IM_Kathy

ok just my opinion... when I have a boy transfer to join my troop I sit down and talk to him anyway. I like to know where he is in the advancement. What he's looking for. What he's enjoying so far with my troop. I then make sure the scout meets our Committee Chair, Outdoor Chair, Treasurer, and Advancement chair. They too sit down and ask him basically same stuff. What can the troop do to help him? Does he have issues with fundraising and does he think he'll need financial support? What camping locations has he attended and would recommend? Has he heard of a camp ground that sounds interesting? What has he enjoyed the most with scouting? What does he look forward to with scouting? What has he cooked on his campouts, and what does he want to try to cook in the future? What outdoor skills does he think he still needs to improve on? These adults also explain their jobs to him during this time so he knows who to talk to about certain things in the future. And you know what... he's now meet and gotten comfortable with the adult leaders. He knows who to turn to for issues that are above the SPL's job. And in so doing he's also completed a Scoutmaster conference and his board of review! I do this even if not up for rank change. But when up for a rank it's a double duty but it counts!

we currently have same issue. We have 2 PL's they rotate odd and even months at who leads the opening/closing of meetings, thorns/roses at end of campout, calls out roundups, etc... They wear PL patches, but we will refer to them as "acting spl". So if I've forgotten whose month it is I'll ask who is acting spl this month? Now for summer camp we have a separate election where we elect a SPL just for camp and they select their ASPL. They do all the chore list planning and such before, attend the SPL meetings, and are the co-to guys for camp. Now this only counts for 1 week of leadership, and the troop has done a great job of really voting in people that have a lot of good leadership and lots of summer camp experience.

condiment packets save a bunch. If I'm grabbing a burger or hotdog somewhere I will grab a couple. If I need more than just a couple I will simply ask if I could have ------ for boy scout troop to use and ask how much they think would be fair - never been charged except for when I went to store in town during summer camp to pick up a good salad dressing for another adult - but then they already have a price for those so expected it. And yes the boys do the same. As for left overs if it doesn't need to be kept cold and will get used then it goes in our food tote for future use. If it needs to be refrigerated then it goes home with the cook. It's the one benefit the cook gets (our cooks are grubmasters too)

we use cots just for summer camp. The ones with the springs can be a pain because those little springs can fall out and get lost. If using in a tent with a floor I recommend ones that have tubes that go across the width for feet rather than having feet more like a post or chair leg as those tent to rip of floors more easily while the tubes don't as bad. There are tent-cots have seen those before and much more expensive but those I've seen used are nice because they are easier to set up than a tent on your own, but for me they are too small as I like to have some room to move since I have sleep issues. For a weekend campout I just use a sleeping pad - much easier to manage and haul. I only use my cot at summer camp and if we are doing a cabin where the adult area has no bunks.

only time we switch up patrols is when we have a campout with just 1 boy from a patrol and then he joins other patrol. Boys don't mind being just 2 or 3 in their patrol they have learned it can sometimes be easier to cook for smaller group and have more food. Of course they've had to learn to change up menus a bit to fit their budgets, but they learned that if the adults can do it every campout then they surely could as well.

given the more info if I were in your shoes I just wouldn't sign off. I would make the boys go through district EBOR and stay out of all of it. That being said thank you for stepping up, but for others reading this take things into thoughts now and maybe state I will not take on this position with this situation without a,b,c. Whether those mean removal from unit, or whatever else you might want in there. If this happens to any boys in my troop I would let them know this is councils decision, the troop has decided on such and such before you can have your blank signed off. And I'd have the troop decision of what needs done written down and signed by scout and parent that they have read and agree. If they don't agree then they are free to leave the unit. And by troop I would want COR, CC, and other members sign and agree. And I certainly wouldn't want parent of said child to have any say in these requirements. So if it were CC's kid they would not be in meeting discussing what the troop was putting down - they would only sign it as a parent. Also if I had any scout on a suspension whether by troop or council I would have a sit down with scout and parent right before that term was over - for sure before they were allowed to attend again. Kids mess up - trust me I know this I made plenty. So I do think they should be given a chance to make right their wrongs. So far I don't see that happening from your post - hence why I say I wouldn't sign off

for those selling camp cards here are some things that members of our troop have done that had great success. Call bowling alley, get permission, and find out when leagues are and go and sell. Ask their church if they can stand out at the end of services - they usually stand near a poster saying what they are doing. send out a facebook message and ask their parents to do the same and ask that if be shared. and these are done by the scout and have either another scout or their parent go with as their buddy. They've found when there are already groups gathered it's easier than going door to door and also found that sometimes the adults there help spread the news "hey ______ come here this kid has $5 off for _________ stores"

yeah my troop is getting B to A grade LOL seriously thought that's a good look at things. I'd say for our troop right the boys are great on their own on a campout - they set up everything but the adult area. Now and then they will need a "I think something is missing from this area" usually a lamp or the wash water cooker is what's missing but they don't need a "hey set up x" just aren't paying attention and don't see that something hasn't been done. Our group of boys is great at picking places to camp and what to do at said location. But what they do still struggle with is the PLC picking activities for the weekly meetings especially when the next campout is one that doesn't have a specific scout skill goal toward it to work on preparing for. Sometimes it just takes a gentle question of "does anyone in your patrol need a requirement done that others can lead or refresh with?"

