EagleInKY

You have to motivate the kids (and the parents, for that matter). We tried a couple of things until we found something that worked for us. But what worked for us might not work for you. It really depends upon the dynamics of your group, your socio-economic situation, and many other factors. What worked for us? We give about 25-30% of the profit back to the boys in prizes. First place is usually something big, like a PS2 or XBOX. Second and third are usually good prizes, like Gameboys. The rest of the prizes (all the way down to someone who only sold one item), are various trinkets and games. The kids have a ball with this. Every year, some boy just goes totally wild on selling so he can win the big prize. We went from selling around $1500 to selling over $10000. We're consistently #1 in our district and #1 or 2 in our council. And this is only with around 50 active boys.

I agree that this was mostly freak accidents. Hopefully, we'll learn a little from them and prevent some in the future. I, for one, used them as object lessons for our scouts, especially those that went on our Whietwater trip this summer. You are still far safer in scouting than you are driving to work or to the grocery store. And scouting is a heck of a lot more fun!

It's really up to your pack. You ask 50 people here, you're likely to get 50 different opinions. You need to go with what your pack wants to do. Sometimes it's good to give participation ribbons. Other times you want to declare the winners. I don't subscribe to the "we can't have winners because the others (can't use the "L" word) will have hurt feelings". Guess it's just my nature, sometimes kids need to learn how to be good sports. But bottom line, do what you pack wants.

NJ - I'm not referring to the clean-up, I agree with you on that. What I was referring to was a scene were a group of soldiers were putting up a "refugee center" for lack of a better term. I'm not even sure where it was, and don't think I've seen it since. They were putting together first aid tents, food lines, temporary shelter, etc. Looked very much like a jambo-like setup, imho. No doubt there have been plenty of balls dropped in this process this week, and I don't want the thread to move that direction. But I do think that the care-and-feeding part of the recovery is similar to the training they got with the jamboree.

Welcome to our virtual campfire. We look forward to getting to know you.

Our council only requires it if you are otherwise not registered as a scouter. So, if you are a registered committee member of the troop, you don't have to go through the annual paperwork process. My wife, who counsels a few MBs for us, is not a registered scouter, so she has to do it.

Barry - I've talked to a couple of other troops about the concept of having a "shared MB counselor list". I think it's a decent approach given the lack of a district list. Frankj - We assign a MB counselor for the different areas of camp. One adult takes nature, another handicraft, another scoutcraft, etc. The scouts are told who they are and that's basically it. They can choose to go to another authorized counselor, if they prefer. We do remind them periodically - like when a boy completes a partial and we present his MB at circle-up, I may say "here's a fellow that's finished a partial from camp, how many of you have partials left to complete?". We also enter the partials in Troopmaster, so it is included in every status report we give them, and it's on the BOR materials. Sometimes the BOR will ask the boy how he's coming on completing the xyz Merit Badge. So, I guess we're a little more than "whatever", but far from telling them "what, when, who and how".

Sitting her in my confortable living room, watching the tragic circumstances in New Orleans on the TV. We're seeing the military getting mobilized for rescue and relief efforts. My wife comments on how impressive it is for them to mobilize and begin making significant efforts in under 48 hours. It's truly an impressive site. It reminds me of the debate we've had about the Jamboree this summer. Those of us who support the government's partnership with the BSA believe that it gives our military practice on how to mobilize a city to support 40,000. Providing shelter, feeding, moving people, providing water,... these tasks don't come without real practice. I never thought I'd see the day where refugee camps would be set up on our sacred soil. Perhaps the learnings from Jamboree are at work in New Orleans as we speak.

An update... I spoke to the lad's dad about his condition. He didn't specifically name it, but it is a verbal communication disorder. His IQ is pretty close to normal, but he has difficulty focusing on what is being said and especially in saying what he wants to say. His dad and I met with the BOR before it started. I encouraged them to use the techniques mentioned here - only one person asking the questions, use simple terms, etc. Dad did not stay in the room, but was available to come in if necessary. The room we use is pretty plain, so it free of any distractions. (Thanks Madkins for your advice). Great news! He passed. The board was very pleased with his progress. My thanks again for the advice given here. It was great to see his big smile when he came out of the room. And, the other boys in the troop were equally excited for him. It made for a great night!

Eagle - Just to play devil's advocate here. Perhaps you haven't seen everything. You don't indicate your role in the troop. If I have a particular issue with a scout and hold him back on scout spirit, the only people that generally know are my assistants, the CC and probably his parents. So, I'm not sure if you are getting all the facts. I certainly know that I've been misrepresented by those who don't know everything that has gone on. I've got a situation where I have a boy about to make Life. He's been generally a good scout up until the last six months or so. His dad has turned into quite the negative force in our troop. He's tried to turn people against me (unsuccessfully), leave the troop (unsuccessful again) and stage a sort of coup (also unsuccessful). Most everyone either ignors him, tells him to get over it or encourages him to leave. His negative attitude is now spilling over to his son, who is receiving really bad advice from dad. If I hold him up on Life (which I'm tempted to do), I would expect to see a similar note written about me. Just something to think about.

Bob - I totally agree. But I haven't had any luck on that track. Our DAC is a great guy, I've known him since I was a scout. But, he works with one of those mega-troops we all talk about, that pretty much runs their own program. Therefore, they seem to think every other troop ought to do the same. I keep hoping it will change, but until it does, we make do with what we have.

