New positions

[lrsap]

Can anyone provide a link or paste the official requirements or duties for the two new positions, Troop Webmaster and LNT Trainer? I'm normally pretty good at digging these things up, but I've struck out so far.

[Buffalo Skipper]

I have not found this online either. But I know that at least a partial description is in the new Boy Scout Handbook.

[EagleBeaver]

There are descriptions at http://www.bsahandbook.org/PDFs/troop.pdf

 

The BSA National Outdoor Ethics Task Force says the LNT Trainer description is incorrect and is having it redone to be something like:

 

Leave No Trace Trainer

The troop Leave No Trace Trainer teaches members the principles of Leave

No Trace, improves Scouts' outdoor ethics decision making skills, that helps

minimize the impact on the land. The senior patrol leader may appoint a

Scout, 14 years or older, who has successfully completed the official

16-hour Leave No Trace Trainer training course to serve as the troop Leave

No Trace Trainer. A Scout under the age of 14, or who has not completed

Leave No Trace Trainer training may serve as an Instructor teaching Leave No

Trace skills until he obtains the necessary training.

 

[Scouting Mom]

bsahandbook.org still contains the position descriptions that were linked here a year ago in the last post.

 

Now, on this page: http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/ProSpeak/insights/2010_03_leave_no_trace.aspx it says,

Leave No Trace Trainer

 

The troop Leave No Trace Trainer helps minimize impact on the land by teaching members the principles of Leave No Trace and improving Scouts outdoor ethics decision-making skills. The senior patrol leader may appoint a Scout, 14 years or older who has successfully completed the official 16-hour Leave No Trace Trainer training course, to serve as the troop Leave No Trace Trainer. A Scout under the age of 14, or who has not completed Leave No Trace Trainer training, may serve as an instructor teaching Leave No Trace skills until he obtains the necessary training.

 

At what point did this change officially? When my son heard that Leave No Trace Trainer was going to be an official position, he was practically drooling with anticipation. He was appointed to the position in January 2010, before the training course was even introduced. He is not 14 yet. He got his Star rank on the strength of this leadership position. Now, an online conversation that includes members of our council's advancement committee is saying that when he goes for Eagle, they will disqualify anyone who lists this position before he turns 14 and without proof of having taken the LNT trainer course.

 

If someone can point help me figure out when this position description was changed, I would appreciate it so that a couple of years from now my son doesn't have to deal with a bunch of garbage because BSA contradicted itself and didn't clarify this from the stare.

 

TIA

[ScoutNut]

No contradiction, and no change. The position description of LNT Trainer is the same now, as it was a year ago, and as it was on 01/01/2010, when your son's Troop gave him a POR he was not qualified for.

 

However, your son had his time in the POR of LNT Trainer approved by his SM (or someone in his Troop) as a requirement for his rank of Star. That is now a done deal, and can not be changed, or rescinded. It is also never reported to your council in any form.

 

The only Positions of Responsibility (PORs) that are reported to your council are those used for the rank of Eagle. That would be ONLY those served AFTER the Board of Review date for the rank of Life.

[qwazse]

So, Scout Mom, your son "outsmarted" the bureaucracy without knowing. Star and Life ranks are managed by your troop, so if the troop decides it needs an LNT Instructor, and a boy who has been trained "unofficially" steps up and serves his unit, it's an official position.

 

The Eagle application, requires the boy to report:

- His date of birth,

- MB's earned in his scouting career,

- Date Life Rank Was Earned,

- An approved and completed service project while Life,

- Nationally approved positions of responsibility held while Life.

- A completed Eagle Scoutmaster Conference

 

A council has a responsibility to validate all of those before forwarding to National. So if your boy is doing a unique POR, make sure you and your SM are clear with your council's advancement chairman that everything is on the up-and-up.