KoreaScouter

Summer camp is like a Leatherman -- it's a tool with many uses. For first year Scouts, it's a tremendous growth experience and an opportunity to complete many advancement requirements (if planned and executed properly). For experienced Scouts, it's an opportunity to earn Merit Badges with the leverage of council resources their Troop either can't or doesn't maintain. For older Scouts, it's an opportunity to serve on staff and experience this at a completely different level. Not all-inclusive, but you get my point. Summer camp's not outrageously expensive, but it isn't cheap either. And, we're competing with sports camps, band camps, science camps., etc., that all promise specific deliverables to parents. You know, "...at the end of the week, your child will be able to XXX, and will have XXX." They expect, reasonably or not, the same thing from us. We have to be responsive to parents; they're loaning us their sons, after all. And, just as importantly, we have to be responsive to what the Scouts want from their camp experience -- it's their camp. If they want to earn badges, or if they want to swim all week, or fish all week, or just spend a week away from home, laying in the shade of a tree and watching clouds roll by, all those should be okay. One key in my opinion is making sure there's no misunderstandings between the Scouts, their parents, and the leaders about what the Scout wants to get out of his experience, his parents want him to get, and what the camp can deliver. I don't think summer camp, on its face, forces a dilemma when it comes to the patrol method. Granted, Scouts will be going in different directions at different times. But, there are times every day when all the Scouts are in their Troop and patrol camp sites at the same time. The patrol method can be used and reinforced through rosters, details, musters/assemblies, ceremonies, cooking/eating, patrol meetings, etc. Leaders, use imagination. Like many of you, I've also seen summer camps at which MB counselors were hastily pressed into service, unprepared. Or, the program could have been better planned. Or, the meal arrangements could have been better. Frustrating, yes, but all can be compensated for. And, remember, the lads are very resilient and tolerant of human mistakes, as long as they still believe we care. KS

Have you ever tried the one, can't remember the name, where you set obstacles in a random pattern in a room, put the Scouts in buddy pairs, blindfold one, and the other has to verbally guide him through the obstacles without touching one. Then, they switch roles. KS

Bob's 100% correct, and we've debated this before. I learned this the hard way early in my SM tenure, and realized that the only "quality assurance" check the unit gets in the MB process is when the Scout goes to the SM for the blue card, and the SM assigns a counselor. I pay particular attention to that step, because I know we have to live with the results, whatever they are. KS

Glenn originally asked two questions. The first one, regarding when adults have to be registered, was asked in the context of parents attending committee meetings, then expanded in a later post to say that parents in attendance participated in discussions and motions. I know many unit committees, including those I've been associated with, follow a parliamentary "Robert's Rules of Order" model of sorts, in which committee members vote on things, with a majority rule. I've been back and forth through the Troop Committee Guidebook, and can't find anything that mandates or even encourages this practice. All I see is that the committee chairman is in charge, and can direct the committee members as he sees fit. Unless I missed something, voting isn't required as far as BSA is concerned. If that's the case, any parent at a committee meeting can participate without being registered. I've never understood the "you're not registered, so you have to be quiet at the meetings" mentality. DS, I've used the same rationale to get people registered; you know, "...you're at every meeting/outing anyway. Why not register and make it official?" KS

Hmmm, Curtis F. Jones. Is that the same Curtis F. Jones who is anti-Israel to the point of asserting that the territory of Palestine includes Israel as it currently exists, plus the West Bank and Gaza? Check the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs web site or just "google" his name. Hardly an objective source, especially as it applies to our staunchest ally in the Middle East. Congress appropriates funds, not the President. Exactly which of your civil liberties has been stripped away? This discourse is getting almost to the "sandwich-board-on-the-street-corner" level. KS

