OldGreyEagle

Just for fun, what about a Devil Advocates thought? perhaps the Active = Registered thing is there because BSA didn't want a Troop to have a "regular" guest who comes along on Troop activities, never registers and then claims to be a First Class Scout, or to have all the requirments for Eagle, all requirements completed except of course being registered as a scout. OK, its a reach, but given what BSA sometomes does, is it? Then again, how does a scout advance if he is not "active"? If we are talking about the youth who makes Life scout at 13 and then lays off until the middle of his 16th year and wants to make Eagle, there is always the charter drop. And to say the Professionals won't allow it rings hollow. Yeah, they may squirm and fidget and outright bellow. But if the CO says that boy is not part of my troop, what can they do ?

GW, you are an example that if you follow the program and apply yourself, the boys will come.

http://www.mcall.com/news/all-a16_5scout.7101301nov29,0,1418599.story Thought is would be nice to end a week of Scouting in Allentown with a postive note, Jordan Roberts ditched many of his good friends around seventh grade as they began joining gangs. As they sought trouble in the streets, Roberts, of Allentown, continued playing sports and music and climbing the ranks in Boy Scouts. The 17-year-old Temple University student is now on his way to earning the Boy Scouts' top rank -- Eagle. He is trying to become the first Eagle Scout from Scoutreach, a program started about a decade ago that covers six counties -- Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe, Carbon, Luzerne and western Warren in New Jersey and is designed to get low-income, urban kids involved in Scouting. ''Others, they saw too much bling in the street and went in another direction,'' said Roberts' Scoutmaster, Chuck Ricketts. ''You think of all the things that they have to fight against or go through or be aware of on the streets -- it's tough to keep your eyes on the prize.'' Roberts' achievement is rare not just for the Scoutreach program, but also for Boy Scouts in general. Only 5 percent of all Scouts become Eagle Scouts, said Donald R. Sachs, marketing director for the Minsi Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America. If Roberts successfully completes the renovation of an outside chapel at the Wildlands Conservancy in Lower Macungie Township, he'll join a list of Eagle Scouts that includes former President Gerald Ford, film director Steven Spielberg and Dr. William C. DeVries, who implanted the first artificial heart. Roberts, who is studying to become a doctor of pharmacy, must show he can manage others to help him rebuild the chapel. His father, mother, two sisters and Ricketts helped him Saturday. The plan calls for the team to replace several wooden structures that have been damaged or vandalized over the years. They'll build an 8-foot-tall arbor that will greet chapel visitors; place mulch on a path through the arbor and to the chapel; and build a new table inside. Roberts must have the project completed by his birthday in January -- age 18 is the cutoff for Scouts to finish projects to become Eagle Scouts. Born and raised in center city Allentown, Roberts graduated from Dieruff High School last spring. He said it wasn't hard to disassociate from friends because he had strong family support and was busy playing the trumpet, wrestling and playing soccer. ''I never fell into that peer pressure,'' he said.

