Chippewa29

When Scouts cross over in February/March, they have a much better chance of sticking with the program. When we've had kids cross over in May/June, they say they can't come to the meetings or campouts until the end of June because of baseball. Then, they have family vacations in July and August. By the time school starts back up in September, they have missed a lot of great Scouting time and lost interest. The BSA shifted the crossover from May to February so the new Scouts would be able to get several campouts underneath their belts before heading up to summer camp for a week.

Yes, the adults could probably put together a better program if they did it themselves. However, the Scouts need to learn how to put together a program. One thing that the Scouts need to realize is that things won't always be perfect and that at times the program may not be as "fun" as they want because it is a learning experience. Some guidance helps, but you have to be careful not to let the kids use the adults as a "crutch" so they don't have to put in effort. Adults can have input, but be careful about them taking over. As far as a "junk" campout, my troop used to do something the

When doing a troop fundraiser, allow the boys to share in the profits. My troop has a deal where the Scouts participating have a portion of the profits earmarked for them in the troop account. For example, if a Scout brings in $200 profit for the troop from the popcorn sales, then he gets $100 credited to his account. He can use it to pay for campouts, dues, etc. Also, if he goes out and buys a Scout-related item (flashlight, mess kit, etc.), he can take the receipt and get reimbursed for it. My troop just did a can and bottle drive the weekend after New Years and six Scouts collected

Congrats on the honor! I tend to hold my Vigil in higher esteem than my Eagle Award because it is based completely on your service to others and you must be recognized by your peers for it rather than having a set of requirements you can do on your own. Both are great honors and I'm actually surprised that you hadn't already received the Vigil. You seem like you give quite a bit of yourself in serving others.

I'm trying to shift more of our troop responsibilities from the adults to the Scouts. Recently, as in the past, our committee chair handed out permission slips for our next two outings. It had most of the information filled in and said to return the payment to the troop secretary by a certain date. Usually, the permission slips get handed out at committee meetings (to the parents) and the money is collected by the committee secretary or treasurer, with the Scouts not being involved at all. When I was a Scout, the Scoutmaster always handed out the permission slips to us and we went home, go

Although it is too late for the original post, I'll pass along an idea. My troop is having a holiday party on Monday, December 23. The PLC decided to have a meeting even though many of the adult committee members wanted "a break". Instead of a normal troop meeting, the Scouts are making holiday treats and coming up with games for the holiday. One of the Scouts is Jewish and making a traditional Hannukah dessert and teaching the other kids a game. We are hoping the other Scouts do similar things. Instead of just having cookies or whatever, we're hoping the Scouts come up with some differe

What is everyone out there thanful for? I, for one, am thankful that I have the opportunity to serve other people and help them fulfill their dreams.

I once asked the SM of a very large and successful troop in our area (80 plus Scouts for over 20 years) what they did at their troop meetings that helped them. He said their meetings were kind of boring and that he never had a kid join for the meetings. They joined for the outdoor program (1-2 activities a month). I'm not sure if the Scout Handbook still says this, but it used to say, "You'll learn more in a couple days in camp than you will in months of troop meetings".

The adults in my troop had an interesting discussion tonight. In our troop, we have more than enough tents to put two Scouts per tent. We use the Eureka Timberline 4 man tents (they vary in age from 3-14 years). One of the dads was upset because I told his son this past weekend that he couldn't use his own tent and that he needed to use the troop one. The Scout doesn't like how he can't stand up in the Eureka tents. Our troop tents aren't brand new, but they are in solid shape. My feeling is that if the troop has enough tents, then the Scouts should all use the troop tents. Could yo

The troop 100% African-American, sponsored to a Baptist church. The pastor wanted to start a Scout troop (they already have a Girl Scout Troop) and asked my friend (an Eagle Scout) to get it rolling. Most of the kids are from single parent homes and many are living with grandparents. I'm sure I'll find out more tomorrow. At this point, they have been on one campout and the kids had a blast. My friend is trying hard to figure out how the "Scout Way" to do things is. He is also in need of some moral support. I'm going to see what I can do to help him tomorrow. I won't be able to he

An old college roommate of mine recently started a Scout troop at his church in a large city near where I live. I'm actually going to his troop meeting tomorrow to help him out. He's said that he is getting virtually no parental involvement and is basically playing babysitter for fifteen kids (they've grown tremendously in three months). He's looking to go to training when his district offers it and is trying to find help. Does anyone have any experience with urban Scouting so you can pass along a few tips? I know there are different challenges than what I am used to (we are a subur

When I talk about equipment, I am referring to getting our troop trailer out to the campsite. The Scouts obviously can't pull a trailer behind a car. I'm currently training the new QM to keep track of the equipment and when we need something, to report it to troop committee so they can get the equipment replaced and/or repaired. What I envision for activities is having people specialize more in the jobs. They don't necessarily need to do them, but to work on them with the Scouts and make sure that particular task is done. We have a standard permission slip that must be filled out for

In my troop, there are a few parents that want to divide the responsibilities of the troop in the following way. They volunteer to handle all details for one or two outings a year. You have 6-8 to people running things for different events. My feeling is that the responsibilities that need to be taken care of should be split on a task basis, meaning that someone is in charge of equipment, someone is in charge of paperwork, etc. How do other troops handle the division of responsibilities for the troop?

