Sentinel947

Expiriment complete. Thank you. I want to see if there is a trigger at -5 like I think there is. Positive +5 triggers a flair on a post.

Ha! I didn't know there was a daily limit on upvotes! This website uses a fairly stock version of IPS. None of the mods have a hand in what features it has. @@Col. Flagg I don't think we have a hard and fast rule on how votes are to be used.

All: I want to clarify the voting system as I see it. Green votes are for posts you like, agree with, or find helpful. Red votes are for posts that are malicious, ridiculously off topic, or spam. Not for posts you disagree with. My concern is if a post has too many negative votes it may be censored automatically by the software. That is all. Curious on your thoughts! Sentinel94711

As a mid 20s man, I'm a bit unsure of coed and being responsible for people's daughter. As I get older I more and more fit some parents idea of a predator. "Why does this young guy spend time around my son(or daughter)." I know the UK tends to have younger leaders. @@Cambridgeskip, how do Parents react to younger adult volunteers (20s-30s) in the UK?

Our Troop has a fleet of flop and drop tents by Coleman. They are probably like $50 each. We also have about 6 Kelty Salidas for patrols that want to go backpacking. Adults provide their own tents.

I've seen NYLT chest patches and shoulder patches. I also have one of each.

I earned my Eagle at 17 years 11 months. I'm now 23. I never wore my Eagle rank patch. Its not part of the uniform rules, but moreso, I try not to overshadow the other adults who were not Scouts as youth. I wear the Eagle knot. I wear our troop neckerchief instead of the Eagle necker. I wear my Eagle medal and necker at Eagle Courts of honor only. There is no uniform police. You can wear the Rank badge if you choose. But consider when your Scouts are not wearing the "proper" uniform, neither are you.

I've seen it on ESPN a few times. And I watch maybe 30 minutes of TV a week.

Its a roundabout way to shame their adversarys for being old fashioned and shut down debates on the actual merits for their argument.

I don't believe we can see it.

What a tragedy. Two lives with such promise cut short.

Not much different. We have Troop committees as well that handle unit registration and finances. We just add a layer above that, being a Charter organization who provides at the least a place to meet.

I agree with most of your points but not this one. The most popular video games currently are Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, League of Legends, Overwatch, Minecraft and Battlefield. Each of those games are entirely or mostly multiplayer affairs either splitscreen with your friends or matched up with strangers. Many of them force you into small teams or Squads against the opposing teams and your team tries to complete objectives. Playing for yourself in Overwatch, League of Legends or World of Warcraft is a one way ticket to losing a ridiculous number of games. I think today many children and adults use video games as a crutch for the lack of social interaction they are getting. Video games require no effort to make plans and match you up with teammates.

So make the requirements harder?

Personal experience of mine: Had my Scoutmaster in 2009 made me choose Scouts or Marching band, I would have chosen band. Thankfully I was able to make them both work.

I'd rather ditch the overpriced uniform shirts and pants than ditch the necker.

I'll be praying for TT's troop.

I had a very uncomfortable relationship with my parents growing up. Scouting was my place away from mom and dad. They were very supportive of my Scouting, but didn't volunteer day to day with the troop. Now as an ASM I try to help our SM and other ASMs balance being dad and being troop leader.

"And if you change your mind we are happy to have you back."

Retention must be an active, proactive action, not reactionary. I figure all the posters above have been in this awhile and already know that. Boys quit when they are bored, under challenged, or feel like they are being ignored.

In my Troop we have our troop guides serve for a year. We happily would sign off the POR and Active in troop requirements for Star/Life or Life/Eagle if those are met over the course of the year. Sometimes life happens. We'll be flexible with our Scouts. I'm a big proponent of "soft power." I get to know my Scouts pretty well. They have a genuine desire to do a good job for the troop. We encourage that. We provide them the resources they need to be successful. Our Scouts respect our troop adults. They aim to please for the most part. If a Scout backs out of his committmemt for one reason or another, we will credit him for what he's completed. It would trigger a Scoutmasters conference from our team. Whats going on in his life, why can't he make good on his committment? How do we avoid this in the future? How do we assist him and his family? 1 year for a POR like guide, SPL, PL is asking alot from a teenager. What if they want to play a sport or do band? Church youth group? How many capable Scouts never hold those PORS because of the year long committment? If 1 year terms work for your troop than keep doing what you do. If not, consider why those positions are year long positions, and do they have to be?

