Shell in WA- USA

I was a First Class Girl Scout but I was close in quiting. I had been a GS from Brownies through Senior and I was just determined to "get to the end" for First Class before quiting. It was a really difficult time for me to stay in though. And this was two years before they started Exploring Posts witht he girls so I didn't even have that option. I had a leader who just didn't do much. We had our weekly meetings and that was it. I was the only one in my troop who attended summer camps. The leader had a "jealousy" of anyone who did better than her daughter (who BTW, didn't want to be in GS) Once If got my Fist Class, I quit and joined 4-H for two more years. My Father was a life Scout. At the time, he had no interest in siting in a field for bird study, so he let his Eagle rank slip by (this was in 54 when it was still required. But he looks back on it now and really regrets not pushing just a bit more. He helped inspire my brother and myself in "finishing what we started." My brother is an Eagle Scout.

I'm not sure if this would work for you, but this is what we did in our pack; Our pack also was at a crossroads. It had gotten to a point somehow that all the leaders of the pack were at the Webelos stage with their sons. All at once they would be leaving the pack. (Avoid doing that in your packs! Try real hard to always get "new blood" so that doesn't happen)We tried to "Warn" the other partents that this was coming and still no one stepped forward. So we tricked them! We organized a pack campout that attracted all but one scout and parent in our pack. Then while most of the experienced pack leaders took all the kids lake fishing, we kept the parents in camp. We treated them with specially made boxed lunches while some District people came in and did a basic training with the parents - to a point where they could go take their specific training. Once that was done, we reminded them that we all were moving on in 4 months (again!) and that now that they are all trained they should be more than capable to run the pack once we were gone. We explained that these boys needed leader such as their selves to continue to grow and learn just as they did with us. But we also make a pact with the "new" leaders that we promised to on hand for at least one year to mentor our counterpart for the following year. And whomever stepped forward that day could work along side us til the end of the school year, when we were passing the baton. Most were nervous about running a den by themselves, until we pointed out to the that they had each done so in the year. - forgot to mention this, we, as leaders, purposely had each of the parents take a turn or to organizing a den meeting and running the meeting under our "supervision." We all told them that unless people steeped forward, these boys who were at the lake down the path would no longer have these experiences without one of them. But it was entirely up to them. Either people step forward or we would have to take measures to close the pack. One by one, they started to fill the roles. We left that weekend with all but two leadership role filled (8 out of 10 ain't bad!). We did do as promised and mentored them for the year. Although once they got started, it wasn't but a couple meeting before they felt confident to do the meetings or run the pack. Most completed their training within 6 months. I had another scouter friend who told me that they had the same situation and what they did after telling the group for two years this day was coming was to do the crossover with 19 webelos then the Committee Chair stood up and showed the room all the webelos AND parents on the other side of the bridge. He said, see over there? There are 19 Webelos and parents that will be joining other Boy Scout troops in the area. Let's bid them ado. Everyone clapped as the webelos group left the building. Then he said, out that door, the Packs Treasurer, Secretary, Outdoor planner, Webelos Leader I and Webelos Leader Two, Wolf leader, and Tiger coach also left. Now who will step up to fill the void or do we need to close the pack for these boys left? (Boys in room by the way!) She said people were shocked about eventually, the leadership roles were filled. Hope this will strike an idea for you. Let us know how you solve your situation.

I'm not sure about the meeting and the display of emotion. Seems like there's alot more going on, than just your post. But besides that, fundraising money should be made out to the troop. Even people with the best of intentions might end up losing the troop money before it gets back to the treasurer. But it might be harder to collect the monies from each individual parent. I'd leave it as turning in all money and checks to a main person in the troop. I'm not sure of all banks, but we have a bank that waves the charges to our account because of our troop status. Although we would pay for bounced checks, etc. monthly charges, deposit fees, etc are waved. I'd hunt around for a bank willing to do that. Try the smaller local banks in your area. They seem to be more willing to work with the community and "little guy." And yes I agree. It's tough to have the SM, Wife and son all in head positions, but most of the time, it works out just fine.

