drmbear

Your concept and how you relate to that "higher power" is not necessarily the same as how everyone else relates to that higher power. reverent/ˈrev(ə)rənt/ Adjective: Feeling or showing deep and solemn respect: "a reverent silence". Synonyms: respectful - deferential From "A Scout's Duty To God And Country" at USSSP: We are concerned that we do not place a single Scout in the position of doubting the values of his own faith or feeling singled out and isolated because of his own faith. We should never create a climate were a Scout feels compelled to choose between Scouting and his religious beliefs. Frequently, it is best if the prayers acknowledge a common maker, such as the Maker of All Things, God, the Great Scoutmaster of all Scouts, or the Great Spirit, because each Scout can relate the words to his own faith. A grace, prayer or song that singles out for adoration Jesus Christ, the Prophet Elias, the Prophet Mohammed, the teacher Sidhartha (Lord Buddha) or any other name sends conflicting messages to a Scout with a different faith. He may think that he is in the wrong place or he may get the idea he is not wanted. This can be prevented by reviewing all prayers, graces and songs in advance to make sure that they do not indicate a preference for a particular faith or set of beliefs. The key thing is that while we as Scout leaders should try to encourage a Scout to understand and exercise his "Duty to God", we must at the same time be very careful that our actions are not misinterpreted by any Scout to mean that his faith is unacceptable or that he should be in a different faith. Remember that Scouting does not define what a religion is and does not require membership in any particular religious group. We are interested in promoting a Scout's better understanding of his "Duty to God" because it aids good character development and improves citizenship skills. By using graces, prayers, songs and closings, we can help Scouts to remember that duty and to begin thinking about that duty. ------------------------------- This guide is well done - I stand by what I said, that every Scout should be allowed to develop and expand his or her own faith whatever it is, and at the same time, the foundation of reverence is respect, respect for the faith of others. Religion doesn't need to be a source of division - and I think it too often is.

Jesus' teachings are not generic - really universal regardless of how you believe. Same with the ten commandments. The foundation behind all modern religions are universal - there are things that all of us can consider absolutely true. On a whole other level, there are things humans all over the planet, no matter their religion, recognize and celebrate in just the same ways they have for tens of thousands of years. Hey, there's nothing wrong with recognizing the changing colors and the leaves falling, first frost and snowfall, the darkness of winter and the return of the sun, the new growth of spring, the bounty of summer. All amazing gifts. A whole lot of this stuff I figured out for myself over the years, but the foundation was the Scout's Own services 30 years ago, and universal values and beliefs. I just came out of this month's roundtable, and on the Cub Scout side next month's character connection is respect. I think the absolute most important thing a Scout can learn with regards to religion is to respect each others' beliefs - that definitely connects with how a Scout is reverent. And duty to God.

My brother and I were thinking of reserving camping nearby for a day of visiting, but then spend some time whitewater rafting as well. Our sons won't quite be Jambo age by 2013, but will for the next one after that. Like you desertrat, I was at Philmont in 1976, and my money had been spent on that. The Jambo the following year was just too much for my family. I'd aged out by the next one and in college, though my brother, 4 years younger, got to one. I think the high adventure camp at the Summit will be cool, but the Jamboree isn't as big a deal. But if I managed to become a Scoutmaster or leader of a Jambo unit, I definitely wouldn't turn it down. I believe the likelihood of that is slim, though.

Isn't that the whole point of BeAScout.org? Another option is to purchase a domain for $5 from GoDaddy or another and have it point to your Scoutlander site. I'm still not sure whether Google will do much to help you though.

Why do we say grace before a meal? It's just stopping long enough to be grateful, give thanks. If not to God, then to the farmer, for the weather, the rain, the sun, good fortune to have enough money to pay for it, etc. Isn't the Scout's Own about the same thing - taking long enough to stop and recognize our fortune, our thankfulness for the opportunity to be out in the woods, good weather, bad weather, a warm fire, keeping mosquitos at bay, surviving the weekend, etc. For me, the Scout's Own service was everything in my spiritual journey. My family didn't go to church, though I went with some of the neighbor kids fairly often. I got into Scouting just before my 12th birthday, and for me that moment of the Scout's Own, focusing on the things that everyone has in common rather than splitting over differences(which I've found is the foundation of too many religions), became a foundation of my personal faith journey. Isn't Respect a core principal of Scouting? I learned to respect and appreciate that not everyone needs to believe the same way or in the same things, but we can come together in common purpose to make it through a weekend campout, to accomplish a difficult service project, and to have fun together. That's what Scouting is about for me.

Have you seen "The MacScouters Big A Scout is Reverent Resource Book"? It says it is: A Compilation of Resources to Support Preparations for the Scouts Own and to Support Spiritual Growth within the Troop, Compiled by Kyna Hendra, ASM Troop 92. At over 100 pages, it is full of resources like what you're wanting to create. I probably found it at MacScouter / usscouts.org, but I like what it includes.

