EagleInKY

NWS - Not sure what your point is??? COHs do create a sort of "deadline" which guys will try to make. We have a COH next Friday, so guess what? We've got three BORs scheduled for Monday night. No surprise, the deadline pushes boys (or maybe parents) to beat the deadline.

Rooster - I stand corrected. Let me try again. You are correct, the CO can do whatever they want. However, most don't understand the whole ownership/licensing relationship. So, usually the district or council will give them some options. According to the DEs I've talked to about this topic, they try to get them to either (1) hold it for restarting the unit in the future or (2) giving it to other units. They usually don't offer up the "keep it and do with it what you wish" option, unless it comes up. Why would they do that? To keep the assets in scouting, of course. I'm sure there are some examples of COs taking the equipment for themselves, but I would think they would be few and far between. Think of the headline "Local Church Disbands Boy Scout Troop, Seizes All Assets and Auctions $10,000 in Equipment for Building Fund". I just don't think they would like that kind of publicity.

Check out Roy C Manchester in Western Kentucky. It's just a couple of hours past Memphis. Great camp on Kentucky Lake. Great sailboating program for the older guys.

Whew, finally.... I used to be a Antelope, and a Good 'ol Critter too, But now I'm finished Anteloping, I don't know what to do. I'm growing old and feeble and I can Antelope no more So I am going to work my ticket if I can Back to Gilwell, happy land; I'm going to work my ticket if I can.

I hate to hear about this. I haven't been involved in this, but I understand a few of the basics. The assets (money and gear) of the unit technically belong to the CO. Most COs are unaware of this. If the scouts transfer to other units, most COs approve the transfer of the assets with them. For example, I know of a troop that folded. About 1/3 of the boys went to one troop, and 2/3 went to a different one. They took the assets and split them along that ratio and gave it to the two troops. If the scouts are not going to another unit, I believe one of three things can happen. 1)The CO may hold on to the assets and save them for a future attempt to reinstate scouting. Some like this option because they figure they'll try again in a year or two. 2) The CO can reallocate the funds to other youth programs (Girl Scouts, youth group, etc.). 3) They can give them over to the council to use. I believe the first and third options are most common, but I don't know that for a fact.

Barry's reply reminded me of something we did at summer camp. It had been a very good week and we were proud of our guys. The SPL was doing a good job of keeping the troop on schedule and we had no behavior issues to speak of. So, on Thursday, we adults decided to skip the standard mess hall dinner and cook some brats in the campsite. The guys asked what was going on when they saw us cooking. We said "we're having brats!". The guys responded "Cool! No dining hall tonight!". We corrected them, "No, WE'RE (emphasis on "WE") having brats, you guys are going to the dining hall". The guys were a little bummed about missing out on the brats, but then they realized that they were going to be on their own. I had a quick chat with the SPL about not letting us down. They were proud of the fact that we let them go off by themselves for the meal. I had several adults from other troops mention to me that night that they were surprised to see the boys with no adults at dinner. They were impressed and said they wish they could trust theirs to do the same. Who knows, maybe we'll start a new tradition. Now we are trying to work in our troop on taking these successes and translate them to the patrol system. Small steps, yes. But remember, it's a journey not a race.

Hey, at least they had the courtesy of telling you. Thinking back through nearly 3 years of Boy Scouts and 5 years of Cub Scouts, I can only remember one parent that did this. The others just "disappear". We have two boys that have gone MIA in the past two months. Mom or dad hasn't said anything to any of the leaders when we've seen them around. But the rumors around the schoolyard is that they're quitting. I hold out hope in these cases that one of the parties (youth or parent) wants to quit, and the other is trying to convince them otherwise. Here are two fundamental truths about kids dropping out: 1) Kids will drop out of scouting, even with a perfect program. 2) Sometimes the "perfect program" isn't what they are looking for. I have had some drop out because they said we just did "too much".

You're welcome, you're welcome and you're welcome.

Welceome Pete. I think you now hold the record for the longest delay before formal introduction. Glad to know you. :-)

The easy "by the book" answer... anything reasonable that they ask for that is safe and planned-out. Do our patrols do them? No. Unfortunately. I've encouraged it, and reminded them from time-to-time. I think our guys are easy too busy or too lazy to make the effort to pull off a patrol activity. However, on the other hand, many of these things happen naturally. If a patrol is truly a "gang of friends", then they are probably getting together to play video games, go to a movie, spend the night, play lazer tag, etc. None of these ever come to me for approval, because they're just hanging out as friends. Finally, what type of things would I approve. As long as they have a plan, I'd approve things like a campout on one of their family's property, a day hike, a service project, a trip to an amusement park, etc.

According to the G2SS, Cub Scout family camping must be conducted at council facilities or approved faciliites. I haven't had much experience at it, but I think our council frowns on using these public campgrounds, unless it is in a group area where the scouts can be separated from the general public. Anyone else have similar experience?

