moosetracker

Games are ok as a small piece of the meeting.. Better if the games are creative and not the same-old-same-old, and have some team building or skill building involved. I think the previous posters were talking about games as the main purpose of the meeting. Bringing up the issue of the rank revoking should be done, I would like to see them explain to their council why the rank should be struck from the council records. Other then that, I agree with Basementdweller.. We moved twice out of poorly running troops. The first was no issue leaving. The second got us bogged down in trying to improve the program.. Bottom line is if they really don't want a boyscout program, there is nothing you can do to change them. You will just get burnt out and negitive. Meanwhile your son who is not getting the excellent program he deserves, and wants to have, will become disenchanted, and just want to get out.. If the Troop was struggling become successful, and just were disorganized, then maybe you could help. If the Leaders of the troop are purposely following an adgenda that is not the BSA, and really don't want to be trained to do it the right way, time to leave. Take your son to visit troops in the area.. Check them out more then once, compare plus's and minus's and then move on.. Turn your energy to a unit who will value your efforts, and give your son a great program. If their are boys from your old pack you left behind, just let them know where you are going. If they want a good program they may eventually follow.

Here's a related question. I called our council to see what could get done to get this Leader back into his account, without creating a new one and loosing the courses taken with the wrong number. They said I needed to contact National MyBSA. But I looked all over the site, couldn't find a "contact us" for this. Put contact us in the search and came up with dozens if I want to donate or volunteer or whatnot.. Does anyone know how to contact them with issues?

Evry -- What was meant by Scouters who have linked their BSA ID would have two records in the system and therefore, the system would ask you to narrow the search down since more than one record was found. My family all has their membership # entered into myBSA, and since they were guinea pigs for me, I tested them every which way.. They pulled right anyway I tried. I was hoping to use this tool for people to test out if their member ID was assigned only to them, and they entered the correct member ID.. You make it sound glitchhy even if the peoples ID # aren't screwed up to start with.

I have posted some of these before, but others are new. 1) I put in one gentlemans Membership ID and got that more then one person had it. a) they really issued the ID to 2 people. b) someone else out their in internet land created his account and typed in the wrong ID # (The ID that belongs to this man). You can pull him by name/city/state. 2) I put in the Membership ID and get someone. Put them in my name/city/state and I get no one found, even though the name matches that of what shows when pulling the membership ID. I just put in name (maybe he moved?).. I still get no one found. 3) Displaying the ID with the records would be nice. Case in point. A young man was showing up as not taking any training, although I know he took it on-line in my living room. So I looked him up by ID # (sure enough.. No training.) So I looked him up by name/city/state. Up he pops with the right name, and all his training. My guess is he entered the wrong ID# and so it is not recording right in order to give him credit. Can't verify that as the member ID will not display with the records pulled by Name/city/state. I atried to have the young man get me in to see his Id, but he could not get in.. checked username and reset password multi times and just would not let him back in. Because if it is he entered the # wrong, he could delete it and reenter it correctly, and get credit for these courses.

I always thought. The Pack and the first two troops we were in had kind-of boaring run of the mill committee meetings. The last troop had committee meeting you did not want to miss.. There was arguements you would not believe. But when the meeting broke up on went the program. The boys were the focus of the program and they got a good program based on what came out of some of the arguements in that room. That was the best unit I was in, and I knew it was because of the passion of those in the program. As they aged out, and we got a lull of no newbies or very laxadazical leaders, the passion died and the unit's quality sunk with it. I left at that time. There seems to be some new adult leaders coming in.. They are beginning to pick up. So all I can hope for is soon their will be voices raised in arguement in those meetings again.

OK that was long. Thought so.. Anyway.. if you could tap into the council DB.. The ultimate software would be to start merging the info about membership, Training and Advancement and Activities (attendance for Camporees & summer camp.. Maybe start tracking other outings..) Then start doing overall comparisons of how training is effecting the the other components.. Or how membership is in units with lots of Activites verses those with few, etc.. Yes sort of big brother is watching.. So I am sure I will get alot of negitive feedback.. As to why and how the tool will be used incorrectly. But, it would be a tool to help the council figure out how to help get all the units achieving the best program possible. Rather then having our stuggling units fall off radar and through the cracks.

