TSS_Chris

It looks like they're still tinkering with the program as they go. Not much. There is some on the Northern Star Council website for the 2012 program: http://www.northernstarbsa.org/youthprograms/cubscouts/lioncubs.aspx And some on Merit Badge.org for the 2009 program: http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Lion_Cub_Scouts Reading #10 under the "Program" section here, it sounds to me like Lion Cubs is a Fight Club.

I've had one of these for years... Mine's got a 256MB drive in it. They make 2 versions: One with just the drive so it's "airplane safe", and one where the USB drive is a "blade" in the executive-style knife. All the current versions are here. http://www.victorinox.com/us/category/Collections/USB/1019?f=category&v=1/101/1019&m=add& I can say, it's definitely a conversation piece when I pull it out in meetings when someone asks "Do you have a flash drive?"

For food pyramids, I start with the dry stuff from the http://myplate.gov/. To get them more interested, I start with my collection of some alternative food pyramids that I've collected over the years. The "zombie food pyramid" and the "You are here" cartoon are always hits. https://www.dropbox.com/s/khcwkmdvl6gcx1i/Food%20Pyramids.pdf

One of my Council Pros told me that he attended a National training session this summer and the Cub program is going to change completely with the Oath / Law roll-out. The goals of the committee rewriting the requirements are to get rid of a lot of the book work that's eithe crept into the program or been picked up by the schools and replace it with more outdoor activities. I can't find specific details. The official timetable I've heard is 2015-16, but I can also tell you my DE advised us not to buy any extra books this year for the Pack than we need. Our council has a separate DE position for each district just to service Cub Packs ("Quality Unit Executive") , so I wouldn't be surprised if we'll be asked to pilot the new requirements next year. Personally, I think going to one Oath and Law is a good thing. It removes some of the confusion with the current Promise: "Mr. Cubmaster? We brought some old clothes to our church to donate this weekend. Does that still count for us since we didn't give them to Goodwill?"

It sounds like the uniform questions could be moot in a year or two. I don't have any details, but the chatter I'm hearing from my Council pros is that when the Boy Scout Oath and Law go into effect, there will also be and major changes to the rank requirements. I've heard changes to the uniform are being discussed to make it more "friendly" for the kids, possibly even going to a Girl-Scout style vest or sash. The official timeline is for rollout in the 2015-16 program year. We provide the rank book with our dues. My DE advised me this fall not to buy any more books than we need for this year.

Maybe the BSAs should join forces: Approach local businesses, and ask for a tour. At some point a cute young Scout asks "Wow, you sure have a lot of computers, can you show me the records stating you have appropriate software licenses for them all?" BAM! The troop turns the company in to the other BSA and collects the reward It's a lot more lucrative than popcorn.

@Sasha: According to the OP "There is a boy in the pack, who has asperger's and adhd". We've got a lot of ADHD boys as well. Yes, keeping them active works, but there are a few who regularly push the limits. Occasionally, they need a reminder of these limits, otherwise other Scouts may leave the program because they don't like what he is getting away with.

The appellate opinion they cite in the press release is interesting. The BSA is off the hook . In this case, the LDS ward appointed a volunteer to act as ASM for a ward-sponsored troop without him registering with the BSA. That ASM then abused the plaintiff on multiple occasions, including during Scout events. http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/676458.pdf

Suing the BSA is a growth industry, most probably because the BSA has a history of taking legal positions that make juries want to see them suffer. The 2010 Portland judgement against the BSA showed this. There were people within the organization who had knowledge of what was going on, swept it under the rug, then went to court with the "we can do what we want because of our Congressional charter" attitude and legal arguments as sound as those for the new registration fee increase. The juries saw right through it, and hit them with $18.5 million in punitive damages. The judge saw through it too, and ordered the secret files to be released. Here is the press release from the plaintiff's attorney on this latest case. Interesting that in this case, two professional Scouters are named as perpetrators. http://blog.kosnoff.com/a-dozen-victims-identified-in-sex-abuse-case-against-boy-scouts-of-america/ Six months ago, this lawyer's news releases said he was representing 80 people against the BSA. Now it's 100. This isn't going to be pretty.

Don't sigh. 8 Scouts where all the parents are involved is much better than a pack of 60 with only one or two involved parents. Work on building your program. Make it fun. Make sure you've got plenty of "bring a friend" activities on the calendar. If the boys get excited, their friends will want to join in. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a good Pack.

