bkale

In the NCAC (Washington DC/Northern VA/MD) area council we use volunteers to be the FOS presenters and coordinators. We actually had a ASM from a Troop in our District come in and talk to our Pack last pack meeting. I tend to agree that the DE may not have the time or energy to give FOS the attention that it takes.

Went to Philmont back in '84... was a 15 year old then and went with a Council contingent. It rained every day enough to soak your feet and boots... but loved it. Camp infiltrated with bears that ate our deserts every night.. but loved it. Carried a 90lb pack for close to 100 miles... LOVED it. Only bad story would be my tent mate dehydrating mid-trip and being lifted out of the area. That left me with his half of the tent gear, my own, and a bit more crew gear... He was back on the trail in a couple of days after being pumped full of fluids.... It is the bad stories that make us stronger and give us more character building.. if Philmont was easy would we all love it and remember it so fondly? As an adult leader, the Philmont arrowhead patch is the only one I ever wear on my right pocket... no other could ever replace the memeories and the pride I have in the experience.

Anyone's unit (sponsors, parents, etc) used the James West Fellowship to honor a Scouter? I have a couple of real cornerstones in the organization that we have leaned on and not necessarily shown our appreciation. What are your experiences with James West Fellowships?

Our Pack only does the Bobcat rank upside down and we use safety pins. I think the most important part of this is that it leads to adults telling the boys stories of how the same thing was done when they were a Cub Scout. I actually pulled my entire Tiger den aside at the den meeting before the Pack mtg they would get their Bobcat and told them the history, tradition, and the story of when I recieved my Bobcat. We sat in a circle and it was like a campfire story. It was a great connection for them.. and they actually could see me (their adult leader that is twice their size)as a young boy with a fresh blue uniform shirt back many moons ago... and how they are continuing on the tradition. This opportunity to connect generations is too valuable to miss.

NCAC (Capital Area) had their UoS on 23 Feb 2008. Approx 600 leaders. Great classes and tons of war stories. Only thing I would have changed is to have a lot more of the info available for download or on CD for after the event.. makes it easier to pass on to other leaders in the Pack.

My opinion is that the boys are well within their right to not allow a boy that misses the training to participate... however.. they will have to apply that rule to ALL boys that are not at the training and not just this boy. If the boy attends the training... it will be a sticky situation...

I wanted to chime in here a little as well... I am the father of a Tiger Cub (my oldest) that has Apert's Syndrome. This is a premature fusing of bones in the skull and often leads to a fusion or malformation of the hands and feet. My son was born without fingers and toes and now has four man-made fingers on each hand and two man-made toes on each foot to allow for walking and running... He is FINALLY finding something that he loves and tries to excel in...scouting. He has great buddies that don't see him as different and he has been moving along with all of the boys in rank and activities. I have looked at the Wolf requirements and hate to say it but I see several requirements for Wolf that will be VERY difficult to complete for him... does that mean I won't have him try and try and try to DO HIS BEST? Absolutely not.... but there is a very fine line between excusing a boy from a requirement (that is hard for them physically or mentally) and letting him go on to a feeling of defeat. I struggle with this line every day (school work, sports, even scouts). I want to encourage all leaders out there (of which I am a proud one) to give the boys a real chance to make it like every other scout before them... but be prepared to acknowledge the "spirit" of the requirement and the incredible effort of the boy. The boy's spirit and growth to manhood is what we are building... not just a shirt full of badges.

I have never actually seen the book in that form online... plenty of places that list out the requirements... however.. BSA does allow for unlimited copying of BSA material as long as it is for the exclusive use of scouting and not done for a profit. This means that you could copy pages from a book that you or another Cub has.

Well.. can't resist jumping in here. I am a 13 1/2 year old Eagle. This is back in 1982. My troop had not had an Eagle in over 8 years and was sorely lacking in resources to get one thru the system. Our Scoutmaster at the time had not even had one in his entire career. Skill awards were the order of the day for up to 1st Class. I have to tell you I am glad to hear of the numerous sets of resources available to Scouts these days. It was a huge struggle to move thru the merit badges in rural NC.. especially in a troop that loved camping but was a little lean in the advancement part of scouting. I see even in some of my Cub Scouts (DL now) the same drive I had back then. The challenge to reach the very top. I went on to earn an additional 20 MBs, God and Country, Philmont (only scout from my troop to go EVER). Let's not necessarily discount the amount of work a current scout does to earn their Eagle... just because info is easier to find.. or resources are closer.. or the trail has been walked more often and no longer needs blazing. These boys are still hungry and the confidence they get from the journey still makes all of the difference.... They just haven't walked to school uphill in 10 foot snow.. both ways... *chuckl*

"Trained" patches have numerous benefits as I see it. First... they remind the leadership that they should endeavor to reach out to the BSA and learn to properly care for the young men that have been placed in their care. Second... it establishes an early level of confidence by the Scout and his family (course that confidence has to be continually earned as you perform) Third... yet another visual item to instill pride and belonging. It even gives a slight bit of confidence for some of us new leaders to say, "Hey... this is what I think is the right thing to do in our Pack/Troop" These ideas may have been in our head before but sometimes it requires a little "official" branding to lend credence to our thought. Patches don't solve the problems.. but they have been a firm cornerstone of the "tradition".

Anyone know of a trail or historic site that has a patch and/or medal in the Boone, NC area? I will be taking my son to see a specialist in that area and would love to also have a fun activity with him that would earn some bling for his uniform.

In at least 5-6 locations there are mentions of adult wearing (and should wear) their Eagle medal and any other medals that are appropriate (God and Country, Medal of Merit, etc.) for "formal occasions". What occasions does this forum consider "formal" enough? (think for Cub Scout and/or Boy Scout occasions)... Blue and Gold Banquet? Definitely an award ceremony for God and Country awards and Eagle awards.... Scout Sunday? but what else?

A few more cents to throw into the bucket... I am a new adult leader and I wear my knots. I guess I fall into the category of a person that loves scouting and likes to remember all of the past times and likes to show the boys what they should strive for.... but one more factor... I am trying to encourage my Pack leaders to be more aware of knots and the requirements that are needed to earn these knots. That is probably the best part of the knots... it sets tangible goals (measurable goals) for the adult leader. Advancement levels, training programs, Pow-Wows, Roundtables, etc. These things are invaluable to the scouting leader and a lot of people (like me... especially me) need things set down for me as a roadmap...