Eagle94-A1

Sadly we do not. While the Catholic Adult religious award is the St. George Award, and he is the patron saint of Scouts. Only thing I have seen celebrating this fact is this https://www.catholicshop.com/25-Pack-The-Boy-Scout-Oath-Of-Promise-Holy-Card.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1vmKnpD54QIVSlcNCh3fFwNTEAYYASABEgKICvD_BwE

Give me a day. I did a UoS class on the topic, and may have the resources I used for it. FYI it is a problem since the 1920s and there is a lot of older literature on the topic. Also if I remember correctly, there has been a thread on this topic in the past.

When I did it back in the day, it could take a year. Part of that was you had to go on a retreat. I did mine in about 6 months, but we were also doing other Scout stuff. Don't remember many details except the retreat and going to the cathedral for the archbishop to present it to us.

Sad thing is that you will have some folks complain, push for recognition , and eventually get their Scout the MB.

I think this is a grave disservice to any of your girls, or any Scout for that matter, to create a 2 year plan for them in order to earn Eagle. THEY ARE THE ONES WHO NEED TO CREATE THEIR OWN PLAN AS EACH INDIVIDUAL IS DIFFERENT ( major emphasis). Part of the journey to Eagle is the Scout deciding their own path, the Scout deciding what they want to do, the Scout deciding how they are going to achieve their goals. What have they learned if you hand them a plan?

And we were told that the standards would not be changed. Regarding membership losses, I can only go by what is happening locally. With all the membership changes in the past 7 years, Scouting is dying. We went from 5 packs in city limits to 3, and one of those is LDS so they will be gone by the end of the year. While the troops remain, they are smaller than ever. Troop I am currently in had over 30 Scouts 7 years ago, and now we are down to 11. Ditto all of the other troops save 1. And that troop's CO uses the program as an outreach for the CO. They are extremely active with biweekely and weekly activities in addition to meetings. A lot of resources are dedicated to the troop.

I know of boys young men who no longer have an interest in serving Scouting who are in the 18-20 year old range because the BSA no longer trusts them due to their age. We spent years mentoring and advising them. They have more knowledge, skills, abilities, and EXPERIENCE than some of the new Scouters coming aboard, but they cannot be utilized. Heck, they can no longer be MBCs except at a summer camp or merit badge college. All because of their age an the new YP rules.

110% agree. My troop growing up never had "patrol advisers," or "patrol counselors." Instead we had the ASPL, Leadership Corps (older Scouts who had served in leadership positions previously) and the SPL. When PL's had issues or needed advice, we went to them. When a Scout was given an assignment to do and he had questions, we went to them. We weren't perfect, but we had a heck of a good troop. Bill Hillcourt would have been proud. I've served in troops that assigned patrol counselors, and in troops that did not. I do not like the concept as it takes away growth opportunities from the older Scouts. Whereas in troop that utilize their older Scouts have better retention and involvement, because they are not used to guide and mentor the younger Scouts, they tend to not be as active, be involved in the troop, and not really care about anything. Sadly I saw this especially in my last troop. Also the Scouts tend to rely on the adults to solve their problems instead of figuring it out for themselves. Best example of this was a patrol making a menu. The patrol could not figure out a menu everyone could agree upon, and as time was running out, the patrol counselor ended up making the menu and duty roster for them. Further I have seen too many patrol counselors end up acting like den leaders and treating their Scouts as Webelos 3s. The last example does just that. Another example is the patrol counselor jumping in and taking over from the Patrol Leader instruction on KP to new Scouts. Whenever I had to be a patrol counselor, I stayed out of the way as much as possible, and asked leading questions on what they were doing and whether it was efficient or not. Sometimes they got it. Sometimes they didn't, and sometimes their was was actually better than mine. I first encountered the patrol counselor or patrol adviser concept when I went through Brownsea 22, which has morphed over the years to NYLT today. My understanding is that the concept is more of a training position than an actual unit position. When you get Scouts and Scouters from multiple units, and use to doing things multiple ways, you sometimes need an outside source to resolve matters in the limited time of training. Even then, our Troop Guides, which at BA22 were youth who had already gone through the course, were the ones to guide and mentor. Only twice did a patrol counselor get involved with patrol matters, one behavioral and one first aid related.

A few things come to mind. Purging of the roles is one. Another is folks are not happy with the changes to BSA in recent years and voting with their feet. Another is that the council is not providing the support they are suppose to to assist units. They are not getting the resources they need to survive.

Another ECC Scouter? WELCOME!

You know an organization has too large a bureaucracy when a key part of the mission statement, one of it's aims, is changed and it take 5 years to get it in print.

