Get Outdoors

We have a guy from our district that does an outstanding job doing the cooking MB at district and summer camps and I know for a fact that none of those scouts really did all the requirements the way they were written/intended. To repeat; this guy is top notch with working with scouts and knows how to teach cooking and I'm pretty sure the kids learned more than what's in the book. Most times Cooking MB can't be done well in a large group setting and shouldn't be a summer camp MB. However I think this is a great MB to do on a troop/partol campouts. We've done it a few times during the winter. We do the planning at a troop/partol meeting, a road trip to the grocery store Fri night. A smaller group pretty much sitting around a campfire all day talking food and non-stop eating food the kids cook. The kids start to get a little competitive with the quality of food they are producing.

We have one central wash station prepared by the fireman. It's a three compartment "sink" set up just like you would find in any commercial kitchen. We use our state health department guidelines. Two metal buckets on a two burner stove, One hot water (100-120 degrees) with soap, one hot for rinse and third bucket with room temp water with Sterimine tablets. (One per one gal of water) Bleach is ok but it's too easy to use too much. Bleach as a sanitizer should not exceed 200 part per million (about 1/2oz per gal or water) or it becomes a poison.

I'll take just about any kid on just about any outing regardless of age, sex, race...... Like someone said above, it's important to keep these non scouts out of the patrol method but we should always encourage the outdoor program every chance we get. FWI: I have two non scouts that joins us a few times a year. (Dad is a key ASM) They make a lot of experienced scouts look like amateurs. They happen to be 13 and 16.....and female. However, you don't want to turn troop trips into family trips/vacations so it can be a very fine line.

It's great to know that our council isn't the only one out there that's incompetent. Our council requires we turn in paper advancement forms for scouts and adults. We had a record keeping issue with an eagle scout candidate and had to go back (hoop jump) to find the paper. No kidding, council had stacks of these forms, feet high that went back to well over a year that the "didn't get around to entering into the system" Staff at our council have been there as long as I've been around in scouting, at least 12 years and I think someone needs to do some house cleaning. It's so obvious to me when someone really doesn't like what they do for a living. When I retired as SM last year, my number one piece of advise to my replacement was to avoid dealing with all things council (at all costs) let the committee deal with that nonsense. The second is distance yourself from the district "red coats". Staying in contact with many district folks is a good thing but avoid the policy police, the scouters that think they know more than the next guy. (but haven't read the GTA) Avoiding as many bureucrats and egomaniacs as possible allows you to focus your energies working with kids will a whole lot less frustration.

It's dishearting seening all the "I have this rule" and "I limit this kid from doing" and "I have this policy"..... Aren't we here to challenge and support kids? Aren't we here to allow kids to be individuals that are able think and do on their own? Maybe some don't really get why the merit badge program even exists. MB quality at the majority of BS camps have always been and always will be a crap shoot. Summer camps are more for councils to generating revenue than they are about employing quality/experienced staff capable of educating kids. My advise for every troop is every few years, take a year off from camp and do your own week long program or go to a camp that isn't affiliated with the BSA. It's quite eye opening.

No, BSA insurance is last to pay. An individuals health insurance, including the youth's pays first. BSA's insurance is more about liability. Lots of smoke an mirrors. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/Alerts/Insurance.aspx

I learned a few years ago to do my best to avoid the garbage that comes from our local council all the way up to National. I feel if we bring that stuff to the troop level, we are doing a dis-service to those we serve. I know we aren't liked very much by those that get paid to do this but no one can argue our success. We don't have kids quitting and a very high percentage EARN their Eagle rank. We are an out of the box troop but are pretty tight when it comes to the aims of scouting. Regarding the whole "I don't want to tent with....." Almost all our boys solo tent so it's never an issue except at summer camp and then some boys bring their own tents and/or hammocks. Each unit needs to do what works for them and their boys and that is always changing depending on the type of boys you have.

SR540 I don't think many folks would argue that this is all driven by the dollar. The folks with the deepest pockets have to most to say in this. "Changes nothing for me. I will continue to welcome all scouters and scouts irregardless of the color, religious beliefs or sexual preference." Funny Basement, i think you speak for most of us.

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"If I am following all of this correctly, at least we have a survey of the council positions, something I have never seen before." How come I'm not getting the warm fuzzies with councils being involved? Ours wrote the book on can kicking and finger pointing. It will be another excuse for a non decision come May, blame it on someone else. It's not the yes or no, (our unit doesn't care what is decided, we will do what we've been doing) what bugs me the most is the clowns in TX letting this fester. Lets shoot this dead horse so the media can pick on us for something else, such as teaching kids to use fire arms (what the media calls weapons) or how to burn stuff. Hey Wayne; how about you grow a pair, step up and be a leader.

Is anyone surprised by them not making a decision...business as usual. Why do we, the heart and soul of the BSA put up with this kind of stuff. Can we fire these bums?

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Eagle732,,,what do you mean "bone up on the requirements, you will be asked questions"? So if a second class scout can't tie a square knot when asked to during his BOR; then what?