fred8033

Question ... if $400 is cost, why collect $200 ? Or is the $400 with weekend campouts ?

Nope. It was a power mom that wanted her son to earn Eagle.

I only mentioned camping as we had a similar challenge with a parent suggesting that camping counted by pitching a tent inside a building counted as camping as the scout did not like sleeping outside. That defeated purpose of the badge. Similar to a stationary exercise bike instead of a road bike outside on the road.

Cycling or hiking or swimming. It's not really required. If none of those are possible, then there are other options like @RememberSchiff suggested. I read in the original post "had" large motor delays. I took it as the scout matured slowly. If the scout still has disabilities, than the disability route should be taken. Also, I really like what @InquisitiveScouter suggested. I see many adults all the time use recumbent bikes. There are three wheel versions of those too. https://www.amazon.com/Mobo-Recumbent-Cruiser-Tricycle-3-Wheel/dp/B002LOT6SK/ref=sr_1_16?crid=1CNSPNNDLZ1RE&keywords=recumbent%2Broad%2Bbike%2Bperformance&qid=1696517636&sprefix=recumbant%2Broad%2Bbike%2Bperformance%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-16&th=1 IMHO, I'd really rather see a replacement MB than something that rips the guts out of the MB.

No for different reasons. It's just a badge. Earning that specific badge isn't really needed. It won't block advancement. What about really growing as a person? That's the MB purpose. Using a real bike is meaningful and useful. ... Would he wear the badge with pride and a symbol of fulfilling what the badge is about? I'd argue no. Sitting on a stationary bike for hours is exercise and not much about cycling. It's like parents that wanted kids to earn camping but the kid would not sleep outside in a tent. So, can you earn "camping" by pitching a tent inside a cabin and then sleep in the tent? I'd argue no. The key point is scout rank and scout merit badges are just not that important. Learning and growing is. Now, we can be extremely flexible in interpreting requirements.

Scouting units should scale up and down depending on resources and interest. No no youth scouts want to be leaders? 19 inactive scouts and 7 active scouts? Sounds like the structured program is not the best. Perhaps there is something wrong there. ... Fine. ... For now, the troop adult leaders should scale back to focus on providing an active fun program. Camp outs. Activities. Fellowship. etc, etc, etc. Troop should not worry about a structured program that develops youth leadership (for now). Plus IMHO, the best lessons for youth leadership happen naturally thru the troop being active. Helping each other set up tents. Naturally by cooking meals. ... As soon as scouts show interest, adults continually step back into the shadows and let the scouts naturally lead scouts. It's a dance. To the SPL: My advice is the same to you as to a seasoned adult volunteer. Don't be a victim. Don't sacrifice yourself to save a unit. You have a life. You have choices to make where you want to spend your time. If it's in scouting, that's your choice. ... It is 100% okay to step back. ... In fact, I think it's a good idea for you. ... If I was your parent and saw you have a job, I'd be very proud. Fewer youth work to earn their own way these days. ... In high school? I'd expect you to need to scale back. ... Keep your health. Keep your sanity. Celebrate life and the journey you are on.

General ... COR selects leaders and that's mostly it. KEY POINT --> COR does NOT inject into daily execution. COR does not guide or approve anything daily. Problem is that many people sign up to be COR to get power over SM/CC. The real defense is that SM/CC are volunteers. The willingness to move on is real power. Be prepared to walk away. That takes away the COR overreaching their role. ... Same with CC overstepping his role. CC runs committee that administers the troop. The CC does NOT execute the program or work with scouts. ... Don't passively support the CC by letting him do that. The Eagle Court of Honor. ... COR/CC should NOT be injecting anything into a Eagle Court of Honor. IMHO, threatening to throw a tantrum is hot air. Go ahead and do it. He'll look like a foot and destroy the troop. ... Plus !!! * There is no such thing as an official Eagle ceremony. * The ceremony does not make the Eagle. It's just recognition after-the-fact. * If COR threatens to stop the ECOH, then the COR is saying I'm firing the SM and CC. So, stopping an ECOH would be firing the unit leaders. * IMHO, the most important is that many troops view the ECOH as NOT a troop event and not a patrol event. It's a scout event. The scout and his family chooses the venue, script, attendees, related awards, etc. Fundraising ... I did not understand the fundraising statement. BUT, we generally don't keep cash in the scout closet. It should be deposited and credited to the right accounts. Transparency. CC works with treasurer to administer it. COR is not involved. ... Too many roles ... A good CC should be CC (maybe COR) and then do nothing else. Maybe fill in as necessary. Then, smooze and con (aka recruit) the next "volunteer" to help. That's how a good troop keeps running. That's a key job of the CC. Summary ... Sounds like you need to have a real non-stressful heart to heart with the CC. If you can't solve it, decide whether to talk to the head pastor or other. Otherwise, be prepared to walk away. Let him burn down his own house. You don't need to burn with it.

Wishing you the best. We get one life. It's right to move on when the magic is lost and the pain becomes real. Wishing you the best in all things you do.

It's very important, but even with the training I've seen ... people run the program they've learned from the previous unit leaders or they do what they want. Training is very important but not a failure root cause. This is a fundamental issue in my view: the broken connections between packs and troops. Directly related, "emphasizing" troop shopping is bad. If the unit is not a good match, then switch. Fine. BUT! It's bad to have individuals shopping around causing splits and breaks in continuity. A few big units thrive. Smaller and medium units hurt. Worse, long term relationships get damaged as people move for various reasons. ... In this day and age of driving around and shopping, people are used to going further and looking for the best deal. IMHO, this is bad for scouting as it moves youth away from their immediate community. My view is a single unit committee that oversees a program from youngest cubs to oldest scout / explorer is critical. New parents see where what their scout could achieve. Youth have older scouts to look up too. Plus, experienced older scouts could help run some younger programs at times. Yep. Also bad.

