Eagle92

RR, If memory serves, All professionals and anyone requesting Vet Status on 25 and up needs confirmation via national. I was presently surprised when they awarded vet pins at PDL-1 to a few of us who qualified, and they explained the process for national verification. We have one guy in our district who has 55+ years. Joke with him is that BP was his SM and GBB was his SPL Another guy has been involved in Scouting longer, but he was not registered with the BSA while he was in Vietnam. He was registered with the RVN's Scouting association while over there. Boy does he have some stories to tell.

Maybe I'm drinking the koolaid, maybe I was a pro for too long and know why some things happen , and maybe I have had it really good in professional leadership and the pros we have had for the past few years. But overall I am quite happy with my council's support. We've had an increase in CS programming and more awareness of Cubs on the council level. Sure we still have folks thinking Cubs are unimportant and "don't need to camp," But we have had improvements. Our council is also in the process of changing the mindset that the pros do everything, to the volunteers run the things and pros support. That is a big change IMHO as I know that when I was a pro, things that would normally be doen by the district committee had to be done by me. One of the things I learned in my time as a volunteer prior to becoming a pro; "Oh you didn't like the district banquet was done? Well I did ask for volunteers to run and plan it and no one accepted. Can I put you down for being incharge of next year's banquet?" Grant you I complain like the rest of them about PW errors. Yes I find it frustrating that after turning in PW in one council, they do not put it into SCOUTNET, and I have to resubmit or redo stuff. But I also know what is involved in the SCOUTNET process, as least how it was in 1998-2001, and how much of a PITA it is. Not very user friendly. I still remember helping get info prepared and waiting to have info put into SCOUTNET with my then fiance taking a nap in one of the vacant offices. I was told I couldn't leave for Christmas vacation until all my district's information was placed into SCOUTNET and I met my membership goals. Goals were met, but the hold up was SCOUTNET. After a few hours of waiting, woke up my wife and drove straight home to introduce her to my family. Good luck with your situations improving. FORGOT TO ADD, One thing I do is try to make life as easy for the folks as possible. When I updated the training of folks in the distric, I listed not only course names, but the codes themselves. Any little thing to make the process easier and faster to help out.(This message has been edited by eagle92)

JFL, Correct on no one-one-one. Incorrect on Two-Deep for everything. Scouts going to see a MBC must have a buddy with them. A Scout first expresses an interest in a particular merit badge by letting his unit leader know. To get him started, the leader may give him a signed Application for Merit Badge (blue card) along with the name and telephone number of a district/council approved merit badge counselor. The Scout then contacts the merit badge counselor and makes an appointment. The merit badge counselor sets a date and time to meet with the Scout and his buddy, ( emphasis mine and may suggest the Scout bring the merit badge pamphlet along with the blue card. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/GuideforMeritBadgeCounselors/MBCounselorGuide.aspx and Have a Scout and his buddy present at all instructional sessions. from http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34405.pdf and Use the buddy system for counseling. ; SCOUT BUDDY SYSTEM A Scout must have a buddy with him at each meeting with a merit badge counselor. A Scouts buddy could be another Scout, or be a parent or guardian, brother or sister, relative or friend. The Scout obtains a signed Application for Merit Badge and the name of the appropriate merit badge counselor from his Scoutmaster. The Scout sets up his first appointment with the counselor. At this first meeting with the Scout and his buddy, the counselor should explain to the Scout what is expected to start meeting the requirements. When the Scout knows what is expected, he can start to learn and do the things required. The counselor will help the Scout learn the things he needs to know or do. When the Scout is ready, he should call the counselor again and make an appointment for him and his buddy to meet with the counselor and begin to meet the requirements. He should take along with him the things he has made to meet the requirements. The counselor will ask him to do each requirement to make sure he knows his stuff and has done or can do the things required. ; The Scout, along with a buddy, makes an appointment with the counselor and works on the merit badge with the counselor during one or more visits.; Encouragement to wear the official uniform when he visits the counselor with a buddy ; and a bunch of other locations in this doucment http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/18-125.pdf Hope that helps clear up a very common misconception.

If you got a national scout shop nearby, call and ask them if they have any. If they do not, ask to see if they can call other nationals stores to see if they have any and they can ship to your store, or to you. We use to do this all the time with discontinued items. FWIW, I'd buy a few.

ALRIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I just did the JTE PW for the pack. There are some problems with the SCOUTNET records and advancement, i.e. names that should not be on the charter still are and folks who should be on the charter are not. We filled it out using our records and not SCOUTNET records. We did OK, but kinda distressing that records are inaccurate. It is known though. A few months back, the DE mentioned advancement and how only 1 pack, the one doing internet advancement, is the only one showing up. Being a DL who also purchases advancement since I work in a town with a council office, I know for a fact that my pack was turning in forms as I filled some of them out, turned them in to the neighboring council's office with a note stating purchased there, and a few days later get a copy of the PW and the ranks that I didn't need. Kinda like training records, I don't think the CS ranks were being recorded in SCOUTNET prior to this year. And only b/c JTE requires it.

HICO, Now in national's computerized records defense, the councils I've been in never put training records into SCOUTNET the first go around. Someof that was b/c it was pre Scoutnet. But when you have to redo YPT a few months after you had just TAUGHT the course b/c Council A didn't put it in the records so that you new Council B can see, that's frustrating. Or when you give Council B a copy of every cert you have, but when you move to Council C, they have no records of you, that's a problem caused by Council B.

Yes it's common. I remember the days when staff went for free, except for the extras and if advanced training was involved, i.e. we sent youth to NAYLE or whatever it was called at the time at Philmont. But the JLT staff didn't. I take that back, we paid only for the weekend staff sessions. But once at camp, it camp out of the event budget. I was told that UW got a little upset with this practice since other NFPOs do charge their volunteers who work events and who staff trainings. So it's in place now.

And that's why people do not recognize Girls Scouts except at cookie sale time.

Thanks everyone. Info, Do you have a link to the 2011-12 RT Guide? I went to the office today and could only find the 2010-11 one, plus that is the one online. Fish, That's the game plan. I Asked the DE for a list of all CS Leaders so I can contact and invite to RT. One of the first things I plan on doing is handing out a survery on what they are interested in being discussed. ALL, One complaint I've hear about RT attendance is that "we're in it for the kids, if they can't come we won't come." How do you over come this? I was thinking about getting a Den Chief and setting up a movie for kids to watch while we have our meeting. But what are some other ideas?

To add to the sarcasm, one Hispanic family actually quit my pack b/c we do not camp ENOUGH for them. And we something like 2 camp outs and a fishing rodeo for everyone, plus a webelos only camp out, in an 8 week period or there abouts. Grant you we don't camp in winter, just spring and fall, but we camp. And I have cubs chomping at the bit to go camping. Heck I had to do some Dutch oven pizza last nite for one Cub and his brothers to placate them. Kinda fun listening to a 3yo ask when he gets to go camping next Not fun when they are complaing that you are camping without them due to training Used the excuse that I need practice cooking in the Dutch oven with the wife. (This message has been edited by eagle92)

My thoughts. 1) You need dedicated leaders who will work with and mentor the youth. They need to set the example. 2)You need a program that will attract folks. It can be anything: sports, band, JROTC, chess club, Scouting, 4-H, model rocket club, ANYTHING. 3) The kid who need it most are the ones who parents are not the best role models. Harder to get to, but one positive adult can make a difference.

MEA CUPLA! I reread some info on the topic form the 1989 SMHB, and I was wrong. You had a Varsity Scout Team, the unit, and the troop's varsity team, or a troop's venture crew now called patrol. The troop's varisity team merging with the venture crew/patrol makes sense why the restrictions on the pins were removed at that time.

Moose, Going to be searching the forums today and this weekend for ideas. Plus sendingout an email to all CS leaders. Didn't do it last nite 'cause I needed to talk to the wife about it, and have a beer to recuperate from making the decision. It's not a bad thing, just an overwhelming one. The only real good RT we had since I've been going to the CS ones was the one which 5 folks, including myself, discussed improving CSDC. And our DE had been the acting commish.

Well the district commish finally got me to say yes to being CS RT commissioner, And I am thinking "WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" (caps for me shouting at myself, not your guys). We haven't had an active CS RT commissioner in some time, heck since before I became a CS Leader. And I have no earthly idea on what to do. The last RT guide I see is 2010-2011, so do I keep using it since the new program repeats itself? What the heck am I suppose to do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Now in case you are wondering why I've finally said yes after been asked several times in the past two years and saying "NO," there are two reasons. #1 I think I have my program director replacement. So I do not need to be as focused on CSDC. The other reason is that I was told that the person who really destroyed out CS RT program has offered to do become commissioner again. That was the real motivation to do it. Again any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

SR, Here's how I've seen things done OA wise. OA Youth 17 and under OA Youth 18-20 OA Adult Males 21+ OA Adult Females 21+

In regards to SM specific. Ok I've never taken it, nor taught it as I did the old SMF that covered NLE, SMS, and IOLS over a month. But to be honest, with the exception of the PW aspects that leaders have to deal with, 99.999999% was stuff covered in troop leader training and Brownsea 22. So I am assuming ILST and NYLT covers these items, but again I do not know for sure. To be honest the biggest help in transitioning from youth to adult was the other adults who mentored me by constantly reminding me that my role is different now and that I am no longer the ASPL of the troop. As regards to test outs, I wish everyone did them. national is working on it.

