AvidSM

I support NYLT because I have seen SPLs and ASPLs return from it with a lot of good ideas and a lot of scout spirit. The boys that run NYLT in my Council love to sing, cheer and do all the rah-rah stuff. The Scoutmaster that leads the course gives them full reign and they don't disappoint. Does it teach management or leadership? I think a little of both. To me, management chooses the right people for the job, tasks them and gives them the tools and training they need. It's more about the process and less about the people. Leaders provide direction and motivation. They are less process orientated and more people driven. I'll use the example of the scouts assigned to clean up after their patrol's dinner. A Patrol leader uses mostly management skills to assign the task to a few of his patrol members, and lists their names on the duty roster. He reminds these boys that it is their job to clean up after dinner. Before his patrol left for the campout, he made sure his patrol box was not missing anything - wash tubs, soap, scrubbing pads, disinfectant, etc. He watches over them to see if they actually do the job. He inspects their work afterward. Very little leadership skills required, in this example. Now, lets use the same example, except one of the boys assigned to cleanup is sick in his tent and the patrol box is missing the cleaning tubs and there is no dish soap. Now that same patrol leader has to convince some other boy in his patrol to do cleanup. He has to be a leader and somehow get someone else to do something for the good of the patrol and that is not their job. He may do this by asking a favor, using his charisma, pleading, promising something in return, etc. Also, he has to improvise by finding some other containers to do cleanup in. He also has to talk to another patrol leader about using some of their dish soap, most likely in trade. Leadership is a dynamic, where as management is static. An assembly line is managed -it's a set of repetitive tasks that are profit motivated. A scout troop is lead - rarely do you do the same thing twice, in the same way and you have to be very creative in motivating the group.

To a person with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

I see nothing wrong with keeping track of each scout's advancement with a spreadsheet. I remember using the TroopMaster software to create reports on what each boy needed to do to get to the next rank. I even handed these out to each scout so they knew. Informing them on what they need to get to the next rank and asking them what their plans are to get these done is not pushing. Also, part of each Scoutmaster's Conference for advancement was to find out what the scout's plans were to achieve the next rank. You can't get every scout to achieve the Eagle rank, and yet you want to give them every opportunity to try if that's what they really want. You don't want them looking back at the scouting years regretting what they didn't do. You want them satisfied in the fact that they got as far as they could and had fun trying.

I have run two camporees on a naval base and have had water supplied by the military. They are required to chlorinate every time the tanks are filled. There is also a waiting time after the tanks are refilled and chlorinated so the water can be tested. That is why I alwasy made sure I had extra tanks from the start of the event. If the water at Jambo comes from a military tanker truck or trailer, it is most likely chlorinated. This may be the reason for the chemical taste, which doesn't help promote drinking plenty of water. Four gallons? Are they serious??

I've also been to the dinners where people get the higher awards and there is nothing substantial in the write up. One got the Silver Beaver for what appears to be for mowing the lawn at the scout camp. Either the write up was bad or this person really did not deserve the award. My approach to awards is the same wearing the BSA uniform properly. I tell my Scoutmasters, I am not the one to point out what is improper on your uniform. For example, I see some adults wearing their Wood Badge patrol patch below the American Flag. I tell them that they should know what is proper and set the example for all the boys to see. If a boy asks them, what is that knot for, they have to either make up a story or withhold the truth. Either way, it would not make me feel good inside to misrepresent myself like that. I take pride in what I do for scouting and don't I present a false image of myself, for any reason. For me, scouting is the one place where truth is not a victim.

What awards require sending a check to BSA national? I recieved the Scoutmaster's Award of Merit (SAM) over two years ago. The paperwork was submitted through my council office, but I am not aware of any check going along with it. The award says, "the PRESIDENT, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA Joins With the NATIONAL EAGLE SCOUT ASSOCIATION In Recognizing ..." So it was a BSA/NESA award. The Leader's Award of Merit replaces the SAM. It is not a BSA National nor a NESA award. It is approved by your Scout Executive and Council Commissioner or President. The form for this award can be found at http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-003_WB.pdf I know of one Scoutmaster that the MAD was submitted for in 2009 and they did not recieve it. I think they stopped processing the paperwork for this award before it was officially canceled early in 2010. These awards meant for recognition, but some like them for the "bling factor" - its all based on the honor system. I actually know of one scouter who turned down the Silver Beaver because he did not think he deserved it! To me, these awards are like memories of the good times and people I have had the pleasure to deal with in scouting. I look at each one and remember what I did to get it and who gave it to me. I find that most of the boys and adults I meet in scouting have no idea what the award knots mean on a uniform.

