AMRC18

John Thurman wrote a book on the scout patrol back in the mid 1900's. Here's a snippet on some things he spoke about:

https://scoutmastercg.com/the-court-of-honor/

As well as delegating responsibilities, make sure your boys do something active at meetings and do it often! The reason why they're looking bored or even tired may be they're not doing enough scoutcraft (hands on, outdoors scouting), which is why most youth join in the first place. My oldest is currently a cub scout, and his favorite parts of activities are not sitting at a table being lectured to, but being with his fellow Wolves and running around actively scouting with them. This doesn't change through a scout's entire youth. While formal meetings are necessary for planning, ceremony, etc., they should be few and far between.

I highly recommend reading Scouting for Boys by Robert Baden-Powell. This is the original Boy Scouts handbook. It has tons of traditional scouting activities and methods that can bring your Patrols closer together. You can download the whole book for free here:

http://www.thedump.scoutscan.com/s4b.html

The website also contains tons of other traditional scouting material that can prove helpful, including documents on patrols. I'm in a new scouting association for adults (Rover scouts) and am trying to figure out the patrol method myself. I'm not sure how helpful it may be to a boy scout troop, but I developed a document for our Association detailing the workings of a patrol if you need inspiration for specifics. I've attached that file to this post.

Good luck!

The Rover Patrol for R4LA.pdf

Excellent. Hands on scout craft in the outdoors is the best thing for your scouts. It's the camps they'll remember the most!

On 11/1/2021 at 8:50 AM, fred8033 said:

#1  Purpose of MBs ???  ... Going tangential.  Not directly on this MB.   I agree with "...there is a ton..." ... I fear this is yet another where BSA does a light weight, cheap, shallow introduction to a topic done much better in school and church.  ...  Scouting has historically been reactionary to society trends.  Think STEM.  Think the 1970s new scouting program that moved away from outdoors.  At this point, I'm a bit lost on purposes of rank requirements versus MBs.  I used to think MBs were about either skills development or career exploration.  Now, MBs seem like a disorganized dumping ground for things we think kids should know.  ... If it were for me, scouting should be focused on distinguishing itself by keeping kids moving and doing things they can't get elsewhere ... aka outdoor adventure and physical skills.  Hiking.  Swimming.  Camping ... Welding.  Wood working.  etc.  

Why I love traditional scouting, created in 1970, that kept the hands on skills of the pioneer and outdoorsman 😌 maybe I'm just biased as a Rover Scout, though.

I hope this MB opens dialogue and creates friendships, but as others have discussed, it's something they can sit and do without much hands on work.

Excellent. This is such an important topic to cover with youth. We've used the scouting YPT with our oldest since he was a Lion scout, and it's made him all the wiser.

When my husband was in a scout troop, they camped once a month, including the winter months. Granted it was a smaller troop, but the scoutmaster was very motivated, and if the scouts want to do multiple camps, there are normally plenty of local camps/national forests for free camping scouts can use. If the troop/patrols wish to do more than 1 camp, I think it's worth accomodating them as possible, and it doesn't need to be expensive or extensive.

I appreciate Trail life's aim and mission, but one of the main reasons BSA lost so much membership is because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is no longer a charter organisation, not only because of a loss of moral values. I currently like BSA's program, but if there were any TLUSA troops near me I'd probably switch my boys over considering the direction BSA is taking with its woke, political knee-jerk reaction to BLM.

Our pack has a dozen or so boys and girls, and we're struggling to get enough adults to fulfill the 2-deep youth protection policy for all sections.

Welcome to the forum! We started out our oldest in Lion and now he's a wolf! Cub scouting is so much fun. 

Welcome!

If you're having issues with Scoutbook, you can try Trooptrack. Your troop would have to pay for its service, but it can serve BSA groups and is independent of National.

www.trooptrack.com

Hello! I live in the Ogden area. If you're looking for a good troop, look up Elk's Lodge Troop 719 in Roy. They also have a cub scout pack. I hope you enjoy your time in Utah!

Our pack tries to meet weekly during the off school weeks, starting in June. It helps the cubs get ahead on their adventures. I suppose it depends on how active the leadership wants to be.

