Fehler

Yeah, don't try to get District involved by making it "official". Just have two separate campouts, two separate sets of paperwork, that happen to be held at the same time and location, and sharing some of the same resources. When our Pack started getting back into Pack camping last year, we camped adjacent to our neighbor Pack, and their Range Officer came over and led our boys on our turn at the BB Gun range. But we had our own BALOO leader (can't skimp on that) and enough of our own leaders YPT trained. We could have included some other joint activities, like a large-group service project/trash clean, or a sport/game that'd be hard with fewer people (capture the flag).

Churches don't charter Girl Scout Troops. But they can provide meeting space, sponsor, and promote Girl Scouts.

Well, you could try asking the guy what he used, if anything. Our old Advancement Chair just shopped, and never tracked, expecting Den Leaders to handle the tracking. I just use a spreadsheet. Its crude, and I have to add a new column whenever we add a new scout, but so far has saved me buying four belt loops that would have been awarded twice (hooray?), and has given me a list of scouts that I can bring to Den Leaders at the end of the year, wondering if they finished their ranks. We had an "incident" in the past where a scout wasn't awarded a rank, and the Den Leader had left.

I'm guessing only slight changes, mainly with the adoption of the Boy Scout Oath/Law to Cub Scouts. Nothing will be implemented without a long-winded press release to tick everyone off first, at least a year or two before hand.

It's an extra. Nothing wrong with having a few extras sitting around. Most parents won't care either way (you can barely get them to sew rank patches on before the next one is earned). And there are so many other "extras" floating around, its not a big deal to have yet another. And most parents and Den Leaders don't pay attention to the optional awards, anyways. If you feel strongly about it, then try to make a Council Day Camp part of your Pack's program with a full-on recruitment, fundraising, and logistics. Or, go for the less-money involved "Leave No Trace" award. Or if your council doesn't have decent camping available, try the Emergency Preparedness or the STEM Nova awards.

Twice a week? I hope you meant twice a month, otherwise you have a much different program than ours. Unless you have the advantage of direct after-school collection. And I can barely get my Webelos to stumble into earning one Academic Pin, no where near the three the Wolves/Bears need. I just can't see where this badge can fit in the current program, unless we want to offshoot "Science Scouts" as a separate branch (like Sea Scouts).

It's the COR's call. Presumably, she signed the Adult Leader Application and in doing so contacted the references. If the parent is tight with your CO, it may be a losing battle, and just get ready to mass exodus in place. No Cub Scout is going to question why they're suddenly meeting at a different church, or why another scout didn't make the move, too.

There are plenty of other good, stable discussion forum software products. I don't think "preserving the past discussion topics" is a good enough reason to try to keep updating a poor product. I never use the "old" discussions, if I have a question I just ask it again, regardless if its been "answered" back in 2003. Chuck out the cobwebs, recreate the site with phpBB, "freeze" anything that may be of use to some archievier, and get back to what was good about this site: pertinent, active discussions between scouters and volunteers.

At the same time, if the kid is honest about it, "my parents won't let me get a driver's license until I get Eagle", then I'd flat out ask him, "OK, well, what are you going to do about it?" Is it a screwed up situation? Sure. But helping boys deal with a screwed up situation honestly and fairly may be just what they need.

Our Pack hands out the Service Pins for leader appreciation. Knots have to be earned.

We don't so much as "wait until B+G" as "wait until the year is over". I've tried pushing advancement for the Webelos in my den, but it ends up that the only awards handed out are the ones from my Den (or from activities I've led, like an all-Pack Winter Hike).

I wouldn't push summer advancement on Tigers of Wolves, but for Bears (24 Advancements) and Webelos (Activity Badges), they can go for it without too much repetition. Also, I recommend some of the "bonus" awards, like the World Conservation Award, for the summer. Just at the beginning of summer, give them an idea of what they can do "on their own" and what they should put off until fall (tell them Forester and Aquanaut are good pins to complete on their own, but save Citizen and Fitness until fall with the den). Hate to get in the way of a boy who's eager/excited to earn awards.

The Dale decision still stands, private groups can set their own leadership and membership standards. I don't forsee any troop getting sued.

