RememberSchiff

Okay then. I think we agree this membership decision was made before the polls were conducted which makes the polls, flawed or otherwise, irrelevant.

@@Nicademus welcome to scouter.com

Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders course organization and resources. https://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/511-336.pdf

True everywhere - schools, government, business. The question - are there enough qualified leaders to deliver on the Promise of Scouting. My unit, yes and please take the surplus away. Other units are less fortunate. P.S. Capping the number of leaders or the number of scouts is an idea that has not been considered. Difficult with other time commitments.

Another example of one person who made a difference - North Dakotan, Silver Buffalo awardee* Herman Stern who saved over 120 Jews from the Holocaust. There's a new 32 minute documentary "The Mission of Herman Stern," the website below has a trailer. https://www.themissionofhermanstern.org/ http://www.inforum.com/entertainment/movies/4358612-man-mission-how-herman-stern-saved-more-120-jews-holocaust https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Stern *Herman Stern started Boy Scout Councils in Fargo, Valley City, Wahpeton, Grand Forks which later merged into the current Northern Lights Council. Boy Scout Camp Wilderness created an award named after Herman Stern, in recognition of his funding and creation efforts for the camp. The Herman Stern Honor Troop Award is given to troops at the end of each week of camp during the summer season. The award is given to Boy Scout troops for camp participation, and adherence to the twelve points of the Scout Law .

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/brownies-volunteer-shortage-young-girls-thousands-leaders-activities-a8054591.html There are half a million Girl Guides and Brownies across the UK, but not enough volunteers Tens of thousands of girls and young women are unable to join the Brownies and Guides due to a chronic lack of volunteers. Around 70,000 young people are missing out on the chance to make friends, have adventures and improve skills such as confidence, because of a shortage of people willing to give their time, Girlguiding said. The charity has launched a new national campaign urging the public to sign up and join in, with the message that a woman’s place is “wherever she wants it to beâ€. Girlguiding already has around 100,000 volunteers across the UK, working with its half a million members, but more are needed, the charity said. Volunteering roles vary from helping out at a meeting once a month, to supporting weekend events or running sessions with different groups. It said that while record numbers were signing up to help out, many have a limited amount of time to give, at a time when more young people are joining the organisation. The plea for volunteers to help the Guides and Brownies follows a similar request from the Scout Association earlier this year. In April chief scout Bear Grylls urged more people to help the association, regardless of their ability to light a fire or erect a tent.

Okay we should all get back on topic. A local pack is planning a Parent & Daughter invitation to their Pine Wood Derby as a possible January recruitment.

Man up or call in sick and watch The View. Some of my scouts have lost more than their "self-esteem"? in service of our country.

Say I have a wall to sell you.

The BSA is not a democracy, so the powers that be are just that. Opinions of the members may be asked or not, considered or ignored, followed or forgotten. Your analogy is wrong, it should be Why would you trust anyone who has damaged his car three times not to damage his car a fourth time.

That's the name on the checks. Maybe larger schools here? With clubs and teams here, teachers follow their interests, e.g., the AP Physics teacher mentors the debating club.

Semantics. Sure the taxpayer pays. Here the school district decides if there is a band, chess club, outdoor club and "funds" accordingly, the taxpayer has no say. But look at that funding, is it less or more per person than what scout families are paying. It is lower. If the schools decided participants pay their own way, the costs would be upfront and still less. And unlike Scouts, activities would be within their financial means!!!! Anyway,look at what our competitors are doing.

As a parent, the middle-school and high school coed outdoor clubs that I have known have had few adults involved. Two or three outdoorsy manly or amazonly advisors and none of them were student parents. Transportation via school mini-buses. Funded by school district. There are no uniforms, advancements, or fundraisers, just a much leaner and meaner outdoor leadership and adventure experience. That is what the BSA needs to relearn. My $0.02

I would not expect requirement adaptions to extend to any non-special needs but the pc reality is all are special. Kids are not overweight, they have eating disorders. My prediction is that as girls join and approach Eagle, the no's will demand stricter adherence to the requirements for all. That could be a good thing for the program.

Current rank requirements are changed for boys who don't have the strength, stamina, or cognitive abilities, so if girls need flexible requirements the mechanism already exists. https://www.scouting.org/Home/GuideToAdvancement/SpecialNeeds/AdvancementFlexibilityAllowed.aspx Wish that was not the case.

These days, if I see a scout swimming with a coordinated swim stroke and breathing, smart money is that he/she learned as a swim team member or from a private tutor not the Red Cross and not Scouting. Somehow the program became checking off the swim test and not learning how to swim. My $0.02

One of our creative ASM's has told some "family campers, helicopter parents" that the BSA insurance does not cover them and that "scout family outings" cannot be considered scouting activities for advancement. Though it stretches the truth, it seems to be working. Maybe add that into advancement requirements. Since joining Boy Scouts, participate in 10 separate troop/patrol activities without your parents or guardians unless they have been Boy Scout leaders for at least a year (mitigate the Cub Scout culture effect), at least six of which must be held outdoors. Of the outdoor activities, at least three must include overnight camping. These activities do not include troop or patrol meetings . On campouts, spend the night in a tent that you pitch or other structure that you help erect, such as a lean-to, snow cave, or tepee. Hmmm.

Good grief. A November hike in New Jersey? I will be at a high school playoff game thinking about walking around to stay warm.

You may have a Senator in YP class with you. The Senate passed mandatory harassment training "for all senators, officers, employers and interns in the upper chamber". The training must be completed in 60 days.

As I recall that was Backpack's proposal which i was attempting to summarize.

Time for the other half to give it a try. Their plan B will be to turn around and walk down the moderate decline if necessary. Have your second in command check group gear, trail and cabin conditions, water availability. And recheck weather! Fortune favors the bold. Hope you feel better.

My amended advice - Take a complete break from Scouting and take care of your family and yourself. Whatever happens with the Pack drama will not be your fault. Sometimes we forget that we can say No. Best wishes

My advice is to focus on the scout program, specifically Pack adult leadership and not change the program ,i.e., Webelos making part of Boy Scout troop, or focus on processes like advancement. Where are the Pack Committee and parents in this? Are there other strong packs in the area? Have you considered switching from UC and ASM and be just WDL if the Pack Committee and parents are not fortcoming. My $0.02,

Is this a Putin-Crimea joke? A scout troop didn't like the way a Cub Pack was run so they took over the Webelos den with knowledge and assistance by UC and DE?