Cub Scouts and ADHD isn't a great mix. The medicine these kids are on puts them into near-sedation for the school day. By the time Scouts rolls around in the evening, that medicine has worn off, and the kid needs to get all that pent up energy out of his system. You get to deal with that tonight instead of Mom & Dad, so for that, they're grateful. Group behavior techniques like the beads in a jar or the behavior candle work well when you've got a group of generally good kids who needs a gentle reminder to behave. From your description, it sounds like this Scout will almost always be the cause of the candle going out or the bead not going in the jar. When this happens, either everyone will begin to act out because the reward is gone, or the other Scouts will stage a version of a blanket party on the offender. You need to deal with the offender directly. If a Scout engages in inappropriate behavior at one of our meetings, I pull the Scout aside (while maintaining 2 Deep leadership), and explain to him what he did wrong, and ask him to tell me how it would make him feel if someone did the same to him. Depending on the severity and frequency of the violation, I may ask him to apologize to the party he offended immediately, sit out for an activity, or I may separate him from the group and tell his parents to come pick him up immediately. When they arrive, I'll explain to the parents what he did, and tell them that he has to apologize sincerely before he is welcome at another meeting. Yes, it's related to his disease, but if he's ever going to function in society, he needs to learn that his behavior can be hurtful to others. If he is so affected by his condition that he can't function, then he should have a parent with him all the times, like a Tiger Scout.

Yes it is. That's why I'm exploring this paranoid delusion. As Joseph Heller said, “Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after youâ€Â

Actually, BD, these Cub Scout recruiting fliers are being MAILED by the council directly to all households with Cub Scout age boys. These will have my Pack and personal contact info on them, AND the low-ball price. This is my problem. On one hand, it's great that they are sending these, since our local school districts don't allow us to do boy talks. Sending home a piece of paper requires the personal approval of the Superintendent of Schools. She has an equal opportunity policy of rejecting everything. I can be honest and upfront, but only if I get to the parents first. When the BSA makes an end run around me, that makes me mad.

@ScoutNut: I believe you are wrong. The examples he gives are for participation in Programs, not just for registrations. Take a look at Select Soccer or the LAYO. Their fees get you a lot more than just the ability to call yourself a member that the BSA's $24 gets you. 4-H is the only one that's close, but these all seem to be part of a state university Ag extension outreach program, and don't seem to be self-supporting programs like the BSA. The Corpus Christi 4-H includes "educational materials" in their fee. According to my budget, our year of programming costs about $180 per Scout (with the rate increase). This includes some giveaways, a handbook, and a Pinewood Derby car, as well as some program activities. We attempt to recoup about 40% of this in dues, with the remainder in fundraising. About $51 of this goes to our Council in registration and insurance fees. If you added in most of the programming and a week of Day Camp, you'd be around $300-500 a year for the program. More if you want to attend resident camp. That is an apples-to-apples comparison.

Nothing. I was as sober as you are after a Pack meeting. I wouldn't have thought anything of this announcement if it didn't reinforce what I've heard from my local Council. I had a 30 minute phone conversation with our COO about how he thinks it is a great idea to tell everyone that $6.50 is all you need to join Scouting. He is adamant that this is the way it must happen. He's upwardly mobile in the BSA management, so I'm guessing he's toeing the corporate line. So far, I haven't seen the mailer yet. When I do, I'll post a copy of it here. We charge dues. We also charge program fees. I know other Packs can cover all their expenses with fundraising. Our Pack hasn't been able to, and the parents don't want to. We're upfront about the costs, and we find ways to subsidize members who can't afford ours (or National's) dues. All I want is to be sure the BSA is disclosing that some units may have additional fees on top of the BSA registration.

I've been reading the announcement of the fee hike posted at Scouting Magazine. When I read between the lines, it sounds to me like National is trying to abolish unit dues. Reading the announcement, to the untrained ear, it sounds like that $24 is all a Scout needs for a year of great programming, especially when you compare this to what "Participants of the 4-H Program in College Station, Texas, pay $25 a year, not including fees for individual activities". The problem is, I'm hearing this from my local Council as well. At a Saturday morning [del]DE morale crushing event[/del] fall recruiting seminar I was invited to last month, my Council's Field Director announced that the Council is starting a new marketing program. We've got trouble getting access to schools in our area, so Council will be doing some direct mail marketing to invite new Scouts. On the surface, this sounds great. The catch: That marketing will tell Scouts for $6.50, they can register for Scouting. This is the $15 National Fee pro-rated for the 5 months until recharter. If a unit wants to charge dues -- should they toe the official Council policy -- we are free to collect these after the Scout's registration is processed. Same with the fees for the coming recharter year. Oh, and the insurance fee levied by the council on top of the National registration fee. Oh, and at our Fall Roundup, we're supposed to also distribute an Adult Application with every Youth Application, boosting the number of registered leaders. The marketing materials don't discuss how they will need to pay these fees as well. I'm a member of the 10th largest Council in the US, and our Field Director came from the 4th largest. Something tells me this is a trial balloon from National. Anyone else out there seeing something similar?

Not sure if this is just me, but my account (as a Unit Key 3) shows a really pretty pie chart showing that 50% of my unit's leaders are trained. However, I can't find a way to get a list of the 50% who aren't trained, and the list of training courses they need. The integrated approach is a nice idea, but it's not very useful and it's really pretty buggy. We'll see what happens with it in a few years (or whenever the BSA puts enough resources on this).

That's just saying there shouldn't be any closed door meetings if you have to meet one-on-one with a Scout for a SMC or to resolve a discipline issue. Do it across the room, or at a picnic table across the clearing. The other youth and adults in attendance can see that nothing inappropriate is transpiring between the two of you, but the content of the conversation between the two of you is private. As an MBC, you shouldn't need to discuss any personal issues one-on-one. Therefore this doesn't apply to you.