Alls well that ends well... http://www.mcall.com/news/all-a1_5seiu.7100494nov28,0,3056949.story Hauling brush and old tires out of the woods in Allentown early Friday, members of the Service Employees International Union learned an Eagle-Scout-to-be is just as forgiving as he is trustworthy, loyal and helpful. The Eagle Scout service project of Kevin Anderson, 17, of Upper Saucon Township was caught up in a national media firestorm after Nick Balzano, an Allentown union official, threatened to file a grievance over Kevin's work clearing a trail in Kimmets Lock Park. Conservative pundits seized on the remark as evidence of the SEIU's ''thuggery,'' and Balzano later resigned. To show there were no hard feelings, SEIU members from as far away as Philadelphia and New Jersey accepted Kevin's invitation to help with the project Friday. ''They completely agreed -- to come out, to help, to make amends,'' said Kevin, a member of Troop 301 of Center Valley. ''I'm just glad it's all coming together.'' As a result of the extra attention, Kevin found himself in charge of at least 40 volunteers, including Boy Scouts, parents, union members, a few Girl Scouts and the mayor of Bethlehem. ''I've never experienced leading this many people before,'' admitted Kevin, who's been working in Kimmets Lock Park with his 23-member troop since August. He spent Friday's chilly morning juggling sign-in sheets and his cell phone, supervising installation of a silt fence and helping to rip a rusted drainpipe out of the ground. Wayne MacManiman, who leads the SEIU's Philadelphia-based mid-Atlantic district, said he thought Kevin's invitation was a great idea. ''Everybody's here on their day off, volunteering,'' said MacManiman, of Burlington County, N.J. He noted SEIU members from Allentown had signed up to be part of the union's 20-member crew. ''Kevin's doing an amazing thing.We've always supported the Boy Scouts, whether it's here in Allentown, Bethlehem or Philadelphia,'' MacManiman added, gathering branches alongside Bethlehem SEIU chapter leader Bill Tone. Balzano's remark, made in the aftermath of Allentown's layoffs of 39 union employees in July, grabbed the attention of conservative commentators after it was published in a Nov. 15 Morning Call story. Pundits including Fox News commentator Glenn Beck and columnist and blogger Michelle Malkin slammed Balzano, saying the union was bullying Boy Scouts to protect their jobs. Kevin had started planning the project long before Allentown's July layoffs and had abided by union rules, making sure he and other volunteers worked only during off-hours. He never imagined he'd end up in the middle of a media frenzy. ''FOX called me at my house. NBC was at my high school,'' Kevin said. Some reporters even tried to track him down through his soccer coaches, he said. After a few initial interviews with The Morning Call, Kevin and his family tried to stay out of the media spotlight and referred all questions to officials with the Minsi Trails Council, which includes Troop 301. When Morning Call journalists showed up at Kevin's project Friday to interview and photograph him for this story, they were encouraged to help pick up trash and brush along with the volunteers -- and did. Even in the woods, politics were impossible to ignore. In the wake of U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent's Nov. 17 letter supporting the Boy Scouts and calling on Balzano to apologize, Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan showed up in work clothes Friday morning. Callahan, a Democrat, is challenging Dent, R-15th District, for his seat next year. Asked what it's like to be directed by a 17-year-old, Callahan laughed. ''I'd gladly take orders from Kevin,'' he said. ''I told him I was very impressed with how he's handled this situation.'' Kevin and fellow Scouts had logged a combined total of 250 hours on the project before Friday, carving out the 1,000-foot trail in August while clearing brush that was taller than they were. Many seemed unsure what to make of the media attention but said they didn't mind the extra help from the union. ''They're volunteering, so I appreciate the time they put in to help out,'' said Tony Bucha, 19, an assistant Scoutmaster with Troop 301 and an Eagle Scout. ''It's what should happen,'' agreed Bruce Anderson, Kevin's dad and Troop 301's committee chairman. By 10:30 a.m. Friday, Kevin's crew had cleared out what appeared to be at least a ton of tires, rusted car wheels, tree branches, old beer cans and other debris, in addition to installing a 400-foot silt fence. ''How did it get done so fast? Who's in charge of this job?'' Bruce Anderson teased his son as they surveyed the work. Kevin has until his 18th birthday, 11 months away, to wrap up the requirements for the Eagle Scout rank. After he finishes the service project, he still needs to earn two more merit badges. His dad suggested a public relations merit badge would help meet that requirement, but Scouting doesn't have one. ''Looking back on this project, yeah,'' Kevin agreed. If he'd been working toward a PR badge, ''It would've helped a lot.'' He could of course now counsel the American Labor MB

My understanding is the GSUSA does treat its male leaders shamefully, but if the questin is does a male make a good role model for females, or for that matter, does a female make a good role model for males, as long as the role model in question is Trustworthy Loyal Helpful Friendly Courteous Kind Obedient Cheerful Thrifty Brave Clean Reverent Who woudl complain? I have heard of anti male in Girl Scout functions, but I am not tlaking about the politics of Girl Scouts, only those traits that would be proper of a role model

Mr Boyce, are you: Trustworthy Loyal Helpful Friendly Courteous Kind Obedient Cheerful Thrifty Brave Clean Reverent? What parent of a girl would balk at that ?

Did you mean Juliette Gordan Low?

I am not sure Boy Scout Troops ever had Venturing Crews in them, they did and still can have Venture Patrols, but that is a whole nother thread.

In your website travels has anyone found the 2010 Centennial form where you can enter the data onto the PDF and save it?

Love or hate'em, the reason the Activity Uniform includes scout pants is because that's the way National defines it.

Sounds like the leading entry for the name to replace BSA!

