Basementdweller

Lisa.....so explain to me why having an outsider evaluate a scout during the higher ranks is a bad idea???

Irregardless of my opinion of them and the job their doing.... I would hope and pray they have the boys best interest in mind and it was more than just perpetuating the amway sales. Fresh meet for the grinder

fish.....We give the 2nd year webelos a Career arrow at their AOL ceremony......So it all washes out in the end..... The career arrow is pretty nice.....Real flint arrow head, Turkey feathers that are painted like eagle feathers for fletchings, decorate them with their achievments and such..... The arrows cost the Pack about $15 each not including the labor to make them.... While they don't get the bobble like everyone else during the graduation ceremony it all washes in the end....

Is this young man up against an 18th birthday deadline??? It couldn't possibly be scheduled a week or two later when the rest of the unit is available?????

Fred you are incorrect about national having two separate Webelos levels. Please provide evidence in the form of links to the national scout websites....Myscouting or scouting.org. my evidence to the contrary http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34416_Insert_Web.pdf Note no difference in year 1 or 2 webelos. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/~/link.aspx?_id=8A6530FC-8EA1-4550-83B3-F439318D7B61&_z=z There is only one webelos handbook, not two.... Webelos have a larger handbook with 20 Activity Badges they can work on in the 2 years they are Webelos. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/cubscouts/cub%20scouts/resources.aspx The webelos program can be completed in less than a year and the boy can advance into Boy Scouts once he earns the AOL Locally I understand the difference.... Last years webelos don't want to repeat the program with the new guys..........Makes sense to keep them in two different dens to maximize their interest and advancement possibility and potential. Our program is active enough that the boys only stay in webelos one year or less....The den camps with the troop a couple of times.....We attend resident camp, webelos advancement weekend.....Bang were done.... So fred please check your facts before you post them as such.

Without dry ice your not going to keep them Choco Taco's frozen.... I will say they are great.....Habib's on the corner sells them. So without extreme measures your not going to have Ice cream at the event. Or maybe some of my higher skilled brothers can clue a fellow in as to how to do it..(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

Too funny OGE. District............I am not sure what the district is supposed to do for me......Camporees???? Recruiting?????? Cub activities???????? They do put on roundtable..... So what is their vision for serving the boys????? No clue.... The De maybe trying to fix the district committee.....via the resignations a month ago........... No idea

Ice Cream?????? Even at the cub level not everyone can win...... What about the Pinewood derby??? Does everyone get a trophy or nobody gets a trophy. We don't coddle the boys in our group even after the cub level. In life there are winners and losers........ If the boys who got ice cream were not taunting the others than I wouldn't worry about it.

Oak ya hit is on the head. So why can't folks join and pay on line????? Then be directed to a unit. Why do i have to tra el to the scout office with apps...... It is the simple things

Naw fish.... Just to stupid and idealistic to quit.... Every boy deserves a chance to be a scout.....I believe that beyond anything else I know. Some take to it others do not. Years ago I thought that the pro's and district folks believed that too.... Now I know better......

Initially I was in the no electronics group.....While I don't like to see gameboys and the like at campouts....I don't mind smartphones and such as long as it doesn't become to much of a distraction. Responsible usage... The summer camp does not allow boys to have phones out of the campsite.....so we collect them and lock them up every evening....They can call home and then back in the case.

You know google circles is a much better social media site......Just wish the rest of the world knew it.

Thx eagle I appreciate that

Back in my day...... Late 60's pack meeting....Ya acted up mom and/or dad would snatch you up and out the door.....You would return a few minutes later red eyed....... Now a days.....The kids back talk, even had one boy punch mom at a den meeting, 6 year olds cussing like sailors, all the ADD drugs and the highs and lows associated with those...... June and Ward Cleaver are dead for sure. Had a first Pack meeting just like you described.....Don't raise your voice, the kids are yelled at all day every day and functionally immune to it. Stand their calmly with the cub sign up till they quite down. First time it took 10 minutes....Don't let the parents or other leaders yell to quite them down. Get the awards out of the way quick....Then have a physical game or two....get them out of their seat and on their feet......they have sat at school all day..... Are you going to change them with only an hour a week...No. All you can do is be an example show the boys you respect them and they may return the favor.

