gwd-scouter

Eamonn, such sadness for your small town. It reminds me that while we're thinking and hoping that we've made a mark on a young boy's life, all those boys that have crossed our paths have made a mark on us. Thoughts and prayers...

Once again, Barry put into much better words what I was going to say. I was CM for 6 years before moving up to Boy Scouts. At the beginning of my tenure, very small pack. By the time I was ready to give up the CM post six years later, we averaged 120 boys in our Pack, each den doing skits or songs at pack meetings appropriate to their age level, Webelos dens were going camping a couple of times a year with the 2nd year Webelos helping out with the campfire program on pack campouts. Even had a few budding thespians serve as master of ceremonies at pack campouts. Helping the boys through the years of Cubs to gain confidence in themselves and their ability to be comfortable with different groups of people will go a long way to helping them with the transition to the "foreign" world of Boy Scouting. It is also very important to have the Webelos Dens meet with different Boy Scout Troops, go to meetings and participate in a campout or two before they crossover, so that they can at least have some idea of who the players are and a feeling for what kind of Troop they would like to join. Of course, SWScouter hit it right, too, in that you have to keep the little guys interested through the Cub years so that they are eager to continue in Scouting when the time comes to join a troop.

Kahits. Saving a troop is hard! It takes an enormous about of time, energy and commitment. At times it will seem like you will never stop going uphill. At times others will question your sanity. At times you will question your sanity. At times you will think you are the only person on the planet that cares whether your troop survives. I can only relate my personal experience and hope it helps. Our troop certainly does not have a long history, only being about nine years old. By the end of 2003, the majority of Scouts left in the troop were the few remaining original Scouts that started it, along with their Dads. Younger son and one other 11-year-old joined the troop in the beginning of 2004. They were the only new Scouts for that whole year. At the end of 2004, the Dads that originally started the troop quit, leaving my husband, Dad of the new Scout, and myself with the Troop. After the shocking news that I would take over as SM, 3 of the original Scouts (death-bed Eagles) transferred to another Troop. Now, I was the newly minted SM and I only 10 Scouts in the Troop: 2 new scouts, a few 14-15 year olds (first class) and five 16-17 year-old Lifers. None of these guys had experience actually leading their troop. None of these guys had really been "active" for years. Troop campouts had dropped to only about five a year plus summer camp. So, it was a LONG HARD UPHILL ROAD ahead. I was certainly given advice to help the remaining Scouts find other troops and let ours fold. The Chartered Organization has never been very interested in us, offering no support or leadership. Throughout the year 2005 I asked myself many many times what the heck I was working so hard for! For the year 2005, my focus was mainly to keep the troop alive by planning outings every month and talking to the scouts individually about their progress, or lack thereof, and about helping them set goals. We had boys in PORs, but these were completely spoon-fed leadership positions. In August 2005 the Scouts held their very first planning weekend. They planned out their calendar for a full year. No matter what they had planned - we did it. They were very surprised that we went to an amusement park for a day. In the past, the adults did all the planning - where, when, what, etc. The end of 2005 also saw more responsibility being laid at the feet of the Scouts with PORs. We were slowly raising the bar of expectations. This past year has been amazing. Last September the boys had their 2nd planning weekend. Even bigger plans for this coming year. And, yes, we will do them all. PLCs are meeting regularly and planning weekly agendas to correspond with the month's upcoming campout. So, here we are after a two-year struggle. Our numbers have remained steady at 12. Older Scouts aged out, replaced fairly evenly with new Scouts. We have two packs that are asking for Den Chiefs and for Webelos to meet with our Troop, go on a joint campout, and hopefully cross over in the Spring. I can't point out an exact moment when changes began to happen or what specifically influenced our troop's revival. I will say that we have gone camping every month even if only three guys were going, and as I mentioned earlier here - we are doing what the scouts want. I'll admit, my husband and I were getting a bit weary of this since we were the only leaders. We now have a newly-trained enthusiastic ASM to share the load, plus another Dad eager to sign up. Requiring the older Scouts looking for advancement to actually DO SOMETHING with their PORs was slow going at first, but they are now stepping up to the responsibilities. I've watched these formerly lackadaisical Scouts enjoy the benefits of being in charge and they rather like the fact that our new younger Scouts look up to them. The have become the role models of our troop - even wearing the uniform properly when called for. In the end, we must be doing something right. Just signed up two new guys a couple of weeks ago. One of the Scouts that joined last Spring has invited a friend for next week's meeting. My son has convinced another Scout that dropped last year to come back. So, growth is slow, but it is happening. And, as I mentioned, we have two Packs looking at us for Webelos cross-over. Good luck to you kahits. Let us know how things turn out.

