InquisitiveScouter

To be a Merit Badge Counselor, you must be 18. A Summer Camp Counselor (staffer) is not a de facto Merit Badge Counselor. And ONLY registered Merit Badge Counselors may sign off requirements completions. You must have never read your Scout Handbook, any Merit Badge pamphlet, taken the Merit Badge Counselor training, or read the Guide to Advancement to have this all jumbled up.

G2A "There must be attention to each individual’s projects and fulfillment of all requirements. We must know that every Scout—actually and personally—completed them. If, for example, a requirement uses words like “show,” “demonstrate,” or “discuss,” then every Scout must do that. It is unacceptable to award badges on the basis of sitting in classrooms watching demonstrations, or remaining silent during discussions. "

LOL, "arm chair", for real? Climbing, caving, boating, swimming not risky? I would venture to say each one of those has far more injuries and deaths in Scouting than range sports. Have you taken those trainings? Supervision is not expertise... The trainings are not there to have the unit leader be the subject matter expert for the event. They are there to inform Scout leaders, "If you want to have this type of event for your unit, here are the points which must be observed..." Take Climb On Safely, for example... The training in no way qualifies a unit leader to take a unit on a climbing activity. It does inform the unit leader of the qualifications necessary for certified instructors the unit leader MUST have present, though, to conduct the activity safely. Or Safe Swim Defense... the unit leader supervising the activity need not be classified as a swimmer. But, the unit leader must make sure everyone has a swim classification, enforce the buddy system, have trained response personnel designated, and so on. Same for boating, caving, or your other risky activities. BTW, this past weekend I saw notes from the briefing to Council Execs on these changes. Part of the changes are to implement a training course for unit leaders, just like Climb On Safely, Safety Afloat, Cave Safely, etc. When it comes out, I'll make sure to post a link for you, so you can read it from your arm chair.

Correct. And that is why I would decline to sign the card if the Scout had not completed the requirements.

No. Please read Guide to Advancement, 7.0.4.7 "In most cases, with a fair and friendly approach, a Scout who did not complete the requirements will admit it. Short of this, however, if it remains clear under the circumstances that some or all of the requirements could not have been met, then the merit badge is not reported or awarded, and does not count toward advancement. The unit leader then offers the name of at least one other merit badge counselor through whom any incomplete requirements may be finished. Note that in this case a merit badge is not “taken away” because, although signed off, it was never actually earned. "

This. ----------------- In the National Annual Report, https://www.scouting.org/about/annual-report/year2023/ they should change the verbiage from "earned" Merit Badges to "awarded" Merit Badges. There is a difference... Consider Camping Merit Badge. (For which, even after much advice and counsel, several of our Scouts still sign up every year at Summer Camp.) Including the subordinate items, there are 30 different requirements to complete for the badge. How many are "outdoors" requirements? 5: 8 (d) While camping in the outdoors, cook ...[three meals]... [It's funny that they even have to preface this one.] 9 (a) Camp a total of at least 20 nights... 9 (b) On any of these camping experiences, you must do TWO of the following... [so, counted as two...] 9 (c) On any of these camping experiences, perform a conservation project... And of these five, I would posit that all should be done with the unit. Also, of the five, which usually are completed at Summer Camp? (I'll let you answer that one yourself.) The rest of the 25 requirements are academically oriented. Discuss, describe, explain, plan, etc... Some could be made into activities, but generally are not. Many "sessions" I have witnessed involved an instructor (under 18, so not the counselor...) lecturing to kids sitting around a picnic table, and then marking off a requirements for them. The Scouts endure this torture just to get the piece of cloth... ----------------------------- Before signing a blue card, I ask Scouts about the activities they did for the badge. I always found discrepancies for a sizeable number from Summer Camps,. When I pointed these out to the Scouts, most admitted they had never even read the requirements. They just relied on the instructor to teach them what they needed. Less than a fourth of these Scouts would take me up on my offer to finish the requirements as they were written, so that they actually "earned" the badge. Discussing this with the committee, I was dispirited that many of the parents held the same view... that if the instructor/counselor signed off on it, it was good enough. I told them I would decline to sign blue cards if I found that a Scout had not completed the requirements. The committee accepted this. But, there are other "unit leaders" who did not agree, and those leaders are the ones who signed blue cards or would mark things completed in Scoutbook. I am only responsible for my own actions. After filing about 8 reports https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-800_WB.pdf with zero feedback or questions from the camps we attended, I realize that time was wasted, and those reports went into file #13. I call this the "dirty little secret" of BSA Summer Camps... the wide-ranging lack of integrity in the Merit Badge program. The consequences of this are visible across the board, IMO. Scout skills are abysmal. Summer Camp is supposed to be about unit long-term camping and doing activities that units do not normally have the expertise to put on for themselves. Summer Camp is not about Merit Badges. But we have corrupted the "camping" and turned this experience into something it is not supposed to be. And Scouts, parents, leaders, staffs, "counselors", and professionals turn a blind eye. Why? Because Merit Badges generate revenue.