Base, If this seems as if I'm attacking you, please know that I'm not. I see JTE as a tool to help improve the unit. And I bet if you looked at it you might see areas for improvement. Fill out the paperwork or not, I don't care. But try to think about it as a tool to help deliver a better program. Now in regards to having forms filled out for you. I admit I have mixed emotions. I can see the commissioner corps helping you fill it out, or even filling it out for you since you are dealing with collecting registrations, Bo's Life, ad nauseum. I knwo when I was a UC, that's what I did to help out, BUT it was always with the unit's approval. But just having it filled out is a different story. As for the money connection. JTE is a performance tool not only to show the unit leaders where their weaknesses are, but collectively how the district and council are doing. Pros do have performance based Critical Achievements, both at the district and council levels, that they need to meet to keep their jobs. And JTE is one of them.

Concur, doesn't make sense, and some folks probably don't like the "youth" attending. Besides if you are going to do a course, might as well be WB21C. They are essentially the same course, with a ticket for the adults to do. Why waste the 18-20 year old's time and money taking NYLT, when they will eventual need to take WB21C and do the course all over again.

Gary, Gotta remember that prior to 1995, Varsity WAS focused on sports. If you wanted to do HA activities like Climbing and Rappelling, Canoe Camping, etc, then you had to be part of a venture crew, now called a venture patrol, within a troop, and not a Varsity Team. It was after 1995 that the HA pins became available to Varsity Teams, and the sports pins became available to the venture crews, now called patrols.

Link to the national requirements are here: https://summit.scouting.org/en/Jamboree2013/Pages/Scoutmaster-Qualifications.aspx Note that SMs must be currently registered as an SM. So district folks cannot be Jambo SM. 2d ASM is 18+ and 3d ASM is 18-20. Now remember councils may add to the criteria, i.e. we want you to have WB21C (which at the last one WAS a national requirement if memory serves) but the link I give is the minimum requirements. IMHO, you really need a jambo leader who is there for all the youth. Someone who has a lot of expereince working with youth and dealing with all kinds of problems that can arise. Someone who has sent youth home from summer camp for misbehavior in case you have to send a scout home from jambo (and I personally know 1 youth who WAS sent home from jambo for stealing and destroying property, he was in my Sea Scout Ship).Someone who knows how to handle an emergency. Someone who can work with the youth. Someone who is not going just b/c his son is.

KC, Ok I want to give this warning; I HAVE NOT GONE THROUGH ANY WB COURSE YET! ( caps for emphasis) Now that you've been warned, back in '95 I had the choice of doing 2 things: taking WB at Gilwell or WSJ with a Brit contingent. What made me decide to do jambo was I was informed by the camp's warden (ranger)that I was working for that Gilwell was experimenting with a more management style course that involved dorms, computers, etc. I remember making the comment, "...that aint real WB, I'll take it when I go back home." Unfortunately I was not able to attend any of the old courses, and do not have the time to do the new course.

Papa, These 92U guys are usually those who have aged out and want to remain active whenever they can when they are away at college or doing military service ( I am assuming that since the old 92 position code allowed reservists who go active to use that code, 92U does the same thing). I'll give you a few examples I have seen with 92. 1) The college students who on their Christmas and summer breaks work with their troops. 2) The 18 yo USAF reservist who goes away for a while for training,then comes back. 3) The reservist who gets called to active duty and does a tour overseas. The 92U code allows folks to remain with their troops, but meet the "trained" requirement with only YPT in those areas with mandatory training. Trust me it can be rather difficult to get trained while in college.

'Nut is right: 1 knot , but pins for the different levels. And here is where it gets interesting based upon his faith and which award. If he's Catholic and earned the Light of Christ as a Tiger or Wolf, he wears a CS device on the knot. If he earned Parvuli Dei as a Bear or Webelos, he wears a Webelos device on the knot. Me personally I no longer wear the pins as they are a pain to keep in place, figuratively and literally.

He got an extension, don't know for how long, and has already started work on it. Apparently he got the OK this past Friday while his SM and I were doing IOLS training.