livitup

Just registered the kiddo last night - so he'll be attending.  I'm going to have to skip this year, as I have two week's worth of summer camp back-to-back this year.  I can't wait to hear the trip report when he gets home!

On 10/5/2021 at 9:55 PM, Oldscout448 said:

Our lodge has 26 chapters at last count.  For the lodge chief to work directly with that many chapter chiefs proved to be difficult indeed. So we grouped three or four chapters that touched each other geographically into areas. Each with its own Chief and Advisor. Precovid  I believe we had 6, now we have consolidated to 4 due to membership drop.

Hope this helps.

On 10/5/2021 at 11:45 PM, HelpfulTracks said:

Based on a previous post you made, I think there might be some confusion with the terms your son is using. I could be wrong though.

...

As OldSCout448 said, some have a level between Lodge and Chapter for organizational purposes and they may have one or more of these officer positions. I think that mainly occurs among larger Lodges (either those with many Chapters, many members or those geographically spread out.)

 

 

Thank you both for replying.

He's definitely an Area Vice Chief, but the situation is exactly as you both described, our Lodge uses the "Area" designation to cover 5 or so Chapters.  Each area has a Chief and a couple Vice Chief roles that report up to the Lodge leadership.

I managed to find the map on our Lodge's website, but it was the lack of any findable, formal documentation on what exactly an Area was that was throwing me for a loop.

3 hours ago, Sentinel947 said:

If you read earlier in this thread, from when it was originally made, there was some discussion about the voting feature, back when it was new. It's a fairly stock version of forum software, and the moderators cannot turn it off without contacting the developer. I'm not sure if that's a worthwhile spend of money, since this forum is already paid for by @SCOUTER-Terry's generosity. 

A certain number of upvotes triggers a label on a persons post. We tested down to 12 downvotes, and it had no effect on the post in question. Your thought process was the general consensus at the time. Downvotes do have a small value in identifying spam, off topic or factually incorrect posts, in my opinion. 

Thanks for the background.  I didn't see the info from your first paragraph, but I did see the info (and test) you describe in your second paragraph. The test that was conducted led me to my suggestion.

However, I didn't realize there wasn't a way to disable the downvotes (or voting, period) without a custom code drop.  Agreed that no money should be spent for this - such was never my suggestion.

I'll go back to ignoring votes now.  Thanks for the background.

Sorry for the necropost, but @mrjohns2, maybe you can help me out with something.

My Arrowman son has been approached about an Area Vice Chief role.  I can't figure out where the area sits in the OA hierarchy.  I know Lodge equates to Council, but after that I'm lost, and the current OA website is no help.  Is an Area a sub-unit of a Lodge that serves Arrowmen, perhaps from multiple BSA districts?

Something occurs to me...

If a person agrees with a post they can:

• Upvote the post, which adds value because after enough upvotes, a post is highlighted - making it easier for future thread readers to quickly identify the posts that the community has agreed are of highest value.
• Or they can reply with a "I agree" type post which doesn't add to the conversation, or highlight the high-quality posts.

If a person disagrees with a post they can:

• Downvote the post, which is in effect a low value "I disagree." post without an explanation. I can't discern any additional "consequences" of a downvote.
• Reply to the post with their thoughts which might change someone else's perspective, reframe the topic in a new way, etc.

Thus, I posit:

• The upvote button adds value to the forums.
• The downvote button does not, and should be disabled.

And please, to those who are currently debating the virtue of the current spate of downvotes, remember that a scout(er) is friendly and kind.

On 9/28/2021 at 9:23 PM, Dave951 said:

The Muzzleloading Instructor Course has a shooting qualification component for Rifle, Pistol AND Shotgun. Again, 3 different guns to deal with. No other course has this.

Wow, I had no idea.  I'm (obviously) not a BP guy myself.

