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Then there's those pesky co-eds, of which half of them are only entering at age 14 (from who-knows-where? Venus maybe). They don't know patrol methods -- really don't need to depending on their focus, wear different bling, AND they can be multiples of other units. Even if you go co-ed from the bottom up, I think other scout associations make a clean break between the Middle vs. High School age groups. I don't think any of us die-hard BSA types would easily buy into that model.

Also, a scout can work on merit badges while working first class requirements. This means, for example, if the boys in the troop all want to become proficient in first aid, there's nothing stopping all of them from Scout to Life from getting trained together and earning the merit badge. Needless to say, they will be able to knock off several Trail to First Class reqs. I would still encourage your PLs to not take "I have First Aid" as sufficient reason to sign off on T2FC requirements. They should have seen the boy perform the requirement autonomously. Otherwise, they ask him to demonstrate it again.

Yep. We put on double hats, but nobody likes to do somebody else's paperwork. So we have the mess that Fred's complaining about. COR is a little week that way. Part of the dysfunction that makes our units unique. You could have a COR who challenges the units to step up their collaboration, but be careful what you ask for. The "strong COR" model was tried, and the leaders of one unit did not like it and raised a stink unit reps were switched.

BP, nor mine. I think because we're too small. But when we started, there was a tendency to segregate by sex (mainly because I brought the boy scouts and my co-advisor brought the girl scouts). Fortunately that didn't last long. But I see some leaders maintaining that distinction in their crews. I only have one married venturer, and his wife has yet to join us.

I often wonder why young adults are so afraid of marriage. Maybe we've put it on such a high pedestal that many wont peruse it, but that's another issue ... As 5smom shows, most crews are segregated to the point that males and females operate independently. An adult male associate advisor would not have direct responsibility over any youth female. So they'd rather fly under the radar and avoid the inconvenience of removing an adult from the charter until their mate turns 21.

2C, The pumpkin cobbler was awesome! But don't take my word for it. Here's what s few of our scouts had to say ... : it's food! It tastes like pelican eggs in a universe where pelican eggs taste good. : magically delicious : I ate it all up. Raaawwwrr! : a great sequel by James Cameron. That'll never happen. : I'm thinking ... A flavorball went off in my mouth. Okay, so the boys don't have the best focus when you ask them for a quote, but the pot was empty! That should say it all. Thanks.

FWIW - our boys had a great weekend even with the frost on the ground. One boy with disabilities for whom this kind of thing is really tough (he falls a lot) said, "Well, now I know what I need to prepare for winter." It's not the entire troop, but there's a group of kids who you just can't keep away from this stuff,

I forget how young these pack parents are! Text: Pack dues for the 1st 3 mos. of 2013 are $__. Will u pay Monday? Or will J. quit Dec 31st? Problems? Plz call! Bless your committee, but if they need to approve what you write, there's a problem. FWIW: I decided not to bother collecting crew dues early this year. For all my harping in October/November, nobody paid (or if they were multiple with another unit turned in paperwork with contact info changes or updates in preferred flavor of chocolate bars). We'll have one collection date. Then the crew president will call whoever hasn't paid and ask if they are "in" or "out" and give them 5 days to pay.

We don't get as much "fun in the snow" as you all, but I think the trick is to camp every month. Sorta like the boiling-a-live-frog principle: He won't hop out if you start with tepid water.* Sure you may loose a few boys. But we find that the bug-phobic really like those snowy nights. Of course, setting the example is always good. Even when we have a cabin, I try to set up my tent at some distance as often as possible. *P.S. - That's just a metaphor. I've never cooked amphibians. Well not intentionally, but tangent's just for chats around real campfires.

I prefer mixed patrols, but you have to be prepared to throw the older boys "a bone" or two. They might need a high adventure opportunity, or a more challenging hike into camp. Or, they may need to hang at the campfire after their patrols are tucked in. Arrange a cracker barrel. That sort of thing. Special boys need special adults. Sometimes you'll find the right boy to take a lad with a disability under his wing. But even the "right boy" needs a break now and then. BTW - a boy should not have to "verbally and behind the scenes" fight change. He should be comfortable enough to respectfully disagree with how things are.

Call your scout shop. They should be able to give you the paperwork you need. One of our venturers made our crew flag. It was closer to patrol flag size. Problem is durability, so we don't fly it all that much. But it was a very sweet gesture.

One thing that stemmed from a panel discussion where adults taking VLST got to compile a couple of questions for youth taking ILSC at the lunchtime break ... The boys in some crews tend to hang back and let the girls do all the planning , etc ... The youth present explained that the boys are busy with SPL or PL duties every week. They see crew meetings as a chance to chill. Venturing girls are often not saddled with those responsibilities and are anxious to take charge. "Give it time." They said. "The boys usually step up out on the trail. As they mature, things even out." I'm not entirely sure that's accurate, but it does point out that youth might be less bothered by social dynamics than we are.

If you've turned in your Eagle, I guess it would be wise to strike it from your resume. But I would not even countenance any organization that would slight a candidate for reporting youth awards that reflect his/her leadership experience. Would I want to work for someone who doesn't value candidates whose definition of self begins with "Trustworthy?"

