EagleInKY

Count 'em. The only thing I don't count are things that aren't really troop activities. For example, the pack has a rocket derby and some of the boys will go and help them with it. We don't count it because it's not a formal troop or patrol event.

1. When the staff is courteous and helpful (to adults and boys) it makes a big impression on us all. 2. Quit giving away merit badges - especially the Eagle required ones. 3. More high adventure opportunities - even "mid adventure" for the younger scouts. Give them time on the climbing wall, shooting ranges and in the sailboats (within safe scouting rules, of course). 4. Basketry, Leatherwork & Woodcarving are great first year scout merit badges. Easy to do, and the projects help occupy the slow times (thus preventing home-sickness). 5. Using a little spice might elp. 6. Ours just has the leader guide and some basic info. I wish we could do all of the registration process online. 7. Boys (parents) pay their fee. A portion of their fund-raising goes into scout accounts, which can be used for summer camp. 8. All of the above.... some were great, some were not. 9. Nothing to share. I worked three summers of Scout camp, but not from a program director perspective. 10. A few comments from this year's camp: http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=67294

We just returned from a successful week at Summer Camp and wanted to share a few thoughts. Overall, it was a very successful week. We had a great time, and the boys are already talking about next year. Here are a few highlights: Camp staff was trained better than I have seen in the past. Area leaders have mentors that are working with them to ensure a strong program. New syllabi have been created for many of the merit badges. Our troop operated as a boy-led troop to the greatest degree yet. It was a great experience (and an eye-opening one) for our junior leaders. They grew a lot during the week. Camp program was well-executed, and the boys had plenty of things to keep them busy. Camp staff listened to the Scoutmaster's concerns and acted on them!!! Weather was near-perfect! Food was good (but the portions were small). Now, for the lowlights: Summer Camp still seems to be a Merit Badge mill. Even with the new syllabi created for camp, the staff seemed reluctant to use them. And, heaven-forbid they need to "fail" a scout. It seemed that - if a scout shows up for class - he gets the Merit Badge. The shooting sports are the only exception, because they require a qualification score. I had a scout pass Lifesaving and then tell me that he felt that he did not deserve the badge. The campfires were horrific. If these our typical of campfires, then no wonder they are burning out. Our parents sat through a 2 1/2 hour display of crude humor, inside jokes, confusing skits, worn-out skits and several uses of the word "fricking" (which was apparently approved by the Camp Commissioner). Our parent's were disgusted and asked if we could just skip the campfire next year. We may do just that. Uniforming. Our troop was the only one even close to 100% uniformed. While I am used to seeing troops out of uniform, I was disappointed with the total disrespect for the uniform that I saw this year. At least, in the past, I would see troops with "alternative" uniforms (camo pants, khaki pants, jeans). This year, I did not see a single troop that had any type of standard. Soccer shorts, Hawaiian prints, jungle prints, ripped up pants, you name it, they wore it. Even the color guards for the flag ceremony. It was very disappointing. Overall, thought, it was a successful week. Several improvements over last year. I only hope the camp administration takes the feedback seriously and makes more improvements before next year.

Oh, where to begin? If the story is accurate - and it is not being embellished by a press corps bent on making scouts look bad - I have a number of issues with this young man. He is not living up to the principles of scouting and seems to show a total disregard for abiding by the law. His own words are what bother me the most. Here are a few samples (in case they slipped by you the first time). It was going great till the cops showed up, he said. My friends said can we bring alcohol. I said yeah, why not? We were just having fun, and I dont know why its such a big deal. The drinking age is 21 ..., but he said nobody pays attention to that. Why not? Cause were kids. I was aware of the fact that what we were doing was illegal, but I didnt think it was that big of a deal. Im pretty sure. Youd have to be kind of dumb not to realize. Thats kind of why I had it be a three-day party, so nobody had to drive. They could sleep if off and then go home later. I wasnt doing anything illegal. I wasnt going to say no, no one can have fun tonight. Sure, why not? Drink. Its harmless. As long as youre not driving drunk or going swimming or something. I kind of wanted to have a fun time. I just graduated from high school. But adults just cant seem to let that happen. Im curious how the five cops and Carl up the street had no childhood apparently and cant let us go. Yeah, sure its illegal. Lots of things are illegal. Speedings illegal. Disregard for the law, for authority figures, for parent's rights, for health factors, etc. The list goes on and on.

I remember going to pack meetings when I was about 5 (my older brother was a Cub). I also remember his Webelos den, they made me their "mascot". They probably picked on me unmercifully, but I thought it was cool. I couldn't wait to be a Cub.

