perdidochas

On contemplation, I figured it out. It's a YP and privacy issue. WIth a BOR, no YP issue. With a SMC, the Scout would lose privacy or it would be a YP issue.

Well, my waistline doesn't resemble it, but I do believe that Scouting=outing. I do agree with STEM, but my definition of STEM is probably different from National's definition. Making a fire is STEM in action.

I'm all for STEM (former science teacher). STEM doesn't have to be a classroom thing (and I would argue shouldn't be). My troop did a STEM activity through the US Naval Academy. We built an underwater ROV (Using their kit) and dove it in a lake. STEM activities are required for advancement--plant and animal identification. STEM should be hands-on. That said, Scouting has to be based on outing or it will die. The more outdoors we get the boys, the better off we are. Our CO recently (well two years ago) allowed us to use a small building on the church campus for the exclusive use of Scout meetings. We've basically almost outgrown the building, and weather permitting, we now meet outside whenever possible. We have also upped our outdoor program, and IMHO, that's why we've grown from 18 scouts to 34 scouts in about 3 years. We have mainly grown due, not to recruiting, but to lower loss of Scouts. Outing and boy led leadership (and tradition/history/Eagle brand) are the only truly special things Scouts has going for us. (Scouting was developed for urban couch potatoes who were afraid of the outdoors. Baden-Powell's goal was for those city kids to become outdoorsmen--i.e. love the outdoors. )

I like most of these. The exception is the "no online Scoutmaster conferences." I think it's strange--they ban online Scoutmaster conferences and put out guidance on online BORs. I also understand the MBC list guideline, but it's really impractical. As an ASM, I like being able to find the MBC list online. I just can't imagine that the council will be able to figure out a way to deliver that MBC list online just to adult leaders.

I think it is ok. I have high expectations of the older boys. I tell them that. I expect them to be helping/teaching the younger scouts. Our oldest scouts don't do that. Our next "year" class after them (who were my Bears and Webelos Scouts when I was a den leader) are doing that. The problem is that they sometimes inadvertently step on the SPLs toes, because they are former SPLs, and to use Kudu's term, are the 'natural leaders' of the troop. (they weren't when they were younger, but have grown into that).

It is not a retest, but if they determine that a requirement has not been met (like a POR not done), they can "not approve" the Scout's rank advancement. The above means that a Scout can be rejected related to advancement requirements. If a BOR member knows that a Star Scout who had a QM POR has never done any work related to his position, of course they can reject him based on that. For example, back when I was on the committee, I went on almost every campout. We had one "QM" who not only didn't attend any campouts during the months he was in office, he also never showed up to assist packing the trailer (which is an expectation we have for QM). Luckily, the SM called him on that, and didn't sign the POR requirement, but had I been on this boy's BOR, I would have voted to not approve his rank advancement. I guess technically, they aren't rescinding that requirement, but they can ask him to do it again. The BOR does have the responsibility and power to deny advancement. See bold and italicized below. http://www.scouting.org/Home/GuideToAdvancement/BoardsofReview.aspx

I didn't realize that. Wow.

My oldest son had been in the troop for 5 years as of March 2015. At that point he had 101 nights camping. He's gotten another 4 nights since then.

While my first thought was that the 20 days camping per rank was overly tough, I looked at troop records, and realized that the boys that I think really deserve to get Eagle (due to their outdoor skills, leadership and scout spirit) are right on track with that. The future Paper Eagles wouldn't. I wish that my troop didn't produce paper Eagles, but a few have gotten by.

Of course it can be taken back if the BOR thinks he hasn't fulfilled the requirement.

My basic view is that PORs should ONLY be signed by SM, and Scout Spirit also only by SM. In fact, I think most advancement beyond First Class should only be signed by SM or BOR. That said, I think I would trust one of our JASMs (my oldest son) to do the POR/Scout Spirit sign off more than any adult. We would have a big logjam at First Class. My oldest is a stickler on those two things.

Adults are staff. The areas are (male and female for each), youth participants(under 18), adult participants (18-20 yr olds) and staff.

Talk to the COR, and get him/her on board. Talk nicely to the CC about not bothering the boys (phrase it nicer that that, though).

“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be "cured" against one's will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.â€â€• C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology (Making of Modern Theology)

Personally, I don't see the sleeping areas to be a problem. In our troop, the great majority of the Venturing age youth sleep in individual tents.

Depends on the participants 6 sleeping--Under 18 Male Under 18 Female 18-20 Male 18-20 Female 21 and up Male 21 and up Female Bathrooms--just one is needed with a sign to change it to one of the 6 above.

Well, while I am registered as a District MBC, while I was in the midst of fighting with our District Advancement committee's ever-changing methods of registering MBCs, I thought about registering Troop only as a protest (I'd always before registered District, although I've only counseled one boy out of our Troop). That said, in general, I agree, there should be no "Troop only" MBCs.

I have to admit, we weren't using the patrol method well if at all. Our troop for most of that was in the 20 active scout range, with maybe 12 on a campout. We could do ok with the troop method (troop being a sort of super-patrol). We now have 34 scouts. Troop method is not working for us, so we are in process of implementing the patrol method. Seems to be working fairly well, despite the learning curve.

Well, while we've never had them just show up, we have military guys that have volunteered--but generally, they get our info from the Council or the Charter Organization. We do make them do the adult form, and have had a few that didnt' return. Have had two that we saw quite a bit (but since this is primarily a training base, we only get them for a year or so). They have been a positive influence to the boys--good for them to see a young adult spending their free time volunteering. My threat alarms didn't go up with these guys, but, as with any adult that I haven't known for years, I made sure they were following YP carefully.

So basically, $195 a year plus camping. Have you registered for a season of youth league sports? Usually that's at least $125 and for only 4 months or so. What do y'all do for fundraising?

Well, there are some, but most that I know are pretty proficient in their outdoorsmanship. Not Les Stroud proficient, but enough that they could keep themselves alive long enough for rescue.

The norm is to do the proposal before the project. Locally, the boys first have to do the preliminary proposal, get that approved by the SM, the CC and the beneficiary. Next step is to go to the District Eagle Project review committee, to get them to review it (and approve). At any of the above steps, the project can (and probably should) be revised.

You're preaching to the choir. The problem in general is that the councils aren't taking care of paperwork well. Because of that, a lot of volunteers don't really care to do the paperwork. Why should I want to fill out a MBC form if they are just going to lose it.....(and I have lost several).

From what I've been told, the problem is that Scoutmasters (or their designates) were buying the patches but never sending an Advancement form to council. I know for a fact this is true in my council, because two of our transfers had rank patches but no record of the advancement. Their previous scoutmaster didn't want to use the online advancement system, so he didn't. Does that mean showing a rank card won't allow the Scouts to get the second and third patches?

I think he meant physically, not fiscally. He meant they would still meet on the old council's geographic location, just belong to the neighboring council.