My guess is that the WBGT takes into account the amount of sunshine that may occur that day. An overcast, hot and humid day might not feel as hot due to the lack of direct solar radiation.

In my scouting position, I am constantly seeking ways to do things better. I feel I owe this to the people that report to me and to the youth that will ultimately benefit from my actions. No training - Basic, Wood Badge or otherwise - is as effective unless you have that attitude. A 360 review is a training tool - a means of self-assessment. It only works if the sender of the information is honest and sincere and, the receiver, humble. I don't agree with making it into a Wood Badge ticket or part of a ticket. Management tools have worked their way into scouter training, whether you like them or not. I guess it's because of the shift in America from blue-collar to white collar mentality. We are less a nation of factory workers and more service industries and high tech. Very little of my Wood Badge course was new to me - I had seen most of that stuff in my 20 years working for the Navy. I guess you can say it took some of the luster off of it. In the end, it was more an emotional that cerebral experience for me.

In the nutshell, the 360 review means that you ask "how am I doing" to everyone around you in your organization - your boss, your peers, your workers and your customers. For example, a Scoutmater would ask for feedback from the Troop Committee, the Assistant Scoutmasters, the youth leaders, Unit Commissioner, etc. To get this feedback, the Scoutmaster would come up with a list of questions. That's what pbiner was asking about, before Greenbar's ghost let out a howl by proxy. I've done a 360 review as a prerequisite for a "7-Habits" course at work. I have never done one in scouting - but I am always seeking feedback from those around me.

If the BSA went co-ed it would mean the end to the GSA. My wife is a GSA leader (was a girl scout and earned the Gold award) and she cant wait till my daughter ages out, because of the many changes that have been made to that program. As for asking Hispanic/Latinos, Asians and African Americans what they would want out of scouting, the BSA did just that in 2006. The results are reported in the BSA's 2006-2010 Strategic Plan Research report, #02-1058 (2007 Printing). In this report, Hispanic/Latino parents suggested: using sports stars, actors and authority figures in their community to promote scouting; advertising in Hispanic/Latino publications and Focusing on values taught through Scouting. I know that my council has recently hired a Latino DE. It would be interesting to see who other Councils are hiring. In my district, there are troops that backpack several times a year and there are others that hardly camp at all. It is well known amongst the Scoutmasters which troops are more patrol and outdoor orientated than the others. The Webelos II scouts and parents are encouraged to shop around and find the troop that fits them best. To change the program and training to promote less car camping and more "patrol adventures" would not affect some troops at all and would negatively affect the membership in others. Some boys (and their parents) need more structure and less camping. Returning Wood Badge training to the way it was is not going to change that. It won't convert the Webelos III's into boy scouts (they would drop out instead) and it won't draw more boys off the street to join scouting. We sell the current program as a "fun adventure", changing it to a "fun patrol adventure" is not going to get us any more boys. Back in 1972, the group of leaders that existed then, left the program and took their son's with them, in protest of it's urbanization. These leaders were the heart and soul of scouting and the same can be said for our current volunteers. They, like the group in 1972 have their breaking point and would certainly protest if something drastic is done to the program that they can't find a workaround for. Changing the program to a "patrol adventure" is a noble idea, but would be too drastic.

Since at least 2006, the BSA has known that in order to grow it has to reach out to families of mixed and other cultures. By reaching out, I mean making contact with the community leaders, using words that resonate with them and by highlighting the parts of the program they would see as beneficial to their youth's development. I don't see the BSA making any major changes to the program as it is today. I see Councils hiring a more diverse professional staff - Hispanics, Asians and African Americans - who can go out and make contact with these community leaders. This has already happened in my Council.

