Bob White

Not to worry Eagle1973. As long as there are scouters who are willing to pronounce judgment on the quality of every training course being presented in over a thousand districts, in over two-hundred councils, based on the few sessions that you have attended, there will never be an issue over secrecy. If you get a bad meal, was it the cook or the recipe? You don't know unless you know that the recipe was followed. There are always ways to tweak a training syllabus to make it more interesting or more specific to the audience. The contents of the BSA syllabi are fine. They cover the information needed for that stage of volunteer development that they are designed for. But it is the local trainers responsibility to deliver it correctly. It sounds to me like what is being suggested is a board to help develop better cooks. I am surprised that you would not support that considering your past training experiences.

Red Feather is correct in every arena except safety. When you "allow" a scout to do ignore safety as a learning experience you don't always get a second chance to correct your error. You are required as an adult leader to intercede in matters of safety. You have a responsibility to the parents and to the scouts. There are lots of other situations in scouting when you can let the scout learn through trial and error, but safety is not one of them.

We will do whatever the Eagle and his family requests. It is his day after all. In most cases, the troop assigns an assistant SM to work out the ceremony with the eagle and his family. There are certain elements the troop always does and others that are totally flexible. The family normally takes care of the invitations and reception with some assistance from the committee. But it really is on a case by case basis.

What's wrong with that, Bob? Who does it hurt? You can't be serious Rob! Using the wrong tool for the wrong job can hurt a lot of people, especially the young man using it whose safety has been entrusted to you. Just because its a game doesn't mean you should play irresponsibly. Camping outdoors is bait, but you don't let them camp in a dry creek bed just because it's cool. At least not if you know anything about camping. Climbing and rappelling is cool, but using the wrong rope is foolish. Building a fire is cool, but biting it under a rain fly is foolish. Using a knife is cool, using the wrong knife s foolish. Encouraging them to bring the wrong knife is irresponsible.

Data base storage is just one element of scoutnet. ScoutNet is the computer network that links all councils with the National office and its resources. ScoutNet provides them with communication through email, an intra net (like the Internet put private) and as mentioned data storage and retrieval.

Almost everything created by the BSA is "official" it's just not all "policy". Guidelines are just that, guidelines. They are there to provide a point of reference to steer you in the right general direction. When it comes to safety, the "policies" of the BSA are those in bold type as explained in the opening paragraphs of the Guide to Safe Scouting publication. The policies that affect unit operation are found in four BSA publications depending on their topic.Thay are: Safety: The Guide to Safe Scouting Advancement: The Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures Manual Uniforming: The Insignia Guide Membership: The adult and youth Membership Application forms And are repeated in part in other leader and program specific manuals. PS Thumper, Failure to file a tour permit will not effect the secondary policy of accident protection on the scouts. What it can effect is the liability umbrella protection that protects the registered adults and the CO from losses sustained should you be sued by the family of the injured scout.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

Dens follow a Pack theme that changes monthly. While it is not required to do so, it is the best way to make use of the program resources available to you through the BSA. Your Cub Roundtables, Boys' Life Magazines, Scouting Magazines, and Cub Scout Program Helps publication are all coordinated on an annual basis around the national themes calendar. Why not use these resouces as they were designed to strengthen, guide, and enhance the Den and Pack programs?

Providing there are no other like-program units in the same district, you can keep your common number but your Council prefix would likely change. If however two troops (or two packs, or two crews) had the same common number one or both would need to change.

My parents were involved in Scouting, YMCA, Little League, School Board, PTA, school athletics, Band Parents, and active in our church. We were raised to believe that "each person is personally responsible for the quality of their community". Each of us took a different path to fulfill that responsibility, law enforcement, fire fighter, religious education, teacher, scouting. It is what we we taught we owed our community. As far as who pays for what, that is a person by person, unit by unit, decision. If what your unit does or doesn't do works for you then do not worry about what different units do with their particular resources and needs. I agree that everyone gets something out of scouting. I have never seen anyone be able to measure it or put a monetary value on it. What exactly is the worth of a scoutmaster who is willing to give up time from his/her work, home and family in order to help your child grow up with the values of scouting while you go about doing the things you want to do?

Keep in mind the document that buffalo2 has provided is a "guideline" only and does not represent official BSA policies or restrictions. Those are found in the leaders manuals for the appropriate program and in the Guide to Safe Scouting.

The Pack and Den program is designed to work as a weekly scouting event. The Den meets for 60 minutes each week except for the week they meet as a pack. The problem with bi-weekly meetings is that while it may be more "convenient" for the adults, kids just are not wired to retain new information over so long a period of time. 2-weeks to a cub aged boy is f o r e v e r. In order for lessons and skills of cubbing to be retained the scout needs frequent and regular exposure. Check out the Cub Scout Program Helps for 12-months of meeting agendas, activities, program themes and advancement ideas. And by all means attend training. New Leader Essentials and Den Leader Specific Training are a must if you want to do the best you can for the boys.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

NWS, Prefix numbers, as it has been explained to me, are issued by the regional office. The finished combined number is unique to that unit and is the number used to identify that specific unit on scoutnet and other local and national records. Each council also has an ID # assigned to it. You can find the unit combined number on the unit charter and it is usaually coded on mailing labels from the council.

