FScouter

What is a "trainer" card?

Boys are going to be exposed to others that smoke. Shielding young eyes from viewing an adult smoking a cigarette doesnt protect them from the dangers of tobacco. The G2SS makes the position clear. There are adult Scouters that smoke and there is nothing more BSA can do to stop adults from making that choice in their lives. We're here to TEACH BOYS to make ethical choices. We teach them about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. What we teach boys about making CHOICES will help them make their own choice about smoking. Our mission is fulfilled when they grow to make good choices. Laying down the law doesn't teach anything. Kraut-60 could have said something like (ignoring the adult) "Gee son, is smoking really one of the lifelong choices you want to make?

"I'm with NJCub on this one and have consistently maintained in these forums that BSA needs to spell out a prohibition if that is their intent. While it seems crystal clear to some that MAY means PROHIBITED; to others, MAY means MIGHT. The easiest way to solve the problem is for BSA to spell it out in much more clear language than they currently choose to do." I believe BSA intentionally words things in this manner. How can we adult leaders teach boys to make ethical decisions over their lifetimes, if we cannot decide for ourselves what is ethical and what is not? Are we really so confused that we need BSA to spell it out in precise language? Smoking has no good with it at all. We all know that, including those that smoke. When young boys see smoking taking place and look to us for guidance, what are we going to tell them? Do we really need to look up the answer in the Guide to Safe Scouting?

It's important that trainers follow the syllabus. If a participant sees that strategies for selecting and recruiting other adults was not covered in the leader specific training, it's because that topic was already covered in the New Leader Essentials training, assuming that the trainer for that course followed the syllabus.

"Can you help me to better understand where the confusion comes from? " Gee, that's a tough one. I like the uniform and use the uniform method. No confusion here.

Scoutmaster to young Scout trying out new words: That kind of talk is offensive to a lot of people. Are you trying to portray a low-life image or yourself? Using those kinds of words shows others how limited your vocabulary is and how self-centered and offensive you can be. How about using other words to express your thoughts that are not offensive to others, get your message across, and dont diminish your good character?

"I would expect at lease a 25% decline in price. If that does not happen, then National Supply is basically doing a 'fund raiser'." Then every single item in the Scout Shop and in the catalog could be considered a "fund raiser". Nothing is sold at vendor cost. Maybe a $100 per year registration fee would be a better way to fund our organization.

If you're going to include "Ding-a-ling" and "Shaving Cream", and since we're obviously not talking about any camp involving Boy Scouts, may as well add "My Big 10-inch Record of the Rhythm & Blues". For Boy Scouts, there is the most bestest campfire song of all time bar none, "The Boy Scout Sunday School". All together now, join OGE and me "Young folks, old folks, everybody come ..."

The rule seems clear enough. Picking apart the G2SS looking for a justifiable loophole makes as much sense as the assertion in the other thread that smoking at Scouting activities is OK because the book doesn't specifically say "smoking is forbidden". What is the sense of having rules if we only follow the ones we agree with? Most importantly, what are we teaching boys about responsible citizenship? When the adult role models pooh-pooh the rules of the Scouting, or any other organization, or government, that hardly helps teach boys to make ethical choices themselves. It is unethical to pick and choose which rules we follow, and unethical to teach boys the same.

Sounds like another one of those "gray areas" in the G2SS. (Wringing my hands), what should we do??

Challenge the remaining 5 to get a couple or 3 of their buddies to join.

There is no such thing as our national anthem "in Spanish". By definition, it was written and is sung in English. Anything else is simply disrespectful. What's next, the US flag in green, white, and red? Makes as much sense.

If the BSA wanted to ban smoking it would read Maybe BSA does not formally BAN smoking because it expects us adult leaders to live by the Scout Oath and Law, which includes keep myself physically fit . How can we teach boys to avoid intoxicants such as tobacco if we are not man enough ourselves to keep clean our own bodies clean? We dont teach boys how to make ethical choices in their lives by laying down the law in BIG BOLD letters. So why expect BIG BOLD LETTERS about smoking in the Guide to Safe Scouting?