My son, hit me with a question the other day about ideas for Eagle projects. He says he doesn't want to do the "ordinary thing of building a bench and/or trail" like so many other Scouts, but something different. I had a few ideas for him, and directed him to some places to search for ideas and information. But I was curious, what are some of the eagle projects you've come across over the years? I know of one in our troop where the Scout had all the troop boys sewing blankets for donation to the hospital to be given to the crack babies that came through. (I believe they made 150 of them.) Now your turn....

MBs run up the back of the sash too, I think about50 or so fit in the front.

Hurricane District is a good site, but here are a few more Pioneering Project sites I reference to. You should be able to find what your looking for between all of these sites and more! http://www.webofroses.com/scouting/pioneering_projects.html http://www.pioneeringprojects.org/ http://www.scouting.org.za/resources/pioneering/ http://www.mag-net.com/scouts/pg/gadgets.htm http://www.inquiry.net/outdoor/skills/b-p/models.htm

You don't need wear ALL the hats you two, I can wear a few too; Advancement Chair and Committee Member for troop Merit Badge Counselor Activities Chair for District Advancement Committee (Merit Badge Jumboree Chair) Cub Scout Day Camp Program Coordinator That's the big hats, I wear lots of headbands to go under them too. But so do you!

Yes, I need to get a copy of the field book too. I understand there are alot of our local scouts in it (Chief Seattle Council). Can't wait!

Wow, now why can't my boys do that! That kids has it right, Merit Badges are for exploring your opptions in what interests you. You may even find your niche in life! He very well could be running Scouts someday!

An amazing story but if you think about it, the troop should have been more aware of their surrondings. I would imagine that they chose that spot to dig their caves because the snow was deep and butted up against the cliff. But the reason for the deepness of the snow was because the wind sheers across the top and blows the snow on top and creating the cornice that was the overhang. Also the winds fromt eh bottom is blowing the snow to the cliff. But the winds from top and bottom are creating the cornice. And every now and then, the cornice breaks off and falls to the bottom. And when strong enough or weighted down enough, the whole thing at the bottom could have slipped further down the mountain. Luckily, they dug their caves towards the bottom end of the slope and only 500 feet of Cornice came down, it could have been worse. Just yet another story to remind us to be aware of our surroundings and to respect mother nature out there. Look for the signs and heed them and you should be safe enough. I imagine it won't be something they will ever forget, even if they did sleep through the whole thing!

Yep, sound's about right. But I also carry BS and Adult Applications (gotta get em' when their hot! ) MB Applications,Advancement records, Guidelines for holding SM Conferences and BORs, Guidelines for MB Counselors, guide to Safe scouting book, etc. But instead of Altoids, I have chocolate, lots of chocolate! And I carry it all in a portable file box and keep all in hanging files. We won't talk about what I carry in the trunk of my car!

NWScouter; Only if the Troop and Advancement Chair recorded the advancement properly. I just took over from an advancement Chair of 5 years, he haphazardly recorded through council. Good thingI thought to check, the boys are now all current and with proper record with Council. But yes, that's a place to start, see what they have first, then go tot he Troop records, then to the individual resources like MBC, ASM, SM, Scouts own records, etc.