I agree almost totally with Eagledad's last post. What concerns me is not the use of a sheath knife, but the proper use of a sheath knife. What concerned me most about Eagle2's post is the suggestion that the the tool be allowed not because it is the right tool for the job, but simply because it is seen as "cool" in the eyes of a scout. I would hope that we are teach better decision making than that. Coolness is a fine factor for choosing some pieces of property but personal tools like sheath knives. While I do remember what it was like to be a boy I also remember that scouting helped to teach me think beyond what was cool to what was right.

Unit numbers are made of a combination of council assigned and "common" numbers. The number you know a unit by may be just the common number or it could be the combined council/common number. For instance, years ago before the council added a prefix you may have been in Troop 50. Now days the council has an assigned set of prefix numbers that tell whether the unit is a pack, troop or crew, and what district it is in. So a council with three districts might have a prefix for the packs of District "A" of 121 and the troops of Disrtrict "A" a prefix of 122. So Troop 50 is actually on record as Troop 12250, but its common identity is Troop 50. But lets say it is a new troop with no past identity. Wel call it Troop 16 from District "B" of the same council. It could have a 9 to show it's district affiliation, a 2 to show that it is a troop. and it would have the choice of choosing for its uniforms identity either Troop 16 or troop 9216. Now every council doesn't use the same numbers for its Districts or its unit types. So while there can be hundreds of units across the country with the same "common number" (you can even have units in the same council) no two units in the country have the same combined counil/common number ID.

It can be done I suppose but it will be difficult considering the new Webelos advancement requirements. You will need two programs, and that being the case you might as well have two dens. The new Webelos will need to be workjng toward their Webelos Badge, while the older Webelos will be working on Compass Points and Arrow of Light. Since these achievements require the completion of two different sets of advancement elements, running the two dens together will be difficult tosay the least.

It can be done I suppose but it will be difficult considering the new Webelos advancement requirements. You will need two programs, and that being the case you might as well have two dens. The new Webelos will need to be workjng toward their Webelos Badge, while the older Webelos will be working on Compass Points and Arrow of Light. Since these achievements require the completion of two different sets of advancement elements, running the two dens together will be difficult tosay the least.

It can be done I suppose but it will be difficult considering the new Webelos advancement requirements. You will need two programs, and that being the case you might as well have two dens. The new Webelos will need to be working toward their Webelos Badge, while the older Webelos will be working on Compass Points and Arrow of Light. Since these achievements require the completion of two different sets of advancement elements, running the two dens together will be difficult tosay the least.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=61233&p=2#id_63815

Sorry Owl, I posted that in the wrong thread. Uniforms pieces are made by different companies according to BSA specifications. Who those specific companies are I have no idea. Many of the embroidered products are purchased as blanks and are embroidered by the BSA in-house at the Supply Division facilities in North Carolina.

The 3 sink method described in the current Boy Scout Handbook is the same method required of restaurants by most State and local health codes (according to a health inspector who taught our sanitation portion of BALOO in one course). It is a widely accepted practice for cleaning and sanitizing dishes. If your wash and rinse water is getting nasty odds are you are not scraping dishes well enough prior to washing them. Acco40 is correct in his information on fire buckets and mosquitoes. Sand or dirt in the buckets is the content recommended more rather than water. (This message has been edited by Bob White)

Your local District professional can call and findout.

Trust me boleta, there are leaders with as much or more experience than I have. What skills I have are not my own but loaned to me by those who trained me and from the scouting program I follow. It is the program that has brought the units I have served whatever successes they have enjoyed. You will find in any good unit the most common thread is that the follow the program closer than other units. The ability to follow the program has less to do with skill and more to do with simply making the decision to follow it. Every moment you spend trying to "improve" what already works just fine, is a moment spent not delivering the program, not because of lack of skill but through choice. (This message has been edited by Bob White)

boleta, your troop bylaws are no more incident specific then the BSA process. No set of bylaws could be unless they were mulit-volumed collections. Scouts are still learning right from wrong and also how to make good decisions in new situations. Mistakes will be made. When they are adult leaders need to intercede. Scoutmasters need to know how to counsel and guide or they shouldn't be scoutmasters. But they are there to guide, not punish other peoples children. The G2SS is clear that once a child's behaviour interferes with the delivery of the program, or endangers his safety (or the safety of others) he is to go home. Scoutmasters are not trained, asked, or expected to punish children. That is a parents decision to make AT HOME. The child and his parents then meet with the troop committee to determine how or if the scout will be allowed to continue in the troop. Bottom line...you want to participate with scouts then you behave as a scout. Those behaviours are spelled out in the Scout Law. Nice and clear, one rule, easy to remember, equal expectation for all involved. In nearly 30 years as a unit leader I believe I have sent, maybe, 3 scouts home. Including a couple parents who had to drive nearly 1000 miles to pick their son up. And we have never had by-laws, we just followed the program.

You can wear your wood badge beads anytime you are in your field uniform regardless of whether or not you are wearing a neckerchief, or which neckerchief you are wearing.

I hope that after 40 years experience anyone would base their decisions regarding dangerous tools on factors other than how "cool" they are.