TAHAWK

Run by Uncle Sugar? Surely you jest. (Or qwazse you jest)

Problems often have human causes, Finding what causes a problem may be the only way to solve the problem. Treating people without respect is one of those human problems. Refusing to be open to the experiences and judgment of others is one of those human problems. Being so afraid of change that you are closed to the new is one of those human problems

To the extent that Love Your Neighbor or Take Care of the World We Have Been Given might offend someone, I guess I am just not concerned enough to do anything about their "issues." My Buddhist friends are not offended by deist themes in a service as, they tell me, being offended over such a thing is against their religion. (When we had a local blow-up over the Ten Commandments in a public place, the local spokesman for Buddhist congregations made a point of volunteering that they should not be invoked as a reason to take down the Ten. A local newspaper "journalist" then wrote an editorial saying that the Ten "obviously" was "offensive" to Jews and Muslims. 0___0 And no, "Amen" is not offensive to Muslims.) The only trouble I have been aware of has resulted from Protestant ministers who just WILL present a Protestant service if allowed. I have had no such problems with Rabbis or Catholic priests, Scouts planning a Scouts' Own would need to be counseled.

I guess I was guided by this exchange: ​If the goal is "cause a pack committee to exist," that is specific and measurable. It was only the "functional" part that I wondered about, and I thought you were adopting that adjective. I certainly could be mistaken. "Functional" without more, at least to me, is as specific and measurable as "good." YMMV

Not my original observation, but it fits the type described: "They seem to think Scouting would be even more fun if we could just get rid of kids." In our area, driven out of district positions, they came to dominate the Campmaster Corps. They would hide in the gas-heated cabins, watch movies, cook, play cards - anything but function as Campmasters. New management of the camps a couple of years ago replaced them with helpful sorts who actually do what a Campmaster is supposed to do, Not sure what's become of them. Short of adult help as we are, it can be hard to find a position in which some can actually contribute,

Good news indeed.

How do you measure "functional"? Those metrics would be a legitimate ticket item.

Beyond safety, there is no "balance." It's youth leadership or it's not Scouting. BSA promises the Patrol Method and now needs to do something to be sure we deliver on the promise. ___________________________________________________________________ If the Patrol Method were important to BSA, what might be done?

We had a similar situation - money missing from sale of goods. It apparently(99% certain) went up the Mom's nose. And no, we did not conclude that it was the child's responsibility that an addict will steal from anyone. We covered the loss and got Family Services involved. Legally, you want an adult to sign for the outgoing goods. A child cannot - cannot - enter into a binding contract, such as assumption of a debt.

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics" The False Dichotomy. (Forcing a choice of A or B when there are many more possibilities.)

Yes, if you listen to only one side of the story. But, then, there's this: And this by the Council:

We created: 1) a Parent's Division; and 2) a panel of outsiders who decided, after looking at the car and talking to the Cub, if the car would race in the Cub Division or the parent's Division. There was some conflict but FAR less than before.

Aggressively promote could be an email - or a hundred other things Try: "Spend X hours communicating to unit adults in person about training opportunities and benefits."

Your right to be true to yourself and to do what's right in your heart ends, shall we say, at the end of my nose - or someone else's. Doing what seemed right and true led to lots of lynchings at one period in our history. It currently leads to a lot of drug consumption (No 1 cause of accidental death in NE Ohio). Is there a limit to "bravely" ignoring social norms? Is it always best - for the actor? for society? Society's proposed or imposed limits (obviously) change over time. Time often also tells us if the shift was for the better or the worse, as we shall see with the current trend to allow more drug consumption and raise the highway speed limits..

