Star Scout on "Hiatus"

[EagleInKY 14]

John D - Let me first echo the big "Thanks" that's been offered to you. Scouting in Qatar probably requires you to work creatively in a number of ways.

 

I think you're on the right track in offering BORs more often. While the Eagle BOR is a big deal, the ones leading up to it do not need to be that formal.

 

In our troop, we try to "raise the bar" at each level. Tenderfoot and 2nd Class BORs are pretty simple. The Committee Members are very patient and understanding as the boys are often very nervous. As they get to 1st Class and Star, they carry a little more formality to it. We've talked about bringing in someone from the outside for a Life BOR, but our young troop doesn't have anyone to that level yet. The thinking was that it would be good for them to see a new face on the board, since their next one will likely be in front of a several people they've never seen before.

[John D 10]

Sounds reasonable but I still have one question. Seems to me the frequent BORs take away the need for the scout to plan and bring in an "instant recognition" factor that reminds me of Cub Scouts. There is no need for the boy to look down the road a bit and plan his work. Not to go against the grain too much but I think a lot of these lads can look ahead more than a few weeks , look at a calendar, etc. If not this is a chance for them to learn.

John D

[Hunt 11]

Except for an Eagle BOR, I don't see what the scout has to plan for, other than to make sure he's wearing his uniform. Since a BOR is not supposed to retest the scout on his requirements, I don't see what he has to do other than look over his handbook and be able to explain when and how he completed the requirements.

If you mean that the scout should be planning the pace of meeting his requirements, why would you want to penalize a scout who has completed all his requirements a month or more before the next BOR?

Finally, doesn't your system end up causing boys to have a single BOR for Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and maybe 1st Class too? You don't make them wait for six months between each of those ranks, do you?

[John D 10]

Based on this discussion we will go from 6 mos between BOR to 4. Probably the best answer to your question Hunt is FC/FY is difficult for overseas troops. The season begins in Sept, first campout is Oct, last campout is March, season ends in early June with only a few guys doing summer camp. We have both Muslim and Christian holidays, both Ramadan and Xmas take their toll.

We also have a "theme" based approach where a meeting consists of both advancement and a "theme", such as rockets, sailing (we have access to a 50 foot steel ketch so we are a bit like sea scouts), the military (trips to the army base and talks from guys back from Iraq), etc. For the last year we have been building our own canoes from plywood and epoxy, all ages of scouts helping, since you can't buy a canoe here. A few themes have direct links to advancement but many don't, no worries. We will meet for a month next spring on the sailboat, learning basics and doing chores so the advancement pace slips in favor of "fun". This probably sounds like lack of focus to some and when we get a 13 yr old Life scout transfer in our 13 yr old 1st class guys get sour looks until the first campout and everyone realizes the Life is a greenhorn with almost no outdoor skills. Chances are he got ten merit badges at a "badge factory" summer camp, I tell our home grown guys not to worry, they'll get there. The pace is slower here, like the good old days, and we are tortoises rather than hares.