Thanks! Like I said... not my forte. Also, I was pointing out the inconsistency that BSA has no Training required for BSA unit leaders to supervise an activity here. Just the statement in G2SS, "All shooting sports activities held outside of a council’s camp will follow the program as outlined in the BSA National Shooting Sports Manual (www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/Shooting-Sports)."

Trail Life is a Scouting program. Scouting is the movement. BSA is a business. You should really separate the two in your thinking. Otherwise, you miss the point of the article.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/boy-scouts-tragic-mission-departure-left-boys-needing-mentors-competitor-says-alternatives

We do (about) three meetings per month, with a short PLC after each. These build up to the outing. Then, the outing... The regular meeting night after an outing is a full PLC (so one per month), where they go over all stuff necessary. The other Scouts/parents get that night off to further recuperate from the outing. We have one day trip/service project per month... mostly an outdoor activity. So 4 meetings and two outings per month... 1/3 of our activities are aimed primarily at outdoors. We have the most successful Troop in the council. Most meetings (mid-spring through middle of fall) are outdoors with a game or activity (pioneering/fire building/nature walk, etc) In summer, we throw a lot of impromptu stuff in as well... swim parties, bike rides, orienteering, fishing, hikes, boating, the odd service project, etc. Seven or eight Scouts show up and we go have fun. Never the same group twice. (Ice cream is mandatory ;P)

BSA has a Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat, Climb On Safely, Cave Safely, Trek Safely, even Drive Safely.... where is the cert for Range Safety for BSA leaders??? Same concepts as the others for the training... you assume responsibility, here are the rules and limitations, and make sure you have an RSO and NRA Certified Instructor (2 subject matter experts)!! They could (should even) write in instructor : student ratio requirements... I think it is 1 : 5 for NRA, but Range and Target Activities, formerly know as Shooting Sports, is not my forte.

Yes, and just at a crossover recently, the new Dad invited us to their rod and gun club. They do have insurance. He joked, if we are limited to "commercial" facilities, they'd be happy to charge us $1 for use of the ranges.

LOL, thought you were talking about council/district events. Training is another matter... (Even so, training is not a unit mandated thing... those are mandates on individuals.) Disagree Sure, but if a PLC decides they do not wish to participate in these events, you should support their decision. For example, our Scouts choose not to go to many of these events because they are tired of WINNING!! For most competitions, it isn't even close. It just isn't fun for them to whoop everyone's behind. So, they only attend these things about once every three years. And we adults are fine with that. (If those events do not coincide with a unit event, we do encourage our Scouts to run stations or judge events... which they often do.) We have the capability and experience to plan and execute our own program, thank you. Most council/district events are tailored for units with little time or experience. They need the program support. We do not. And, for the record, we would operate fine without any council overhead here. We can even (and have) run our own summer camp. That is up to them... Perhaps they see those events as more value-added to their program than your council events. To each his own. I side with the units on that one.

Mandated?? A unit is "mandated" to participate in nothing. If a council ever told us we had to participate in something, we would just ignore them. You should have zero problem with this. If, by the mere location of geographic boundaries, a unit in Council A happens to be closer to all facilities and support in Council B, then there should be zero issues with them getting their Scouting groove on in Council B. Furthermore, if Council B's training and support (like a Scout Shop or camporees) are better, then units can (and should) vote with their feet. Units DO NOT exist to be cash cows for councils. Yes, you must register in the council that your CO physically resides in. Your DE is 100% right.

2 gold devices. Or here's a wacky thought... ask the Scout to read the requirements and tell you what he thinks he has earned!

A panda walks into a bar and eats shoots and leaves OR A panda walks into a bar and eats, shoots, and leaves. Let's eat, Grandma! OR Let's eat Grandma! Commas kill! Or, at least, the lack of one can cost you money! https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/think-commas-don-t-matter-omitting-one-cost-maine-dairy-n847151 Without the comma, the clause causes confusion, but grammatically belongs to its immediate predecessor only. With a comma, it would be an independent clause, and therefore an additional requirement for all. The preceding "or" makes this more potentially more confusing if punctuation rules are not understood or applied. At this point, the writer has not adequately communicated the actual requirement. This is a FAIL. When confusion exists, the only correct thing to do is to make the requirement as indulgent as possible for the Scout. When they write: "Cycling merit badge or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective and 100 miles of cycling", I parse this as such: Cycling merit badge (150 miles is sufficient for Scouts) or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective and 100 miles of cycling (210 miles is sufficient for Venturers) Look at these comma cases... Cycling merit badge, or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective and 100 miles of cycling (same meaning as previous; first comma is important, and clearly separates the two conditions) Cycling merit badge or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective, and 100 miles of cycling (now both previous sufficient conditions have an added condition... an extra 100 miles, so 250 miles for Scouts, and 260 miles for Venturers) Cycling merit badge, or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective, and 100 miles of cycling (same meaning as above, first comma is superfluous) Why not write it like this: "Cycling merit badge or Ranger Cycling/Mountain Biking elective, with 100 additional miles of cycling beyond the requirements for either." ??? BSA has never been known for clear and concise communication. The Guide to Safe Scouting is the biggest case in point. Why? I have no problem with Venturers having additional requirements. If interpreted in the strictest sense, they already have to do extra miles.

