EagleInKY

Bob had some great points. All I'll add are our guidelines on discipline. On an activity, if a Scout has a major discipline problem (safety issue as you described, fighting, etc.), he would be sent home. His parents would be called and asked to come get him, even if it was half-way across the state. On a lesser infraction - such as fighting as a result of horseplay, or safety issue due to stupidity - he would probably be punished in some way (KP, sitting out of activity, etc.). His parents would be notified of it after we returned. He would also be warned that a future situation could result in him being sent home. On the situation of finding out afterward, I've had this happen recently. I had a conference with the scout. I let him know in no uncertain terms that the behavior is not allowed, and that if I had caught him or heard about it at the camp, he would have been sent home. I also gave the same message to the parents. Our escalation process looks something like this: 1st occasion - appropriate punishment, parent notified. 2nd occasion - sent home, parent and troop committee notified. 3rd occasion - sent home, recommend removal from the troop (w/COR approval) Luckily, we haven't made it past the first step yet.

usscouts.org has a summary: http://www.usscouts.org/safety/g2ssIX.html

We have enough tents for the scouts, but not the scouters. We have Eureka Tetragons (7s and 8s). Some of the leaders have the Tetragon 5s that we use for ourselves. Parents & scouters that attend usually sleep in their own tents. Over time, we may have enough for them to sleep in troop tents.

585 - You're getting a lot of good advice, and I hope you learn from it. However, you're also getting what is "by the book", and there is some difference out hear in middle-America. Here are a few random thoughts: While I agree that Troop Meetings should not be Merit Badge factories (let me repeat that - Troop Meetings should not be Merit Badge factories!), I believe there is some room for doing some MB work in them. We do it about twice a year. We don't do the entire work in the troop meeting.These are typically MBs that require a lot of work on their own - such as Personal Fitness or Family Living. We try to keep the groups relatively small - 5-6 boys max - to avoid it being like a classroom. Just don't let it overshadow the overall troop program. While many of the folks on this forum have districts that have a well-organized MB counselor program, others of us do not. Our district does not have any formal MB Counselor list. You can get a list of counselors from the Council office, but they are from all over the place. Most troops recruit their own MB counselors. If they are not registered adult leaders, they go through the paperwork with the Council to get them registered as a counselor. I've confirmed this with my District Advancement Chair and he agreed that this is the practice everyone is following at this time. Many MB Counselors that I have run across are only interested in serving one troop, or a couple of troops in an area. This is probably a by-product of not having a formal district program. Since most counselors are recruited by the troop (or the boys themselves), they are interested in serving them only. Good luck with your new troop.

WOW! Bob & FOG agreed. And a couple of others to boot. I guess it's safe to say I'm on solid ground. I just wanted to feel comfortable with that before tomorrow. I'll make sure it is reinforced at the next committee meeting.

I am fine with scouts inviting friends on activities or campouts. I only ask that the friend first comes to a troop meeting, so we can properly meet him, and that we know to plan for him coming. Also, we allow siblings to come on some activities or campouts. However, for liability and chaperoning purposes, we require a parent to come. I had an unexpected issue arise this evening. We're planning a trip snow-tubing tomorrow. The sibling rule is in effect (i.e., as long as parents are coming, they are welcome). What I found out, however, was that two of the families had invited friends of their high school age brothers. I told them both that they couldn't come, and now they're a little peeved. My concerns are the following: 1) The program is for the Boy Scouts. It's not for older brothers and their friends (these particular boys dropped out of Scouts years ago). IMO, bringing a bunch of other kids takes away from them. They're the ones who have worked on the advancement, planned the activities, etc. Not the brothers. 2) Liability. I know BSA insurance doesn't cover them. We're not recruiting them, so they don't fall under that provision. I'm concerned that, if something were to happen, the famlies could come after me, the troop leaders, the troop committee and the CO. 3) I don't know these sibling's friends. I know our boys. I know their friends. I even know their siblings. But, I don't know their sibling's friends. Therefore, I don't know what type of person they might be bringing onto our troop activity. To me, that's a big concern. So, what's your thoughts? Do you have policies or practices that you follow? Is my concern out of line?

Dang it, FOG beat me to it. I'm pretty sure he's right. Samantha Stevens often said "Oh my stars", especially to Darren and Endora.

My turn, my turn!!! I'm tired of being an equal to Wheeler. Can someone give me a bump too?

We're interested in doing this next year. I've looked into Nantahala (http://www.noc.com). I haven't used them, but I did go down and check them out on a family trip there a couple of years ago. They looked like a pretty sharp outfit.

Hey Bob, some folks are going to have to take back what they say about you. You're allowing for a little grey area. I agree, by the way. Although, I think it's best to graduate them to the next level at the end of the school year, for the reasons mentioned. Primarily, it allows them to work on advancement for their next rank at day camp and other summer activities.

We print out the advancement summary from Troopmaster about 3-4 times a year (typically about a month before a COH), and give it to the scouts. It's up to them to review and question anything they see as incorrect. About once a year - typically around recharter time - we'll get the printout from council and validate it against our records. It's a good checks and balances system to make sure we're all in synch.

Our council has a DE specifically responsible for special needs programs. She plants and supports units that focus on special needs (as well as helps units that include special needs kids in their program). She is always on the lookout for people wanting to start a program. I would check with your council to see if they have a person in this role. They would be a great asset.

