AntelopeDud

Our council has what's called "Gold Card Units" in which they offer free Rank advancement patches for units that increase in numbers by at least one. The new Centenneal Quality Unit designation looks for the same thing. I absolutely despise this requirement because it causes units to use the many tactics at their disposal to pad rosters. Even the best of units are going to have down years. If not, we'd have unit all over the Country without facilities to properly house them all. Almost all Cub Scout COs are going to experinece up and down periods, and local Boy Scout Troops are going to see the same thing as cross-over numbers go up and down. -AD

OK Mythbusters, help me with this one. Our Troop has parents that on a somewhat regular basis (about every other month) accompany the Troop on monthly campouts. Several of them have never registered as Adult Leaders even though we have asked them to consider it. As a Committee Chairman, I often wonder if we should require them to register for that extra layer of legal protection in case something happens to them while they are on a campout with us. Is there any validity to requireing adults to register if they will be on 2 or more campout per year with our Troop, or even if they plan on camping out at all. Several summer camp properties require that leaders in attendance be registered Scouters. My council has never given me a straight answer on the liability exposure of an adult that is not registered. Any thoughts? -AD

This is always a tough one to answer. I absolutely despise camping in extreme cold conditions, but I know how to do it and so do the youth of our Troop. I am a Committee Chairman and I would pull the plug on an event if travel conditions were such that it was dangerous to get there or get home. Conditions on the ground is something that the boys should be ready for and there should be provisions made in case an inexperienced Scout does come unprepared. It's alway up to the Scout and his parents whether they decide to participate in a Troop campout. Also, I think the Scoutmaster and PLC should work together to make an appropriate decision. I guess it's sort of up to the unit and the Scout within that unit. IMO, the council should go ahead with the event as long as travel is safe. For those that want to brave the cold and make it through the event, it shouldn't be up to the council to take that away from them. It's the unit's responsibility to see that they are prepared. Once an event is scheduled and plans made, it's very difficult to refund money to participants, especially if the Council has to take a hit for it. Trips like this are ones that stay with the Scout forever. They don't forget these.

I would have to agree with Semper. Every Troop is different and picking the right Troop that fits you and your sone is a very important decision. I commend you for taking the time and visiting Troops. So often, you have these Packs and Troops out of the same CO and it doesn't really occur to someone to know that there are other Troops out there. Keep on searching, and get involved. Adult leadership is essential in seeing that a boy-led Troop succeeds. Adults come and go just as Scouts do, so the personality of a Troop will change. If there is something you don't like in the Troop that you choose, find out why and promote improvement.

When I was a Webelos Den Leader, a majority of the committe consisted of parents of my Webelos (or cubs in earlier years). We really worked our tails off and every year, the committee kept getting smaller and smaller as the years wen ton and parents of the older kids left. When our kids were Webelos IIs, we saw the potential storm on the horizon of all the active adult leaders moving on to Boy Scouts leaving a Pack to dissolve if we didn't start recruiting. We decided to have a Scout outing in a neighborhood pool with lifeguards. We decided to have a committee meeting at the pool party to go over issues, but more importantly, to explain to parents that are at meeting but don't do anything that we need help with certain manageable tasks. It actually worked and we recruited some parents that became regular. It turns out that as our committee dwindled in size, the parents saw what all that we were doing and were fearful of committing to help becuase it looked like alot of time to dedicate. We just asked them to handle certain things, like one to organize the Blue and Gold and one to organize the Pinewood Derby, etc. Before we knew it, a committee formed.

Hello Scouters, This is my first post to this forum. I look forward to some good dicussions with some obviously quality folks. In our district, we are doing something a little different with our Cub-Scout day camp. We are going to separate the Webelos from the Cubs and have a separate program that is a bit more age-appropriate for them. The thought is to keep the Webelos interested in Scouting and to give the younger cubs something to look forward to as they grow in Cub Scouts. Has anyone ever had experience doing this? I would love suggestions and tips. I am the Program Director for the Webelos and would love input.