FScouter

Gee, whatever happened to "A Scout is Trustworthy"?

What is being done to drive sales?

Har har har that's a real kneeslapper! It'd be even funnier if a group of kids beat the crawling beast with a 2x4. Here's a good one for the kids to pull on their good-natured fun loving adult leaders. Get a gun, or at least some big firecrackers. Wait until about midnight to fire them off, then come running back to the adults screaming BILLY GOT SHOT!! Then call 911. Ha ha ha. Be sure to call Billys mom too. Make sure you have a tight knit group so you can all laugh about it later.

"As long as the headgear is similar, it is uniform. If BSA will accept a baseball style with Troop design on it, they surely can't complain about a Campaign hat knock off ..." The fact that you don't get a lawyer letter from BSA does not mean custom designs or knock-offs can be part of an official BSA uniform. The only two headgears for the BSA field uniform are the campaign hat or the visored cap, one or the other selected by the troop. http://www.scouting.org/forms/34283.pdf

There is no "regulation" that pants must have the zipper pulled up either. So ... ? OakTree has the good approach.

If a Scout has already started under old rank requirements, he can finish up under the old requirements, subject to the time limit constraint. Or, he may use the new requirements. But he may not pick and choose between old and new.

If we're going to tell a boy that he is lacking in Scout spirit because he's not wearing his uniform, it would be good to explain to him how that relates to the Scout Law and Scout Oath. Scout spirit is living the Oath and Law in your everyday life. Explain to him how not wearing his uniform conflicts with that.

Maybe all they want is the Scouting magazine.

The dodo is extinct, no?

Maybe it would be nice if BSA spelled everything out in precise detail so there would be no misinterpretations and no gray areas. We could then just follow the detailed procedure and everyone would be happy. But maybe theres a bigger concept here. Consider that the mission of our organization is to prepare boys to make ethical choices over their lifetimes. How can we help boys make choices if we ourselves struggle over something as simple as a participation requirement? With a little thought, every unit leader and every committee should know whether or not they operate a quality unit. The award requirements are listed, and interpreted on the back side. Just make a thoughtful decision. Then continue with preparing boys make theirs.

I don't know anyting about "yet another uniform". We have the regular uniform and the activity uniform. Both are described in the Boy Scout Handbook. Activity shirts don't have patches. What is new?

If a pack or troop has an engaging and exciting program, 70% should be easy. Attendance is the result of a quality program. One way to measure the quality of the program is by how many boys participate.

There is no need to log in. Just skip through the white ghost screen.

"This voting bloc supports a specific agenda. The agenda is adopted by sheer weight of numbers." There is only one agenda, which is the BSA program. What kind of agenda are you concerned about?

What CalicoPenn said. Additionally, though any boy can take the den chief training, but that does NOT make him a den chief. (Why would a boy want to take den chief training if he isnt a den chief?) A den chief is appointed by the troop, and accepted and assigned to a den by the pack. Like LisaBob said, the troop and pack need to be in agreement for this to be successful. A pack or den cannot DEMAND a den chief, nor can a troop force one on a den. There needs to be a mutual understanding. None of this den chief business has anything at all to do with a day camp.

The purpose of a den chief is to work with a den of Cub Scouts and assist the den leader with den meetings. The position doesnt exist to provide help for a pack event or with Cub Scout day camp. Any Scout can help with an event without being a den chief. Den Chief is a Boy Scout troop position, not a Cub Scout pack position. A Cubmaster looking for a den chief to serve a den should approach the Scoutmaster of a troop to discuss the need and how the troop might help fill the need. Assuming the Scoutmaster and Cubmaster have a meeting of minds, a den chief is then selected by the troop senior patrol leader, with the guidance of the Scoutmaster. Leadership training is conducted by the troop, as with any other Boy Scout position of responsibility. The new den chief should also attend the district or council level den chief training. A boy cannot decide upon himself to be a den chief any more than he can decide to be a scribe or quartermaster or patrol leader. Adult Cub Scouters cannot make the decision either. All positions of responsibility are either elected or appointed by the troop SPL.

"The question seems to be, can most troops opperate under the patrol system under the current rules." What rules inhibit the use of the patrol method, either the current or old version? You might be interested in the kudu.net website. It has a lot of ideas from days past.

Well it looks like BSA was only partially successful in clarifying the requirements. Pitch a tent or help pitch? For Tenderfoot its help pitch. Second Class its pitch. For the Camping MB its pitch. Is help pitch OK? Luckily for me I'm not a MB counselor so I don't have to answer! As to the definition of "tent", I'd say if the boy, by himself, pitched the rain fly, pitched the 1-car canvas garage, or built the survival shelter, Id say he met the objective. I rather doubt a boy would build an Adirondack shelter, so that shouldnt be an issue.

Anybody have a copy of the NYLT staff guide and syllabus? What does it say about what youth leaders the training is intended for?

The question of whether a rain fly, survival shelter, 1-car canvas garage, or Adirondack shelter is a tent within the meaning of the MB requirement is easily answered. The requirement is or in a tent you have pitched. Did the boy set it up himself? As long as he set it up himself (no help), Id count it.

Chapter 7 "Training Youth Leaders" in the Scoutmaster Handbook: "Each youth leader should have experienced all three modules [of TLT] before going on the the council-sponsored National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) course." "Most [NYLT]conferences require that participants be First Class Scouts who are at least 13 years of age. Each youth should be his troop's senior patrol leader or assistant senior patrol leader, or should expect to hold one of these positions soon."

Any embroidered knot may be worn on any Scouting shirt. If you're concerned about "uniform police", pay the $2 for the Insignia Guide. One can avoid the program police, the outdoor activity police, the advancement police, the fundraising police and the youth protection police by paying the $2 for the respective books and reading them.

Assign each a job. It should be understood that assistant Scoutmasters are also expected to wear a complete uniform. They should also have a full complement of basic training including New Leader Essentials, SM/ASM Specific training, Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills, Youth Protection Guidelines. Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat, and CPR would be great too. Id avoid assigning duties to an ASM that should be handled by a committee member. Committee positions are important too, and it would be great to have a full committee before a surplus of assistant SMs with little to do.

I can be really nave at times. Could someone point out exactly what the thinking is when eyebrows are raised concerning an unmarried Scouter? What is it we should be vigilant against? If solo Scouters should be watched, what are we watching for?

In general Id say most Scouters get involved in Scouting because they have a son in the program. Most people with a son also have a spouse, which means theyre not single. I dont seen any particular problem with a single Scouter. Maybe thats because I am one. My wife quit the family several years ago, and my son worked his way through the program, earned his Eagle rank, aged out, and is now in college. Still, I remain active with the troop and the district. Marital status has zip to do with the love of Scouting. Youth protection rules have absolutely nothing to do with ones marital status. It might even be argued that most YP violators are married? I cant imagine any Scouting event where an unmarried individual would feel unwelcome or out of place. If you want to sign up as a MB counselor, get the application from the district and sign up. Why wait to be invited? By the way, there is no requirement for two adults at a troop meeting.