DannyG

All I can say is keep up the good work. What do you and your scouts want to get out of the program? Awards? Ranks? Badges? Or is it about learning life skills? Encourage them to pursue Wilderness Survival in addition to Eagle requirements (7 MBs are elective). If your scouts don't like your district Klondike stop going. Find another one. Keep building skills, ranks and awards will come.

You must be doing it wrong. 75% of scouting is outing.

I never heard of them.

Kids today are different than 30 years ago. Though they still have hormones. Boy/girl troops put the boys' tents on one side of camp, the girls' tents on the other, and the adults camp in the middle.

I have already seen this effect in my area with linked boy/girl troops. My Cub Scout Pack was sending out girl AOLs 5 years ago. The last 2 years we had girls complete the full program and bridge up. The girls go to linked troops. The boys tend to pick linked troops too, to stay with their den mates even though they are in different troops/patrols. Especially if they have a sister in the program so they meet on the same night and go on the same weekend trips together. Families are busy; they don't want to split their kids up into different activities if they can help it. Single-gender troops a

There is only one scouting organization in the US that serves all youth. GSUSA is Girl Scouts and Girl Guides.

"Scouting America" sounds more like the program we are delivering to today's youth, and it is consistent with other WOSM organizations.

If girls need girls-only spaces, why did they join the former "Boy" Scouts of America? Like a lot of folks here, Boy Scouts was my refuge in middle school when I could pal around with my friends in the woods not worrying about social pressures from school. It was a gender-segregated program. Imagine my surprise when I got to high school and found there were girls with similar feelings and interests. Not all of the girls, but quite a few. Why did we deny them the opportunity of a program that goes outdoors to teach self-reliance, teamwork, determination, and leadership? Before you say girls hav

Not required. But I like to wear performance shirts underneath my uniform shirt. To each their own.

From what I can recall as a youth: I had a parent who was also a registered leader. At the troop level, it felt like the program was harder because I had one less adult to sign requirements. Parents were forbidden to approve their own child's requirements or sit in BOR. Neither my brother nor I made it close to Eagle. My father stayed in the program long after my brother and I left it for other activities. Now as an adult, I can speak from both experiences. I started as an adult of a Cub, where I could guide and encourage my young scout from the sidelines. Later on I became a den leader.

I think it used to be policy to not convoy. Still it is best practice to avoid them. Even if you meet together and travel as a group, make sure each driver has directions and knows where the destination is. Drivers should be focused on the road, not trying to stay together in a convoy. Have a plan to communicate, whether it is by cell phone, walkie-talkie, whatever.

I would start talking to the other adults in the room. Do they like the program the way it is? If others think the program can improve they can help you. Do you know the CC succession plan? If I am CC and I have a SM that is absent every other week, I would be concerned. Are there registered ASMs/adults to keep 2-deep leadership? Or, you might have come across a group that thinks this is the way scouting goes, is happy with adults running the show, doesn't care for a strong PLC/patrol method... You will have to figure out if you can lead change in this group, or cut your losses and find a stro

They know the deal when they sign up. Usually they are friends with someone in the Pack. We get most of them back.

You have a vision. Now find a coalition and communicate it to them. Does your troop have adult committee meetings? That is where you discuss your concerns and find other adults willing to help. You are not going to fix this by yourself.

Yes. It is really expensive. So our Pack follows less strict uniform rules. The only required uniform parts to buy are the shirt and belt. Webelos have to buy the colors or cap for the pins. Otherwise the official pants, cap, socks, etc. are optional. We have also made handbooks optional. The Pack purchased 10 or so of each neckerchief so we can reuse them. When AOLs bridge out, we give their neckerchiefs to the Bears moving up to Webelos. The Bears give their neckerchiefs to the Wolves, etc. The official slide is optional. Tie it in a knot, make a woggle in a den meeting, or find on

One of the simplest ways it was described to me as a uniformed adult leader: The scouts should know that you participate in elections. They shouldn't know who you are voting for.

I believe scouting teaches youth to be involved and engaged. BSA has Eagle-required merit badges that teach civic engagement: Citizenship in the Community, Nation, World, and Society. Certainly BSA teaches this in a way to find common-ground with others: If you are out in the wilderness with a group you need to work together and solve problems as a group. We are stronger when we work together. If you take a stand as an individual, what are the repercussions to the group? There has to be a good reason and you should have allies who support you. Therefore, I believe the Gold Award project d

Train them. Trust them. Let them lead. It is 3x less work for SM..... Since the adult "patrol" is cooking for 3 people, not for 11.

Our Pack took a similar approach. We are not "free": unit dues pays for awards and things. But we go as lean as possible. The Pack purchased neckerchiefs of each rank - So when AOLs bridge out, their neckerchiefs are reused to the Bears den bridging up. The Bears neckerchiefs go the Wolves den, Wolves to Tigers, all the way down. The only required uniform left to purchase is the shirt and belt. Everything else is optional. (Tie neckerchief in a knot so you don't need a slide. Or make one at a den meeting.) Books are not even required anymore. The Pack buys one for the den leader. Everyo

Active and engaged scouts. Monthly activities. Year-round program. Personal growth. Opportunities for advancement. Anecdotally, we just had a lapsed scout recruited into our troop who quit Cubs for this same reason. Turns out the family just didn't like the Cubs program, they like the troop program better.

Yes. Maybe your scouts like to play kickball. I think it is an appropriate activity for scouts, not one to immediately step in and put a stop to. Certainly if there is a safety concern, bullying, etc, it should be addressed immediately. Or is the activity getting stale, detrimental to troop morale? If you have concerns with the program, as an adult you should approach the Scoutmaster. SPL and Scoutmaster should work in tandem. I also believe scouts need coaching from time to time. If you have meeting ideas, get permission to attend PLC and present them. They should be meeting regularly. Ours m

My unit doesn't give a percentage, per se.... Rather, after fundraising is done and all the unit expenses are paid for, we take the remaining funds (if any) and decide how much we want to give to FOS.

Scouts is life. If there is a demand, somebody is going to meet it.

This is not the norm. I have heard talk of Girl-only camporees and summer camp, but I have yet to experience one. I have only good things to say about girl troops and adult leaders I have worked with. If a unit wants to participate in girl-only events, they can schedule their own camping weekends, stay in their own campsites doing their own thing. Scouts in units and patrols can decide on their own what activities they want to partake. I have no problem. But I believe BSA is a coed program. If the unit is going to participate in district-wide and BSA events, then I believe they should be

Right. Signs can be moved. Schedules can be adjusted. Separate times scheduled and posted for youth/adult and female/male is good practice. That the troop was unable to accommodate male troop camping next to them speaks volumes of their leadership.