Tonight is the last meeting before the guys set off this weekend for their backpacking trip. Since my first post on this thread, the boys have stuck to the plans they made at last month's PLC for the weekly meetings leading up to this trip. Tonight is backpack inspection. While I figure some guys will forget to bring their packed backpacks, I have a strong feeling that many will remember. Each week's meeting has been informative and fun. All planned and run by the boys. Amazing! What is even more amazing? Last week I wasn't even there. A chance to go to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert came up at the last minute and after much thoughtful consideration I decided to take the family. Oh, yes, I worried. What is going to happen if I'm not there for the Scout meeting? Guess what? Everything that was supposed to happen did. Report from our new ASM that the guys did a great job, stuck to their agenda, and a productive meeting was held. My older son came home from college for the long weekend and joined us at the concert last Monday night. Driving home he commented "isn't this a Scout night?" When I replied that yes indeed it was, he said "Wow, Mom. Isn't this what you've been working toward for two years? A chance to actually miss a meeting and know that everything will be OK?" Yep, I sure am proud of my scouts! (This message has been edited by gwd-scouter)

Our guys are still using the phrase "colder than a well digger's butt" stated by a Dad regarding the temperature Sunday morning on our last campout. Gotta say, I have never heard that one before.

A bit more clarification: Blue cards are not turned in with advancement reports. I remember when older son was still in the troop. He did have blue cards and as advancement chair, I did sign off on others. But, the scout kept one segment, the "counselor" kept a segment and the third was kept in the scout's file. No one, district or council, ever asked to see signed blue cards. This may be why our troop in particilar got away from them. I wasn't clear in my first post about the blue cards. I can't speak for other troops in our district in that blue cards aren't used. They may be using them. I only know that none of the scouts in our troop has ever been asked to produce one as evidence of completing a merit badge for the district or council. Thank you for the suggestions, Lisabob. I will certainly work harder at fixing this problem in our troop. Another question for the forum members: in the short term while I try to get folks in the community to help, can the members of our committee and our ASMs sign up as MBCs so we at least can get started doing the paperwork right?

