Aquila calva

You have a lot of good experience as a leader already. Now you are in a position to lead and inspire others to be great leaders, too. Putting together a troop calendar is a group effort. The more the Scouts can do on their own the better. If the SM can work with the SPL and PLC to do the whole thing from scratch that will be great. If the secretary (Scribe) of the PLC can keep the calendar updated, and bring copies to every PLC meeting, and then update it after the meeting, fantastic! The same calendar needs to be reviewed at the troop committee meeting so appropriate adult leadership can be planned, funding can be reviewed, etc. Another thing I found to be really helpful when working with the troop committee is to always type up an agenda for every meeting, listing all the adult committee positions. Everyone who has accepted a position on the committee comes to every meeting knowing they will be acknowledged for their respective agenda item. They can report or not, but the members will have a chance to report to the rest of the committee. Everyone will quickly discover who the workers are. Work by consensus as much as possible. We only vote on things if it involves spending a significant amount of the troop's money. It works well. A 40-member troop will have five or six patrols. This is getting to be a large troop. Our normal summer camp campsites usually have tents and cots for 32 Scouts and leaders. Forty Scouts, plus adults, is getting large. Your troop will need a lot of active well-trained adults and well-trained Scouts.(This message has been edited by aquila calva)(This message has been edited by aquila calva)

Hello Bronco, You already have a lot of good advice above. Recruit as much adult leader help as you possibly can. See the Troop Committee Guidebook for the necessary committee positions. Since you were a Pack CC you may already be familiar with these positions. In addition to getting on the same page with your Scoutmaster (who will handle the program with the PLC) and your Chartered Organization Rep. (who is the representative of the owner of the troop) your next best friend on the troop committee will need to be the treasurer. Make sure the troops financial management is in order. Check signers should be you and the treasurer. (Some troops also include the Scoutmaster, but I think this is not a good idea in most medium to large troops. It may be necessary in small troops.) Make sure the bank accounts are all set up properly according to policies of your Chartered Organization. When reviewing the bank accounts take off any check-signers who are no longer active in the troop. Sometimes, it could be best to close the old accounts and open new checking/savings accounts to be sure there are no old blank checks floating around (yes this happened to me years ago and the banker said lets close the old accounts and open new accounts for your group). Make sure the treasurer provides a detailed financial report to the committee every month. At the beginning of your tenure as CC, you should at least audit the books yourself so you feel comfortable with the existing accounts. Be prepared to recruit a new treasurer, if necessary. Put together a troop calendar for the next year (the troop secretary can help with this). Put on this calendar the troop meeting dates, Roundtable dates, school holidays, all the District and Council activities your troop may participate in, the dates for next summers long-term camp, and any high adventure trip dates that have already been planned. Add the dates for any money-earning projects your troop does such as popcorn and/or wreath sales. Include all the Council Order of the Arrow activities your Scouts and leaders my want to participate in. Talk with the SM about this calendar to be sure he is comfortable with it. Then give this to the SM, who will take it to the PLC. These program leaders should choose the dates for the monthly campouts and other troop activities such as lock-ins. Add all these camping dates to the calendar. Specific camps and activities can be added during upcoming meetings of the PLC. It is important for Scout families to at least know the dates well in advance. (There are a lot of school and sports activities to consider, too, in our all-to-busy lives.) It is the committees responsibility to be sure all the troop activities (campouts, lock-ins, etc) have the necessary adult leadership. These adult leaders need all the necessary training to help conduct the program activities (follow two-deep leadership, transportation requirements, etc.) All the committee members should be trained with Troop Committee Challenge and all the adult program leaders (SM and ASMs) MUST be trained in Youth Protection (now required in order to register as an adult leader). Over the next couple of years get as much Scout training as you possibly can. Sign up for Wood Badge as soon as you can. Have fun with your sons (and Venturing daughters) in Scouting. They are the reasons for your work. Best wishes for the New Year!!

I can see it both ways, but I think the new Eagle is a boy who would eagerly share the light. His parents feel it should be all about him. Sounds like everyone needs resources. Email the scout and parents with this link and say have a great time planning the ECOH. Let me know the date and time, if you would like me to speak, and let me know if I can bring a salad. http://www.eaglescout.org/finale/coh/coh.html Go ahead with the date YOUR TROOP has selected for the troop court of honor and let the new Eagle and his parents decide on another date and time for the ECOH.

Some things need to go away. The pinky handshake was one of them. When I was a youth in Scouting in the 60s I thought it was weird. Good riddance. Would anyone like some good Dutch apple crisp? I grew the apples myself. Have fun scouting. (This thread made me laugh!)