I've tried looking at the job descriptions for both, but I'm still confused. As we are all aware, the duties for a committee member and assistant scoutmaster tend to be somewhat vague. In the past, I've seen troops with either an outdoor activities chair (committee member) or an ASM-Outdoor Activities. For both of them, their job was to handle the paperwork for the outdoor activities (reservations, health forms, permission slips, tour permits, etc.) These seemed to be the same job to me and both put in roughly the same amount of time and committment. How do you determine whether that pers

Here is the latest chapter in our saga... After talking to our DC, I had him come to our recent COH to give a quick speech on the different types of services available for the troop through the district (it was really a promotion for the adults to go to training, but that is what I wanted). While the DC was speaking, our ex-SM interrupted him several times to remind him not to "forget" anything. At the reception after the COH, the DC pulled our ex-SM aside and asked him to be an ADC (our district is in bad need of them). He had told me before he was going to do this. The DC said

I wish I had thought of this a little while back. However, it does make sense. I'm going to work more on getting more decisions to the PLC (without having the committee to officially ok them). Also, our committee meetings are dreadfully long (1 1/2 hours plus) because instead of giving reports, every single item is discussed or taken care of right there. I've seen times where we've sat and waited for five minutes while someone fills out certain paperwork before we move on. Back when I was committee chair, our meetings lasted 45-60 minutes and we got a lot more done. I delegated most ever

As far as the two Scouts wanting to do everything together, that is natural. They are each other's security blanket for now. Eventually, they'll make other friends in the troop and be more inclusive (it will probably take several months). When I was a Scout, we had two kids come in from Webelos that were the same way. They always wanted to be together and do everything together. When we went to summer camp, they insisted on sharing a tent (fortunately, both of their dads were more than happy to stay in the adult area) and taking all of their merit badge classes together. Basically, t

I had dinner with a Scottish troop while I was at the World Jamboree in early 1988. While they aren't used for everyday wear, many of them tend to use the kilts for ceremonial occasions, particularly when it is an international event. Last I heard on that was about the mid-90's.(This message has been edited by Chippewa29)

Another update. It looks like the majority of the troop is behind me on this. Pretty much everyone placed orders for t-shirts on Monday night and I've heard from a couple of parents (plus one alumnus who helps out a couple of times a year) that they think he was wrong on this. I also talk to our District Commissioner on the phone and he said that he's seen many SM's in the past who can't let go even though they wanted to give up the position. I'm going to talk with our former SM and if he doesn't agree to back off, I'm going to set up a meeting between him, myself, and the district commiss

In addition to working with the Scouts, I also coach at a local high school. I deal with dozens of kids and their fitness is often a factor. The biggest barrier is kids (like adults) don't like to get out of their comfort zones. With all of the conveniences available today, kids never have to get uncomfortable or stretch themselves. Also, our society promotes instant gratification instead of delayed gratification. The poor fitness condition of many of our youth is because getting in good physical shape requires getting uncomfortable and delaying gratification for at least a few weeks (it

Like was mentioned before, if he doesn't have a physical handicap that prevents him from swimming, then he should do the requirement in order to advance. If he is passed without actually doing the requirements, then he is actually just getting a rank and not really advancing. Struggling to pass that swim requirement may be the toughest thing the kid has ever had to do. It could also be the most rewarding. About ten years ago, we had a Scout that was very used to giving up very easy and was scared of the water. It took him all summer (he even lived on a lake) to pass the second class r

At this time, my troop uses the standard BSA ballcap. When everyone wears it, it looks sharp. However, most of the kids don't like it and don't wear it. I've thought about proposing the idea to our PLC, but most of the troop hats I've seen around didn't really seem to go with the uniform. What has been other troop's experiences? I wouldn't mind a troop hat, but I'd like the uniform parts to match each other.

I understand what KS said about the beret. It isn't functional at all, but I loved how sharp it looks when worn correctly by a group. Four guys in my patrol for Adult Leader Training had berets and we all wore them for flag raising and looked great doing it. I also feel the same way about the field cap that was done away with in the early/mid-80's. My orignal troop wore those and it looked really cool when the whole troop was wearing the correct uniform with the field cap. Gave us a little more "professional" look than the baseball cap. Really high quality outdoor clothing (like Colu

I do have good news. I just got an email from one of the parents in the troop and he sent a reply to everyone in the troop saying that he felt that one of the purposes of Scouting was to teach the kids responsibility and if they came up with a design that they didn't like, they needed to live with it. Also, he said he doesn't believe the parents own the troop. The kids do and the adults are there to support the kids program. I had gotten another email from one of our new moms saying she thought if the kids liked the design and there was nothing offensive about it, then there shouldn't

OGE- It may have to come to a referendum on my leadership. A friend of mine that I went through the OA with as a youth has gone on to be Wood Badge trained, was a SM for a couple of years, has an MBA from Yale specializing in non-profit groups, and today is involved with a leadership training group in DC. He said that the troop committee is like the board of directors for any organization. They appoint the leader of the organization (along with the CO in the Boy Scouts case), then provide the support necessary for that leader's vision and direction. If they feel that the leader is not