eaglewolfdad

BD, LOL that is why I am so calm, I have had the pleasure of working with both Male and Female leaders with a variety of skill levels and can still smile about it

BD, I have read all of the posts, hence the comments regarding the belt loop, readyman. and the committee person. I stand by opinion and appreciate the comments of the other members whose viewpoint differs from mine in this case. I also support her as a volunteer and appreciate her quest for knowledge of our program. Hopefully she filters the various suggestions and continues forward in her role as the Bear Den Leader. I do wonder why the Cubmaster and CC are MIA in this discussion

Christineka, your question about the committee person is the key here. You have stated that your Webelos den leader signed off on the Geology belt loop weeks ago. This is the only requirement needed. Is the committee person that you mentioned the advancement chair? They are responsible for recording the achievements and buying the awards, nothing more. They do not have any leadership role in the pack. As a Cub master I would have a real problem with this person rejecting the approval of the Den Leader. Your chain of command is Den Leader>Cub master>Committee Chair. You are to be commended for having your son complete the Readyman requirements at home. I have witnessed far too many council or district Webelos weekends during which scouts earn activity badges for 45 minutes of work. Many scouts have a rude awakening when they cross over and learn that earning merit badges is difficult and are surprised and scared to learn that they know very little about scouting or scoutcraft skills. This is one of the major causes of poor retention rates in Scouts. Keep doing what your doing with a smile. I would take a parent like you in my Pack any day over a parent who either does not care or who is willing to let their child skate thru the process.

EmberMike I believe in one of your earliest posts here you mentioned that you were not yet a registered scouter but contemplating becoming active once your children came of age. While we all salute your achievement in earning your eagle earlier in life, I believe that you would far more effective in helping to change the system if you were registered. In effect what you are saying is I am ending my fight however you don't have a dog in this fight at the moment. I believe you have a lot to offer BSA and it would be sad to see you move on.

Looks like the press is ramped up for the vote tomorrow. The press coverage promises to be intense. http://swampland.time.com/2013/05/21/gay-boy-scouts-employee-i-cant-live-a-lie-any-longer/

DigitalScout, I read the article again after reading you post and tend to agree with you. I suppose that they could also be doing some private polling among the councils.

Our fearless leader is engaging in some pre-vote vote writing. Amazing that we pay this person to write opinion pieces in USA today espousing views that are in stark contrast to the poll he just commissioned. I wonder what his response will be if his side loses tomorrow. http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/05/22/boy-scouts-president-let-in-gay-boys/2351907/

Interesting article about the run up to the vote on Thursday http://swampland.time.com/2013/05/21/inside-the-boy-scout-battle-to-repeal-the-gay-ban/

Sorry Packsaddle, You are correct about the post. Happy that I did not comment on the rest of the talking points. Thursday afternoon cannot come soon enough as I am worn out talking about the subject with my Pack

Interesting back and forth going on here! You might be surprised to learn that President Obama signed legislation to renew the provisions of the Patriot Act in 2011 that you are slamming President Bush on. As you have advocated allowing homosexuals entrance into scouting in other posts, you might like to know that a CO sponsored by a Sharia based group would forbid any homosexual scout or scouter as the behavior is forbidden.

EmberMike, Godspeed

Scouter99, they were in the midst of trying to fund a variety of line items. The following jumped out at me when I read the material. I started researching the org after several forum members started to advocate the group as an alternative to BSA. Be able to handle and process proper background checks for all registering adult members in the BPSA as part of our continuing Code of Ethics and Youth Protection policy.

KDD, I am in total agreement with you about the Horizon District Training, I took the Outdoor Leader course at Beaumont years ago when we lived in the area. The training was set up exactly as you described and was terrific. My son took NYLT at S-F for the week after summer camp and describes it as the the best training he ever received in Scouting. He had just turned 13 at the time. He has since earned his eagle and has taken OLSI and Wood Badge. You are very fortunate to be in an area with so many Scouters committed to the program and willing to donate enormous hours to our youth.

92hatchattack, you are correct. The March revisions to the Guide to Safe Scouting have now clearly restricted knife use by cubs to Bears and above.

