Brewmeister

I recall having a discussion with a mom who was all in a tizzy because Johnnie's wrestling practice might not be done by the time the troop planned to leave to go to camp. When I mentioned, no problem, the camp is only an hour away, just bring him up when you are done, she said, and I quote, "You mean DRIVE him up there?", looking at me like I had two heads. Well yes, I told her, we don't have a chauffeur service. I don't think that went over so well. Scouting is unique, or at least unusual, in mindset among other youth activities in that the presumption is that somehow the troop will come up with drivers. Sports leagues, etc.--if there is a tournament, Johnnie needs to be at the park at such-and-such time and, amazingly, the whole team tends to show up. Change your mindset from "Parent is responsible for getting Johnnie to the drop off point," to "Parent is responsible for getting Johnnie to the ACTIVITY," and there is your solution, at least to the driver problem. YMMV.

I've been down this road... Where is the Cubmaster in this? You are talking about a lot of "program" stuff, which should really fall to the direct contact leaders including the Cubmaster, as ScoutNut points out. The answer to this is to effect grass-roots change. At your monthly leader meetings just make things happen. Not having monthly leader meetings? Then have them. Make a calendar. Do what YOU, the collective group, wants to do. Scouting is not a dictatorship unless the people involved give people permission to be dictators. Also, the CM should be the "face" of the Pack. That's the person parents and boys look up to as the "leader"--the guy (or girl) in front of the room at Pack meetings leading songs and games. In most Packs the majority of parents and 100% of the boys don't even know who the CC is, nor do they need to know. Trying to remove the CC is going to go nowhere. Make the program what the group of direct-contact leaders want it to be and she will leave by herself or fall in line. If your CM is not onboard with you, then you have another problem altogether that is likely not fixable. However, if the people who actually put on the program (den and pack) are on the same page, then just do it! Regarding rechartering,don't worry about it. If the charter is late the council will deal with it--they hate to lose units. Regarding the tour plan (not "permit")--don't worry about it. The plan is to advise the council of goings-on and has absolutely no bearing on whether something is a bona fide scouting event, or not.

That would be a pretty inexpensive project...how much do invisible plaques cost?

The MSR system is very similar to the Platypus except it does not come with a clean-water reservoir bag, for the same cost.

Just updating this-- I did retrofit a Sawyer external filter to the Katadyn bag. Basically cut off the Katadyn filter at the base so that the bag's sole purpose is now a dirty water reservoir. Definitely not cost-effective if you are starting from scratch, but since I already had the gear and it needed a new filter either way, there was no risk. This works very well and the Sawyer filter is fast, and back-flushable. For new systems we will purchase, I am impressed with the Platypus gravity filter. It is a 4L system so not as big as the Katadyn, but it is very fast and easy to use.

Kind of hard to do any advancement without patrols....tenderfoot requirements alone being what they are and all...

I disagree. You need to be upfront. Cub scouts requires adult participation and if they're not willing to give it they either aren't going to be happy or they are going to leave anyway. I always emphasized parent involvement with new Tiger recruits from the positive standpoint of, unlike other events where you watch from the sidelines, Cub Scouts is an opportunity for you to spend time with your boy. Recruit to the people who want to be there, not to those who don't.

I disagree. You need to be upfront. Cub scouts requires adult participation and if they're not willing to give it they either aren't going to be happy or they are going to leave anyway. I always emphasized parent involvement with new Tiger recruits from the positive standpoint of, unlike other events where you watch from the sidelines, Cub Scouts is an opportunity for you to spend time with your boy. Recruit to the people who want to be there, not to those who don't.

Basement, it sounds like somebody needs to get out of scouting and it's not the boys in your troop. Your open disdain for anyone who doesn't agree with you is unlikely to be limited to here and I can only imagine the toxic environment that is taking hold within your troop as you berate and insult everyone who comes within striking distance. For the good of the boys and the program I'd highly encourage you to take a step back from scouting, and perhaps seek a little anger management therapy.

This is so true. Had a scout who was all excited about a potential project, but seeing the mountain of paperwork required just took the life out of it for him. Not sure what the process is trying to teach other than a disdain for paperwork and maybe a lesson in how to work in middle management or apply for a government grant.

Guide to advancement: 4.2.3.5, pg 29, states clearly that leaders do not have the authority to deny a Scout a unit leader (SM) conference that is necessary for rank advancement. There is nothing for the SM to sign off on other than the fact that a scoutmaster conference was held. If the scoutmaster won't hold one, then the SCOUT should ask for a board of review, as the G to A says.

