Stosh

Which would lead me to ask, what is it that the troop expectation is doing to put enough on him to burn him out after only 12 months? Now I only had an SPL for a couple of years, but he really enjoyed the position until he moved up to the PL position. We had a couple of PL's that served longer than a year. Is the SPL responsible for running the whole troop? That'll burn him out quickly. Even adult SM's have a cadre of ASM's that tag along. Are the ASPL's ineffective or just sitting around waiting for the SPL to not show up? Any position in scouting that burns the person out after only a year is not being utilized correctly.

Note Reader - reads from notes, but uses eye contact over the top of the papers, but keeps mouth covered. Otherwise, always turn around and read from the PowerPoint with back of head to the audience.

@@Cambridgeskip I have a question. I know the Brits have a tendency to drive on the "wrong" side of the road at times, but would you be so kind as to explain whether this canoeist is Yank going the wrong way, or a Brit that is a bit lost. With canoes, it is always difficult to tell if someone is coming or going, but sitting sideways like this makes that much more difficult to figure out what to put down on the ticket... I just thought that if this was one of your canoes, you could fill us in on the details. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-38788529?ocid=socialflow_facebook&ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbcnews&ns_source=facebook

Every one has their limits, sometimes it just isn't working anymore and it's time to move on. People know when they get there. I am still hanging in there, but I have considered other options for my life along the way.

The point I was trying to make was that age 12 I didn't have mommy and daddy having to hold my hand or give me a ride every time I had a schedule play date with my friends. And at 5:30 am, I didn't have Children's Protective Services knocking on my parent's door because some busybody wasn't minding their own business. It is as if today's society is forcing more and more young adults to stay in their parent's basement for fear some non-existent boogie man will snatch them away. Then one must ask if kids 50 years ago could hold down a job and shovel walks, rake leaves and mow lawns, why is it that scouts today aren't "mature enough" to be at certain scout activities because they aren't old enough. Maybe we are just as guilty as the next. If I could hold a job at age 12, some kid should be able to do a fairly decent job as PL in the NSP without some drill sergeant ASM watching over every move. When I was WDL working on my Woodbadge ticket back in 1993, my denner was a functional denner that operated as a PL and didn't just wear the denner cord that got rotated around so that everyone in the den would feel special.

Hmmmm.... I don't get that read. He is not running down BSA,just pointing out where there are those who have their heads in the sand. Ignoring the problems doesn't solve anything, nor does Pollyanna conversation. People who care and speak up are at least defining there is a problem. That's the first step in dealing with it. Enough heads in the game and maybe things can get better. If I didn't believe that I would not have spent the last few years on this forum.

I think those who grew up in certain ethnic areas understand the struggle. It makes one more sensitive to the situation and very difficult to break down the stereotypes. It is difficult to educate those who don't want to be.

Welcome to the forum @@4CouncilsScouter

Level 1 Conflict - "An adult leaders took the popcorn money from the troop." (Everyone knows what's going on and they can start to seek solutions.) Level 2 Conflict - "Troop #53 is having all kinds of financial problems." (Confuse the issue by not defining the problem, can't find a solution to a problem that can't be identified.) Level 3 Conflict - "ASM Smith is causing all kinds of problems over in Troop #53." (Add a little blame to the situation always helps...NOT!) Level 4 Conflict - "I see Troop #53 is back at it again with all the drama they seem to always have". (It's a game some players seem to enjoy. Game continues as long as everyone stays with it.) Level 5 Conflict - "Some of the people in Troop #53 are starting a new troop down the street." (DIVORCE, Game over, it's not fun anymore and someone's got to go!) Level 6 Conflict - "Those people over in the new troop over by Troop #53 aren't going to be happy until they steal ever member of Troop #53." (Jihad/Holy War, It ain't over until the other side is totally wiped out, even if we are wiped out in the process. The sad part of it all is only conflict at level #1 can be resolved. Level 2 can be resolved if clarified and taken back to level #1. Level 3 can be resolved if everyone realizes blaming someone does not do anything for resolving problems. Who started it isn't as important as who is going to stop it. Level 4 and above - unresolvable. It's a waste of time to try.

That's why I'm still in Scouting after 50+ years. One can't hold others accountable for their taking advantage of others, but the Scout Oath and Law mandate we hold ourselves accountable instead. That part we do have control over.

