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@@JasonG172, I'm not a fan of diagnosis-via-news-story. Self-esteem is overrated most days. The Good Book describes it as a "who is my neighbor" issue. And I'd let it rest there. That is the meanest thing about our post-modern culture ... the notion that some people are worthy to appear in certain forms of undress, by virtue of conformity to our media-fashioned goddess archetype, and others are not.

All of the above: That is, your class should present a number of possibilities to the boys. They should decide what works for them. If there are people to contact, give them their contact info. Make it the boys' responsibility to carry out the drill. When they have implemented it, have them give you a call to schedule after action review. (Or as some troops call it, thorns and roses.) Consider each boy's requirement complete once you hear from him what went well, what didn't go so well, what he'd do differently. If you're hearing from multiple boys at once, make sure each one has a say. This is the key, IMHO, to a successful class ... some (if not all) requirements are completed via oral report to the counselor scheduled on the boys' initiative on their own time.

If the team had had a Facebook page of girls posing in ways that suggest something other than competitive swimming? As an SE, I wouldn't address that issue of norms at all. I would point out that it's rare to find volunteers for a weekend on a good summer. These ladies gave their time, their bosses freed up their schedule, and our donors deserve the credit they got. Any parent with a pool of similarly motivated employees are welcome to call HQ and line up a time to serve ,,,

If your asking "How can I fix the SM?" The answer is "very slowly." You can be very frank, and tell him he's too controlling. You could insist he take Woodbadge and other courses. Still, I have a good SM who just can't keep from spoiling the boys. So, we work together as best we can. Over the years, he's learned to be selective in he things he does for the boys. And I lean on the boys to that they owe Mr. sM big time because he bailed them out, But what you really need is the space where boys have the reigns. Do your patrol's camp 300' from each other and the adults?

Let's not underestimate the power of the male mind. I do remember certain conversations with my grade buddies starting in 4th grade ... That said, inasmuch as potential centerfold models step into my life and disrupted my fantasy world by serving in some way in my real world ... They did me a lot of good. I can, however, understand a parent's frustration at pictures of their child being part of a feature of a corporate website where most of the other features are waitresses of the month in bikinis. I don't believe that's what they had in mind when they signed a photo release.

I don't think I can present an unbiased opinion. My dad's beer distributor employees provided the kids games for a VFW family picnic one year.

Scouts must show up with their books to their BoR in our troop. If they don't, it's a nonstarter.

Welcome to tha forms. Sometimes that's the friendliest way. You disagree about how things should be done and rather than make everybody miserable pushing and pulling, you allow yourselvds to do a more traditional program while they improvise with increased adult leadership. Also think about starting a new unit in an underserved area of your district. One of your Eagles is surely in a club (e.g., Legion, VFW, Sportman's club) who could provide a location. Get out a map of units in he area and have a chat with your DE. Suggestion: schedule your meetings on a unique day of the week so that you have a chance of recruiting good boys who are otherwise occupied when other troops meet.

I see a plank and gibbet camp gadgets in your future! I think if his is a camp theme related theme, it could at least be activity wear, if not for flags. Give the camp director a call before you go all in. One time our VOA had such a theme, and bandanas came with the price of admission. Be prepared with some good history to use in SM minutes or at campfires.

I halfway agree with @@Beavah in letting natural consequences play out. But a good advisor should be frank with the boy and let him know the challenges he faces. In this case: - he hasn't been tight with the new troop (and, if it's true, maybe they've all racked up service hours) so he might have to cast a broader net - maybe the band mates - for help. - it's an ambitious project, he will need to manage volunteers with real skills. An advisor with experience sub-contract might explain to him what that's really like. - Boy Scouts love paperwork. So, no matter how solid his plan is in his head it has to be spelled out in the workbook. And there is an expectation that workbooks from 17 year olds reflect the years of education he should have had. (I.e., articulate, no spelling errors, attention to detail). - Mamma's gotta step back from this one. If there's a whiff that her hand is at the tiller, the SM won't sign. Then, if he's up for the challenge, go to the mat for him. With some boys, you get the quality time while camping. With others, while they are learning to run meetings and such. With this one, it looks like it's gonna be the service project or bust.

Welcome! So, you have a scout who wants to do a service project? Help him! How hard can this be? Or, do you think that because someone might not pass muster on a board of review, they should quit before even starting? I would suggest that your first problem is that there is a whole committee reviewing his proposal. Remove superfluous adults from the mix. Get him a project advisor if the scoutmaster is too busy. Someone who knows a thing or two about cabinetry and fine woodworking. Show him the paperwork. Step ... Away .. And ... See .... If .. He'll step up.