This reminds me of a freshman poly-sci class; thanks for taking me back to those undergrad days when idealism was unfettered by reality. As long as we're pulling dictionaries off the bookshelf, those with short memories should pull an encyclopedia off the shelf, too, and read about the 12 years of FDR's administration before equating any other administration, Republican or Democrat, with fascist tendencies. Again, by the definition, it comes closest to the bulls-eye. I've taken two transoceanic flights in the last three months, with another one this weekend. I've been scanned, poked, prodded, been searched, and had the TSA hand-search my checked luggage (hope those critters are wearing gloves, I routinely put my dirty workout clothes right on top). I'll gladly go through that and more if it will help prevent what all 280 million of us witnessed two years ago. The 4th Amendment guarantees you will be secure from unreasonable search and seizure. The key word is unreasonable. Reasonable people can disagree on what's reasonable and what isn't. But bear in mind, the 4th Amendment was a direct response to and result of Her Majesty's soldiers doing the first home invasions in American history, looking for any evidence that the occupant wasn't a Loyalist. The difference here is that the Massachusetts colonists didn't have a choice, but if you don't want to submit to airport security, don't go to the airport. Tyrrany at the gate? No, the TSA's at the gate, but unfortunately for us, Mohammed Atta and 18 of his best buddies were there first. All things considered, I'll take the former. KS

You have a leg up since you've been with the Troop; they know you and you know them. That said, it will be a remarkable coincidence if you do everything or approach the job the same way your predecessor did. For most if not all of your Scouts, your predecessor is the only SM they've ever known. And, a lad's SM is a big figure in his life -- now he's gone. Expect some anxiety over this, no matter how seamless and non-turbulent this transition is. Give them time to get accustomed to your style; don't force things and most of all, don't try to accomodate others' feelings by trying to morph yourself into something you're not. As Shakespeare said; "...to thine own self be true..." Good luck. KS

All activities should be open to all parents, just like the "Information for Parents" part of the youth registration form says. That would open the door to parents attending committee meetings. I don't think it's necessary, or even desirable, for a unit to insist on registration of every parent who's doing a smidgen more than drop-off/pick-up. For one thing, it artificially inflates the roster of adult leaders, because most will not be actively involved. It places a greater training burden on the committee, too. Also, with proper YP practices in place, you shouldn't have to register everybody just to keep the lads safe. As far as benefits to registration, there is one huge one, and that is that by signing the application, the adult is promising to act according to the Scout Oath and Law. Without registration, you may hope for it, but you have no real leverage. KS

False dilemma. If your political conscience points you toward an independent, third party, or fringe candidate, you have every right to cast your vote that way. One has to understand, however, that in a two-party system, voting for candidates outside one of the two parties may make you feel better, but probably won't give you the end-state you want. Monolithic, homogenous, and somewhat predictable? Perhaps, but I'd rather have it this way than in an Italy or Israel, to name just a couple countries with multi-party systems where nothing seems to get done. LV, if you meant "penchant for fascism", as I read the dictionary definitions, the only administration I can think of that came even close in recent memory is FDR's...a Democrat. The assumption by liberals that only they know what's best for the individual becuase they're smarter than the individual, and they'll compel it according to their model, is the very essence of condescension. Their utterances, written and spoken, consistently reveal it. KS

There's other fallout from this mad cow thing. I was a blood donor all my adult life, and with a rare (and universal) blood type, I was in high demand as a donor. However, since I lived in Europe between 1993 and 1996 (mad cow gestation period), I am disqualified for life from donating blood. Thousands more like me, too. While we're at it, what are the cows mad about anyway? I had a cow pasture right next to my house in the Netherlands, and they always seemed so serene, without a care in the world... KS