For the past two years I've been working hard at turning our little troop around from adult-led to boy-led. We have finally reached that fabulous place! PLC meeting each month and planning meetings and outings. Have secured a new enthusiastic ASM, so we now have two which helps alleviate some of the burden on my husband and myself. Now, the biggest challenge I've faced, and one that has really been on the back burner. Merit badge counselors. In all the years I've been involved with this troop (about 6 - I was Advancement Chair and Committee Secretary before becoming SM), the SM or ASMs signed off on merit badges. Most were for partials earned at camp or merit badges that were taught at troop meetings. I did question this practice, but was soundly admonished and was not so politely encouraged to defer to the other "more experienced" adult leaders (read that to say MALE leaders). Ah, the only female in the troop so I went along with their decisions. ---Sorry, a small rant there. Anyway, we still have that system. In the past two years, other than a couple of guys who have done music, reading, or scholarship merit badge and have had a teacher sign off on it (no, they weren't actually registered merit badge counselors), all other merit badge work done by our Scouts has been in completing partials from camp. Our Advancement Chair or I have signed off when completed. I have talked about this with other troop leaders and district folks and it turns out this is pretty much the way it's done throughout our district. We have no merit badge counselor list and each troop handles it within their own unit. Blue cards - not even used anymore. Scouts merely have the printed out work sheets from USScouts or Meritbadge.com and the requirements are initialled on those sheets. What can I do? This is the last of the adult-led legacy I'd like to change, but I just don't know how to go about it. As I said in the beginning of my post, this is something I've continued to perpetuate because in my mind I had so many other "bigger fish to fry" in turning this troop around. I have a couple of Scouts that are very close to finishing their Eagle requirements. They come to me and ask if they can talk to me about a few remaining requirements on their Eagle required merit badges. Since these badges were mostly started at summer camp, and in most cases several years ago, I have agreed to work with them on the last remaining requirements. I know this is NOT the way merit badges are to be done. I probably can't do much to make changes in time for these near-Eagles, but I'd like to get the younger and newer scouts thinking about their merit badges and working on them properly. Help, please?

Nov 8, 1:51 PM EST Bush says Rumsfeld is stepping down By DAVID ESPO and LIZ SIDOTI Associated Press Writers WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stepped down as defense secretary on Wednesday, one day after midterm elections in which opposition to the war in Iraq contributed to heavy Republican losses. President Bush said he would nominate Robert Gates, a former CIA director, to replace Rumsfeld at the Pentagon. Asked whether his announcement signaled a new direction in the war that has claimed the lives of more than 2,800 U.S. troops, Bush said, "Well, there's certainly going to be new leadership at the Pentagon." Bush lavished praise on Rumsfeld, who has spent six stormy years at his post. The president disclosed he met with Gates last Sunday, two days before the elections in which Democrats swept to control of the House and possibly the Senate. Last week, as he campaigned to save the Republican majority, Bush declared that Rumsfeld would remain at the Pentagon through the end of his term. Rumsfeld, 74, was in his second tour of duty as defense chief. He first held the job a generation ago, when he was appointed by President Ford. Whatever confidence Bush retained in Rumsfeld, the Cabinet officer's support in Congress had eroded significantly. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the House speaker-in-waiting, said at her first postelection news conference that Bush should replace the top civilian leadership at the Pentagon. And Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who had intervened in the past to shore up Rumsfeld, issued a statement saying, "Washington must now work together in a bipartisan way - Republicans and Democrats - to outline the path to success in Iraq." Buy AP Photo Reprints The Pentagon offered no date for Rumsfeld's departure. Gates, 63, has served as the president of Texas A&M University since August 2002, and as the university's interim dean of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service from 1999 to 2001. The school is home to the presidential library of Bush's father. Gates is a close friend of the Bush family, and particularly the first President Bush. He served as deputy national security adviser from 1989 to 1991 and then as CIA director during the first Iraq war, from 1991 until 1993. Gates joined the CIA in 1966 and is the only agency employee to rise from an entry level job to the 7th floor director's office. He served in the intelligence community for more than a quarter century, under six presidents. Bush has considered Gates for jobs before, including in 2005 when he was searching for a candidate to be the nation's first national intelligence director. His nomination must be confirmed by the Senate. Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., who is expected to chair the House Armed Services Committee next year, said Rumsfeld's resignation "presents an important opportunity for our country to begin a new policy direction in Iraq and in the war on terrorism." He encouraged the Bush administration to take advantage of the fresh start. 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

nldscout - don't have my uniform guide nearby but what you posted sounds right. I only asked because I've read so much about Venturing Crews chosing to wear whatever they want to make up their uniform. So, I guess it also goes that the staff at our summer camp are incorrectly uniformed in that they wear the green shirts with the green pants instead of the gray pants. Is that right?

