ScoutNut

I HATE bolos!!!

Your son will be eligible to join a Troop as soon as he completes the requirements for his AOL. Part of those requirements is visiting Troops he would like to join. Talk to the Scoutmaster(s) about your son, and find out, working with the Troop's schedule, when the best time to cross over would be

From your post it is unclear if your son, or you, have told his den, and the Pack, about his condition, and explained - clearly - what is involved. You say the den leader knows what is going on, but except for the few boys who have noticed him using the FM receiver in school, the boys do not seem to be aware there is a problem. The "yeller" certainly does not seem to understand. You, and your son, need to be up-front about what is wrong, and the adaptions that are needed. Once everyone is clear on your son's problem, and how best to communicate with him, there should not be a problem. I also do not think you have a clear grasp on what is involved in a Boy Scout Troop. Just because boy #1 (please, twit? you are an adult and this is a child) is his father's "Golden Boy", and the father is the Committee Chair of the Cub Scout Pack, he is not automatically destined to be your son's Patrol Leader. First of all, your son might not even be in the same patrol as this boy. Second, even if he is in the same patrol, Patrol Leaders are not appointed by the Pack's, or Troop's, CC, or any other adult. Patrol Leaders are elected by the boys in the patrol. Bottom line is that you can not wrap your son in bubble wrap, and protect him from the world. He needs to learn to deal with his disability, and stand up for himself. A boy-led Scout Troop seems like a great place for that to happen.

If you read thru the respective 990 forms you might have gleaned some hints as to why the head of the AGH was paid so much less - Revenue (income) - BSA $218,296,402 - GSUSA $105,217,626 - AHG $1,481,117 Land/buildings/equipment (before depreciation) - BSA $188,990,946 - GSUSA $78,966,745 - AHG $20,197 Total Assets - BSA $1,023,031,961 - GSUSA $186,228,734 - AHG $1,193,165 Youth Served 2012 - BSA 3,250,663 - GSUSA 2,291,425 - AHG 26,268 So to pat AHG on the back, and extol them for "making do", and being more fiscally responsible, is like comparing the local burger chain to McDonalds. There is just NO real comparison. For a good portion of it's life AHG was piggybacking on BSA for many of it's needs, like training, and camps. As for complaining that your District Executive (or whomever it actually was) did nothing to help when your PWD went belly-up, that is just down right silly. The track, and the computer, do not belong to the DE, or the council. They belong to the Charter Organization, and the Pack. The DE was not putting on the program. The Pack was. Why would you think that the council person would know anything at all about YOUR PWD track, and computer? It sounds like you had plenty of help, and expertise on your own. You did not need another inexperienced helper putting in their unknowledgeable 2 cents. Besides, if the council person had accidently made things worse because of his lack of knowledge, YOU would have been the FIRST to jump up, and down, on him for "ruining" YOUR Pinewood Derby! Personally, I don't blame him for not wanting to touch Pack equipment.

BSA is definitely NOT "out of the necker business". BSA National Supply has a number of options for neckers, including a custom necker - http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsa-neckerchief-with-universal-emblem-embroidery.html http://www.scoutstuff.org/screen-printed-bsa-emblem-neckerchiefs.html http://www.scoutstuff.org/custom-neckerchiefs.html

From the Tiger Cub Handbook - "Boys may do electives more than once and count them toward a Tiger Track bead each time they are completed." So, technically, the number of beads a Tiger could earn is unlimited. Which elective did your Tiger complete 480 times?

Olld_OX you would do well to remember that the Charter Orgs "own" the rights to have a unit that uses BSA's program. In other words, a CO "owns" the unit - not the program. My "misinformation" came directly from BSA, the organization that DOES "own" the program. BSA's 2013 Guide to Advancement has an entire chapter on the Merit Badge Program. Here is a link to that chapter in the online version of the Guide - http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/GuideToAdvancement/TheMeritBadgeProgram.aspx

It is entirely possible to do a special ceremony to present rank awards every month. You simply have to pare down the theatre a bit to fit it into a smaller time slot. Again, the ceremony can be for only one Scout, it can be done per individual den for 1+ Scouts each, or (actually the way I prefer) you can do a combo ceremony for all Scouts, from all dens, who have earned their rank award that month. If you only have one Scout, you can do the rank award ceremony after awarding the den it's regular monthly den stuff. If you have multiple Scouts from different dens/levels, you can do the combo ceremony after all of the regular den awards are finished. We always had graduation as the theme of our last regular Pack meeting of the school year at the end of May. We would do a large ceremony moving each den of Scouts up to their new levels. This always included giving the Scouts their new neckers, slides, and handbooks. The rising 5th grade Webelos, since they did not get a new necker, or handbook, would get a new slide in the AOL theme, and a vittle kit. The boys love fun ceremonies. Just make sure to practice them a bit before you go "live" so you know that they will go smoothly, and can keep the pace up. Practice is especially important if you are doing any of the "magic" ceremonies (glowing, color changing, etc)

Is this for awarding the current rank award? Or for graduating to their new Cub Scout level? Rank awards should be awarded when they are completed, not held up until everyone is finished. Graduation to the next level should occur at the end of the school year. BSA officially moves up all Cub Scout registrations to their next level as of June 1. That said, many of the following can be used for either type of ceremony. With appropriate tweaks, they can be used for either a single level, or multiple level ceremonies. If you can not find what you want here, simply do an internet search on Cub Scout Ceremonies. http://www.stgerald.org/uploads/DanBourne/ceremonies-for-dens-and-packs.pdf http://my.dmci.net/~dmanchester/pdf/Sample.pdf http://usscouts.org/ceremony.asp http://www.boyscouttrail.com/ceremony_search.asp http://www.macscouter.com/ceremony/

Just a note - Assistant Patrol Leader (APL) is not a POR that qualifies for advancement.