For the most part, boys want to be in Scouting because they think they will be having fun with their friends - or at least boys they want to be their friends. Adults have different motives. The younger, "immature" boy may simply need more time to grow up and learn that he can do for himself - and get satisfaction of achieving. Simply "catching him" on those occasions when he "gets it" may be all it takes. What is his job in the patrol? Is it a good match? Could he define a job for himself that is useful and stimulating? (By the way, my troop was a Coleman dealer for 14 years, and I got to take the dealer training. Coleman strongly recommended stuffing tents because folding concentrates stress. Hence "Stuff Stack.") As for the older boy: 1. He is on a team. He should be on it because a consensus welcomes him there and wants him to be there. "A patrol is a small group of friends." It is supposed to be self-selected. The further you get away from that, the further you are from the Patrol Method. Does he have any friends in the patrol? In the troop? In another troop? Does any member of the patrol want him on that team? If not, why is he on that team? Does anyone in the troop WANT to be his friend? If he has no friends, it is probably not his idea to be there, "Do you even want to be here?" 2. He should be on the team because he wants to play the game, a. Does he know what the game is? If not, he should have it explained to him by someone who understands completely. BSA has given Scouters quite minimal help in the last fifteen years in understanding, The new Scoutmaster Specific syllabus does a little to improve that situation - but just a little. b. Does he in fact want to play the game? If there any aspect of the game that he wants to play? If not, why is he on the team. There are worse outcomes than the departure of a boy who has no desire to be on the team. He is unlikely to be learning to be a better person and better citizen in the circumstances that you describe, At 14, he is unlikely to change much absent a transformative experience.

Once we said "A Scout pays his own way." We have weaseled that down to "A Scout works to pay his own way." Still, it does not say, "The Scoutmaster pays the Scout's way." Your parents are way out of line. I had a TC once that just would not fund raise - $57.00 in 3.5 years.. I found new parents - in another troop. Maybe a stranger from up the perceived pyramid can come to a special meeting and "give them the Word." (Not that it worked by my $57.00 TC, but it made me feel even better when I walked out the door. 75% of the Scouts [30] eventually showed up at the other troop.). You are not being paid enough to be abused - even if they triple you salary.

"No one-on-one contact" is a separate barrier to abuse that the "two deep rule on outings." So long as the adult is not alone with a youth, the "no one-on-one" standard is met. That means a meeting with a Merit Badge Counselor and two youth is permitted. That means a single adult driving a vehicle with multiple youth is permitted. That means a meeting with one adult is permitted. Whether the latter is wise is a different issue. That BSA has a problem with writing clearly on occasion does not mean one must or should read one word in one sentence ("adults") in isolation from the context and all other writing on the subject. If we did, get our noses down on the page and read that word in that fashion then the word would require three total adults so we can have one adult off on the "situation" in view of "other adults." Even were the quoted language meant to blur "no one-on-one" with "two deep," it speaks to "situations that require personal conferences, such as a Scoutmaster's Conference." It does not, on its face, address all situations.

Accepting what you say as true, is it not strange that the official syllabus for the course fails to answer the question, "What is the Patrol Method"? Isn't that where to start a session aimed at new Scouters and titled "The Patrol Method"? Especially so given that only a minority of troops are using TPM?

Yes, and the section on the Patrol Method actually talks about the Patrol Method (-: But, based on the final draft at least, it omits an explanation of what the Patrol Method is. ))-; I had hoped. 0____0 If you don;t hope much you are less likely to be disappointed.

Matt , +10 Safety aside, it's their "thing" to do. Our performance is judged on how well they plan and run the program. Not fair? Hard? Take it up with Bo Pelini and Brady Hoke.

I had pretty good success as a Scout RT Commissioner based on a few principles. 1. New stuff every month. If you miss a RT, you miss out. 2. High energy Everyone is at or near the biorhythmic downslope, so they need help. 3. Hands-on/participatory (Make a backpacking stove. Make a large, square neckerchief. Make a neckerchief slide. Make a set of knot practice ropes. Make a rope spinner. Make snow shoes. Cook and eat results. Plan next Camporee [Really need youth for this.]) 4. Take something home you can plug right into troop program 5. Announcements are death. 5 mins per month max. Can't keep to your limit? Never make another announcement. 6. Gathering time displays/handouts. 7. "Coffee" by Refreshments Committee before program and after program for informal interaction (Some of best and most productive discussions were after the program.) 8. Central and good site. 9. Youth participation in audience and as staff. 10. A certain % WILL NOT BE HAPPY. Life is like that so don't sweat it. We moved three time to get a progressively larger venue. (Meanwhile, the Cubers were packing and rocking the room wherever we went. That RT Commish was amazing!) Today, the district is three times the size it was and has no Roundtable Commissioners. RT's are thrown together at the last minute and are mostly announcements and appeals for $$$$. The resulting mess is excused on the grounds that "People are not interested in Roundtable." (Do you think?)

Few here would not agree, and BSA agrees -- in theory. __________________________________________________ ______ What might BSA do if the Patrol Method were important to BSA?

The (apparently) official answer regarding this still-official uniform item is here: http://www.scoutinsignia.com/ties.htm When? "the 1950's"