In our case, we give about 1/3 back to the boys in prizes, leaving about $2500 for the pack. This pays for Pinewood Derby trophies, B&G Banquet meat, a portion of their crossover items, summer activities, a family campout, fall roundup items, etc. All with little additional fees being assessed. Is it worth it, I say yes. I remember my first year as Cubmaster when I had to survive from October to January with less than $100.

Take a large coffee can, cut up a package or two of hot dogs. Add a small jar of grape jelly and a small bottle of ketchup. Cook on stove until they look like barbecued weinies. (It tastes like a sweet barbecue sauce.) Bring a box of toothpicks and let the boys snack. It's a great snack on a cold campout. And, in the end, throw it all away - no cleanup!

I'm crowing with the Rooster on this. I keep trying to imagine what was said, and just can't picture any other way than the SM meant it more "tongue in cheek". I can't imagine that in any way he meant that he would literally kill a boy for not making Eagle. Haven't we all said something along the lines of "boy, I'll beat you like a drum if you ever do that again"? Not ever meaning it literally, but just to express the fact that we really don't want that to happen EVER again. We live in such a PC society, I realize we've purged most of those sayings from our vocabulary. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I ever said anything like that. But I'm sure I have. Therefore, I would look at is more of a coaching opportunity for the SM. Sit him down, and explain to him how it was perceived by some, and that he needs to avoid those types of phrases, and come up with more positive ways to encourage the boys to reach their goals. As for the boy-led issues, that requires more work.

Gotta go with the pro-popcorn crowd. Our pack of 50 has sold about $11,000 each of the past two years. We've done it by offering innovative prizes for the top sellers and something for every boy that sells. I should also note that we have several families with multiple Cubs and a handful that don't participate, so the sales were effectively made by about 35-40 Cubs. Our troop of 9 boys topped $2500 this year. We give each boy 1/4 of the profit toward his activities fees. Three of the boys had siblings selling in the pack and didn't sell as much. We're going to do a Krispi-Kreme sale here in a couple of months. I've heard from some other troops that have done well with it. We also set up a food booth at a local community day. If weather is good, we'll make a several hundred dollars. The profit/effort ratio is much lower than popcorn, but it gets us in the public eye.

On regular campouts, we travel to the campout in uniform. We sometimes return in uniform, but often the scouts are so grubby, we choose not to. At summer camp, they attend dinner/flag ceremony in uniform every day, as well as campfires and special events (OA, Vespers, etc.).

Last year we split our first year scouts into two groups (~4 per group). They each put together a program on the dangers of drugs and alcohol. They then presented it to the troop at a troop meeting, and also reviewed it at a COH. We felt that made them think about it more than sitting through a presentation.

One word, SM406 - YES!

Over the past several years, I've seen several DEs come and go. Here's a quick summary: DE #1, Eagle Scout, grew up in the program. Excellent guy, promoted to Field Director. Still a great asset to us. DE #2, no scouting background. Made it to one roundtable, then to training. Never to be seen again. DE #3, Female, family was scouters. Loves the outdoors. Great energy, great with kids. Promoted to Field Director. DE #4, No scouting experience. Didn't make the first roundtable. DE #5, Eagle Scout, Philmont Staff experience, college degree relates to scouting. Off to a good start. I understand the difficulty in hiring people. I do it all the time. I also know first hand the cost of hiring the wrong person. While I am sure there are some great professionals without scouting experience, they are few and far between. It's the units in the districts they are assigned to that suffer during these "tests". So, I'm for hiring people with a scouting background (male or female).

1. Yes 2. Official stock. 3. Under the shirt collar. 4. Navy with silver embroidery. 5. We expect it to be worn at all times the uniform is worn, with one exception - when they are told not to. We normally wear uniforms to all troop meetings (unless activities dictate otherwise), COHs, and special events. Normally, when we leave for a campout, we meet in uniform, but without the neckerchiefs. The boys tend to lose their slides when we're camping. Plus, they are not that comfortable if it's hot. Same thing with Summer Camp, we report to dinner each night in uniform, but we leave the neckerchiefs off. Just too hot in July. 6. All youth and adults wear the neckerchief. I don't have a problem with a scout wearing a different neckerchief from time-to-time. But I would want him to wear the official troop neckerchief for COHs or when we're in public together.

I'll have to double check the version, but it is IE on both. And how do these stars work. I just dropped from 5 to 2.5. Geez, now I'm tied with Wheeler!!! ;-(

2CD - In regards to my conversation with the parents. Yes, I kept a straight face. Of course, the mom was in tears most of the time. They are at the end of their rope as well. The only thing is, they deal with it 24x7. I've explained boy leadership to them, and this is going to be a major hurdle for the boy. He's been Tenderfoot since last June. I'm using concepts similar to what Fuzzy mentioned, but not as formal.

Terry - Thanks for all you do, the site improvements are coming along great! However, there is a problem with the login beyond cookies. I have two PCs, each configured the same way (cookies are enabled on both). One can log in fine, the other has the problem. It's probably not directly a problem on your end, but it's not cookies either. It puzzles me.

I guess you didn't understand my point. I don't know where the homophobia is that you say is so prevelent. It's not fair to characterize an organization as homophobic just because they don't agree with your stand on the issue. I am not the least bit homophobic, but I agree with the BSA's standard. Don't stoop to name-calling, and don't take one boy's failing and try to turn it into a crusade. There's your answer, Eamonn.