3.1% DE smacks me in the face with it every fall. Mr. B you really need to do better recruiting, In comparable markets of Tulsa Oklahoma and Tacoma Washington Scouting in those markets net 15% of the available youth..

In this thread you see the problems with what your asking for...... One person wants tree id books One person wants camp registration One person wants Pack websites The BSA should focus on one thing and making the membership management system more functional for everyone.....this includes adult leader training, scoutnet, tour plans, medical info. Everything else is fluff. So what is that going to involve......More up to date hardware and better connections to run it all.....Up to date operating system and sql version database. A big project and thankless project.... Ya know we volunteers will still complain about it.

Everyone in the cub pack works for the COR. The CC and CM are peers. The CM does not work for the CC or vice verse. The COR can remove you at any point or time for any reason. The Cubmaster is appointed by the COR. The COR can pick how ever he wants....Vote of the committee or just say Bob is your new Cubmaster. Pack committee is pretty easy.....Generally you want people who get along....Interested in doing the job or work. In our Pack we hold succession planning times during our committee meetings.....We discuss new parent/leader prospects and potential jobs. If there are no objections or concerns then an offer is extended.

Ok quantify for me the amount of time wasted by DE's and such???? you just can't do it. DE's are salary so the time wasted is of no cost to the council. A technology committee on a district level is a waste...... Council level???? what would they do???? Keep the website up to date??? National sure.... Again what would they do???(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

Where is the money going to come from?????? We are talking about money here........Update the entire scout operating system..... It could be done in under 3 months....all it takes is lots of money...Been involved in a lot of IT projects..... Web presence again.......How many megs per unit??? allow pictures????? Most MOM's don't understand that their 12 mega pixel camera is shooting 5 meg or bigger pictures.....We had one mom exceed our website file capacity with 10 pictures..... servers and processors and storage are expensive...... Who is going to support them????? In house contractors????? so we have 8 folks for supporting unit websites....Probably not enough for all of the folks who will be trying to use it......those folks aren't cheap......say $80-100k a piece a year. So we are talking a million bucks for just supporting unit websites..... So would you approve a $10 per scout increase in membership cost to cover the improvements????? Or if your tech savy....how about taking 6 months off work and volunteering your expertise to develop it....

Standing UP raises hand proudly I am a bad volunteer and horrible person.....Just ask the DE and District. I don't see the bigger picture and will not blindly follow or believe what any professional scouter says... I speak my mind when it come to nonsense I see and read....... I have volunteered and been told by the ruling junta. So I no longer try......I stay at my home units Troop has Tripled in size, Pack has Quadrupled in size and we started a crew..... Bad Egg, Cancer and general pain in the ass.... Ya probably, Ya know I don't really care what they think...... I enjoy giving boys who society forgot a chance to be boys withing scouting.

We have a few adults around the council sporting LNT POR patches..... Don't know them So how does one approach these misguided individuals and say....... Hey that isn't an adult position and it is inappropriate for you to wear it.

Fish Your going to get a lot of opinions..... I will say what are your intentions???? Just camping???? a duff bag might be a better choice. Are you going to actually backpack???? then go and see an outfitter and get one fitted right. Internal or external who cares as long as it is comfortable and fits ya right

ya know kudu..... backpacking is a heck of lot easier than car camping....... so it is no significant under taking...... I prefer the boys go backpacking to car camping

What I took from the original post was Blind kid who can't participate because he is blind Caregiver kid who can't participate because he is the caregiver "Both boys participate as much as they can or chose to" So the reality is it isn't like either boy is using their situation as an excuse Fair enough..

Ya NJ I was wondering why they were scheduling summer camp as well. people stop printing and killing trees...............For they life of me cannot figure out what your printing....... Most of my parents have smartphones and computers....so I know your parents do.......Print to PDF's and email them.....Simple I use a free pdf creator called bullzip.....it is just another printer you can select and print to that creates a pdf....... With troop master.....for the amount of money your spending on ink and paper you should just get troop master web and allow the parents to look at scout son's advancement.....it is like $70 a year less than 3 ink cartridges and associated paper. With those changes you won't have to print anything.