ASM - You're getting some good advice here. Only you can determine at what rate you are going to transition your unit over to a boy-led model. Each unit is unique and will transition at its own pace. The important part is that you have recognized it and are making the change. Our troop started last year, so we had a very low-level of boy leadership. For this year, this has been our primary focus. It's starting to take shape. Last week, at Scout Camp, we were much more "boy run" than we were last year. It made it a much more enjoyable experience for the boys as well as the adults. Also, remember that transitioning to boy leadership (or boy-run, whichever you prefer), does not mean abdicating your responsibility as an adult leader. When I look at the sorry state of uniforming, for example, I have asked SMs why they're troop doesn't wear the full uniform. The #1 answer I get is, "we're a boy-run troop and that's what they decided". These SMs have missed the point. There are methods to follow, and teaching the boys to run the program within the methods is the true mark of a quality, boy-lead troop. Best of luck to you. Let us know how it goes.

Far too many to recount. One in particular comes to mind. We had a young scout show up to his first campout with an electric blanket. Mistake #2 was going up to the scoutmaster and asking "where do I plug this in?". Moving the reel forward a couple of years. This young pup and his dad are "tapped out" into the OA at Summer Camp. They had to observe the "silence" rule all night. When they arrived back at the troop campsite, an outdoor electric outlet was "installed" in the dad's tent. Of course, he wanted to laugh out loud, but had to stay silent. It was one of the funniest moments I can remember.

Thanks Bob. That makes more sense. Something tells me our DAC isn't doing this, though.

"Remember the Titans" - The scene in the lunchroom where he asks the players about their roommates (of the othere race). He requires them to start getting to know each other. He shows compassion for the guy who's not planning on going to college. Early in the movie he challenges them for "perfection". In the last game of the season, at halftime they're getting beat, he tells them how proud of them of how far they've come. One player says 'no coach, you asked for perfection, and if it's alright with you, we want to go out and win this one.' It's a great example of a leader setting a vision and his team finally getting it. There are several other good scenes in that movie. "Apollo 13" - I would use the filter problem as a great example of team dynamics to solve a problem. The work in the simulator to come up with an answer is another good example. In business, I've used "12 Angry Men" - the old Henry Fonda flick about a jury, to show team dynamics and how you can get people to follow you by many different means. I don't think it would work as well with the boys, though. (I haven't watched the modern version of the movie, so I don't know if it has the same lessons).

I doubt if there are any measurable stats on campground fires and their impact on the atmosphere. It's not even a speck compared to vehicles and factory polution. Our boys are always wanting a fire. I use it as a safety lesson. During the day, what's the purpose of the fire? Cooking, warmth, drying clothes, etc. If there is no purpose for the fire, then - for safety reasons - we shouldn't keep one going. And, when we make them put it out - completely out - when we leave the campsite, they realize it wasn't worth the effort. Therefore, they seldom have a fire going during the day on a summer campout.

Okay, I give too. Even though our DAC said we don't have to do it for registered leaders, I'm going to insist that our advancement chairman follows the rules as described here. One question, I was told (can't remember by who - I'm trying to find the source) that the MB Counselor application was only good for 12 months. So, not only does this seem like redundant work to many of us, it also seems like we have to redo it on an annual basis. Anyone heard that rule?

I think he's saying "You Gotta Be Kidding Me"

We provide tents for the scouts (3 men - but we usually on put 2 in them). There seems to be solid logic around the idea of only two scouts per tent. Scouts will tend to be less disruptive and get a better night's sleep when they are grouped in twos. I agree with the poster, however, that your bigger problem is in the example set by your junior leadership. They need to understand the impact they are causing on the troop and the example they are demonstrating for the younger scouts.

It's a great idea to bring real-life into your JLT. Remember the Titans is another one that comes to mind. Interesting that you mentioned the objectionable content... our middle school showed it last year (I think for 7th graders). I've found it difficult to get the kids to sit down and watch a whole movie that I choose. That, coupled with the few objectionable scenes, makes watching the whole film difficult. I would encourage using parts of the film. You could provide the setting and follow it with the discussion. The problem solving to fix the CO filter problem is a great example for the boys.

Ed, it doesn't say a scout can't be webmaster. It just says that adults, who report to the committee, should have control over the content. A scout can still be webmaster and have adults review/approve all content.

Eamonn - Many good points in your post. I believe Venturing has great potential, but it does a disservice to establish crews too quickly or establishing "paper units". Recently, my DE told me he was going to talk to our CO about starting a venturing crew. Our troop is one year old and we only have two boys approaching Venturing age. I told him that we simply weren't ready for it yet. He needed to be patient and wait a couple of years. He said that it wouldn't impact the troop in any way, but would be an enhancement to the overall program. I responded by asking "if venturing starts taking older boys away from a troop - a new troop that is trying to get established - how can you say that?" Additionally, we know where the CO is going to come looking for leaders, right? The Troop, of course. I'll get off my soapbox.