I admit first that I don't know much about Venturing other than older son is in our Council's Venturing Crew #1, set up for mostly for summer camp staff, and wears the green shirt and green shoulder loops. He has, in the meantime, actually earned the Venturing Bronze (outdoor) Award during his tenure [sorry, shameful mother's pride for my son]. But, from what I've read on these forums, a Venturing Crew can determine its own uniform. So, if a Venturing Crew decides it wants to wear a BSA official uniform rather than, say a polo shirt and blue jeans, cannot a Venturing Crew decide to wear the tan BSA shirt as its official uniform shirt and then wear the green shoulder loops?

This is an interesting thread since I've never heard of an age requirement, only the rank requirement of 1st class and the camping nights, SM approval, etc. I am posting because I'd like to know why a SM would deny a scout the opportunity to be elected into the OA if he's met the camping and rank requirements? No mature enough? Why should the SM judge that? OA election is done by the boys in the Troop. Seems to me, the SM should not really have a say in the election of a scout to the OA. Yes, yes, I've seen lots of guys get elected on popularity alone. Then they go through their ordeal at camp, get their precious red bordered pocket flap and never participate in chapter or lodge events again. But, then there are those that get elected, go through ordeal, attend chapter and lodge functions, maybe work and attain brotherhood. Aren't those the guys that the OA is supposed to made up of? I've know a lot of guys that were immature when they were first elected - still with the OA and active. I've also known a lot of mature guys just get their red pocket flap.

Leonard Graves - Victory at Sea in the 1950s. I remember watching Bozo with older son on WGN. We have a video of him when he was about 2 years old marching around the back yard with a stick in his hand chanting "grand march...follow me." He also set up a single bucket and played the bucket game. Funny to hear him miss and then say "oh, close."

SR540Beaver - you're right, totally forgot dirtiest jobs. Son and I just watched the episode with host learning how to determine between male and female alligators. Enlightening! I also forgot to mention we used to enjoy Robot Wars, or I think that was what it was called. Survivor Man sounds a bit like a show I watched years ago and which is the source of many jokes - McGuyver (sp?)

Now that our PLC is working and the guys with PORs are doing their jobs, I'd like to work on another step in our troop's progress that is lacking. Advancement. In the past, the SM or other adult leaders would simply enter things into the computer when they knew a scout had done something (unfortunately, they also did this even when they didn't know for sure a scout had done something but was merely present when a topic was being discussed). So, the scouts got used to waiting to be told when it was time for a conference and BOR for their next rank. Our troop is now very active, with PLC planned meetings and outings. So, it is not that the guys aren't doing anything or working on things. They are. It's just that they don't seem interested in having requirements signed off. We have given the responsibility of sign offs to the PL, SPL and Troop Guide for those guys not yet first class. Weekly meetings and more especially campouts have started to include instruction and testing on requirements such as knot tying, setting up camp, food preparation, swimming, fires and knives, etc. All of our newer scouts have done these things. With the exception of the fitness requirement which the TG writes in their handbooks, they just don't seem interested in having other things signed off. Example: a couple of weekends ago we had our fall camporee. TG and PL were working with newer scouts on lashings. They built a marvelous gateway using all of the lashings and knots required for rank. New guys learned and practiced the taught-line when putting up our quonset hut (they've all done this several times). I watched as the TG and PL taught the lashings and then the younger scouts worked on them over and over. So, why haven't any of these guys asked for the requirements to be signed off? They don't bring their handbooks to scout meetings or on campouts. All of the new guys have purchased groceries, have prepared food, have discussed food preparation and safe handling, yet none have had these requirements signed off. Do I mention this myself to the guys? Do I remind the TG and PL that they should mention this to the guys? Too many times in the past I've had a young scout come to me and ask when he will get his next rank. How can I get these guys to think about it for themselves and read their books? Edited to add: please don't misunderstand my post to think I'm trying to make our troop an advancement mill. On the contrary, I am thrilled to see these guys learning and enjoying the journey. My son has been sitting on Star rank for over a year and a half with only a couple of merit badge requirements to finish. But, he's enjoing himself so I don't want to push too hard. Just trying to figure out a way to get them to think about what they are accomplishing. (This message has been edited by gwd-scouter)

Back in my thirties, I was told often that I looked like Jane Fonda, especially in the movie On Golden Pond. Yeah, I worked out a lot back then! Had the big hair too.

