CalicoPenn

There's no set time requirement for the Service Project beyond "as much as is necessary for you to demonstrate your leadership of others". If your son believes that he has sufficiently proven his leadership of others and is satisfied with the outcome of his project, and the teacher is satisfied with the project (I don't get a vibe that the teacher is looking for more beyond what the project was, the vibe I get is that she is happy with what was done and the project is done), then get the approriate signatures and go for the Board of Review. If your son feels that 10-hours aren't enough (and

Local - I think the answer to your question about why a kid on a BSA campout that goes missing is fodder for national news is simple - The news media responds most often when a story has a "hook". Being a Boy Scout on a camping trip and going missing (or starting a forest fire, etc.) gets news treatment because there is an image of what a Boy Scout is in the US, and anything that deviates from that collective image Americans have of Boy Scouts is the hook. Our image of a Boy Scout is a young person who does a lot of camping and hiking, spends time outdoors, learns how to use map and compass,

To confirm what John-in-KC has already stated, your unit will be allowed to recommend one adult for membership in the OA to the Lodge Adult Selection Committee this year if you have less than 50 boys in the unit, provided that you have eligible boys for election into the OA and hold an election this year that results in at least one boy being elected to the Order. If you hold an election this year, and no one is elected, you can't recommend an adult for membership. If you have 51 to 100 members, you can recommend 2 adults, 101 to 150 members, 3 adults, and so on. As for age - there are

My opinion, let them stay registered, as long as they are paying their dues. I like the idea of asking them to donate to the FOS program as well. Lisa brings up a good point about listing them on the roster - how about listing them as "emeritus" members? The Scouter Reserve position that Ed brings up is worth looking into as well, though you might want to check with the Council to see if they allow that position. One thing that does trouble me is the use of "ancient troop accounts" to pay for their registration. I've never been a big fan of "troop accounts" and this is one of the re

I love the title to this thread and keep trying to come up with a obverse to it - something like "Note to Cubbers: Your Meetings Look Like Friday Nights at Chucky Cheese to Boy Scouters" but frankly that doesn't advance the true nature of the discussion. Yep, Boy Scout meetings can be boring. Yep, there are times when the "ideal" meeting plan just doesn't happen (doing an active game on a Monday night in 10 degree above temps might just not happen at all). Yep, sometimes bringing in an outside person, like a merit badge counselor, to teach a skill just doesn't work out as one hoped.

Beavah, I'm with ya - AND 'agin ya on this (being one of the moderate progressive mid-age nowhere near ready for coothood persuasion). I'd almost fully agree that bans are pretty stupid - but since I didn't see any qualifier used like the word "most" as in "most bans are pretty darn stupid" I can't fully agree. I think bans come about due to lack of common sense. To me, the stupid bans are because the people doing the banning lack common sense which leads to those absurd bans on books, wreaths, flags, etc. Some bans come about because we, the general public, don't necessar

There is only one question to ask of course: What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen European Swallow. Calico

No official rule that I know of states there must be at least 2 boys to a tent. But, it sure does make sense for all the reasons folks have stated. It sounds like your Troop has such a policy. Giant Kudos to your SPL for recognizing a potential problem down the road by making an exception - pulling an older Scout from one of the patrols sounds like a good solution. If your Troop has such a policy, the only exception I could think of would be the case of a sick, potentially contagious lad at a long-term camp (I'm not thinking serious illness, I'm thinking a flu-like virus that might "knock"

Good question, Lisa. I'm going to take a guess at the answer - I think it's a good guess based on what we know about the BSA'a advancement program - feel free to disagree. My guess as to why the BSA doesn't require its Scouts to earn a religious award is because there is no uniformity in the various religious awards. Each denomination runs their own awards program and sets up the requirements for their specific award. We know that according to the advancement policies of the BSA, no person or Council may add or subtract requirements from ranks and merit badges. This rule exists

If you have an EMT-B on staff, and they are the highest certified emergency care provider, they may automatically become the "primary first aid officer" at camp. In most states, the highest state certified emergency care provider on scene of an injury is in charge - a 16-year old EMT-B wouldn't be an exception - they're certified by the state and are required to act according to state mandated protocols (which, btw, also makes them a mandatory reporter of suspected child abuse). The only people that can prevent that EMT-B from giving proper care would be the patient (and 12 year olds can't l

I use a 4-LED 3-AAA battery headlamp from Black Diamond. It has three brightness settings, and can also be set so that the lights flash on and off (my best guess as to why this feature is that a flashing light will attract someones attention faster than a non-flashing light, in case one is misplaced (hate the word lost) or injured - but that's only my guess). I wear it under a baseball cap which also helps concentrate the light on what I'm looking at - usually something I'm reading/writing, or cooking - it acts as a visor reflector preventing too much light from escaping upwards. This works

Though technically, the Chief Scout Executive would be the LAST resort, I did indeed mean the Scout Executive, or the "Chief of the Fire" Calico

On the first question - regarding participation by OA members in order for a unit to hold elections - the Chapter is DEAD WRONG. Fight it - and fight it hard. Go immediately to the Lodge Chief (everyone seems to want to go to the Lodge Adviser first - but the first person to talk to is the Lodge Chief - the OA is a Youth Led, Youth Run organization - give the Lodge Chief the opportunity to get the situation corrected - and a good Lodge Chief will do so immediately). Only if you don't get full agreement from the Lodge Chief that what the Chapter is doing is wrong, then go to the Lodge Advise

