ianwilkins

I had a great day the other week, a leaders only skills day. Basically for newer leaders to have a go at stuff, without having to worry about small people in their charge. We had people doing archery and shooting, back woods cooking, rafting, and me, I was "teaching" hammock skills. I say "teaching" in quotes, because I'm not really that much of an expert myself, I'm not writing books on the subject, I haven't even read books on the subject. Thing is, I think a lot of experts like to make things seem more complicated than they really are, or maybe rather go into a whole lot of bewildering depth as it's their specialist subject. Me? I fancied a day at the local campsite playing with hammocks. Anyhow...my tip? Learn a tension knot. Something like a prussick knot*, a taut line hitch*, midshipman's hitch*, or similar. It seems, in the UK at least, this is not top of the list when teaching knots. So I had leaders putting up a tarp and needing guy-lines. The simple joy of learning a new knot that was clearly going to be useful was great to behold. They attached one end to the tarp, put the other round a peg, then tied a knot you could move up to tighten it up, and it stayed there under tension. Job done. It's not even a tricky knot/hitch to learn. And knowing you can now always make a guy-line if you don't have one, or your silly bit of plastic breaks. * Your names might differ.

Urgh! Under the collar? What's wrong with you people?

A turks head knot, made with anything from string to old charging cables to light up glo wire. A nice bit of wood bored through and polished up The aforementioned 1" plastic pipe with a lego minifigure stuck to it Beads threaded together One of my Explorers going to the Jamboree is selling a 3D printed woggle but it won't be a cheap option ;). A rectangular patch or two sewn together into a tube I would guess pinterest would have...[goes and looks] yes, pinterest has hundreds, possibly thousands, of ideas too. Would it be beyond the pale to tie a friendship knot in it instead?

Were video games even a thing when you were a kid? When everything was sepia? I'm not being funny, but I'd guess they'd pick up on your negativity, and wouldn't want to talk about their enjoyment of video games and risk further scorn or disbelief. Of course they enjoy them, otherwise, why would you do them? Maybe they enjoy the dopamine if that's what you think, but it's still the end result. Video games can be fun, can be social, can be a way of testing yourself against others, testing yourself. Yes, not the same as the outdoors, obviously, but there it is.

Nail hit right on the head there.

The interesting thing for me is that as you go through the UK sections, the proportion of girls goes up 2018 census gender ratios: Beavers (aged 6-8) it's 81:19 Cubs (aged 8-10) it's 80:20 Scouts (10-14) it's 75:25 Explorers (14-18) it's 68:32 Network (18-25) it's 63:37 I don't know what to read into that, but my gut feel is boys are sent to Beavers, and as girls find their voice, say "I want to go to Cubs/Scouts/Explorers/Network" increasingly. Last year we had 18 girls and 24 boys on our Explorer summer camp.

A knight of the realm not a good role model? Personally anointed by her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II? Blimey guv'nor you've got some high standards ain'tcha? Ian P.s. 😉 (just in case)

I would guess he's probably been poorly served by his production company, and maybe the Bulgarian authorities. I wouldn't be surprised if the first he heard of it was shortly before it hit the press. Someone in an office, some fixer somewhere, had to get permission to film there, it wouldn't have been Grylls, that person or persons either missed the national park restrictions, or chose to ignore them, or maybe even bunged officialdom a few lev. Who knows? I don't. But I'd guess by the time Bear got briefed before the trip it was like "we're off for the usual schtick in Bulgaria with celebrity X, see you on the 14th, bring one of your branded knives". At some point a minion should have gone "wait, we can't do x y z here, will that be okay?" so they could then either change the location, or not do it, or yes, I suppose, choose to ignore it. I mean, if they're filming it, they're hardly going to get away with it. Of course, the cynic in me wouldn't be surprised if the frog killing bit was done outwith the National Park (ok, yeah, or just done anyway) at a different time, all is actually by the book, and all this is just free publicity. The actual truth is probably lost in the murky grey fog.

Ah HAAA! Nobody expects the Cookie Inquisition! Our Chief weapon is Samoas! Samoas and Thin Mints! Thin Mints and Samoas! Our two weapons are...

Some people aren't very good at communicating. Some aren't very good at putting themselves in others shoes and seeing how someone else might view things, or be so wrapped up in the excitement of what they see as a good thing that they never see someone else might have qualms and reservations. Into this vacuum, people will talk, assume, jump to conclusions, fret, worry. Maybe it's all in hand, maybe none of it is, maybe the powers that be don't understand there's a groundswell of concern, worry, which could easily, if not already, morph into frustration, anger, resentment, etc. The answer is jaw jaw not war war, as ever. Are the boys genuinely concerned? Or is it just the parents getting het up? I would suggest talking calmly to the ScoutMaster or the ASMs about some of your concerns. Probably little point talking about the poor communication as that would probably come across as critical when what you should probably focus on the practical concerns of what you're most worried about. So if it's popcorn money and cancelled campouts, focus on those in the first instance. A long list will just be tiresome, and doesn't usually end well, in my experience (memories of one parent answering every answer I gave with "but what about this?....and what about this?" getting more and more shrill. (I'm NOT saying that's like you by the way) It wasn't pleasant. That's my recommendation as a UK Scouter that has been a leader since before the UK went fully co-ed, and heard very similar worries to yours, and who also got blindsided by a presentation we all had to attend where I thought a new programme was coming, but it was a new programme, in new sections, new age ranges, and had to get busy allaying fears of kids that thought they might be split from their older friends, and ensuring I spoke in the right ears to ensure that didn't happen, while realising my current role had been done away with. We got through it!

