BDPT00

Wow! That's very creative. I don't buy it. BDPT00

Sure sounds to me like a major league fund raising project. I wonder what the leadership was.... organizing other fundraisers? Allow me to quote from an article... "Tom has organized the Scouts to canvas the neighborhoods of Wood Cross City passing out flyers to get donations. Tom has made presentations in Scout roundtables and continues to meet with individuals and business for contributions." At the time of the writing, 56 of the contributions were for $500 (this gets a name on the plaque). "Tom himself, not only contributed the first $500 to the monument, but has contributed an additional $3500 to include the names of seven of his Scout leaders. He is earning another $2000 to add the names of four more. I, myself, have contributed $8500 to add the names of all my former Scout leaders beginning with my den mother to my Explorer advisors" (article written by Tom's father). That's $12,000 donated by the family to hire a sculptor. Very noble, but not an Eagle project in my book. BDPT00

"On the other hand, all of the boys, by definition, are at least 1st class scouts. From what little I've seen thus far, they also appear to be the ones who are most involved with scouting - cream of the crop." *** I'm tracking on what you're saying, but I don't agree with your opening paragraph. The ones who go to the Jamboree are the ones who produce the cash. "Cream of the crop" is a pretty big stretch. BDPT00

Deliverables?

I appreciate the new thread regarding PLC decisions. Thanks. Having PLCs make decisions is wonderful, but let's remember something ... these Jambo troops will meet maybe 3 or 4 times to try to get themselves organized, and they may camp one night before they go to the Jamboree. They need swim quals and uniforms and health forms and payments, etc. They elect people they don't know as their leaders, and they go on a trip they didn't plan. This is not a model troop, and this troop's youth leadership shouldn't be put in the same box as all other troops (except the others going to the Jamboree). To ask the PLC to represent their patrols and to make big decisions just isn't in the cards. Yes, there are things they can do, but overall, the program is all spelled out, and they're along for the ride. Their primary job is to be in the right place at the right time. BDPT00

Cell phone, MP3, videocam, Blackberry, Game Boy, PSP ... anything else go on the list? How about letting the PLC decide on laptops? And you know what? ... I don't think we ever asked the PLC what the uniform should be. I guess somebody else has already made that decision. Sometimes, as adult leaders, we should lead. These aren't white/wheat or jam/jelly decisions, and this isn't a local campout where we can allow a kid to show up without a sleeping bag because mom forgot to pack it for him. BDPT00

Eamonn wrote: "I really don't think presenting a fourth bead at a Wood Badge beading ceremony to anyone other than the WB CD is the thing to do. I really think only one person on a course should wear four beads. After all this will be the last course for the CD. Once he or she is done with the course his or her "Wood Badge days are over." emb021, The point he was making is that a Wood Badge staff's beading ceremony is not the place to recognize someone for service to NYLT. I agree. His comment regarding a CD's last course has nothing to do with what went on in the old course, and that's not relevant to his point. BDPT00

CC is committee chair. I assume you're talkin' Chapter Chief. There is no official patch. BDPT00

ideadoc, I appreciate your optimism. My concern rests entirely with certain Scouts I see who can never seem to raise their eyes from an electronic gadget. Are laptops allowed? Game Boys? All I'm suggesting is that troop or contingent leadership knows that there needs to be a line drawn somewhere. I don't think that leaving it up to a child is a wise idea. It needs some thought and some rules. You're right. All or nothing isn't the answer. It's a matter of who draws the line, and where it is. BDPT00

John, I don't think you and emb021 are on the same page. You are correct in your quoting of Brian. I think emb021 might just be talking about hiking on the non-PTC side of the road... not in the back-country (trek territory). BDPT00

Just a clarification: It's the NYLT SM, not CD, who can get the 4th bead. BDPT00

All their friends on Facebook will distract them enough to keep them cool. And texting to their friend in the next tent will be a good way to keep them from having to get to know their own tentmate. Another good thing they can do is sit in the shade somewhere and plug into a ballgame. That way they can have a good time while their parents back home are thinking it was a well-spent $2000. A once in a lifetime experience. Oh wait! There'll be another game tomorrow. Never mind. BDPT00

