qwazse

Sounds like a great idea! I'd be surprised if you attracted a fraction of your boys, but I'm sure those who go would have a good time. Are you thinking of picking someplace local or will this involve travel? (In other words, are you all snow chasing?)

Thanks for the history, 00E! (My, I miss hand-drawn path diagrams!) Precedent or not, anything's possible. But, I agree with BP. It's unlikely. As things stand now, there's just not a demand. BP, I bet your crew E-COH's have more young women participating (at the very least, as color guard). Which may generate more interest. If every crew operated like that (or, e.g., if my venturers were asked to contribute to the troop's ceremony), it night bump up interest in Eagle a little more. I think the reverse could happen, more venturers will chase venturing awards, increasing the name recognition for Ranger and Silver. Then someone will be posting the thread "Silver Award - Boys ever?" Ain't diversity grand?

IT'S ABOUT THE BOYS!!!!! If they think it's worth passing on this trip for the sake of unity, then, Boomer, they can pass on the trip. But I've seen a lot of opportunities, small and large, like this. Generally, a boy would prefer to take a chance at being left on shore so his buddies can make the boat. It's not a "black spot", it's an opportunity to use that cash towards a different adventure. TwoCub, you have your head on straight. Give them the options. Tell them what you think is important. (E.g., sons should be given a long straw.) But, leave the decision entirely up to them. Heck, I'd leave the room and tell them when I come back they should have either a roster with their alternate or a blank piece of paper and we'll make plans to do something else that week.

It's sad to hear a good troop fade away, but if you and the CO are set on this tack, talk to the DE to make it happen. Some pointers: Get your adults to Venturing Leader Specific Training ASAP. If your COR comes along, it would be a great help. Make a plan for recruiting 8th graders as they turn 14 next year. Involve your boys in that plan. Don't expect any help from the DE on this, but be thankful if it comes. Brainstorm with your boys on some fellowship activities that don't involve overnights. E.g., for Halloween, our crew likes to gather around a backyard campfire after Trick-or-treating. Make a plan for fundraising. New uniforms, even if the youth design their own from t-shirts, are a new expense. You might want to underwrite the cost of Powderhorn, or other leadership courses for select youth. Most age-appropriate activities are more expensive and youth this age have to start saving for college as well.

the ASPL really just does what daddy tells him to ... but his dad is also advancement chair, and ha a lot of voice at committee meetings ... It's a bad day when an ASM or JASM is worrying about the Byzantine machinations of the committee. You do know that some troops give their SPL a seat at the committee? More than anything, this is so the boys get an idea of what the committee will or will not push for. At the least, you should have access to the committee meeting minutes so that you can know that those folks are focusing on how to support you in playing the game, not how to make change the way you play it. Many times, my role as ASM on the committee was to say "This is how the boys want to operate. The SM supports it. You should too." And, yes, that included the times when the SPL they chose we more popular than capable.

both-and is possible. For example, our CO's troop, pack, and crew have the same unit #. All of the boys in your troop can simultaneously be registered in any number of crews. So your troop doesn't have to disappear overnight. The same committee can verve both troop and crew, although separate committees for each is more common. Anyway, this does give you options -- of you have the leadership to support it.

Do you have sisters, girlfriends, and buddies (non-scouts) who want to be part of the program? Are your 18-20 y.o. ASM's comfortable with being "youth" again? Do you have several female adult leaders (moms or 21+ older sisters) willing to support you? (That not-enough-adults-for-an-outing can still occur if you don't.) In other words: is there a need? And, are your boys and their families up to meeting it?

The boys have a lifeboat problem! Ask them what they think is the best way to solve it. If all 5 of them have put $100 (or whatever your monthly payment would be) down, let the boys know that drawing straws is okay. But, it's their call. If they want to sit in a room and talk it out, that's fine. Unless your troop has some deep pockets, I would strongly encourage you to remind each boy that money is non-refundable unless they find their replacement and he is willing to negotiate deal for that open slot. If any boy does not have any money in the game, yet. He's out. Let them know that you will do your best to help the 'odd duck' find an adventure with another troop. Otherwise, he gets his deposit back.

There's no merging with AHG any more than there is with GS. If this happens, I think there are two pathways: 1. BSA becoming co-ed. That's a long way off given the American's strong cultural bent toward unisex programs. The only way I see this really happening is through a concerted effort of chartered organizations. 2. The BSA National Youth Cabinet fielding a petition (to whom? not sure) to allow earning First Class via Venturing. There would be no tenderfoot or second class rank: one advisor's conference, one board of review. All of the requirements would need to be translated into the crew leadership model (e.g., crew officers sign off on progress, etc ...). Non-scouts of both sexes would be eligible. Unlike BP's young women, mine have seen Eagle awarded through our troop, and none seemed to have voiced interest in obtaining it themselves. (Perhaps the pomp and circumstance of the Courts of Honor -- male leadership and all -- was off-putting?) One non-scout boy voiced interest in Eagle, so I offered him a possible end-run. (Join our troop for 6-12 months, to try and earn First Class. Feel free to work on remaining ranks through troop or crew, depending on whom you are most comfortable with.) He didn't take me up on the offer.

