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Or (for those who hate math): Every driver tops the tank before leaving. Tops it upon return and gets a reciept for that last fill-up (and any in-between if it's a long trip). Receipts are turned in to troop treasurer for reimbursement. If you have a sharp QM, you could have him direct drivers to do this while he and the boys stow the gear. We STRONGLY encourage whoever pulls the trailer to do this because the rate varies depending how full the thing's packed and the terrain we cover. If you don't accept reimbursement, you could consider it a donation at whatever the IRS says the going rate for fuel per mile is (I think it was 18 cents last year).

Because it makes no sense to have a council named for one Pennsylvania county when it now serves two NJ counties. It's insulting to their scouts and scouters: "you guys are hangers on and second class citizens compared to those of us actually living in Bucks County". Pardon me for recycling comments across threads ... that's just "girl talk." Any scouter who talks like that oughta have his mamma wash his mouth out with soap until he can say "friendly, courteous, kind" through the bubbles. Bucks is a fine name for a council, and if your CO's are fine with adopting it, there's no point in wasting letterhead.

I figure someone in the troop has a connection. or, their fundraising already underwrites part of the cost.

DK, l'll try to put this as politely as I can: That's just "girl thinking". Any SM worth the title will make it work for your boy. If a fella ever talked to you like that, I'd tell his mamma to wash his mouth out with soap until he can say 'friendly, courteous, kind' while gargling bubbles. Explain to your son what you are thinking of doing, ask him if it'd be okay to talk to the another troop and plan to summer with them. (This may mean going to a few meetings to meet the boys he'd be camping with).

Here are more details on my Council's latest acquisition ... http://lhc-bsa.org/Potomac%20Merger "The Laurel Highlands Council, headquartered in Pittsburgh, once combined with the Potomac Council will encompass 16 counties in three states and serve nearly 30,000 youth. With over 30 professionals and 15 support staff working in the organization, it is certainly our goal to improve programming throughout this region, and to revitalize Scouting in our area." On the bright side: our jaunts to Dolly Sods will now be in-council trips -- if that means anything.

COR has a lot of latitude, but cannot be registered as more than that and CC. That doesn't mean he can't act as other positions. Do you have other preferences for SM? Regarding your boys, are they proud of their troop? If so, stick around and play nice with whatever adults are placed on the committee. Let the boys know that even if you have disagreements with the adults, that should not keep them from having fun scouting. If not, then offer to take the boys visiting other troops to see how things are run. If they take you up on the deal, make some calls. Visit a few meetings, attend camp-outs.

Yep, Catalina Island ain't no Brownsea. I can understand both approaches. If they offer both activities in the same summer, that may mean patrols get split. Hopefully your troop has spring fundraisers that offset costs.

That is much higher than ours and much closer to the cost of some High Adventure bases. (See the Bechtel Summit Reserve's program.) But that may also include transportation costs.

Definitely remind friends to collect any photos they have of the family. I had a friend who shortly after relocating his family to a new city had a total home loss. His pastor (and his wife and kids) put them up for a couple months until things got sorted out. This wasn't an out-of-the blue kind of of donation. The two families had become friends for several months, so they had a good idea of the personality issues that might arise going in. So just make sure someone is keeping an ear to the ground to know what the real needs are.

One one level, I agree. If your son has no behavioral disorders, a little distance from mom is a very good thing. On another, we encourage moms to come camping with us, and we coach them on how to "give him his space." The few of them who do join us find it enjoyable. Sounds like we're kind of in the position the troop you favor is in. But, there is nothing besides your own time stopping you from registering with another troop or venturing crew. Take the outdoor skills courses. Volunteer in a way that will make you a happy servant.

For your reference, here's how our crew handled finances. It made for a bumpy road because various adults who were great at solving problems were forced out of the equation, but it poured could water on any "drama sparks" before there were flames to fan ... Registration/transfer fees were paid up front by the interested members (a couple of boys and girls and their families who wanted to go on a high adventure). Other expenses were paid by the venturers. While we were waiting for the paperwork to go through, the troop treasurer accounted for funds being collected for the HA. He also helped our crew treasurer handle accounts. As guests of another crew, some boys went on a different HA that came in under budget and donated the surplus to the crew. I asked any other potential donors to wait for the crew president (the lead YOUTH in venturing) to present a plan for how the money would be spent. Other troop leaders have offered equipment and time, I made it clear that they were not to lift a finger for the crew until approached by a youth requesting them to do so. So my advice to you is that your committee only hear from venturers regarding requests for financial support. Tell your CC flat out that you will oppose any adult-initiated requests for support for what is supposed to be an organization lead by youth and young adults. I'm sure if a crew officer presented even a half-baked plan of how they would use their start-up funds, you all would give them assistance. But aside from knowing the crew schedule so you all can plan your calendars accordingly, if there is no youth at the table your committee should not dwell much at all on how the crew's doing.

