ideadoc

Lisabob, I am a supporter of NYLT. I think your scouts will get positive things from it even if the Scoutmaster is not fully supportive, although the Troop will benefit more if he or she is. Some things will be useful without Scoutmaster support. For example, if a Scout becomes better at resolving conflict that will be put to use without any permission from the Scoutmaster. On the other hand, if the Scout wants to make some changes to the vision of the Troop, or try and articulate a vision if there currently isn't one, then the Scoutmaster can be a real roadblock if there is no support. Since NYLT typically requires nomination of the Scout by the Scoutmaster one would think that if a Troop is sending someone there is some level of support. Admittedly the quality level of NYLT, like many things in Scouting, varies from place to place, and a poorly run NYLT can turn off Scoutmasters. A well run NYLT can convert skeptics to real supporters - I have witnessed this firsthand. Involvement in NYLT has been a very positive experience for me and if you are not happy with the course your Council is running perhaps you would want to see what you could do to help make it better. In my Troop NYLT took a few years before it made a huge difference. When we only had one or two boys trained it was more difficult for them to influence the rest of the Troop, but after a couple of years there were enough boys to really make a difference. I feel fortunate to live in a Council that has an active group of supporters of NYLT that help keep a quality program going from year to year, and has a large number of amazing youth staff.

One item I found very useful at Philmont was a small rubber "spoonula" - it is a cross between a spatula and a spoon. I found that I could scrape my bowl clean with it - no need for the repeated washing out with water and drinking the resulting glop. I found mine at a higher end cooking store.

Interesting. We are no longer supposed to have unique names for NYLT, yet page 56 of the 2009-2010 insignia guide shows a NYLT flag that says "National Youth Leader Training" followed by "Golden Acorn."

One way it can have errors even if it is THE insignia guide is if it contradicts itself. On page 42 it shows the commissioner arrowhead award being worn between the position patch and the trained strip, but on page 49 it states, regarding the trained patch, that "Commissioners wear this emblem between the emblem of office and the arrowhead honor."

Jim, There are others on this forum with more expertise, but I will take you through my thought process as it might be helpful to you. As I have weighed the pros and cons of down vs. synthetic I have always come down on the side of synthetic for youth. To me, the risk of a wet useless down bag outweighs the benefits of weight since most of the boys on my Troop are slowed down on a backpacking trip more by the speed of the adults in the party than by the added weight of a sleeping bag. And I never wanted to put myself in the situation of explaining to a parent why their son experienced hypothermia because their sleeping bag couldn't keep them warm. On the other hand I chose to carry a down bag at Phimont because a. the weight meant more to my old body than it might to a boy, b. I didn't expect really wet conditions and c. I was 43 years old and felt that I might have a bit more ability to be responsible about keeping my bag dry than some 14 year olds. I do like the compact size that a down bag can be compressed to but synthetic bags have never been a limiting factor to the youth in our troop as far as pack weight or volume is concerned. In fact, I cannot think of anything a youth wasn't able to do because he was carrying a synthetic bag that a down bag would have allowed him to do. So I have always recommended synthetic for youth. I look forward to hearing the opinions of others here.

I always remind the boys to never breathe into their sleeping bag. It is so tempting to fill that space with warm breath, but many don't realize how much moisture comes out of our breath in a night, resulting in a damp, clammy bag.

Not sure emb...I thought I had seen it on the Wikipedia list of famous Eagles. Obviously mistaken. At least Hank has said he made it to Eagle!

Mike Judge, creator of "King of the Hill," is an Eagle Scout. I imagine some of his experiences are in the show.

Have a Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent Christmas.

1. No. There is a red, white and blue knot for wear on the uniform by an adult. Why isn't that enough? 2. 1980. Court of Honor was after my 18th birthday. I wore my uniform with my life patch during the court of honor, which I now know to be incorrect (it was five days after my 18th birthday). After the ceremony put the Eagle patch on the shirt where it remains to this day. Never wore the shirt since (got a new uniform - that's when they changed the last time.)

All this and not one serious reply to my original question. Anybody think that the new insignia guide will have to modify the instructions for placement of the World Crest on the new uniform? Any other comments, please take them to a new thread.