There lays a Scoutmaster's biggest challenge: how to run a good program while developing good youth leaders. If the program is below par, scouts don't want to participate in it and can't advance. If the adults take over running more of the program to improve its quality, the scouts don't get a chance to demonstrate leadership. It is a careful balancing act - something a good Scoutmaster learns to do in time. Because of the constant change in youth leaders, the PLC "team" is always stuck in a loop of all the stages of development. Constant training, guidance and advice from the Scoutmaster is key. The better the scoutmaster does his job, the more time is spent in the later stages. Boy Scouting is one program - you develop youth leaders while they deliver the program. Never slow down rank advancement - it is a disservice to the boys and is not allowed.

To say that Wood Badge for the 21st Century is the reason for the decline in membership in the BSA is nonsense. The numbers are down because the majority of boys are not interested in what the BSA has to offer. Boys are more interested in playing video games and Facebook than forming small groups to go camping. Most of the boys in scouting now are there because their parents want them out of the house. Most have dads who were in scouting and want their son's to experience what they did. I have noticed that these dads have a passion for scouting and are motivated to become adult leaders. Some were scouts in the same unit their son is in now. They all seem to know what scouting is all about: boy run, the outdoors, learning scoutcraft and working together as a team. Some get trained - most do not - yes, I know that's all going to change with mandatory training. How these dads (and moms) do things in their units is mostly influenced by tradition, not training. There are as many different ways to run a scout program as there are units out there. In all my visits, I have yet to see two meetings run the same. And, I have yet to see the same mix of activities on the same unit calendar. If training was such a strong influence on these adults, one would see more similarities than differences in the way the program is run in each unit. When it comes to training, people take from it what they see as useful to them. Most of what they learn about the program has come from actually doing it. They don't get trained first and then become leaders - it's the other way around. No Scoutmaster I know of has ever gone to Wood Badge within the first year of taking the position. Wood Badge isn't perfect - it's way too generic. But, I believe it serves a purpose to motivate people to turn their ideas into reality. It is also a good way to meet other more experienced leaders and it helps build scout spirit. As for the old vs. new course, a Scoutmaster is more likely to resolve a conflict between two people in his troop than to show a scout how to pitch a tent. The BSA wants to grow in numbers and will change the program and training to that end. What the volunteers actually do at the unit level is a whole other thing.

I have heard good things about NYLT from the scouter's whoose youth leaders have attended it. As I understand it, it teaches the EDGE method and is like a mini-Wood Badge Course. I know that there are scouters in my district who still teach the old Junior Leader Course at the troop level. I have showed them how TLT is run and even gave them my powerpoint slides that I used when I taught it. I also encourage them to send thier current or future SPL/ASPL's to NYLT. I tell them that NYLT will make more sense to them if they get TLT and not the old Junior Leader course. I guess, because it's my job, I tend to focus my time and energy on helping the adult leaders in my district make the program work at the unit level. Is NYLT OK? Was JLTC better? I really can't say.

I agree with Buffalo Skipper on this one. TLT needs to be taught at the troop level. There are some very troop-specific modules within TLT that teach the youth leaders where they fit into their own organization. TLT only sets the framework for how a scout should be lead. The real lessons are taught by actually doing their job in the troop. The Scoutmaster reinforces what the boy has learned by coaching and mentoring. I have taught TLT to scouts from two different troops. The other troop was not familiar with TLT and wanted to try it with us. We split into seperate groups when it made sense, for example the Stop-Start-Continue part of the course. A district should not be teaching a TLT-like course and a Council should only offer NYLT as a follow on to TLT. Any other course will not fit with well leadership-wise with TLT and send a confusing message to the scouts.

Some SM's tell their boys not to go for any MB's at the Jamboree and go for the activity station rockers instead. You can get merit badges anytime - you can only get the rockers while you are there.

I usually give an Eagle Scout keychain. They are sold at the Scout Shop and I think they are under $10.