Explain to the boy that without documentation, National will not approve his rank advancement to Eagle. So the above advise is good. Tell him that you support him and will help in any way possible to straighten this out, but first he needs to find his "proof" of achievements so that "we" can present it to the former troop to record or to the council to record. Suggest to the boy that right now he is showing as a 1st class scout with 3 MB's. If he can't find his blue cards, he needs to contact old MBC, Advancement Chair, SM, etc or else National won't recognize them because their "official" records show different. And if he can't find his cards, doing the minimum MBs to acheive the Eagle rank isn't impossible to do in one year but it's going to take some hard and fast work. But if he's already done them, maybe he has his old paperwork when he worked on his badges and it should be fast and easy with a new MBC. But it's the rank that's going to be harder to catch up without finding the records. If he's first class now, the tenure for the other ranks will be a challenge. (I don't know the timing you're working with.) And tell him that even if he can't get his eagle rank, you still want him to stay with the troop. He could advance further but he would be of great help to the rest of the troop with his knowledge of Scouting. I'm the Advancement Chair for our troop. It's because of these stories that I have stressed on the boys to keep ALL their records in a good place. Most seem to use a notebook some use a shoe box, but at least it's all in one place! I've even encouraged the boys to keep in the notebook all their working papers. If there is EVER a question about what they claim, they can even show the work they did on the MBs or rank. But in your case, basically all you can do is support the boy and encourage him to find the paperwork. Don't doubt his honesty on your end. If he's being honest, he'll find a way. If he's not, you've still taught him a good lesson. And if he sticked to it with or without the eagle rank, he'll still benefit from scouting by coming back. That in itself could be beneficial to the rest of the troop if he's willing to share his story.

One thing to remember too is that Scouting isn't supposed to be an "EAGLE MILL." According to NAtional standards, they are only looking to get the boys to 1st class Scout. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake. What I've been telling the boys of our troop is that Scouting is something to experience not just to "get badges." And if they are active, the badges come naturally anyway. One of the boys has been in Scouting since wolf. He's now 16 and still is a 1st class scout. He has no interest in getting his eagle rank yet he participates and has 28 MBs, just that none are the eagle required. He's focused ont he things that interest him. In my opinion, he is getting what HE needs out of Scouting and that is what is important.

I don't know how they get into Philmont, but we do it every third year by setting up several parents as a phone tree. When it's time to call, they just keep dialing until one of us gets in!

WE DO! At the last RT I went to, we had a great discussion about high adventure activities we did with our troops. I was curious what types of things do you do. What is the most outstanding thing you've done as a troop? And how do you incorporate the younger scouts witht he older scouts keeping both groups happy? Also mention the area you're from. I'm in Washington State and I admit, we're pretty spoiled around here. We have the choice of two mountian ranges and Puget Sound to choose from. But the trade off in our short summer months and the wet sunshine that continually falls. I'm excited to see what you all do!

In our troop, the friends and siblings are welcome to come sit in all the meetings, and in activities that have been scheduled and prepared for visitors (Game Night, a car camp trip, visits to musuems, etc). Especially if they are interested in joining up. We'll do one about every quarter or so for recruiting. But the troop also keeps other activities closed to troop members only. (Or for troop family if it's such an event.) For instance, a Webelos or a school buddy couldn't do an extended hike, or climbing, or boating without prior training. As the troop ideally goes through in preping for the outing. This is part of how we get new boys too. Afterall, if they could do everything the troop does without becoming a member, why should they join?

Well, I know that for Washjam, they are allowing Venturers to attend. Another advantage in attending a the reginal event!

Your'e right Wingnut, anything interactive is a great hit, not only for the public, but also for the troop in the situation of creating teaching, and leading at the booth. It could be a team builder within the troop too. Actually, just about any Merit Badge or advencement skills are good to do. Compass is another good one. It really depends on if it's outdoors or not and how large an area you have to work with.

Okay, I live near a Junior high and I have friends that are teachers in the schools. They talk about kids who are so misguided and get into trouble. Fights after school, dressing in poor taste, parents who are not home to guide these trouble kids. Kids not having anything to do or to look forward to. So they get into trouble. Then I see the Scout kids. The good news is that they belong to the best gang ever! Instead of hanging out behind the school with a spray can and playing in the dumpster (because they don't have anything better to do and may have parents who don't even care), the Scouts are hiking 50 miles in the backcountry, cleaning up a local park, doing a flag ceremony for a city council, learning how to lead and follow in all the right ways, or even just "hanging out" with their fellow troop and patrol members weekly playing "capture the flag!" And the even better news I have is that I have three boys who are all still in scouting of their own free will. (Okay maybe I "guided" them that way in the beginning!) They feel strong enough in their own character to be able to wear their uniform infront of their friends at school. One of my sons was teased terribly by a classmate when he was a Webelos. But instead of cowaring, my son encouraged him to come with him to a den meeting one time and this kid has now been in scouting for four years! And another piece of good news! My kids as well as all the other Scout kids are being exposed to Adults who care for life. Who are great role models for our kids' future! Thank you to all the Leaders either directly or indirectly who have helped God's children grow into better people! And as a single Mom, I couldn't have reinforced my values and moralities better than for my kids see others living by the same upright values.

