qwazse

In our troop, we don't excuse genetics.

One scout in Son#1's den was 10 when he crossed over with his buddies. No problems.

I'm so sorry for this bad news. Our best friends had two kids with a genetic hearing loss and we saw them go through incredible challenges. Our kids never had to deal with disabilities while scouting, but they had friends who did. Every disability is unique. So nobody - even someone with your son's exact problem - can tell you how resilient your boy will be. In general, boys are very resilient. Patrols adapt much better than do dens or packs. Plus there is a lot of growing that Webelos do. The size of the den is a big deal. The more they are closer to patrol size, the better everyone can learn to adjust.

Huzzah! I can only hope that Venturing's precipitous decline will cease so that in 4 years and there'll be a crew waiting for him!

Most folks I know don't find that "shock" all that bothersome. But, I agree with you. There is no point in a Christian walling him/herself off from the rest of the world. Kinda flies in the face of the Great Commission. On the other hand TL & AHG aren't isolationists, they are betting that a large part of the population are hungry for leadership who is overtly Christian (evangelical/orthodox/catholic) and defensive of heterosexual unions in terms of models for their youth. They are also figuring that many non-Christian parents would prefer that to a movement that is decidedly non-sectarian or purely secular. They may be right.

Shoe boxes are wonderful things. But for display? Sounds like you could mount them on dowels, wire, or maybe string, stretched between a wooden frame.

What if uniforms, backpacks, etc ... are purchased with ISA's with the understanding that they will be handed down to future scouts? One could argue that all uniforming does is make the troop look sharp and make it easier for unit leader to ID his kids. Troop benefit all the way.

as someone who admittedly struggles with accounting, Im not grasping how NOT having ISAs works. I get that all the money goes into one fund...what I dont get is come time for camp payments how do you know how much Johnny raised and how much Tommy still needs? And once you have that figured out, if a boy needs to "borrow" against the troop, by what calculation do you determine that he has worked off that debt so to speak? It seems to me that if you know how much a boy has contributed or how much he still needs to contribute, somehow you are still going thru the motions of an ISA but just not calling it that. of course, this is why I wont be a treasurer, cuz clearly it works for some people out there but I just dont get it P.S. - Our troop has not weaned away from ISA's, but this is basically how our crew works.

as someone who admittedly struggles with accounting, Im not grasping how NOT having ISAs works. I get that all the money goes into one fund...what I dont get is come time for camp payments how do you know how much Johnny raised and how much Tommy still needs? And once you have that figured out, if a boy needs to "borrow" against the troop, by what calculation do you determine that he has worked off that debt so to speak? It seems to me that if you know how much a boy has contributed or how much he still needs to contribute, somehow you are still going thru the motions of an ISA but just not calling it that. of course, this is why I wont be a treasurer, cuz clearly it works for some people out there but I just dont get it I kinda get what's being suggested. The lion share of fundraising goes into lowering the cost uniformly for every participant. So, net $3000, and maybe $2500 goes to offsetting the cost of planned activities, equipment, etc ... Perhaps in a small patrol that means each boy pays $100 instead of $350 for camp. The rest goes into a general/discretionary fund because you may have a boy who still can't afford that last $100 or you may have to replace a flag, whatever. In our troop, if it involves helping out an individual scout, we leave the approval between the SM, CC, and Treasurer. (At committee meetings, the name of the boy is not mentioned. -- only the expense.) That keeps things sufficiently confidential.

d.f., no point in being mean. You'd be better off pointing out that there are two sides to every equation. Executives of non-profits justify their compensation relative to certain benchmarks. For example: # of million $ donors solicited per year, # of staff managed, how much more could they get doing the same job in the private sector, how popular they are with their constituents (and make no mistake, Bob M is very popular with the boys who've met him), etc ... One could argue that Garibay's pittance represents the "glass cieling" to which many female execs are relegated. Or, it could be a long-awaited revolution in executive compensation that will allow here organization to out-compete similar groups for the hearts and minds of Americas youth. Only time will tell.

