skeptic

If that crew is a regular thing, it would be a good idea if the unit was prepping regularly, not just when the crew comes along.

Sadly, the time when the Government offered much free, or at cost help, is long gone. One of the reasons for the Summit was the increasing outside pressures from some political individuals against the government allowing BSA on military bases, especially AP Hill. It did not matter to them that while yes, BSA was getting expensive services at cost, or in some cases under, the military was getting major training opportunity in their support at the events. Again, little was completely free the Base personnel or its property, only at "costs". A different perspective and a different world.

Not a huge issue. Someone representing the committee signs, maybe with a notation as to why. DO not hold up the youth.

I am a bit confused that this is even still working. The answer is simply NO. The reasons have been explained in a variety of ways. It can cause dangerous driver actions, and just because it is not an actual convoy, it is still NOT allowed. Plan and if need have meeting spots to regroup. Know where you are going if driving; do not expect to just "follow". How often does it need to be said?

I am curious at the comment of the BSA rate and a comparison. That suggests that BSA or Scouts America has one of the lower stats compared to others in the comparative fields. Is that something that might be important to share more directly? I am asking, as a number of times when I have noted percenage comparisons I have been shouted down and called names. So, a verifiable link or notation would be useful, if nothing else. Thanks.

And there is a place that makes summer camp badges difficult at times. Going through dozens of signed blue cards from camp, how many of us will have a serious talk with each scout about what he learned or did? Hard to selectively judge unless something rings an alarm, like hearing from the counselor that the youth was not going, or not participating. Of course then, the card also should never be signed as completed if that were the case. We want to trust the youth, and hopefully will find few times to seriously challenge some things. Fine lines and balance much of the time. I am reminded of the great book by Cochraan, Be Prepared. The SM in the story has taken over a troubled troop where much has been let slide. He has two youth that are Eagles, and he has concerns about them based on observations of their skills and so on. So, when he suspects they may not really be swimmers due to indictions they avoid the water and make excuses, he takes them in a row boat to the middle of the lake. It is only a few hundred yards from shore which for someone with the swimming and life saving badges should not be an issue to swim back. So, he tells them he wants them to swim back to shore and they refuse and admit they are pretty much unable to swim. He challenges them as to how then they could be Eagles. More discussion and he finally rows them all back. He informs them that he is distressed by their obvious issues, especially as he needs them as leaders. So, he suggests that they give him back their Eagles untilcan validate they deserve them. I know, not allowed or realistic, but it is a story. The book is really fun and also encouraging. Ultimately, one boy's father challenges the issue and threatens the SM, while the other youth's parent acknowledges an issue. And one boy does prove himself and is again given his Eagle. The other drops out and has other issues as well. Idealistic, but also makes us think.

And, while most such weak or fudged things are not dangerous, in the case of swimming it can be. I had a real wake up on that. I had a boy do swimming for a week at camp and he received his approval and card. A month later, we went to the local Naval Base and used their pool. The Navy guy running the pool told them all to swim the length of the pool,thenfloat, so he could judge their skill levels. The boy I noted could not do it. Now if you completed the badge just a month prior you should have verified minimal skill in four strokes at least, plus float. When I confronted the boy he admitted he somehow managed to fool the staff. Needless to say, I was not happy. I reported it to the council and they did not hire that swimming counselor or her staff for the next year. I am just glad the Navy guy was on top of it.

You make a number of valid, or at least seemingly valid, points. But, I have heard indirectly of many issues with poorly disciplined or overbearing kids on teams, and if a child is NOT good enough, they will be gone by middle school age for the most part. More importantly, IF you feel youth sports have few YP issues, you are not paying attention. Only recently have many states stepped in to begin a better oversight of these teams. In California, and I believe many other states now, there are state madated certifications for adults involved in these teams. It remains to be seen if those mandates will be properl policed, just as BSA YP continues to have that challenge. But, BSA is mostly working to assure these State mandates are met. Sadly, just as in BSA, some groups are more attentive than others I suspect. And for me, the mention of travel teams can pack their coolers is a bit scary, as that suggests that they may turn a blind eye to alcholol issues in some cases. The two types of youth offerings are not the same, and both have their own unique challenges. IF sportsmanship, as I learned it anyway, was assured in these leagues I would be more inclined to understand; but we all have read or seen the lack of sportsmanship in youth situations, both little league types, high school programs, and travel. And Professional sports also too often set a very poor example, both in regard to respect of other players, but also looking the other way in regard to the actual rules. None of it is easy, nor are they free of serious concerns. But the basic tenets of Scouting still stand up to one of the best guides for real citizenship and a character filled life.

Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council,Boy Scouts of America > News > Top News > California Assembly Bill 506 and Youth Protection Training California Assembly Bill 506 and Youth Protection Training Online training and Live Scan background checks required by law for all volunteers. A new law has taken effect in California, effective January 1, 2022 and will further support our mission to protect youth in our program from neglect and abuse. Pursuant to California Business and Professions Code Section 18975 (formally referred to as AB 506 of 2021), volunteers, employees, and administrators are now required to take an additional training and complete a Live Scan background check. INSTRUCTIONS: Complete Mandated Reporter Training from the state of California Upload certificate of completion for training to SVMBC council portal on www.californiascouting.org Get a Live Scan Fingerprint & Background check Download and print the Request for Live Scan Form (unique to our council) Find the Live Scan site near you, bring the completed form to the service provider. Each individual must pay a fingerprint rolling fee ($20-$40) and FBI background check fee ($15) to the Live Scan provider. Live Scan Location: Verify Group Inc. located at 262 E Hamilton Ave Suite A, Campbell, CA 95008. Click on https://verifygroup.youcanbook.me/ and select “Live Scan Fingerprinting” to schedule. Any Live Scan Location is allowed. We are offering Live Scan Background checks at many upcoming council events. Visit www.californiascouting.org for full details and resources.

No longer the case in California, and I believe a few other states. Coaches fall under the updated State requirement to be accredited by the State in YP and reporting. That includes fingerprinting. Now whether anyone is policing that, I have no idea. But it is a part of our council level requirements.

It took a while, but I stopped letting overly demanding sports programs, and over the top coaches, get to me. I tried to make the youth understand that there are myriad choices in life, and making them is part of the "growing up" process. Ultimately, they need to choose, hopefully with focus and balance. Too many chose the overly demanding sports road, but with luck may have carried a small piece of the tenets of Scouting with them. A few, returned and refocused on Scouting. We never know. One of the good things about contact with the troop family over decades is that on occasion I see the result in the now adult.

There are a lot of possible "shooting" sports, some not so sporty, some just humor. Shooting marbles, shooting pool, shooting baskets, and maybe even shooting mouths. They all still have rules of sorts, though too often ignored in the broader world. I suppose I just shot myself in the foot, as I am going too far afield. 😇

What am I missing with the "travel sports" thing? It seems far more time stealing and financially draining to me. And few of the kids ever will go beyond to make a living, though perhaps it will help some gets scholarships. Again though, I missed most of those options as a youth due to the time period of the late fifties. Local sports groups often were very selective, or developed on civic lines. In my case, while I wanted to do Little League, I could not, as we lived in an L.A. County area surrounded by the city of Azusa, and my address did not allow me to join. Of course, that was before the onset of so many other sports and parental fanaticism.

" Folks spend way more time figuring our how to game the system than, well, I don't know, going camping." Triple plus star for this. And that applies to most of the more popular and consistent parts of the program.

I had to go looking to make sure I understood the terminology used. Admittedly, I was not cognizant of the definintion of cisnet and its related terms. Perhaps they are more precise in the current atmosphere, but I am not sure that they may also play into the greater confusion so many seem to have. Most of the confusions and conflict appears, to me anyway, to simply be that emotions that once were sublimated are now often expected to be shared, even when the person with them is still confused and not sure about it. Are we as a society, here in the U.S. at least, too conflicted within to allow others to deal on their own terms? Are we threatened somehow? E.G.; I have never understood why some push the issue in religion versus atheism. It is a play on words to me, as the definition of atheism contradicts itself in my view. Still, much of the legal wrangling on that front relates to someone "feeling oppressed" by simply having to on occasion see a cross or other religious symbol, and so insists that their right to not be conflicted by a symbol overrides that of those who use or represent that symbol. I always wonder why they are threatened, as they simply can not look, or ignore it. Again though, what we once called "common sense" is a vague, almost non existent thing now. Even more sadly, we seem to add to the confusion with too many young people just because we are roiled ourselves emotionally.