Absent any real advice, I'll thank you for your service to Scouting and wish you good luck.  I think anyone that tries to increase participation in an under-served area (like BP firearms) gets a special gold star.  ⭐

17 hours ago, Wondering said:

Thank you for the tip, InquisitiveScouter!

You're right, a lot of the people who want to help simply don't have all the information they need to do their jobs right or well.  Next time I feel frustration sneaking in I shall remind myself to be more understanding and help them if I can, or gently steer them back to the Committee Chair. 🙂

First off, apologies for misinterpreting your original introduction - I read it as "Scouting curious" not "Already rafting and looking for oars".

I was going to pile on to InquisitiveScouter's suggestion and also suggest a conversation with the CC, prior to steering folks towards them.  "I've noticed this, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in helping to solve this by counseling some of the other adult leaders on how to be most effective in their roles..." or something like that.  It gives the CC a heads up, and also an opportunity for the CC to reflect on what those responsibilities actually are for your troop's leadership corps.

Besides, if you have the CC on the same mission you are on, then your mission just got half as hard!  

Welcome, fellow Virginia Arrowman!

My own ordeal was 25+ years ago, so I've long forgotten the answers to the riddles posed by those password prompts.  I did pick up a copy of the OA handbook at the scout shop last time I was there - and I think what we are looking for is available in that book.

Or I could just stoop to asking my son - nah... can't give him that satisfaction. 😛

Thanks for your service to scouting... if you're in the same part of VA as I am, perhaps our paths will cross.

No clue, @mrjohns2, sorry!

Since I posted this I found the 2018 "course catalog" online. Tons of great opportunities for my son, but based on what I could see, I though the days might be kind of empty for adults.

Now you have me thinking about staff... though with a week with my troop at summer camp (or 2, if the boy's troop needs me as well) and another likely week volunteering at a different camp, I'm thinking I might skip NOAC.  There's only but so much of my summer I'm willing to dedicate to scouting, not to mention my PTO bank at work!

Decisions!

Which course are you offering?  I'm going through the process in getting NRA instructor certified in shotgun, but as I understand it, there's a total of 30 hours of training between Discipline Basic, Instructor Basic, and Discipline Instructor.  How long is your course?

Just thinking out loud... would you have better luck recruiting black powder enthusiasts to become instructor certified than you would have with recruiting Scouters to become black powder instructors? 

My son is an active member of his OA lodge and is currently an Area Vice Chief.  He came home from Fall Fellowship this weekend super excited about NOAC this year.  He hasn't been interested in any of the advanced leadership classes until recently, so he'll really only have one opportunity to attend a single one. He only has one summer before he ages out, and we can't find an advanced leadership opportunity offered any time other than the summer.

We are 99.9% sure we'll send him to NOAC next summer, over NYLT.  I'm an Arrowman also, and I'm thinking of attending as well - not to 'helicopter parent' him, but to experience NOAC as well, as I never could attend as a youth.

So who else is thinking of heading to Tennessee next summer?

Welcome!  Are you considering joining Scouting as an adult volunteer, or are you trying to learn more about the journey your Scout is embarked upon?

Update: The Boy's Troop Committee met tonight and invited me as a guest to speak.  Long story short, the committee voted unanimously to move forward with forming a Girl's Troop and welcomed me as the founding Scoutmaster.  I'm going to be joining the Boy's Troop as an ASM as soon as my application is approved.  The Committee feels confident they can get 5+ girls at bridging in March, but they are going to start marketing, and if they can get 5 girls sooner, we'll go ahead.  The CO is already on board; in fact they've wanted this to happen for quite a while. Our Troop's Chaplain is also the District Training Chair, so he's getting me lined up for IOLS, Scouting Academy, and whatever else he can throw at me.

I'm nervous, excited, and happy!

3 hours ago, jcousino said:

If the girls are not registered as members of a charter troop/crew or lone scouts, they would I believe they would be unable to process any awards. If the boy troop is processing their awards for them, then it is committing fraud. Yes, coed troops are the future, but not now. Somewhere in the scout and law, obeying the rules is part of the system.
Work to change the rules if you feel improper, but you do not have the right to change things to fit what you want.

