ScoutNut

Suprise! - The employee at your Scout Shop is WRONG! As quoted here, BSA specificaly states in it's promotional materials for the new uniform that it CAN be mixed and matched with the old uniform. Also, as stated here, your best bet is to contact National Supply. You might be able to get a replacement (they also might be able to find out if any other Scout Shop near you has your size), or a refund from them. Once again, you can contact National Supply here - http://www.scoutstuff.org/BSASupply/contactus.aspx Otherwise you can wait until mid-August, get a new pair and have them hemmed.

I too am a bit confused as to what "huge change" you are referring to. Our Council has not made any significant changes to their popcorn sale. The dates are all pretty similar to last year. We will find out about our products and pricing at our Council Popcorn Kickoff in mid-August.

This is an example of BSA being inconsistent, and people not knowing actual policies. The quote ghermanno printed is from the BSA National Web site. It is on the page describing Cub Scout Den meetings, under the paragraph titled Attendence. This is the ONLY place this can be found. In other BSA publications, including Youth Protection Training and the Guide to Safe Scouting, the BSA policy is stated as the following - "Two-deep leadership. Two registered adult leaders or one registered leader and a parent of a participant, or other adult, one of whom must be 21 years of age or older, are REQUIRED ON ALL TRIPS AND OUTINGS. The chartered organization is responsible for ensuring that sufficient leadership is provided for all activities." "No one-on-one contact. One-on-one contact between adults and youth members is not permitted. In situations that require personal conferences, such as a Scoutmaster's conference, the meeting is to be conducted in view of other adults and youths." The emphasis in the 2-deep quote is mine. So, while 2-deep leadership is a wise thing to do at all activities, is is only REQUIRED, per BSA policy, on trips and outings.

Your wife has resigned as CC and you stated back in May you were looking for a new Pack. You state here you have now left the Pack. As CC, your wife could have worked with the Charter Organization and the Unit Commissioner to correct the issues. However, she resigned and the Charter Organization seems not to have a problem with the program or the Leaders of its Pack. There is nothing more for you to do but to move on. Hopefully your new Pack will be run better. BTW - You said ... "Cm has webelos in a room with the door shut at all meetings with out another adult." I take this to mean the CM is also the Webelos Den Leader, and he has his Webelos den meetings in a room with the door shut and no other adults at the meeting. Actually - As long as he has more than one Webelos in the room with him is not breaking any BSA Youth Protection rules. Although 2-deep leadership is a very good practice to follow at all times, the BSA rule is for outings, not specifically for den meetings. Den meetings would fall under the no one-on-one contact rule.

It seems in all of your vast learning, knowledge, and experience you have missed one thing - A Scout is Courteous. I really don't care about how many things your son earned in how short a time. Scouting is not a competition to see how much "stuff" can be put on a shirt in the shortest amount of time. Scouting is not a race. I care about the boys and about the program. YOU ASKED - "I have 2 young kids, one in scouts, is this going to be too much for me to handle?" As I stated - "Learn the BSA program and do a good job with your Webelos. The rest can come later." I really am sorry that answer was not what you wanted to hear. BTW - If you had read my profile before you decided to be rude, you might have discovered that in the past 16 years I have done quite a bit.

This is NOT going National this Fall. This is STILL a PILOT program. It has been expanded to the entire Central Region. It is NOT mandatory. Only councils who are interested are participating. Also, in those participating councils, it is not mandatory. It is up to individual Packs, and dens, in the individual councils, if they want to participate. From what I have seen it is indeed like Program Helps, only more so. Perhaps it would be good for a brand new Pack, a brand new leader, or a leader who needs to be lead by the hand thru every aspect of the program in order to provide a decent program for their boys. Other than that, for me - as a possible available resource similar to Program Helps - OK. As a whole new re-written Cub Scout Program - NOPE.