Perhaps a sit down with the boy and his parents would help? I had a guy with similar situation. For the past year, he's stated he wanted to make Eagle. I told him that's great, but you have not yet served in a POR as a Life Scout. He twice was asked to serve in a POR, but made no attempts to fulfil the job requirements. It was always something. Sports practice took longer than anticipated. Had a project to do for school. Just didn't feel like coming. Had a game/school/something on every weekend we had a campout scheduled. When he would finally show up to a meeting, I would explain to him that because he wasn't fulfilling the requirements of his POR, the job was given to another scout. The first time he didn't seem to care. The second time he got frustrated. Thought we'd lose him altogether at that point. Finally, about six months ago he started showing up again. During that time, his mother contacted me. Said she really wanted him to make Eagle and what could she do to help. I set up a meeting with her and the scout. I first explained that there was nothing she could do to "get" him to Eagle. It had to be his decision, his choice. I explained the requirements he had remaining - his Eagle Service Project, a couple of merit bagdes and 6 months in a POR. The POR was the biggest topic of conversation, with Mom trying to explain to me how busy her son was. I showed examples of other guys in the troop with similar busy schedules who managed to work in Scouts too. I also said that I really didn't think it was all about a busy schedule, but rather the scout's disinterest in being a Scout. I said there was no shame in making it to Life Rank - most guys don't get that far. That one statement upset Mom, but the scout suddenly showed interest in the conversation. I guess it got through to him that we weren't just giving out Eagle Ranks in the Troop. Yes, I have been raising the bar of expectations on these guys for the past two years. Didn't do it overnight and, as I mentioned before, it's been a slow process. Good news about Life Scout. He is now serving as our Jr. ASM. Gotta say, he is making an effort. He is so good with the younger scouts and is probably our only sr. scout that can get their attention when they start to run wild. He even had one of the young guys call him sir a couple of campouts ago. Made his day! Since you posted that you have three other Scouts coming to training and your Boatswain is not showing any effort to learn and do his job, maybe it's time to remove him from the position and elect someone who will. It's harsh, I know, but it would be unfair to the other guys to let him continue in his position without doing any real work. Good luck, CNY.