When I worked for a national Scout Shop, we had several GSUSA leaders buy the BSA's program materials to supplement the GSUSA materials they were using. The HOW TO BOOK, and Den meeting plans were the most popular. Field Book also was one sold a lot to them

Don't go there, the Cookie Mafia will get you. Seriously though, BSA tried to come out with an energy bar in the early 1990s. They were made, packaged, and distributed when national got a cease and desist letter from GSUSA for copyright infringement. GSUSA said the energy bars too closely resembled their cookies. As a result, BSA could not sell them, but Scout Shop staff had free food. PS They were delicious.

That is my local council camp. This is the 3rd time in 3 years, and 4th time in 20 years, that the road has washed out. 2 of those times it was the result of hurricanes, Dennis and Floyd and in 1999 and Matthew in 2017. Last year and this time due to heavy rain. The theory is that the clear cutting to create new homes upstream is causing this problem. With no trees and vegetation to absorb water and prevent erosion, the camp is getting slammed. We thought the problem was fixed with the dredging and rebuilt road with larger culverts. Apparently the problem still exists.

Could it be that the G2SS changes so much so fast, folks have a hard time keeping up? Or is it that the rules keep changing and their is no explanation of why, i.e. Tigers no longer being able to do shooting sports ( since rescinded due to protest),18-20 year olds no longer count for YP purposes, and it's OK for two females to work with males, but but males cannot work with females?

Yes, it is after 4 weeks of traditional Scout summer camp. If memory serves, and it has been a long time since I staffed camp, it was mostly LDS troops attending. As most of you know, I am not in favor of "Family Scouting," and I am not using it as a euphemism for girls in Scouting. I have had too many negative experiences, as a youth and a Scouter, with well meaning, but uninformed, parents interfering and causing major issues. From ruining a trip that was planned for a year by the Scouts, to interfering with camp outs, to turning a Boy Scout Troop, now Scouts BSA Troop, into a Cub Scout Pack, I do not see any good coming out of this.

This is for Scouts, BSA families, not Cub Scouts. From the link: "While Family Adventure Camp is not designed to complete merit badges or rank requirements, many of those same activities will be offered."

Looks like Family Scouts is coming. My council posted this today. Family Adventure Camp Adventure is out there! East Carolina Council is one of three councils in the nation offering families the opportunity to enjoy Scouting together at Camp Boddie July 15 – 19, 2019. Families register and attend together, eating in the dining hall, staying in camp tents (or bring their own), and experiencing the activities of camp: swimming, boating, making crafts, shooting rifles or BB guns, archery, learning about nature and ecology, and much more. In keeping with BSA policies and guidelines, all activities are age-appropriate. Families will arrive on Monday morning, get settled into their campsite, and select their activities for the week. Monday will include an opening campfire with camp skits and songs, followed by s’mores in their campsites. In addition to daily activities, families will enjoy a luau and camp carnival. Thursday will end with a closing campfire and families head home on Friday morning. While Family Adventure Camp is not designed to complete merit badges or rank requirements, many of those same activities will be offered. Families can register here:https://ecc.tentaroo.com/admin2/login We look forward to seeing you at camp this summer! More info can be found here . And the link is https://files.constantcontact.com/60d98ed5001/5623add9-752b-4f0c-8b27d258ef0f1315.pdf

Actually thew new rule came out AFTER (emphasis) YPT2 came out. That is why they redid YPT2 , I guess it's YPT2.5 now , about 2 or 3 months ago.

If you say "Boy Scouts" you are viewed as misogynistic, defiant, and some unScoutlike terms, and one who needs to leave Scouting. At least in certain areas of the country and on certain FB groups. This despite the fact that many old fogey's will use the term because it's been that way for 108+ years. You still have folks referring to Venturers as "Venture Scouts" 21 years later. ( An aside, when I spoke with the then National Venturing Director in May of 1998 at PDL-1, I and several others told him this would happen by using similar nomenclature used for the older Scout patrol at the time,i.e Venture crew, Venture Scouts. 21 years later it is still a problem) And if you use the term "girl Scouts," it is more ammo for the GSUSA lawsuit.

Point 6 refers to Point 4 of the G2I, 4. The unit leader provides a list of registered active members of the unit who meet all eligibility requirements, including attitude and participation.(emphasis added) The names of these members are entered on the report form and the unit leader signs the certification. It is important that the list be complete, as only one election can be held in a unit each year. So if the name is not on the ballot, the Scout not listed is not considered eligible, and thus cannot be a "write in candidate." I can understand your position. being a CA is tough. Been there, done that multiple times. And cleaning up messes previous CA's have done can be interesting. My favorite is the troop that was use to doing their own unit elections. Thankfully the SM was a former CA back in the day, and was polite and respectful when I showed him the rules. He thought it was odd that the troop could do elections without the chapter being there. And i told you my worse election story. I would not call the removal of an ineligible Scout voiding. But understand. As for mispellings, ditto. HOWEVER a SM cannot do the "expected requirements." The requirements must be met AT THE TIME OF ELECTION. (emphais)