Bruce Russell; a prize winning political cartoonist of the WWII era. So, likely copied from a newspaper of the time.

"Tells me that inclusivity isn't the problem. " There lies the problem. For whatever reason, the wider media has chosen to stigmatize BSA, and really other positive (with the known aberrations) groups such as traditional service organizations for adults, and too often our own civil servants. This has metastasized in the modern era of overly available media output with little control for the larger good. And this problem is rampant in our political machines, socalled entertainment industry, and our educational entities. I have no answer, other than to try and put the positive images forward the best I can, and to not dwell on things over which I have little control. Time for a nap.

Interesting article, but it is five years old. On the other hand it reinforces what I have said from the start; that allowing girls is a good thing, and the issues the so called experts raise are pretty much non starters for most of the youth. As always, the adults cause the most waves. The likelihood of coed is almost a reality, and it will in time be just the norm, though a few specific troops likely will still remain.

In the first three decades of our troop it was an NRA club as well. The SM owned a ranch and it had an arroyo. He built a range in the arroyo where the scouts trained. We still have remnants of that in historical items, including an interesting journal of names and scores, along with ammunition used. Sam also ran the local camp range for years, and then someone else from the troop took it over. During WWII, all the members that went in the service were marksmen or experts. Below is an interesting target that apparently was used during the War years. I have no idea where it came from, other than it was in a file.

Sadly, that would truly not surprise me in the least. So many of our challenges relate directly to people being too self-centered or simply completely clueless. That, of course brings us back to why Scouting IS still important, if we could just work the basic programs with arm distant adult mentoring. Oh, and lock the lawyers up unless they have a valid reason to be let out. If our society would simply "live the twelve" and see that foundation for what it still is, and was with a few sad exceptions, we would maybe be better off. But blinders seem to have taken over the role of glasses and sunglasses.

Probably trace this directly to Hawaii I think. No changes noted for archery.

We really old guys likely chuckle, or get annoyed by the complaints about that type of thing. I was 15 and a Life Scout when I was sitting on a log at campfire at old Camp Arataba and guys in nice regalia were moving about in the crowd. All of a sudden a very loud yell in my ear found me being jerked to my feet and pushed to the front of the area where I was "tapped out", and I mean TAPPED OUT. All of us were then taken to get sleeping bags and went off to the woods. Of course that was when most tap outs were done heavily and you might hear the shoulder tap a long way away. We all wore the wooden arrow and if you were judged to violating the instructions you could get a notch in the arrow. Three in theory washed you out. Ten minutes before the end the next day, a friend of mine walked up and asked me something, and I answered. Still someplace is that arrow with one notch. He laughed at me a bit, but that was how it was then. The suspense and solemnity of the ceremonies loomed large, and most looked forward to "maybe" being judged worthy. There were restrictions on how many could be voted in based on troop size and number eligible. We all know how it is now. Still, the program has many high spots still, though harder to get to with all the fear of legal stuff and frankly, pampered kids.

And here again we see reality in the U.S. Somehow, not sure we can pinpoint the change, our cultural viewpoints relating to interactions of youth at "those critical years" got skewed to paranoia, rather than growth and learning to deal. Maybe like the concept of the glass half full or half empty? Something less than positive happens somewhere and it is hyped by media and people with skewed reasoning and becomes an issue where it really is not the norm, nor usually a problem. Then the fear mongers grab it and make it worse. Then somebody does a "study", one preordained in most cases, and it escalates to that paranoiac state. Or so it may be from my eight decades of watching and listening and experiencing.

Agreed; but that does not have to be lost with Coed or even with changes in views of normal human interactions. We are only one of the players, and the family should be the number one, with schools and maybe churches involved as well as families allow.