Dustincoc

Average troop size for the area is 15-20 boys so yes we have a viable troop. Besides that, some of the boys travel 10+ miles to get to the troop and it's the nearest one so merging isn't much of an option. The adults lately have been taking a more active part in the troop meetings because the boys just didn't do anything. Meetings were just a time to sit around and chat. Even if we told the boys to bring their parents, they probably wouldn't come, The troop has been so inactive for so long that parents are used to hearing a lot of talk and Very little action. Other problem is that most meetings only 4-5 boys can come because of other commitments like sports. Even if the boys did tell their parents, only half the parents would get the message. The CO is very supportive of the troop but I'm not even sure who the COR is. The CO is very hands off with the troop although I think they want to get more involved but as a group instead of as individuals. I've since solved the contact list issue and have been sending out weekly meeting notes as well as have collected phone # from everybody. As for the training leading to more chat about issues, We rarely get training near enough to home for leaders to now each other well. The District round table is where most of that type of discussion takes place.

The Scoutmaster and myself have been trying to get training since he took over. He didn't know about the round-tables until this past august and so he never knew what was going on. The Sm and I are planning on taking NLE, SM Spec. and IOLS in April. We both completed everything online(and I do mean everything, except the district committee training which neither of us can seem to make it through). We are trying to get the other ASM to go but just like getting him to wear a uniform, I don't think its going to happen. I dought the CC has had any training since she was cubmaster. We have 10ish scouts with the majority being 11-13. The few older ones we have tend to be very pushy and feel it's easier to just tell everyone what to do(they are the CC's son and the other ASM's 2 sons). As far as getting help from another troop, the nearest troop fell apart and we resurrected(the other ASM and his boys came from that troop) I've thought about the Get trained or get out thing but the CC is the one who does the charter. The SM was planning on having a parents meeting at one of the meetings but the only one who came was my mother because the other ASM(who was the only one with anyones phone numbers) didn't call people. The SM wants each family to take on something to reduce everyones work.

We've been trying to set up a Little Ceasars Pizza Sale and last night the CC's son said that the CC thought we couldn't do it because it wasn't a BSA approved commercial sale(i.e. BSA doesn't want to be associated with anything they haven't approved). Anyone know anything about this one way or the other?

A year and a half ago, when the former cubmasters son crossed over in Boy scouts, she found out that things wern't being done correctly(paperwork was non-existant,ect)and had a fit so the then scoutmaster(who had no support even though he asked parents for help every year) stepped down. The former Cubmaster took over the job of committee chair although she functions as the entire committee. During the new scoutmasters first year, things kind of fell apart while he got his bearings. Starting this past fall, we tried to get an entirely boy-run troop going. The boys showed little interest in doing anything so starting in January, the Adult leaders are telling the boys what trips they will be planning, ect.; in an effort to jumpstart the troop. Current leadership of the troop consists of the scoutmaster, myself(ASM), another ASM, and the "committee chair". The boys complain after every BOR(Committee chair + wife of the other ASM are sitting on the Board) that they were interogated. It often seems that there are two competing teams trying to lead the troop, myself and the SM, and the other ASM and the CC. Myself and the SM are attempting to get the boys interested in the troop, meanwhile the CC and other ASM seem to be trying to prevent any forward motion. This past weekend the SM tells me that the CC is complaining about how he's doing his job and that when he told her that his son was ready for his Tenderfoot BOR, she looked at him like he was lieing. THe CC and the other ASM are on the troop checkbook and the SM and myself don't even have much of a clue as to how much money the troop has. It seems like they(CC and ASM) treat the checkbook like their personal bank for anything scout related meanwhile all the scouts hear is how the troop has no money. The SM and myself are ready to start going over heads in order to create a better program for the boys. Any tips/ideas/comment?

I got the SM Handbook back when I first started as a leader. The other ASM way know how things are supposed to work but thinks it's easier just to tell everyone what to do(that's what he said at summer camp). We've got the largest or one of the largest council's east of the mississippi. The council website helpful about anything, the information on Scouting University didn't get posted until after the registration deadline.

The troop currently is in shambles(see this thread: http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=216038) The troop leadership currently consists of the CC,SM, and 2 ASM's. The of the youth side we have an SPL and that's it. With only 9 boys, and the other ASM tending to spout orders whenever he's around, the boys don't tend to do much leading. I must say that the SPL is doing an excellent job considering the circumstances. We attempted to do an equipment inventory over a year ago and it turned into a nightmare because certain boys(the other ASM's sons) we're just peaking into each camp kitchen box and saying everything was trash. None of the current boys(with the exception on one)have ever used any of the troops gear or have much experience using any camp gear(the troop has done somewhere around 5 camping trips in the past 2 years, one of which was summer camp where everything was supplied, one was working on the wilderness survival merit badge, and the other was an off season trip to a summer camp where they stayed in a cabin and made a midnight run into a nearby town to watch a movie). I'm the only one in the troop who has any idea what the troop had for equipment. We don't really have a place to store the gear, we got rid of the bus a year ago and the shed is a work in progress(currently trying to get permission from the Co to put on their property.) A bunch of the gear was stored on some guys porch for over 2 years(he was planning on becoming involved with the troop (but he didn't have the time for it) and went on a trip with us and since on a run from the campsite to the old bus with the equipment a mile up the road, I smashed my oil-pan, as well as having gotten stuck the day before, I couldn't get the equipment back to the bus and he didn't want to risk burying his truck getting to the old bus so he took it to his house and set in on his porch). This was just retrieved within the past couple of months.

