ASM59

How about actually encouraging each scout to sew on his own patches? In November of last year, I became upset at the number of scouts that were wearing old rank and position patches. I asked the PLC if theyd like to address this and come up with a solution. Their solution was that no one was allowed on our next outing or allowed rank advancement without having their uniform updated with at least their current rank. Well, it worked. Everyone showed up at the next outing with their current rank and position patches. One of our Star Scouts, however; had his patches stapled on! That night, he received a sewing lesson from one of our other ASMs and by the end of the weekend all of his stapled patches were neatly sewn in place. Just my thoughts, ASM59

One of the boys in our Troop is in desperate need of a larger Boy Scout uniform shirt (adult medium so he has room to grow). He wants to wear his uniform, but it is so tight and short on him that it barely goes past his belt. He is 13 years old and parents haven't the money available to buy a shirt at this time. I have had luck in the past in one of our local thrift stores finding used uniform shirts/pants but haven't been able to find any in the last year or so. My stock is dwindling (only a youth medium shirt and size 36 pants) and I'd like to help this lad out. Are there places (like on the internet) that resell BSA uniform shirts & pants? Does anyone have a shirt for trade/purchase (I'll pay shipping)? Thanks, ASM59

My camera takes AA size batteries. Standard alkaline batteries last for just a few pictures if using the display. I use Monster Rechargable batteries: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=5655855&type=product&id=1066095853137 I used one set of batteries up till Friday last year at Summer Camp when I finally had to put in a fresh set of batteries. I have used Energizer Rechargeables and they seem to work OK if you take them right out of the charger and use them immediately, but it seems that if the batteries are in your camera bag for a week that they loose most of their charge. This is not true of the Monster batteries, they work great and hold their charge for a long time. ASM59

Three things? Relationship, Relationship, Relationship I am a firm believer that youth of this age desperately seek relationships on many different levels outside of their immediate family. Relationship with their peers; this is where the Patrol Method comes in. Make sure the Patrol Method is working in your Troop. Make sure a trusted Guide or New Scout ASM is closely watching that the Patrol is not breaking down. Relationship with adults; Author, Wayne Rice is quoted as saying: Junior high students will gravitate to the oldest person who takes them seriously. Its so true. Students are looking for an adult who will listen and not laugh at them. Theyre asking, Who will believe I have something to say? So, take your Scouts seriously and treat them as real people, not just immature silly kids (OK, sometimes that's OK, but when they want to be taken seriously, give them your full attention). They will find in these relationships, that can be built through Scouting, that they have a sense of belonging and a sense that they are valued for who they are; which builds their self-confidence. Once they get to this point, real character development can take place, and they will stick with the program as long as it is within their power to do so. In fact, if you think about it all of the "eight methods" help in these areas of relationship and belonging. Just my take on this... ASM59

Bob, Yes, our official Troop policy is that if dues are more than 2 months past due, the Scout is not allowed on Troop activities. We have not been strictly enforcing this policy of late, because we have three boys who have genuine financial hardship in their families. Yes, to the point that a dollar or two a week is difficult. I am working on a way to help these boys earn some money to use toward dues and outing fees; the Troop has been paying their way on outings as well. I want to give the boys a sense that they have "earned" their way, rather than have them feel they've gotten a free ride. ASM59

AwHeck It's interesting that you caught on to that line in my original post. If you read on, in the post you'll see that Mom is driving this whole thing so it'll get done. I have since had a discussion with this young man and his mother. I explained to both of them that I would really like to see him back in the driver's seat and taking some of the responsibility for seeing that this all takes place. He was quite receptive and seemed to understand. Now for an update: I just found out from our local Council Advancement person that none of his records have been transfered. I learned in my discussions with his mother that Scouting was something that he and his Dad did together from the time he was a Tiger Scout. He lost his Father to Cancer about a year before they moved here. They moved because his Mother married a man that had been transfered. So... He has had to adjust to losing his father, gaining a new step-father, leaving his friends, starting his first year of High School out of state, and continuing in Scouts without his father. I also learned just yesterday from his Mother that his perception of the time that he was Life rank was incorrect. He actually was Life for about a year in his old Troop as Senior Patrol Leader. Based on all this new information, I do not plan to hold him up any further. The only thing we need now is to get the "stuff" (Eagle Project Workbook, Letters of Reference, and other records) transfered from his old Council to ours. Thanks for all the comments. ASM59

