FScouter

Are you trying to kill the game?

rpushies - Excellent thoughts.

"But there are a few that have raised the question for there is a difference between a participating as a Boy Scout and participating as a Adult Scouter ..." There is nothing in the Insignia Guide that says you cannot wear that patch. There is nothing that makes any distinction between a adult and youth participant. If somebody is chiding you about this, ask them to show you the written reference supporting their position. There is none and that should end the discussion.

I saw the Lear Jet ad in Forbes magazine. What struck me was that the guy ranked his kid's little league game on the same level as a merger, 3 closings, and four states. He could just as easily spent another day on the road and skipped the game, but no, he decides to Lear Jet all the way home to be with his kid.

So erecting a flag pole is not a worthy project? Dont knock it if you havent tried it. Hmm. So the boy wants to erect a flag pole? Piece of cake? Where do I get a flag pole? (do some research, make some phone calls, ask some people, knock on doors where flag poles already exist) Do I build it, or buy it ready-made? What shall I use to build it? Steel pipe? Aluminum tubing? What gauge? What alloy? How big a flag must the pole support? (talk to an engineer) How do I pay for it? (organize fundraising) Its being delivered by truck. Whos going to be there to unload it and sign the bill of lading? Its been delivered and is lying on the ground. Now what? Dig a hole. How deep? How wide? Who has a shovel? Does the pole need to be set in concrete? Where do I get concrete? Mix it by hand? How much cement, sand, gravel? Where do I get those materials? The pole is lying on the ground. How do I lift it up and put it in the hole? Its 40 feet long and weighs a ton. Maybe we could use our pioneering and engineering skills to build some rigging. We get it in the hole. Is it vertical? How to tell? How to keep it vertical while the concrete is poured? Oops. Forgot to rig the halyard. How do I get it through the pulley now? Erecting a flag pole could be a major project. It could be a minor chore if all the boy does is call the flag pole company and arrange to have a pole installed. The worthiness of an eagle project is in the plan of action, and in the leadership required to implement the plan.

Our district invites Webelos dens. Boy Scouts have one side of the camping area, Webelos the other side. Boy Scouts have their events, Webelos have their events. It's like having a Boy Scout Camporee and a Web-o-ree on the same weekend at the same location. I've never been able to figure out the logic of holding separate events "together". Well, actually the logic is simple. There are no adults to step up and do a stand-alone Web-o-ree, so they skip it and invite Webelos to tag along to the Boy Scout Camporee. In my opinion, the two groups get in each other's way.

BSA grants permission for community organizations to use the BSA programs. The agreement is a charter. BSA is not going to give permission for a community organization to take its name and incorporate. That's not to say somebody in Kentucky didn't do that. You could set up a corporation and call yourself "Walmart" and the state wouldn't blink an eye. The real Walmart might have a problem with it though.

We have a boy that wants to build a flag pole for a school. Kids in the community will salute the flag every day. There will be a brass plaque on the flag pole that will give credit to a Boy Scout. In perpetuity the world will know that a Boy Scout did a good thing here. This is good. Dont get hung up on the word business. Everything is a business. Define a business. A public school is has revenue, employees, payroll, expenses, fixed assets, land, buildings, a board of directors, and provides a service to the community. Id call that a business. A church has revenues, employees, payroll, expenses, fixed assets, land, buildings, a board of directors, and provides a service to the community. Id call that a business too. Determine whether the project primarily benefits the community at large, or primarily benefits only an individual.

Unc. - (correct) You get to pose the next question.

What do the two stars on the Scout badge represent?

The requirements are found in the back of the Boy Scout Requirements book. 1. Carry on a five-minute converstion in the language. 2. Translate a two-minute speech or address. 3. Write a letter in the language. 4. Translate 200 words from the written word. Sign language is considered a language; requirement 3 does not apply.

Boy, two big screw-ups in the same day. I'd better take a hike or something. NJ, your memory is good. From the Scoutmaster Handbook, "A Scout at least 16 years of age who has shown outstanding leadership skills may be appointed by the senior patrol leader, with the advice and consent of the Scoutmaster, to serve as a junior assistant Scoutmaster." Meamemg, I guess I got confused with the earlier post that referred to limited responsibilities until age 21. The JASM is finished on his 18th birthday (also in the book). As you said, a JASM is not an adult and cannot satisfy 2-deep leadership requirements.