I had these same struggles a couple of years ago. While we were not a new troop, we were never a boy-led troop. We held elections and new SPL was a Life Scout, 17 years old, that had never seen much less done a POR where the Scout actually had to do something. His term lasted about 9 months and while he did show up regularly for meetings and outings, I had to spoon feed the agendas to him. I also had to do a major part of the instruction at meetings and on campouts. Next SPL was elected. Again, a Life Scout with no real leadership experience. He tried harder. I think he had more natural leadership ability and made more effort to take charge of the troop's plans. Still, I tried to hold leadership training - no one could come. Tried to get them to hold regular PLCs - no one could come. Even without that, the difference in this SPL and the former was that I didn't have to spoon-feed him as much as coach him. So, progress was being made. I struggled many times with feelings of remorse for taking the SM job. Felt like I just couldn't pull it off and was swimming upstream trying to turn this troop around from adult-led to boy-led. Enter this year. Another new SPL. This time, a 15-year-old who for the past year and a half had been watching and listening as I reminded previous youth leaders about their jobs and, as I said, spoon fed the program to them. About a week after he was elected, he came to me and said he joined the golf team at school and practices were on Mondays so he would probably miss a lot of meetings. I asked him if he thought that was a good thing for the SPL and suggested maybe he should step down from the job. He looked completely stricken. But, we talked a bit and he asked if it would be OK for his ASPL to start the meetings and then he could come, but just be about a half-hour late. I was thrilled that he worked this out on his own. In the past, our Scouts would simply skip meetings altogether when doing sports even if they could arrive a bit late and make most of the meeting. Others began to follow his example. Now, even our busiest older scouts are making real efforts to attend meetings. During this time, I began to see the older scouts working with younger scouts. They even planned a few campouts with real agendas and activities. He served in the position for six months and changes were happening. We held elections again at the end of summer. I figured this guy would not run again as he had fulfilled his POR, but he thought my son should not run unoppossed for SPL so he ran again - and won by one vote. Sure, my son was a little upset, but is happy in his position as Troop Guide. In fact, SPL talked to him after the elections and said he thought my son would be an excellent Troop Guide since he works so well with the younger Scouts. My son was beaming from the praise he received from an older Scout - much more than if I had said anything. Now, SPL has held several PLCs and everyone showed up! They decided to have them on the Monday following a campout rather than a regular Troop meeting. It is working out very well. They are using the program helps and themes to plan their meetings, designing them around whatever the upcoming campout is. I don't know if there is such a thing in Venturing or Sea Scouts, so this may not be relevant to your situation. I recently posted a thread on how proud I was of the Scouts and last week's troop meeting. Entirely planned by the Scouts. Entirely run by the Scouts. Sure, there were mistakes, and they talked about them briefly at the end of the meeting. Then, the PLC spent a few minutes going over next week's agenda and making sure everyone knew what he was responsible for. It took two years, it took many phone calls, it took nagging, it took patience, it took a lot of repetition about it being their troop, (it took a few adult beverages for me after meetings), but we are finally at the thresshold of the boy-led troop. Patience and perseverance CNY. It takes time, but it can happen!

Can anyone point me to a link that has directions on how to build a trebuchet? Our scouts have been talking about building one but so far haven't been able to find anything more than a picture. This sounds like a great idea for a camporee and I'm going to pass this on to our District Committee.

Like SR540Beaver, I too enjoy television. I've been reading this thread and thinking back to my youthful days. Fighting with my three brothers over what shows to watch on the one black and white television our family owned. Mom had a schedule posted in the kitchen and we each had an hour a day that was our own when we could chose what to watch and everyone else either watched it or did something else. Course, back then, there weren't many choices. I remember staying up late with my girlfriends on Saturday nights and watching the old horror movies on the UHF channel. Then, the color TV made it's way to our home. Parents purchased it maily to watch the Washington Redskins in color. Now, of course, the fights among my brothers were about who got to watch "their" program on the color set. Sunday nights were always Disney. Four children sitting on the floor each with a small bowl of popcorn. What a treat. Now, I guess I am a bit embarrassed to say our house has four televisions. My sons do not have TVs in their bedrooms, but we have one in the kitchen, den, living room, and my husband's and my bedroom. The kitchen TV was introduced a couple of years ago and we watch the news in the morning while getting ready for school/work and in the evenings preparing dinner. Our tastes in television vary, but we all share favorites on the History Channel, Discovery and National Geographic. Animal Planet has some interesting programming, too. I will admit we all also like the Simpsons, the Daily Show, The Colbert Report, CSI, and a lot of the Nick at Night programming. I like old movies on Turner Classic and Fox Movie Channel. We are thinking about cancelling HBO since we rarely watch it. I have the guilty pleasure of enjoying shows about UFOs, ghosts, paranormal events, and the like. Can't say I necessarily believe in all that stuff, but it is entertaining. Oh yes, Judge Judy just makes my day. Years ago, I never missed Phil Donahue. Today's talk shows though, at least for me, just don't seem to measure up. The absolute favorite show in our house - the one the gets us all in front of the TV together? Mythbusters! Ah, family time... :-)

DanKroh, I think Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills would be valuable training for anyone, regardless whether he/she is a Cub Scout Leader or a Boy Scout Leader. The outdoor training our Council does for Boy Scouts is called Boy Scout Leader Outdoor Training, so I'm not sure if it's the same thing as IOLS. But, when I went to the training as a new SM, I had a pretty good base (as you say you do) of outdoor skills. Picked up some new stuff at the training though and always learn from talking to others. I wouldn't be put off the training by thinking that it will be filled with SMs and ASMs with more advanced outdoor skills than yours and who think it odd that a CM is there.

