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Our council camps have various "mix & fix" type events where individuals and groups volunteer to supply their time and efforts and sometimes materials to construct, do repairs, etc. to the various buildings, equipment and such at camp. One of the most generous and useful organizations are the local trade unions who volunteer their time and expertise. They usually bring along their beer too! To my knowledge a good time was had by all, much needed work was accomplished, and community bonds were strengthened. The union members were not working with youth and no formal youth activiti

A Scout is cheerful, a scout if friendly, a scout is courteous - all characteristics / values that can be taught by "games." Now, why ban group computation Eagledad? I know that many have a math phobia but that is going to an extreme! Doesn't that fall under "mentally awake?" {Type with tongue firmly planted in cheek.}

The easy way to see that your council means age/school year instead of true rank, is that Webelos I and Webelos II are not ranks. There is a Webelos rank only. Another way is to listen to sctmom and Bob White!

eisley, May I be so bold to ask what part of Missouri you grew up in? Just to rile up Irving, do you know the difference between a Missouri boot and a Texas boot? On a Missouri boot, the BS in on the outside. Go Tigers!

A friend of mine at work (Eagle, West Point Grad) did a similar project when stationed (his father) at an Army base in the south. A Civil War memorial on base had fallen into disrepair and he managed and participated in clearing vegetation, made minor repairs, did surrounding area clean-up, and the troop keeps perpetual maintenance of the sight now. I'm guessing that that project was done in the early to mid 70's.

Forms should be carried at your council office. Look at: http://www.usscouts.org/awards/scoutertraining1.html For the Boys Scout Leader's Training Award: Training 1.Complete Boy Scout Fast Start training 2.Complete Basic Leader Training for your position. Tenure Complete a total of 2 years as a registered adult Boy Scout leader. Performance Do five of the following: 1.Participate in a support role for five overnight campouts. 2.Help with two annual unit and/or district Friends of Scouting enrollments. 3

I'm very close to completing my ticket (Go Bears!). I've passively attended two bead presentation ceremonies. One was during our troop court of honor. The boys COH somehow became the SMs Wood Badge ceremony which totally overshadowed the event. The other ceremony was during the closing campfire of my SLF course. Both occured before I really knew much about Wood Badge. My Wood Badge patrol consisted of me and five others from a different district. They all told me that most of their WB ceremonies happened at their monthly Roundtable. I've attended my districts roundtable for the p

I don't like mandatory community service, draft, etc. I don't want to discuss those issues here. Den Chiefs do get credit (leadership) for rank advancement. Maybe the BSA could also attribute some "service" hours (or maybe it is within the SM's power) to den chief responsibilities. Not necessarily a one for one but maybe something like an hour of service for "set" of three den meetings and one pack meeting. I know many feel that a den chief should be light years ahead ofthe cubs in age but one advantage of having a den chief only two years older or so is that they still enjoy many of

When considered for employment, you owe your potential employer an upfront assessment on how your religious beliefs may effect your work effectiveness. Your potential employer owes you the potential impact your employment may have on your religious observances. For example, I work in the defense industry (private company) and the US Government is notorious for releasing RFPs (requests for proposals) in late November, mid December and wanting a response by early January. The Government works hard, gets their work done rught before the holidays and then releases it. Companies that have

Don't no if it is official BSA policy, but we put the Troop Guide (with his approval) in the patrol that he is guiding.

"Makes for a quick, but ineffective meeting." Is this really what you meant to post? I believe some are confusing Pack leadership meetings and Pack Committee meetings. Den leaders, CM, ADL etc. are not committee members and do not need to attend committee meetings. They are pack leaders and should attend Pack Leadership meetings. Also, such positions as Treasurer, Public Relations, Registrar, Secretary, etc. should be registered Scouters in my book. They alway were in Packs that I was affilitated with. I believe the Cubmaster role is much understood. He/she does not "run the

I was once married to a Committee Chair (sounds like the title of a book, and no my marriage did not end, she ended her tour of duty as CC). I was a den leader. Sometimes she could not attend the Committee meeting and would have me bring the agenda that she made. I would present the agenda but would not exactly chair the meeting in my eyes, but maybe it looked like I did in others eyes. Anyway, I definitely never assigned tasks, made decisions, etc. The Cubmaster, Asst. Cubmaster, Den Leaders, Asst. Den Leaders ARE NOT memebers of the Pack Committee (similarly in Troop for SM and ASM

Not to get into a battle, but the Patrol Leader position can be thought of as a troop position as well as a patrol position. It is a patrol position for obvious reasons. It can be considered a troop position because he is a member of the PLC. As a SM can assign/approve of leadership, he/she may also NOT approve of a position (for example PL) if they felt the position was not carried out properly. In the troop vs. patrol debate, when such positions as QM, Scribe, etc. are listed, they refer to Troop QM, Troop Scribe as opposed to patrol scribe. And yes, once again, all of the infor

