qwazse

Two many options make for a mess. It sounds like you should just tell the boy to work the new program. And, you should use the "stealth advancement" approach ... Surely some of the stuff he did for his Webelos badge fulfills AoL requirements? I'd see what you could check off from all the stuff he did. Fill out a chart of what he's done and show it to him. Then give him the option of completing the other half, and bridging in January or not worrying about it, and crossing over when he turns 11 or graduates 5th grade.

I think the GTA's stipulations are fairly new. Eventually, the district advancement chairs may come around, and it will trickle into roundtable training sessions. But ... There is a certain dignity in this town. If you're going to write about someone -- favorable or otherwise, they deserve to read it. If you don't have the stones to write/say something unfavorable to someone's face, then either: It's untrue or unimportant, or You have no room to talk. If you suspect someone may have something unfavorable to say, then you don't ask for them to put it in a letter ... ever. That sentiment runs deep. I've seen it expressed in sport, union negotiations, religion, and local politics. And, there are no secrets in scouting. Or, so I'm told.

Good point. At a meeting before the ceremony, did you read the book with the boys and then ask them how they want to participate?If not, did you read that chapter after the event and ask "So guys, do you think we did it? Or would we like to do more?" Thus you will have trained your boys to use the ideal method of learning a scout skill, one that begins with "Reference".

This discussion isn't as fun as it could be. How 'bout if the boys got to ride in some helicopters that were doing a flyover during the opening of a football game? Participate or spectate?

The scout requests letters. No particular form is specified. Letters go to the SM or to the scout who collects them and turns them in to the SM. As a personal policy, I only write open recommendations -- be it for jobs, scholarships, or bling. So the scout may read and review it if he wishes. If somebody wants a closed recommendation, they can call me personally over a land line, and record my response.

Less than 2% of registered scouts ever attend Jambo. I don't know what % of scouts in a given year go to an HA base. I suspect the number is small, but larger than Jambo. Maybe we should sum over 4 years to make the rates comparable? Not every HA wonk should go to Jambo. Not every Jambo wonk should go to an HA base. Not every Arrowman should go to NOAC. Some scouts and scouters with means should try to go to one of those things and represent their home troop/crew well. I've been generally pleased with the cheerfulness "bump" in the boys who did. But, I have also seen seasoned scouters talk other scouters out of it. You all owe them a huge thanks. For me, all I I know is that at Jambo I saw a minimum impact camping display and from that point forward, my backpack got lighter and my footprint smaller. Now, other boys in my troop and girls in my crew -- very few who attended Jambo or an H/A base -- imitate me with pride. Was that worth Mamma slaving over a hot stove for us to sell hard candy for me to afford such exploits? Let the land that was untrampled be the judge.

What @@jpstodwftexas said (except the part about Summit, which can handle thousands of campers but a limited number of lodgers). Plus ... I think part of the idea is to get boys acquainted with college campuses. It'd be nice if your average welding school could house that many! And, it's sort of why O/A has positioned itself to disallow female youth who are card-carrying members of the BSA ... because the adults at the top wanted it so.

Don't forget the good old Kolndike derby! Fit in after-dinner challenges as well as afternoon challenges! Regarding the wood ... we usually have one or two older kids for whom life is just better if they split a chord a day. So, we have an appropriately skilled and equipped adult take the chainsaw safety course and be prepared to help the ranger cut some dead-fall into rounds for splitting. Even in a busy year, rangers find us stuff to be cleared by mid-winter not far from our site/cabin. All the boys spend an hour or less rolling the rounds to the axe yard, and the splitters happily spend another couple hours with the axe and adze. By nightfall there's enough for a fire-break and even a few lounge chairs.

My older boys have always liked planning something big on their own. That could mean challenging backpacking trips. Starting a venturing crew (with some ASM foolish enough to be their advisor). Helping rangers at camps on free weekends. Thanks for all our service to the boys. All thee best with this new challenge.

Sometimes when it's above your pay grade, it turns out you're the one for the job!

I guess the question boils down to is this troop good for your boys? If so, and if these SMs are doing things by the book, let your boys enjoy the troop and just drop and go until someone asks for more help. If the other troop is better, drop the boys there on the way to pack meetings. Offer to help as needed on weekends and evenings that aren't pack nights. Either way, have fun with your youngest. Serve cheerfully at the district level. As an ASM and Crew Advisor, I've found it hard to do much more than that. This troop may have given you some unique opportunities by freeing up your time.

A sixteen year old has the right to know his mom talked to you about stuff. Let him know you're in his corner. You're not repeating anything to other folks, or discuss with him, unless he wants to. Tell him you'd appreciate from time to time if he told you if things are better, the same, worse. No other details required. If you're a praying man, he already knows your praying for him. No need to relay that. Just do what you do. The boy might be distancing himself because he's afraid he'll hurt others -- even if it's just by being a little verbally negative. Respect that. IF he sees that there are boys in the troop who can deal with that, he'll spend more time with them. If not he'll stay at a distance.