Now you're starting to sound like a credit card company. The closer you get to a a commission per sale, the more it looks like taxable income. How bout this incentive: the more you sell, the more you help pay a buddy's dues?

TiNJ, how many scouts were in your class?

I think in your case, you would pick the most interesting activity/project that could be done in two hours with the MB. You might want to describe how you decided upon your occupation/hobby, what it took for you to learn it, how much further you could go with it. If there's something in the book that's not entirely clear, in your opinion, you might want to go over that with the boys. Those are what pow-wows are for. With the organizers, you need to know what their expectations are, and you want to be clear to them that the badge will not be earned during the event. You might want to have a list of other counselors for the badge so the boys can contact them to complete id. Oh, and you want the boys to introduce themselves by name and troop number. What these things are really about is making new friends.

Yep. It's always better to disagree amicably and pray that something good comes of it. So did you ask him ... How much are TL's execs paid? Is there a salary cap? What is the per-person cost of membership? Is there a long term cap on that? Do they have a plan for endowments? If someone donates land, who decides what will be done with it? Just saying my suspicion is that the financial stuff is just a smoke-screen. Centuries ago, the Sultan of Egypt applied a differential tax on Christians vs. Muslims. Christians claim difference enticed some folks who were "on the fence" to convert to Islam. But if you asked the converts, I'd bet they'd say something like "Muslims practice what they preached" - the Church was not winning friends in the 6th-9th centuries. But Copts persisted and learned to live leaner as second class citizens, and soon the Sultanate became so bloated that it had to exact taxes from everyone. I sincerely hope the TL-ers do well. But, I have no reason to believe that their financial burden will be any different than the BSA's.

I'll let someone else post the links to their rants on merit badge universities. As long as the boys are obligated to meet the counselor on their own (chaperoned by their parents or maybe with a buddy) to demonstrate they completed the requirements, I'm all for pow wows.

The troop dues are $55 to cover registration and bling. We held the line this year but expect to need to increase next year. The boys would rather their fundraising go to reduce camp fees. Which we try to keep at $15 per weekend. The crew dues are $28 and cover registration costs and members pay full cost for everything.

Fill out a BSA adult app. No fee required. (I wonder, how much of our registration costs go into background checks on MBCs?) Technically you're a volunteer for the district. But, that doesn't mean you have to counsel out of anywhere besides your troop meeting place. A few of our ASMs arrange to meet boys from other troops during our meeting times. (Guaranteed youth protection.) Generally, we're looking for folks for whom the badge is either your training, occupation, or hobby. When your application is approved, think of a presentation or activity that you could provide by way of introducing the subject, and let the SPL know you're available if the boys would like to schedule it. If yours subject is not required for Eagle, that how you get a few boys to contact you about earning the badge in the following months. Now the SPL may not be able to fit you in any time soon, but he may announce "Let's give a big hand for Mr. blw2, is now officially a counselor for ___!" Depending on the assertiveness of the boys in your troop, you might still get enough interest to occupy your time.

I had something similar happen to me with a Columbia jacket last year. Pocket just blew out, and was fortunate to catch the lightweight GPS sliding out the bottom after just coming in from the snow! I'm starting to echo my elder's "They don't make 'em like they used to ..."

Like I said. Seen it before. It's a fine line between control and entitlement. The best you can do is be honest about your opinion and hope he'll take it to heart. This is for two reasons. First, you need to say your peace, and typing it to us is not gonna do that for you. Second, this fella is going to a troop, and for their sake, you want to try to win the guy's heart before he gets on the bad side of a bunch of ASMs.

I think my District Advancement Chair would side with scoutnut. He said HQ checks "funny" things with blue cards (e.g. lot's of different MBs with the same signature, too many MBs where boy's and councilor's last name match). It's not too far fetched that a registrar could check a signature that he/she didn't recognize to see, just for kicks, if the counselor ever registered with the BSA. I'm not saying it would happen (certainly not as overtaxed as many council staff are), but it could. However, I'd like to think that the boy who actually worked to do the badge would not loose credit because some adults couldn't see eye-to-eye on paperwork. For purposes of advancement, council is "2nd line support" in much the same way a sports club is "2nd line support" by providing referees on game days, and conference-judges for those close calls, unruly parents, etc... You could work around them, but things are more smooth if you work with them.

