Torchwood

I think that when the made the Cyber Chip a requirement for Rank advancement, the needed to revamp the program to make it more group friendly. I am the MB Counselor for Digital Technology, and that was a stumbling block during our Council's Merit Badge University, since it is basically an individual award earned at the Troop level.

Yeah, the only way that is going to happen is with Acrobat Pro. Free and cheap 3rd party PDF applications, by and large, aren't worth taking up space on a HDD with.

1. The addition of the Outdoor Code to Rank Advancement is a recent one, so a Scout that is facing his EBoR would have earned those ranks using the older requirements. 2. The EBoR is NOT an opportunity for otherwise well-meaning adults (giving them the benefit of the doubt) to retest a Scout. He has already proven his ability to his Troop leadership. They are reviewing his project paperwork, letters of recommendation and life statement, and asking him some questions about his Scouting career and whats next. The purpose is to get a sense of the Eagle candidate, and assess his character- to see if he is truly an Eagle Scout. Period.

In our neck of the woods, boys quit because they (and their parents) think that the sport that they are mediocre at will provide a college scholarship and a pro career, or they would rather stare at a screen all the time, and we get no buy-in from their parents to keep them in the program. Generally, when we see attendance flagging, we have a sit-down with the parents and show them that 70% of all kids who play sports stop before 8th grade, and ask them what else their son has going on outside of school. Once they start to think about the fact that college applications aren't THAT far away, and that the program that their sons are already participating in has a long track record of producing men of upstanding character, they usually get the Scout to re-engage.

Our Troop camped (not in a cabin) this past January at New England Base Camp in Milton, MA. It got down to 6 degrees overnight, and we got a foot of snow during our stay. If the Scouts have decent bags and layers, most decent tents will handle that. Camping in a cabin does NOT count for MOST advancement. If you read the requirements where camping nights are listed, it usually specifies that you need to camp in a tent that you pitch yourself, or under the stars. Some requirements make allowances for things like adirondack shelters, which are not fully enclosed. BTW, here is a video from the Northern Tier OKPIK staff on sleeping outdoors in the winter:

I have a slightly different perspective, as my son and daughter live with their mother most of the time. Our Troop is in the town that they live in, which is about 10 miles from my house. My son has been the leader's kid for a very long time. I became ACM after his first Pack meeting as a Tiger, and took over as CM 2 years later. When he crossed over to the Troop, I was MC until I finished all of the SM training (our Troop requirement), and then served as an ASM until getting the big hat last June. For his entire Scouting career, he has been the first one to arrive and the last one to leave almost every meeting and event. He is 15, at the tail end of his Freshman year in HS, and only needs to complete his project to finish his Eagle requirements, on top of being a straight A student in an Honors program, and a teaching assistant at the Hebrew School of his Congregation. In all this time, I have had to actively balance the time that I want to spend with him at meetings and events with the demands of my position in his Pack and Troop, also making sure to keep clear of any possible hints of favoritism. He has loved Scouting from the very beginning, and I have never had to put a bootprint on his backside to keep him motivated in his advancement. He became one of our 2 ASPLs in September, and when the SPL turned 18 last month, our ASMs and the outgoing SPL selected him as the replacement until our next election cycle. I think the Scouts all trust his wisdom and abilities, as they have been generally accepting of his leadership. I should also mention that from the very beginning, I have asked his permission (as well as that of my wife) before accepting any position in his Unit. It was important to me for him to understand that this is his journey, and that I would only ever be around as much as he wants me to be. I think it has worked out well. We do get along very well, and I think that it has helped us negotiate his adolescence and young adulthood (so far) without any drama.

We also use Troopmaster. IMHO, it is a much more robust platform.

Absolutely, but I would also have been having regular SMCs with the Troop Guide if I wasn't seeing progress with the NSP's advancement.

That is the Troop Guide's failure, assuming of course that you had one.

If you have so many adults attending summer camp that you can maintain the required staffing levels while a group is out golfing, maybe you need to limit the number of adults that attend camp in the first place. When the Scouts in our Troop are out doing their thing, I am wandering around to check on the quality of the MB classes, taking photos of them to post on the website and Facebook, making notes for the SM conferences that I always have with each Scout during the week, or actually relaxing with a book in my comfy camp chair- but I am always in camp and available if needed.