No, ISA's are NOT "illegal". They appear to be in an IRS "grey zone", which depends largely on what the Pack's CO is, and how it is run. BSA has NOT "outlawed" ISA's. What they seem to be doing is starting (because they have not exactly come out and made a definitive, and obvious statement on the matter) to back off of ISA's. They have re-written a document or two to state that they do not recommend BSA units use ISA's. Personally, I see both the pluses, and the minuses involved. I rather like them for Boy Scouts, but not for Cub Scouts. From the 2013 Guide to Advancement - [h=3]4.1.0.3 Who Approves Cub Scout Advancement?[/h] A key responsibility for den leaders is to implement the core den meeting plans as outlined in the Den & PackMeeting Resource Guide, No. 34409. For the Bobcat trail and Tiger Cub achievements, parents (or adult partners) should sign in the boy's handbook; the den leader then approves as progress is recorded in the den's advancement record. For Wolf, Bear, and Webelos advancement, den leaders take the lead in approving requirements, though their assistants, and also parents who help at meetings, may be asked to play the role of"Akela" and assist. Parents sign for requirements that,according to meeting plans and instructions in the handbooks, take place at home. As you can see, the Wolf, and Bear programs have now come closer to the way the Webelos program has been run. Parents are no longer able to sign of on everything, regardless of what it is. If the Cub den leader has not approved the parents signing off on specific requirements, or has not approved the work done, the den leader can say - NO. However - first - the den leader should make every effort to communicate with the Scout, and his parents. To find out why they have not been attending meetings, if they are working on requirements, and how, and, in general try to get the Scouts back to the den meetings. Also, if the Scout never shows up to ANYTHING, the den leader, Cubmaster, and Committee Chair, should be communicating with the family to let them know that the child will be taken off of the Pack's active roster unless he starts to actually participate. When families stop attending, and the Pack starts to lose money on these over the top activities, perhaps the CM, CC, and the Committee will start to re-think holding them. Until then, all you can do is to let them know what your opinion is. Some Boy Scout Troops are that way. Very insular, unwelcoming, and basically an Old Boy's Club of long time adults (mostly all male groups). It is part of what you should be looking at for a Troop for your son. Encourage him to check out other nearby Troops whose adults are better role models for their Scouts. First of all, unless your Cubmaster is also Scoutmaster, CC, or COR, for the Boy Scout Troop, your CM has nothing to do with, can can not change, the attitude of the Boy Scout leaders. Second - don't quit. You have invested lots of time, and effort, into this, and I am sure your boys appreciate it. What you SHOULD do , however, is to cut back on what you do. You are starting to burn out. Pick 1 role that you really love doing , and do ONLY that. Resign from all other positions, and let the Pack take them over. Relax, take a deep breath, and re-focus on what YOU enjoy to do in Scouting.

I would definitely re-think this Troop for my son. The SM is allowing this guy to interfere with the boy's program. Worst of all he is allowing inappropriate "punishment" for things that do NOT call for punishment of any kind. And, the SM is defending his behavior by stating it is OK with the boys! Young boys, unaccustomed to stepping up, will be intimidated by this adult, and his behavior. They might feel that they can not speak up because he is an adult in a position of authority. They might be afraid of what else this man might do. I know I am. These boys are being bullied, and the SM is standing there allowing it.

Yes, we should be teaching our youth to do service for others without requiring reward. However, then why are we REQUIRING service hours? While not all service hours are service in a time of crisis, they are all a service to someone in need. Why is it OK to acknowledge some service, but not others. What makes it rude to ask for acknowledgment of service at a vigil, but not service to an 80 year old neighbor, or service to your local VFW at a recognition of deceased veterans? Seems a bit hypocritical to me.

Interesting. We don't do council/district Tiger overnights - other than our weekend Summer Camps. Those include newly minted Tigers (just graduated kindergarteners), along with other Cubs. It looks like they will be sorting you into cabins based on your Pack, but not requiring you to register as a group? Is someone in your Pack organizing the families? Or are you going solo? Have fun!

Welcome! As the new Cubmaster of 60 boys you will have plenty on your plate. Talk to your Committee Chair about delegating some of those other activities. You don't want to burn yourself out to soon.

Welcome! Tigers are G-R-R-R-R-R-E-A-T !!