It seems to me that Scouting should be a safe place for a youth to grow into a man - isn't that a key element of what Scouting is all about? For me, it doesn't matter whether a boy is gay or straight, they have exactly the same issues of developing and growing into a man, and I have found no better place for helping them be ethical, capable, impactful, leaders in society than through Scouting. I've said over and over in my life that a kid can't have too many loving, caring adults, helping them through their life. Regardless of sexual preference, a male child is growing to be a man, and that is what Scouting is all about. The Scouting principles I learned as a youth in the Scout Oath and Law, to be kind, helpful, friendly, courteous, and more, taught me to be respectful of others even when they are different. Even though every religion I've explored has general "rules" along the lines of "love one another," "treat your neighbor as yourself," "though shalt not kill," essentially - BE NICE - isn't it amazing when that is conditioned by most with "unless they are not exactly like me." Consider how many wars around the world have a foundation in religious differences. This whole argument in Scouting is the same thing, using religion to divide, create "wars" and hatred, instead of what I remember as B-P's objective of a world brotherhood of Scouting and finding ways to bring people together, to eliminate the need for wars. We haven't even eliminated the war within the BSA, maintaining a hatred of discrimination, so how can we ever hope to be a part of creating a world of peace. And it makes no sense to me that it is religion at the root of it. That youth coming to me needs what Scouting has to offer to grow into a man just as much as any other.

Wasn't it the communists that thought social engineering and directing people into what the government thought they were "best" at, was a good idea? That worked out real well, didn't it? I'm an engineer - guilty of pursuing one of those "practical" degrees...

Our Chartered Organization Rep, one of the ministers at the church, was recently active duty military, now reserves, and he said he would personally "take care" of any adult leader that harmed one of our boys. I know he said it in jest, but we all have to take responsibility for protecting Scouting and what it stands for. All the more reason to bring in and involve all the parents we possibly can.

Beavah, Yes, I'm part of a men's group, and I have no problems with the idea that it is for men only. In reality, a whole other can of worms is that I think women, no matter how capable, knowledgeable, etc., have no place in camping and outings with Boy Scouts either, but BSA has already gone there. Women gather, men gather, and we all gather together, and the dynamics and scope of what can happen in each of those situations is different, and all good, and all important. Around the "men's work" idea I've spent a lot of time wanting to better understand that whole boy's to men transition time, and from that even knowing plenty of fully capable women Scout leaders, I think it is better for the boys if there were only men leaders, at least on the program side, during that Boy Scout phase of the program. Cub Scouts, a different kind of thing, in some ways I even think a Cub Scout pack could have both girls and boys. Venturing, also a different sort of thing, and a different age in the transition. I wonder whether there is an "ideal" way to organize this thing so that it provides the best opportunities for boys and girls to grow into the most capable people possible. I don't know.

Responsible gay parents of a Cub Scout age boy is against the rules, but a heterosexual child molester can easily register as an adult leader in Scouting so long as he or she has not yet been caught. And those things like smoking, alcohol, drugs, etc., have an immediate, known, negative impact on the kids. Selection of leaders based on sexual orientation when the goal is to "protect" our children seems to miss the point completely, because I can just about guarantee that you would find no greater percentage of child molesters in that population.

Since I am the one doing the work to meet the requirements of the award or knot, I print the card out at the beginning of the year to make sure I did the things necessary to earn the award, etc., why would it be tacky to claim the award. I did all the work to earn my Eagle as well, and turned in the paperwork for that - no one thinks that is tacky. It is the only way to earn it. Some of these new Alumni knots are so complicated, no one else but you would ever pay enough attention to what you are doing to actually submit you for the award.

I stopped ever registering Assistant Den Leaders. Most of the time it is more a co-Den Leader kind of process anyway. So in our pack we have no Assistant Den Leaders. The ones that serve as Den Leaders are all eligible for the DL awards, as they should be. When I first started as a DL, I registered myself as an assistant, because I thought the Tiger DL would be moving up. He ended up joining the military and leaving. The whole year, though I was registered as the assistant, I was the ONLY Wolf DL. Yet they wanted to say I was not eligible for the DL award. I didn't want anyone to be in that position.

Why is any of this about their sins? According to everything I've ever seen, we all sin. In my mind it is more about a kid having a chance to be a part of this great organization, and his parents or loved ones having a chance to be there with him. I can think of all sorts of scenarios where it is just "better" for both the kid and the family to be a part of Scouting rather than not being part of Scouting. Overall, our society becomes a better place. I grew up in a family that wasn't very religious. In Scouting I found the ideas of a "World Brotherhood of Scouting" and the overall non-denominational nature of the Scout's Own services as the foundation that lead me to being accepting and respectful of others regardless of their faith. I attend church regularly with my family and feel I am part of a religious community, though I chose a church that matches up with the vision of Scouting that I had as a kid. What I know is that there are lots of different belief systems and folks should be able to choose their own way. Problems occur when people start trying to find ways to divide instead of bringing together.