My husband's one who loves troop master for the unit. But as the district advancement Chair, hates what the council has to offer as advancement information to gauge the progress of the district. Unfortunately to tap into the district records (or Council records) you would have to have BSA's blessings.. Right now at district level they can give him a report stating a troop has had 5 rank advancements (not sure if breaks down into even what ranks) and 10 meritbadges. Not what the meritbadges are in. Not who got the rank advancements or merit badges. Not what the history is for each individual scout. Now our DE asked him what he is doing for Cub Scout advancement.. Say What??? As far as he knows there is nothing to track that at all. Now since I am the district Training Chair (and a programmer) I will tell you what I spent the summer doing. (Not at all marketable in it's condition I may add. But it will be a very useful tool for me. I am lucky in the fact that with manditory Adult training their is some movement on my front. I started the summer with an Excel of the District Roster.. It looks like the Report got converted to Excel and is chopped up into various cells.. The worst of which is the Membership # and when that breaks your second half looses leading zeros so if # 1120034.. breaks at 112 then 0034.. you get 11234 when you remerge them.. Fixed only due to the fact that our Council numbers are not all hither and yon.. We had two distict batches of numbers assigned to us.. Everything else, I got to remerge together (some of it just different cells on the same line.. Some on different cells and wrapping to different cells on different lines. But I got it.. Then I had two buggy Reports on the trained that only list their courses required by them for their current position (minus YPT).. and Untrained which only list those courses they need to take.. And you should fall on one or the other (not both) per each person/unit/position.. Never got the Excel on that, hand entered.. Next time will reinforce the request to Excel, but the report is so simple it will not be as bad as the roster. Built an incomplete list of who needs what for training.. And just stating they are train if it states they are trained.. Skip the list, because that would open up a complaint of "Where's my woodbadge?" "I'm in the troop now, but where is my cub scout training?" etc. Then Just two weeks ago they came out with a new excel spread sheet designed specifically for excel. Membership, Name, address.. (No info on unit or position) but then it list all your courses.. Took our registrar 2 times to get the Excel to me right.. first time it was missing YPT, Weather Hazard, Troop challenge.. He had to boot out some obscure courses to get the more important courses to show up.. But 2nd try was beautiful.. I merged with the unit info and I am about complete to send out to units individual emails per unit on the health of their unit in updating their Training with individule info on what each person needs, and what courses are recorded as them having taken..(including if YPT will expire before rechartering time.) Except for the extra code to work the Excel Untrained Report when I get it.. The next time will be just updating the info.. But this is nothing you could sell because I am not tapping directly into the Council's database.

It was many moons ago, but we had something with orienteering skills to get from station to station.. The only few things I remember was there were some of the trickier orienteering skills along the way.. Moving around obsticals like a very tiny pond or the corner of a building.. And something forced the scouts to try to measure the height of a telephone pole.

Well if their council is doing nothing but teaching GPS, they are doing it wrong. I have only T-S-T word on that, which may be one sided. But, I think you are wrong to lump your neigboring Council Training into the same bucket without giving them a call. That almost rings of what SR-Beaver is stating, you are of the opinion, no one knows better then you. Open your mind up that you can find a good training course some where within a 1 - 2 hour trip from your home. It might not be 100% your training, but you can add and alter it to your liking after taking the course. But then all of you are Trained and informed of the BSA program, and all of you know what your modifing in the program and why, rather then you leading and others blindly following, because they have no other guidelines. I was part of a troop like that. The first troop my son joined. They had their own rules that the core group made up, and we were discouraged from going to training. We all thought these rules were the BSA policies.. Well there was hazing, and drumming kids out of the troop that weren't up to par. The Board of Reviews per rank were set up to test the kids to failing if they chose they weren't up to par. They had elite sub-groups that some kids could join while others could not.. They came up with rules above and beyond what is required for Eagle that were never requirements for Eagle. (And ways that those kids they never wanted to get Eagle would fail to pass if they made it through the dificult testing BOR..) Rules like if you lost a MB blue card you had to do it over (Regardless of if it was entered at Council, or your MB Counsilor could vouch for you..).. Simply because most of us were discouraged from getting the BSA training, it allowed a core few to mold the Troop they wanted. Now if your Council training is sub-par. That does not mean send them to training that isn't worth crap.. But.. Please encourage them to get good Training, so all of you are creating a Troop with equal knowledge of the true BSA policies. Then modify together where you feel the need.

I was just asking how long, because you stated the trainers were long in theroy, then it seemed like they may have been so long the needed 3 or more weekends... If they were spending the time teaching GPS they are not following the course as outlined.. First there is no GPS in the training course, there is time teaching simple map & compass. Second map & compass has to be a small time period because there are many other things that should be covered. Site selection, campfire, plants & animal identification, cooking...etc. etc.. Now although currently it isn't required.. If you are in a Pilot council, that is Piloting the program for Required training then your Council is in line with National in Requiring that Top leaders need to take IOLS before recharter this year. That your ASM's will need it by recharter next year.. If not, Councils can add their own rules, to strengthen Nationals' policies. That is their right, and a few are getting a head start on the required training and putting in the rules that National will be enforceing in the near future anyway. That way they have time to iron out the kinks.. That is within their right. Something I wish our Council would do as I think the proposed rollout plan in too slow and will keep everyone cranky for 3 - 5 years until it is fully implemented. One way or the other your SM & ASM will need IOLS. Now if that is what your Council is requiring, in a few years, if they are not. If your Council is off the wall, then as TST stated give feedback to your council and find a neighboring council.. Sounds like IOLS (if done properly) will give the beginning basics, then you can spend another weekend and some evenings strenthening up the skills taught. That way your SM & ASM will not spend the time in your course, then still be forced to attend IOLS.. Easier to hook up with those outside your district to find out the calibur of their training staff, then to try to get that info outside of council. The neighboring Council will have a web site with email addresses for the Council or District Training contacts. Call them and ask questions about how their course is run. Do they follow the syllabus. Do they hit the basic sessions (cooking, packing & hiking, basic map & compass etc.).. TST is correct, you can take the course with a different council.

