Eagledad

Hi all At one time we asked the SPL and ASPL to be part of the adults group. While they did enjoy hanging with the adults some, they where always seeking out their fiends. Most of our Senior Scout Leaders are 15, 16 and 17, so that may have something to do with it. We still bring enough food for them and when they have had a hard day and need a break, they sit with the adults. But when they want to just relax, they want to be with friends who relate to them. We do treat our PLC with specail prevlegdes, they usually get treats like candy, cookies and even coke once in a while from the SM during PLC meetings on campouts. The SPL is usually invited to all adult special snacks, so they do enjoy the special treatment. Have a great weekend. Barry Have a great day. Barry

Good morning all Wow, some great post on ground pads and storing them properly. I just wanted to add that sleeping bags need to be store the same way, either unstuffed laying out, or hanging up. With each use, the pile in sleeping bags breakdown and become less efficient. keeping them unstuffed in storage helps extend the life of the material in the bag. Down bags hold up a little longer than man-made fibers, but they also need to be stored unstuffed and hanging up. Also, clean you bag as much as the manufacture allows. The more the bag breaths, the warmer it is. Oils in our skin can clog the pores of the sleeping bag fabric which keeps the miosture in the bag and on our skin. Liners can help a lot. Great stuff Barry

Hi All I believe a scout should be asked to leave when his attendence disrupts the positive influence of the the Troop program. Barry

>>Not to use at least a closed-cell foam pad (for most conditions) is daft.

Good Morning All My younger son and I use a closed cell pad, my older 20-year-old son doesn't use a pad. That will change as he gets older, I'm sure. They make some really good inflatable pads now that are very thick for folks with back trouble. I backpacked for ten days with an adult who has back troubles and he said these thick pads are fantastic. I don't have much trouble with my back, so a closed cell pad works for me, but the newer inflatable pads roll up so small now, they take up very little room in the pack. I'm looking to get one for that reason. Several scouts in our troop buy the stadium chair pads at Walmart for $10 and use them for sitting around camp during the day, and a ground pad while sleeping at night. Barry

>>I am not sure I would want him around meetings,>And he is definitly not the type of role model I would want other Scouts following.

Hi All We had a 16-year-old Eagle in our Troop get his 19-year-old girl friend pregnant (sister of his best friend who is also an Eagle in our Troop. What did we do? Really nothing. Both families had to get use to the situation. I say it took about a year and just after the baby was born for everyone to open up about it. Everyone knew the situation, the wrong of the situation and the struggle for the families. The scout didn't show up as much because he had more responsibilities. He would talk about it if asked, but the answers were short. We let the families figure this one out because it was a shock. From the troop side, it was never glorified in anyway. There were one on one discussion between scouts and adults about the lesson learned, but nothing discussed with the troop as a whole. The scout and families were supported in their needs and respected for the struggle, but they kind of stayed away from bringing attention to their situation. They were clearly struggling with it and needed time to get ready. It started out as a dark time, but has developed into a happy story. That was four years ago, the scout and girl are still happily married. The scout is majoring in Engineering and the mother has one semester before she graduates. Her younger brother is about to get his Eagle at our COH next month. So what should the troop do? Kind of hard to say, but Id start by letting the scout and his family guide you through their struggle. Barry

Hi All >>Where I come from, two deep is just that two deep all the time. Just stop and think of it for a second, the YP policies are designed to protect both the kids, and the leaders.

>>The bad leader may not know how to mentor youths.

Good Morning All >>but I don't think the boy is getting the full application of these methods as they are intended.

I'm only 45, but I feel like a spry 44. Barry

Hi All >>Two deep leadership is required at all Troop activities

>>Did someone say "Niagra Falls"? Slowly I turn...

>>"Good leaders must first be good followers" (or some variation of the quote). What does this quote mean to you? Do you agree with it? How does it apply to scouting?> What does this quote mean to you?>? Do you agree with it?>? How does it apply to scouting?

Hi Proud Eagle BW give a good solution or even just leaving all the older scout together would probably work as well. The youth leadership will come from the older patrol, so at least two or three of them will always be busy with Troop administration and managment. In our troop, those guys are so busy, they don't have time for cooking or normal patrol duties, so the rest of the patrol supports them. It works great for us. As for the new older scout, you will have to get a feel for why he joined your troop, but I found that if he has gone through puberty, he will never be happy with the new scouts. If that is the case, than the SM and SPL will have to work with him to help him catch up and grow. He can still attend the same classes as the new guys, but will probably be happier being a member with the older guys. My experience with these scouts is they feel kind of the old ball and can burn out quickly if they don't ever feel as part of the gang. What keeps them in is getting positions of responsibilty that make them feel adult, and exceptance from the patrol. It will work, but the adults need to understand the challenge. This scout is kind of important in that he will be the oldest scout in the troop in the not to long future. He will have a lot of responsibility thrust on him even if he doesn't want it. Some do OK with it, I find most have a hard time with it. I find that adults naturally will push these guys in advancement which is OK, but what they really need is a lot of experience in leadership. Most of habits and skill of leadership scouts use as they become the troop leaders where learned in the first two or three years. So your scout has a lot of catching up. It will work OK if you know that and guide him where he struggles. Good Luck, everyone will learn a lot from these situation. Barry

>>The question for debate should not be NSP or mixed. The question is "Do you follow the Scouting program or not?

>>The BSA does reccommend, insist, really leans on you to have a program that would allow a scout to become a first class scout in a year. There is a huge difference between making sure the boys attain first class and having a program that enables the scout to become first class, if the scout shows up at meetings, activities, shows scout spirit, etc.

>>Eagledad Are you saying that some troops needs NSP and some do not? How could that be? I truly respect what you have to say, but I wonder what your motivation was for that last post.>You and Bob White say almost the same thing most of the time, but you 2 seem to rub each other the wrong way. I sit and read what you and BW say and think they are saying the same thing in a different way. >A open mind is a learning mind.

Hi All >>I was just looking for someone with, possibly, a similar experience and, perhaps, some suggestions as what to do next.

>>You see separate patrols as high maintenance. Can establishing and developing the character of a random ever-changing group of youth ever be low maintenance?

>>I am an ASM right now and I would like to see our troop have a new scout patrol and a venture patrol. I think that the scouts would be in favor of both but I fear that many of the adults would reject the idea.

AOL Life Current Assistance Scoutmaster Current Council JLT Chair Barry

>>The patrol, as I've always said, is the "leadership laboratory" of the BSA. It's the alpha and omega of BSA leadership teaching.

>>No one bothered us, policed us, or otherwise stopped us from camping.

Good Day all >>Usually, you pros are next to impossible to contact. The current and previous two DEs were notorious for not answering phone calls or emails.