Oldscout448

Well sort of, Firstly it's just for the chapter not the lodge, and not the ceremonies themselves that I could do. But the figuring out of which candidates are going to which site, on which date, finding guides, arranging rides it's 4 hours each way,names, paperwork. I assumed ( oh that word) that the scout and adult on the Vigil committee had things well in hand. But in the last few days I discovered that 1 the lodge hasn't been in touch with the scout in about 5 months 2 the adult has gone awol for about the same period 3 the scout having never done this before and so had really no idea what he should do, did nothing 4 the candidates can't register without naming their guide. They naturally have no idea So far the lodge hasn't responded to me either, so if anyone has hiked this trail before I could surely use some advice. I have 17 days until the ceremony PM me if you would be so kind. WWW Oldscout448

We do not yet know that the former SPL was unelected, it may be so or the SM may have suspended elections so that he could appoint all the junior leaders. I have seen it happen and the result was not pretty. In any case the main focus here, assuming that the OPs account is totally factual, is a disfunctional troop. not how a scout sounds Further, 99% of Scoutmasters are indeed honourable men, some few are not. If we may not speak freely here then where?

Welcome, First a deep breath, you are not the first scout to be in a situation such as this. I am not sure what you mean by " retaliation" but lets hold off on that for now. OK? The fact is you are going to need to work with the SM and SPL in the coming years, and it is best if they can be persuaded to get back on track using small taps rather than a wrecking ball. I will admit that there are rare times when there is simply no other option , but please leave it as an absolute last resort. It is a not unheard of for a father/son to be a SM/SPL, but it often results in problems. It is very hard for any parent to stop seeing their son as their son and see him as just the SPL no matter how hard they try. All parents tend to defend their offspring. Its just hardwired into us. Thus the excuses for "James" are understandable, not right perhaps but understandable. Some SMs try to fight this by being extra hard on their sons, some ask an ASM to deal with any performance issues with the SPL. It is also nearly impossible for a SPL to assert himself if the SM is overstepping his role ( appointing PLs or writing up all the patrols menus for the next camp out) It is a rare 15 year old who can look a 40 year old in the eye and say " I'm sorry Sir, but you're doing it wrong." Doubly hard if it's his Dad. How does your troop get its SPLs if there are no elections? It's pretty clearly stated in many places that PLs and SPLs are elected positions. Most troops have them every 6 months or so. Has your SM been to any training? If so what? SPL same question Dont make this a you vs them fight. You will almost certainly lose. As will the scouts caught in the crossfire. Try to make it a "Scouting way" vs " the way we are currently doing it" As quaze said be respectful. If you can't respect the man at least respect the office. Props to you for reaching out for advice. Oldscout

Agreed

My mother used to yell at me for doing that.

" So tonight beneath the heavens sleep alone upon your ground sheet."

This !

So now I hear rumblings that each lodge will need to get approval from their local tribe ( or descendants thereof ) in order to wear any regalia in public ceremonies. This will be somewhat problematic for us since as far as I have been able to discover the last historical mention of our local group was circa 1760. Living on the east coast does have its drawbacks

Here's hoping that the ceremonies are done well, that he takes the 4 challenges seriously, that he is mature enough to perceive that they are mere representations of the 4 inner challenges, the real Ordeal. On a practical note a large trash bag on the bottom end of a sleeping bag is a great way to keep it dry if the rain is slanting down hard. Naturally you want your head on the lee side of the wind.

Yup, the old candy bar in a knee sock trick. Just make sure to put a rubber band just below the Snickers or it tends to slide down into your boot resulting in a sticky melted mess that squishes when you walk.

We had a scout earn one about four years ago. As far as anyone at NCAC could tell, he was the first in our huge council to ever recieve the award

Different lodges, different rules. Some allow a tarp strung overhead if there is really heavy rain. Some just tell you to bring an extra large ground sheet and fold it over youself tortilla style. They may be assuming he will use the tarp as a top blanket to keep the rain off. Some allow flashlights or headlamps, some don't. A few check everyone's pack for contraband, some inspect one in ten most just assume a scout is trustworthy, and keep a,weathereye for Snickers bars and the like. On my ordeal I was told to bring a tent. Slept under the stars Friday night, in the tent on Saturday night. I would say Take the stakes and paracord. The ordeal is really not so much the Order testing your son as it is him testing himself. As to the communications snafu, if the time is short (less that 6 weeks) we email the parents so that schedules can be modified and the scout is still left in suspense untill the call out. Oldscout

unless it is a parent- child relarionship

The adventurous boys will still carry on, they just won't tell the adults about it. I suspect if they were handed a G2SS it would be used to start their next campfire. it's hard to blame them. I would have done the same.

Now that must have been a rare treat. I had the chance to sit on a log seat and watch as 3 of my sons got their arrows. Durned smoke must have got in my eyes every time, had to keep wiping them

The lodge had nothing for me either. Ordeal '74, Brotherhood '75. But in 2000 I was welcomed with open arms and a cup of really strong coffee . @The Latin Scot wadda ya mean " way back in '97" Sheesh ,these young whippersnappers!

Standing alone on the Tooth of Time for an hour, watching the sunrise.

The critical thing is to keep them interested. If you are teaching knife , saw and ax then something i have been using for years is the " What if? " game. For example I will start to whittle a stick with my left hand in front of the blade then freeze and ask the class "What if the knife slips? Where will it go? " Hopefully some bright lad will say " Uhh into your hand?" "Good answer"( I throw him a cookie here. That gets everyone to pay attention.) " So, what should I do in order to not stab myself?" " Move your hand" Move it where? "Above the knife" Good ! ( throw another cookie) Start to chop with a hand ax while holding the piece of wood. freeze " What if I miss?" "What if the ax slips out of my hand?" "Which way will it fly?" Stand a log on a rock and start to split it. "What if I go right through on the first swing? What will the ax head hit? " and that will... and so it goes... Note that I am not only encouraging them to think, but also forcing them to be involved in the class. If you see a scout daydreaming then give him the next question. Two scouts talking too much then give them a hard question. If it's first aid have a few " Scouts in action" from Boys Life where scouts saved someones life by knowing first aid posted prominently. I love the ketchup bottle trick! If knots tell them why they will need to know it. Square knot- first aid bowline - climbing, sailing clovehitch- lashing Try to make it a game, not a school like class. Lord knows they have had enough of that by this time of year. Keep in mind that to at least one newbie every week, you will be the staffer he will always remembers as the cool older scout who actually cared about him, encouraged him, and made him feel special.

Let's see now....400 scouts x $35 = $14,000 Call me cynical but I think I know why someone didn't like your program.

it's a pleasure to listen to people talk about a very charged and difficult subject like adults. All too often such issues tend to devolve into finger pointing, yelling, and ad hominem attacks. Thank you Gentlemen

Alas that depends on what form the "socialism " takes. I cannot speak for The Latin Scot but in my case socialism took the form of months of shoving, tripping, stabbing with needles, theft or destruction of property and school work, and assorted punches and kicks. I finally exploded and gave one of my chief tormenters a concussion. Which got me expelled from St Marys Catholic pretty quickly.

Keep the fire burning brothers

it's not hypothetical to me. sounds like we have two different definitions of the word normal being bandied about.

for example the Conn. highschool 100 meter for females was won by a male who ids as female. Second place was also won by a male. if i were the third place finisher, the fastest female runner in the state I suspect i would be pretty angry indeed.