MichaelOA

So I'm going to NOAC this summer and will be 19 during the event. I am NOT registered with a boyscout unit but I am in a venture crew where I am still considered a youth. So I'm a youth in the OA, in the Venture Crew, and I am not associated with a troop. Few questions: 1. Why am I being told I have to take youth protection training then? 2. Does two-deep leadership still apply when on OA or Venture Crew activities? That seems like it wouldn't really work. 3. No one on one contact, does this also apply? What about my friend in the OA with me who is only a yearish younger. The OA says we are both youth would I get in trouble if I had contact? Thanks for your help, Michael

Thanks for the advice, I went to enter my leave today and found out my supervisor and another person in my shop took the entire month of August and only two people can be out at once so chances are unless I can convince one of them to not take it until the 4th I'm not going to NOAC. :| Thank you though still keeping my fingers crossed.

Hey everybody, it's been a long time since I posted on here. Anyway my situation is that I turned 18 left my troop and joined the military but I want to go to NOAC with my previously local lodge and friends. Obviously joining a local unit would not help be get where I need to be but I called around and decided to join my friends Venturing crew back home and spoke with the leader and he agreed and told me to get the forms and mail them to him plus my 15$ payment. Sounds fine but I have a few questions about how to go about doing some things: 1. Where can I find this form?! 2. If I'm 18 do I need to still go to a physical before I can attend NOAC? 3. Anyone have any experience if Military doctors will do this so I don't have to pay to go somewhere? Thank you, Michael.

I can't stop staring... at the moustache... lol and what are you wearing in that last picture?

The black robes sound pretty cool, I wonder if you tried competing at a conclave or NOAC if they would allow the old sashes though. I've always wanted to try it

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it and it seems for some to be a very contreversial subject. We have for example a scout who I think is around 12 now he's had a cell phone with UNLIMITED texting since the day I met him. He may be the exception but so far it hasn't caused an issue, but actually helped more. I feel the same way as some of you here "why does he really need the cellphone?" well I've decided maybe the family has some personal reason for why he needs it that I don't know about and honestly don't need to know about. I've decided I will take this to my PLC members and show them perks, and cons of this system and see where it goes, I appreciate the advice given by you guys, showing me why I should, and just as much (if not more.) why I shouldn't. Either way, I feel taking it to a PLC will be best, as the patrol leaders will be the ones helping me with this the most, and know their patrol best. In response to Crew21_Adv "MichaelOA, Greetings! Alot of youth are plugged into electronics. But timing is everything. Here are just a few of my thoughts. At least for cell phones, during a recent NYLT the admin office held the cellphones and electronic games until graduation. We noticed that most of the youth did not wear watches, but used their cell phone to tell time and also as an alarm clock. I don't know if that is a good excuse for all of them, but our NYLT will have to list electronic travel clock in our future list to bring to NYLT. Regarding your troop. If there is an "after the boring part of the meeting", then your PLC is not doing their job. Also, there should not be a game time, but an interpatrol activity, to re-inforce the Scouting skill just being taught-learned. A troop meeting should be full of Scouting skills and events, from start to finish. Your fellow Scouts can make phone calls after the meeting. If not, they are losing out and doing themselves a disservice. Scouting Forever and Venture On! Crew21 Adv" I think it all depends on how you run your meeting sir, I don't believe national ever sent out a specific way the meeting must be run, and no other way is allowed. Our troop does have inter patrol activity, scouting skills, for example we have them do knot based competitions, where each patrol is given certain knots, each person can only do one. At the end your knot compilation is used to finish an objective like say lifting a chair with one end of the rope without any of the knots coming apart. We have discussion with the scoutmaster where we will talk about an upcoming event, or one that just past. After the meeting is finished I see nothing wrong with letting them go out and play basketball, or tag, or tug o war. Michael Griffin Southern Sierra Council T105 - SPL

>>>in reference to elangomats: my lodge created some "elangomat" sashes that are black with a white arrow. Only time they are worn is at Ordeals by elangomats doing arduous labor with the candiates. The Ordeal master checks them out, and then checks them in. I'm hoping you know they didn't create these, and instead they are replicas of old OA sashes. It's interesting to know, that the first sashes didn't even have an arrow, but it was a black sash with a white bar.(This message has been edited by MichaelOA)

Hey Nhan, (I have two friends named that at my school!) I'll try emailing you, and I'll help with you getting your MB. =P

Hey guys, I was just thinking about my troop, and what needs changed to make it better. One of the things that occurred to me, was electronics, more specifically cellphones, and mp3 players. During the scout meeting it seems like I have to say "Put that away" at the least 5 times, and it's actually the same people usually, but it does vary. I began to wonder, should I let them use phones, if they aren't necessarily doing anything else? For example is it okay for the scout to send a text message before the meeting officially starts with the color guard walking down the aisle? How about after the boring part of the meeting, and during the game time? If I allow them to use cellphones during meetings, where's the limit? Camping trips? I'm sure I'm not going to have scouts pulling their phones out while we are on a hike, but will it be controllable during the "off time" of a camp out? I certainly don't want to see my troop all sitting at a table with their phones out, or the iPods plugged in. So gimmie some advice, who knows you might learn something too. Michael Griffin Southern Sierra Council T105 - SPL

LOL, reminds me of NOAC on one of the days there were a couple regional and sectional dudes wearing Western Region boxers over their pants. LOL

Ouch, when I'm an adult leader, if I ever have 5 knots I will not follow the rules, it seems like a hassle to have to unstitch a knot to add another. I'd just align it to the side, and let the uniform police lose sleep over it.

Probably because it wasn't the goal that national had/has in mind. The main focus of the scout should always be to his troop, even when he is in other scouting programs such as OA, which has sectional, regional, and national levels these positions are guaranteed to go to someone who is over 18 and has time to devote to being in that position without neglecting his troop since he is no longer a youth member. In a way scouts can have a form of leadership council wide by staffing council events, such as summer camp, nylt, or other activities. There is always a chance to lead out of your troop just don't always expect a silver or yellow epaulets.

Noac was fun, and within the first 30 mins I was on the giant screen in the show room for the power of one thing.

Hal didn't you say the exact same thing about attendance for your son's kung fu class? Anyway, uniform inspections will only work if there's an incentive, my troop does uniform inspections but nothing happens if you fail it or not, so there's no worry about it. Maybe try a punishment, X amount of times without a uniform puts you on clean up duty for your patrols next campout 1 more time than it normally would be.

I'm going to NOAC woot! Was wondering is it basically like a HUGE conclave? And how many people do they put in a dorm room?