Not sure what you mean by "toy" guns. If you mean, literal kids toys, I don't see why not, but they're not firing projectiles. We can use nerf guns, that use foam "bullets", we just need to risk assess it. We can use water pistols, squirt guns, for summer water fights. We can play laserquest. We can go and play paintball (though generally the sites restrict it to over 14 years old for normal power guns). Clay pigeon shooting is expensive, well, I don't know anyone with a shotgun license and land enough to shoot on, we probably could, with a bit of work, sort something out cheaper than going commercial, but I'd guess the cartridges and the clays would still soon add up. Anyway, back to WSJ...

I think a previous reply has put one side of the picture and so... As I understand it, there's a range of options. The scale goes from 1: A CO that has a Boys and Girls Troop that share everything except an SM. They might meet same place same time and share the same gear ASMs committee etc. This walks like a co-ed duck, and quacks like a co-ed duck to 50: A CO that only has a Boys troop, or indeed only has a Girls Troop. They may never go on any big campouts anywhere that ever have any opposite gender Troops at it. There will be every shade in between. All points on the scale are allowed under the rules. No point railing against 1, when if what you want is a 50, go find it, or go make it happen.

Small point of order...some of our leaders have just got qualified to teach air pistol as well as air rifle. No snickering at the back. Not regularly, but ours have had the opportunity to go to Bisley and shoot all sorts of things, .303 rifles, 300yrd ranges. We could take them clay pigeon shooting, but it's very expensive. Oh, and paintball, and nerf guns, and water squirt guns 😛 Yes, I saw that and thought...oooohhhh, yes....then thought...awww, no. Would drop my other leaders in it for our explorers summer camp, and don't have enough leave for near three weeks, and it may put a little grit into the familial wheels, so on balance... it's a no from me.

This. As I've said before, in the UK, we went fully co-ed in every section in the early/mid 2000s if memory serves, and still almost every time we go out in uniform someone will comment "oh you have girls in scouts now?"

That's code isn't it? Like "that" summer camp being "such an adventure", or "that didn't quite go to plan"?

Yep. They'd be only too glad to have visitors from a distant arm of the scouting family. Of course, there's Brownsea Island. I mean, physically, I'm sure you must have all bases covered in the US, but going abroad, and if it's done as more of a cultural thing, meeting foreign scouts, visiting old stuff, castles, all that, would be a different dimension to things. I must admit, some of my most vivid and wonderful scout memories have been those when we've been abroad, or hosting foreign scouts. In the UK there are many Jamborees every summer, which would be a good way of meeting, well, lots of British scouts, and they usually have international guests from many countries, of which you could be one. There's a European Jamboree in 2020 in Gdansk Poland. https://members.scouts.org.uk/supportresources/3234/international-opportunities I suspect over the next year or so the dollar could get stronger against the pound, so it could be a good time to do a trip. Oh, and we've also stayed on the Lord Amory, which is a pretty good base for visiting London, sleeping on a boat moored opposite a huge bunch of skyscrapers, and probably half an hour or so from most of the London sites. https://www.lordamory.org That combined with Brownsea, and maybe Gilwell Park, or a UK Jamboree, would be an amazing trip.

Is there any requirement to do anything to earn that world crest? I know the badge police won't like it, but I would encourage that enthusiasm, light that fire, don't damp it down. Let her wear the badge until the uniform is sorted. Why not? Or I guess it's an opportunity to express how it's what's inside that counts, that being scout-like doesn't rely on badges and uniform, it's just what you do. Or something. Sorry, I've probably not helped.

I think the story is...thinks are never quite as simple as they first appear. It's one of the more dispiriting things I find about modern life, that there are people whose first reaction to those disagreeing with them is to issue a death threat. What's that about? [shakes head sadly] If only Bill and Ted's "Be Excellent to Each Other" had really become a worldwide mantra.

Secretly, you actually love the drama don't you?

Good link, and oh so true. I was reminded of this story from 2017: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/girl-scout-threatened-neo-nazi-protesters-photo-far-right-rally-czech-republic-a7723756.html Though that was much more straight forward so it seems that this latest culture clash. Social media and the press seem to lap up these clashes of opposites, it makes a good story, it makes a good contrast, it's a striking picture. Yes, I believe at least one of our county units will be doing that. I think their itinerary is UK->New York->Jamboree->Toronto->Washington->New York->UK And yes, it's a tricky skill that you need to learn when people take an interest in you, for good or ill, because you're in a scout uniform. It has varied from cafe owners seeking me out to praise my explorers on their behaviour, to people in almost apoplectic rage that decide your scouts are the source of all their troubles. I prefer the former I'll be honest. Last time I went to Piccadilly Circus (just last year I think) it was partly pedestrianised, and there were loads of tourists sitting about on the statue and/or taking selfies. Mostly Harmless.

If the older boys was more backpacking or canoeing or other non-car camping trips, surely they need to impress this upon the PLC themselves. I'm pretty sure the adults muscling in and telling the PLC what camps they should be having will be dispiriting and demotivating for the PLC. As for the SM demanding everyone go on 50% of camps? You ever been on a camp when some people don't really want to be there? It's not a joyous occasion. Trying to force attendance is fixing the symptom, not the underlying problem.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet; - Shakespeare

As an aside, nice to see in that article the old trope that Baden Powell would be spinning in his grave. [eye roll]

It was evolution, no designer. It took all the time in the world. Current science says earth is 4.51 Billion years old, and life first started about 3.8 BILLION years ago. The first fossils with eyes date from about 540 million years ago...so that's 3.3 billion years to evolve the eye...seems eminently feasible to me.

It's an opinion piece. As we in the UK would say, tomorrow's chip paper. And arguments about god's place in scouting? That's nothing new. I mean, usenet used to have a ggg group, and a pretty unedifying place it was too.