Stosh

A boy's loyalty to his faith is a lot more important than any other church program issues that might arise. So where does evangelizing one's buddies fit in? We can't always understand the depth of other's hearts especially when the focus is always on being sent, never gathering together

So then if they go to another unit it's really not poaching. I kinda define poaching as actively recruiting away. If one has a good program that the boys like, poaching is pretty much non-existent. I find it's really more than just a religious issue then at that point. That kinda takes the religious argument out of the equation, at least for me.

So why would scouts be wanting to leave your program in the first place?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/07/21/two-campers-killed-including-boy-after-severe-storms-strike-boundary-waters-in-minnesota.html

The only people involved with an EBOR in our council from the troop is the candidate and SM and the SM is optional. Like I said, most of the people on the EBOR panel are people I have never met before. They can be coming in from out-of-council as far as I know. No familiar faces. This is why I do pre-EBOR work with the boys so that they don't get over-whelmed when they walk in the room.

Yawnnnnn! Just another typical boy led, patrol method troop. No big deal! Seriously! Well done, congrats to your boys and NO it does not surprise me that the key to boy led is true Servant Leadership! The management of the tasks will fall into place without a hassle with servant leadership. And as you quickly found out if everyone is a servant leader ("What can I do to help?!") some awesome things can happen. Thank you for letting your boys experience REAL scouting!

My first "reaction" to a situation like this would be his plans for the future beyond getting his Eagle. If the troop was going to be just an expediency to Eagle and that's the end of the story, I would suggest another troop that might be more of the eagle mill, keep score kind of troop. If he is interested in a scouting experience and this is just another step that he is having trouble with, then we can keep the discussion going. The #1 answer that would sell me right off would be. "What do you plan on doing after getting the Eagle Rank?" and he answers. "Well, I'm going to be a newbie in this troop, so maybe if the spot is open I could be the TG for the other newbies coming in from Cubs next spring." SOLD, sign on the dotted line! My best TG was an Eagle. The new guys adored him and he had a great time with them.

Yeah, 6 months is a bit much. If the work is done and all he needs is signatures, one could clarify the whole situation with a coffee/hot chocolate "SMC" Seriously? Every time this boy approaches the SM for a SMC and gets shut down, THAT IS HIS SMC. The SM doesn't want to "take care of his boys" and is showing serious breaches of Oath and Law. Granted, the SM might be busy and such, but he can work with the boy to arrange a meeting where they can get the details worked out. New troop, new SM, new look on life and scouting in a Oath/Law based troop.

It could very well be the fact that he got elected to SPL that may be the source of the drama.

Welcome!

Cheesh! I haven't been treated that well since I was a junior in high school. My senior year my mom taught me to cook (including baking), sew (by hand AND on the machine), do laundry (including ironing) and clean house. Taking out the garbage was the easy part.

We had a powerhouse troop in the neighborhood I am now. The school associated with the church CO shut down and they dumped the troop. That whole area of town had no troops within a mile radius. I went in and within two days found another church CO 2 blocks from the original troop and not only does it now have a troop, it also has a pack. Keep looking, they are out there.

We are invited to sit in silently. There is an opportunity at the end after the Scout steps out of the room to make comments about the boy only. Not much wiggle room.

Or the unit can just ignore the guidelines and do what is sane and fair for the boy. All or nothing is not much of a choice in this case and only leaves the door open for hard feelings.

Yeah, it's all Greek to me.

Yes, there are the shy, the ones that are less confident, those who are simply nervous, etc Yes, there is no way the boy is going to FLUNK an EBOR. BUT..... the experience should be a growing, positive event of celebration, not one where the boy leaves in tears. THIS is why I take the time to work with the boys prior to their EBOR so that they can have a good experience regardless of what the adults may or may not toss his way. I have been in EBOR's where the panel was excellent, understood the struggle the boy was having with is nervousness and yet, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy could have been sitting on the panel and it wouldn't have made a bit of difference. The boy was so worked up BEFORE he even went into the room there was no place to go but into the dumpster. Just walking through a few fake questions with the boy and helping him with answers, focusing in on the questions and not the situation, watching for smiles from the panel members, reminding him there are no wrong answers and that this is just a nice formality, and other techniques to help him are all going to make that experience something he'll remember in the positive column of life. We do not have troop EBOR's, it's all council people in the room except for the candidate and his SM. Sometimes just reminding him not to worry, I'll be there with him is enough to knock some of the nervousness down so he can feel some safety with someone there that's "in his corner". I wished we had the option for troop EBOR's or troop EBOR's with a council rep present. But we don't have that luxury, we have people that are even total strangers to me and I've been with the council for 30+ years. That's a path I don't think my boys need to walk alone. They all have the option of not having me silent in the room with them and to date, no one has ever not wanted me there. It's how I take care of my boys.

Anything anyone wants to learn is more often than not in the After Action Review (AAR). Just about every thing we do entails an AAR.

One can self-outfit a BWCA float for about 1/3rd the cost of Norther Tier. I've hiked all over and Philmont is no different than any of the other hikes out there. One doesn't need to spend a ton of money to have a great time. A Scout is Thrifty.

Time for coffee with the folks. It also applies to the parents that can't afford scouting yet the two of them are a pack a day smokers who burn up $5,000+ a year on smokes. Priorities. Their priority is themselves. I find that my priority is the boy. I work from that point of view.

It's a whole new world for him and sounds like it may not have overwhelmed him with excitement, but it did spark his sense of inquisitiveness which is probably more important than getting a mountain top experience. It may spark him to inquire more and provide him something away from the home setting he can look forward to being involved in. I'm super glad he had a good time. Prayers are worth it.

Nepotism is a good reason NOT to have parents involved in the program.

It's: R R R your boat and I do believe we are discussing Thanksgiving π here, @@qwazse Please try and stay on topic.

It is very strongly discouraged to have a UC that's connected to the unit. Just muddies the waters. Outside eyes are much better.

Whenever I filled out a resume and college application there were places for community involvement and service. My church, Scouting and Red Cross seemed to catch the attention of a lot of interviewers. My children as well mentioned that college entrance people were interested in more than one's academic record.

One of the reasons why I do a pre-EBOR with the boys is because even if they have had the opportunity to be in a boy-led program, the EBOR members may not. How does one respectfully take on a panel of austere older scouters when the candidate is in his mid teens? Sure, if I were to do a practice with the boys, they know me, they know what I teach, they are excellent scouts for the most part. But put in a room in a panel of unknown adults, all bets come off the table. Sure they have gone through a few BORs over the years, the people on the panel are committee members and parents or both. These are familiar faces and they know these people. When I go into EBOR's with my boys, even I DON"T KNOW who these people are and I've been in the council with units in all three districts! So in light of that, I practice and train the boys on what to expect because it is NOT the same old BOR they have been used to in the past. Different councils may be set up differently and much of what I do would not be an issue, but we need to deal with the hand we're dealt and so we practice for the unknown and unexpected.