BPSA founded in 2008 and run out of a guys basement in Washington Mo. (small town outside of St. Louis) 19 units nationwide. Not sure I would jump in with both feet with this group if the vote does not go your way. Last I read about them they were looking for donations to fund background checks for potential leaders. I guess all groups have to start somewhere.

Koolaidman: I believe its okay for them to stumble, a positive discussion between the Scoutmaster and SPL after the meeting is appropriate and will have to occur after every meeting for now. Try to ensure that the SPL does not have several leaders or adults offering advice as you will overwhelm him. This is the Scoutmaster's responsibility. Please see the attached from the ILST handout that references the Scoutmasters role in the process. Do note that while we aim to have our youth leaders lead, we do not abdicate all responsibility to the Scouts. Adults must play a critical role in advising, providing feedback, and guidance, and they are in fact responsible for the troop. Scouts do not call all the shots just because they are Scouts. Adults need to work in concert with our young leaders, allowing them the freedom to learn from mistakes but also providing guidance as needed. Remember the three basic roles of the Scoutmaster: to ensure that the rules and standards of the chartered organization and the Boy Scouts of America are followed, to serve as a mentor and role model to the Scouts, and to train Scout leader

I think this is great advice. It is worth noting that the boys have only tried to lead a meeting for the past two weeks. Leading can be a tough task for a new cubmaster or scoutmaster, but given time and training most people get the hang of it. I have attached the ILST program which should be helpful to the scouts and leaders as you continue the process and it buys you time until you can get some scouts into NYLT http://www.scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/ILST%20FINALS%202011%20-%20Item%20Number%20511-016.pdf

Agree with Scouter99, The Bradford pear wood is simply not strong enough. I have cleaned up way too many after ice and wind storms

We have out pack meetings the first Tuesday of every month. Our dens meet the remaining three weeks of the month. We follow the school calendar and do not meet during Christmas or Spring breaks. Our last meeting of the summer is a pack meeting in early June but we do have a summertime activity in June, July, and August. We also have a monthly outdoor activity such as a pack camp out or a district/council event. This schedule has worked for us the past several years. Our den leaders like it as they have enough time to work with all of the boys on advancement. Our scouts like it as they look forward to getting the bling at our monthly pack meetings. Our parents enjoy the variety of camping opportunities which enable them to pick and choose the outings that they will attend. Our pack has 55 scouts at this time.

Interesting article regarding this topic. The last line in the article is the sad part. "the meetings have ceased" http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/public-school-boots-cub-scouts.html

Thanks for your kind comments. The response was predictable and of course did not answer my questions as the answers would not help your agenda. I guess those new to posting on the forum should focus on mundane topics to avoid the label of "cub scout parent with 3 posts" You would be surprised to "learn" that most units are a mirror of society today. We all have single dads, single moms, grandparents and of course economic and racial diversity very much like your own. Not sure that I have ever run across the characterizations that you claim your unit has faced. To a person, scouters have been interested in helping the boys enjoy a safe, fun, and exciting experience at all of the outdoor events. I have had the pleasure witnessing this thru 4 councils in several states. As for the comment you and twocubdad enjoyed together "a glimpse of the future I 'm afraid"- not sure what you are worried about. Remember that every once in a while a member of the silent majority will enter the vocal minorities space. I have actually been trying to register for the last 4 months with only recent success. You are directly responsible for my registering as I certainly wanted to respond to the callous discussions and comments regarding children with autism. During the waiting period I have read less than gracious comments about rich packs, children with disabilities. wood badge, right wingers. gay haters, country people, suburban people, religious people, cub scout parent, and the list goes on and on. Did I get value out of my now fourth post, I suspect I did. Best of luck to you in the future as we all hope that you are able to pull it together.

Thanks for the heads up, just read the March 2013 changes to the guidelines that took the opportunity away from the Wolf cubs. Also clearly states knives are not allowed in schools

Just curious about a couple of things 1. How do you conduct "scouts own" services and teach scouts to be reverent using the term "Bible Thumpers"? 2. Trying to understand the adherence to safe scouting guidelines on shooting sports yet your units disregarded BSA policy on gays for the past 5 years. Just looking for clarification