One of our SMs had it, as did his wife. Did them a world of good.

Oh, my furry flat-tailed friend, a Yank can have his cake and eat it too! The DofE is obtainable beyond the commonwealth. American scouts may look at http://www.intaward.org/united-states-of-america.

Actually, it is the responsibility of the scout. He should know what he needs to do to round out his skill set. He should speak up at meetings and ask to navigate the next hike, or plan a day at the pool for swim tests, or whatever. The PL may keep the unsigned blanks of 8 books in his head, it's a nice service, but it's more important that he knows that the boys have what it takes to enjoy the next event. That may be mastering a T2FC requirement, but it may be something else.

The DofE award is not limited to youth in the UK. Consider it for your scouts!

I used mock as well. But certain high-performance fabrics are worth having in your pack. Borrowed one piece of polypropylene, and was hooked. Bought one piece a year thereafter until I had enough stashed in my go-bag to cover my hide with a wicking layer.

If that's the worst of his worries, he's in a good place! Troops change and adjust faster than their documentation. Often, it's parents who press the issue. In my case, I never allowed my kids to even own these devices until they were earning enough to pay for them. Even when they were older, I regret not charging for the gas they use to recharge them during camp! I know, times change ... I would advise your son, to Let the SM know about what's bothering him. Thank the SM on your behalf for taking care of him. Tell him how to assemble a "wilderness kindle." Go to the trading post, buy the book that interests him the most and a reading light (if he doesn't have one) and spare batteries, open both during lights out. (This is how Son #2 made it though many many campouts.) Ask the SM if there's a counselor for reading MB. Also, reminding him of the 10th commandment can go a long way. Hang in there, Dad.

Welcome! And thanks for your service to our boys. Keep in mind that most of the skills acquisition should occur on outings. If the boys are constantly solving problems to that require skills, they will master them. These schedules help, but the handbook is as good a guide as any. Ask the boys to pick the theme for the month, based on the chapters in their books. Also, put the responsibility for sign-offs on the youth. Train your patrol leaders on when and when not to put their signature in a boy's book. This really gets your program moving along, because you can routinely ask PL's "What hasn't been signed off in most of your boys' books?" and follow-up with "What can we do about it?" When you get to the point that a PL says "Johnny needs land navigation for Second Class, can we go on a hike?" That is when the program gets exciting!

Ah, the beauties of patrol cooking. Even when camp was crowded ... the adults' table was at least 50' from the boys. Beverages any way you want it. The poor SM has to slog to leader's meeting. Staff were always welcome guests.

There are no dead posts, just not enough new insights! Therefore, @HopefullyEagleSoon your opinion matters the most. So, here's a question, if troops were allowed to be co-ed, but didn't have to be, would your problem be solved? For example, I know a Czech scout who in his district has one all-boys, one all-girls, and his troop is co-ed. (Remember, the post that started this thread was about an all-female group.) Or, do you think this might make things worse? P.S. - Yeah, an outdoors-woman is cool. But Son #1 basically converted his into just that. So don't write ladies off just because they never have camped out. Just focus on important stuff (like, Is she rich? Can she cook?), be a decent chap yourself, and the rest will probably fall into place.

No experience. But to motivate thinking: Define small. (Few people? Short time frame?) What's the connection with OA? What else will be going on that day?

CP, I'm filing that away. A friend who drags his family to ren-faires has his boy in our troop.

In Venturing, wenches wield sledgehammers. Solves multiple problems.

Well, you all know how to do summer. Brexit weather for sure! Mind the winds, and if you still are giving it a go tend to hypothermia!

I must say, that when at age 12 I arrived at the scout house for a work day. I thought it was the coolest thing that the SPL showed me how to nail drywall and use a mitre saw. With that in mind, consider that our service projects should be geared toward vocational training in the broad sense. That is, scouts aren't apprentice carpenters, but some may one day be while others will be the architects designing the plans, the engineers designing the tools and materials, and the executives determining if they should build their next warehouse. All of them will benefit from holding a hammer in their hands. So, when selecting tools for a project, it is wise to think if you can make do with several post hole diggers. There'll be opportunities to work a power auger when they have a better sense of the forces at play in moving earth. So, age boundaries are useles. A 17 year-old just picking up a power auger never having dug a hole (let alone used one before) is much different than a 16 year old who's been running his own landscaping business for a year and had a proven track record of reading and following safety instructions when grabbing a new tool.