad! A Scout is Thrifty!

I will never give an unrestricted contribution. For a myriad of reasons... But I have given hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars of materials to maintain our camp, which reduces the overall burden on their operating costs, and simply must be included in any intellectually honest discussions about camp properties. I have also given same to other non-profits in our area, and those efforts are much better received and appreciated than anything done for our council.

Ultimately the Board has a fiduciary duty to take actions in the best interests of the corporation. The way the system is constructed invariably leads to decisions that have nothing to do with the best interests of future Scouts. Money before people.

Read the thread. The code of conduct is the Scout Oath and Law. The idea is to set expectations and consequences. Then stick to them.

Only the portion of monies after you subtract the reasonable market value of the product you received. See page 4. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf So what is the reasonable market value? You'd have to make a comparison to a similar product. $3.00 for a 7 ounce bag in my local grocer. (That's retail.) So, if @SiouxRanger could itemize, you'd be looking at a $22 donation. Unless the council deems it a "Token Item" (also page 4) (what does a 6 oz bag of kettle corn cost the council?) "Token items. You don't have to reduce your contribution by the value of

So that you could not claim it as a tax deduction... Whenever you see Scouts selling popcorn, just give a donation. 100% of it goes to their unit.

And for games, here is a great resource. Pick about 10 games your Scouts like, and build your resource box based on that. https://troopresources.scouting.org/troop-games/ Many have videos that demo how to play the game!! See main site for lots of other stuff https://troopresources.scouting.org/ And another: https://troopleader.scouting.org/

The syllabus linked above was updated. Here is the current BSA syllabus for ILST: https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/721-07218-ILST-Facil-Training_WEB.pdf Recommend you follow the syllabus for the first one you do. After that, modify and adjust content of course. Thanks for doing this!! Here is the main page, and you can get Troop Position Description Cards there also. https://www.scouting.org/training/youth/

A deal with the devil...

Dare you to post this as as a comment on that forum: Excerpt from a recent review of studies on video gaming: Frontiers Neural Basis of Video Gaming: A Systematic Review Background: Video gaming is an increasingly popular activity in contemporary society, especially among young people, and video games are increasing in popularity not only as a research tool but also as a field of study. Many studies have focused on... Video game use has been linked with reduced recruitment in the anterior cingulate cortex, associated with proactive cognitiv

And is that all programs? My crystal ball says yes. With many double counts. So... I was on the phone with the Scout office the other day inquiring about an account balance in the store... A professional gets on the phone and asks me "How many new Scouts do you plan on recruiting this fall?" "None!" I say. Because, paraphrasing... 'We took on 18 crossovers this year because, for most of them, their traditional Troops have folded. We gained three Scouts as transfers because their Troops folded (and are awaiting the decision from three more Scouts). We have four youth newl

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 200% 😛

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Going there this weekend, as our Scouts love TI! Glad you had a great experience. Cradle of Liberty Council sold the Treasure Island portion (in NJ) of the property to a local businessman for $500K in 2018. The local businessman allows the Friends of Treasure Island to coordinate FREE Scout camping on weekends outside of Memorial Day - Labor Day. https://www.friendsoftreasureisland.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Island_Scout_Reservation If you live within a reasonable drive, sign up for their email blast to get notifications of open campsites. The rese

An unenforceable edict??

The gold standard 😛

Welcome! No, it is not. But check with your local Scout Executive regarding a "waiver" to policy. YMMV.