We do three PAck summer events, a sport in June (alternating softball, ultimate frisbee), a service in July (either invasive weed removal or grabage clean-up, but last summer was storm drain stenciling), and the Raingutter Regatta in August, all on weekday evenings when our Pack Meeting would normally be. I encourage Den's to stay active, and have had success with a Saturday afternoon hike for my new first-year Webelos. But none of these activities needed to be more coordinated then "ok, lets all show up at this place/time" with one person bringing supplies. I promote the council resident and daycamps, but don't stress out about trying to get stuff done to arrange groups to attend them.

I am happy to be the leader/guy in charge/person everyone asks to do things in Cub Scouts. When I send my daughter to Girl Scouts, I happily, quietly drop her off and sit in the lounge to myself, blissiful that these other parents don't know what a push over I am.

Can't have a "no rules" race, since we hire another pack's track/runner to hold our race for us. Don't want to risk damaging the track. But we do have an "open" division for siblings, parents, and Boy Scouts, and will have extra kits available for sale at the meetings where the Cubs get their free kit.

We do three PAck summer events, a sport in June (alternating softball, ultimate frisbee), a service in July (either invasive weed removal or grabage clean-up, but last summer was storm drain stenciling), and the Raingutter Regatta in August, all on weekday evenings when our Pack Meeting would normally be. I encourage Den's to stay active, and have had success with a Saturday afternoon hike for my new first-year Webelos. But none of these activities needed to be more coordinated then "ok, lets all show up at this place/time" with one person bringing supplies. I promote the council resident and daycamps, but don't stress out about trying to get stuff done to arrange groups to attend them.

Can't have a "no rules" race, since we hire another pack's track/runner to hold our race for us. Don't want to risk damaging the track. But we do have an "open" division for siblings, parents, and Boy Scouts, and will have extra kits available for sale at the meetings where the Cubs get their free kit.

You are stressing too much about this. Prior to recently, Cub Scout Advancement was all done at home, outside of Den Meetings, so if the parents were expecting that, its their call. If the Cubmaster wants to keep this boy on the roster, it's his job to chase down the registration fee. The important lesson of the Pinewood Derby is designing, building, and painting the car, not watching some adult place it on the track and push a button. If the Pack wants to allow non-attendee entries (which I would, personally), it is again up to them. I have a family that started last spring, was involved all summer, but stopped in the fall. They just couldn't handle evening meetings with getting up for early school. But they want to be involved (and they sold popcorn), so I keep them updated as to what we're doing and welcome them on the few weekend events I see them. And when school is out, I hope to see them again.

There are many religions that disrespect the beliefs of others, such as the Lutheran-Missouri Synod. Their prohibition of blended services, which I assume would include "Scouts Own" interfaith services, came up very recently: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/13/lcms-newtown-interfaith-prayers-reopens-old-wounds-for-missouri-synod_n_2681340.html If we allow a group that refuses to mix religiously with others, why can't we allow those that refuse to mix religiously at all?

Here I passed a construction site that was pulling some old, 36" cast iron water main up and I got to dreaming of the things I could do with it.

Alleged pot use is alleged. Unless you have two or more witnesses, or the boy admits it, you have to take his word as a scout. You aren't a jury, you can't convict based on rumors or the "everyone knows he's a doper" myth. Acting like a hippy/stoner is not proof.

Scouts and Scouters cannot use the uniform of Scouting in political events or to promote political campaigns. Is a Gay Pride Parade a political campaign? I don't think so, no more so than a Latin American cultural event is the same as a pro-immigration rally, or any 4th of July parade is just a collection of politicians walking three blocks throwing stale candy at a bunch of sweaty babies. Now, if the event was a rally in support of specific gay rights/marriage legislation, I would remind those taking part that they may perform civic activities (lead a flag ceremony), but after that the uniform shouldn't be used.

MTE, you mention the father, and how he doesn't stand the son's shenanagins. Is scouting his idea, or the son's? Looks like control issues between the two.

You could buy one before they go out of stock, and then later on (once time allows) volunteer to lead a Tiger Den, earn the Den Leader Award, and then wear the old Tiger Knot.