For the last fifteen years I've been helping as part of the leadership team for an annual men's gathering that grew out of an even older Washington Area Men's Council. One of the things really great about this gathering is that it is for men and boys, without any issues regarding religion or sexual preference. It is a safe place to do men's work, and to be men. We have men attending in their 80's, and boys as young as 5 years old. Although I've heard religion discussed (hey it is part of life), it is not what this is about. There are gay men, straight men, and in particular some regular attendees with a son just a year younger than mine - and they are gay men, that I have hung out with having normal parenting discussions just like those I have regularly with other parents in our Cub Scout Pack. Their son would have a great time in Cub Scouts, and these guys would make great leaders. I have long term friends from this gathering, both straight and gay. All the issues in life that we deal with as men apply whether gay or straight. All the benefits of Scouting also apply to all. The likelihood of a boy being abused by an adult is not dependent on sexual orientation - the youth protection guidelines we put in place are there to help prevent problems. I started taking my son to the gathering just before his 6th birthday. I would trust my son with any of these men. Just like it would never be acceptable at a Scouting event for parents or anyone else to be making out, it is also not a part of this gathering. Just because parents coming into Scouting could be gay doesn't mean they would be doing inappropriate things at a Scouting event. Just like every other parent, they are there for their kids. I actually think it is far worse if a parent smokes at an event, or even reeks of smoking around the kids. Should we prevent smokers from being den leaders? Or how about alcoholics, or drug users, etc.? Oh no, we don't prevent that, but if someone is a caring gay parent all hell breaks loose. I am working to do something about this. I am a member of a Unitarian Universalist church, and I'm seeing the UU Scouter's Association would like to see these BSA policies changed. In many ways, I really see no problem with particular charter organizations having things they care about as part of unit policy. If I can get Scouting units into my church, I will be glad to see acceptance.

I just did a three day backcountry backpacking trip in Shenandoah National Park (VA). Since I knew there would be high humidity, including occasional showers, and we planned a trip with lots of swimming holes, I chose to wear the new Centennial (land to water) shorts, with the net liner, and no additional undergarments, just as they are intended to be worn. They performed outstanding, and at $20 are far, far less expensive than comparable alternatives available at any of the outdoor clothing providers I checked out. Dried quickly, no chaffing, comfortable in action. After that trip I actually ordered a few extra just for wearing at everyday outings and activities.

The starting point should always be to refer to what is in the Webelos Handbook. If you are a den leader, fork out the $9 and get one for yourself. I'm actually having the boys establish the schedule they want for when we work on the activity badges, so long as it works overall for what we want to accomplish. Part of that is the expectation that they have read the chapter just prior to us starting the material. The chapters are very short and easy, but shouldn't we be increasing the responsibilities as they move to Webelos? I'm going to expect them to come prepared. So, since they should already know what is in the book, the challenge is to give them the material in a different way, or with something extra, or in an activity. My Bear den transitions to Webelos in a few weeks, and as Webelos we will be doing more outings and activities. At tonight's den meeting I started out with a table full of very useful hiking, backpacking, and camping things. The challenge was for them to work together to pick out the ten essentials that they really needed to have with them when we go out for a hike or outing. It was interesting to see what they picked out. Then we went right the the Webelos handbook (and a number of other sources for the ten essentials, like the American Hiker, etc.) to pick out what they really need, talking about each one. They are to start preparing their kits so they have them as we start activities. The Fieldbook and other sources can be used as additional information and to make it more interesting.

I think if I were in this situation as a Scoutmaster, I am pretty sure that just about the ONLY thing I would do is lay out the expectations for what needs to be accomplished over the weekend, possibly to the whole troop (since the SPL isn't planning to be there). Then I would go into a normal adult Scouter mode of keeping my mouth shut, making a nice cup of coffee and something good to eat, keeping an eye on things, and just let them figure it all out. What is very possible is that new leadership can emerge. There could be a slow start and not everything you think needed to get done will get done. Any leadership left standing will realize they need to do something different next time - that they won't get bailed out if they don't prepare. It is their responsibility to figure out what they need to do. If this "skills weekend" is a pre-requisite to activities they want to do later, it may be that you'll have to nix the later activities until they get through these preparatory materials. Nothing gets these guys going like real consequences. Work within what it is your responsibility to control - their safety if they are not prepared for more challenging adventures later. They'll certainly figure out what they need to do and make better preparations on their own if the skills weekend is required prep for a later event or activity they would really like to do. Just sit on your hands and let them figure it out (but set consequences - even if after the weekend at your next PLC with the SPL). Hey, I'm a Cubmaster and rising Webelos Den Leader, and it has been a very long time since I was a Scout, but this patrol method stuff is something I have absolutely no problem with. I really think I'll have no hassle whatsoever in moving into troop leadership - I recognize completely that as Cubmaster, I'm actually playing Senior Patrol Leader. And just as I don't want anyone telling me what to do as Cubmaster, there are Senior Patrol Leaders that don't need anyone telling them what to do.