I'm reminded of a 1970's piece entitled "The Americans", by Canadian newsmen. I'll paste in the text below; introduction is by a web site author... KS _____________________________________________________ DEAR KENNETH: The recording to which you refer is The Americans, written by legendary Canadian broadcaster, Gordon Sinclair, and originally broadcast June 5, 1973 on his Let's Be Personal radio program (CFRB, Toronto, Ontario). Near the end of '73, Byron MacGregor, a CKLW (Windsor-Detroit) newsman, had his recitation of Sinclair's editorial out on record (Westbound 222). In no time, it made the American Top 5. For the record, The Americans has nothing to do with Viet Nam. Though some of the text is as true and appropriate today as 28 years ago, other portions are no longer accurate. Here it is: The United States dollar took another pounding on German, French, and British Exchanges this morning, hitting the lowest point ever known in West Germany. It has declined there by 41% since 1971, and this Canadian thinks it's time to speak up for the Americans, as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth. As long as 60 years ago when I first started to read newspapers, I read of floods on the Yellow River and the Yangtse. Who rushed in with men and money to help? The Americans did. They have helped control floods on the Nile, the Amazon, the Ganges, and the Niger. Today, the rich bottom land of the Mississippi is under water, and no foreign land has sent a dollar to help. Germany, Japan, and to a lesser extent Britain and Italy, were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars, and forgave other billions in debts. None of those countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States. When the franc was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it. When distant cities are hit by earthquakes, it is the United States that hurries in to help. Managua Nicaragua is one of the most recent examples. So far this spring, 59 American communities have been flattened by tornadoes. Nobody has helped. The Marshall Plan, the Truman Policy, all pumped billions upon billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now, newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans. I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. C'mon, let's hear it! Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet? The Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas 10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all international lines, except Russia, fly American planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man, or woman, on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy and you will find men on the moon not once, but several times, and safely home again. You talk about scandals and the Americans put theirs right there in the store window for everybody to look at. Even the draft dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, most of them unless they are breaking Canadian laws are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home, to spend here. When the Americans get up from this bind, as they will, who could blame them if they said the hell with the rest of the world. Let someone else buy the Israel bonds. Let someone else build or repair foreign damns, or design foreign buildings that won't shake apart in earthquakes. When the railways of France, Germany, and India, were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke. I can name you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to the help other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake. Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who's damned tired of hearing them kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of these, but there are many smug, self-righteous Canadians. And finally, the American Red Cross was told at its 48th annual meeting in New Orleans, that was broke. This year's disasters have taken it all and nobody but nobody has helped.

Let me add my $.02: - There's no such thing as "too much coordination". Planning is great, and it's essential. But, without execution, it's just an exercise. Talk with your SM at least the day before a meeting or outing, to see if there are any loose ends or hiccups -- a day prior gives you time to adjust. Ditto with talking to your PLs beforehand; helps ensure your PLs remember what their patrols are responsible for. For anyone, it's a long time between the PLC and the last meeting of the program month -- help set them up for success, not failure. - Use all the tools at your disposal, especially the Troop Meeting Plans. - Use your ASPL to supervise the activities of the other appointed Troop youth leaders. Train them up, make sure they know what's expected of them, then follow up to make sure it's getting done. - At meetings and outings, use the PLs as leverage to keep things on schedule and the Scouts on task. Don't fall into the trap of trying to out-shout 30 Scouts, when you can be more effective directing four PLs instead. - Be early for everything. Takes a little more time out of your day, but will result in less stress in the long run -- consider it an investment. Good luck. KS

We did one and had the same problem. Ended up scanning actual rank badges at high resolution, blowing them up, and printing on a good color printer. KS

I won't count my trip home to Minneapolis and Detroit with the kids, since it's not Scouts-related by itself. However, a recurring theme during the trip was a great gift, and it is definitely Scouts-related in my opinion. Everywhere we went, especially the obligatory stop-ins with extended family members we haven't seen in four years, I was asked what I did to get the kids so well-mannered and even-tempered. Now, Mrs. KS and I do our best with them (okay, mostly Mrs. KS), but a huge part of the way they deal with others, each other, and situations they face is a direct benefit of their Scouting experiences. Naturally, I used those comments as teachable moments for them and to urge my sister to get her son into Scouting; who wouldn't? Maybe they'll turn out okay despite their old man. I did indulge myself a little bit, and bought a campaign hat at a military surplus store. Packing that thing so it wouldn't get beat up on the way back to Honolulu was a trick, but it survived okay. Watch out Scouts, my "costume" is now complete! KS

