Eagle Foot

To the Great and all powerfull forum: My committee chairman who currently serves a dual role with the Webelo's of a cub pack is bad monthing his Troop that he is Chairman over. He complains that the menues are poor...(insight) this is a new troop. The boys are learning. Meals are not very advanced yet due to cooking skills. Full rounded breakfast...boys already have found out this is really more work than they would like to do. Lunch is sandwiches..CC does not like this wants hot meal. Dinners are easy to not so easy...One patrol eats stake, baked potatoe, etc. (I'll eat with them anytime) other patrol served it self beenie winnies, and has made more detailed...form noodles and meatballs with green beans to chilie. Note: CC is invited to go camping every month with troop and to bring his son (2nd year Webelo)so far they have declined 8 times out of 9 campouts...pluss he declined attending troop family night at summer camp. This troop goes camping every month. This troop has 16 registured scouts. 14 to 16 go camping everytime. The SPL and ASPL run the troop with some advise form the side sometimes (when things get tight--disapline--tasks follow through). Sure the meetings seem a out of control...they are loud too. There are more incontrol now than they were 9 months ago at the start of the troop. CC telling other packs and other scouters this troop is falling apart...I don't know of very many troops this size with 4 assistant scoutmasters--ACTIVE--who attend every meeting and camping trip...pluss 3 other committee members who do thier job...advancement, fundraising, transportation. We have always have 4-5 for board of review...with other non scouters (adults). Parents mostly and committee members. We have what I think is great family support, I always see the boys parents. They always help. We have raised enough money to provide tents, cooking equip., and some extra gear for all patrols and scouts including the leadership in 9 months. We have more stuff than some troops collect in 3 years. 80% of the Troop is second class and will be first class within the first year....Sounds like we are falling apart. Of the remaining aprox. 3 scouts...one lacks is board of review for second class and the other 2 are new (two months). Enough going on...Our CC is really spreading the bad word...anyone got any input on dealing with this guy. The COR is not involved nor wants to be. ---This is a Check---to see what others may think. Because of the seriousness of this I want to keep my ducks in a row. Thanks for your imput.

We had a situation where we wanted to move the troop to a different "Chartering Organization"...question was "Could we keep the equipment or did it have to stay" I had heard all of the different "Policies" that everyone was quoting. When I went to national, it was explained to me as...If you move the troop the "Charting Organization" will have to do one of two things first. Either fill out the paper work to release the troop and its unit number or keep the troop (unit number)and the members can re-charter with another organization. In either case the the equipment bought via funds raised or funds donated, or equipement donated on behalf of the Boy Scouts becomes the property of the "Charting Organization". If the "Charting Organization" decides to keep or release the equipment it is soly up to the "Charting Organization" and it does not automatically go to the council or back to others if the troop desolves. If any member of the troop takes the equipment to another troop or just takes equipment away without permission it is considered "Thef by Taking" if two or more units are under the same "Charting Organization" any equipement is the property of the "Charting Oranization". Be this so...the equipment rights are not any one specfic units but the "Charting Organizations" the equipment or property is allowed to be used by the unit or units. It is to the best interest of either unit to remember what the "Aims of Scouting" are and to follow the scout oath and law...this must not be forgot. Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor, Cubmaster, and the COR all must come to agreement. If the "Chartering Organization" says Ventures can use the equipment...so be it. If you can't work out damage problems then someone is not following the Scout Oath and Law. Good scouts will work this out, good scouts will look after each other, so will good leadership. The committe can vote all day long, but if the "Charting Organization" dicides to differ as I understand they can then their decision is finial. "Traind Leaders" have a better chance than un-trained leaders in working these things out. I'll stop...with this...is everything the units do and how they solve their problems to the best interest of the scouts? Edited by Eagle Foot

The First Class cooking requirement can be a problem if it is left to the end of all of the requirements. I have found that it does support the patrol method because the others will have to assist with clean up, they all eat toghether, and have grace. The patrol members need to support the scout or scouts doing the cooking. It will be their turn and they will want cooporation also. If a scout cooks for at least himself and three others that's four...min. amount for a patrol. If the scout cooks for either his patrol members...pluss some of the adults I can't see why that would not keep him covered with the requirement. Planing ahead for this will be the key. I found that that must be done, because more than one scout will be working on this. This is something that needs to be considered as the scouts reach Second class and are looking twards First Class. I also have found that the PLC needs to keep this req. in check when planning.

The whistle is a good idea, in Boy Scouts we have taught that the use of a whistle usually means trouble or someone is lost. This is a signal with three....med blasts. I use it to assemble the troop. As far as yelling at the scouts...it has a time and a place...when no one is paying attention...usually not yelling just a loud "SIGNS UP" and that gets their attention. When we have a scout or scouts that are out of control there are warnings given. 1,2,3,up to 5 we use the chain of command rule, patrol leader, Patrol leader and Senior Patrol leader, Patrol leader, Senior Patrol leader and Assistant Scoutmaster, Two Assistant Scoutmasters and or another adult leader...finially the Scoutmaster with and Assistant Scoutmaster...you don't want to get here...If you are still out of control here...you will be out of control somewhere else other than with the troop. You will not advance, you will not go on camping trips or other outdoor activities, you will be asked to attend a board of review with parents / guardians and explain why you should remain in scouting. This proceedure can be shortened depending on the situation. Generally our scouts know...and do learn that mis behavior or being out of control will have consiquences...this also is relayed to the parents...If they don't support us...then there are consiquences. This may be a long process for some...for some this becomes a short process. We don't belive in lots of yelling...just some occasional "LLLLLLLoud COMMMANDS" this is needed to get above the noise. Scouts are loud they are eleven year old boys haveing the time of their lives. We believe in giving the scouts plenty of room to control them selves, hec...when was the last time you saw how many Orieo's you could put in your mouth at one time? We saw this on a camping trip...decided to use it in a contest. We used large marshmellows...how many could you put in your mouth and still whistle??...worked pretty good...look for what the scouts are being out of control over...maybe you can use it to bring them in-control with a game. Scouting is a game with a pourpose...