Eagle92

Also a scouting trip hiking across the UK would be a blast as well. Actually the Belgium troop I was the guide for at my camp was suppose to bike across England. Unfortunately their chase van first broke down, then got in an accident. They spent the entire 2 weeks of their trip at the camp. I got a wonderful thank you gift from them: a case each of Stella Artois and Palm .

Nike, Sorry, no powder puff blue thank you. Fish, Red and green are the light colors on ships.

Can it be the same place but a different trek? I'd love to go back to LaDomaine, Quebec Canada and do some canoeing or kayaking.

There is no one source to get info. However I find out a lot of new stuff on this website right here. Some of the sites I use inlcude the following: Facebook pages: i.e. Training, Scout Stuff, etc. Sometimes stuff gets posted there first. ScoutStuff.org Gotta learn Supplyese Scouting.org I use google and the phrase "and scouting.org" to find what I'm looking for. Vatious yahoogroups

While I think it could have been done a little better, I do think the media went overboard since A) it was Latino Scouts who came up with the design. and B) once they realized the problems they caused fixed it. As a member of the Uniform Police, I'm more concerend that the patrol patch is not round per regulations.

Yep I'm in the "rather have too much to do than not enough" catagory. I know I had so much planned for CSDC that we sent home projects for them to work on at the end of camp. How about a scavenger hunt? How about a compass course hike/ treasure hunt (I've found cold drinks and a snack that doesn't melt at the end helps). How about a site seeing hike. How about a historic trails hike (I love those but that's me). How about a Ready Man hike. They stop at different station and do rerady man activities.

Fish, DON'T GO THERE Someone mentioned the aqautics staff at a camp used red and green loops on their shirts to ID them as aquarats. I can see it happening.

5year, Check local laws on cross bows. I was told by a Shooting Sports director who is a retired cop that in NC crossbows are illegal for folks under a certain age, I think 16 but don't quote me, to use. I asked b/c l;ast years day camp theme was knights and I own a crossbow and wanted to use that as well. Since the council has a no sheath knife policy, yes I know it's a local thing, I thought it best not to bring Narsil, Anduril, Glamdring, Sting, or any of the others I have access to. But I did get one of Elrond's warriors to show up.

There is way too much of a focus on summer camp and MBs. yes it's a good opp sicne he is living and breathing scouting with no distractions, but still the focus should be FUN.

Emb is correct. Sea Scout regs prohibit WB beads as they are considered a hazard underway. That has been policy since I was a "yute." Also previous editions of the IG stated that WB beads and OA flapas are not to be worn. I htink it's a typo in the old online edition. Check out this link for uniform regs. http://www.newseascout.org/youth/sea-scout-manual-a-resources

DL, "You must unlearn what you have learned." YODA In Boy Scouts it is the responibility of each individual Scout to create their own plan for advancement and keep track of what they have done and need to do. In your example of the duty rooster, the Scout needs to talk to the PL and his patrol mates when they are working on the duty rooster to say, "hey can I do this since I need it for xyz rank?" In regards to patrol meetings, their focus should NOT be on advancement, but rather getting ready for the monthly activity: practicing skills, getting menues and duty roosters made, coming up with tent assignements, etc. Advancement is a by-product of the patrol meeting, and not the goal of it. Big difference from Cub Scouts, esp with the Cub Scout 2010 plans that have come out where every meeting is focused on advancement. As for the FCFY plans not being rigid, from the ones I have seen, and I admit I have not seen a lot but only a handful, they are VERY rigid and take out the fun of scouting in my opinion. Also they take away from the PLC planning their own activities, which is another element of Scouting. Also if memory serves, national did come out with a proposed plan when the FCFY program was unveiled in 1989. Don't know much about it as we tried the NSP concept for a year and it failed miserably. We went back to the tried and true method of mixed age patrols with older scouts buddying up with younger scouts to mentor and work with them. Only once did we have another NSP after the first fiasco, and that was when a new troop was created and worked with us to get started. That troop was a Webelos den that moved up and the CO wanted a troop. Long story short, my troop eventually absorbed the new troop into ours, and we moved to their CO. After the move, we went back to mixed age patrols.