Thanks for the feedback. My understanding was the same with regard to the time he has left to be active and hold a position; 1.5 months more. I also have had some sympathy and am not being as hard on him as others tend to want to be; some in the troop think that he needs to serve actively and in a position of responsibility for 6 months beginning any time he is ready. But, I'm ready to go to bat for him and will insist that the requirement states "6 months" not "6 consecutive months". I am still interested what other Troops consider being active. Do you have written guidelines or do you simply use your best judgement? ASM59

Hello, I really am hoping for some guidance. We have a Life Scout (16 yrs. old) that transferred from a Troop in another state. He was Life rank for 4.5 months before he moved and held a position of responsibility for the whole 4.5 months. He has been with our Troop for a little over one year now (15 months). When he first attended one of our meetings, he made it known that he was joining so he could finish his Eagle requirements and that all he had left was two merit badges. His Eagle Service Project and Letters of Recommendation were on file with his old Council office and have been transferred to our Council. His meeting attendance: He typically misses one or two meetings per month, without a phone call to let us know he will not be there. When he does come he is sometimes late and often leaves early without letting us know that he needs to leave. His Outing Attendance: He has not gone on any outings with our Troop. Three weeks ago, I wanted to discuss what I perceive to be a problem with this young man (attendance and holding a position of responsibility), but before I spoke, he announced that he is finished with his Merit Badges now and was ready for me to begin getting all his Eagle "stuff" together so he could advance. My questions: I know for certain that he has not finished requirement #4 (While a Life Scout, serve for 6 months in a position of responsibility). I told him that we need to come to an agreement about how to complete this requirement. Does he need to serve only for another 1.5 months or for a full 6 consecutive months? I question if he has completed requirement #1 (Be active ... for at least 6 months). I am sure he was active as a Life Scout in his old Troop for 4.5 months, so I think we can work around this one if we come to an agreement on requirement #4. What constitutes "active" for you in your Troops? What about showing Scout Spirit? I have many e-mails from this young mans mother stating that he is lacking in motivation to get his Eagle rank requirements finished and that she is pushing him to get it finished. I am always telling our Scouts that their meeting and outing attendance goes a long way in telling me about their Scout Spirit. Am I wrong to use this as a measure of Scout Spirit? I understand that there are other activities and obligations that require a Scout to miss, but we have always expected a phone call prior to missing a meeting for that absence to be excused. And not attending any Scout outings in 15 months seems a bit extreme for someone who is demonstrating Scout Spirit. Any comments are appreciated, ASM 59

Answering the question about how other Troops organize a WEBELOS/Troop campout: The Webelos should already be set up as a patrol (at least in name) and so we have them work as a patrol side-by-side with our Boy Scout patrols. We do assign a "guide" to the Webelos to help them (usually a volunteer that works well with younger boys). We also will talk to the Webelos Den leader to find an appropriate Activity Pin or two that the Webelos need to earn. Typically, some of our Boy Scouts will teach those activity pins to the Webelos. The sleeping arrangements have varied over the years, but the most common situation is that the Webelos adults sleep in tents near the Boy Scout leaders while the Webelos camp as a patrol with the other boys. Most times we have the Webelos come to our Boy Scout meeting prior to the actual outing to be involved in the planning. ASM59

I'll ditto Gags reply. I have had similar experiences with "cheap" knives. Some of them are not worth giving out. Some are positively dangerous. Take a look at them and make sure that they are constructed well enough so as not to be a danger. Is the knife blade a locking blade? If not be sure that the blade stays open and won't accidently close on the fingers of the one using it. One other problem with cheaper knives is the blade generally will not hold an edge, but that gives the scout lots of practice sharpening. Just my thoughts... ASM59

