nldscout

Our troop policies on scout accout's like this are very defined and clear. If the scout leaves the unit for any reason the money in the account is returned to the Troop general fund. We have never had a problem as we give each new scout and parent a copy of our policy letter. Our philosphy is the money was earned with our troop sponsorship and assistance and is to be used for troop related scout activities.

Can you share the 30 Event Idea's with us?

I would be interested in any planning as far as equipment, meals, etc. We are taking our older scouts on a 62 mile 5 day canoe trip on one of the local rivers. We are trying to stretch their wings on more then regular summer camp. So anything you can provide for planning help would be appreciated. either here or private email is fine Paul

I would be interested in any planning as far as equipment, meals, etc. We are taking our older scouts on a 62 mile 5 day canoe trip on one of the local rivers. We are trying to stretch their wings on more then regular summer camp. So anything you can provide for planning help would be appreciated. either here or private email is fine Paul

We have such a unit in our District. It is made up of developmentally disabled persons, some are very old but still working on thier scout requirements.

Bob, I never said you answer was wrong in anyway, and I am sorry if you preceived it that way, all I said was if that different councils require tour permits to be filed differently. Some are more liberal in when you should file them. I have talked to some SM's that the council where they are located want one everytime they do something outside of the regular meeting place, and others hardly ever do them. It has a lot to do with the SE at your location and what his policy is. It comes down to his definition of a "TRIP"

you say learn not buy. But lets look at this in practical terms. Rafting, You need rafts and all kinds of safety gear. If my troop of 25 had its own rafting equipment we would have to Raise 10-15 thousand to be able to do it properly. all for a couple of trips a year at most. Is that worth it? What other parts of the program do we cut out to do that. Then we need someone who is experianced in the river we are doing, and as you said, when river levels change that makes a whole lot of difference. Another problem around our area is access to rivers as most are restricted access and you must have a qualified guide to launch. We try to do a number of trips like rafting, canoeing, climbing each year. Not many troops could afford to buy all that equipment. When use a professional, we are renting the equipment along with the guide. So when we look at this its sometimes is a money vs program issue. I can provide a variety of activities by using commercial companies vs trying to raise a whole lot of money to buy the equipment to do the same thing

If you want the true correct answer, you need to ask your SE. Until our recent merger our old council did not one for trips within the council boundies that did not invole high risk,ie water, climbing. New council just clarified they want them for all "trips" but did not define trips.

We have been talking to White Water Challengers here at the companies NY base. The are going to do a special scout weekend for us on 23-25 Aug. on the Hudson River. They are setting up a camping area with Port-a johns. Anyone that wants to Join the Northern NY troops for a weekend of rafting and hiking give me a shout. We are hoping if it goes well to expand with them for future years.

One of the issues that was a big negative that we looked at was the loss of parent involvement. This was one of the major items that we looked at. Parents understand that in order to put on programs they need to drive and do events with us, but with a bus we envisioned a drop off in parental involvement. This is what the troop that has a bus now saw as one of the bad points of a bus

One of our local troops has a bus that was donated to them. I have talked to the SM/CC about it because we considered a similar one for our troop. They relayed several problems. 1. Even though they have a mechanic for labor, they pay for parts. One tire is over $700.00 and if you suffer an drivetrain failure, look out. They spend over 2K on annual maintenance. Old vehicles require a lot of maintenance. 2. Insurance, this is expensive and could put CO at risk in case of accident. 3. Drivers, they had 4 but most of time, had hard time keeping them around. Lot of people don't like driving bus. 4. Parents figured they never had to do anything as bus would take all the boys. BSA(Baby Sitters of America). That was the big problem. Now that troop has grown, bus is to small for everyone This is just what I got in about 10 min of conversation Paul Lamson SM, T21

Why not just have one parent register in one group and the other parent in the other group. Wouldn't that solve your problem?

On any outdoor activity we go on, one of the first things we do is issue a peice of rope to each scout or leader. While we are doing activities and have some slack time or are taking a hike and take a break, out comes the rope. The SPL or Who ever is in charge picks a knot or 2 and we all tie it. It works good to reinforce knot tying and is reletivly painless to do. Paul Lamson SM

The book of rules and regulations is in the hands of your Council SE. He has it, he is required to have it. The problem is some don't like to share it. Ask them most will let you read it if you want, but won't let you make a copy of the whole thing.

well looks like our old friend has surfaced with a new name again. Back to his old game of stirring thing up

You should check with your state. Some states require Non-profits to publish this Info. Go to your Executive board represenitive and have him ask at board meeting why that info can't be released. it would seem suspicious to me if the board would not release it.

In our council one only has to ask and the SE will show you the Base budget. It shows what is being spent and where, its general in nature but he will answer more specific questions if you ask. The only thing he told us he won't answer is what the individual professional's and staff make, but he will tell you what he is being paid. He came to roundtable and someone asked about budget and he reached in his briefcase and out it came. Like he said, why should he hide it. If you ask you probably would get the same kind of answers.

We Started the transition ceremony a few years back because we had a great eagle scout that turned 18 and stayed as an adult. Because he was still in High School with some of the others both him and the Scouts had a hard time recognizing the break. So to help everyone we decided that we needed to figure out a way to signify that change in status. Its a simple ceremony. You can make any simple thing impressive and make a last show for the boys with a little effort and a few props.

One of the problems that a lot of 18 yr old new ASM's have is crossing the line from a youth to an adult and having Both the boys and other adults accept and recognize that he is now a scouter not a scout any longer. Most are still in School and see the guys everyday. This makes it hard for a young man to make that transition. We try and give our new ASM's some kind of adult oriented task and make sure we do our utmost to treat them as an equal. One of the ways we have helped our guys here is with a small but effective transition ceremony. We gather the troop and talk about all the great things that this boy has done in scouting. He is dress in his Scout shirt with his Boy Scout Badges attached. While we are doing this he stands with the boys and the leader stand in a separate group. After we have done that we say good bye to scout "Mike" and he leaves the room. After about 30 seconds he comes back with a differt shirt, this one with the patches and insignia of a ASM. We the introduce our new Scouter, " Mr. Smith" Insuring the boys know that he has now made that important transition to and adult. It has helped our young men to make that break from scout to scouter

Isn't it ironic that for OA you have one set of standards of what an active member is and for Regular rank advancement you have a different definition

According to the G2SS there are some exceptions to the 18 yr old rule. "The driver must be currently licensed and at least 18 years of age. Youth member exception: When traveling to and from an area, regional, or national Boy Scout activity or any Venturing event under the leadership of an adult (at least 21 years of age) tour leader, a youth member at least 16 years of age may be a driver, subject to the following conditions: Six months' driving experience as a licensed driver (time on a learner's permit or equivalent is not to be counted) No record of accidents or moving violations Parental permission granted to the leader, driver, and riders"

In out troop some are done as part of troop, some are done on the scouts own. There is nothing that says either way is correct. The 20 miler should be done as a group due to the logistics of it.

In our Troop here in NY a scout can use the funds that he has been allocated from participating in fund raiser for almost any scouting related activity. If he wants to use it for camping trips, summer camp, or to purchase camping equipment thats ok. For some of the scouts this is how they have been able to purchase good sleeping gear and other camping items that the family may not have been able to afford. Why restrict what a scout can use funds he earned if it is a scout related expense. We developed a easy to use short form that he fills out telling me what he wants to purchase, (ie: slepping bag, stove) and what it will cost. Usually we will arrange to have parents buy it and bring us receipt or give parents a check for the cost. That Depends upon the scout and parents. Makes the scouts feel they are paying their own way. "A Scout is Thrifty"