LVAllen

In point of fact, Varsity Scouting isn't "dedicated to sporting." It's a team-based approach to planning and executing scouting activities where the responsibilities are more spread out than in an Troop. Some of the activities could be sporting-related, but must probably wouldn't be. Unfortunately, it was also the red-headed stepchild of BSA, and hadn't had updated Varsity-specific materials in years.

Flag Ceremonies are offered universally. Whether someone may have an irrational hatred of CFA does not convert a flag ceremony or Pledge of Allegiance into an endorsement of CFA, any more than a flag ceremony at a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or Green Party political rally does. Because it is a display of loyalty to the nation, the ceremony is ALWAYS acceptable and deemed to be part of the civic process. The Troop Committee's role is to advise the Scoutmaster on BSA policies. If they can't point to a BSA policy that prohibits the Scouts from this sort of activity, they should be told, in a courteous and kind manner, to back off. In this case, BSA's policy expressly allows the scouts to perform this sort of civic duty for businesses, churches, and political events. Planned Parenthood? Sure. CFA? Sure. If you don't want to count them as service hours, that's fine. Service to me means something out-of-the-ordinary, something the Scouts go out of their way to do. Maybe something they wouldn't typically do over the course of their day. But Flag ceremonies? That's kind of something Scouts do.

This... sounds like an excellent way to rust out your cast iron dutch oven.

The Scout badge requirements have more to do with rote memorization than anything else. Before, you just had to understand the Oath and agree to live it. The scout could gain an understanding by reading it over with the SM and talking about each principle. Now, they've got to memorize the Oath, the Law, the Outdoor code, etc. Instead of tying a square knot as a symbol of joining (because it's useless for most anything else) they're tacking on two more knots and the proper care and use of rope. Plus, before, part of the requirement of joining the troop was reviewing the safety exercises. That forced every scout to do them. By calling it a rank, it gets slid back into the category of "A Scout advances at his own pace." You could theoretically have a "Scout" join at 11, and age out without ever receiving the safety training or the "Scout" rank.

I'm a little confused. What sort of policy are the adults "voting" on? Health and Safety? Covered by the BSA. Advancement procedures? See the Guide to Advancement. Volunteer recruitment? Approved by the Committee chair and COR, not the committee. See, committees are support groups, and there really shouldn't be much voting going on. Unit committees figure out how to support the program created by the PLC. They come to a consensus. They aren't rule-making bodies.

Once a Scout, by Bill Young, to help remind the Scouter that this stuff is supposed to be fun. It used to be sold in the Scout Stores, but the best bet now-a-days is probably to buy used through Amazon.

That depends on what the boys want to do. They plan it, they run it, we just make sure the awards and certificates are ready.

That's 7000 Canadian. But still, that's a whole lotta loonies.

Okay, so after a delay of a year and half, apparently Volume 1 of the "next-generation" Program Features has hit the scout stores (three months too late to be used during the planning conference, but whatever). Has anyone had a chance to look through these? I liked the content they previewed back when they first announced, but was wondering if the rest of the features were of the same quality.

Chartering Orgs can be more strict than BSA on certain things - finances, two-deep in meetings, etc. But the PROGRAM of Boy Scouts is to be provided to the boys As-Is. Take a look at the LDS Scouting Handbook. It's supplemental in nature, not primary. It's more strict in some areas, provides clarification of who oversees the troop's activities, etc. but NEVER overrules the program materials provided by BSA. The Scoutmaster Handbook is the same for every single unit. The 7 aspects of a troop meeting are the same, regardless of who charters the troop.

Because the transition for LDS packs will be different than for non-LDS packs. With ordinary packs, you start in the fall, and finish up the program by June. So anyone coming into a den in August/September would be entering the new program. By contrast, LDS Cub Scouts start when they turn 8, and advance by age - at 9 they enter the Bear Den, 10 they enter Webelos, and at 11, they become Boy Scouts. With LDS packs, you might have someone who entered the Wolf Den in March, and who is looking at a wholesale change in the program midway through year as a Wolf. So the BSA put together the transition guide to help den leaders know what requirements from the old program could be considered to have met requirements for the new program. That's all.

If your son is really gung-ho about camping, you might consider sending him to camp that does provisional camping like Tifie at Mountain Dell. The camp provides the adult leadership, runs a troop for the week, and your son doesn't have to worry about ridiculous rules preventing him from camping and having a blast during the summer.

The only "special" rules for the LDS 11 year olds are that they can only camp overnight 3 times a year and can't attend the week-long summer camp with the troop. That's it. There are no requirements that a father accompany him. Anyone who tells you differently, quite frankly, doesn't know what they are talking about. Fathers are encouraged to participate with their sons and with boys whose fathers can't attend, but that does not mean that the boys are prohibited from camping if their father can't make it. Also, you can attend. Women can't camp with the troop as a leader, but you can camp with the troop as a parent, as can any other parent. While you should expect some push-back on this, ultimately, it's your right to view any of the operations of the troop. The boys should still be planning everything as a patrol, camping as a patrol, and working together as a patrol. Since none of their fathers are a member of the patrol, it doesn't matter whether any of the fathers are able to attend.

The Patrol Leader. If you've got a group of 4-8 boys camping and working together, then it sounds like you've got a patrol. And the boys themselves determine who the leader of the patrol is. The SPL, on the other hand, is not a member of any patrol, and doesn't give directions to scouts within the patrol. That's the PL's job.