I do believe it. If they really made this decision because of the membership changes, why would they leave their youngest and most impressionable youth in the BSA? If they made this decision because of the membership changes ,then why did they wait so long? I'm inclined to believe their reasoning. If they pulled all of their youth out at once, I'd be more inclined to agree that it's the membership changes. I'm not overly optimistic. I know there's a possibility we lose all the Mormon chartered organizations. I know some of the Catholic Bishops are concerned about their dioceses future involvement with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. We lost a lot of conservative charter organizations. There is not immediate swell of progressives to replace the folks that left. (And anybody who claimed their would be was kidding themselves.) The protesting and media attention against the BSA will continue until girls and atheists are allowed. It's a matter of time. The BSA will probably turn to allowing girls in order to try to stem the membership losses. Like I've said, we may have a further way to go before we hit rock bottom in membership, and I can't even imagine what things will look like when we get there. I have some hope, looking at the UK Scouts. Scouting and the BSA will survive, but I have no idea what that will really look like. Certainly a shadow of it's former self from earlier and simpler times. On the bright side of things, my troop, district, and council are doing pretty well. At the end of the day, that's my sphere of influence. I cannot control the suits in Irving. I cannot control the culture war politics of our country, but I can guide my local youth in being Scouts. Even if the BSA dies, our work has not been totally wasted. Our legacies as Scout volunteers goes forwards in the hearts of the youth we've volunteered for.

Hello there! I agree with all the points made so far! I became an ASM at 18 after graduating High school and moving on to College. It's been extremely rewarding 6 years. It's made me a better man, and hopefully one day a better father too. Here's my advice for you, from one young gun to another: . 1. Learn all you can. The way your Troop operated may or may not be the way your next troop operates, and neither of them may be exactly what they should be. Observe how they do things with an open mind, and compare that to your Scouting experience and training. Don't rush to make changes. I second the Scoutmastercg.com website. Conversing with Scouters here and following Clarke Green at Scoutmastercg have been the two biggest influences on me as an ASM. 2. Be realistic about what you have to give. You're going to make new friends in the military wherever you are stationed. You'll want to keep up with family and old friends. You may want to keep up some of your non-Scouting hobbies. Be honest with yourself and your new Troop about how much time you are willing to commit. It's ok to not be at every meeting and every outing. A troop can easily suck you in and chew up much of your spare time. Make sure you don't miss out on other experiences at this point in your life while you are serving a Troop. 3. A role as an adult volunteer is what you and your new troop make of it. Even if you are an ASM, every troop uses ASM's differently. Be open to what role's the Troop needs filled, and be upfront with the Scoutmaster about where your skills and interests are. 4. Scouts will treat you differently than other adults.. Since you are leaving your old troop and joining a new one, they will probably not know what to make of you at first. As they get to know you, they will tend to treat you less formally then they will adults of their parents age. That means they'll be willing to do and say things in front of you they wouldn't in front of other adults. They may come to you with problems they are having inside and outside of Scouting that they don't feel comfortable bringing to their parents or a parent age adult. They will generally more readily accept your coaching and feedback. The challenge is striking a balance between being a proper role model, while also opening enough to the point where they do not view you as just another adult. A nice role for you to settle into is an Eagle Project Coach/mentor. You know what is required for an Eagle project and there's a chance you may join a Troop that hasn't had an Eagle Scout in a while. Eagle Project coach/mentor was my first real set of responsibility as an ASM. When you move forward we're always happy to give you advice! Keep us up to date with what you decide!

That is why I'm not as concerned. Every single LDS boy is enrolled in the BSA regardless of whether they are active or not. This is going to hurt the BSA. I think we all know this is not the bottom. We have a long way to go before we hit the bottom. Nationals leadership does not inspire confidence. But I know I'll soldier on for my Scouts. I take the Mormon church at their word for why they made this decision.

This doesn't look as bad as I thought at first glance. My area won't see too much impact from this, but change is scary.