You are on the right track wanting to interact more with the other leaders in the pack. This sounds obvious, but it actually is quite hard for us to do: communicate, communicate, communicate. I think that's where you felt the impact of "poor teamwork." Scouting for Food is a huge challenge, and folks don't always appreciate how daunting it can be to a new parent -- even if their kids love it. Sometimes we have to adjust goals, sometimes request more manpower, sometimes give people a vision of how important this is. A go-see-it to a food distribution center or a visit from a representative of your local food bank may help with the vision. For refined goals and more manpower, you will need to start a conversation on three points: - What went well. - What didn't go so well. - What should be done differently. Be sure and listen to the other parents to see if they've had similar experiences or different ones. This will help you all know what to change for the next food drive.

The man is trying to help new crossovers for the first time! 'Fish, your troop may do it differently, or you may have confused SMC for BOR. Either way, it's not the problem that these folks are trying to make it out to be. The boys will have a fine scouting career with caring adults like yourself. Also, back to knots, the taught line can end with the last hitch going around the the standing in in the same direction as the first two, or in the opposite direction. It will hold under tension regardless.

Get to know the crew officers and help them arrange a dinner in which the recognize their advisors. The recognition itself can be as simple as a toast or a song. No plaques, please.

I'm no expert, but it sounds like incredible fun if you can get the right gear for the right people who are at the right stage in their training to use it!

Great question. Keep in mind that even though it's messy, your fellow scouts our learning the importance of electing good, not merely popular, leaders. If your SPLs had 6th month terms, then maybe you could ride this one out. otherwise admit that this is going to be a tough 8 more months. Secondly, do you have good PL's in place? If so they can muddle through quite well without a strong SPL. Help them by providing Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops course. Encourage individual patrol activities. Mabye have individual patrols rotate who opens and who closes meetings by signing up on a roster themselves instead s. Ask the adults to support patrol outings. If everyone sticks around, you should have three patrols. The only real question is should the crossovers be in a new scout patrol with someone such as you as their guide? Get them through the basics and find out if they want to elect their own patrol leader or merge into your existing patrols. Finally, if you think this is truly insufferable ask the SPL to resign and run again next September when he thinks he's more prepared to do the job. Have a conference with the SM so he is clear on your position. Maybe he can have a word with the boys parents to help turn things around. If they buy in, a lot can happen in a few months time.

Oh, and twocub: I suppose the biggest problem I noticed first-hand was with co-ed patrols going around jamboree, but at it's core was a boy-girl couple holding hands. That's gotta mess with your patrol dynamics, huh? Just make the boys hold hands more often! But seriously it can affect crew dynamics, so each crew can set their own guidelines on public displays of affection. It's interesting to see how that plays out within a crew over time.

That Venturing Silver Award is a rare bird, even after factoring in the fewer numbers in Venturing. I would encourage any young woman to strive for that award and not fret over the ineligiblity for Eagle. I am Adivising a young lady who is working on a bronze award, and the level do effort seems to roughly compare to that of our star scouts. If the equivelancy carries forward (life : gold, eagle : silver), I don't see the status quo changing anytime soon. The demand from girls for access to Eagle Scout rank just is not all that great.

If an organization can't write its own application without help, that's a really sad little organization. Just because: BOY SCOUTS LOVE PAPERWORK Doesn't mean everybody has to. Membership Applications are not scholarly publications.

I usually have that question asked of me by non-eagles/non-scouts. I find answering in the affirmative difficult because sometimes they are trying to fit me into some imaginary pecking order. Most of the time, it's just smalltalk. I ended an argument about another scouter by pointing out that he was, in fact, an eagle. I'm sure if he were in the room, he would have resented it. But, I needed to put an end to a strained conversation about who I allowed to lead a contingent of ours. Pointing out that he'd hiked overwhelmingly more miles than I did wasn't cutting it. Technically, the young women in crews, although members of the BSA, are venturers. So depending on how much brand recognition has been drummed into them, they may not answer affirmatively to #1!

Do we really want to be suggesting that the SM be "removed immediately" based on this flimsy report of a report of a report on one-sentence sound bite, devoid of any context or history? Who is suggesting that? What we want, is to understand how our slips may bother the guys and make them feel unwelcome in their positions of responsibility. It is possible to "over coach" an SPL or a crew president. I do it all the time, and manage to apologize for it most of the time.

I think there's a distinction between substance and form. In both instances, the parents were bring up discussions on content (rather than dickering about the meaning of the word "report").

Depends on the Jew. But I haven't met many who want religion (be it mine or theirs) swept under a rug. Likewise, the Moslems I know have voiced a higher respect for Christians who are public (and even a little dogmatic) about their faith. Meanwhile, I've known parents who've avoided BSA because of its broad stance on religion. But maybe that's just me.

Snipe!

While traditional scouting skills are important and our bread and butter......the modern boy needs more. I was just on this topic last night with a Venturing Advisor. Youth have access to tremendous communications tools. They need to be taught how to use them. This involves increasing one's level of: 1. Discernment 2. Time management 3. Courtesy And, maybe, a little accountability.

Also, have a parent meeting and let them know your boys are on the hunt for camping locations. There might just be a family farm that would welcome the troop for a weekend.

The thinking is that you're going to be stumbling over these patches anyway. Might as well assemble them in a way that reminds the scout of his career, but keeps his room in order. Personally, I think a scrapbook is the best way to go. Include pictures of his friends at the activity with the patch. It's a really great gift to be able to loan out those pages for a friend's court of honor or high school graduation.