Eagle... In response to your questions; I am talking in general. On general campouts, we generally have the SPL and ASPL work with the patrol that they were originally a member of. I can see having a "senior patrol", but wonder if that would work in a Troop that has only one ASPL and therefore would have a senior patrol of two boys. Thanks for the input and keep the comments coming. ASM59

I have two questions that I'd like the members here to comment on: The first is based on two different opinions within the Adult leadership of our troop. Are the SPL and the ASPL to operate outside of a patrol (like a patrol unto themselves) or are they to operate as members of the other patrols? My other question comes from another post that I read recently, where a given troop has more than one ASPL. Is it alowed to have more than one ASPL? If so where is it documented that this is OK? Thanks, ASM59

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a debate that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Anarchist posted; "When did the "Scouts of our troop" metamorph into "I"?" OK, here we go... Our old Scoutmaster is the one that promised this Interpretive Brochure. He is a Junior High Science teacher and used to run the nature center at our local Council. He really has the ability to put this together with no trouble, but he left the Troop and has no interest in coming back to help with anything. I only found out about it because I am the one with friends on the board of the non-profit organization. The Scouts were committed to building the trail itself. They also intend to maintain the trail. I guess I feel responsible to make sure the brochure gets done, because it was promised. I do plan to involve the boys as suggested. In fact we are putting up new sign posts this November. We just need the brochure to go along with the signs. Thanks for all the suggestions, keep them coming. ASM59

Good day, The Scouts of our Troop have completed a nature trail for a non-profit organization in our area. One of our Scouts completed his Eagle service project by constructing the bridges for a couple of ravines along the trail. Our previous Scoutmaster had promised the members of this organization that the Troop would prepare an interpretive brochure for guests to take out on the trail. We had constructed sign posts that were to correspond with numbered descriptions in the brochure. This old Scoutmaster is gone now and is not available to come back to help. I am not well versed in the different types of vegetation. Sure I know an Oak from a Maple, but with regard to the different sub-types I haven't a clue. Also, I don't know where to start to put together an "interpretive brochure". Do any of you know where I can find a good resource to help us put together this brochure? Thanks, ASM59

I believe SWS is correct. He can join as a Webelos, but he should understand going in that it might be very difficult to get his Arrow of Light with the other boys (I am assuming they get their Arrow of Light and bridge over at B&G in February). I think it important to prepare him for that possibility so he is not disapointed. Just today, I found out about a boy who wants to join Boy Scouts with his friend when his friend bridges over to our Troop in February. He will be 11 years old in December, which means that he can join in February with no problem. I actually went on-line tonight to get the official wording of the joining requirements; "Be a boy who has completed the fifth grade and be at least 10 years old, or be 11 years old, or have earned the Arrow of Light Award and be at least 10 years old, and be under 18 years old."

Good Day, Since this thread has gone off in a totally new direction (as threads tend to do) Ill put in my 2 cents here. The real issue here is a change in societal thinking. Youd be hard pressed to find anyone who would make arguments against an association between Scouts and Schools 50 years ago. There has been a slow change that has infiltrated our society and the way we perceive matters such as this. This change in thinking has taken us to a place (I believe) where the framers of our Constitution never intended. It is supposed to be Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion. This new thinking is so pervasive that those with a more traditional understanding feel backed into a corner. Those who are a part of the new way of thinking seem to perceive the other side as a threat of some sort. Both sides are passionate about their understanding of the way it should be. In my opinion, this is why it is sometimes near impossible to have a civil exchange of ideas regarding these matters. I say this to encourage us all to take the high road and find a way to have a more civil exchange here and hope that we can exchange our thoughts and feelings without feeling the need for personal attacks. Thanks for reading my gripe. ASM59