If this group thing is happening during a Troop meeting, it should definitely be open to everyone, since the skills required are pretty universal. If there are Scouts present who already have the MB, they can assist the others. That being said, I would encourage this young Scout to also complete the cooking requirements for Rank, since they are a logical progression from assisting another cook to preparing a meal for themselves and finally serving as the Patrol cook for 3 meals. This sets them up for success in both the Cooking Merit Badge and also the cooking requirements for Camping Merit Badge. We regularly hold cooking nights- we have the Scouts show up early and they eat what they cook. We give demos on things that they might never think to make if left to their own devices, and it has allowed us to discourage the constant consumption of hot dogs and mac & cheese. Now we get steak tips, fajitas, walking tacos, tortilla pizzas and even dessert burritos and roasted bananas. We even have some indian dishes and chinese stir fry now.

That is the same page that has been posted several times on this thread. We still have no official word from National, or even the individual Councils, about the demise of the T&AP or if the Councils have all been punked. Given the apparently widespread nature of this, there should be some official notification from the National Council and/or the individual Councils. The FAQ page about the demise has NO information that would mark it as a real BSA document. It has no logos and contains a few grammar errors that would make me think it might be a farce.I sawa post about it on the Old Colony Council's Facebook feed even before they sent an email to all Unit Leaders. There is no mention of it on their website, but when I saw the FB post, I emailed the Council office and asked- they said it was true. So what is the real story?

I'm with NJ and the Colonel on this one. Please just simply answer the question- is this real or a hoax? If it is real, why is the information not on Scouting.org? If it is a hoax, National should email all registered leaders and let them know that they got punked. Do we really need to go over the points of the Oath & Law here?

Your Pack can't re-charter without having an Institutional Head, Chartered Org. Rep, Committee Chair, 2 Committee Members, Cubmaster, and at least one Den Leader registered with the BSA. All Adult Leaders that have direct contact with Scouts MUST take YPT training every other year (our Council requires it to be renewed every year), and it is a good idea for all registered leaders to take it anyway. The Cubmaster must also have taken the Cubmaster Position Specific Training as well. On top of that, each Tiger must have an Adult Partner who is also registered. This information is on the re-charter form. You might want to see if your Council Service Center will provide you with a copy of the most recent charter paperwork. You may also want to find out if you have a Unit Commissioner or District Commissioner that you can talk to about your concerns. It doesn't sound like your Scout is in a Cub Scout Pack, at least not in the way that the BSA defines one.

Just curious what the real point of the popcorn sale is for your unit. When I was Asst CM and then CM, the point of the sale was to raise the funds needed to make sure that we could pay the operating costs of the Pack and that we were minimizing what a family had to lay out in additional costs for outings (we never raised enough to not have to charge for them). The prizes were relatively cheap items, so nothing there that a Pack would likely need. So, back to my original thought- in the Cub Scout Promise, a Cub Scout helps the Pack Go, and in the Scout Law, a Scout is Thrifty, which is usually further explained as a Scout pays his own way. The funds raised are all for the good of the Unit, especially since according to National, individual Scout accounts are a no-no. The prizes for the Cubs are an additional incentive, since it is hard to explain all the details of Pack finances to 1st graders. I'm not sure what the end game of the Pack "winning" a prize too is all about, nor how you order said prize without doing something like creating a phantom Scout, which seems a little dishonest, and you also need to factor in that the prizes cost the supplier money, which ultimately raises the cost of the popcorn over time. It is bad enough that it doesn't come in the cool tins anymore, and that you get so little for the price of each bag.

In our case, it is a combination of too much family income and the perception that some of the older Scouts have that since they are no longer cute 11 and 12 year old boys, that they won't be successful going door to door. The reality is that people want to help, and all it takes for them to do so is for someone to actually ask them.

We sell holiday greens each year. There is an expected minimum of $300 in sales per Scout (not that hard at $15 per wreath, etc.). We have incentives for going over and above that minimum, and we also ask that families who have Scouts that they allow to not participate in the sales write a check for $150 (our net on the sales minimum). We get about 2/3 of our Scouts to actually sell, so I really can't complain too much. We use the Scout Law tactic, and also try to appeal to their sense of fair play with the family budget. But given that the Troop is in a mainly affluent suburban town, that doesn't wash with some kids. Their parents would rather write the check than fight with Tommy Scout.

