Bob White

Actually Ed, the scoutmaster signs the blue card twice. first when it is issued to the scout the unit leader signs under "and is qualified to begin working on the merit badge noted on the reverse side." Then when the cars is returned a unit leader signs the applicant section as a receipt to show that the scout "has given me his completed application for the______________merit badge." So at no time is the leader asked to give permission. They just verify that the scout has met any prerequisites, and then signs to show that the card was recieved on completion. Bob

Sorry about the handle mix-up Tim. You know what they say "dyslexia strikes 5 every somebody minutes". I'm with ScoutNut on this one. A year-round program is a good thing. How you do it and what you call it, is dependent on what works for your particular group. Bob

Sorry, I meant to mention a web-site. Take a look at http://www.netcommish.com Bob(This message has been edited by Bob White)

A lot of what you would be doing depends on your Dist. Commissioner. Here is what I expect of of my Unit Commissioners: wear full and correct uniform, be a friendly communicator, complete New Leader Essentials, Scoutmaster Leader Specific, Troop Committee Challenge, Cubmaster Leader Specific, and Pack Committee Leader Specific within the first 2-years,attend monthly Commissioners meeting, make at least one contact with each of your assigned units each month, give me measurable evaluations of the unit's health, speak positively of all levels of the BSA administration (district, council, national), and finally assist on at least 4 district or council events each year. It can all be done in about 4-hours of service each month because you can do many of the duties simultaneously. A good UC is worth their weight in gold to a successful scouting program, a bad UC is a waste of a good uniform. Bob

There are Commissioner Manuals that explain briefly the role of the District Commissioner, Assistant District Commissioners and Unit Commissioners. 1. Commissioner Fieldbook for Unit Service 2. Commissioner Administration for Unit Service 3. Continuing Education for Commissioners It is almost impossible to put it all into a few manuals because the scope of commissioner service is huge. The primary charge given to commissioners is "to insure that every eligible youth has the opportunity to participate in a quality scouting program." That being said let's look at what that covers. Activities, training, new unit organization, unit service, youth and adult recruitment, counseling, unit lifesaving, quality unit, recharter, Friends of Scouting, Popcorn, Roundtable. Anything that can effect the quality of scouting to the youth we serve. Was there something specific you are looking for? Bob(This message has been edited by Bob White)

Hi Abraiu, Im confused (so what else is new), are you saying your church now charters two packs and a troop? That they started the second pack because the first got too big? How big was the first Pack? Wha leads you too believe they will start a second troop? How is your relationship with the church? Bob

Actually Ed, if anything I'm looking at this from a much broader perspective. I'm looking beyond the emmotional effect it is having on you and a few other dedicated volunteers who worked hard to improve the cabin, expecting to get at least some of the benefit. I'm looking beyond the effect it is having on just the troops who have use, in most cases, to more facilities than Cub Scouts. I'm looking at a national program trend that has been very effective at maximizing council resouce development by creating separate and unique program facilities for Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts. Ed, it's just one cabin for you. In some councils it is entire camps, and it's having very good results. Times change Bob

Close Ed, It is the scoutmaster's responsibility to make sure the scout meets any prerequisites listed in the merit badge requirements and to make sure he has the name and contact information of a registered merit badge counselor. The scout does not need your "permission" to work on or complete any Merit Badge. To require such permission adds a requirement, and we do not have the authority to do that. Also this should not be delegated. As the Scoutmaster a mjor part of your job is knowing each scout's needs and characteristics. Knowing what their interests are and what MBs they are working on is a big part of that. Bob

So BlueridgeMountains do you mean the boys chose to roll the collar to the inside of the shirt? I am surprised. Our PLCs almost always choose under the collar. Usually it's us old timers who are used to rolling the collar in. Bob(This message has been edited by Bob White)(This message has been edited by Bob White)

shemgren, I just looked at your profile and was shocked to see you are an Assistant District Commissioner. One of the main obligations of a Commissioner is to uphold the rules and regulations of the BSA, that's why you are "commissioned" by your council. How can you justify supporting actions that are directly in opposition to the scouting program? Bob(This message has been edited by Bob White)

Good point eisely, that is also one of the parts of the Sweet Sixteen of Safety. Bob

Shemgren, Your troop is in violation of a number of nationally controlled advancement policies of which your troop has no authority to change. Your SM and advancement chair need to either attend trainingg, read the Advancement Policies and Procedures manual or both. You cannot restrict how many Merit Badges a counselor can counsel. You cannot restrict a parent who is a registered MB counselor from counseling their son. You cannot restrict how many times a scout uses a MB counselor as long as that counselor is registered for those badges. I realize you have a rational for all these decisions however Advancement is strictly controlled by published policies of the BSA and you are not permitted to alter them. Bob White