22 hours ago, mrjohns2 said:

What is the "Traditional Rover uniform". Can you post a link?

Here is a drawing done by Baden-Powell.

https://images.app.goo.gl/zoAvvXgxQrwNTBJd6

Here's me (center) wearing it. I haven't earned all the proficiency badges yet.

I'm part of a traditional scouting association for adult scouts, called Rovers. We can also wear this uniform with pants or a kilt. It's interesting to note that the Webelos shoulder knot originates from the Rover Knight shoulder knot, with the colors of the 3 sections (yellow for cubs, green for boy scouts, and red for Rovers).

Sorry if this got a little off topic 😛

On 5/8/2021 at 9:47 PM, fred8033 said:

 

It's the paramiltary appearance of scouting that has definitely fallen out of style.  From the outside, scouting can look creepy and anacronistic:  march, salaute, military like uniforms, etc.  Those deeply involved know that scouting is much more about the outdoors, ecology, etc.  But from the outside, scouting can look a bit creepy.  

I wouldn't call the BSA uniform any creepier than a school uniform. I've worn the traditional Rover uniform with beret and shoulder boards, which is way more "military" looking, in public, and I've gotten nothing but curiosity and delight from people who see me in it.

The uniform is meant to create identity and unity among scouts, and is meant to have a neat look to it like a school uniform. It's supposed to draw some attention and curiosity. I bet if more scouts wore their uniform outside of scout activities, we'd see more youth joining. The uniform is part of the appeal to youth.

I appreciate Scott's comments on the DEI merit and respecting everyone's conscience and beliefs, and I surely hope alternatives will be available so my boys don't have to undergo what I see as a required diversity course just to get their merit badge. Sexual identity, orientation, and Black Lives Matter (which BSA capitalized in their first letter, so I'm assuming they're talking about the organization and not just the idea) have become highly politicized, so it's interesting he's implying that scouts is trying not to get political. We'll see what the requirements turn out to be. 

Welcome!

I know this is a pretty old topic, but I feel I should contribute to your knowledge about this organization.

The principles BPSA-US is founded on are pretty sound. They draw material directly from the original orginization and writings of Robert Baden-Powell. I love their current handbooks; they are practical and straight to the point. Even if you didn't join BPSA-US, there's a lot to get out of the handbooks.

I joined them April last year, excited to do Rover scouting because I never had an opportunity to scout growing up. However, a few months after joining, BPSA-US decided Baden-Powell, despite the amazing scouting legacy, is a racist "white Victorian male" (quoted from a reply from HQ to my disappointmemt in their decision) that no longer has a place in their program because of the whole Black Lives Matter movement. As such, they'll be changing the program name and removing B-P's influence altogether; in other words, it will no longer be a traditional scouting program. Funny how a program that touts inclusivity doesn't believe in forgiveness for a few mistakes a dead man made.

I was pretty disgusted by this announcement. It was B-P's writings that convinced me to become a Rover scout. Looking at the way the BPSA-US markets themselves now, it's easy to see they are just a front for activism for LGBT and BLM, and not really for traditional scouting. Scouting was not meant to promote political or social trends, nor cater to the whims of the politically correct. It's really disappointing that they're trying to fix something that isn't broken.

If you're interested in traditional Rovering that isn't a front for political and social activism, look up Rovering 4 Life Association. It's a new organization and growing. They have  similar program to the current BPSA-US, except it doesn't emphasize one social or political group over everyone else. I'm currently a Rover Scout Leader in R4LA, and I'm loving it.

My membership in BPSA-US expires in April, and while I'm grateful to the organization for introducing me to traditional scouting, I'm not interested in being an activist under the guise of a scout.

Hello everyone, I'm a Rover scout from Utah, and the Rover Scout Leader of my Crew. I'm also a scouting mom to my two oldest boys. I love the things I learn from scouting; not only does it bring me closer to my family, it got me out of a spiritual rut and gave me a better appreciation of God and has been supplemental to my religious practice.

I look forward to participating in this forum. I'm normally adverse to participating on social media, but I hope my experience here will be fulfilling!

If you're interested in checking out our Crew, please look at our website: aspenmountainrc.blogspot.com