I assume you are referring to the comments that some G-Troops operate as patrols in Boy Troops.  In the cases I've heard of this happening, the G-Troop is chartered, they just operate as if they are not.  That's not how I plan on running things.

17 hours ago, mrjohns2 said:

Awesome! 

Do you have 4 other girls ages 11-17?
 

My 2 cents after being a girl troop SM for 2 years and now CC. 
 

Don’t make them a patrol of the boy troop. Let them be their own troop. Please. 

1 hour ago, jcousino said:

They can not  be a patrol of a boys troop, they must be their own troop

21 minutes ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

Correct, on paper and in theory, but that is not how it is playing out in reality in many cases.  I think that is what @mrjohns2was referring to.

Esse quam videri

I think we have at least 3, maybe 4, but we haven't marketed or recruited at all. There's 30+ boys in the Boy's Troop - and I imagine at least a couple of them have sisters that would be interested...

My intention, if granted permission to make such decisions, is to have the G-Troop do opening and closing ceremonies with the Boy's Troop, but otherwise run completely independently. I absolutely want them to elect a full slate of leaders, plan their own program, etc. I think that early on their outdoor activities are going to be too "easy" for the Boy's Troop, but after a little while I can imagine a mix of joint and separate outdoor activities.

One of the other adults currently active in the Boy's Troop mentioned the "run the girls as a patrol in the boy's troop" idea and I am 100% against that.  I didn't drop a flat-out 'no' in that conversation, as I'm learning who's who in the leadership of the Boy's Troop, but I'll push back hard if that idea gains legs.

17 minutes ago, elitts said:

That's when you just register a few moms as merit badge councilors, and when a backup is needed just say "Hey, either a mom comes along or we can't go".

Brilliant!

Thank you!

There is one female adult willing to volunteer, but my current understanding is that she wasn't willing to commit to being SM.  I think we are going to press hard to get two female volunteers registered, so we can maintain 2-deep and 1-female in the event one adult can't participate in an activity.

Hello everyone!

I was a youth scouter (aged out at Life) and active in OA in the early '90s.  My son and daughter are currently Life and Tenderfoot Scouts. I steadfastly avoided adult participation in my children's units, because both of them struggled to interact with other youth and adults without constant reassurance and validation from myself or my wife. I felt that by not being there, I was actually giving them the gift of learning how to forge those relationships with peers and adults.

My daughter had a great Cubs pack and bridged to a great troop that, unfortunately, disbanded the following year.  Her current troop was not a good fit (it was more of a military-style troop, and she needs something a little less formal) so she has decided not to re-up with them. Which brings us to...

The CO for the troop my son is in doesn't currently have a girl's troop - though they have expressed interest in doing so, if one could get off the ground.

• My daughter needs a troop
• The CO for my son's troop would love to have a G-troop
• Nature abhors a vacuum, therefore
• I volunteered to lead the charge (and SM, if they'll have me) a G-troop for the CO
• I further suggested/volunteered to serve as an ASM in my son's troop as "practice" for SMing the G-troop when it goes live.

I'm attending the committee meeting this week to sync up with the rest of the adults managing operations for the current troop.  I don't worry much about my son - he's matured a lot and I'm confident in his capabilities. (Quick Dad brag - he'll be starting his term as SPL effective the COH next week!) I do worry that my involvement may stunt my daughter's acquisition of the life skills that Scouting is so good at teaching - we'll walk that tightrope and see what happens.

Anyway, I'm a voracious reader and life-long learner, so I've been going through a ton of the posts here over the last few weeks.  I've always figured knowledge is the ultimate embodiment of "Be Prepared," so I've been doing a ton of researching and reading. I tend to jump in to things with both feet, so I'll probably be posting more once I'm "official."

Good to meet you all!