Born in April, 1961 in Seattle, WA. My 15 minutes of fame started a day after I was born. They had just built a new hospital wing for the babies and I was the one they lifted to show for the papers. The local Mayor also posed for the picture. See, the rest of you have to worry about when your 15 minutes of fame is, I've already had mine so I can live my life in peace!

Lucky you! I've been trying for along time to get my district to approve a scout show and haven't got to do one yet! But in my research (so I'm prepared when they do say yes!) I"ve been attending Scout shows around the state. I've seen some really cool things, there's lot's you can do. The two best ones I've seen are a short talk about LNT and the impact we have in the backcountry. Then they set up a sample campsite with "right and wrong" things to do. They had you write down everything you saw then gave an answer sheet when you were done. They not only listed the right and wrong but the why and how. Another was a setup a troop had made demoing the local wildlife in their woods that you may find. Pictures, fur, terrain, etc. They also talked about how to stow the fodd and gear if you were out there to keep it away from the animals and why it's important to hike everything out when your through. Then they had a quiz for the public to take. One board showed pitures of animals, the other pictures of footprints. If you got "x" right, they gave you a prize. Another couple cool things I saw was a demo on terrain and why the proper footwear is important. They set up a trail with different things like sand, rocks, hard trail dirt, etc. And had the public walk through. Then had a few diferrent shoes sliced open so you could see the layers and why certain ones were better than other for hiking. Another was a larger scale they set up. The Public, if they so chose, could put on a typically loaded pack for their height and weight and saw how much it weighted. I think they also talked about the ten essentials. Other things I've seen is dutch oven cooking, sample campsites (but everyone does this), monkey bridges, demos on knots, archery, etc. Most importantly, if the register doesn't have you do this already, you might do it. Choose first, second, and third choice of what you want to do, and tell the chair you want to do something different than other troops and groups. I went to one scout show who didn't do that. They had 20 troops and at least 15 of them did a sample campsite! You want to be different and unique than the rest! If interested, I've got more ideas. Hope this helps!

I always thought this was a great magazine too! My brother was a Boy Scout of the late 70's/ early 80's and I read them ever as much as he did. (Even if I could do those things - I'm a Girl Scout! Another story!) Then when my own boys, his nephews, started joining scouts, he handed them all down to us. They were of great help to my dens as I was planning the meetings and activites. And my boys loved showing up with "new" things for their buddies to do. The new ones are okay, but I don't think they get into the scouting "stuff" as much as the old ones. What's old is new again, right!?!? BTW, I have three boys and I get a subscription for each of them. I'm sure they will be treasured as much as my brother treasured his for years after scouting (if there is such a thing!). This way they can each have their own in their household.

I always thought this was a great magazine too! My brother was a Boy Scout of the late 70's/ early 80's and I read them ever as much as he did. (Even if I could do those things - I'm a Girl Scout! Another story!) Then when my own boys, his nephews, started joining scouts, he handed them all down to us. They were of great help to my dens as I was planning the meetings and activites. And my boys loved showing up with "new" things for their buddies to do. The new ones are okay, but I don't think they get into the scouting "stuff" as much as the old ones. What's old is new again, right!?!? BTW, I have three boys and I get a subscription for each of them. I'm sure they will be treasured as much as my brother treasured his for years after scouting (if there is such a thing!). This way they can each have their own in their household.

Sounds like Disney won't regret releasing this movie on DVD! From what I've heard people have worked on Disney for quite awhile to release it. (Now only if they would be successful on Song of the South, but that's a different battle!)