Stosh

I wasn't trying to be funny by giving he answer as NO, it can't be changed.... so I'm thinking this is a pretty good work around.

Use this thread for all issues related to the World Jamboree coming up this July. Once that's over with there might be a few comments being made but when the time comes, just start a new thread and call it something like World Jamboree 2019. Or be a bit more creative if you wish.

Once the sub category gets finalized, use this thread for any discussions for going to the 2017 Jamboree.

Better yet had this been a boy run unit, the PL and/or SPL should have put a fork in it first. Their first responsibility is to take care of their boys and some of them do it so well they can make adults look like pikers. By the way, when a special needs "boy" (institutionalized, but loved being around scouts) came in our troop, he was offered a spot in all three of the patrols from which to choose.

Trustworthy? - You entrusted your son to the guidance of these two ASM's Loyal? - to whom or what other than their own myopic worlds. Helpful? - Does this even need explaining? Friendly? - Really? Courteous? - We're on a downward roll here. Kind? - Almost non existent ... Obedient? - Do they adhere to anything? National's policies on special needs youth? The SM and CC? Cheerful? - They think dragging a young boy through the mud is a cheerful process? Thrifty? - Here's the freebie Brave? - behind the scenes cowardice written all over this activity. Clean? - I'll give them this if they wash their hands before making meals. Reverent? - If they are calling themselves Christian or Jewish, they are in the wrong religion. I can't imagine not seeing the flagrant abuse of the Laws all over the place. Toss in the freebie from the Oath that on their honor, i.e. value as a person, they promise to help other people at all times. I guess they get to chose which other people they might be.

It might be a good thing not to be involved, not for you, but for them. This way they get a clean slate to draw from and not have any carryover during the transition. In the ministry when a pastor has had a long tenure with a congregation, it is always a good idea to have an interim pastor come in, shake things up and prepare the way for the new guy. One has no idea how irritating hearing "Well, the former pastor never did it that way." over and over again. I put up with it for about 3-4 months and when the summer rolled around and the discussion came up about mowing the church lawn for the summer at the church council meeting. Well they were quite quick to point out that the former pastor always did it by himself. When I didn't jump up and volunteer, the awkward silence and multiple stares came my way. I finally relented and said, "Okay! Okay, I'll call the former pastor to see if he's still interested in doing the mowing, but I can't guarantee he will be interested anymore." Before the night was over, they had worked out a schedule where everyone took a turn mowing the lawn for the summer. I took my turn along with everyone else, and after I left, no one called me to see if I'd be interested in doing a week of mowing at the old church. Saw your post. Looks like a clean slate isn't an option, maybe I should have called the old pastor to see if he wanted to mow the lawn after all.

Camps usually have options for handling individual scouts who are unable to attend the week their troops do. Check with the council camp director and see what can be lined up for your son.

I'd leave it pretty generic or we're gong to be going through this hassle every 4 years.

It's always strange to me why anyone would be upset about a problem they want to dump anyway.

I know of a few kids who attend worship without the active support of their parents. By law kids have to be in school regardless of the support of the parents, but other activities need parents to give them at least a ride to and from the activity. Without parents back up and supporting their sons's interests, those interests will go unmet. My step son was angry at his mom for not forcing him to stay in scouts. Her Ex thought it was a waste of time and money. She did what she could while he was in Cub Scouts, but it eventually became a lost cause and the boy dropped. When his mom married me and he saw what fun it really could be, he now regrets not having mom push harder for him to stay in the program. Sports booster clubs, Church ministries, YMCA/Boys and Girls Clubs are all supported by the parents or the kids don't go. Growing up, I didn't get much support from my parents. If I wanted to be in Scouts, I had to pay for it with money I raised shoveling walks, mowing lawns and turning over gardens. Since I was 10 years old, I've held at least a part-time job my entire life except for the first semester of college and the last semester of seminary...and of course these past few weeks since I've retired. Needless to say if I wanted it, I paid for it myself. That included the 10 years of post-high school education. It's possible, but in this day and age, it's pretty much unheard of.

Today's "journalism" tend to be a bit slanted towards anti-scouting, but how much of that is countered directly on the same medium? We complain in our own little groups about how scouting gets a bad rap in the press and while we spend big bucks on scout trailers, we spend nothing on program advertising. Our local council will promote the fundraiser activities on local TV and radio, but nothing on the program of scouting. Maybe local units need to consider this.

I have simply walked away from situations far less dramatic as this. It's time to move on, find a nice troop and don't look back. These people will never change and there's nothing you can do about it. Your current SM could possibly assist in finding a new troop as with the DE and SE. I'm sure they saw the situation as it really was and didn't need to follow up on the past, just focus to the future. There are troops out there that look more for opportunities than faults that are run by Sincere scouters who live by the Scout Oath and Law who will "take care of their boys." It's just a matter of time to find it.