I'm a registered leader in both BSA and GSUSA. I've had some GSUSA training, but not comparable to the BSA training I've had. My daughter's a Junior, in her 2nd year; been with it since she was a Brownie. I've worked closely with GSUSA leaders for about four years, since we shared a building, coordinated schedules, deconflicted activities, borrowed each others' stuff, etc. I think the GSUSA image is better than the reality, and I happen to think that's exactly the opposite of BSA -- our reality is better than our image. - GS Troop-level finances are an imponderable to me. I don't understand why a GS troop has to zero out it's books at the end of a year, start over in September cash-poor, then try to spend cookie money any way you can in a frenzy in the springtime. I've seen this in three councils now, so I don't think it's anecdotal. - GS Troops have less of a community connection than BSA units do, because they aren't chartered to community organizations. Many areas don't know they have GS troops, or how to contact them, or where they meet, or anything else. We see them at cookie sales time. - GS Troops have a harder time finding leaders, in part because they aren't chartered to community organizations, etc., etc., etc. Another big reason is that a Troop Leader and her assistant, if she's lucky enough to have an active one, is really on her own without a CO and a Troop Committee -- more on that later. - Leadership opportunities are harder to get in GS Troops, in part because they're Balkanized by age. The best opportunity we've seen so far is the Junior Aide requirement, where Junior Girl Scouts help a Brownie Troop Leader with her Brownies. But, it's not optimal because it's only a few meetings. Result: Troop leaders (adults) do all the planning through Junior, and the bulk of the planning for cadets/seniors, too. Anecdotal exceptions. - Role modeling is tougher in GS, again because the Troops are Balkanized by age. The Brownies don't see the Cadets, the Juniors don't see the Seniors, etc. Or, perhaps more fairly, the opportunities for role modeling aren't built into the program or inherent as they are in BSA. In a previous council, we dragged our Juniors to a Gold Award ceremony in hopes of motivating and encouraging them by example. It went okay, but would have been a lot better if our girls knew the Seniors, or had seen them before or had some idea what they had to accomplish. I guarantee you, my first year Boy Scouts know what Life-to-Eagle means, what you have to do to earn it, and have spent time helping with an older Scout's Eagle project...no substitute for that. - Troop leaders operate independently; inconsistent program delivery, lots of administrivia rules, no "support networks", and no real oversight from the council (other than the rules). In the six years my daughter's been in Girl Scouting, I've only seen anyone above the local committee level at a meeting or activity where the girls are present, one time (a Thinking Day). What's wrong with that picture? - The distinctive separate programs with Brownie/Junior/Cadet/Senior GS means that a girl "starts from scratch" each time she moves from one program level to the next. I don't mind new uniforms, because they'd outgrow them anyway, but I don't appreciate the new books every couple years, or the fact that the program levels amount to a "do over". I'm not going to complain about not being completely trusted as a male leader in a GS environment. Frankly, there's enough creeps and neer-do-wells out there that they should be careful, and I'm glad they are. That said, I like the promise of what GS offers my daughter. I think she's better for having been active in it, even though she'd enjoy more of an outdoor program. She's enjoyed some years, hasn't enjoyed others, but always re-registers. I'm going to look specifically for Cadet and Senior Troops that will give her leadership opportunities. KS

You know, I've never been a Hillary Clinton fan, but I have to admit she was on to something with that "It takes a village" thing. If we want our kids (and I'm including Scouts in here) to internalize concepts of citizenship, government, geography, whatever, there has to be a universal "this is important" mindset among everybody who influences the kid. Parents, teachers, everybody. It's not enough for a MB counselor to ensure a Scout met the badge requirements. Lessons of citizenship need to soak in repeatedly. And again, when do we know if we were successful? When they're adults. While I'm on this rant, if it qualifies as one, let's not set an unrealistic expectation that Scouts have total recall of everything between the covers of their MB pamphlets, even the Eagle-required ones. What's reasonable? I don't know. Do the requirements expect Scouts to memorize and be able to regurgitate the requirements, months or years after completing the badge? I don't think so, and I sure hope not. I don't think that's what we're trying to accomplish. Sure, they'll know, off the cuff, more about camping, swimming, and first aid than environmental science and citizenship in the world. Mainly, because the former are bigger parts of their daily lives than the latter. Is that a bad thing? I have an MBA which I studied for, passed boards for, and have the sheepskin on the wall. But, if I had to solve a linear exponential smoothing problem today, I'd have to crack open the book and think about it for a minute. The same's probably true about any of us and our educational background or field of endeavor. Are we holding the lads to a different standard? KS