Other than losing the members of the He-Man Women haters club, not much, use the Venturing Youth Protection rules and have at it. The Council Camp I attend already has male/female adult and youth showers (4 count them, 4 shower rooms) so it wouldnt take much. As big as a woman's guy as I am, (not sure how that will come across) but I am not so sure we should have Co-Ed scouts. The Venturing program has shown me that the girls come in and take over things quite handily most times and the boys let them. It might be good to have a males only program. (for the youth) where the boys can mature at their own rate

"I now return yeh to the regular banter of book quoting and folks who will call your local youth volunteers jerks." Sorry Beavah, I couldnt help myself when I saw you were quoting a book. I agree with you (This message has been edited by a staff member.)

I was at an Areas leadership Conference last Saturday (Nov 14) and Tico Perez was the lead speaker. From his account, there is a National Forest next to the proerty which will be used as well, so all the activites, as in the treks do not have to occur entirely on the property. The Bechtel Foundation gave 50 million for the project so I can see them naming it the way they did, The report says it will be called "the summitt" for short

a few more links http://www.wvnstv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=70589 this is a video http://www.wvmetronews.com/ look to the right for Tico Perez's comments, he sure is a dynamic speaker According to the BSA (Ok Ok Ok) the site is in a 10 hour driving range of 65% of the COuntry's population. It may not be the backyard of everyone, but it is a darn site closer that Philmont and Nortern Tier and just as "accessible" in terms of local infrastructure. It will also be a training facility similar to the Philmont Training Center for those of us fiscally challenged individuals who can't quite swing transportation to Philmont

Oddly enough, I find mself and Beavah to be at odds on this. I always thought it was the boy ceremony to be held according to his wishes (following the oath and law of course)

Just a side note on outdoor Eagle Ceremonies, which are very much way cool. A couple Outdoor Eagle ceremonies I have attended were not, shall we say "geriatric populace friendly". Grandparents and older family members can have a difficult time traversing the obstacles commonly found outdoors that the youth and we more spry leaders hardly realize are present. Depending on the guest list, getting people to the ceremonial may or may not be an issue

Was asked to do a University of Scouting presentation on Sea Scouting, not sure why, but there are no ships in the Council, where can I find National numbers of Ships and Sea Scout youth/adults?

http://wvgazette.com/News/200911180463?page=2&build=cache GLEN JEAN -- A 10,600-acre site beside the New River Gorge National River will become the permanent home of the Boy Scouts of America's National Jamboree, an event that attracts up to 40,000 Scouts and 200,000 visitors a year. The Fayette County property also will house a summer camp and high-adventure base, the Scouts announced today. The organization plans to spend up to $300 million on the project. At least 80 full-time jobs would be created and another 1,200 seasonal workers hired. The site -- called "The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve" -- would host the Scout's National Jamboree in 2013 and subsequent Jamborees every four years. The high-adventure base and summer camp would open in 2014. "This will be the heartbeat of the Boy Scouts of America," said Jack Furst, the project's chairman. "It's a piece of property we can utilize 24-7, 365 days a year." The Boy Scouts chose the Garden Ground Mountain site -- a former strip mine -- after an 18-month search that included 80 properties in 28 states. The S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation donated $50 million to start the project. "Scouting made a tremendous impact on my life," said Stephen D. Bechtel Jr. "It's the source of my fondest memories. I'm proud to be a founder on this project, and I'm thrilled to know that it will be part of the Scouting legacy future generations will enjoy." Construction is expected start this spring. The Scouting center will offer a host of outdoor activities, including whitewater rafting, technical rock climbing, mountain biking, camping and hiking. "We think our constituency is absolutely going to love this venue," Furst said. "It is a wonderful piece of the great outdoors." At a press conference today, the Scouts unveiled a model replica of the site, which featured three lakes, regional camps, a mountain bike course and a Center for Leadership Excellence. The Scouts also led a helicopter tour over the property. There are so many possibilities here," Furst said. "We're only limited by our creativity." Furst said the West Virginia site was selected because of its natural beauty, world-class high-adventure activities and excellent roads and public services. The 10,600-acre property borders the New River Gorge National River park. The Scouts will have access to the New River at two locations. Furst promised that the Boy Scouts would be good stewards of the land. The project will be based on the organization's longstanding commitment to "leave no trace," he said. The Jamboree, held for 10 days every four years, will likely provide the biggest economic payoff to Fayette County and the surrounding region. Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia has hosted the Jamboree since 1981, but the Scouts decided to find a new permanent home for the event 18 months ago. The Fayette County scouting center also would become eligible to host the Boy Scouts' World Jamboree. "This could be a competitive offering to world Scouting," Furst said. "This is a site that would be very attractive for the World Jamboree." The high-adventure base, which would be tucked into the southeast corner of the Fayette County property, would join three existing Boy Scouts of America adventure camps -- in New Mexico, Minnesota and Florida. The adventure bases have a waiting list of about 20,000 Scouts a year. Scouting officials predict that the Fayette County adventure center would host about 50,000 Scouts annually. Scouts ages 14 to 18 would use the adventure base, while younger Scouts would stay at a summer camp on the site. The Boy Scouts of America is celebrating its 100th anniversary next year. "As we prepare to enter another century of service, this announcement demonstrates that Scouting is as relevant and vital today as it was when our journey began," said Bob Mazzuca, chief Scout executive. "Today is a great day for Scouting."