Or the wholesale appropriating of football jerseys by people who were never assigned a number. (Says the kid whose old-school folks only went to games in suit-and-tie or active-duty uniform. And would have us run laps and pound sand if we darkened the door with a jersey we didn't make the cut to wear.)

So @, did you add your kid's income to your family taxes? Or show him how to track income and expenses and file quarterly estimated tax and self-employment?

@@David CO, what are you defining as "it"? Jambo or High Adventure: well that's only 5% of scouts anyway. Uniforms? All those fellas in Trail Life should have spares. Driving to the opposite end of town: ask the two ASMs who live closest to you to leave their current troop and help start one at the nearest ministry, VFC, VFW, legion hall. Calling the nearest farmer, park manager, person-with a big back yard: phone minutes ... or day hike to their door. Shelter: tarps and rope ... ask for donations. Even the local homeless guys might have a spare. Books: library. Youth Protection Training: Library computers. Food: what they'll eat anyway. Flags etc ..., the neighbors see boys actually trying, the step up. Summer camp fees, well guess what FOS is supposed to do? Meetings: time away from the store is a very real issue ... ask for help. This applies to packs. I see those leaders (granddads and grandmas mostly) making due and showing up at the district-wide service project my crew hosts brimming with pride. That's a whole lot cheaper than shoulder pads and helmets. Far as I can tell, it's the 95%-ers who need boy (not "adventure boy") scouting the most. I am one of the "more fortunate" (married well and went without cable for decades), and my kids didn't need scouting. But their friends certainly did. Not every child has to be a scout, but some children need to be scouts even if it's in the poorest of troops.

A year's expenses is our upper limit. If the balance is over that our boys aren't equipping themselves or some gear isn't being properly maintained. Note: a troop of 40+ very active scouts could easily cost $25k a year.

@@funscout ,it's a little weird getting hope from some strangers on the Internet. Just sayin... It sounds like Tom sees that 18th birthday as something important so let's just think of him as the regular scout who he is and set him up for success. He should identify one project advisor. There don't need to be a lot of adults hemming and hawing over every detail. Just one adult who knows the boy, knows about projects of the type he wants to do, and knows the volunteers who may contribute to the project. Tom writes a decent proposal (yes he'll need help, but most kids with this disability who I've met actually are able to conceptualize what they want ... The communication is just slower), and if it's a good plan well within his reach, the advisor, SM, and district advancement chair approve it. The rest of it is coaching Tom in asking for help to get it done. Sounds like his position of responsibility has given him practice in doing just that.

Anything out of context is bad. There is no suggestion that neglect would be defined by the organizing boys into gangs of 6 to 8 for the purposes of attending to each others' well-being for day (or two), while they perform a well-planned patrol.

Hey, boy-led bulldog, stop inferring facts not in evidence.I'm only quoting what the bosses told me over the years. And yes, once they are adults, they ask me why I didn't crack the whip on them more. But I quickly point out they have plenty of opportunities to submit themselves to drill instructors or life coaches or spouses. They deserve at least one place to look back on their youth and say "That trip? My idea!"

Well put. As I tell my venturers, I offer unique opportunities for you to learn to be comfortable in your own skin. If they take a pass on the program, I tell them I'm fine with whatever they choose as long as it's not robbing liquor stors to buy drugs.

Our boys at every level of skill and maturity look for a variety of campouts ... some more challenging than others. So, if every month is a 20 mile hike uphill both ways, we'll lose boys. If every month we plop at adirondacks, we'll lose boys. Gotta mix it up.

Colleges are savvy enough to look beyond any particular award. Most employers are too. Reminding parents of that would be a good idea. Especially if someone tells you hey are "hanging on" until their boy makes Eagle. Those are folks who I wouldn't hesitate to refer to the local TL chapter!

The number is for bragging rights. BSA promotes itself by bragging about the millions of hours it serves in the community. That number gets translated into hypothetical dollars, and equated to the organization's public value. I'v ever heard of it being brought up at an EBoR.

Or having a wife and three concubines?

There's a difference between a unit collapsing and a unit no longer being welcome. I don't think a district will see any advantage in absorbing a half-dozen troop treasuries. But, if CO A gives a unit the boot and CO B says they'll sponsor them, I can see the DE pushing to move funds from A to B and not for CO A holding those funds to kick-start a TL unit. Now if all the families in unit A want to move their boys from BSA to TL, that's where things could get hairy. I suspect families like that saw their boys as being brought up with CO A's ideals, and the BSA just happened to be the program they were using. Then if CO B wants to start a BSA unit, especially because they now feel their sexual ethics are now aligned (and they still have no problem excluding atheists), then I could see folks in unit A getting really hot under the collar if the DE comes asking for the checkbook!