On the other hand the number of Eagles keeps increasing…hmmmm

Unfortunately most people are either too uniformed or too stupid to understand anything beyond immediate gratification of their narrowest self-interests.

It's unclear as to whether Mike Levin supports this or if Mike is related to the book's author, Mark.

When a man molests a boy, it by definition involves homosexual acts. That the molester claims to be herterosexual does not make it so.

Here's the official BSA document on the change so far that talks about the transition timetable: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/program_update/pdf/2015_Program_Change_Overview_Cub_Scouts_Boy_Scouts.pdf

Nah, definitely not. "The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to get indoor boys to Eagle without ever walking into the woods with packs on their backs." Anyone who has ever witnessed a Wood Badger or adult Eagle parse our Congressional Charter knows that the words "backpack" and "hike" have no meaning without specific mileage requirements. Without the Journey system, all Scouting is Cub Scouting. http://inquiry.net/advancement/traditional/journey_requirements.htm Let's all just concede the point that you don't like Boy Scouts, loathe Cub Scouts, and view Girl Scouts with disdain. Romanticizing the past is a common human failing. Ranks right up there with having to walk to school 5 miles, uphill, both ways.

You're in good company with Christ, Ox. He celebrated a lot of Holy-days, but Christmas wasn't one of them.

Nah, definitely not. "The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to get indoor boys to Eagle without ever walking into the woods with packs on their backs." Anyone who has ever witnessed a Wood Badger or adult Eagle parse our Congressional Charter knows that the words "backpack" and "hike" have no meaning without specific mileage requirements. Without the Journey system, all Scouting is Cub Scouting. http://inquiry.net/advancement/traditional/journey_requirements.htm It's hard to find an example of anything you like about scouting. Why are you even still involved in it? Seems like an unnecessarily stressful choice.

I really think this is a positive change. While the previous version required the boys to plan trail meals, it didn't require them to cook them on trail. I know that was the intent but you know how that goes--if it's not written it isn't so. Now the boys MUST get on the trail to do this badge and it is Eagle-required. Maybe Kudu will even be happy. Just a little? Nah, probably not.

Wow, great language. You could argue that the boys have gotten "screwed" in their first year in the program because they had the same fundraising obligation as the rest of the boys despite not benefitting from the program for 8 months (January-August). So by the time they are Webelos, it all washes out. It's the least the pack can do for boys and families who, in most cases, have given several years of commitment to the program.

Looks like the cooking MB requirements are finally released: http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/201...g-merit-badge/ From 1/1/2014 to 12/31/2014, boys can use either the old or new requirements. Although the structure of the badge is still the same, there are some significant changes to the new requirements. The first part is still the "learn and explain" part, replacing the food pyramid with the "MyPlate." However, it requires more in individual application of healthy eating guidelines (appropriate meal plans based on the scout's own level of activity), and the introduction of different types of cooking methods. The second part is still the "plan and do" part, and the number of meals required and type required (at home, at camp, and on the trail) are still the same. However, the people the scout serves are now required to evaluate how well the scout did. Multiple cooking methods are required for the "camp" part, and the "trail" part now explicitly requires meals to be prepared while on a hike or backpacking trip. Also, cooking done for the badge cannot be the same as used for rank advancement. Although I could take or leave all the MyPlate stuff, I think the other changes are good, particularly as it relates to the trail cooking part. The changes do make the badge much tougher in my opinion.

Getting into the details of how-much-time-I-give wasn't the right way to go IMO. It shifts the focus away from where the problem really is. Simpler explanations are generally better… the boy knew what his responsibilities were when he took the position; the "team" counts on him to fulfill those responsibilities just like his sports teams, etc.; if he does not want to fulfill those responsibilities it is best he doesn't hold a position of responsibility but he is more than welcome to continue with the troop.

I think it's always been clear where you are coming from here--learning how to corral a runaway horse is a skill that is still relevant to the mission of Scouting, whereas personal management is not. That view will continue to shape your outlook of course.

You should re-register the scouts either way. As has been pointed out, registration is with the BSA. If the PACK is paying for the registration fees, the scouts have earned their re-registration by their support of the pack in the fall fundraiser, etc. If the SCOUT is paying for the registration fees, the money has already been collected from them for the next year. As to the adults, I would not re-register them if they were leaving a leadership role in Scouting altogether.