If you are on a Boyscout Roundtable Staff (or know someone who is) and would like to learn more about how to do successfull Roundtables, and even share your successes with others, I invite you to try the Scout Roundtable Conference at Philmont Training Center July 21-27. It's a blast! Bob White

Nothin' wrong with a Scoutmaster Emeritus title, just make sure you don't try to register that way. Scoutnet is confused enough without trying to figure out a new position ID #. probably best to register him or her as an ASM or MC (committee member). Bob

We leave it to the decision of the Patrol Leaders Council. Bob

Sager, I recommend you encourage your District Executive to visit the Junior High Schools and High Schools in your are with a list of merit badges and Merit Badge Counselor Orientation manuals. He can explain the benefits of the MB program in motivating scouts in there school work. I have found that teachers in reading, science, phys ed, music and social studies have been very willing to not only be MB counselors but to make minor adjustments in there lesson plans to accomodate the merit badge work. Right now my son is taking a 4 week course in what we used to call Home Economics (theres a new name now). The teacher sent home a flyer saying that if our son or daughter was in 4-H, Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, the following awards can be earned by participating in this class. Among the items listed was the Textiles Merit Badge for which she is a counselor. Another good place to go is the local Police and Fire dept. they will be happy to provide counselors for First-Aid, Safety, Finger Printing, Law Enforcement among others. many of the people in those professions were scouts. If you have a local LDS church they will provide a Geneology MB counselor. If there are specific MBs you are having trouble finding counselors for, post them in a new string and I and others will be glad to recommend area resources you might not yet have tapped. I hope this helps, Bob(This message has been edited by Bob White)

That souns like a very positive course of action. I hope things work out fairly for your son. Bob White

I will respond to this this string this one time, only because my name was used in it. I would appreciate it if you did not include me or reference me in any further posts in this thread. I respond not to change your mind TJ beacuse your mind is made up and I wouldn't want to confuse you with facts. As far as I am concerned you have no credibility in this or any other debate. You and another poster misrepresent or make up facts and then present them as undeniable truth. The fact is the Boy Scouts of America is a private club. We have a legal and a constittional right to choose out own membership. If you don't like it join another club. This will NEVER be local unit option on this topic. We cannot be a national program with thousands of units doing there own version. We are a national program with national rules approved by the U.S. Congress and the Supreme Court. I'm sorry if that's not good enough for you. You are welcome to disagree, but while you do so please get out of our way and let us deliver scouting to our members. Your claim that we are controlled by a one or two religious organizations is contrived and fear mongering. We have the same operating and decision making process that we have used for 86 years. Only now that there is an emotional, attention grabbing topic that you and a small group of others disagree with, do you suddenly see conspiracy around every corner. Your claims about United Way actions and policies show you have as little knowledge of the UW as you have of the BSA program. Maybe less. I invite anyone who wants to know the BSA's stance on this topic to read the articles on the BSA web site or write to the National Council Service Center and ask for information. What TJ and others say the policy and reasons are is inaccurrate and misleading. The majority of people who want to see scouting change its stand on atheism and avowed homosexual members do so not to improve service to youth, but for political reasons. We are not a political organization we are a youth service organization. We will not be used for any groups political pawn. Now please leave me out of this topic, I have scouting to do. Bob White

The plastic backing IS NOT iron on material. There was a short time in our history when it was but those days have been gone almost 20 years now. The reason it sticks is becasue you melt the plastic back ito the fabric of the shirt. You're right experiencedUniforms, it ruins the shirt. The backing is part of the manufacturing proces and has nothing to do with mounting the patch. Bob

