MoosetheItalianBlacksmith

In Answer to sombodys question of how we came up with the names. I was nicknamed Moose Many many years ago by a bunch of my friends because I am a big burly but docile guy unless I need to be otherwise. And once I start on a path I don't back up. So She had the name moose tracker because she was always tracking where I was going and what I was doing and all of that stuff a parent needs to do. Then when I started getting interested in the forum Moose was already taken so I added in my heritage and one of my hobbies outside of scouting. Not very interesting but that's the story. Thank you all for the condolences. I want to say that if anybody at any point ever gets cancer (even though we were too late getting her there) the Cancer Treatment Centers of America is an amazing organization. Everybody is smiling and friendly and helpful right down to guests janitors and drivers. They went out of their way to make sure she was comfortable and passed with as much dignity as possible. they live up to their slogan of treat every patient the way you would want your mother treated. She had a campership program set up in our district for all the money anybody wishes to donate with her passing and she was able to be an organ donor. So even in death she is giving back to people and scouting.

It is with great and sincere regrets that I have to inform you all of my mothers (MooseTracker) Passing she was a long time senior forum member. and loved all the debates and being able to help people on her. She just thought that this was such a wonderful community. Since scouting was such a huge part of her life we wanted to have it as part of her celebration of life in more then just a flag capacity. I know we are having it at a scout camp but if any of you have any ideas on how we can incorporate the scouts into the ceremony the family would love to hear them.

I'm with some of you in the Fact that I have trouble working with many of these individuals (it’s just not my strong point and I feel helpless so I’m left feeling uncomfortable) but at the same time they deserve what scouting can give them. My old Troop we had a few situations where we had special individuals join the troop and we NEVER turned them away. In order to better learn how to work with them and learn their triggers and everything we actually sent one leader from the troop to Crotched Mountain Training Center for Weekend. She came back with a wealth of information and after working with the boys for a little while she knew what they could do when do let them have a tantrum when to reel them in. It was amazing to watch how this lady worked with them. I’m sure similar courses can be found in other places and you can institute similar things in your units. All you need is one or 2 people to be willing to take the course and work more closely with the boys in question. But all the leaders still need to commit to working with them as a scout. Don’t let them lose out on what scouting can give them when they can probably benefit more from it then the rest of your boys even if they never earn a single rank. NOW all that being said if there is a serious safety violation, then by all means take them out of the program, because all the boys need a place where they can be safe. But hopefully before that you've sat down and talked with the parents and the Handicap trained leader on ways to avoid safety issues so you are not forced to remove the boy from the program.

Welcome to the campfire

Kayaking is an award right now i belive not a MB.....but i might be wrong I remeber getting the award when i went to camp not the MB. I like that they are making it a meritbadge. (This message has been edited by MoosetheItalianBlacksmith)

Our awards guy didnt tell me otherwise when i mentioned it to him. I think its an awsome award and i recomend working on it with any troop. Easy award and great way to boost moral. When i get back involved with a troop I plan on working on it with them.

Its a good group but some times you need to have thick skin. Look forward to seeing what yha have to say in the future.

First off welcome to the Campfire. Now on your question youll get differing opinons....but if you earned em feel free to wear em. Just make sure you dont become one of those people obsessed with earning Knots. I personaly am proud of my knots.

I went straight into one of the 2 troops our pack was associated with and there were troop problems. They ran a good troop but you didnt find out wh till you got there. what they were doing is picking the best scouts and weeding the rest out. I got weeded. The other Troop had some serious issues and Just wasnt going to be good. We then window shoped and found another troop that was small and fun and personable that we joined. the leaders didnt want to take training or improve their program and it fell apart. We left just before it did though. We then really window shopped looked at many troops looked at the activites they did and went to a couple meetings and an event. Looked at how they reacted with people and how they were currently running. The Troop I ened up in was the Troop i Stayed in and Got my Eagle in. If asked today that is my Troop. I changed districts to come to the third Troop and am still involded in that district (even though I live in the other one). If i had not belived i could window shop and stayed with either of the Troops my pack was associated with I would Probably have Droped out of scouting. The ability to Window Shop for Troops is Very important in my opinion.

No clue what it has to do with Woodbadge but it was an amazing book and was one of the ones that i kept after reading so i could reread it. I might actual do that this summer this thread resparked my intrest.

Peregrinator If your not involved with the BSA and youve said you dont know much about AHG.....which scouting group are you with? and its not indifferntism....it was showing respect to all religions. It allowed them to worship their beliefs instead of conforming to the traditional christianity. This is why we do it in scouts as well. We dont exclude them for thier belifes and allow people to worship who ever it is they worship. If you dont like it Thats fine you can worship your god(s) and it doesnt disrupt/exclude any body. We dont force you to belive what we do. That is a sign of respect as well as acceptence.

BSA's line in the sand is that you have to belive in a higher power but they will not tell you who to belive in. it doesnt even say that your belife has to be part of a formal religion. Which works for me because i DO belive in a higher power but my beliefs are my own. This particular line is the same used by masons and thats an organization as old as dirt. So id say its working pretty well for them. Both have a tendency to say god because in this country the majority of people belive in GOD. but should sombody in the group not belive that they are accomedating. In the International Order of the Rainbow for girls (which is a group under the masons for young ladies) they had an exchange student come for a year that was muslim. The kuran and the bible were put out so as to accomidate her. Acceptance. It is the true thing everyone longs for. The one thing everyone craves. To walk in a room and to be greeted by everyone with hugs and smiles. And in that small passing moment, you truly know you're loved, needed, and accepted.

Ill be frank.....Ive never ever heard of this group and im not a huge fan of the Specific Religion. Thats one thing i like about Masons and BSA is that you have to belive in something but its up to you what higher power you belive. With that being said AHG is not a BSA program but it is supported by the BSA. as you can read in the following link. http://www.scoutingnews.org/2009/07/06/american-heritage-girls-and-boy-scouts-sign-memorandum-of-mutual-support/. So I wont pass judgment on it untill i run across it. However now adays when people talk about the scouts unless its specificly military they usually mean a BSA program. If it you look at it that wan then no its not scouting....but if you look at scouting as what BSA provides to people then AHG might very well be a scouting program.

Welcome to the campfire hope you enjoy it. No bugs and some plesent company. But be warned at times you may need to have a thick skin cause we can get pretty opinionated. Other then that enjoy soak up as much info as you can and participate when yu feel you have something to say.

welcome to the campfire