I'm sorry. That happened between Son#1's and Son#2's den and it wasn't until after the fact that I realized how the pack had to dig itself out of a hole as a result. It made for a some resentment. It's not entirely clear that how your accounts settled out. Was the surplus a result of specifically fundraising for the BnG. (E.g., were W2's the bulk of the popcorn sellers -- specifically so the pack could have a blowout party?) Did costs actually exceed fundraising? The best you can do is try not to breed resentment. Let the CC know in no uncertain, but courteous, terms that you think he should have left the pack in better financial shape by holding a more modest program. Let the incoming W2DL know you would prefer things done more modestly. As a committee, you should set a BnG budget. When you all have a surplus, you need to decide what budget items should be adjusted upward. It's really up to you all, but the vision needs to be laid out well in advance of any activities that actually happen. And in your case, maybe folks envisioned something that not everyone wound up liking. It happens. Evaluate -- Adjust -- Implement.

Also, some places are designated for youth to collect things. For example, a local bike trail passes by an outcrop of fossils (the usual shellfish etc ...). The placement of the trail was very intentional so that young people could engage in fitness and science at the same time! Point is: get to know the areas where this activity is approved of (and safe to do!). Make sure what you are getting is distinct from what you've already had. Collect the minimum sample. Record where/when you got it. Private property? Asking permission. (Note: there are some places where leaf and seed gathering is problematic. Many arboretums would prefer that you call and ask permission before you "harvest.") Question for fun: if you acquire a fossilized bi-valve, does that count as a rock and a shell?

Giving feedback is not making waves. But, perdi's brother could wind up finding himself being the next NYLT instructor! Fact is, the adults who can tell me they don't like what I'm doing are the ones who've help me the most. Even if I disagree with them, I learn to communicate better.

I think Eagledad makes a great point. We aren't just trying to teach the scouts technical skills, but we are also modeling behavior. Take for example the (very bad in my opinion) practice that some troops have of making a scout sing to get lost property back. What behavior is it modeling? If a scout is out in the street and sees the man in front of him drop his wallet, which should he say: "Excuse me sir, you dropped your wallet." or "Hey mister, I got your wallet. Sing a song and I'll give it back to you.". If the second is not acceptable to a stranger, how is it acceptable to a fellow scout? Don't even equate this stuff with singing for your gear. We don't hold a stranger to LNT. We do expect a scout to do right by his country, his troop, and his mamma. And if it's good enough for a scout, it's good enough for scouters. In fact I've gladly sung for my gear, and would gladly do so again. But, the last couple times, SM said he'd take a raincheck! Still waiting in the wings for when the troop needs me to sing.

Way to go BD! That'll keep her engaged and possibly on the trajectory to becoming a great advancement coordinator or maybe even crew advisor. As a soccer parent who has never played the sport, I always ask other parents and coaches (besides my kid's coach) about things that I didn't understand. Even though every coach my kids have had has an "open door" policy, I don't want the guy bombarded with 100 questions, or with an idea that's not gonna fly. And I want to be sure that I encourage the kid to talk to the coach when he/she needed to talk to the coach (about playing time, personal growth, poor sportsmanship, having to quit, etc ...). Then when it's time to chat with coach, it's about stuff that's really useful. Scout parents may sit at the back of the room for weeks and still don't know what's going on. They take whatever someone told them when their son crossed over as gospel. This OP's kid transferred troops, and suddenly some things that she thought was scouting-as-usual aren't there anymore. Asking us here is better than causing a commotion among the rest of the parents at the back of the room. Part of the trade-off of having the geniuses on this forum that we do is being willing to POLITELY respond to questions from newbies who repeat stuff that may make us cringe (again, and again ... ). SM2014, My rant over BD's rant aside, his last three sentences are solid.