In the wee hours of every morning I would get up and put 12 miles on my bicycle all by myself. In the winter it was not yet light out. I was 12 years old and it was called a paper-route, those things that are done today by adults in cars. Again a society can fall apart in 50 years as being attested to now. Maybe it was because the 12 and 13 year old kids of 50 years ago were more mature and responsible than their counterparts of today.

The local tribes in our area seem to be more concerned about the operation of their many casinos than they do about their heritage. Things have changed a lot in the past 50 years.

I am a SM for a small troop 20 miles from where I live. I do a lot with the youth of my church congregation (just as much as I do for BSA troop) (30 miles from where I live) I do a lot with the American Red Cross, 2500+ hours a year, and so far 2 national disaster deployments as well. Why? BSA doesn't offer enough valuable opportunity to work and help the way other organizations do. My scouts are working on their advancement, having a great time learning valuable skills and maybe someday earn the rank of Eagle. My church youth group is planning out next year's mission garden that will supply fresh vegetables for the food pantry with enough supply of hearty winter squash to supplement the Salvation Army's cafeteria. In their spare time, they make lap quilts for the nursing home residents in the area. The scouts may think it's cool to eat MRE's on their weekend campout, but serving 150 MRE's in a hurricane shelter with no electricity is vital to the welfare of these people and can in no way be defined as "cool". So with all the hassle being expressed as a deal breaking heartache against the BSA, which one of these activities offers me the most personal satisfaction as it's reward? So, how critical is it when someone walks off with some troop's popcorn money? vs getting supplies to someone who has to shovel 2' of mud out of their living room? With all that needs to be done, is a 2 weekend of Scouting for Food really all that important in the needs of the greater good? Maybe we don't need to toss out the Oath and Law, just make a few changes such as "take care of ourselves at all times" instead of "help other people at all times" and A Scout is Helpful. Surely we can drop that charade of Duty to God, and A Scout is Reverent, too. Stop and think about it for a moment. Other than an Eagle project, when was the last time any unit did a fundraiser for someone other than themselves and their ISA? There's a reason why the BSA has lost it's luster.

As long as one meddles and makes trouble on behalf of the boys, I don't mind. Hmmm, no TG but a ASM for the NSP???? Sounds like a made up adult rule to me. Sorry I wouldn't last 5 minutes in a troop like this.

Better yet, dump the ASM and use a TG.

All my parents, leaders and committee people are YPT trained. They could step in and chaperone in a situation like this without any problem. Our council will teach a group of people YPT at any time, any place and we took an hour of training and coffee and knocked it out in a hour one evening. Welcome tot he forum!

Sorry, @@CalicoPenn but all the angels weeping in heaven aren't going to give you credit for it.

If I based my contacts with this world on the handful of immoral and unethical of this world, I would have become a hermit 40 years ago. Instead I chose to work with young adults to ward off that possibility for their lives and give them a chance at a better world one person at a time. Seriously, it's the only thing that keeps me going.

Oops, @@Respectful sorry, I missed it was your first post. Welcome to the forum and thanks for a good first post.

OA may think it okay NOT to wear war paint, but wearing a war bonnet is just fine. Won't be long before some activist will do a number on OA and that, too will become a thing of the past.

I would be happy if they issued round Totin' Chips..... One shot, no corners to cut, must have to simply tear the whole thing up.

All medical forms are scrutinized for medical issues and if the scout has a peanut allergy it would show up on the form. However, if the boy doesn't eat peanuts because he doesn't like peanuts, that is not a medical issue, might be a religious issue, or simply he just doesn't like peanuts all of which will not show up on his medical form. If dietary issues are not on a medical form, the abstinence of such food items could be religious or personal taste preference. I don't know and it makes no never mind. If Johnny isn't going to eat hotdogs on a campout, that's fine with me. I don't eat hotdogs either, and I'm not a vegetarian and I have no religious issues with them, and I'm not allergic to them, I just don't like them.

To answer the question directly. If the Beneficiary is happy and signs off, the project is completed. If anyone else wishes to second guess the Beneficiary they can do so but they do so without just cause.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Cake is always a sure winner. The Toll House Cookie is another name for chocolate chip cookie.

As @@TAHAWK says the "Troop" makes these decisions and the real rub comes from the fact that the unit adult scouters think they are part of the Troop. They are not. The troop consists of the boys. I have never heard of where the SPL is to run the troop and that includes directing the SM/ASM and Committee, i.e. the adults.