My troop has neckers of blaze orange cotton material. They have no BSA Logo on them so there is no legal issues to contend with, and my Mrs. cut them into squares and surged a edging on them of a patrol color. Adults wear white edging and the first patrol has black edging. Who knows what the next patrol is going to go with for a color. A lot of people have commented on how nice they look (they're big, hang all the way to the boy's belt. But no one has commented or maybe even noticed they don't have anything on them to indicate their are a BSA necker. Being an optional part of the uniform, there is no official necker so maybe doing your own thing is the less costly and less hassle option.

I've never been able to afford Scouting. It's kinda like an addiction that sucks my pocketbook dry every month. I had to give up smoking ($7.50 pack a day habit, $2737.50/year) and drinking say maybe another $2737.50 for booze (I don't drink anymore so I have no idea what the price of a beer is.. ). I've had to buy scout uniforms off of Ebay because I couldn't afford Scout Shop prices. Regular cloths? If Walmart doesn't carry it, I don't wear it. That's just in money. I could go on and on about how much Scouting cost me in time and energy..... How many Date Nights with the Mrs. ended up frozen pizza and a Netflix movie? What's an X-Box, Play Station or WII going for now-a-days, I do know the games are running about $50/each Not one more Saturday morning is going to be invested in sitting out in front of the Walmart with the baked goods, or going door to do selling popcorn just so their kids can have some outdoor program that they don't want to leave the couch to do. These parents are correct. With the narcissistic priority system they have set for themselves, they can't afford Scouting. Don't be upset when these parents say Scouting costs too much, you really don't want them in your troop anyway. (The parents that is, the boys will do fine and are always welcome)

From that comment, yeah, me too.

She's going someplace, but I don't think it's gonna be Greece, Italy or Spain.

Obviously the troop may be in need of real leaders. I teach my scouts who want to be leaders: "Take care of your boys." Obviously the SM is coming up a bit short on this one and the two ASM's aren't even in the ballpark. Sounds like a major adult-led program and that doesn't bode well for the effectiveness of the program. In the hands of the boys, none of this would be at the level it is. Boys are far more compassionate with special needs boys than adults who think they know how to fix everything.

Why should this scout be on the outside looking in. I'm sure the DE has access to other Scouters that would be willing to take on the challenge of just one boy. I've never turned a scout away for any reason. I have tolerated a ton of bad behavior over the years, but for the most part if the adult scouter cares, they can overcome much of the problems and actually help these boys. I have a scout that lives 45 miles from where we meet. I have another that lives 20 miles away. They come because we don't turn anyone away. Boys realize this rather quickly and will do their best to meet one half way and a lot of poor choices are quickly replaced with more mature ones. Quit fretting about two idiots in the former troop and start looking for some real scout leaders that at least try to live the Oath and Law.

I'm sure there's always been plenty of doom and gloom, but my intent with the thread was to garner some ideas as to what might be done to move things forward and provide something of quality to our youth. @@CalicoPenn is correct in that we have a ton of doomsayers, but not many prophets of hope out there.

Oh, by the way, a child is safer walking to school than riding in a car with mom or dad. I do believe that well over 90% of child abductions are not done by strangers. The rest are done by family and "friends". Irrational paranoia is a wonderful way to live now-a-days.

50 years ago a friend of mine died of encephalitis from having been bitten by a mosquito, .... at Boy Scout winter camp. So where's a boy to go to be safe? There isn't anywhere.

As long as you are answering as a member and not a moderator, feel free to pass on the personal attack and ignore the posting just like vast majority of people on this forum. So for the rest out there what doom and gloom dreams do you have about the future of Scouting? I happen to think Scouting has a pretty good future if given a chance. I'm thinking the premise it was founded on 100+ years ago is just as valid today as it was back then. But then that might be a bit too much doom and gloom for the more modern sophisticated world in which we live.

@@eagle77 You really have to do better about editing your typos, it's supposed to read: "...full trying to ruin our country."

Revolutionary moments attract those who are not good enough for established institutions as well as those who are too good for them. -- George Bernard Shaw So where are we headed with the revolution? And where did the adventure go? Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -- Mark Twain Along with losing our way in the American Dream, have we also lost our way in the world of Scouting? If your biggest dream today is anticipating the new release of the next generation of WII, X-Box or Play-Station, you really have to work on your dreams.

What a buzz kill... His name is Hiram Ulysses Grant. Dad called him Ulysses because it sounded like Useless which as a boy he was quite lazy. Wasn't much as a farmer so his dad sought him an appointment at West Point through a family friend who was a senator from Ohio. Senator signed him up but knew him as Ulysses which the family called him and didn't have a middle name so he used Simpson which was his mother's maiden name. When Hiram got to West Point there was no appointment in his name but they said if he wished to go to West Point he would need to change his name to that which was on the paperwork. So he did. He came really close to not taking he appointment, but at the last minute accepted the change in name. Who would have thought that the day he showed up to West Point things could have gone very differently for our country. So it was kinda important...