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Yeah, @@jr56, this is one of the last things I'd bother an SE about (unless there's a discount for bulk purchases and he'd likely go in on you for a set ). Nobody in the venturing world is gonna bother you for trying to color-coordinate. (There aren't that many of us left to make a fuss over ).

There is nothing wrong with goal-setting. And I think that's the best thing that uncles can do. Some things:Find service projects that could be done in the community. Start simple, with a community litter pick-up or maybe volunteering at a food pantry. Then move on to maybe painting a room or organizing a food/clothing drive. Then, there's camping. For him to earn Eagle quickly, he will have to rack up lots of camping nights with his patrol or troop. Most of those will have to be weekend activities. Do you or your buddies have a nice place where 8 boys and a couple of adults could hike to and camp? Teach him to invite his friends to scouts. Everything is easier with a buddy. Get to know his troop leaders, support them any way you can. Often times we're looking for merit badge counselors. You might consider Personal Management. Help your nephew find a job where he can earn money to pay for an additional camp or merit badge university. Cut a deal where you'll match whatever he earns. Buy him his uniform, his handbook, pay his registration or Boy's Life fee, at each rank advancement, buy him a merit badge book. At 1st class, buy him the BSA Fieldbook. So, those pencil-and-paper badges? I have a theory. In he '60s there was a shift towards Eagle being a boys-only award. (Prior to that, men serving the troop could earn rank along with their boys. They were rare, but probably enough to give feedback on what truly gave value to the award.) With that shift came the notion that we have to be redundant to what the boy should be learning in school. Plus we were at the height of the Cold War and reckoning with this global crisis was in everyone's minds. So, some required merit badges like Bird Study were moved aside for more detailed Citizenship. (Which is a pity, because one of the better markers of various global crises in this Post-Modern era is the shifting bird and insect populations.) Finally, constructs like equity and fairness came to the fore and the observation was made that Eagle rank would be "too easy" for adults and "unfair" to boys. The age 18 deadline was made hard and fast. One consequence was an increase in the academic burden of the rank that continues even in this century (you will note the EDGE and the need to log service hours and, most recently, cyberchip).So that's how we got here. On the bright side, I have seen scouts really enjoy these badges, and they might suit your nephew quite nicely.

@@Krampus, The 2015 annual report info-graphic (a.k.a. screen real estate hog) on http://scoutingwire.org/annual-report/ actually has the number of venturers: 142,892. So, there's room for confusion.

Thanks for the re-cap. You saved me hunting them down. I posted the figures in reply to a post praising the supposed signs of "stop loss".

Bye E61. Thanks for opining! All the best to your scout.

Obviously we're talking two sides of the same coin here. The boy who was failing to grasp why all these scouts (to whom he was sincerely friendly and often helpful) would not his name in the hat when elections rolled around, was trying to do what he had been doing, only harder. And, he on a trajectory of a "why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?" attitude ... not to the point where they other boys were noticing (we're a flighty lot of late), but from the back of the room his frustration was obvious by the end of each meeting to anyone watching. So, confidence ... self-respect ... I wasn't too worried about that in this kid. He just needs a few more tools in his kit. Same applies to most kids who I've seen take election losses hard. Their inflated esteem of themselves blinded them to some rough edges that required a month of light sanding (or sometimes years of grinding)!

Sometimes, @@Stosh, your biases send you off the rails. It could have just as well been another scout and another position or Order of the Arrow election, or whatever. In fact, post #88 above indicates that absent the "senior" position, the issue remains. respect (noun) = the quality or estate of being esteemed. Or, as someone recently put it, recognized as someone who can be trusted to get the work done, who cares about those who he is working with.

Which would you prefer: counseling one youth to take it as an opportunity to serve in different ways, or having all of your youth rely on an entitlement system? One of our scouts was put out that he was not elected SPL. As a troop instructor, he thought he had built relationships with more scouts in the troop, and he thought the boy who did get elected wasn't the most active or organized. Both observations were true, and lately he has found himself having to coach the troop more, so I have started to give him "coaching tips" so he can refine his leadership style for the next week. He initially said, "This isn't my position." To which I replied, "I don't look at patches on sleeves, I look at results." Last meeting he started to apply some of those tips. At the end of the meeting, I suggested he look into an activity that he would like to plan for the summer ... Something older scouts might enjoy. Next week, I plan on teaching him about "after action review." I think if he persists, he'll command more respect by the time the next election roles around.

It's not the worst thing for boys to discover this flaw in a leader. It's better if they boys discover him trying to contritely to improve.

Ok, wall, but since I keep all flaps rolled up (skeeters fly in, then fly right out) 'cept in windy rain, all I see is "A".