Is "Mobilization" some more polite term for "Disaster Drill"? An emergency service project? Sounds like what most 17year 9 month old Life scouts are scrambling for. I guess it's all spelled out in the ... wait for it ... Merit Badge Pamphlet

Finally realized you have to be logged in to see images! If we are interpreting the characters as old vs. new year ... they are both under 18, so no violation. If it is father time and the nascent scouting movement ... I think that's a parent/guardian relationship, so 1-on-1 is okay. There is no indication that they are conferencing in a closed room, so it may be a non-issue regardless. On the other hand, the uniform police (especially the anti shirt+jeans crowd) would spit nails. Happy New Year, P.S. - I do like the subscription price!

I'm gonna fold my arms and let the youth hash out a program plan with you. In general: have a "plan B", (E.g. emergency shelter you could hike to if needed, a first-aid kit. emergency phone. Etc ...) Your adults probably think of this stuff without telling you, but asking them for that plan will instill a lot of confidence.

Folks are gonna ask for details, but here's the bottom line ... The COR is appointed by the CO to wisely choose adult leaders (esp. the CC) to represent the CO's wishes and make sure the physical space is available for a BSA program. If the CO wants you all to do some good thing, it would be best if you did it. Problem solved. If the CO is not fulfilling their contract (e.g., they are not providing enough space for your rapidly expanding troop/pack), best look for another CO -- no hard feelings. If your CC is respecting parent's wishes and representing them well, the SM/ASMs work with him/her. If not work around him/her. If that's not possible and the COR is standing by the CC, find another unit to serve. Your DE might even know of a CO that's considering starting a unit and would love some seasoned leaders. Life is rarely as dramatic as most troubled units make it out to be.

'Skip, Your solution works for our local sites/insertion points pretty well where parents just bring their kids there. But lots of troops have 2+ hour drives for nearly every outing.. The challenge is the BSA reporting requirements. Our councils are supposed to know two weeks in advance who will be driving, what vehicle they will be using, and drivers are to confirm with us that they have our state's required minimum insurance. (Some parents have missed the memo on "obedience".) My experience is that that info rarely gets completed until the week before the event.

I've generally been satisfied with the amount different adults have contributed to the needs of our crew. In our troop, however, from time to time the SM or CC has had to make clear to parents we were coming up short on transportation. But do make an effort to recognize that times are tough: Reimburse drivers for gas. Consider feeding drivers for free. Have the boys calculate the mileage and other costs in advance. Make sure activity fees account for that. If a driver doesn't want the $, consider it a donation to the troop treasury. Camp locally. Maybe one or two of these "not drivers" have some property you could use? Consider community parks or conservation lands. Someplace within hiking distance. Find out if the boys could do a service project while they are there.

Citizenship in the World and Wilderness Survival

I started having my VP-admin do them when they were just a fill-in-the-blank pdf. Then we went to the scouter.org online system, and I have barely learned to use the thing myself! Far as I can tell there is no direct way for a youth to create an account and develop the plan.

Just forwarded to my VP program. Thanks!

My opinion -- (not nationals): we're only mostly youth-run as long as adults are doing the Tour Plans. Not too bothered by that. Fact is, when you have driven youth, adults will rally around to support them. Sometimes that support comes by way of running the bureaucracy on their behalf.

So, as long as nobody else is jumping at the same time, go right ahead!

Jim's reply makes sense to me. More broadly, this ain't Eagle. This is an opportunity for the boys to reflect on their year. My suggestion is to put this to your PLC, or your entire troop. Have your boys hash out if THEY think they deserve the award. If they are letter-of-the-law types and don't think they should apply for the award, ask them if they are still proud of what the troop accomplished last year. Then give them national's opinion, and ask them if this makes them feel better or worse for applying for the award. (Some boys might feel better because they aren't breaking any hard and fast rules, others might feel worse because this leaves some wiggle room for troops to not pursue some really worthwhile MBs.) Ask them if ribbons like this are really important to them, and if they should tweak your program to make sure they don't "just barely" make it next year. In other words, make sure the boys are in the loop and are using things like this to spark conversation on how to shape their program.

A variety of meats, but best of all: the universal garnish of my wife's aunt's homemade horseradish, of which a jar got sent home. May God rest ye mightily, gentlemen (and ladies). I do believe in most cases, that's a good thing. But if you believe there's something better you should wishing me when we meet, I do hope you'll find it in your heart to offer it. The Good Book tells me that the Almighty's translation service doesn't process words as well as it does the pits of souls.

Most of our projects do *not* require significant fundraising. Many of our communities have funds for materials, but not for labor, or leadership! A boy can go to his town hall and ask what needs to be done. Now sometimes, a boy's vision is for a project that lacks money. But, we try to help a boy understand that there are a variety of possibilities and he doesn't necessarily need to have one with a fundraising component.