Troops have a big mix of families. Some families have their act together. Uniforms ironed and ready to go. Others, can barely get by each day and never know where the scout uniforms are. Others are somewhere in the middle. ... Above answers are correct. I just suggest thinking of this with a soft and compassionate heart. At the same time, a well uniformed troop is a pride point for the scouts too.

Sounds very normal and a good representation.

I've never understood scouting finances. 1000 youth at say roughly $100 per youth revenue gets $100,000. How can you pay a council president, staff and other people at that level? I know there are other fees (camping, sales, etc), but it still leaves the vast majority coming from fund raising. Wow.

Dropped it can easily become evidence of negligence and liability. It's one reason I think BSA should move away from being a "membership" organization.

Scouting is financially prohibitive. I noticed that ten years ago. At one point, my family had four active scouts and two registered adults (wife and myself). With new council fees ($200+), my family would be at $890. Add unit dues for four scouts. Add another $1500 for summer camp. Add another $30+ minimum per person per weekend camp out. Add miscellaneous costs. I would need to budget at least $4000 per year to have my kids in scouting. That is two or three really nice family vacations per year. Heck, I could afford a small camper at this cost.

Same conflicting statements existed when I went to Sea Base and when my younger son went. Show the doctor the participant guide to the doctor. Have the doctor sign the form. You are good. Call Sea Base office if really concerned. FAQ --> https://www.bsaseabase.org/scouts/resources/faq/ Sailing guide (page 5) --> https://www.bsaseabase.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2022-Sailing-Participant-Guide-.-Editable.pdf

The quote is the rule, but the application is confusing. Backcountry is about extricating a person in an emergency. Sea Base is not called out in the rule when Philmont is explicitly named. Sea Base activities are often where a rescue boat can pull right up to the scout ship or Munson island. So, does "backcountry" apply? ... Many resident scout camps could be considered far more back country than Sea Base. IMHO, use the Sea Base participant guide for clarity.

I know Philmont does that. Does Sea Base? I just looked in the Sailing participant guide. It says 295; not by height. FAQ --> https://www.bsaseabase.org/scouts/resources/faq/ Sailing guide (page 5) --> https://www.bsaseabase.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2022-Sailing-Participant-Guide-.-Editable.pdf

Lion and Tiger dens of less than eight are problematic as the den usually doesn't survive to Webelos / AOL. Lose one or two a year. By Webelos, you are at two or three scouts. The den folds. IMHO, get your daughter into a healthy den / pack. At some point, it's about your own kid's experience. The years go very, very quick. Really. It's not worth fighting a bad situation. Sometimes it's better to let a den or pack die fast; than to drag it out.

LOL. Like we haven't. Stop trying to chastise. Be part of a conversation. Like many hot topic Wikipedia pages, the page is littered with inflammatory, inaccurate statements. Quotes taken from news feeds over years without checking if the news feed was right. The first statement talking about abuse says 92,000 cases (CNN). PBS put the number at 80,000. (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/judge-upholds-boy-scouts-2-4-billion-bankruptcy-reorganization-plan#:~:text=More than 80%2C000 men have,the bankruptcy process was manipulated.) Missing is the late night infomercial marketing; the lawyers not vetting claims; etc. The number is definitely higher than expected, but the 92,000 is wrong. Even the 80,000 seems extremely improbable.

Sounds just like every Disney video from the 1950s talking about adults in town. The trusty grocery. The helpful police officer. The guiding teacher. And the ones we'd watch in elementary school with Mr. Science. Everyone taught kids to revere adults. The difference is BSA published a book with the words written down. Now, people hold it up as "evidence". IMHO, that's sad. It's just how people talked back then when marketing.

That's really not true. Teachers. Football coaches and coaches from pretty much every sport. Police. etc, etc, etc. The list goes on and on.

This is where we differ. With so many cases reported to police and a consistent effort to stop the perpetrators, I just don't believe BSA had any more responsibility than the rest of society. Police (paid professionals that handle crime) and teachers (paid professionals that work with kids) also failed to advocate for change. Heck, we still see teachers arrested weekly for abuse and that's decades of CSA and mandatory reporting. It's not about blaming victims. It's about an accurate narrative.

The evolution of child protection laws is fascinating. AND, not easy to quickly learn. It's important to remember that the 1960s mandatory reporting targeted Battered Child Syndrome. Thus, physicians were required to report. Then, the fear became the 1970s / 1980s Stranger Danger. Then, pornography. Mandatory reporting slowly extended to teachers. Then, other child care professions. It's only the 1990s or even early 2000s when CSA was the main concern and that mandatory reporting was extended to everyone involved: coaches, scout leaders, etc. ... The point is CSA was really not on mandatory reporting radar until relatively recently. Decades after many of these cases.

It's not about dishonesty. It's about applying the standards, knowledge, laws, etc from the time when events occurred. It's about holding all involved parties involved equally liable. Instead, this is a deep pocket grab using legal interpretations that did not exist often until decades later where a large amount of the cash will be going to the legal system itself.

IMHO ... it's what scout camps do and many specially offered MB programs. Heck, that's how scout camps have 17 year old scouts teaching MBs. The only big danger is it could put much more control of the scout's advancement in the unit's hands. Not a good thing as the MB concept is not part of unit advancement program. It's supposed to be scout owned.