If your council scout shop allows you to stock badges, you can even have a small supply on hand. Whenever possible, we present them with their patch the night of the BOR. I agree with the others, your troop has a problem that needs to be fixed.

Semper dude - you are the dude! You certainly come up with some creative ones.

I'll throw a different spin on it. I believe at 18, they are now legally adults, both in law and in Scouting. Thus, the G2SS and YPT guidelines would apply to them as an adult. So, on a campout, he cannot sleep in a tent with a scout anymore. He'll need to either sleep alone or with other adults. My recommendation - honor his 18th birthday by presenting him an adult leader application. Turn it in and at the next troop meeting present him with an ASM or MC patch, whichever he wants to do.

Welcome to the campfire. You didn't indicate the age, although I'll assume your son is a Bear or Webelos. How you respond depends a little on age. We're taught that we have to treat kids different at their different levels (Ages and Stages video in NLE training). That holds true for advancement. Tigers usually get credit for "showing up". After all, it's pretty much about getting together, making friends and having fun. In Cubs (Wolves & Bears), you're asking the boy to "Do Your Best". It's a little more than showing up, but you aren't really testing for proficiency either. By the time they get to Webelos, they should be working on a more individual basis. The den leader should be testing and verifying that the boy is doing the work and - to some degree - understands it. This progression helps them prepare for Boy Scouts, where they truly must advance on their own merits. With that said, I would base my actions on the age you are dealing with. I'd use Cub Scout training materials to explain to her where they are headed. She might not understand Webelos and Boy Scouts at all. If she did, she might look at it differently and see this as a preparatory step for them.

Lots of good comments, I especially "ditto" Barry's. I've seen several troops that suffer from the "boy led into the ground" syndrome. Some adults take the boy-led term to mean adults don't have any role in making the unit successful. Usually these troops have chaotic meetings with nothing but games, but you can also have the problems to this extreme as well. The adults have to realize that they play a role in helping the leadership (PLC) run the program correctly. This starts with the SM counseling the SPL, and then the PLC, if necessary. Our troop has fallen into a little of this. They don't get enough accomplished in their PLC meetings, so they end up doing a lot of planning during troop meetings. There's two things I'm trying to get them to do. One is to be more effective in the PLC meetings and get more accomplished. They may also need to have some brief meetings through the month to help keep things on plan. Second, the SPL and PLs need to get more effective at doing planning outside of the meetings. I find the boys are reluctant to call each other up, make a decision and carry it through. They always want to discuss it. And I thought it was adults that suffered from "groupthink". It seems teenagers can too. Just a couple of thoughts, good luck.

We've used private lands several times and have never been asked to provide anything. I guess they expect us to live by "a Scout is Trustworthy"...

Hey Kelly. Glad to have you in the forum. One of our PLs is from Iowa. He sang the "Iowa song" for us on our campout last weekend. It went something like "Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, there's a tree, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn,...." You get the idea. Anyway, welcome.

... entering the room, looking for his bretheren. But, alas, they are quite fleet afoot, so he sings alone... I used to be a ANTELOPE and a Good 'ol Antelope too... And now I'm finished Anteloping... I don't I don't know what to do... I'm growing old and feable and I can 'lope no more... So I am going to work my ticket if I can... Back to Gilwell.. Happy Land.. I'm going to work my ticket if I can...

Oh, and I have heard that about it requireing the fleur-de-lis or "BSA" for it to be considered an "official" activity uniform. Not sure if this is the case. I've never seen it in writing. Ours always has included it (it's part of our logo).

I'm of the opinion that the "class B" (activity uniform) is a "uniform", thus scouts can salute when wearing it. Of course, to be picky, it's only an "activity uniform" if the shorts and socks are worn with it. Otherwise, he's just wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

We went the local route on making our t-shirts and other items. We designed our own logo and have been very happy. The pack only has t-shirts, but the troop has t-shirts, polos, sweatshirts and fleece that the guys can purchase.

It's great to have another fellow Eagle on board. Hope you enjoy the ride.

Welcome to the campfire. We look forward to getting to know you. There are no stupid questions (but there are some stupid answers). :-) Check with previous den leaders, often they'll have leftover supplies (as well as some good meeting ideas and themes). This can save you money and time.

It truly is a shame when scouts don't live up to the Scout Oath and Law. You say he is in your "brother troop", so I'm assuming you have a relationship with the leadership in that unit. There's several potential approaches you can take. 1) You could approach the boy. As a scouter in his "brother unit", you can talk about what you've heard and discuss how it is not an example of scout spirit. 2) You could talk to the lad's parents. 3) You could talk to his SM. The SM can discuss the scout oath and law implications of his actions. Bottom line, I believe you have an obligation to talk to someone. It depends mostly upon your role and the relationship with the troop. And, by the way, I would not exclude him from the report to the school. He should not get a "pass" just because he is a scout.