We haven't been told to do this for MB Counselors. We do have to send in a new application every time a person changes position. We were told this was an effort to get background checks on all leaders. I asked a few months ago about the procedures for MB counselors and I was told we only needed to submit an application for anyone not registered as a leader. (It could be possible that, since our troop just formed last year, they know that all of our leaders have had background checks). Don't know the answer. As is often the case, each council interprets the rules differently.

We don't send our new scouts to the First Year program at our camp. I have not been impressed with what I've seen - nor with what I've heard from other camps. I feel it is the troop's responsibility to instill these skills in the young boys. If I were to send them, it would be to reinforce what we teach, not to sign off on things. Our first years scouts take several "easy" merit badges - basketry and other handicrafts, Mammal Study, etc. We also encourage them to take Swimming, and most of them do. It gives them great pride and a sense of accomplishment to earn that first Eagle MB.

MikeF - The insurance policy covers prospective scouts of the appropriate age. So, I'm not sure who told your CC what, but that doesn't sound correct. It would be true that they all need to pass the swimmers test, so it's possible that would be a problem on a rafting trip. Our troop sets clear expectations and defines which trips are open to family and guests. When we do, here are the rules: - Non-family members (guests) must be of scouting age and are being recruited to join. - Siblings may attend, but a parent must attend and take responsibility for them. I agree with the other posters, this trip has gotten out of hand. It needs to be dealt with immediately.

GKM - Lots of good advice here. I would definitely try to get the Life BOR from his current troop. Then, I would consider your options there are for moving to another troop. You certainly don't want to run up against this again for Eagle. With that said, I would recommend the following: - Get someone from the district involved to override the SM. DE and DC are good, given that the DAC is on your committee. Yes, it will be painful, but hopefully it will prevent him from making this mistake with another boy down the road. Chances are, he's done this before, and no one has called him on it. - I would encourage your son (and husband) to go to Summer Camp. "Be the bigger man", as they say. Teach your son that taking a stand can really change the world. If Summer Camp with this troop is not an option, I recommend taking the provisional camper approach. But, I think that would be socially challenging for you son.

I learned years ago that, when managing a team, it is best to give them as much decision making power as possible, especially when it effects them and not you. Case in point, our teams rotate on-call responsibility. There are many ways this could be handled. I set the parameters (they must have one on call and one backup, they must have a cell phone or pager, etc.). The team then creates the procedures as they see fit (rotate weekly, rotate monthly, etc.) As a SM, I set some parameters and then let the PLC make the call. If your PLC is having trouble doing that, give them some options to start the ball rolling. They may choose one of the options you laid out, or they may come up with one of their own.

Ed, I understand what you are saying. And, if I knew there was a good reason for the scout not being in uniform, I would give him some slack. For example, Johnny outgrew his pants and mom hasn't had a chance to get to the scout shop, or he burnt a hole in them at Klondike (we had a scout do that this year - not scout pants, however), and hasn't got them replaced. I'm understanding of those things. I'm certainly understanding if I know the family is having hardships and can't afford the uniform right now. BUT, if Johnny doesn't wear the uniform on a night he knows he is scheduled to go before the BOR just because he doesn't want to wear it... well, if I present him to them, I can guarantee they'll send him back. So, I would tell him that he needs to reschedule with the BOR and wear his uniform next time. As I said earlier, I've sent boys in with "imperfect" uniforms (eg. missing belts, white socks, messed up neckerchiefs). I'll let the BOR decide if they want to correct anything like that.

Funny, I was looking over our summer camp packet last night for the umpteenth time, and I noticed under prohibited items, "weapons (including sheath knives)".

Laurie - Great idea on writing a note. My son had an issue with a school counselor. He didn't have the courage to talk to him directly about it (he was only in 5th grade at the time). He ended up writing him a pretty passionate letter. By the time he wrote it, he had the courage to hand it to him directly. I don't know if the counselor has changed his ways, but I know - for a few moments - a young child shook his world. GKM - We have some dyslexic boys in our troop. They find that typing is easier than writing. I'm sure you've heard that, but it may be worth a try. Or, you can type his words for him. I'm sure the SM will be able to tell the difference between his words and yours. He'll know it's from him.

Thanks everyone. We will have plenty of our troop's committee members at summer camp. Five will be there most of the time. Unfortunately, our advancement chair is not one of them. But, two of the "regular" BOR members are going to be there. We'll have their current advancement status sheets as well as their handbooks, so that's not a problem. I really like the idea of doing it while they are totally immersed in scouting, vs at a troop meeting when they've got 40 other things on their mind. Plus, we can give a little extra recognition on family night Friday evening.