Jump to content

What Is Your Troop Doing To Prepare For The 2016 Requirements?


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 61
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

@@NJCubScouter we will get notified in December that they're official starting January 1, 2016. You know how BSA likes to give us as much advanced notice as possible.

BSA needs to make a pamphlet like this sort of http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsa/literature-media/handbooks/handbook-bs-mini.html#.Vd9DD1hRE5s but with a place for the requirements to be signed off. an

If I sign on with a valid commitment/contract with a business and they change the rules in the middle, Isn't that a breach of contract?   When I was in college I started with graduation requirements

Nothing.  New requirements only kick in AFTER 2016 and after they complete their current rank.  At that time, we'd let them know about the new requirements.  And it would be the scouts, not the parents we work with.

 

Merit badge requirements are between the scout and his counselor.  

 

For rank ... one troop that I saw, created a new small sheet to be stapled into the scout's handbook having the new rank requirements.  

 

...

 

BUT ... to be honest ... I bet a few scouts have slipped by on the old requirements still in their scout handbook.  Should they have done the new requirements?  Absolutely.  Is there harm done?  Probably not.

Our new Webelos will be coming in mid-December.  In the past there have been some that can't make it to a troop meeting until January due to family vacations and whatnot.  So the new requirements are going to hit us in January most likely.

 

Unless,  all new Webelos are able to make it to a December meeting, their parents are timely with the YP piece, and we make a troop effort to get one TF requirement signed off before December 31.  (seems unsavory and anti boy-led to do that imho)

Link to post
Share on other sites

For the parents: 

I believe we owe them a duty as to why their scout will be asking for a new handbook, and why their son may end up with additional requirements 1/1/17, if they don't reach first class.  So while the parents don't work on advancement, some like to encourage their boys to advance. Part of that is knowing what the requirements are.

 

As far as letting the boys do it:

I guess I didn't clearly state that is the overall goal when I said, "Ask PLC/First Class+ scouts how they plan to learn the skills to teach the scouts the new requirements."  I'm not afraid of our scouts failing to learn and failing to teach.  Heck, that's scouting.  In my mind, I'm at the point just after that step.  I'm concerned about scouts innocently spreading mis-information.  One scout teaches 8 scouts something incorrectly.

 

A specific example I'm talking about:  The Emergency Preparedness items 6d and 6e:

 

6d.  Explain what to do in case of accidents that require emergency response in the home and backcountry.  Explain what constitutes and emergency and what information you will need to provide to a responder

 

6e.  Tell how you should respond if you come upon the scene of a vehicular accident.

 

Most our guys prefer Lifesaving MB to E-Prep, so an E-Prep MB guy isn't in the cards.

 

Say the teaching scout teaches to clear the victim from the car immediately instead of checking for vehicle fire, or broken neck, back etc.

 

How do you step in and stop inaccurate teaching, without embarrassing the teaching boy, and making sure they both get it correct?

I'm looking for style and tactics in working this particular issue please.

 

This would be a new skill for 90% of our guys, would you let the inaccurate teaching stand, and go through the long process of correcting it by not signing off and having patrol leaders address it, or would you step in during the teaching, wait until after the teaching?

Link to post
Share on other sites

What did you do in 2010 Bad Wolf?

 

As I recall we did something like this:\

  • Incoming Scouts wend straight to the new handbook, new requirements.
  • Scouts still on the trail to FC at the time were allowed to complete the current rank in progress, but then needed to use the new requirements for any ranks down the line.
  • As I recall, the only changes of consequence for Star and Life were the EDGE requirements. We created a page that could be inserted in to the older scout's handbooks to track that requirement.
  • Some of the TF>FC requirements changes slightly -- as I recall the numbers changed a bit, nothing as big as this year's change -- so we set up a spreadsheet to track those changes. Had two tabs, one for the scouts on the old requirements and one for the guys on the new requirements.

I am still digesting how we will track the guys on trail to FC with the 2016 changes. I haven't seen if there is a "grandfather" period or not (anyone?). The new scouts are easy. It's a bit more difficult with the guys still not FC. Do they get to finish their current rank on the old requirements? Do guys need to buy a new handbook? How will units track whether scouts are completing the new requirements if they cannot track the new ones in their old book?