Emb - I do know that about Venturing. Actually, I've been asked a couple of times if I would be willing to be an advisor to a young Crew in our District. The only Crew that is co-ed. Some-day I think I'd like to do that, but for now I am busy with my SM duties. Our troop is fortunate to have two very strong male ASMs - my husband and another gentleman who just stepped up last summer. So, even with a female SM, our boys are able to have the positive male role model experience and association. We had another Dad join us on our camporee last weekend. He doesn't know anything about Boy Scouting, but he said he was willing to learn and join in the fun. From the comments I've heard from the Scouts after he spent the weekend with us, they seem to like him a lot and enjoyed showing him the things they could do. It really is too bad that more of our Dads won't help out. With the exception of our Chairman, our Committee is made up entirely of women. Hey Gonzo, thanks for the PM. Forgot to mention in my reply - I can run a table saw, too! Heh heh.

Not wanting to hijack the thread on starting Scouting in 2006, and thinking I'd light to weigh in on some of the comments made about yellow blouses and cub leaders and women, I thought I'd start a new thread. Specifically about women as Cub Leaders. Some folks on this and other forums have suggested that, aside from possibly Troop Commmittee, Cub Scouts is the only place for female leaders. Maybe that's true. For the little guys, women may have more patience and more enthusiasm to do the more "crafty" kind of requirements. Enter Webelos. Now here's where we seem to have a breakdown. In our District at least, we see a huge drop between Webelos and Boy Scouts. For the most part, the biggest drop comes from the Webelos Dens that have female leaders. I'm not trying to make any cause and effect argument here, but I do have some ideas as to why this might be happening. Webelos is where the boys should start to move away from Mommy and Daddy doing everything for them and start to learn a little bit of independence. Women can be effective leaders at this stage, but they do need to be comfortable outdoors. Most I've seen are not. For instance, our troop was fortunate to receive four Webelos crossovers last Spring. With the exception of one scout whose father took him out hunting and fishing and hiking, the other three scouts were woefully unprepared for Boy Scouts. On their very first weekend campout with us, two of them declared that not only had they never been camping, they had never been away from home overnight without their Mom! I know the Mom who was their Webelos Den Leader. A lovely woman who admits she wouldn't be caught dead sleeping on the ground and absolutely cannot understand why I have been involved in this for so long. The Cubmaster for that Pack recently spoke to me about his new Webelos Den and the Den Leader and Asst. (both men). He said "at least this time, the boys will get outside and do things, and may be better prepared when they cross over to Boy Scouts." You may surmise from this post that I have a problem with female leadership in Scouting. Or, since you are probably aware that I am that rare breed - a female Scoutmaster - then you may assume that I think women make the same quality leaders as men in Scouting. On the contrary. I don't care what a leader's gender is, but I do have a problem with leaders in Scouting (at all levels) that are not equipped with, or are not willing to learn, the qualities it takes to be effective. Along with women, I have seen my share of male leaders in both Cubs and Boys that don't have a clue about the outdoors or how to deliver their particular branch of the program. Along with those Scoutmasters whom I've tried to emulate, I've seen those that make up rules about attendance, deadlines for merit badges, and cook and clean for the boys on campouts. I can't speak to Venturing since I have little knowledge of that program. So, I guess my point here is that while I will no longer directly respond to those that make blanket statements that women have no place being leaders in Boy Scouts or that things have been dumbed down for the "yellow blouses," I would ask that we all take the time to ensure our units have the best possible adult leaders it can and that the boys we serve receive the Scouting Program at its finest.