Troop 59 will be there... Perhaps we'll run into each other. ASM59

Regarding the use of PTA, I am not sure this would work. One of the issues is that the School is refusing to allow Dens to meet at the School. I don't think the PTA could provide meeting places for Dens or Pack Nights. I know about "equal access" but the Pack doesn't seem to want to push their rights to meet in the School at this time. They need a Charter Organization that has a meeting room large enough to accomodate Pack Nights and Den Meetings (Some Dens will meet in homes of Den leaders, but some of the Den leaders do not have the space for meetings). There is only one church in town with a possible meeting room large enough for a pack night and other Pack events. I will also suggest the local VFW. Thanks for the suggestions. Any more suggestions are welcome. ASM59

Now I really wonder... Our Troop is Chartered with a local Park District. I would think that a Park District has a governmental association. Anyone out there whose Unit is affected by this I'd be interested in hearing from you. In the mean time I'll search the forums to see if I can find any information. ASM59

Thanks for the info OGE... I'll have to look into that. Perhaps the information that I received from my source at the Cub Pack was mistaken or misinformed. ASM59

Good Day, Our local Cub Pack, from which come many of our new Boy Scouts, has been notified that their Charter Organization is dropping the Pack. The Pack is scrambling to find a new CO with the help of our DE. The Charter Organization is our local elementary school. Their reason for dropping the Pack is the BSAs policy regarding the whole homosexuality issue. My point here is not to bring up the whole homosexual debate again but to simply ask, Are any of you aware of any other units being dropped by their Charter Organization because of this issue? ASM59

Try these links: (You may have to copy and paste them into your address bar, sometimes when I post links they are not clickable) http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/viewpub.jsp?index=2265 http://www.themapstore.biz/maps_us.htm http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/map_item.pl?data=/gmd370m/g3701m/g3701gm/gct00013/ca000110.sid&style=setlmap&itemLink=r?ammem/gmd:@field(NUMBER%2B@band(g3701gm%2Bgct00013))&title=The%2Bnational%2Batlas%2Bof%2Bthe%2BUnited%2BStates%2Bof%2BAmerica.%2B%2B-%2BForest%2BTypes Hope these helped, ASM59

CNYScouter, This was my suspicion, and why I asked the questions I did. My advice, be courteous and kind but stand firm in your conviction that things need to change. Our Troop was totally adult lead in the past; it is slowly changing in the right direction now. Its not that anyone was opposed to seeing a boy lead troop, but more that they didnt know how to take the adult lead troop and change it. It became easier to just keep it adult lead. After hanging out in these forums for a while, I began to see how to begin making the necessary changes. My dropping hints and suggestions (learned in these forums) have slowly helped to turn our Troop in a new direction. Our adults now see how this can work and at our last Court of Honor, our SM was proud to announce the improvements in this area. Big ships have relatively small rudders, but those rudders are what turn the ship. It may take time, but stay firm. Keep dropping little helpful hints. Attend Committee meetings and make suggestions that MBs be offered at other times and encourage PLC meetings with real planning by the boys. You should be able to offer your opinion without becoming a pain. If someone takes offense at you offering your opinion, its their problem. Just my 2 cents . . . ASM59

Hello, Last year at Summer Camp there was a Troop there that quickly became known among other campers as "The Perfect Scout Troop". They were quick to judge others and equally quick to "toot" their own horn. For example, at SPL meetings, their SPL was critical of other troops because His troop has walked by the same garbage on the trail for 2 days and he could not understand why all the other troops allow their scouts to walk the trails without picking up the garbage. See the hypocrisy, so did the other boys at camp. The adult leaders in this troop were equally arrogant. Anyway, this troops attitude prompted a few of our more creative scouts to come up with a new skit; The Perfect Scout Troop. It would be like watching a Leave it to Beaver / Brady Bunch television show; Golly gee Mr. Scoutmaster sir I guess I should really be more careful when I open my knife, I suppose youll want to cut a corner off of my Totin Chip, let me get it for you. We wouldnt let them try the skit out last year because we felt others around the camp would think they were making fun of the other troop, when in reality this troop simply inspired them to come up with the skit. This year, other adults again thought it best not to do the skit. The boys were very disappointed as they had fine tuned the skit all year. ASM59