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  1. Welcome to SCOUTER Forum

    1. New to the Forum?

      Tell us a bit about yourself so we can welcome you to the Virtual Roundtable

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    2. Forum Support & Announcements

      Forum support and announcements from SCOUTER.com

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    3. New to Scouting?

      Questions and answers for parents and leaders new to Scouting.

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  2. Open Discussion - Program

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  3. News & Politics

    1. Issues & Politics

      In answer to many requests, we established a separate forum for these topics. Those not interested can skip this forum instead of spending time reading unwanted messages to identify content.

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  4. Unit Fundraising

    1. Unit Fundraising

      Ideas for fundraising projects and programs for your unit.

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  5. Order of the Arrow

    1. Order of the Arrow

      Discussions for OA Members and those interested in Scouting's Honor Society. Also includes a private sub-forum for OA Members only.

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  6. The Patrol Method

    1. The Patrol Method

      Lessons and questions of Scout leadership and operating troop program

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  7. Cub Scouts

    1. Cub Scouts

      For Cub Scout specific topics only.

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  8. Wood Badge and Adult Leader Training

    1. Wood Badge and adult leader training

      Post Wood Badge specific topics here.

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  9. Advancement Resources

    1. Advancement Resources

      Scouting ranks, merit bades, and the advancement programs

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  10. Patch Trading Central

    1. Patch Trading Central

      Have a patch or memorabilia you're looking to swap? Use this virtual patch trading blanket. (This area is intended to facilitate memorabilia swapping, not necessarily commerce.)

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  11. Working with Kids

    1. Working with Kids

      Counseling, inspiring and teaching kids.

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  12. Uniforms

    1. Uniforms

      For All messages dealing with Scout Uniforms

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  13. Camping & High Adventure

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  14. Girl Scouting

    1. Girl Scouting

      Content specifically related to Girl Scouting

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  15. Summer Camp

    1. Summer Camp

      All about planning and going to Summer Camp

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  16. Scouting Around the World

    1. Scouting Around the World

      Scouting is a worldwide Movement with nearly 30 million members in 151 countries around the world.

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  17. Council Relations

    1. Council Relations

      Discuss issues relating to Scout Councils, districts and working with professionals

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  18. Venturing Program

    1. Venturing Program

      Meet people from other Venture Crews and discuss program.

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  19. Scouting History

    1. Scouting History

      Share and celebrate the history of the world's largest youth Movement

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  20. Scouting the Web

    1. Scouting the Web

      Share tips and info for Scouting webmasters and discuss Scouting resources on the web

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  21. Scoutmaster Minutes

    1. Scoutmaster Minutes

      Inspirational stories and meaningful remarks to share

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  • Latest Posts

    • I was invited to teach a MB at an MBU. Told them point blank it would be a partial. Sent out email telling Scouts in the class what things they could do before the MBU to get the MB. I got a lot of complaints, and was never asked back. Irony was it was Indian Lore MB, and i had a full blood Lakota stationed at the air base "auditing" my class. I got a lot of praise from her for what we went over. Too bad she wasn't in the session with the smart aleck who asked "which is more violent, Rugby or Lacrosse" My response was "While rugby is a thug sport played by gentlemen, and rugby's unofficial motto is 'Give Blood, Play Rugby,' no one ever was enslaved or executed for losing a game of rugby whereas in some versions of lacrosse losers were enslaved or ritually sacrificed. So Lacrosse is the more violent of the two."  Shut him down the rest of the class.
    • Here is the irony, he is fully trained and is scheduled to go to WB in the near future.
    • Yeah. So much of the training misses how to get the Scouts to do things for themselves. I remember sitting in on a SM specific training and they went through how to do an annual calendar. They literally trained the SM to do it without the Scouts. The closest they came was the phrase "with scout input". Later, when I spoke with the person in charge they replied, "we have them in a group like the PLC so they can experience the process just as the Scouts will". I have heard this type of response in similar trainings. The end result is adult scouters thinking they do all the work "with scout input". The entire training framework from basic, IOLS, up to Woodbadge needs re-working.
    • While I agree in principle, at least in my area the council and district mB events are not staffed by qualified counselors. For example, the district person in charge of an event a few years ago asked me if I would counsel the Camping merit badge at an event. She pushed for (in her words) scouts with little experience to get the badge in a 2-hour session. A group of 20+ mind you. After I explained the requirements, and the impossibility to work with scouts and test them individually in that short time frame, not to mention the camping nights requirement. I said I was happy to do an "intro to camping" seminar with demonstrations and hands-on activities and leave the scouts with my contact info. Her reply was, "if you do the seminar can't you just sign off their blue cards?" Grrr. I said no, scouts need to personally demonstrate each requirement as written. In short, they found someone else. The system is broken. 
    • Local councils and districts should host more events (like day camps or merit badge clinics) that are staffed by professionals and experienced volunteers. Strong units can continue with their existing program, but marginal units can piggy-back off these events to help deliver a more consistent, polished product to the youth they serve. The cost to participate should cover all expenses associated with that day's program (plus a small buffer). Most parents are willing to spend money on a good product. In approximate order of importance, factors influencing a family's participation in Scouting are: child's interest quality of the program family calendar / scare time cost
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