Scoutmom2, my son had one of the more memorable Eagle ceremonies in the histroy of the troop I serve. People who were there still talk about it as the best ever. It was based on what is known as the Challenge Ceremony and it has participation from the "audience" PM me your EMail and I can send you the script, its guaranteed to make a memory

I thought what sank the Titantic was a design flaw, that the compartments were not separated from each other so the water flowed over the top of each one to the next Not that the material couldn't have been better however

Now I am taking a leap, but this is from the BSA literature on how Acive is defined "...The unit leaders are responsible for maintaining contact with the Scout on a regular basis. The Scout is not required to attend any certain percentage of activities or outings. However, unit leaders must ensure that he is fulfilling the obligations of his assigned leadership position. If he is not, then they should remove the Scout from that position." Until told otherwise I beleive this is what was talked about. it doesnt say from the begining, it doesnt even say how or that the leaders "shall" its left as a possibility. What possible value would be in removing the scout before he has had a chance to perform, but how long do you subject the troop to poor performance before you correct the situation? Thats an individual decision each unit might have to make. I think we read the same posts, we just take away different items is all. Interesting note, the term "box checker" is new to me and apparently it's bad. All sorts of evil are associated with a box checker and I am not sure at all of the qualifications to be a box checker but I must surmise their bad. So, to that end, if following the rules as laid in the BSA Literature is bad, and making sure each scout meets the requirements is the mark of a poor leader. All i can say is, OldGreyEagle at your service

Didn't we go to the moon using equipment that barely met the minimum?

Where does it say "He either does a good job right out of the gate, or gets removed?" A well run troop will have the POR explained to the boy, there will be a written description of what is expected and opportunity for the boy to ask quesitons and assure himself he understands what is expected. There are periodic evaluations on the youth's performamce, someone asks him how is it going, are you doing alright, do you need help? And this is done from the beginning of his term to the end. If the young lad is not doing well, as soon as it's noticed the position is reviwed with the scout, plans for improvement are put in place and expectations laid out. If after going through this process more than once, how many are up tot he unit, and the performance is below expectations, than you may have to consider removing him from the position. I am not sure anyone is in favor of summary dismissal, but being held responsible for ones actions is one of the scouting values I hold, I think most of us do.

"Well we're living here in Allentown And they're closing all the factories down Out in Bethlehem they're killing time Filling out forms Standing in line ..." artjrk, this is a District one over from me, I don't know the complete description of the project but I can tell you I know the Eagle coordinator of this District, and there will be leadereship shown, I can promise you that. I thought the Eagle leadership project was supposed to be one that was beyond "normal and routine" care, that it was to be something singular and unique and beyond the normal scope of what is usually done. We had to turn down an Eagle project when the project was repainting the inside of the Local Municipal ice skating ring, it was routine maintenance and repair. This appears to be different. The scout's project is to carve out a walking and biking trail along the river. SO, its work that was not scheduled, its a new trail and once completed it will represent more trails for the union to maintain, since we know that routine maintenace is not a fitting Eagle Project. On the other hand, I can see the unions point that if the trails were desired, why weren't they part of the scheduled trails improvement plan that the employees would do. In all of the Eagle Projects I have either helped with on-site, or in my role as member of the District Advancement Committee approved, I never considered how the employees of the sponsoring organization viewed the project. It may be worth considering, or not