Readers looking for a heated discussion on patrol assignments might likely look under this forum, but actually there's one roiling away in Advancement (http://scouter.com/index.php/topic/28189-positions-of-responsibility/?p=437306 somewhere around post 50). The way I see it: this is community dependent. In some communities, the boys come "networked" with older and younger boys -- even as cross-overs. This was my case as I was tighter with the older boys in my neighborhood and church than with the boys in my den. So, dropping into a mixed-age patrol was like putting the bluegill back in the pond. A few years later, the first-years were a tight bunch so the SM asked me to be their PL. Not sure if he had discussed it with the PLC in advance, but I dove in, and it was fun! In other communities, the boys don't come with those connections. Scouting might be the main place for them to build them, and the den might be the tie that binds. I've seen that with several groups of cross-overs. A guided new scout patrol seems to do wonders in that context ... except for the boys who were never cubs or when the boys in the den are in factions. Then the SM and SPL may feel compelled to "pick teams" for the boys. Matching by grades may make sense, or maybe by neighborhood would work better? Or, maybe a couple of guys are just oil and water, and in some cases it takes a lot of mid-stream adjustments. Of course, maybe the SM naturally takes his cues from team sports and assigns patrols based on some perception of varsity vs. JV scouts. Absent any input from the PLC, I do think this is where we see the build-up of troop-method behavior.

Definitely split the CO's and stay local. Find the most enthusiastic and flexible supporters in the village even if space isn't optimal. It's really important that kids know who in town wants to support their scouting. And if it's multiple organizations on account of space, that's fine. Our pack has outgrown the CO, so they use the school's primary center for pack meetings. Explain to the new church that a chartering on a week-to-week basis is the scouting equivalent to living in sin! The boys are counting on a more substantial commitment. It sounds like everyone is easy-going about numbers. But I would still offer the original church the opportunity to retain the troop # in case they want to host a unit in the future.

I guess I would have titled it "Unusual Awards and Recognition." Most awards are a form of advancement, even if they don't confer rank. That said, it's a handy list. Thanks for the effort.

Our camp provides decent wall "A-frame" tents, which we supplement with tarps and, as needed, our preferred cot. (Camp cots have something to be desired if your back is aching.) I still usually set up a rope hammock for those afternoon power naps.

Be slow to judge, quick to challenge. Simulating drug abuse is not the same as condoning it. However, the SPL should be challenged to think how his impromptu sketch came off on scouts and parents who saw this. Certainly if a family has lost a loved one to drug or alcohol abuse. I agree with @@Stosh that a supplemental SM conference is in order.

In general, we have not seen boys all that conflicted. We've varied over the years between 1 and 4 patrols. Looks like we'll be up to five. The troop's activity schedule is not so jam-packed that a patrol or two couldn't make plans for their special interests. If older boys want to do something off the troop's beaten path, they are encouraged to coordinate with the crew. This forces them to take ownership of what they're doing and give them a chance to bring their peers along side the activity. The SPL mainly is responsible for getting PLs in the same room so they coordinate those details. This summer we are doing the two-camp thing because 30 boys want Seven Ranges, and 8 want Heritage Reservation. Two of the latter of those are crossovers, so it's not the younger vs. older divide that we expected it to be. I expect after camp, we'll ask those boys if hey want to stick together as a patrol. Regardless of the patch on their sleeve, our older boys tend to be cheerleaders

And lots of comments judging how different boys work the program.

First: boys like tradition and structure. It helps them get through tedious ceremonies quickly. So, they will pretty much imitate what they see in adults -- with shorter speeches. It takes a little nudging to have the creative boys add a little creativity in an awards ceremony.

Welcome @@Ankylus! Love the questions you asked on Bryan's forums.

So, this week was a wash (quite literally) as far as campsites go. But these are great ideas. I'll keep them in mind. It just so happened that I could meet @@Krampus, who unlike his avatar, was rather nice to my kid. (Think Santa Clause with BBQ instead of toys in the off season, you get the idea.) Good thing too, because where we met, anything with horns was on the menu. We touched on the tragic week his troop was dealing with, and it sounds like he has good people. But our job was mainly to be friendly strangers passing through so he could offer a couple hours of hospitality and scoutmasterlyness. (My daughter is already starting to line up her hiking buddies on his advice.) This is a fun brotherhood. We try to remind everyone here to manage their back and forth so that if you meet in person, you'll never hold what you wrote against one another. This world is small enough that your paths might indeed cross.

Two of my kids were VOA officers. It's a unique opportunity. Challenging, and rewarding. It is on par with lodge chief. But, many of us know that can be good and bad. For parents: brace yourself, hold your kid to his commitments, but also respect that he's added more adult leaders to his collection of mentors. For youth: prioritize, please! Let the people in other organizations know you have this new responsibility, and your friends to step into whatever gaps that creates.

Some days, stosh, some days. Our SM just has similar boys use his name as a reference. Let's face it the guy probably has seen more of the boys religious life than his pastor. But @@CherokeeScouter, are you sure nobody in the churches you've visited could give a reference? Surely some of these people you all sit in the pew with know your boy from seeing him around town. I'm told that in the first century, fishermen who were probably too occupied mending nets to attend synagogue could get a favorable reference from the travelling rabbi.

@@heat4212, the picture of a scarf and slide sounds like a great idea! Make it part of a letterhead. In it, thank the boy for adding to the life of his den and pack in his current rank. Invite him to start working on his next rank as soon as possible!

I expect our adults to be very clear on their political opinions. I expect them to have good reasons for holding them and to be able to convey that to the boys if asked.They can respect the office without agreeing with the policies. The boys should see that. Same goes for religion. I never let the boys know how far they have to go to be out of earshot!