Scout - I was curious to see what someone would answer about "homemade" IOLS.. I was unsure and was going to ask my Council Training Chair next time I saw her if no one answered it here. Is your training always at Council level & not district.. Ours is at district so if we are not happy with our district trainers, you can ask around to neighboring districts to figure out one that has Trainers that those in their district think are fantastic, and just choose to take the training in another district.. Your comment that your "homemade" IOLS would be 2 nights & 2 weekends.. And that your Councils training would "load up their weekends more than we already have" Makes it sound like your Council training goes more then 2 nights & 2 weekends.. We had this discussion before, some Councils are 1 night & 1 weekend.. Most 1 weekend only, my district (& others) went to one day, but I found out they have now backed it back to one weekend (little on Sunday but at least they have readded the sleep over requirement.) How long is your Councils IOLS??? If your "homemade" IOLS is not approved by the council, you can get by for a few years dodging the training, but soon maybe "2012-rechartering" will require your top leaders trained in order for the Troop to recharter.

Someone will correct me if I am wrong I am sure.. But Baloo is needed on the tour permit if you do Pack camping. But not Webloes camping. If your whole Pack is the webloes going camping, does this then fall under Pack camping??..

But this is not a problem of the council not having recorded the training (Although yes we have that too! I now have a list of the courses that the signup sheets never got to the registrar to enter..And my predessor did not make copies of the sign-up sheets so once lost, they were lost..) .. This is different, it is the case of the training has been recorded correctly, These people are credited for all the courses they are required to take (and then some..). It is just, the two reports that split you into the "Trained" and "UnTrained" categories has got to be looking at some switch that has stuck it.. Or maybe there is something to look at the courses entered to see if field "whatever" is filled in, because that field is important to these two reports or something.. I am just hoping someone has figured out the trick to unstick.. Beavah - I personally want to get going. The sooner you dive in and swim to the other side, the shorter period of time you have to listen to the gripes of those who did not want to go swimming!.. Being a programmer this software just aggravates me. I want to dive in and fix it. Unfortunatly I am left with taking what I have and working around it. I can manually change the reports I give out, to have the right "Trained" or "untrained" status. But, if these are the reports that National are using, I am just covering up an issue that may come back and bite an innocent party when several years down the road they can't register due to being "Untrained" while my reports were telling him all was just dandy.

In my council private fundraisers you don't have to cut the district in. (Sometimes councils have different rules. But never heard of this.) The popcorn does benifit your unit, and supports your council.. Normally you should support your council.. But, with some poster here, we have heard their councils are not worth supporting.. Given what type of Council you have that is up to you. With our council though, without a scout working with popcorn & hike-a-thon (Need to participate in Both).. They would not be eligable for camperships.

the 26-something is refering to something between 260-269 columns.. While re-reading that looked unclear, wanted to clarify.

OK.. The training reports for the district. I have 3 stuck on the "untrained" report, with no courses they need to take. Looking them up in on-line Training Verification.. They are definately trained. One is probably addicted to training as he has 5 pages of training... I have 7 stuck as "trained" that also are clearly "untrained".. I had 12 but checking on on-line Training Verification, some are due to older classes they are grandfathered into. I though this was a simple fix. Tell the registrar to uncheck whatever flag is set stating they are trained or untrained.. He is clueless to how they are like that. Then this weekend I was discussing it with out Council Training Chair.. She looked at me and said.. "I am one of the ones permenently stuck as "untrained".. You have got to be kidding!.. This lady doesn't just organize behind the scenes, she does all the presentations and is on the road leading training course 2 or 3 nights a week.. So if any of you out there have the magic solution to this. Also I was told that you are trained when National deems you are trained.. Please can any of our pilot councils tell me if these "buggy" reports are what National is going to use for stating you are trained or not? As an add on, anyone else have a look at the "new" training Excel spreadsheet. (At least that is what I am told by my registrar, just came out last weekend. It is suppose to have ALL training everyone took.. It can be broken down by district (even includes those who are registered as district only, MB counsilors & District registered volunteers), it lists the people down the rows, and the columns go out to about 26-something columns listing some info for the adult and then all the courses.. then each column you took a course has the date (or the last date) you took it. Seems to have a few bugs.. (surprise, surprise).. Missing Youth Protection & Weather Hazards (but have other trainings with expirations Safe swim, Climb on safely etc.).. Also missing the "Troop Committe Challenge - Web".. Has some of the courses that are now dyfunct, but not all, one they removed too early (IMHO) is New Leaders Essentials.. Also does not give Unit info (which I can see, people would show up multi times, and some don't have unit info.) All in all if they can work the bugs out, this will be a very useful tool!!!

