Basementdweller

Ya know, I am not worried about numbers in our Pack...I am worried about the other Packs. The SM and I volunteered two years ago as den leaders at one of them. It was a husband and wife and they had no scout experience and no parent help. We were not needed last year so we had tuesday nights off. Guess I will go over tonight and see if they could use some help. Standing in the lobby last night with the SM, COR and CC, I flashed to Brody saying "we're gonna need a bigger boat!" We're going to need a bigger church. Hopefully we will hit a critical mass to draw boys who were not involved in scouting into the Program.

Sure wolves and bears can be dropped of.....it is up to the den leader.....some projects need more supervision than others. To be real honest, we don't have any room for all the parents

Own.....are you sure you are not talking about council. Never heard of a district putting on woodbadge or powderhorn. Help from a DE.....the only thing he wants from me is money and applications.

I want our program to be successful, but not at the expense of our neighbors. I would like to recruit new scouts not current ones from other packs. This was 18 in two weeks.(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

We have transferred 18 Cub scouts into our program from other Packs this year. I have never seen the like. Normally we get one or two, but 18??????? they were from 2 Packs for the most part Any thoughts? Should I call the DE and talk to him? or would he even care?

Oh Beavah, I am not disagreeing, If the Pack UC was directing boys away from the Troop Chartered by the same organization.....I would be ticked off in a major way. This is probably why they don't want active leaders involved in the UC core. I would chat with the Leadership Pack and see whats going on. I know from converstions with other CM that Troops often take feeder Packs for granted. I am surprised how disconnected Packs and troops are.......We enjoy a strong relationship between the Pack and troop. Is the troop inviting the Webelos to camp with them?????

As a youth I was at the first Jambo at AP Hill in the early 80's. We had a portajohn in our campsite, it was never a problem. It stank, it was hot and not a nice as home. But it was never smeared with BM, it always had TP.....there was the occasional bad aim, but heck we were boys.

Beavah...... Ahh the million dollar question. Is the UC doing anything wrong? Evidently in his mind your troops program is not as good as your competitors. Like it or not Troops are competing for scouts. One boy from a neighboring troop transferred to a high adventure troop in the burbs. HE like their focus better and had the means to participate.

You can send him packing. Or the Pack could ask him to leave. I asked a unit commissioner to leave and asked our DE for a different one after an ugly cub scout uniform inspection. He is just another adult scouter that doesn't get it.

Well pappa I wish you were in my district........ My face to face training was in a neighboring district. Owl neighboring district, Baloo neighboring district, IOLS neighboring district...... So in my corner of the world, popcorn and roundtable are about it. I tried to make our district better, but met with some resistance to new ideas.

As a participant I don't understand the joke about the maple syrup or the purple pancakes. I don't get why Bob is wearing high heals. Or the joke about the power rangers sleeping bag. Not too sure about the golden coffee cup either. While camaraderie is fun and experienced staff are important. I believe that my experience suffered because of long time staff members.

They were so disgusting the boys refused to use them and one the trip home had to stop at a mickey d's for them.....that was ok, I needed some coffee.....the stop took nearly 40 minutes as they waited their turn........

Moose, I got what was happening, far as the progression goes. I got the themes on the tables at the banquet.....I got the cross/bridging ceremony. I also believe that my poor experience was related to a poor staff and even worse patrol creation. How are you going to bond if you separated by 200 miles?

This year for recruiting they had some yard signs....... I see my DE a couple times of year....he is at our recruiting night to collect our apps and money. He is at our FOS presentation and He is at our district popcorn night. Do you see a recurring theme here? Occasionally I will run into him at a council function. District holds roundtable.....but you know how that worked out. Nothing is what my district does for me. Absolutely nothing.

Yes some boys don't act like boy scouts at camporee's. I recently attended a big regional camporee, as mentioned the boys smeared BM on the walls, they pee'd on the tp. Some Scout smeared BM on the walls and I fell victim to it. Yep, not a happy camper. I do like the pad lock idea. But is a shame it has to come to that.

yet more incorrect rank advancement information....... Unless your scout skipped grades it is not possible for him to get the Arrow of light before 10 1/2 the requirement reads. 1. Be active in your Webelos den for six months since completing the fourth grade (or for at least six moths since becoming 10 years old) and earn the Webelos badge. This year my Web I boys are very young with birthdays in the spring of their fourth grade year so most of them are currently 9..........the earliest the could cross over into the troop is December of next year. Last year the majority of the boys had summer and fall birthdays, they all crossed over in March. The boys scout book list 10 having earned the arrow of light, but the cub requirement to earn it is 10 1/2. More conflicting info.

We use grape vines, cattails, birch or pine for fire starters in our neck of the wood. I always have some tinder or fire paste in my pack.... Far as the scout reach troop not being able to start the fire. Seattle I am guessing that you believe your technique got their fire started......Are you sure? did you see them light it????? They could have went and poured lighter fluid all over the logs after not getting it started the night before?????????? I have seen that happen.....Demonstrated using grapevines to get a fire started and left the boys to get it started, after returning from the kybo the fire was burning very nicely..... I walked up and said see a little confidence guys.....they burst out laughing, one of the dads had a propane torch in his truck. I was feeling good about the boys learning a skill and ended up feeling stupid when dad intervened in the lesson.

Kel......I bet you viewed the movie in an air conditioned dark room and you were properly rested. We watched at the end of a three day camping weekend with two very late nights. The dining hall we view it in was about 100 degrees and not even remotely dark, so the movie was difficult to see and with all the fans running you couldn't hear it very well. I was thinking about the long drive home, getting gear unpacked and dried. I was hungry, very hot, wet and tired. I was done and ready to leave. With your stated leadership training, I would not take woodbadge. The training you have already received is far superior.(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

The other thing is......depending on the troop, there could be only one or two court of honors a year.

figures.......

T2 you didn't happen to take Brown Sea at the now defunct Camp Avery Hand?????

If he is going to come back and participate in the webelos den then there really isn't any reason for him to join the troop. I would encourage him to stay with his friends in the webelos den.

T2, I don't get it either. I was looking/waiting for that epiphany moment during the course. Never happened. Not sure about your scouting experience.....I attribute my experience to my long tenure in scouting youth and adult. It took NYLT back in the early 70's. So basically I had already taken it. the other thing that effected my experience was my patrol......Patrol was spread over too large a geographic area 4 hour drive one way. We never bonded.

nice list short......Canada isn't that far.

Waste of time...... I made one in IOLS because it was required. never needed one to start a fire.