I placed the World Crest half way between the top of the pocket and the shoulder seam, and it is almost completely covered by the corner of the collar. Anyone else have this problem?

>>Forget patrol method when you talk about NYLT. That is not what it is about Not sure I understand this statement. The patrol method is a method of Boy Scouts, NYLT is for Boy Scouts, therefore the patrol method should be a part of NYLT, just as we wear uniforms during the course because the uniform is also a method of Boy Scouting. At my council's NYLT course we use the patrol method - boys camp by patrol, cook and eat by patrol, engage in activities by patrol, have patrol names and flags, take turns being the patrol leaders and going to patrol leaders' council meetings, go on an outpost as a patrol...I think that helps boys who come from troops not using the patrol method to experience it and get ideas on how to make it work in their home troop. I believe NYLT to be an experience that can teach skills that a leader, youth or adult, can use in many situations within and outside of Scouting. The environment in which it is presented can reenforce many other aspects of Scouting, including the methods of Boy Scouting and the concept of a safe haven. I have heard from many Scoutmasters as well as parents of NYLT participants that the course helped their scout and their unit.

There are a few things in this thread I find curious: - People make the assumption that because I favor the tradition of local names I also favor not teaching the NYLT syllabus in its totality and in the order it is written. Both of these things are stated as requirements to deliver NYLT and I am not linking having a local name with disregarding the rules. - There is the argument that having a local name will prevent a job applicant or college applicant from listing a recognizable term like National Youth Leadership Training on an application. I believe that a listing of, for example "Cedar Badge National Youth Leadership Training" would be just as impressive to a potential employer or scholarship committee as just "National Youth Leadership Training" I also believe that either term would require more explanation in an interview anyway. - That the need for a nationally consistent name requires the use of a generic term like NYLT rather than a national term that also has a little intrigue behind it such as "Wood Badge" - That most people believe that telling a story, giving boys something to take local pride in, using a name to build a tradition of excellence, and having a unique patch and logo are not useful in the Scouting program. I am convinced that most of us who are commenting are not the real judge of this change. When this change becomes more public (it is obviously not very widely known now, as evidenced by the fact that many people are telling me that the syllabus says it is OK to have local names) the reaction of our youth will speak more loudly than the opinions on this thread. I hope that the decision makers will pay attention to how youth respond to this and be willing to be flexible if in fact it negatively impacts the program.

I am not sure about the rose smelling as sweet. People don't say that they drive a hybrid drive small car made by Toyota, they drive a Prius. People don't go to watch the National Football League team from Chicago, they cheer on the Bears. Earlier posts about confusion about a course being an NYLT course or not, or about local courses taking liberties with the syllabus content are adequately addressed by the current policy of appending any local name with "NYLT" and by the committment to presenting the entire syllabus in the order it is written. I am not talking about breaking the rules. I am talking about a proven marketing strategy that works in all areas of the business world (and the Scouting world) not being used to give a local NYLT course some flavor, popularity, and intrigue. I still do not understand how, assuming that a course will not violate the current policy of having NYLT associated with the name and being committed to presenting the syllabus as written, that a local name negatively impacts the NYLT course.

BDPT00, Yes, you hit the nail on the head. I am not proposing a change to the name "Wood Badge," I was just using that as an example of a name that has great tradition, meaning and value far beyond calling the course "National Adult Leader Training," which I feel is what is happening to NYLT. Since the new changes to NYLT have already been discussed elsewhere in this forum, I didn't realize that not all who read this were not aware of the proposed changes - my fault. With this clarification, I still await someone who might know the reason to clue me in on what the problem is with local names, as long as NYLT in some form is used with the local name.

Can someone explain the reason to do away with names for NYLT courses? What is the harm caused by having a local course name, as long as it is used in conjunction with "National Youth Leadership Training" or "NYLT?" What would the harm be of having at least a nation-wide name instead of the generic "NYLT?" Having a name gives us the opportunity to create some allure about our course for the youth participants (and the adults as well). Names are important in marketing every product. Businesses spend lots of money developing and testing names for their products because it influences how well the product will sell. How would people react if Wood Badge changed its name to "National Adult Leader Training?" Why do we have local council names? Why not just call everything "Boy Scouts of America?"