Couple of weeks ago we had our fall camporee. Temps dropped below freezing at night both Friday and Saturday. One of our Dads came for Saturday night. As he was setting up his tent he was commenting about how cold it was getting and the he had a portable heater that plugs into his car's cig. lighter. I just looked at him and said "if you plan to use that thing, we will have to go have a private talk first." He just laughed and said he was kidding of course and he'd rough it like the rest of us.

Thank you all for your kind words. I wish I could take all the credit for the turnaround our troop is making, but I must give credit where it is due. To my husband, one of our ASMs and probably the hardest sell on the whole boy-led thing, for finally understanding what I've been saying and trying to do for the past two years. Every time he would tell me, I want the troop to do this or go there, I would remind him that we may present the ideas to the boys, but it is ultimately their decision. Where he used to immediately answer a scout's question, he now says "go ask your patrol leader." When it came time to clean out our garage of scout equipment and reload the trailer, he waited until our Jr. ASM and QM came to our house to work with him. (I started a thread about this somewhere else on the forum and, yes, my house has finally been cleaned up - those boys did a REALLY great job.) We have a new ASM just sign up a couple of months ago, been to training, and understand how the BSA Program works (even though he admits often how hard it is to sit back and let the boys do the work). The Scouts themselves deserve the most credit. Oh, yes, the older scouts were VERY resistant to change a couple of years ago. And, yes, a couple of them have aged out or simply left. But, the scouts that remained have worked hard. The infusion of new scouts this past year has helped the older scouts to really have a job to do, and they are stepping up to it. Even the last two remaining "legacy" scouts who will turn 18 within the next 12 months and have been pretty much absent for years, are showing up regularly to meetings, have attended a few outings with the troop, and are working hard to become the Eagle Scouts they want to be. I guess they, too, finally understand that our troop is not just giving away rank - it must be earned. So, keeping EagleinKY's advice in mind and trying not to take it too personally when the guys take the inevitable steps backwards, I will look forward to fun troop meetings and campouts, look foward to watching "my" boys grow and learn, and look forward to the feeling of accomplishment one gets after reaching a hard fought goal. Thanks again everyone!

If you've read my posts this past year, you know the struggle I've faced over turning our troop around from adult-led to boy led. Last night's meeting was what I've been hoping for. While I was busy talking to a Mom of two new Scouts, SPL started the meeting. They did the standard Pledge and Scout Oath. Chaplain's Aid said a prayer. Troop Guide asked Scouts what they knew about finding directions without a compass, then talked about how they would be working on that on upcoming backpack trip. Then, SPL gave a few words about plans for trip. ASPL then took over and talked about Leave no Trace. Meanwhile, Patrol Leader and Troop Guide (after he did his thing on finding directions) went outside to set up materials for this week's game. They had planned Radioactive Isotope Transport, but modified the equipment a bit so it didn't really work out as it should have. Scouts never got the isotope (in this case a 2-litre of Sprite) off the ground, much less out of the circle. They all had fun though. It was terrific to watch and listen as one guy tried to tell another guy how to pull his rope. They were practicing teamwork. They were practicing leadership. Those that weren't actually playing were cheering the others on. Then, SPL directed everyone back inside where they talked a bit more about the upcoming trip and the meeting plans for next week. Finally, one of our new Scouts began to ask questions about what kind of trips the troop would be doing. He asked if we could rock climb, he asked if we would swim, he asked if we could go to ballgames. In the past, SPL would have looked to me to answer. He never even glanced my way when he said, "if we plan it, we can do it." I did a brief Scoutmaster's minute and we had our closing. After closing, the PLC met for a few minutes to talk about next week's meeting and to make sure everyone knew what their job was or what they might need to bring. Throughout the meeting, I sat and watched. Amazing. I thought this would never happen. To echo Barry, I just love this Scouting stuff.