If you are that concerned, simply wait until you are done with Webelos. Or register for only 1 MB instead of 3. Read thru the requirements and pick the one that best fits your available time. If you are contacted by a Scout, and do not have enough time available, simply tell him sorry, not this time. You are not obligated to accept every counseling request that comes your way. Your son has been a member of BSA for only 4 months, you have been a leader for only about 1. I am not sure I understand the need to sign up for everything all at once before you have suffcient knowledge of the program or are sure you even have the time available. Learn the BSA program and do a good job with your Webelos. The rest can come later.

While we call it a Committee Meeting, we also follow BSA's policy of one monthly Pack Leader's Meeting for any and all Pack Scouters & Den Representatives, including our COR and UC. Parents are also welcome, but do not usually attend unless they have something specific to discuss. Our agenda usually covers - Evaluating the previous month's Pack meeting Finalizing current month's Pack meeting Preparing for next month's Pack meeting Advance planning for Pack events and future Pack Meetings. Reimbursements from Treasurer Comments from all folks in attendance We do not follow Roberts Rules, and are rather casual. We follow the agenda fairly well, but have been known to wander off on tangents at times.

First order of business, before anything else, is to get YOURSELF trained. BSA National has Fast Start and Youth Protection training online - http://scoutnet.scouting.org/elearning This will actually give you a good idea of what to expect. Next, don't worry about creating a Pack Committee. That is the job of the Committee Chair. Your job is the Pack program and the monthly Pack meetings. Now you need to put together a Pack plan for the year. Gather the calenders from your District, Council, Charter Organization, and area schools. Meet together with your Committee Chair (CC), your Charter Org Rep (COR), your Unit Commissioner (UC), and all of your other Pack leaders and plan 1) place/date/time/activities of Recruitment Round-up(s) 2)place/dates/time of the monthly Committee Meeting 3)place/dates/time of the dens den meetings 4)place/dates/time of the monthly Pack Meeting. Try to be as consistent as possible with the days and times so that it is easier for the families to remember (ie - Tiger den meeting every Tues at 6PM in Charter Org's meeting room, Pack meeting last Thursday of the month at 7PM in School Gym). Pick the themes for each months Pack meeting. Decide on any "special" Pack meetings (Pinewood Derby, Holiday Party, Blue & Gold, Graduation, etc). Decide on which Pack meetings will have a "guest presenter" (FD Smoke House for fire Prevention month, Naturalist from local park, etc) and get ideas for who/what. Decide on some cheap, easy Pack outings for the first few months (bike hike on local bike trail, kite fly at a local park, picnic, etc). Put together a Pack Calender for the year to give to potential new families. Attend, with your CC, your Council/District's Program Kickoff and any recruitment presentations. Have your CC recruit a Popcorn Kernal. Include fundraising dates on your Pack calender.

vcrew66 asked - "but with the new built-in belts, WHY are new belts being developed to go over the ones in our new pants??" Actually, the belts are NOT "built-in". They are just tacked on to keep them from being lost in shipment. Simply cut a few threads and you can take the cloth belt off and use any other belt you wish.

The only time new Scouts do not have the opportunity to participate in the popcorn sale is if they join after the sale is over. This includes Tiger Scouts. Popcorn kickoff is 08/18 this year. I will mail out order forms and all info to families that week. They can start taking orders as soon as they get the form. Our Round-up is on 08/29. Popcorn is part of the info new Scouts get when they sign up. Between order taking and show & sell there are plenty of opportunities, for all Scouts, to get out and sell popcorn.

Tigers are members of the Pack, and get the full benefit of a years worth of fundraising. Why would they get a pass on the fundraiser?

As a member of that unit - yes. As a member of BSA - not necessarily. If they are registered elsewhere in another capacity (MBC, UC, member of another unit, etc) they are still a registered member of BSA.