I'm reminded of a quote by Bernard Bailey: "When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it." Perhaps this would be an appropriate place to make reference to the Eagle Scout Challenge: Eagle Scout Challenge The foremost responsibility of an Eagle Scout is to live with honor. To an Eagle Scout, honor is the foundation of all character. He knows that "A Scout is trustworthy" is the very first point of the Scout Law for a good reason. An Eagle Scout lives honorably, not only because honor is important to him but because of the vital significance of the example he sets for other Scouts. Living honorably reflects credit on his home, his church, his troop, and his community. May the white of the Eagle badge remind you to always live with honor. The second obligation of an Eagle Scout is loyalty. A Scout is true to his family, Scout leaders, friends, school, and nation. His loyalty to his troop and brother Scouts makes him pitch in and carry his share of the load. All of these help to build the loyalty which means devotion to community, to country, to one's own ideals, and to God. Let the blue of the Eagle badge always inspire your loyalty. The third obligation of an Eagle Scout is to be courageous. Courage has always been a quality by which men measure themselves and others. To a Scout, bravery means not only the courage to face physical danger, but the determination to stand up for the right. Trusting in God, with faith in his fellowman, he looks forward to each day, seeking his share of the world's work to do. Let the red of the Eagle badge remind you always of courage. The fourth obligation of an Eagle Scout is to be cheerful. To remind the Eagle Scout to always wear a smile, the red, white, and blue ribbon is attached to the scroll of the Second Class Scout award, which has its ends turned up in a smile. The final responsibility of an Eagle Scout is service. The Eagle Scout extends a helping hand to those who still toil up Scouting's trail, just as others helped him in his climb to the Eagle. The performance of the daily Good Turn takes on a new meaning when he enters a more adult life of continuing service to others. The Eagle stands as protector of the weak and helpless. He aids and comforts the unfortunate and the oppressed. He upholds the rights of others while defending his own. He will always "Be Prepared" to put forth his best. You deserve much credit for having achieved Scouting's highest award. But wear your award with humility, ever mindful that the Eagle Scout is looked up to as an example. May the Scout Oath and the Scout Law be your guide for tomorrow and onward. BSA No. 58-900, This is distributed with Eagle Award packets KS

We did pack inspections before cold-wx camping in Korea -- not right before departure; takes too long and if somebody's missing something, we all wait. SPL and ASPL checked each other, then the PLs. PLs checked their patrols with the APLs. When the PLs told the SPL, and the SPL told me, that all were squared away, we were good to go. If anyone were missing something at the campsite, the SPL/PL had to make it right, with some of their own stuff if necessary. Taught attention to detail. There's good lists in the handbook, camping MB pamphlet, Fieldbook, and a wealth of resources on the Internet, too. Look at all of them, come up with a hybrid check list, and use it... KS

I have several packs, a mixture of internal and external. All other things being equal, I like the externals because they generally come with more external "stash" pockets than the internals do, and makes it easier to keep gear organized and accessible on a longer event. If you can, go to a local retail outlet and check it out before you order. A 5500 cubic inch pack can hold enough gear to easily bust the seams. Make sure it's well put together, especially at stress points. Compare the construction with the most expensive backpack you can find in the store, and see how they match up. Jansport may make great backpacking gear, but I've always thought of them as making bookbags for middle school students (and not the greatest ones, either -- the bags, not the students). Might just be ignorance on my part. KS