Den/ patrol...what the heck difference does it make, really? It makes a tremendous amount of difference. The difference is that our national BSA organization of volunteers has worked many, many months developing a Webelos transition program. Dozens of volunteer Scout leaders from all over the country have participated in workshops, discussions, and meetings to come up with the perfect program. It has been tested on a trial basis in various parts of the country, then revised based on feedback from the field. Finally it gets published and distributed on a national basis. A transition program that works and is proven and endorsed by councils and Scouters from all over the country. This is a proven program that works. Sure, Joe former den leader may have his own personal opinions. But who are you gonna go with ???

"...does anyone know if there is anything officially in writing that I can pass on to those who are in error?" You could ask the same thing from those that incorrectly call a Webelo den a "patrol" or a denner a "patrol leader".

When the existing stock of books is depleted and more need to be printed, it would seem to make sense to include whatever revisions there happen to be at the time. They're easy to do. It's not like the old days when someone had to set type by hand and recompose every page. Why do we think a risk managment company was hired to review these revisions?

The Guide to Safe Scouting has a section that discusses lightning. Tell her you follow those rules and that the Scoutmaster and other adult troop leaders are fully trained for their registered positions.

"Normally", (ideally?, properly?), according to the book, the patrol leader is elected by the members of the patrol. The PL then appoints an assistant PL, and possibly other patrol positions such as patrol quartermaster, grubmaster, cheermaster, etc. The troop senior patrol leader is elected by all the members of troop. The SPL appoints an assistant SPL, and various other troop level postions such as scribe, historian, quartermaster, librarian, etc. Not all patrols and troops will utilize all these postions. The Scoutmaster Handbook has a good discussion on troop and patrol leadership postions.

"When my son in went into scouts from webelos, his group was divided up and split among the older scouts." Obviously the troop does not utilize the "New Scout patrol" concept recommended in the Scoutmaster Handbook. As you discovered, the mix 'em up approach can have drawbacks. What is a "green bar" meeting? If you're referring to the meeting of the patrol leaders' council, that meeting is for patrol leaders, senior patrol leader, scribe, and Scoutmaster. Patrol meetings include all members of the patrol.

Gas is a small part of operating a car. At $3 per gallon and 20 MPG the cost of gas is 15 cents per mile. For tax purposes IRS has set the cost per mile to operate a generic car at 44 1/2 cents per mile.

The expense budget for an activity is driven by the activity. If gas will cost $50 or $100 or $300, that becomes the expense. The income side of the budget is then set to cover the expenses. Rather than nixing a PLC activity as too expensive, help them develop a balanced budget that will allow the activity to take place as envisioned. Let them see for themselves how much income they will have to earn to pay for the gas needed for a long trip. Let them decide on their own that a closer destination will cost less.

You can ask the chartered organization to do the things listed on the charter agreement signed by the head of the CO and BSA when the pack was formed. Among the most important are: - Appoint a chartered organization representative who is a member of the organization. - Select a unit committee. - Provide meeting facilities. - Include Scouting as part of their overall program for youth. Don't ask for money. They are not your "sponsor".

We are here to help young people learn to make ethical choices over their lifetimes. They watch what we do and listen to what we say. Whether we intend to or not, they learn ethics by what we say and do. As members of BSA, we have agreed to conduct the program within the rules and guidelines that have been set forth. Right or wrong, BSA has determined that paintball and several other activities are not authorized within the BSA program. It would be an unethical choice to conduct these activities under the Scouting program. It is an unethical choice to plot ways to circumvent the rules and conduct the unauthorized activity anyway. Yes, there will be times when rules, ethics, and personal beliefs conflict. But our personal desires and beliefs cannot trump the rules we have agreed to abide by. What one does in ones personal life is personal. But when we are working with other peoples children under the umbrella of Scouting, we need to abide by the rules of Scouting.

Please don't interpret this as a negative attack on your person. But a leader with character does not quit when someone of lesser character has an objection. The "winner" of the conflict then becomes whom?

I'm starting to think that the boys who are or have been Boy Scouts have got used to not keeping commitments they have made because they "Got away" with it in the Troops they were in. Yes. And perhaps the only way to correct those learned misbehaviors is to insist on new behaviors. Part of the adult guidance model. Now is when they need you to show them how proper communication is done, and to insist that it is completed.