They are changing Adult Apps AGAIN???? The youth change every so often, but the Adult apps change so many times, I think they must have some guy at National, whose only job is the adult apps, and he is doing it to look busy!

John-in-KC... Got, you might have your red tape up to the purchase of the hammer.. But, then you guys should should stop sending those highly paid guys out for the hammer.. Buy it off the internet & UPS or Fed-ex will drop it right into the arms of the soldier or sailor for a fraction of the cost. After that you can start looking at how to trim the red tape process on the front end.. You lost me on the HALF A MIL?? comment.. Maybe that is the cost of them putting on the show here?? I looked around the link to the blue Angels but didn't see it there.. They don't bring those costs details down to us little guys.. I do know in the early stages of the process there were some worried about the attendance.. (If that's the charge, I know why..) But, now they are no longer fretting getting tickets sold, it is only,just being worried about having enough help during the two day program.

Well that's good.. To truth I only heard that the President stopped BA shows as a budget cut from two people, I never took the time to research it for myself. Just sounded like the typical Washington move.. You know lets keep purchasing those $500.00 hammers, and giving millions out to the buisnesses that get into trouble due to shady buisness practices so they can give themselves hefty bonuses and raises.. But we'll cut things that are visible to the little guy, so the american people can notice we are cutting our expenses.

Never heard of it in our district, but I am newbie to the District level. Just wondering why you can not do a "Celebrity Dinner???".. Seems tame enough, you have a dinner attached, so it's not like a raffle where someone maybe isn't getting something for their buck. We have council wide fundraisers. End of this month we are hosting a "Blue Angels" show.. Obama, has decreed this use of the airforce be stopped, so we will be hosting one of the last shows until we get a new President.. So that is good for buisness. Someone on this forum said ho-hum "see them all the time".. But I think it has been over 20 years since they have been in our neck of the woods, so it has real excitement around here. Last year we got a tall building in on of our cities to allow us to rappel down it's side. We had people pay to rappel down the side of the building.. Fun things, that also promote Scouting, while doing a fundraiser.. The rappeling you might be able to do at district level (if you can find a building gung-ho).. And your DD doesn't prevent it. The Blue Angels is a tad over the top for a District fundraiser. (And you can't book them no more anyway.) My in-laws just went to a fund-raiser that had something to do with honoring someone like "citizen of the year" type thing.. Don't know if it was District or Council..

Thank you ST for your personal input on the man. That account held alot of meaning. I can tell he really shaped your life.

It has been years ago, and memory fades.. But I know when my son was earning the AOL.. The two troops in the area, collaboratively come to one of our last scout meetings and did a round robin where they tested the boys on their knowledge of the oath, law, knot tieing.. I know there were other things like the uniform, & meaning of some symbols on a badge (maybe scout badge).. Anyway, they were tested by the troops they were joining to get awarded the AOL.. I don't remember though if this meant they only needed all required forms completed and the Scout master conferience when they joined the troop. I know the scout badge was not given at the crossover, they hadn't had a SM conference yet (at least..) and I think that one-on-one with your new scoutmaster is critical for the two to get to know each other and what is expected. I do think the troops should re-test the scout knowledge for the scout badge, AOL or not.. You never know what Webloes leader handed out AOL for just showing up to the meetings the info was discussed at, rather then the boy really knowing the knots, law etc..

I didn't find much on what to do, but here is a tip that says waiting due to heat may not be good.. http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Spray-Paint-off-a-Car

My husband & son went last year with some of the older boys from our troop and had an awsome time! They did the Bahamas on one of the sailing vessels. It really is a fantastic time.

I concur with the wooden spoon. I used to use aluminum foil for cleaning out DOs and thought it worked good. Then I was told "Don't do that" because it does scratch the seasoning. So I stopped. I have since seen things on the internet saying "Don't do that".. Personnally though, I never did have a problem with it when I did it. I kind of thought the foil crumpled if you pressed to hard rather then scratched.. So I can't say yeah or nay to that one. Just there does seem to be differing opinions on that..