WBE, Just to clarify a point you made. A business cannot divert the pledges of their employees. each employee of a United Way supporting company fills out there own participation card and the UW has very strict rules against employers pressuring employees to donate or influencing the direction of the gift. Companies can however direct what to do or not do with corporate donations that are not from the individual employee but, only to a degree. Most local United Ways not appreciate being threatened by businesses anymore than the BSA does and seldom capitulates. This whole thing of United Ways dropping scouting due to their membership regulations is mostly alot of spleen venting by people who have little or no knowledge of how the United Ways actual work. A very small percentage of United Ways have completely dropped their support of their local Scouting program. Many more Councils have had their funding reduced rather than dropped because every year there are more and more organizations becoming UW agencies. The pie is not growing as fast as the number of people who want a piece. The biggest problem the scouting program has is the trend that many United Ways have taken in determining who needs money more and what kind of community services they want to fund. The current trend is to fund the treatment service rather than the preventative service. So shelters, counseling, rehabs, halfway homes and the like are funded at a higher level than educational and character development programs such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, YWCA which serve far more people and help to diminish social problems. There is also an emphasis to fund agencies that affect youth development before the age of six and of course that just misses us. There are people, some scouters included as you see from these posts, who would like to think that the BSA's values are for sale and that if they frighten the BSA with financial loss they will alter their values. If the BSA changes it will not be for financial or membership numbers. The BSA takes a bad rap when it comes to diversity and sensitivity training. Diversity is an important goal in today's scouting. In fact every person who goes through wood Badge will have to set a personal goal in the area of diversity. as far as sensitivity the problem is not the BSA it's a few overly vocal, ill-informed scouters in a community that are the problem. You will read more gay bashing remarks in this forum than you ever have or ever will hear from the BSA. I urge you to go to the BSA national website and read what the BSA's stand on homosexuals really is. It is represented very poorly in this forum. Hope this helps, Bob

Frankj, The answer to your first question can be found in the Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures manual page 10 column 2 Qualifications of Counselors. As to your question on recordkeeping. There are many levels of record keeping: 1)Your unit should be filing an advancement report at least once a month with your council office and you should retain a copy of it. That form is available through your council office or local professional. 2) Your scouts should recieve the actual award they earn (be it a rank, Merit Badge, etc.) with two troop meetings. When you recieve the award you should also get the pocket certificate card. Fill that card out and present it at the next Court of Honor (you should be doing 4 each year). The scout needs to retain that card for his own record of advancement. We found that a throat lozenge tin is the perfect size to store those cards in we have the scouts decorate them and keep their record cards at home. 3) Merit badge cards divide into three sections one is retained by the MB counselor, one by the scout (put it in the tin) and the last one either by the unit or the council office (varies by council). If your council doesn't want it I would make an envelope for each sscout and keep it for the duration of the scouts membership. Good advancement recordkeeping pays off when you have to verify advancment when a scout reaches Eagle. There is a troop records book available at your council service center for recordkeeping but I prefer the the modern way, there are some excellent software programs available that help make record keeping easier. TroopMaster is the most widely used. Look for ads in Scouting Magazine. Hope this helps, Bob

Frankj, The answer to your first question can be found in the Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures manual page 10 column 2 Qualifications of Counselors. As to your question on recordkeeping. There are many levels of record keeping: 1)Your unit should be filing an advancement report at least once a month with your council office and you should retain a copy of it. That form is available through your council office or local professional. 2) Your scouts should recieve the actual award they earn (be it a rank, Merit Badge, etc.) with two troop meetings. When you recieve the award you should also get the pocket certificate card. Fill that card out and present it at the next Court of Honor (you should be doing 4 each year). The scout needs to retain that card for his own record of advancement. We found that a throat lozenge tin is the perfect size to store those cards in we have the scouts decorate them and keep their record cards at home. 3) Merit badge cards divide into three sections one is retained by the MB counselor, one by the scout (put it in the tin) and the last one either by the unit or the council office (varies by council). If your council doesn't want it I would make an envelope for each sscout and keep it for the duration of the scouts membership. Good advancement recordkeeping pays off when you have to verify advancment when a scout reaches Eagle. There is a troop records book available at your council service center for recordkeeping but I prefer the the modern way, there are some excellent software programs available that help make record keeping easier. TroopMaster is the most widely used. Look for ads in Scouting Magazine. Hope this helps, Bob

Hi OGE, To the best of my knowledge scouts are permitted to use power tools except for those specifically restricted in the Guide to Safe Scouting such as the ones you mentioned. Even as Webelos they use woodworking power tools. You are of course expected to follow the Sweet 16 of Scouting safety as described in the GTSS. especially; qualified adult supervision, operation and safety training, first aid equipment, personal protection equipment, proper work and safety area, discipline etc. Bob

Scouter Paul, At first glance yes. But I'd show him or her the merit badge requirements and ask "can you do these things with the scouts" if they said yes, I'd ask for them to complete the applications. Then I would explain the merit badge process to them. Bob

Frankj, I apologize for Ed and I digressing, we like to converse and strayed a litle. As ed said early on Yes a parent can be a counselor for their son. it's recommended that it be done with another scout so that the parent is neither too hard or too soft on their own scout. Bob(This message has been edited by Bob White)