Ok alot of great general advice. I am gonna flip it around a little: KEEP THE STAFF HAPPY! You gotta build your staff into a team. Yes each program area will be their own little clique as they work with each other all day. But you need some time set aside for the entire staff to get together as well. Staff week is good for this. I've seen it where the entire staff helps set up an area and moves on to the next. I've seen staff socials, i.e. one nite is take out nite in which someone makes a taco or pizza run. I've seen where the CD surprises everyone with a late nite snack inteh dinning hall that he, the PD and QM made. And my personal favorite, a staff symbol, in my case Dominos, that not only recognized the staff and how long they have been on staff, but also serves as a phycical reminder of why we are on staff. The Friday Night Staff Week camp fire Domino Ceremony is one of the highlights of my scouting career. I've seen a top of the line camp facuility wise be horrible b/c the camp staff didn't care. No morale, not customer service, nothing. And I've seen a not so great facility wise camp with an awesome staff be a much better expereince. And it starts at the top. I worked at one camp two years in a row. A lot of the same staffers both years. But the first year we had an AWESOME CD and PD who built morale, took care of the staff, and the staff would do anything for them the CD and PD. Both emphasized customer service and that year was AWESOME. Unfortunately for us, the CD got a promotion and moved to a different council. The new CD was only interested in the bonus he got from working summer camp, and the new PD, which I'm sad to say I actually thought we be a good one b/c he did a great job in his position the year before, didn't do much at all. Morale sank like a brick, which in turn affected customer service, and not only did problems among staff occur, but also the units at camp. It got to the point the council sent in another DE to 'assist" the CD, but in reality he was told to prevent the staff from having a mutiny and destroying the camp expereince for the troops at camp.

Fish, A couple of things. 1) As mentioned, advancement is an individual matter at the Boy Scout level, not a patrol matter. So Scouts deciding to slow down when their buddies are going full throttle is normal. Key is are they growing physically, mentally, and morally, as well as havign fun? If yes, then no problems. 2) The PLC, the patrol leaders, Troop Guide, and SPL, and some troops also include the older scouts in leadership positions, are the ones that create the schedule for the unit. Yes they need to look at doing advancement on trips, but their focus should be FUN, EXCITEMENT, and ADVENTURE. Most times advancement items will occur naturally. And Sometimes the trips are just FUN. 3) Things happen. Yes scouts can look at plans and say yep they want to follow them, but in the end it's A) not a race, and B) it's the journey they took to meet the goal that is really important, not completing the goal. 4) One sign of a good troop is that they are active,and it sounds like yours is a good one. Someone called it "advancment by stealth," ie the scouts are meeting requirements through normal activities without realizing it. Heck sometimes special activities without realizing it. I remember as ASPL watching new scouts do stuff on camp outs, and later them asking them for their books to sign off b/c they met requirements without realizing it. Also had that happen to me a few times, but especially with Motorboating MB. I thought I was having fun learning how to use a motorboat, when I find out at the COH I met the requirements for the MB. 5) Please do not take this critically as that is not how it's suppose to be. Another sign of a good troop is the adults let the Scouts do their thing. I know I joke around saying that leaders need to sit around the campfire, drinking coffee and asking scouts when they come up with questions, "Have you asked your PL," but to a degree that IS how it's suppose to be. Again this is not meant as criticism, especially since you are doing a heck of a lot better than some new BS leaders I've known, But I think you are a little too involved still. One suggestion is to talk to and work with the Troop Guide to get his take on things. An aside, I hope I have the restraint you're having when my oldest crosses over.

Trust me, stick with water and catapults. Camp rangers don't like the mess that paintballs make, both the paint and the coverings. Done both and water is better, as well as cooler in the summer. BTW some of the old training materials, specifically the JLTC manual, have directions on how to build a catapult with scout staves and lashings. Just make sure your SM doesn't run marathons when you try to nail him with water, you won't be able to catch him.

In regards to the flag patches. Originally the uniforms did not include a flag. Then some time in the 1970s I beleive, and someone with better info please correct me, flag patches became part of the uniform. Cubs wore them over the right pocket, Boy Scouts, Explorers, and their leaders wore them on the right sleeve. Don't recall Sea Scouts or CS Leaders wore them. Soyou had to buy them. Then sometime in the late 80s early 90s, I am going out on a limb and saying 1989 as that was the year they changed the uniform pants, shorts and advancement for Boy Scouts, and intorduced the Academics Program to Cubs, they started coming out withthe shirts with the pacthes already on, and everyone wore them inthe same place. Since some I've been told some of the flags on the CU shirts are coming off, it's a good idea for them to have a supply to sew on. As to why there are 2 sizes, I don't know. Reminds me, I gotta add a US flag patch to the list of things to get for son's uniform. Also gotta have him budget for chocolate to bribe momma into embroidering "Boy Scouts of America" on his shirt.

Beav. ROTFMBO. That is awesome!

Forgot to add, if memory serves, the location of the AOL patch changed from the left pocket flap to under the pocket when the TC patch went from the TC belt totem to the pocket in the Webelos spot. That was around 2000 or 2001. Until that time, Webelos had to transfer the Bobcat badge, and Wolf and Bear badges if earned, form the blue shirt to the tan shirt.