Our troops seven weekend campouts average $21 per scout. This includes $11 for food and $10 camping fee. Our Council camps charge a $5 per person weekend fee (youth and adult), plus the price of the campsite or cabin and these fees can range from $0 to $150 for a weekend. Sometimes any deficit is paid from the troop account and sometimes there is a surplus contribution to the troop account. The biggest variable is the number of scouts attending each weekend event. It averages out over the year. We like to get the scouts a patch for the weekend campout and these can cost $2 each. It is tight budgeting. We can adjust the cost per scout each month if we know there will be a substantial variation from the normal $21.

11/8/2009 This is an interesting exercise. Following is what it will cost an active 14-year-old to be in Scouting in our troop this year: $ 80.00 Annual dues (includes registration, Boys Life, T-shirt, annual picnic, troop equipment, training, patches) $ 226.00 Summer camp 2010 $ 147.00 Seven weekend troop campouts at $21 each $ 82.00 Winter camping weekend including transportation $ 25.00 Lock-in $ 600.00 Northern Tier summer 2010, including transportation $ 100.00 Extra gear for high adventure $ 15.00 Order of the Arrow Lodge dues $ 25.00 OA Fall Conclave $ 18.00 Four (average?) merit badge books at $4.50 (rest from troop library) _________ $1318.00 Total If the Scout has outgrown his old uniform and gets the new one: $ 34.99 Supplex Nylon Shirt, short sleeve $ 49.99 New Switchbacks pants $ 10.99 Boy Scout Cotton belt _________ $1413.97 Total with uniform (plus patches and socks) Our Council and our troop offer camperships, but they are rarely used. Adult leaders pay their own annual registration fee and food expenses on campouts. Adults who drive to campouts usually pay their own gas expense. When a scout joins our troop they are given a neckerchief and slide. The Cub Pack they come from usually gives them a scout handbook. If not, the family buys it. Our troop has an active money earning program and it uses the Scout account system. The 27 scouts have plenty of opportunity to earn their way in Scouting. And the scouts are advancing and having fun.

Troop 1. Scoutmasters name is Fred. Scouts names are Andy, Bob, Erik, Greg, and Larry. Each Scout earns $100 in the fundraiser. Total $500. All goes into general fund. Committee decides to use the money to help pay for the Scoutmasters trip to the Philmont training center. Troop 2. Scoutmasters name is Lisa. Scouts names are Ajay, Evon, Fung, Lieng, and Yung. Each Scout earns $100 in the fundraiser. Total $500. All goes into Scout accounts. Committee decides to use the money to pay $100 towards each Scouts summer camp. Which committee are you on?

The subject of fundraising was featured in Scouting Magazine in November-December 2007. Here is the link: http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0711/a-projects.html#sbar2 See especially the section headed: Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due The first example includes the line: These Scout bucks can pay for uniforms, equipment, and activity fees. Here is the full text of this section of the article, but read the whole thing: Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due Units often make a portion of the funds from money-earning projects available to individual members by covering summer-camp fees or depositing money in special accounts for Scouting use. Doing so encourages higher participation and rewards those members who work harder. The details vary widely, however. Here are a few examples: - Pack 391, in Albany, Ore., gives Scout bucks to boys who participate in its can and bottle drives. These Scout bucks can pay for uniforms, equipment, and activity fees. - Proceeds from Troop 994s mulch sale go to the troop, and some level of participation is required from each family. Scouts who later help spread mulch split all the profits based on the hours they work. - Troop 474 reserves 15 percent of the profits from its flag project for its general fund. The other 85 percent goes into Scout accounts. - Profits from Pack 33s wreath sale all go into the packs general fund, which keeps dues low and allows for special purchases such as model-rocket kits for all the Scouts. - Troop 3 in Brookwood, Ala., manages three parking lots during University of Alabama football games. If a Scout (or his parent) works all eight games, his summer camp and an additional weeklong summer trip are paid for. Have fun Scouting!

It is hard to believe the moon walk was 40 years ago today. I was 18 years old and working in one of the trading posts selling cameras and film. I must have gotten off duty just in time to go to a nearby staff tent that had a small black and white TV set showing the astronauts on the moon. There I was in the middle of a huge field, surrounded by mountains, and I was watching someone walk on the moon. As I recall, the theme of the jamboree was Frontiers of Tomorrow. (Edit: I just looked it up. The Theme was "Building to Serve.") One of the stage shows featured the Up With People singing group. There were a couple of astronauts there, too. I also remember that Mrs. Baden-Powell attended this jamboree. Somewhere in my house I have a box full of souvenirs including many of the daily newspapers. It was a wonderful event!(This message has been edited by aquila calva)

In 2007 there were over 51,000 Scouts who earned Eagle. Could they be 51,000 trust fund kids? In Legacy of Honor one of the Eagle Scouts interviewed was current Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson. Hank has an additional 350 BILLION dollars in his back pocket to dole out. But he better get busy, he only has a few days left. Paying day laborers to complete an Eagle project could be good practice for the Eagles future. Then, again, how exactly has Hank demonstrated leadership in the current crisis? Maybe it will become apparent when he (and George) are long gone. (I hope so.) America (and Scouting) will figure it out. Back to the topic.