FB - I misunderstood your role in your post - sounds like you're doing just what you should be doing in regards to elections. If the Lodge Advisor isn't doing anything for you, go directly to the Lodge Chief - and put a little bug in the ear of the professional staff liason. CP

Ok - I tried to edit my message to add this but I got a message saying I was not authorized to do so, so instead I'll just add another post. In a way this relates to the thread about youth membership versus adult membership in the OA. Most of the time, the Lodge leadership, and often the Chapter leadership is made up of the older youth members of the OA - chances are high that the Lodge Chief is over 18. I'm pretty sure that the National Officers are over 18. BSA trains the lads to be leaders, the OA is where a lot of them really put it into practice. Should you approach the L

Is it the OA Chapter that is in trouble or the OA Lodge? If the Chapter is faltering, it is up to the Lodge leadership (and that's the youth - Lodge Chief, Vice Chiefs, etc) to step in a get things back on track - it isn't the District's responsibility (most Chapters are organized so they correspond with Districts). Time to approach the Lodge and tell them the Chapter may no longer be in a position to carry out their duties. When it comes to Troop elections, call-out ceremonies, etc., if the Chapter isn't there, or can't do the work, the Lodge will have to do it - they can't just say si

No, there is a specific rule - All members of the OA under the age of 21 are Youth Memebers and to be elected as a Youth Member, one must have earned First Class. Whatever one's position in Boy Scouts is - Troop Member, Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee Member, District Committee Member - in the OA, if you are under 21, you are a Youth Member. In the Order of the Arrow, there are no 18-21 year old Scouters. When dealing with the OA membership definitions, ignore completely the BSA membership definitions - they don't match. The "He's an adult in the BSA" doesn't matter in the

Yep - sorry - I made a huge blunder - Mea Culpa. As nldscout and SWScouter pointed out, there is no limit to youth member elections - so just ignore that very last part. Calico

There are two different things here - Den Chief and Day Camp assistant. Den Chief: The Den Chief is requested by the Cubmaster (usually after a Den Leader has requested one) and appointed by the SPL/Scoutmaster from any one interested in being the Den Chief. The Pack Committee, in consultation with the Cubmaster, assigns the Den Chief to a Den. The Den Leader may request a specific person, which is often how a person becomes a Den Chief in the first place, but it is still up to the Pack Committee to assign that person. At this point, the Den Chief takes on a rather unique role within

The guidelines are clear in the Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisers. The Guide lists what the eligibility requirements are for Youth Members and for Adult Members. It further defines what is a Youth Member and what is an Adult Member. It defines these terms for the Order of the Arrow - not for the Boy Scouts of America. Though OA is a part of the BSA, their membership definitions are different. It is clear that for the purposes of the OA, it is the OA's definition of youth and adult that are the driving force, and shouldn't be conflated with the BSA's definitions. So when

The Council is right, in my opinion, not to be offering a refund (even though it is only $10), though their reasoning is, let's just say it - dumb. Obviously the person you talked to didn't give it any logical thought. The reason the Council should not be giving a refund, and that your unit shouldn't push it, is that even though you folks decided not to attend (a good decision on your part given the circumstances/parameters and support from your parents and youth you received), Council did not cancel or reschedule the event. Other units attended, either camping, or as day trippers. Since t

A modest proposal - drop "Venturing" and bring back "Exploring" - it was a prefectly good program that didn't need to be "fine-tuned" by the BSA. Venturing came about because someone noticed the growth in "outdoor" Exploring and thought it would be a great time to separate the career Exploring component from the outdoor adventure Exploring component. Obviously, these people were never Explorers. Keep Learning for Life as a school-based program and let career-oriented (but not school-based) Explorers decide if they want to stay with Learning for Life or stay under the Exploring rubric,

I've got to say that I'm really confused, or perhaps way behind the times. The Eagle Court of Honor isn't a wedding, or a bar mitzvah, or a graduation party - it is a Court of Honor, and like other Court's of Honor, should be planned and executed by the Unit - NOT by the Eagle Scout and his parents. Would you require a boy getting his First Class rank to plan his own Court of Honor? Of course not! It's a Troop event - and as such is planned by the Troop - the same goes for the Eagle Court of Honor. Is it any wonder that some new Eagle Scouts don't want a Court of Honor if what they've

Depends on the 4-H program. I worked as a counselor at a 4-H summer camp in Maine for two seasons. I taught...first aid, survival skills, camping, backpacking and hiking skills. Took the kids sea kayaking, canoeing, mountain climbing. All the things I taught Boy Scouts. In all the coverage of President Gerald Ford's funeral, how prominent was any mention that he was an Eagle Scout? In all the press about Buzz Aldrin when he walked on the moon, how many times was it mentioned that he was an Eagle Scout? How many articles about Mayor Bloomberg of NYC mention that he was an Eagle Scout

The Junior Assistant Scoutmaster serves the same role as the ... Assistant Scoutmaster. Pull out the job description for the Assistant Scoutmaster, and you've got the same basic job description for a JASM. The only exception being any part of the ASM's job that requires the ASM to be of age (driving Scouts, etc.). If you have ASM's serving as "Patrol Mentor", then your JASM's should be qualified (if not more qualified) to do the job. Meechgalanne serves as a prime example of when to use the JASM POR, as opposed to the Instructor or Troop Guide POR. 17, SPL for 2 years. In a ver