For cubs and girl scouts when I was leader I wrote up Den/Troop news and printed off for everyone each week. It included upcoming schedule with planned activity. With something that was needed to be made I kept the parts that were keepable and gave them the next meeting they were there - to get that signed off they needed to bring finished product or a picture (allowed to email or send by phone) When there's something that can't be stored then the scout needed to find a way to get what was needed. For a teaching thing - like learning first aid for example. They were taught to seek out that information: ask mom/dad, find out online (my girl scouts when they were old enough), check out a book, etc... and were then to ask to speak with me before or after a meeting and just go over what they learned. All this was discussed at 1st meeting of the year where scout was required to come with adult. We made sure all paperwork was filled out (some required by pack/unit and some required by me), went over dues, how to's, expectations, and RULES

ok this might just be way too simple, but considering our camp has started to not give the 2 free adults and still charging for extra adults. Why not offer reduced fee for number of badges you are willing to teach the week you are there? Our camp has 4 different MB blocks 2 days am/pm and next 2 days am/pm. So if charging $100 to an adult why not off $25 off for each block you take. Me personally I'd take am blocks so I could still have an afternoon nap. Even though our troop works Lent bake sales at fish fry to cover the cost for our adults I'd still do this to help out our troop, and I have a feeling each of the adults that come from my troop would take at least 2 blocks. Though I'm sure we'd want to work it out so that we have a couple free during each block time in case there's a need and also to have someone to play cribbage or chess with or go on a hike with after the short nap.

ours has 2 main $5 off parts to card - 1 place doesn't allow sales outside but the other does. We even had checkers notice someone spending over $50 and let them know about the card and they would run over and buy one and use that piece.

yeah dropping off at homes wouldn't work with us either. 10 boys currently active in the troop. 5 live in town of CO. 3 live in school district 15 mins away but 2 in 1 town and 1 in another. 1 boy lives in big city near us 30 mins from CO and final boy lives in even another town also 30 mins from CO but in different direction. I'm not spending hours driving around dropping off boys when each parent can just drive to the church and pick up their child. And considering I live where the 3 go to school I often drive past my place to get to the church but that's ok others do it when we camp on other side of state. but I would never put up with a 12 hour without it being a medical/death emergency and if that were the case their should be a text or voicemail sitting on my phone telling me what to do with their child.

we have boys selling them. Some end up paying their whole summer camp by selling them. We usually set up a couple of weekends to sell in front of one of the stores that gives them the $5 off since that's what the card costs and poof they've already covered the cost plus have more discounts to use.

I agree that being told by a parent or group of parents that they expect me to pay anything would send me packing. But that being said I have 1 scout that attends everything possible. Helps at fundraisers, service projects, does his positions, etc... But last night when me and a committee member found out the only reason he wasn't doing our climbing event was because the family was short on funds due to time of year and just couldn't swing this one - we raced for our wallets and CM won. The boy tried to turn it down - we told him to respect his elders, have fun, and remember it when he gets older and can return the favor to someone else. Now if all the parents found out and started hitting us up this would stop, but we know the situation and both were willing to help out. And this was no begging, no complaining. The boy wasn't even pouting about not being able to go. He just simply said he wasn't able to go this time and when he was offered a ride and said that he still couldn't go we knew what was up.

yep that's what SPL and PLs are for - and if I absolutely had to go in I would yell out female needs to enter in 15 seconds cover-up. But that wouldn't be needed with my scouts so only place that might be needed would be summer camp where disagreements happen among other troops and there are always plenty of males around. For us I'd say only about 2 campouts a year we can't get a male to attend. I do prefer there to be a male solely in case there is an injury in the area the scout would prefer to have a male take a look. But that's never happened either other than chaffing at summer camp but parents of new scouts are told to go over proper powdering with their sons before hand and then it's the spl or pl that helps out if a boy isn't doing it well enough. As for abuse - being a survivor myself and all the adults know this about me they know if I were to even see a setting that is looking like it could break YP rules I speak up before YP is broken. I know signs if things are wrong at home and I will report. And with my abuse being the cause of my PTSD I know the wreckage that lays in the wake and I don't want anyone to have to go through that!