Well, I would submit that he wouldn't be receiving a "second 3rd set." Beads are beads, right? My point was that his fourth bead raises him above his peers, and equal to the course director. I don't think that's the time or place (and he shouldn't wear them for the course), and I don't think the presentation is in front of the right people. I have no clue how you'd acquire beads in your council. In ours, you'd simply need to go through the staff advisor. They should be able to handle whatever you need. They're in the bead ordering business. Somebody there just came up with a bunch for this staff, and there's a 4 bead set for the CD too. Just add another set. Is this WB staffing experience his first? If so, and he's already wearing 3, then he got them somehow via NYLT. Just ask the right people. BDPT00

I don't need to read the requirements, thank you. I'm asking how/when/where other people present beads. The original poster stated that the NYLT SM was about to complete his last requirement for his fourth bead (serving as a TG). My question was ... does he already have a third bead? Is that an unreasonable question? He obviously has two. Does he have three? BDPT00

Well, I see nothing positive about having cellphones there. We've survived a hundred years without 'em. What's another 10 days? BDPT00

"One of the requirements to earn the fourth bead is for the NYLT SM to serve as TG on Wood Badge; he's satisfied all the other requirements. We'd like to present the beads to him when the rest of the Wood Badge staff receive their beads." Personally, I wouldn't do that. A fourth bead for Wood Badge is for the Course Director. If the other TGs are getting their 3rd bead, I think your NYLT SM should be getting his third bead along with his peers. He should be wearing 3 for the course anyway. Does he already have 3, or is he taking a leap straight from 2 to 4? I wouldn't consider a Wood Badge course's bead presentation to be the venue for recognizing an NYLT dude. Just my opinion. I'm really curious what others think. I'm still looking for what others do for the NYLT bead presentation. One person just said a fourth bead was presented at WB breakfast. Is the the right place? Wrong place? Why? Thanks, BDPT00

"NCS SM" course? I'm assuming that Marathoner262 is the person who's trying to make those arrangements, but he doesn't know how. That's why he's asking. He might very well be the Scoutmaster. Or ... maybe he's trying to get them for the Scoutmaster as a surprise. How? Has anyone done it? Follow that up with another questions: How/when/where and with/by whom are the beads presented? BDPT00

It's simple ... wear whatever you want to. Being a proud papa, and wearing a uniform are not mutually exclusive. Personally, I wore a uniform (although that was not the tradition in our unit). Which ever you choose, it makes a statement. What do you want your statement to be? Asking your son is one way. Asking your spouse is another. I wouldn't ask other troop members. This is your decision. It's a win-win. BDPT00

"Those pontificating uniform police in this forum need to look at the original question and ask themselves, with all the problems the BSA is facing today is this really an issue that should even matter at all?" *** Those who look at the original question are sharing their answers and opinions ... directly concerning the question. I don't see a problem with that. "Insignia Guidelines are just that guidelines, not rules or bylaws, they are not mandates or commands" *** Which clearly means that if I choose to wear a Chicago Cubs patch on my left pocket, that's OK with you, right? It's my uniform, and I can do as I wish. BDPT00

And don't forget, "My cell phone is my watch." BDPT00

"Of course I noticed Ed, I'm one of the people responsible." Responsible for what?

Interesting points (don't want to stray too far from the LDS topic though). I'd be interested to see among the quotes from the Supreme Court anything that says, "religious organization." BDPT00

"Technically the awards come from PRAY not a church." Is that to say then that technically the Eagle award comes from the Scout Shop?

"Then his Bear den worked together on the same award with a counselor that kept it as generic Protestant. Those medals and certificates were awarded at our Blue & Gold Banquet, since no specific church was tied to it." *** I see two things here that raise a flag. One is that this isn't a "den activity," and the other is that no church was tied to the award. The awards come from the church; not from Scouts. A den might be all working on it at the same time, but it's a church activity, rather than den. "This year his den is working on the God and Family with our chartered organization's pastor" *** That's more like it. BDPT00

A common practice, and not a good one, is to take barely retired DL and turn him immediately into an ASM. He still has a DL mind set, and so do the boys. A new Scouter/parent should take a breather, attend parent/committee meetings and troop meetings, take some training, and ... take some time off. Then figure out what he wants and where he's needed. BDPT00