The CO is very hands off with the troop, so they don't know about the situation. The past problems are not even factoring in, it's his current behavior/attitude that is the problem. Both myself and the SM have been attempting to get trained for the past year and a half, and it has been brought up at round-tables that we are supposed to have this training and it never seems to be available. The CC is the former cub master and as far as I know, that is the extent of her training. Our DE for the past several years(who just quit) never let anyone in our district know what was going on and because of that, the leaders in our troop have been more or less on their own since they took over. We have a temporary DE who just took over and he wasn't told about the districts round table until the just before it and already had plans to be out of town at that time so we haven't met the new guy yet. The only training any of us have is what is available online from national, although at least myself and and SM would jump at the chance if training was offered. The SM and I discussed the problems we're having with the other ASM at this past troop meeting and we both agree that although he has some good qualities, he is a problem. In an attempt to maintain the peace, we are both biting our tongues.

How do other troops keep track ot their equipment, our troop has been in shambles the past year and a half and much of our equipment has been packed away or scattered to the winds for even longer. WE had a troop bus where we kept everything but that went kaput around 5 years ago and was just used to store equipment. The former SM also had some gear at his place and he may still have it. Tonight, the leaders are sorting through the gears since neither the SM or the other ASM have ever used the troops gear, the only people still involved with the troop that have used much of it are myself and our oldest scout. Once we get the gear straightened out, I'd like to find some way to log what we have so if we are going on a trip, we know what we can use. We are going to figure out what the troop has and that the troop needs to get. Myself and the other ASM don't agree on many things and I'm taking my mothers truck over their tonight because I suspect that if the other ASM gets involved, a whole lot of good stuff will be getting trashed(His attitude is that the troop should buy all new gear, yet we can't afford it so we can toss it and just make the boys bring it from home).

I'm the ASM and have been for the past 5 years with several years before that as a scout in the troop. For the past 4 years I have been in college around 300 miles away but worked with the troop when I was in the area. The previous scoutmaster wasn't so good with the paperwork end of things and could not get any parent involvement to help so he was running a one man show for several years. Due to the paperwork issues catching up with him, he left a little over a year and a half ago(around may 2007). The other ASM at the time also left at that point due to previous issues with the current ASM. The guy who took over as SM han't had any involvement in scouting since his own youth days 30 years ago, so he was kind of lost as to what to do and the DE wasn't any help. Since I was going away again, he needed to find an ASM quickly. The other ASM is who I have always had problems with and most of the boys dislike him too. He has been involved with the scoutingrent for the last 5 or so years previous to this. The former ASM was SPL when he asked the current ASM's wife to stop talking in the meeting(the troop voted that they didn't like her sons idea for something and she had a fit.) The family ended up leaving the troop and joining a troop closer to their home. Thay troop imploded several years later due to lack of leadership(everybody wanted to run the show but nobody wanted any responsibility) and they ended up back with us. The current ASM likes to run the show at every meeting(which always turn into a BS session), we never get anything done, he just likes to spout orders all the time. The 3 of us(SM and 2 ASM's) will decide on something and then once its time comes, he's back to spouting orders. At summer camp(patrol cooking style camp) we were having problems getting the boys to wash their dishes and we got after them the first couple days and we were getting kind of sick of it, the three of us decided were going to let it go and see how long it took the boys to get sick of the mess and clean it up, yet this guy took to throwing anything he found left out on the ground(one night the boys left a salad out the night before and in the morning lettuce was scattered everywhere. He asked me a little latter if he had done the right thing. The opportunity to get additional training on top of what is online is comming up he has no interest in getting any although both myself and the SM are going. He doesn't have a uniform. We have been a uniform shirt only troop for as long as I can remember, and we are struggling to get all the boys into a full uniform, yet during that discussion, he decided that by Dec 26, all the boys should be in the new full uniform($150)(I think he thinks that the new uniform will be mandatory at some point, he is a former state trooper).Right before this, we we're discussing annual dues and he was saying that some people may not be able to afford it all at once($25). We both recognize that we don't get along, and just don't say much to each other in front of the boys. At times it seem like he doesn't even hear what I am saying. I've brought up our old adapt-a-highway program several times at meetings since I know that it existed but didn't really know that much more about it. Yet at one of our last meetings, his son mentioned it and it was like he didn't even know that it existed. It also seems like all we are doing is fundraising within the past year, The SM and I didn't even have an idea how much money the troop had up until several weeks ago. The CC is essentially the entire committee, although the other ASM's wife also joins for things like BOR's. I get along great with the CC yet it seems like the other ASM and the CC are on one side of a wall and the SM and myself are on the other. The is closer to sitting on the wall though. My little brother(who's in the troop), wants to have an extermination vote on the hole family and I believe that most of the boys would agree. Personally, I would just like to get rid of the ASM, his 2 sons are pretty good scouts and I'd hate to lose them, they are also our only 2 scouts that are past the 1st class rank, our SPL just got 1st at our last COH.