And love this one from Stage 2, Undisciplined Pursuit of More - Coinciding within this stage is the loss of key talent. “The right people” begin to leave because the organization has lost sight of its core. Mediocrity permeates performance as tenure supercedes actual performance or growth economies forgive incompetency. Either way, the organization regresses developmentally from people first to product or strategy first. The flow of cash and/or profits hide the inefficiencies so that cost growth is compensated by price increases instead of greater efficiencies through disciplined action and thought. (check, check, and check!!)

Hmmm... Stage 4: Grasping for Salvation - Grasping for salvation suggests the organization has lost awareness of the soul of its own greatness. (check) - Change for change sake through a series of “silver bullets”, such as leaps into new technologies, new markets or new businesses become the thread of searching for the “home run” that can bring the organization back into the black (check) - The gap between the ideal and what is real gets larger as “hype precedes results”. No longer wedded to the brutal facts, the focus shifts to imagineering the organization’s saving grace. Chronic inconsistency permeates each new “revolution”, “future state” or “dream” of what could be similar to a pied piper leading lemmings to their demise. (check) Stage 5: Capitulation to Irrelevance or Death - The demise of the organization is at hand and either the leadership prepares for a fire sale, while it hunts for a saving organization ... or unable to capitulate to the impending demise, leadership remains true to the same logic that put the holes in the ship and rides it into the deep blue abyss (Watching for this... seeing signs now) So, we are firmly in Stage 4, progressing on to Stage 5.

And the Hawaii tragedy was on a council property... https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/06/17/boy-scouts-admit-30-shooting-investigations-near-misses-prior-big-island-scouts-death/

They aren't safer... but they have insurance coverage 😜 It's all about the money, brother... Yes... our local fish and game clubs are some of the strongest supporters of our Range and Target Activities (RTA). And they adhere to all range operation restrictions of the BSA. Do those all go away? Seems like it from this pronouncement. Bet the fundraisers will still go... they'll just be adult only. It's all about the money, brother... Dollars to doughnuts the HABs get exempted from this. It's all about the money, brother...

So many questions... So, is the muzzle loader limited to .22 caliber? Because that is really small for a muzzle loader... If we can use a .22 rimfire, why not a .22 caliber air rifle, because .22 caliber air rifles have lower muzzle velocity than the rimfires. Are we to assume the lever action rifles are limited to .22 caliber also? ummm... "air, CO2, or precharged pneumatic rifle"?? You are kind of mixing apples and oranges there... "air and CO2" are the gases used to propel the projectile. a PCP is a "method" for delivering the gas. Understood that you wish to limit the gases to air and CO2, because these large molecule gases limit the theoretical muzzle velocities you are gonna get. (1600 FPS is theoretical limit??) (LOL, a helium PCP would be wicked, but wicked expensive also) Are you trying to restrict the other "methods" or powerplants of supplying the air? - break barrels use a piston or spring, but are still "air" - gas ram rifles have a piston with N2 (usually), but that is contained. The piston pushes ambient air into the projectile. - PCP (pre-charged pneumatic) you mentioned, but these have the highest muzzle velocities of any powerplant - CO2 cartridge... I guess you mentioned?? - a variable pump (multi-pump) is still an "air" rifle I don't really understand what they are getting at... Can those programs that now have the NRA FIRST Steps Pistol do that at a commercial range??

I was thinking more along the lines of implications of the ratio, rather than causes... One thought is, this is indicative of the complexity of Scouting. There's a heck of a lot to do to run a successful unit, under the current program of Scouting. And then I looked at our unit ratio. We are 1 : 1.5 (not including IH), or one registered adult for every youth member of the unit... and we are an extremely successful unit. Then I also subtracted the adults in the unit who do not really contribute: With that, we are at 1 : 2.4, so one adult for every 2.4 Scouts. Still seems very adult dense... Is this "ratio" sort of an indicator of what it takes on the adult commitment side to make the program run well?

Just saw our council's numbers... from a year ago at this time, we are down almost 8% of our youth numbers, and almost 12% of our adult numbers. The patient is very ill. And, I noted something curious... our registered adult to youth ratio? 1 : 1.8 We have one registered adult for every 1.8 youth in the council... I am cogitating on that one for a while. Thoughts?

And, while the staff churned through the coordination and public relations blitz of the re-branding, and spent untold time preparing for and scurrying about at the National Meeting, your units do not have access to tools and resources to plan and execute their programs... https://troopleader.scouting.org/ https://troopresources.scouting.org/ https://tap.scouting.org/ How about just building your new websites in a sandbox, and then, when ready, migrate all at once? Seems a simple enough concept...