On page one of this thread, Dan quoted the rule on 2-deep leadership for trips and outings from the Guide to Safe Scouting.

2. Is boiling an acceptable method for purifying water?

Page 141.

Teaching and guiding does not a wicked parent make. Butting in and taking over does. If the objective of the parent intervention is to expedite the planning process, that seems to be more like taking over than in teaching and guiding.

In practical terms it seems unlikely that a troop would have a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster younger than age 16. But there is no minimum age requirement. The only limitation I can think of for a JASM would be that involving 2-deep leadership for trips and outings. One of the 2 must be over 21. What other restrictions did your council impose?

Boys dont know a whole lot about planning a calendar of events for an entire year. If you let them stumble through it, the result will be a whole lot less than perfect. Adults have much more experience and can do a much better job, and get it done in a lot less time. Plus the boys will be just as happy with the end result, maybe more so. So, if our objective is to plan the perfect calendar of events in the least amount of time, the adults need to jump in and take over. If on the other hand our objective is to train young men to become adults, and to get their feet wet in working together as a team on a difficult project, then we MUST hang back and let them do it. Sometimes we forget what Scouting is about.

You hit a real hot button with me. Our council does not financially support training at all. All materials including syllabi, posters, videos, handouts, flip charts, supplies, TV, VCR, projector, food, certificates, patches, publicity flyers etc., etc. must be paid for from the revenue generated from the training program. The council does not provide these materials. The training chairman is responsible to identify what training materials BSA produces, and to order them. Most items can be purchased from national supply, but you need to know the item numbers first. Get these from the resource list found in the syllabi. Some items (bin items) are free, but can only be ordered by the council. It is almost impossible to get our council to order bin items for training. A detailed budget must be submitted prior to the training event. Revenues must exceed expenses by at least 15% or the budget will be rejected. It is possible to get an advance from the council to pay for the budgeted expenses, but the process is a bureaucratic nightmare involving purchase requisitions, approved vendors, and multiple signature approvals. Its far easier for the volunteer to pay for everything up front, and request reimbursement later. It is not proper to pay for expenses out of the training fees collected at the training. Training fees should be paid with advance registration directly to the council. Paying at the door is discouraged, apparently because the training staff would be involved in handling money. I like to set up a book table at training events where we sell items like program helps, handbooks, song books, advancement charts, etc. that are used by unit leaders. Neither the council nor the Scout Shop will support this. I must buy everything at full retail price plus tax up front, and hope it all sells. The shop wont accept returns. When the training event is over, the original budget form must be submitted, with the actual revenues and expenses. There must be at least a 15% surplus for the event, or expenses will not be reimbursed. The official word from the council is that volunteers are not expected to pay for training expenses out of their own pockets. But they have established multiple hoops to jump through to get reimbursed, and the reimbursement process may take months. Many volunteers have decided it is too cumbersome to deal with and pay for everything themselves. The council has an LCD projector and VCR available for loan. We are not permitted to use the council copy machine. Good luck.

I think the judgement of the Scoutmaster would be more important than any job description BSA might write up for a new adult leader position. TheScoutmaster gauges his faith and reliance on the his assistants based on their individual abilities and experience. An assistant Scoutmaster with 10 years experience as an adult Scouter may be given more responsibilities than the 18 year old kid fresh out of the troop.

hotdesk - What is your position in the troop? How are things working out with the boy that hasn't had a board of review?

"... and come together for some type of activity or game." Sounds like a pack meeting.

How many points are needed to pass the inpection required to earn the quality unit? How many boys in the troop are required to pass?

Good, 'ol water. Just can't beat it. A good slug of water is all I need on that dusty trail. Sure beats that sticky syrup stuff. And I don't have to run my bottle up in the smellables bag every night.

I want the PLC to make the decisions about what to eat and drink on campouts. Nutrition and cost are major factors. So-called energy drinks fail the cost test. "Every man for himself" works against the concept of a patrol working together, and I discourage personal food and drink on campouts.