 

Looks like I need to get my printer spun up to create those new page inserts. ;)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I am still digesting how we will track the guys on trail to FC with the 2016 changes. I haven't seen if there is a "grandfather" period or not (anyone?). The new scouts are easy. It's a bit more difficult with the guys still not FC. Do they get to finish their current rank on the old requirements? Do guys need to buy a new handbook? How will units track whether scouts are completing the new requirements if they cannot track the new ones in their old book?

Transition guidance is here:  http://www.scouting.org/filestore/program_update/pdf/Transitioning_New_Requirements_2016.pdf

 

Scouts working on joining requirements/scout badge as of 12/31/15 start using new requirements on TF-FC on 1/1/16.

Scouts working on TF-FC requirements may use new requirements, but can use old requirements.

Scouts who have completed FC may use new requirements, but can use old, but must convert to new after completing current rank.

All scouts must use new requirements 1/1/17.

 

(emphasis on may and all is mine, not BSA.  Please rely on the linked document and not this hurried author of the post).

 

I think all scouts will need the new handbook, cuz if you ain't learnin', you could be teachin')

  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

 

Koolaidman - Thanks for this! I had not seen this document before. As I recall, the last time they made significant changes (2009), most of our scouts bought the new book. They just wrote "See new book" and "See old book" in the sign off section. My son brought both books to his Eagle BOR. I never require anyone to buy a new book though. I would just have them attach a list of requirements to the new book. 

 

I do have to say that I like the new requirements for the most part. Gone is the 1st class requirement of 10 troop activities with 3 overnight and possibly never being in a tent. Now it is 6 overnight and 5 have to be in a tent, or a shelter that they build. I also like the learning a skill like knots for Scout rank, then having to show that skill in a practical way for Tenderfoot. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

As far as I know our SM has not done anything about it yet. I am not sure he even knows about it yet. And in a sense, I am not sure there is anything to really know yet. These requirements are still in draft, right? And under the "transition plan" as I understand it, it will not apply for Tenderfoot through First Class to anyone currently in the troop. It will only kick in when someone joins the troop after Jan. 1 an starts working on Tenderfoot, right? (Or is it Scout?) We generally don't get crossovers until Feb. or March. As for anyone who joins the troop in the late fall, I guess it makes sense to have a conversation about whether they should even buy the current (old) book or wait for the new one.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Had a meeting about this recently with the SPL and the ASMs.

 

New Scouts: We get 1-2 Scouts bridging in late December, the rest will come in next Spring. We will encourage all of them to just follow the new guidelines, doubt we will get much pushback.

 

Scouts currently on the Trail to First Class: For those boys not yet First Class, they can follow the old guidelines in 2016 it appears - but we will use the new guidelines for planning purposes at the PLC.

 

The biggest shift I see is the need to Demonstrate (which we do anyway), and to actually apply some of the knowledge (which we do anyway). We have a couple of campouts coming up where we already have the boys build their own tent shelters using the various knots and lashings, which makes for a good applied exercise. The Fall is when we have our annual Troop emergency mobilization meeting (we pretend a Big Earthquake hit). So we will be covered for the added Emergency Prep requirements as well.

 

That leaves the additional service hours for conservation - just need to do some outreach to a few local organizations and get on their radar. 

 

So some calendaring work between PLC and the ASMs, some meeting planning by the PLC, and then photocopy and insert some new signature blocks for the older books to make sure nothing is missed.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Yes!  No pull-up for Tenderfoot, so no argument about what is considered "improvement"!

Oh, I didn't notice that before. Also they took out the standing long jump, added "modified stretch and sit" (I'm not sure exactly what that is), and increased the walk/run from a quarter-mile to a mile. The latter change may require some change to our program. Usually sometime after crossover the PLC selects a meeting for the Scouts going for Tenderfoot to go outside and do the quarter-mile. It only takes a few minutes. At a mile, that will consume a good chunk of the meeting. They probably should do that on a camping trip rather than at a troop meeting.

Link to post
Share on other sites

We provide new handbooks to our crossovers. It has been suggested that we purchase new books for the entire troop since there are new requirements that aren't covered in the current handbook (cyberchip, more knots, etc). How can older boys teach young boys things that they don't have in their current handbook. Thoughts?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Depending upon where the Scouts are at in their career, I may or may not suggest new books for my scouts.  My son, since he is currently Tenderfoot ( waiting on 2nd Class BOR this month ;) ) and will be 12 when the new books come out, I'm buying.

 

 

For the 14 yo star who is almost Life, I would print out thr new requirements.

 

As for teaching stuff, they put a lot of stuff online as supplements, I'd use thsoe

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...