This is a Star Scout who thought he had become a Life Scout last July, nine or ten months before his 18th birthday. He may well have thought he had all the time he needed to earn Eagle. It seems clear that this troop has adult leadership challenges, and the scout needs some help with paying attention and planning ahead. This troop wasnt helping much with that effort. If the scout really wants to give it a try, he can take his story to the District Advancement Chair and perhaps to the District Chair. Make his case and see where it leads. He needs a one or two month extension on his POR requirement. This is not impossible, is it? He may need to find another troop, with a different SM, to help him get it all figured out. There are lots of ifs in this story that only someone close to the situation will be able to figure out. Let us know what happens.

Hal, See Scout Handbook requirements for Star and Life ranks, requirement 5. It is in parentheses. "(or carry out a Scoutmaster-assigned leadership project to help the troop)"

From the original post. -The scout will be 18 in April -He passed his scoutmaster conference last July for his Star rank Even if the scout had past his BOR the same day as his Scoutmaster conference in July, he still wouldn't have enough time as a Boy Scout to get to Eagle rank. Six months as a Star Scout to become Life plus six months as a Life Scout to earn Eagle. That time would put him into June or July of 2009. (This is repeating what Beavah wrote in his first post in this thread.) Unfortunate situation! BW said: He [the Scoutmaster] could easily have given him a leadership project to do over the next few months that could have resulted in a successful BOR in October and allowing the scout enough time to complete his Eagle requirements. He needed 12 months from the date of his Star BOR, not six months. Right? He didnt have enough time to finish Life and Eagle. To put it another way, a Scout needs to pass his Star BOR before (or possibly on) his 17th birthday. He needs at least 12 months as a Scout to earn Eagle.

Hi again. Here is the link to the Code of Conduct for the 2010 National Jamboree. Make copies of this for all your parents. You don't have to re-invent the wheel. http://www.bsajamboree.org/code-of-conduct.html

Code of Conduct in a Boy Scout Troop....before you start typing, or before you start copying and pasting from unknown internet sources.... Start with everyone in your troop, Scouts and Adults, knowing by memory, the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout Motto, Scout Slogan and the Outdoor Code. But don't stop there. All adults associated with the troop need to read the Boy Scout Handbook from cover to cover, including, but not limited to, the Parent Guide that is inserted at the front of every handbook. ALL ADULTS NEED TO READ THIS, SEVERAL TIMES IF NECESSARY, UNTIL THEY UNDERSTAND IT. Then all adults need to read, from cover to cover, the Troop Committee handbook, Scoutmasters handbook and the Guide to Safe Scouting. All adults need to go to the training sessions provided by their District and Council, including Fast Start, Basic Leader Training, Youth Protection, Troop Committee Challenge, Outdoor Training, Safe Swim Defense, and Safety Afloat. (If they are registered adults in Scouting they can do some of this training over the internet.) Then go to the internet and check out the sites for Philmont, Northern Tier, Sea Base, and the National Jamboree. These sites provide information about Codes of Conduct for these national programs. Here is a link to the Philmont website where they give information about Code of Conduct. Be sure to click on the policies and procedures link for more information. http://www.scouting.org/highadventure/philmont/hikers/a%20word%20about%20conduct.aspx When you make application to Philmont, Sea Base or the National Jamboree (for example), you are sent a packet of information that includes a Code of Conduct. Each participant needs to read and sign this Code of Conduct in order to participate in the program. Get copies of these nationally recognized Codes of Conduct and give a copy to each member of your committee and all your parents. Your eyes, and their eyers, will be opened. No need to write your own Code of Conduct. It has already been written. _____________________________________________________ Now a word to those of you who keep repeating this age-old saying that a troop needs only the Scout Oath and Scout Law as their Code of Conduct. If this were actually true, then why does the national BSA program department (or whoever it is) type up, print up and distribute these Codes of Conduct sheets that must be signed by every participant in these National programs? Also, as indicated in the above link to Philmont, it is an expectation that each crew develop their own Code of Conduct, and then, just to be sure, Philmont sends out a Code of Conduct that every participant is expected to sign and return. It is no wonder that new adults coming into the Scouting program, keep asking about Codes of Conduct. National staff needs to wrap their brains around this question and get the solution out to all units, so each unit does not need to go through the difficult and often divisive process of writing their own Code of Conduct. Some units are split in pieces over this issue. And it is completely unnecessary. Scouting Codes of Conduct are already written, but figuring out where to find them can be a challenge. Yes, start with the Scout Oath and Law, but don't stop there, National BSA doesn't, they have written lots more Codes of Conduct.