You can disagree all you like, but given the required time in positions of responsibility, a Scout would need to have a "job" in the Troop for 16 months to satisfy those requirements. If they work at it, go to all offered Merit Badge Universities, load up on MB classes at summer camp, etc. It is entirely possible to earn Eagle by 14, which could be 3.5 years of time in a Scout Troop if the are at 10.5 when they cross from Cub Scouts. Do I think it is the right thing? Depends on the Scout. My son earned his Life rank before his 14th birthday, with no prodding from me. He has slowed down since then, but school is a factor for him, especially now that he is in High School and taking an all honors course load. He is done with all requirements except for his project, which was just approved by our Council. He turned 15 in December, and will likely complete his project this spring. Our Troop (I became SM in June of last year) has one fundraiser per year, we do a Scouting for Food drive each year. We go to Scout Camp every summer, but we can't force everyone to do any of the above activities. We encourage, a lot, but some kids and some families have other plans. We camp monthly, and we think we run a good program. But it takes the will of the PLC and having an active group of adults to support a good program. I would encourage you to get involved with your son's Troop- whatever decision he makes. I will second the above comment that being with his friends will make his Troop life that much better. But it is likely that the program pieces that you would like to see require more adults to be involved than they currently have- just a guess though.

You must be confused about how this process works then. The only reason that you would need to go the disputed circumstances route is because the SM has refused to sign off on whatever that last item is- anecdotally it is Req 6- participate in a Scoutmaster Conference. Please tell me what reason a Scoutmaster would EVER have to refuse to have that meeting with a Scout. So, yes, the circumstances absolutely do matter. The EBoR is NOT a test. It is a conversation, and honestly I have found that almost every time, the Eagle candidate sitting in front of me is a credit to the honor he has earned. Again, we don't always know the exact circumstances surrounding a Scout's need to sidestep his Troop, but having "disdain" for anyone who's hand is forced to do so, or thinking that they do so for the heck of it, is unfair. I think you are underestimating both the mettle of the District and Council involved, and the various flavors of "not quite BSA" Scouting programs out there.

Wow, that is still a little harsh. You have no idea of the circumstances surrounding this young man's need to go around his Troop. Based on the instances I have read about around this campfire, most of the time the adults have overstepped their authority. Maybe the OP could have told us her son's side of the story, but she didn't. In fact, all she seems to be asking for is a little guidance on how to hold an ECoH for her son, given the situation.

+1 for ALPS Mountaineering tents, and Hiker Direct in general. The Taurus Outfitter tents are awesome. I have one of their smaller Zephyr series tents for myself, my everyday carry daypack is their (sadly just discontinued) Solitude, and I have a Caldera internal frame pack for bigger hauling. The current pricing through Hiker Direct for a 4 man Taurus Outfitter is $186.94 (MSRP is $329.99). But, order early, as they always seem to sell out the yearly production run.

I have been a MB Counselor for Digital Technology since it replaced the Computers MB several years ago, so I have also been dealing with the CyberChip debacle before it became a Rank requirement. When it was an individual certification, the requirements were barely adequate. Cyber Safety and Security are moving targets, and the BSA has a really spotty record with IT anyway. Now, as a Rank requirement, it is wholly inadequate. In my opinion, as someone who works in the field, it should be a youth requirement that is NOT attached to a particular Rank. It should be more like YPT, but learned as a Unit- with a curriculum that changes annually. It should be a group discussion with updated videos and some printed material. I actually have a great handout I give to my Digital Tech Scouts about how to choose strong passwords, and I definitely spend extra time with them about online behaviors and internet safety and security, well above and beyond what the Cyber Chip or the Merit Badge requirements need.

I think that gumby is mostly correct. If the Charter School receives any public funding (through vouchers, grants, etc.), I would think that they cannot restrict membership.

Not sure why this is such a huge issue, when it seems to work in almost every other country that has a Scouting program. I know that if given the option, my 12 year old daughter would drop GSUSA in a heartbeat.

I would think that if this is a public school, it would be hard to limit it to students of just that school. Does this school encompass all grades? If not, how do you have older and younger Scouts in a single unit? If they are planning on having a Pack and a Troop, how do you make that all work? Do you not allow kids who live in town but go to other (private, parochial, etc) schools, since the funds would be paid by taxpayers? If it is a private school, that would be a horse of a different color, but I think that limiting yourself to just students of that particular school is not a recipe for a successful unit, unless it is a relatively large school.