Why did I start? Because my daughter's Troop needed a Cookie Mom. I thought, how hard can this really be! Then the Troop needed a leader. Then my co-leader's older Troop needed help. Then the Service Unit needed help. Then I watched all of "my" girls receive their Girl Scout Gold Award and go off to college as Lifetime Girl Scouts. Meanwhile, my son went from an honorary Girl Scout to a Tiger Cub Scout. His den was a mess and they needed a leader. I thought, Girl Scouts & Cub Scouts, how hard can this really be! Then they needed a Popcorn Kernal. Hey, cookies - popcorn, different seasons, why not! Then they said parents were not signing up their boys because they did not want to be Tiger leader. I said, can't happen! Webelos and Tigers, why not! Can't camp without BALOO training. Other Packs can't camp unless there are people to run BALOO trainings. Cub Scout Leaders need training, District needs trainers to make it happen. Then I watched my son sign on as an Asst Bear Den Leader! Then they asked me to be a UC - hey, how hard can this really be! Why am I still doing this after 16 years? Because it's not hard at all, especially if you love it! I love watching the kids change, mature, and grow into great young men and women. I love watching the parents grow and change with them. I love it when you see an adult "get it". When you see that Spirit of Scouting kindle in their eyes. I love it when a boy you had as a Tiger comes back as a Den Chief. I think the Scouting programs are the best things around for our kids.

For Geologist - if the boys all go to the same school, talk to their science teacher, or the science teacher at the local high school. Using a MBC is a good idea also. Call your local nature centers, they might be able to do a program. Nearby State or National Parks. Your local quarry might be able to help also. BTW - The "Super Achiever" (Twentier or others like it) patch is considered a temporary patch ONLY, to be worn centered on the right pocket, or worn on a patch vest/blanket/jacket/etc. It is NOT transferable to Boy Scouts.

From Acid - " I know you can go to your local police department and have your fingerprints taken. The prints can be then used to run a check of which I assume based on your post, you can be granted a "pass" that the BSA will accept? Is this your interpretation? If so, this is a real viable alternative." NO - I did NOT state you could do your OWN outside background check! What I DID say was BSA National MIGHT except one done as a condition of EMPLOYMENT with the Government or Law Enforcement. No "interpretaion" needed. Since you are not employed by either, that is not an option for you. Acid - Was a BSA background check run by your former council in NY? What council were you with?

A few things to remember about Webelos - It is WAY different from Bear. Parents can no longer simply sign off on whatever their Webelos does. The primary place to complete requirements is no longer the home, it is in the den. For all requirements completed at home (or on their own including over the Summer) the Webelos should document it as completely as possible. This should then be brought in to be approved by the Den Leader. A note - even though you are the Den Leader, you should have your son put together a workbook for the Badges he has completed on his own. If the other Webelos think he is being treated differently there could be discord. Also, Webelos need to spend time with Boy Scout Troops, doing activities, camping, and learning about different Troops. This should be ongoing for their entire time as a Webelos, not all crammed into their last month or two. Earning "Super Achiever" is not something that YOU can do FOR the boys. It is something they must want to accomplish for themselves, individually. As long as the boys want to TRY for all Activity Badges, that is fine. Making that the entire focus of their Webelos experience however, is the wrong way to go about it. Utilize outside sources (forest preserve, museums, colleges, and even parents) to complete many of your Badge requirements. Remember to make it FUN, with requirements being completed as a bonus.

Acid, while Ed might be extremely argumentative, opinionated, and you might even call him pig-headed at times, he is most definitely NOT a troll. Or even the troll in this thread. He has been around this, and other Scout forum, for many years now. I spoke to my council today about this issue. They stated that while there might indeed be other ways to do a background check, BSA (NOT the council) is REQUIRING a SSN for their version. The ONLY exception that will be considered AT ALL, is if you have already had a background check performed because of your employment by the government, the police, etc. Then, if allowed, you would need to provide proof of the outcome of the background check. That is it. The BSA is allowing no other exceptions. It does not matter what ChoicePoint, your lawyer, or Joe Shmoe down the block states. It only matters what BSA is REQUIRING. If you do not provide your SSN to the BSA you can not be a registered leader in the BSA. Period. BTW - Acid - I am really curious about something. If your New York Council was "receptive to equally effective solutions rather than being entrenched in a single position". If "When in New York, my council successfully appealed my position and I became a leader". Then you have already HAD a background check run on you by the BSA - and passed. There is no need for you to have ANOTHER one run in this new Council. HMMMMM - We were speaking of Trolls, yes?