OGE's right on the money, of course. If every Scout were cut from the same template, you could set a minimum age. They're not, so you can't. One of the greatest things about Scouting is one of the promises we make up front; that is, that you're competing only with yourself -- let's screw that up and call it a good thing, shall we? It reminds me of the endless formation runs I've done, when the guys who normally run faster than the guidon-bearer are all cramped up by the end, because they've had to hold themselves back. I, too, would be interested in knowing how one enforces a 17-and-up policy at the unit level, for the same reason I slow down to observe the cleanup efforts at a traffic accident...for the forensics. If I were a leader in such a unit, I would expect to get many more requests for transfer forms than Eagle Project Workbooks... KS

The holiday bags that you can seal at the top were made for us. Mrs. KS gets very frustrated with me. She will align the paper so that where it overlaps, the pattern matches up like you were hanging wallpaper or something. I, on the other hand, will not even fold under that serrated edge, so it shows. She'll let me get away with it if it's a gift for the kids or Maxwell the Wonder Dog, but not if it's going out of the house. You asked: Why don't the paper and box manufacturers get together on their respective product dimensions? Great question, and when we can answer that, we can answer why hot dog makers and bun makers don't get together on how many of each to put in their packages... KS

DS: I remember seeing on CNN or Fox, I can't remember which, right after the full combat phase in Iraq was over, in one of the southern cities, a "how's it going" type story. Among the scenes they showed was about ten seconds of a very young soldier on the hood of his HMMWV, with about 20 Iraqi kids in a semi-circle in front of the HMMWV. He's leading them in one of those "keep -em busy while we find the soccer balls" songs. Through the reporter's voice-over, it sure sounded like "Robert Baden-Powell had many Scouts, and many Scouts had Robert Baden-Powell...". Only one place he could have learned that, and it proves your point... KS

As they say, "timing is everything". I took mini-me to his first Troop meeting here, with him in full regalia of course, and me in shorts and an Aloha shirt. I'd called ahead of time for directions, but didn't say I'd been a registered leader previously. After giving his transfer paperwork to the CC, shaking hands with the SM, and handing him off to his new SPL, I backed into a corner to meet some other parents, mind my own business, and watch. That lasted ten minutes, then the CC and SM came up to me as skill instruction was getting underway. Seems they were about to carve a Venture crew out of the Troop, the SM was going with it, they needed a replacement, and would I volunteer? Well, what are you going to say, "no"? Turns out, the properly filled-in transfer form, with the TroopMaster IHR, with the $1.00 transfer fee and the boy's current registration card paper-clipped to it, was an unintended tipoff that this wasn't my first rodeo. Curses, foiled again, as Snidely Whiplash would have said! The heroes are surrounded by sand and bad guys, not mango trees and friendly natives like I am. I've been in places and situations like that, but I ain't now. The most dangerous thing I do here every day is merge into the H-1. Rocky Baragona was a hero -- he was a friend and coworker who got killed in Iraq last spring. And today, I learned that an intel officer I work with closely here is leaving tomorrow night for four months in Baghdad. This guy is a walking encyclopedia of all things related to terrorism in the Pacific -- I'm going to miss him professionally and personally, and I hope only temporarily. KS

I've not seen it done that way. My Scouts have always gotten the counselor's name and contact info from me. Am I "micro-managing" this? KS

The only reason I can think of for a District/Council to limit the number of MBs an individual Counselor is listed for, is if Scouts are getting "virtual busy signals" when assigned to them (sorry I'm too busy, sorry I'm too busy, sorry I'm too busy). Even at that, I think the the real solution to that problem is not limiting badges, but recruiting more counselors. I also encourage Scouts to borrow the pamphlet, or for some MBs (camping, cooking, first aid, e-prep, orienteering, for example) buy the book so you have your own copy for life. BSA requirements may change, but arterial bleeding will always be arterial bleeding, and those references will serve them way after they've completed the MB, and after their Boy Scout tenure is over, for that matter. As a former MB counselor, I also encourage them to download and use the worksheets from the internet -- really helps a Scout organize his notes and helps him and the counselor review the academic requirements. I don't get overly excited if a counselor has the former edition of the pamphlet, as long as he's using the current requirements. Scoutldr; when you say the Scout has to "find the counselor", you mean that he has to initiate contact with the counselor after the SM assigns one from the District/Council/Troop list, right? KS