Sadly, Pros sometimes won't listen, and they will downright ignore you. DE set a district Cub event 4 for the same time and place as the district camporee and IOLS training with only 4 weekds notice.. Camporee chief saw it on the calendar website, called the council office about it, and NO ONE knew about it. Asked to get it pulled from the council calendar. DE is furious because HIS event was removed. When both the camporee chief and ITOLS SM state that having that is a problem, they were ignored and told the event will go on. Camporee Chief had to make numerous last minute changes: designated parking areas, marking off an assigned campsite that was going to be surrounded by Cub Scouts, redoing the entire compass course to get to events because 1/2 the area to be used was now for the Cub Scouts, etc. Both Camporee chief and ITOLS SM quit after the weekend.

I was told that my lodge had adult Arrowmen of the specified gender up all nigh with the candidates. And that it is a new policy form national. Grant you that is hearsay from a lodge officer, and as seen in another thread, SE's sometimes make their own rules. Sadly the changes started before the girls were allowed. No more pioneering projects over shoulder height without safety gear (started in late 1990s and got stricter over time); restrictions on fun activities ( waterguns and waterballoon size restrictions) no more patrol camping on their own (2012); Lowering of advancement standards ("One and Done" mentality in adult training instead of"Master the Skill", "InstaPalms despite 94% opposition to it, and the "Therefore, make the Scout’s Eagle board of review a celebration of their achievement." instead of a review to insure requirements were met are a few changes that come to my mind, and there are more) and less focus on the Patrol Method (R.I.P. 10-1-2018) and Outdoors ( minimal training requirements and more focus on STEM and other non traditional Scouting programs) are just several examples of how the program has changed over time. I believe the BSA tried dumping the "traditional program baggage" in the 1970s with it's Improved Scouting Program of 1972-79. William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt had to come out of retirement to save the BSA from that fiasco, and even he was not able to restore it 100% He is no longer with us, and even the most devoted his followers do not have the knowledge, skills, abilities, charisma, and connections at National to fix today's problems at the national level. All we can do is focus on out local units.

Can you show me where the Scouts can write in candidates as I cannot find it in the Guide to Inductions? Also can you show me where the election team or SM can nullify a vote as I cannot find that either? This is a sore point with me. I had a SM provide me with a list of eligible Scouts, including "attitude and participation." He signed off on everyone. Once the election was completed, he was told the results. He was surprised one Scout got in, a Scout he approved, and wanted to remove the Scout. Election team refused and when he was berating them I intervened. Then he started cursing me out and following me into the parking lot. I was always taught once approved, there was no way to rescind approval. SM had his chance. And nowhere in teh Guide to Inductions can I find that a SM can rescind approval after the fact.

Once upon a time, the OA was quite the honor. For some, being an Arrowman meant more to them than being an Eagle Scout. There were limits to how many Scouts could be voted in, basically 1/2 the number on the ballot, and it was common for Scouts to wait two or three years to get in. Being elected by your peers meant that they thought you were worthy. Is it work? Absolutely. Standing joke use to be the 3 W's on every OA patch stand for "WORK, WORK, WORK." I have busted my tail with various projects the OA was needed for. Is it educational? Absolutely. I have been able to get training on various leadership and American Indian Affairs stuff. For the folks screaming "Cultural Appropriation," I would recommend looking at some of the old works on Native American Culture. They may be surprised to find they were written by Arrowmen, They may be further surprised that it was a way for Native Americans to keep some of their culture alive since it was illegal for them to do some things. They may be surprised at the numbers of Arrowman who have helped First Nations in their quest for state and federal recognition, relearning lost arts, and in one case I am personally aware of, language. Is it fun? Absolutely. Some of my best memories in Scouting are events with the OA, from local lodge events, to section conclaves, to a regional American Indian Seminar, to NOAC. Is it a way to keep older Scouts and young ASMs active? Absolutely. Sadly when I got in the OA, the chapter was virtually dead, and I was not active. It was 4 years later and a chance encounter with a friend that I found out that my chapter was getting restarted. I got involved in American Indian Affairs, first ceremonies, and later dance. Using AIA we rebuilt the chapter, and insured growth of the chapter because we were inspiring Cub Scouts and Scouts with our ceremonies. But as others said, it is your son's choice. My oldest son, the son who helped make some of the stuff the OA is still using for their ceremonies, has no interest in the OA. Every time there is an election, he declines to be placed on the ballot. I am hoping that the new troop, which is extremely active with the OA will change his mind. I too kept the Vigil. Dances with Fools.