The troop that I started scouting with has a set of written guidlines very similar to what you are proposing. I have also seen copies of other troop's guidlines, most of which are full of common sense thinking. It's a good idea for a unit to formalize these guidlines, especically fundraising, discipline and advancement. I have seen several units lose scouting families due to fundraising issues. Make sure that you guidlines are very clear about who gets what portion of the profit from which fundraisers. Discipline is a subject that a unit has to be clear on - when and how it is applied and who applies it. For a troop, some disciplinary actions can be handled by the youth leaders, others the Committee has to be involved. For this reason, each troop should have a Code of Conduct, adopted by the PLC. This document typically states that the Scout Oath and Law are the only rules. Most importantly, it lists the actions the PLC will take if the rules are broken. When it comes to advancement, a scout should recieve immediate recognition -but that does not always happen. A set of advancement guidlines should be clear on how Scoutmaster Conferences and Boards of Review are scheduled and held. Whatever your unit decides these guidlines to be, everyone should get a copy. That way, everyone understands how your unit operates.

I believe a person can take the online YP training without a membership ID number and get the certificate to print. I think the ID number is used to interface with ScoutNet. A new leader will need to include the printed certificate with their application in order to become registered as an adult in the BSA. As for navigating through the training module, it's not that hard, but there is a test you have to pass in order to get credit.

The BSA's Youth Protection Policy was like the 500 pound gorilla in the room, everyone knew it was there, but it was, for the most part, ignored. Up until now, only the leaders who's names were on the tour permit needed their on-line certification. I don't think many parents actually read the pamphlet included in each scout handbook or completed the exercises with their sons - even though they would say that they did in order for their son to join the troop. And, I dont know of many units in my district that show the videos, It Happened to Me or A Time to Tell. No adult I knew was comfortable showing them and no youth looked forward to viewing them. Now, at least for all registered adults, BSAs YPP cant be ignored. I dont think it will hold up many Charters - only the ones that need that adult to fill a mandatory position. What it will do is place the burden on the DE, whos job it is to get the units to fix Adult Applications that are missing something, such as a signature, D/A Form, SSN, etc. It will just be one more thing to look after. My DE will try a couple of times to get an adult application fixed by a unit, after that he just puts it aside. Then, the unit leaders wonder why the names of the new adults are not on the online roster when it is time to recharter.

The main purpose of roundtable is to be a support group for the unit leaders. You can have supplimental training there also, but is should not take more than one third of the meeting. It can't be a rehash of last months district emails and web site postings. It has to be a place where leaders can discuss the issues that are important to them and share information about what works program-wise. I don't blame leaders who don't attend roundtables that don't give them what they want. I'm not suprised by the other posts here that have been talking about low attendance. Most leaders want to know if what they are doing is OK and if any other leaders are going through the same thing they are. They want to hear how other leaders are dealing with these same issues. It is very similar to what we do here on this discussion group. The hard part is when you do give the leaders what they want and they still don't attend. The Commissioner running it has to reach out to these leaders and let them know the benefits of attending. He needs to develop friendships with these leaders so that they want to attend.

For the disks, I would use high density foam, as used to insulate a house. You can get boards of it from a hardware store - in my area, that would be Home Depot or Lowes. The foam comes in different colors and you can cut it and glue it together to make what ever shape and thickness you need.

I seems you took a good idea and made it even better! You are fortunate that you have a local park that will allow you to camp. You mentioned that your troop facilities were stretched to the limit. Did you run one program for the weekend with the Tenderfoots participating and the Webelos observing? Or, did you run a spearate program for the Webelos? How did you register the 30 Webelos for this year? Did you recruit from several local Packs? One last question - how big was your troop when you starting doing this in 2005?

Most volunteers that I know take pride in doing things "the right way" as opposed to "the wrong way". They seek out others with more experience and find out for themselves what the right way of doing things is. But what if the people being sought out are doing things the wrong way? How is a new leader to know? The BSA's answer to this is standardized training: a specific syllibus and a specific method. It's not the best way of learning, but it ensures that what is taught is "the right way". Staring at a computer screen is not the most effective way of learning anything. It may get more people their training certificate, but I bet that these new leaders will continue to seek out others with more experience to learn from them. They will have to decide for themselves whether what they see on the computer screen makes more sense as opposed to what they see in real life.

Can a Scoutmaster who earned the old Scoutmaster's Award of Merit (white on tan knot) earn this award also?