Jeff, AJ, and DL Trust me I know what should be worn now. But when the CUs came out, everyone in them wore tan and greens. The information was so poorly communicated as to who wore what, that when I heard rumours that CS leaders were to still wear red and whites, I called my friends at a national scout shop, and was told to get the tan and green numbers and trained strip for my CU shirt. A week or two later I am reading about tan on red numbers for cub leaders (I got a photo of them too somewhere on the computer), and then about a month after I get my CU and have the patches sewed on, I get the word that I am suppose to wear red as a TCDL. I grumbled and switched over, keeping the tan and green numbers and traineds trip. The 2009 Insignia Guide which covered the CUs came out in late April/ early May; 9-10 months after the CUs were introduced. So we have a several leaders still wearing the greens and tans, and a few Webelos too since they are wearing big brother's hand me downs. A lot of folks in my unit were ticked. Also the local distributor was ticked off b/c I was the one who told her about the uniform policy and not National Supply. So any pics you see with the green and tan numbers on Webelos or CS leaders were taken between May 2008 when the uniforms were unveiled, to April.May 2009 when the IG came out. Qwasze, You want a rant on this discussion, see some of my previous posts on this topic. , especially the ones I posted after hearing complaints from folks in my unit. Trust me yours isn't a rant. Actually we got a mix of colors currently as we have some leader still wearing the tan and greens from when they purchased them when that was suppose to wear.

Hi, my name is Eagle92 and I am a recovering Uniform Policeman. Seriously though you all know my background and my views on the uniform, but I have a dilmma in regards to the Webelos Uniform. Oldest will be a Webelos at the end of May. I am in the process of getting his uniform purchased, little brother needs the blue uniform and oldest has little room left in the blue one anyway, so that I can start getting stuff sewed on it for the Memorial Day Weekend Service Project. He will be buying the uniform, and I would hate for him to buy new numbers that will be worn for only 18 months and then need to be changed. Now you all know my thoughts on the switching of colors, as well as the entire SNAFU that was the unveiling of the Centennial Uniforms with no guidance from national for almost 10 months, with misinformation continuing to this day. So the question is this: does he buy the green on tan numbers, which according to the current uniform standards are for Boy Scouts only, but we as we all know were originally told that everyone in the CUs wear them, or buy a set of red numbers and in 18 month buy the green ones? Transferring the numbers is not an option as little brother #1 is buying the shirt and most of the patches on it. I know it's a minor detail overall, but when a kid is buying his own uniform, it is a big deal for them. Thanks in advance

Don't envy your situation. I know I have a hard time with my son being the "den leader's kid." Good advice so far.

A few comments. 1) I too notice that those who take their time tend to stay longer. good friend of mine never got past Life. Guess what he did, he signed on as an ASM. Another 'deathbed" Eagle I know is registered as....an ASM. And I can go on. But starting with my Eagle cousin, it seems like most, not all but a very large majority, who get Eagle int he 13-15yo range do not stay involved. 2)Nothing wrong with not signing off until they know the skill well enough to teach it. A) that use to be the norm back in the day in my neckof the woods, and B) current GtA states that techign the skills is one way for scouts toshow they know the skill. 3) Upon reflection theirs is already an advancement check off in place that is the Scout's responsibility, and that is their BSHB. 4) "OUTING is three-fourths of ScOUTING." Green Bar Bill

BP, oneof the funny things about Scouting in Europe is the multitude of Scouting organmizations within a country. Some have 2 or more and the associationcan be based upon language, religion, etc.

'Fish, To quote Yoda, "Always in motion the future is." I knew a Scout who planned to get Eagle at 13 just like his Eagle cousin. He was delayed getting First Class b/c his SM wanted him to take First Aid MB with a specific MBC at summer camp. So he didn't get FC until 14-15 months into the program. At the time First Aid MB was required for FC. He was on track to get Eagle at 14 but somethings happened. While he was having a blast with his troop, he was presented with other challenges that were fun outside of his troop: advance leader training, OA, Jambo, Canadian trip, etc. Also the "Fumes" hit: i.e. perfume and carfumes, and while he still attended troop meetings, he didn't do as much camping and wasn't focused on getting the last 2 MBs needed for Eagle. Finally at 17.5 my SM gave me a swift kick in the butt that made me realize I had had 6 months to get Communications and Personal Management MBs as everythign else was completed long ago, try age by 14. So I was one of the "deathbed" Eagles getting the last requirement signe doff 5 days before 18, and having the BOR at 18. While it's good to have goals, the scouts do need to be flexible and... ...HAVE FUN!

Not to be a wet blanket, but why is your son not dealing with this?

What did the Adult Evaluations say needed improvement? Did you do youth evaluations as well, and if so what do they say? If you don't do evals, that's one suggestion I can make. Those are a tool to create a better camp. Not knowing your camp or yoru staff, I cannot make any further recomendations. But what do YOU think you can do better? What do other staffers think? What have you folks heard that you could do better? what complaints did you hear?