A few corrections to the above - The Troop AC has no say at all in which merit badges a person can counsel. All merit badge counselors are registered thru, and approved by, their Council/District Advancement Committee. It is that committee that approves which specific merit badges the person can be a counselor for - even for those merit badge counselors that have decided to work with only one Troop. The SM does NOT have "ultimate authority on assignment of Scouts to Merit Badge Counselors". He CAN be "overridden". From the 2013 Guide To Advancement - Section 7.0.0.3 - "Although it is the unit leader's responsibility to see that at least one merit badge counselor is identified from those approved and made available, the Scout may have one in mind with whom he would like to work. The unit leader and Scout should come to agreement as to who the counselor will be.Lacking agreement, THE SCOUT MUST BE ALLOWED TO WORK WITH THE COUNSELOR OF HIS CHOICE, so long as the counselor is registered and has been approved by the council advancement committee." A Unit Advancement Chair can NOT "remove a Unit MB Counselor". That can only be done by the Council/District Advancement Committee. A unit SM, and Advancement Chair, can discuss with a Scout which counselors are good/bad for a specific merit badge. They can even, in some specific cases, limit the number of badges a Scout can earn from a single MB counselor. However, a unit can not "remove" a counselor.

You are not "awarding" the service hours. The Scout was there. He helped. I would do as the Scout requested - send him back an email listing what he did, and how long he was there. Anything else is up to the Scout and his SM - not you.

I would second talking to your CC, or CM, before your den. Your Pack might have something set up for den expenses, or be willing to help.

It is possible that the girls in your church were registered as a multi-level Group (instead of single level Troops). That is the only way they could all have the same Troop number. However, typically, Groups are smaller, and usually spend at least some time in a joint meeting. The usual way is to give each Troop it's own, unique, Troop number.

Wow - Just Wow. Find another Troop. This guy is doing his own program, not BSA's. As to a "database" of area Troops, you have access to one also. https://beascout.scouting.org/ This is the BSA unit finder. Just go to "Boy Scouts", and plug in your zip code. It will give you a list of local Boy Scout Troops, as well as a map showing where most of the units in your greater area are.

GSUSA (please - no such org as GSA) does not have Charter Organizations. All GSUSA Troops/Groups are "owned" by the local GSUSA Council. The Council's name is on everyone's checking account. GSUSA Troops/Groups are usually (but not always) created along school lines, with one volunteer working as a coordinator for the school/area. The volunteer would help to set up new Troops/Groups, vet/train leaders, and be a type of liaison to the local Council Service Unit (think BSA District). The leader of the older girl's Troop might be that local coordinator. If you, or your wife, wants to start a new Daisy Troop, I would suggest attending a meeting of the local Service Unit (think District Roundtable sort of). Talk to the Service Unit Manager (volunteer), and the Council Rep (paid professional think DE). You could also call your Council and talk to your Council Rep (they are as hard to nail down as a BSA DE!), and/or get contact info for your local Service Unit Manager.

With ScoutNut 100% on this one. In addition to his comments, what does the boy's patrol have to do with his MB? MBs are an individual pursuit. It's one thing if the Scout wants to ask his patrol to help him by foregoing the gear, it's another for you to dictate it. The broader issue here is that MBs should not be interwoven into the troop program. You can, and I think should, keep MB opportunities in mind, but troop meetings and campouts are not merit badge school. Your dual roles, SM and MB Counselor, will recreate this sticky situation over and over again. Now that you've seen the potential mess early, leave it here. You be the SM, there are plenty of MB counselors. Only 1 of the 3 needs to be a trail meal. The other 2 can use a dutch oven, solar oven, campfire, or no oven at all. It is up to the SCOUT doing the merit badge. Yes, since he is cooking for his patrol, he should get their input on what they will, or will not, eat, however it is the SCOUT who should be making the decisions for his merit badge. For the Camping merit badge, his meal choices are based on the menu the SCOUT created for requirement 8-C : "Prepare a camp menu. Explain how the menu would differ from a menu for a backpacking or float trip. Give recipes and make a food list for your patrol. Plan two breakfasts, three lunches, and two suppers. Discuss how to protect your food against bad weather, animals, and contamination." Notice the part that states - "Explain how the menu would differ from a menu for a backpacking or float trip." This means that his menu can be all car camping, all the time, if that is what HE wants. Also - remember, nowhere does it state that the "trail meal" is REQUIRED to be cooked and eaten, on a backpack trip, or on any trail, anywhere. It simply states it must be a trail meal using a lightweight stove. The Scout can set the lightweight stove up in the CO's parking lot and cook the trail meal for his patrol there if necessary. Is it the preferred way? Of course not. However, it is NOT against the rules.

Have you taken the training for your position yet? As Committee Chair (CC) it might help give you perspective if you also took the online trainings for the other Cub Scout positions. The committee member with the itchy fingers, what is her exact position? What, exactly, did she do to cause your Treasurer to resign? What is your Charter Organization (CO)? How close are you to the head of the CO? To the Charter Organization Representative (COR) ?

Interesting. It must be required by your District, or council, it is not required by BSA National. So - which do you plan on wearing? Commissioner necker, or Boy Scout bolo? Personally, I am not a big bolo fan. I like personalized woggles/slides, so, if pressed, and although I think the red neckers are a bit small, I would opt for the necker.