FScouter

Good lists Eric5675. We adult leaders would be well-advised to pay attention. This isn't rocket science.

"The young man needs professional counseling" No not really. Consider the opening post: "There are some challenges at home in that his mom recently remarried and had a baby." The kid's mom and dad screwed up big time. They destroyed his family with divorce. Then mom finds a new guy and starts a new family, selfishly looking after her own personal love interest at the expense of her son. Where does that leave Junior? He feels like he's been ditched, and he has been. Then she compounds things by punishing him. It doesn't look good for this kid. Frank

Is he angry at his parents because they didn't give him a free pass for breaking his word? 10 minutes late should be OK, no prob? 15? 30? How about being safe and coming home 10 minutes early? Or is he angry at himself for screwing up and losing the trust of his parents?

Yes, there is an agenda, the troop meeting plan. The Scoutmaster meets with the Patrol Leaders' Council for the purpose of planning the meeting. Productive troop meetings don't just "happen". http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34425.pdf

Please! Who's going to tell a boy his book is not "official"?? It's his book, his accomplishements, his Scouting experience. He totes his book to his leader to get it signed. THAT is official. The clipboard carried around by a misguided adult, with data compliled by other misguided adults is a figment. You wonder why a boy doesn't use his book? It's because misguided adults demonstrate at every turn the book is not needed, for anything. Frank

What I'm hearing here is that even though some words may be crude and offensive to some, it's OK to use those words anyway, and dismiss those offended as being "out of touch". Then what is the meaning of "A Scout is Courteous"? I thought it had something to do with being aware of the feelings of others, but I could be wrong.

"However, when one of the boys is walking around the function with headphones in, and another leader walks up to him and tells him to put away the electronics, how should he respond?" If it was my son who was told to put it away, his response would be "Why?", and he'd expect a rational explanation. "It's the rule" would not earn much respect.

Put into the bylaws a law that says the program activities must be more engaging and exciting than text messaging.

Surely the boy can figure out that there are other sources for paint.

No fundraising event is approved until you submit an application. http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34427.pdf

Six merit badges on right shirt sleeve: http://www.scouting.org/media/insigniaguide/06D.aspx

Gern, it does make one wonder how there could be any pleasure derived from mocking the beliefs and values of another, even if those beliefs and methods are "kooky". Folks reveal their character in different ways; you've revealed a bit of yours as well.

If you're referring to the BSA Historic Trails program, the info including requirements and award application can be found on the national website: http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/advancementandawards/meritbadges/trail.aspx The award is an embroidered patch or leather patch. There is no medal.

Sounds good. What is a craft fair?

I'd say it's teaching kids to make ethical choices by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

Legality may or may not follow from appropriateness. It's irrelevant.

Multiple identical posts result from pushing the "Submit Your Message" button more than once. The system is sometimes slow to respond and may take up to a full minute to post a message. You can edit out all the content of a multiple post, but you cannot delete the empty post entry. A moderator can delete the duplicates; I delete many duplicates every week. It's not clear what may have happened to the origninal post (with content). If you edited out the content from the original and all dups, that may explain it. Or if you attempted to add different content to a duplicate, it may have been deleted by a moderator while you were editing. There is no way to retrieve a message that has been deleted. Sorry for the difficulties. Frank

The more things that get added to a Blue&Gold, the longer the event will be. I'd suggest leaving out ALL advancement and award related things. Do those at the weekly den meetings and monthly pack meeting.

One can read all kinds of stuff on personal websites, troop websites, and all over the internet. Lots of it is outdated info, urban myth, this-is-what-we-do, and personal opinion loosely stated as "official". Unless it comes direct from BSA, everything else should be taken with a teaspoon of salt, this forum included.

"Actually, I'm really grateful for all of the wonderful volunteers out there.." Does that include "da precision Scouters"? Let's not look down at our fellow volunteers.

"Can anyone show me with a link or page number in the Uniform Guide that specifically says NO CAMO." It's on the same page that says the wearing of pink pedal pushers is forbidden. That is not to say that camo or PPP is "allowed". What is allowed is the uniform as described in various publications, which also say that UNITS may not re-define the uniform. Sure, uniform pants are expensive and its understood that some parents will seek "permission" to substitute something else. The response from the unit could be to advise that a uniform is not required, or explain the various methods to obtain all the uniform components. What is not appropriate is to grant "permission" to wear camo, or PPP, or whatever substitute. If a boy and his family decides to wear camo, or walmart pants, or whatever, that should be an individual choice, not one supported by the unit.

From the front page of the adult leader application: "Youth Protection Training. All volunteers are expected to complete Youth Protection training... As a volunteer, you are expected to complete the training within 90 days of assuming a leadership position."

The biggest problem with LNT is the name. The Leave No Trace program does not mean leave no trace at all. It means minimize your impact. The LNT principle Minimize Fire Impact specifically says to use existing fire rings, use dead & down wood, and keep the fire small. This should be easy. The LNT principle Dispose of Waste Properly advises that a cat hole is a good method to use; just dont dig one next to the creek. While it may be impossible to truly leave no trace, it is a rather simple matter to follow the seven principles of the LNT program. Heres a link to the BSA LNT principles: http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/resources/~/media/legacy/assets/boyscouts/resources/21-105/21-105.pdf.ashx

"Our 2009 activities and expected costs (not including summer camp) came to about 2K! Seems like a lot, but for a Troop of 40 Scouts, this comes out to $50/Scout ..." $2,000 expense budget divided by 40 boys equal $50 per boy. Sounds like a good way to do it, the income side is determined by the expense side. The expenses are determined by the program plan. There have been a lot of dues/fees number quoted. Specifically, how do you all determine the dollar amount needed?

Article I. Did you mean "not authorized"?