SM's perspective - I want my best/brightest to become my troop's PLs, Troop Guides, Instructors, JASMs, ASPL(s) and SPL. For boys who have "potential" and no internal troop position to fill, how about serving as a den chief? Den Leaders perspective - I want your best/brightest most mature Scout for MY den. Scouts perspective - Would I rather be a leader of the boys in my troop or of "little" cubs (AND have to attend more meetings and take instruction from a den leader again). As a father, I have had my son act as den chief (he just earned his service award). As an SM, I've r

Some boys behave better when their parents ARE NOT present. Some act better when they are. If you have not had a chance to have a den activity with their parents not present, you may want to give that a shot. As a den leader, I welcomed all parents to stay. However, I requested that any parent who stayed help out. If they were not willing to help out I politely escorted them to the door. Casual observers usually chit-chatted with other parents and they were as disruptive as the boys.

What some "wish", a la Youngblood, and what are BSA regulations sometimes are much different. As SMs, we have to be sure we do not fall in the trap of making the BSA what we want in our (our?, try the boys) troop and follow BSA rules. I am amazed at the long hair, pierced body parts, tatoo, maturity, and on and on discussions with respect to rank advancement. None of those issues have anything to do with rank advancement! We should be encouraging boys who return to Scouting, not discouraging them.

Our troop went to Chicago last year and stayed at the Quality Inn. It gets tricky staying at a Hotel because you can't have adults/youth share a room (unless family) and most Hotels don't want minors to share a room with no adult supervision. We had the majority stay with a family (parent) memeber but we did have our four most senior boys share a room. Although not cheap, considering it was in the prime of downtown Chicago, the $80/night or so cost was a bargain. Mass transit is great in Chicago so the bus, subway, and elevated train can get you almost anywhere. The kids enjoyed it

I knowingly broke the G2SS rules! Mea culpa! Two weeks ago I held my last den meeting. The Webelos Scouts in my den had already earned their Arrow of Light. The den meeting that evening was to be held in the church "great hall" to do a final run through of the skit the boys were going to provide to the Pack at the Blue and Gold Banquet that weekend. I had my two sons (one 10 year old Webelos, the other a Life Scout and Den Chief) and was waiting for the other parents to come by with their boys. The other parents came by and one by one they dropped off their son and said they could no

Can't add a requirement and last time I looked, hair color was not an Eagle requirement. acco40 - a folliclely (sp?) challenged redhead

Alcohol in moderation ... Bad, bad idea. What constitutes moderation? One beer impairs physical acuity, response times, etc. Not by much, but at what level is enough enough. What ifan adult had three beers and said, I'm fine, I'll have another. It would make it very difficult to regulate. THe easy answer is NO ALCOHOL around the youth. Last week, a bunch of us adult scouters came over to my house and we all drank a few beers as we prepared the final touches on the B&G ceremonies, made AOL arrows, etc. No youth were present. As SM, I have way to many responsibilities on a cam

As my brother has told me, quitting smoking is easy, I've done it numerous times. The best way to quit smoking is not to start. Again, some children (and it seems some adults) have a hard time separating bad behavior (smoking) with bad people. Yes, good people do smoke. The pleasures of the flesh make many weak (smoking, eating, drinking, to say the least).

First of all, Scouting is an "open" activity. No one is denied access. In my troop, all parents are allowed, sometimes as observers only, to all meetings and outings (PLC, Committee, Scoutmaster, troop, etc.). Second, the CO approves and possibly selects leaders for a Unit, not the SM. In practicality, in most troops, the SM and or CC run up potential leaders to the CO who gives final approval. Third, many a SM has been frustrated by parents who don't understand scouting. The parents either view it as a family "camping club", repeatedly "help out" with tasks that should be don

Awards should be given in a timely fashion after they are earned. At the Cub Scout level for Tiger, Wolf and Bear many individuals can act as "Akela." Parents, grandparents, teachers, etc. can all be Akela and sign off on requirements. For a Webelos den, the Webelos leader or his/her designee are the only ones who can sign off on requirements. Once signed off, the CM, CC or UC should not question the Scouts. By the way, my wife if CC for a pack that I am a UC for. I'm also a Webelos den leader for the same Pack. However, I've kept my UC spot pretty much underwraps (just became UC

Cabin camping does not count toward OA camping requirement either.

Electoral college - rural vs. urban In the USA, the votes are based on population, not geographical size. If the Chicago area contains 50% of the state population, they should get 50% of the "vote." Doesn't matter that the Chicago area is only 1% of the state.