And I frankly wonder how an Eagle scout is now perceived. I would have to advise an Eagle scout to not highlight this acheivement if he were to apply for a position. Such advise will undermine the lad's prospects for a job in even the most antipathic company. SA, keep telling the boy to list all of his awards and recognitions on those resumes. For one interview, a line on my resume (not ES) that my boss thought was very controversial probably helped get me the job. I was asked directly about it, as a result, it extended the conversation and allowed me to reveal more about my character. You do know that there are donors out there who are sympathetic to our loss of contributions due to the day's PC torch-burning corporate villagers? So what will really matter is BSA's total endowment at the end of each successive year.

Our pack had an event called "reindeer games". Each den hosts a game station. (You don't want it to be so complicated that it takes more than two or three boys to manage the station. Think ring toss on "antlers", squirt gun at candles, pin the nose on the reindeer, build marshmallow snowmen.) Boys in the den take turns running their station so that the rest can go around and play the other dens' games. Prizes are usually pieces of candy. So, one of the stations could be making a prize bag/decorating a "stocking".

On the SM side of things ... Stash that extra sleeping bag or fleece blanket(s) in your trunk. Someone's gonna forget theirs. (Or not pack their dad's!) Know where the nearest department store is so you can dash out and for rubber boots for the kid who shows up in tennis shoes. Make sure the boys all can tell you the signs for hypothermia. When fishing in the morning, keep a rag/shammi in your pocket so it is warm when you need it to wipe the ice that accumulates on the eyelets of your pole. Use rubber lures that tend to bounce/skid over the thin layer of ice. (Think combination sport: angling+curling.) Choose colors brighter than usual to compensate for light blocked by ice. Snag it? Leave it! No lure is worth the precarious walk on early ice to retrieve it. When cleaning the fish, have warm water for your hands. Astronomy? Instruct the boys not to stick their eye directly on the telescope lens! Aside from ruining the focus for everyone else, the cold 'scope can be a bit of a shock. Teach the boys to pay attention to the wind and stay out of it. Set up camp on the lee side of a boulder, or lash together a small wind-break. Boots dried by the fire are only as good as the holes not burnt into them! Instruct boys to keep a safe distance an check whatever they are trying to dry frequently.

Definitely drop the irrelevant posts. Remind people that their boys are listening. The page is intended to praise your youth. Unless the boys are bringing up the issue in a constructive manner -- regardless of if they are for or against anything in particular -- policy discussions are irrelevant.

Very Few Hats do any or all of the Above.. Hats very Simply help prevent body Warms loss during cold weather and not very efficiently Three words: Leather Outback Hat Got one from Cov-Ver 5 years ago. The crew almost made it their uniform ...

I've had all combinations. When the group is large (say, more than 12) and young (14-16) they tend to segregate by sex. That's how it worked when we started. Among the guys we have a class division, and the guys from the other side of the tracks tend to work better with the girls. The problem is they stink at getting their own girlfriends to join us. That makes it all out of balance and less attractive to the girls from this side of the tracks. These days it's a unique young lady who sticks with us. Right now, the women in my crew are all in different circles. The tightest knit group of them is scattered across the country in college. Looks like we're gonna be building from scratch.

So, we're telling the kids to move up the wedding date? If they tie the knot before the 1st day of summer camp, everything will be legit? Heck, have the wedding at camp! On one level, I find this quite satisfying. Especially if the reception is at the skeet range. It'll give new meaning to "shotgun wedding."

My council will cut me some slack with VLST. I think once they realized how many were on the roles without it, they didn't have much choice. YPT will probably be manageable. With this two year expiration, basically half the adults need it at any given rechartering. The only ones we catch before rechartering are those who happened to have been on a tour plan that bounced back. (Happened to me this year.)

Specifically, Acco, c45 can have a sit-down with his CC and say that the adults are in a "storming" stage and maybe slipping into "forming", and of they don't change their abrasive behavior quickly, it will be reforming -- maybe into two separate teams. In fact as long as he's freinds with everyone he should do his best to respect everyone while nudging them all to behave with a little more loyalty or courtesy. I've done the ASM gig for 10 years now (not counting that stint after high school a few decades ago). The first three, no problem. I could be everybody's buddy. Then someone handed me a crew advisor's patch and like Backroads hinted at, I became an "instant lightning rod" for the drama generators. It took folks a few years for the backbiters to realize that as far as the troop was concerned, I was there to assist the SM, and when it came to the crew's agenda, my chain would not be yanked unless you were willing to actually hike or camp or ski with us. Leave it that some people were slower leader's than others. Did this hurt the kids? Yes a little. They got the impression that some adults loved them a little less than they actually did. A darn shame really.

BD, obviously RT commish needs to have time (and a few $$) to spare. But pick two guys in the same stage of life and one of them is a good old boy, and the other is the servant leader your district needs. Assuming there was a choice of both, how does one tell one apart from the other?

SR540, and they remain stand-alone partners -- just as I suspect AHG will if we turn co-ed. OGE, I agree that once they buy in to the program, the female venturing officers are a pleasure to work with. I'm talking about how young women looking at it from the outside ... it's much like what BD describes.

Jr. High girls ! But I have to say that one thing that limits my church chartering BSA as a youth group model is its co-Ed model only accommodates Sr. Highs. That and the youth-led model sounds very intimidating to Sr. High women. I doubt that our big tent wil absorb AHG any sooner than it will the Baptist Men: http://scout-wire.org/2012/10/25/bsa-american-baptist-men-team-up-to-spread-scouting-programs/