The kinds of things I taught when I ran Troop Leadership Training as a youth can be found at: http://www.whitestag.org/ The stuff I got out of that training has had more overall effect on my life than any other thing I got out of Scouting. For me, the current materials don't quite cut it on things you really need to know.

I purchased a nice red fleece jacket, exact same color as the wool jacket, on sale for around $20. I'm very tall, 6'6", so I could get the red fleece that fits me nicely (sorry, no tall mans clothing in the Scout Shop). I bought the pocket patch from the Scout Shop, sewed it on, and I'm all set. It even has the same kind of fuzz that the wool has, nice warmth wet or dry, and I can toss it in the wash with no hassle. Wool is an awesome thing, but no contest to fleece for light weight, warm, durable, outerwear for the kinds of outdoor activities we do in Scouting. They've moved to durable and functional materials and design in the uniforms. Seems they should continue moving there with the jackets. I can get a green fleece nearly looking like the new green wool jacket, that is considerably lighter (nice for backpacking or lugging around at outings) and a fraction of the cost. Years ago, in the 1970's, I had the red wool jacket, but even then the sleeves were too short. I like my update far better (plus it has nice warm pockets).

perd, I recently purchased the Scout knife from ScoutStuff when it was on sale. I bought two of them, and they do not have lanyards. Maybe they do now - I don't know. It still looks like the same overall make, though, and the edges of the handle are definitely squared off and uncomfortable to use. My old $2 KampKing is 100 times better. The blue Cub Scout knife isn't bad, but I wish it had a better selection of blades. The small Tinker (I don't like the one with scissors, useless on a starter knife) is a far better knife, and at least $5 less expensive.

The serrated part of that recommended knife really causes a problem for me. I spent a lot of time looking into possible knives as I was looking to teach Bears for their Whittling Chip. The serrated blade causes a problem for what these young boys will mostly want to be using the knife for, and that's whittling, right? I really wanted to find a very inexpensive knife, that was like the old Camp King Boy Scout knife that I had as a kid - I still have that original knife, so I could show what I was talking about. The problem is that I have had the hardest time finding anything that quite compares, and cost is probably the hardest thing to overcome. Even the Scout Knife that is available from ScoutStuff.com is not really like what I was looking for, particularly by squaring off the edges (uncomfortable to use) and not having a lanyard. About the closest I've come to find is the Victorinox Tinker (or even Small Tinker). I think, for a young boy or girl this is about the best overall design for a knife they can count on for camping, whittling, and most general needs. I like that it has both a small knife blade and a larger knife blade. It has a can opener, screwdriver, and an awl. Don't really need anything else, and it is not so fat with useless tools to make it not practical to carry in your pocket. That's what I'm now recommending for parents. PS Just a couple weeks ago I searched high and low through the Smoky Mountain Knife Works retail store to find a good basic Scout knife like the one I used to have, and there is not a single manufacturer that is making anything like it. They actually had some old historic knives for sale that were like my original, but considering I paid maybe a couple of bucks for the one in my pocket in the early '70's, the fact they wanted $70 to $120 for ones just like it in the store made me consider selling!!

For many, many years, I've used a big, wheeled garbage can for storing my kid's yard toys - balls, rackets, trucks, sand toys, ... you name it! It was easy for them to tip it to get out what they want, it was easy to put everything back, easy to put where I wanted, and it was weatherproof, keeping things dry and clean. I really see no drawbacks for storing and transporting gear - probably less expensive than some other alternatives.

It may sound very funny, but some of the very best things I have ever learned about raising kids, I learned from training dogs. A very long time ago, I trained a couple of dogs using the guidance I found in some book, maybe Barbara Woodhouse. One of the dogs was completely unruly, but those principles of saying what you want them do do (instead of ever saying "no" or what you don't want them to do), small rewards for the behavior you want, and that they really like finding ways to please you, has been just as relevant to me as a parent (and Cub Scout Leader) as anything I ever learned in information about raising kids. I had some very well trained dogs, and I think I have had some really amazing kids, but I still use those dog-training principles every time I'm trying to get my den, or the whole pack, under control.

Funny, I was one of the hatchet injuries as a youth, requiring four stiches in my knee. Ended up back at the campout after my field trip to the hospital.