InquisitiveScouter

Feedback is a gift Thanks, Qwazse. Agree. "If I had more time, I would have written you a shorter letter." Who said that? Well, I have some corona-time now, so will revise accordingly...

malraux, Thanks for the input. I purposefully left those in. As you surmise, we are boy only. Will reconsider, though...

Thanks, Dale. Appreciate your taking the time to read...

Scouters, We are still planning for Summer Camp. Here is the info I send out to New Scout parents. This has been well-received in the past, but it is an issue I still deal with every year. Last year I had two egregious offenders. I would appreciate your input on the message following... -------------------------------------------------------------------------- If I were the King, I would decree that no parents should go to Summer Camp the First Year But every parent knows their new Scout much better than I do, at this point, so I defer to your right as parent to

I get the corporate structuring of Arrow and BSA. What I was writing about earlier was that Surbaugh was an officer of the two separate 501c3s, but being paid the exact same salary from both. Doesn't really pass the sniff test...

Great time to try some virtual Scouting with Skype or other platforms. Public Health and Emergency Prep MBs are great candidates...

Yeah, that doesn't pass the "Headline Test"

We had our Scout meeting entirely outdoors last night. Except for getting flags and going to restrooms. Our sponsor requested we station an adult at the door with hand sanitizer to give everyone a squirt, and also asked for handwashing immediately upon entry (yes, right after the sanitizer.) We cheerfully complied. Our Scouts have never been cleaner!

Additional data point... National supply currently says they are 49 1/2" x 35" x 35" https://www.scoutshop.org/catalog/product/view/id/2311/s/neckerchief-with-silver-embroidery-64073/ Maybe if I stretched it a lot...

TAHAWK, "Re square neckerchiefs: It's not the heat it's the humidity." You got that right!

My military issue triangulars are 37x37x52 and some are 46x46x65 (I like these a lot) On line suppliers for commerical market are in the range of 40x40x56 (OSHA requirement to meet ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2015) https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.151AppA https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.266AppA http://dir.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/dirnvgov/content/News/Useful Guidance for First Aid Kits.pdf Our Scout Supply Troop neckers measure 34x34x48. Although another "researcher" has data saying otherwise https://observer.wu

haha...you are almost as jaded as I am

@qwazse, I wish they roamed the streets of our city or village...;) In their free time (if they even have that), most Scout-aged youth around here now stay at home, play video games, and "socialize" through the Interwebthingy. Remember coming home from school, dumping your books and riding around on your bike or playing Nerf football/stickball/street hockey/hanging out at your fort until it got dark? That's alien behavior these days. I'm for taking them camping...better health outcomes in the long run vs obesity, diabetes, mental health issues, etc...

Grew up in Ga-Carolina Council....fond memories of a Summer Camp there....that was timbered and sold.

Yes, Commissioners are as scarce as hen's teeth. After finishing my unit tenure, I plan to serve as a Commissioner. Totally agree on those role perspectives.

ParkMan, Would you elaborate, please? "...end all the confusion about professionals trying to do volunteer roles." You mean confusion on the volunteers' parts, or on the professionals' parts, or both? And I am all for paying someone fairly. But there aren't many Scouters in our council who see the value for those dollars... This is what councils need to do...show the value they create, and then show appreciation for the value the volunteers create. When the Mom who makes $45K a year is asked for money, and her Cub Day camp has been cancelled two years in a row with no explanation,

78 times around that boat? Sweet!

Last full salary I can find for their previous CEO was for 2016...$135K 2017 IRS 990 filing shows Loretta Graham with salary of $0, and a named interim CEO with $22.1K Must have been brand new at that point, but it will be around the $135K ballpark, for sure. In contrast, our SE pulled down $203.5K for 2017, which puts them in the top 6% of our area, according to census data. I point this out at the end of FOS presentations, so people can have full facts when deciding what they want to do with their money. Needless to say, I am PNG with professionals in our council. All data

Sweet

Spot on... We challenge our patrols to camp on their own at least twice a year (and I mean different destinations, not just as patrols in the same camp). (I'd prefer more.) Just last weekend, two patrols (out of five) went camping, at two different campgrounds, and had their own program. Got down to around 20 degrees both nights. (Thank the Good Lord we have enough Assistant SMs and registered adults who are willing to take this on.) I went out for a brief visit on Saturday night to show support. Scouts love camping on their own as a patrol. I, too, have noticed, over the pa

@dkurtenbach Did you mean "erosion" by putting restrictions on youth, like removing the ability of patrols to do their own outing without adult (now 2 registered) supervision? Or something else?? Back in the day, we challenged Scouts to make First Class so they could go camping on their own. Wow, what a motivator that was! And an extreme confidence and leadership builder as well.

Love that slides can (and should, IMO) be made by Scouts. Scouts who make their own slides tend to guard them more carefully. If it gets dropped, everyone pretty much knows whose it is "Handicraft slides made by youth may also be worn." G2A&I

One of my favorites is the Liberty Bell! My first slide when I joined in the 70's 😎

@Cburkhardt, Yes, BPSA looks interesting...I believe part of the problem is "stopping" the adventure at 21. Why not Rover? "Rank versus Proficiency In the BSA, the Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class through Eagle badges are referred to as “ranks.” In Baden-Powell’s program and traditional Scouting, these are referred to as “proficiency” badges—specifically “general proficiency” badges. The general proficiency badges show a Scout’s current proficiency across a known set of Scouting skills. The idea behind traditional Scouting is advancement through progressive training in Scou

@qwazse, errrrr...none of the above. We had a family celebration. Will recognize the achievement at Crew end-of-year picnic. We picked up her certificate and purchased the medal at the council office for those occasions. I asked her if she would permit me to send a pic and note to the local press. She declined... We've been having some negative experiences here in our council...part of the reason she does not wish to push on to Eagle. Dear daughter is a Star Scout now, and will finish Life shortly. I am encouraging (and tried bribing) as much as I can.