Richmond - I do the same thing sometimes, remind the guys that half the stuff they do at school or other activities would count toward a MB. I've encouraged them to talk to their teacher/counselor/coach to get them to be a MB Counselor and finish the task. Most of the time, it wouldn't take much (if any) additional work.

I've expressed this beef before, our district doesn't have a MB Counselor list. If we are to get outsiders to do MB Counseling (and we have), we have to build the list ourselves.

Our Tigers usually meet twice a month, plus a pack meeting. Wolves and Bears meet at least twice, and are supposed to do at least one outing, in addition to the pack meeting. Webelos are encouraged to meet every week (except the week of the pack meeting). This means that Wolves, Bears and Webelos should be getting together weekly (at least) for one purpose or another.

I try to track partials in Troopmaster. I certainly get all the partials from Summer Camp in there. I try to remember when a boy asks for a blue card to add it as well. It doesn't always happen. I have a couple of ASMs that occasionally remind boys about partials. They don't twist arms or force them to work on it, just provide gentle reminders when we circle up at the end of a meeting. Also, I provide a scout advancement history a few weeks before each COH. This is to allow the scout the chance to review it against his records. I remind the scouts that it's up to them to verify that the info is correct. They own the responsibility for tracking their advancement, I'm just providing a backup to their records. In the end, we have to make sure theirs, ours and the council's all agree before completing the Eagle paperwork.

Not sure if there are any, but I'm going to take a little diversion here. Recently this has come up with a couple of our ASMs and Committee members. We'll be talking about something we're going to do, and they'll start thumbing through the advancement book looking for a MB to apply something to. I ask them (and am now asking you), "Why does everything have to tie to a MB? Can't we just do something because it's right, good, fun or simpy needed?". Anyway, just venting a little. Good luck with your sign.

While I believe that there were some scouts who exhibited bad behavior at times (no doubt, I've seen it within my own troop), I believe this author saw what she wanted to see. I, too, saw scouts on the way home from Jamboree. I saw a group at a rest area. The scoutmaster came over and spoke to a few boys in my troop (we were headed to WV and wearing our uniforms). I saw a troop from Illinois. The boys were from different races, and not 100% integrated. But they were trying to get along, even though it was obvious they were from different backgrounds. I saw others, just minding their business, traveling home after a long, hot event. Maybe it was that I saw them after the Jambo was over, but I saw nothing but great ambassadors in the scouts I saw. As I said, you see what you want to see.

You must have someone's respect, or they wouldn't appoint you committee chair. I think the biggest challenge for you is to deal with the "politics" that sometimes comes into play with that position. As CC, you are often the person that has to deal with parents that are unhappy about something, or situations of discipline and behavior. As you have less "life experiences" to reference, you may have to look to others for advice on difficult issues. Of course, we're always there to help. Welcome!

Based upon this information, I would not sign this scout off on the scout spirit requirement. We'd discuss what it will take to convince me that he has turned his life around and is starting to live by the scout oath and law.

The only time it would be appropriate to "slow" a scout's advancement is if the scout is not demonstrating scout spirit. I've done this, but never through subversive means. I've always been straightforward and honest with the scout. What thsi scoutmaster is doing is WRONG. For many reasons in addition to the advancement policy. It's dishonest and unkind. "Tricking" younger scouts doesn't resemble any points of the scout law that I am aware of. Perhaps you should ask him how this demonstrates the scout law in HIS daly life?

Welcome to the forums Capella! Certainly a fundraiser per week is excessive. I would think that wouldn't last long, or your parents would walk, one or the other. As for an equipment list, start with the basics. Do you need tents? Stoves? dining fly? cook gear? See what your families may have that can be used as temporary "loaner" equipment until the troop gets up and going. You can do fundraisers where the proceeds (or a portion thereof) goes into individual scout accounts. Some troops allow scouts to spend this money on gear. While it can be a challenge to administrate, it's worth it if your guys can't afford the equipment on their own. Also, check with other troops and see if they've got old stuff to give away. They might be able to help you out. Also, if you have any connections with a civic organization, they may be able to help you get started. For example, we helped a local civic club cleanup after their big pancake breakfast fundraiser, and they gave us $300. Not a lot, but it helps get you up and going.

Kudu - Thanks for the history lesson. I must admit, I have been guilty of attributing it to him as well. I believe it is in line with his thinking, just probably not a direct quote.

No biggie, just trying to educate everyone. Our former Cubmaster spelled it that way for the past two years and it drove me crazy. He's got everyone in the pack spelling it like that now. New Cubmaster taking over, hopefully it will change.

You do have a challenge before you. The best way to get it going is to model it for them. Be a role model as a leader and wear the uniform with pride. Talk to the PLC about doing the same. Ideally, the SM would get on board, but you may have a challenge there. I wholeheartedly agree with Bob's quote about the adult leadership being your major hindrance. I was fortunate to start a troop from scratch, so I didn't have to overcome this baggage. We wear the full uniform (i.e. yes, pants too) every week. We do "class Bs" from Summer Camp to the start of school, which gives everyone a little break from it, especially in a hot summer like this one has been. We also sometimes have meetings where we're going to be working (cleaning the trailer, building Klondike sleds, etc.) or doing something physical (playing a ballgame, etc.) and the boys are told ahead of time to wear appropriate clothing.

Not only that, it is also the only Cub Scout award (other than religious or heroism awards) that can be worn as an adult. There is a square knot for the AOL. (And, it's always spelled Webelos. The "S" is for "Scouts".