Usually new leaders are not able to take the council training immediately after registering. They often have to wait 1-2 months or even longer. Unless they postpone leading any Scouting activity until after they are completely trained (not very practical), they are expected to jump right in with both feet right away. The whole point of Fast Start is to give new leaders a quick, easy, jump start on their training. It gives them some idea of what the program is and how it should be run. It gives them some tools to use for their first meetings so they don't feel quite so much like they are in over their heads. Not a "waste of time" in my opinoin.

See BSA's "Advice for personal and unit Web sites." - http://www.scouting.org/webmasters/units.aspx Check with your local council to see what their policies are for unit Web sites.

Even with every den doing their own individual popcorn sale, you still need one central, pack person to consolidate all information, orders, prizes, forms, payments, etc. The popcorn company and BSA council will not take orders, payments or forms from the dens. It has to be at the Pack level. The best way to recruite someone is to pick the person you feel would do the best job (check out any Girl Scout families in your Pack) and ask them FACE-TO-FACE. Have answers ready for any and all questions, make sure they have your contact info for when they run into problems, and follow thru and contact them periodically to see if things are running smoothly and what, if any, help they need (this will help eliminate them dropping the ball).

Our council has 2 popcorn programs - Show & Sell and Take Order. Both have separate ordering and pick up dates. Units get their Take Order forms (along with all other popcorn forms and misc popcorn "stuff") in August at Council Popcorn Kickoff. Show & Sell popcorn is ordered at the end of August. This is when we place our major popcorn order which includes what we hope to sell at Show & Sell Booth Sales and on Take Order order forms. At the beginning of September is the Show & Sell popcorn pickup. Our only problem this year is where we will be storing it. Daughter's room (1st flr near front door) has been Popcorn Central for the past few years. She has now graduated from college and unless she finds a job and moves out by September she just might be sleeping on popcorn cases! The beginning of November is Show & Sell return and ordering the Take Order popcorn. This is when we return anything we did not sell thru Show & Sell or Take Order and order the few things we need to round out our Take Orders. We have always been able to fill our order thru popcorn returns. Mid November is when the Take Order popcorn is distributed. We don't have to worry about this because we fill our TO order with S&S returns! The beginning of December is when all money must be in to council. Since our guys have had their popcorn available for distribution from the get-go, most of the families have had their money in by mid November.

We do both Show & Sell and Take Order. Every boy has a sales goal to shoot for ($350 last year). This goal can be made by selling at a Popcorn Booth, door to door with the product, and with an order form. Many of our multiple Scout families make their goals mainly thru working Popcorn Booth Sales. Boys that make their goal receive an Estes rocket kit. Boys that sell $500+ get $40 toward Summer Camp. The top 10 sellers each get to toss a plate of whipped cream at the leader of their choice. Our Popcorn Pie Toss is the highlight of our December Pack meeting! Personally I like Booth Sales. For Take Order, many families will just have the parents take the form to work and sell there. The boys are minimally involved. A Booth Sale gives the boys a chance to be personally involved and "earn his own way". Every council handles their sale differently, and while we can return most of our unsold popcorn (except for the large Choc Lovers), other councils will only accept returns of unopened cases (like Denver Area Council), and some do not do any returns at all. We don't usually do a special event to kick off the popcorn sale. We distribute the info thru the Den leaders and at the September Pack meeting. We also will have our Pop-O-Meter, showing how much we have sold to date at our October Pack meeting. This year we will be getting a Popcorn Kit from council with some sales "stuff" in it, including a silly corn cob hat, so I think we may use that at our September meeting!

I think you should concentrate on your Pack and leave Roundtable up to your District Roundtable Staff. You are wearing enough hats, and stretched to thin, with your Pack already.

Is the Cub Resident Camp that you signed your son up for as a single and then the CM signed up another boy at a later time? If so, I think it would depend on weather or not this boy is going with a parent or if you agreed to be his responsible adult for the trip. If he is going with his parents, then I do not see the need for coordinating rides. If he is not going with a parent, and you agreed to be responsible for him, then that could include transporting him there and back. What did you agree to? You might contact the family to see what is going on.