@KDD: If they answer "Yes" to the second question of Part B of the medical form, you have all the permission you'll ever need to post their photos. You do have a copy of a medical form for everyone on your trips, right?

Two different positions in one unit are harder for the BSA than two positions in two units. I know DL and CM are exclusive of each other. You can't be both in one unit. I would assume the same applies for ADL and ACM. I currently hold the CM position for two Packs, and am MC for a Troop. No issues on the BSA's side there. I even get nice little dropdowns when I log into MyScouting to choose the unit I want to work with. (BTW, good idea of not popping onto that round-up last night. You don't get go back to being just Dad...) As for youth, I know a youth can be multiple registered in a Troop and Crew, but I don't know if its possible for them to be multiple registered in two packs. I've got a round table tonight. This is a good question to ask my DE to make progress towards my "asker of difficult questions" knot.

Yes, if you offer backpacking, climbing, scuba, canoe trips, shotgun, on a regular basis, word will get around, and high adventure parents, district/community/friends of friends will volunteer for those trips. These are adults who want NO part of typical BSA monthly campouts. As for regular recruiting: Consider a Facebook, YouTube, and Web presence: We get a slow but steady stream of Scouts who transfer to us from standard Troops. I plan to add Google+ soon. Also, we make sure that Scouts earning the 1st Class "tell a friend or lapsed Scout about Scouting" requirement, to bring their friend to a cool campout (they do NOT have to register). Figure another 10% per year there. And, of course, anyone with access to a public or private school can bring in an extra twelve (12) to twenty registered Scouts per year using my 6th Grade Recruiting Presentation: http://inquiry.net/adult/recruiting.htm Yours at 300 feet, Kudu http://kudu.net @Kudu: Nice presentation and nice web sites. I'm going to try to work some of your ideas into my Fall recruiting for Cubs. I don't get that level of access at the schools, but I can definitely incorporate some of this into my round-up night. A couple of comments for you: Your Facebook page has numbers after it. That means it's not a "real" page in Facebook's eyes. Visit the page admin for your Troop's page on Facebook and set the "Page Info->Page Address" field. That will get rid of the numbers after your page address and make it easier to find in searches, plus set a few other flags on the FB system. Before you go spending time on Google+, you should spend a few minutes on MyScouting.org and update your unit's pin information. If you're attracting dissatisfied boys from other area Troops, this should be an important method of lead generation for you.

@Frank: I can't take credit for the idea. This was passed down to me by someone much older and wiser than I. I can say, having just come back from another productive meeting, it does get the job done.

My "Scouts" folder has: Geocaching ($10, but totally worth it), KG Free (Knot Guide is the paid version) Leafsnap SkyView My Radar Tides Planner For administration / communications, I can't live without my apps for Google Docs (all my Pack Documents, including sign-up sheets are on there), MailChimp (mass email), and WordPress (website). Looking at doing a subscription to Scoutbook for advancement tracking once their Pack plan is released. It's a webapp, not a native app though.

@mashmaster: Yes, I have had those days. That is why our Pack holds our committee meetings at a bar. Just so nobody gets confused, this isn't a Legion bar, an Elks, Eagles, Moose or any other type of social club. It's a regular ol' for-profit bar. Our District Commissioner suggested the idea to me a few years ago when we were having trouble getting people to show up to committee meetings. We don't have that problem any more. I've had him, several Council professionals and members of our CO (a church) show up. I've shared beers with all of them, and even (personally) bought a few of them. We announce them on our email list, which goes to the Minister, as well as the church's general delivery mailbox, plus our DE and several other professionals and volunteers at Council. The only time I've had a complaint was when our DE had another event immediately afterwards and couldn't change out of his field uniform. I've discussed this with my leadership team, both as a group and as a one-on-one. Nobody has objected to the meeting place. Several have objected to my changing back to a "dry" meeting place. The Pack buys soft drinks and sometimes food. Adult beverages, if consumed, are purchased by the consumer. We don't wear uniforms to the meeting, and youth are not invited. If anyone says they have bring their kids, we move the meeting back to the church. Do we get drunk? No. Tipsy? No. This one beer (or two if the meeting runs long) helps to get the conversation going. And like a college frat boy, the loose inhibitions of the environment have helped me take advantage of the situation and fill several volunteer roles. It's also helped our committee really gel, since this serves as the "beer around the campfire" that we can't have at an official Scouting event. Is it hypocritical? No, not in my mind. We're adults discussing adult issues. Even though I'm CM, I'm not Superman. Sitting in a bar helps underline that point. As for Scouting events: No, there is no drinking. Even when we do a "Scout Day" at a sports stadium, there is no drinking. That is a Pack policy. We have our kids to take care of. Our District Picnic has a BYOB policy, but it is also announced to be adults only. Now, I'm off to my committee meeting. I'm anxious to see the fireworks when I get back...