jjlash

Pioneering merit badge pamphlet, BSA handbook and BSA fieldbook would be good places to start to learn pioneering skills. Beyond that your Scouts will need some imagination to either envision the thing they are supposed to build - or imagination to turn the drawings/sketches they were given into the real thing. Definitely don't skip that station. Let the Scouts do their best and when they get to that station ask for examples or demonstration. Regardless, how well they do with their lashings, this will be way more memorable than sitting in a merit badge classroom.

Please do take the online MBC training to ensure you know how that part of the program is supposed to work. Don't rely on what you remember from your time as a Scout and don't rely on what other (well intentioned) leaders tell you - go straight to the source.

Yes, the basic tenets of Scouting incorporate the ideas but they do not, in themselves, raise awareness of different kinds of diversity, and what equity and inclusion looks like for different groups or different circumstances. Our goal is to make "good human beings" and Eagle Scouts should be the best examples of this - so it seems like a really good life skill for Eagle Scouts to have had an introduction to DEI beyond what they might experience in their own little corner of the world.

I have not been involved with Cubs in many years - before the Cyber Chip was added - so take this from an almost-outsider. It seems to me this discussion is missing an opportunity and possibly missing the point. What I read is that your kids do have access to the internet - it is restricted and supervised - but they do have access. I read the intent of the waiver option as being for kids (families) who truly have no access - or no practical access. The requirement does not say for them to do the Cyber Chip on their own, or by themselves and I don't think that is the intent. The whole Cub program, and especially the Tiger program, is intended to be done with a parent/guardian/family. So - isn't the solution as simple as spending the time to do the Cyber Chip together with your Scout(s)?

"Units aren't allowed to solicit funds in the name of scouting" does not equal "Units cannot raise funds in the name of Scouting" Units absolutely can raise funds in the name of Scouting. Fill out the "unit money earning application", get it approved by the district exec and off you go for any number of sales or service fundraisers. What units cannot do is ask for "donations" - i.e. please give us money (for a project or not) just because we asked. That avenue is reserved for councils. That distinction does not change the discussion about who owns the money or items accumulated by a unit. Im solidly in the camp of - the CO owns everything and the council should have no control/influence/benefit over it.

For Philmont we roll everything except souvenirs into one price and split it to 3 or 4 payments. We start collecting money as soon as we get confirmation of a spot - before we need to send any to Philmont. We have a parent-required info meeting up front where we go over the costs, schedules and participation requirements and have them sign a commitment form. We tell them that Philmont doesn't give refunds so we can't give refunds. In reality we would consider giving a refund of what we have collected but not yet spent, if losing the that person would not drop us below the Philmont minimum (or if we could find a replacement). The catch-22 is this - if there is some kind of emergency that they cannot go, you want to be supportive as best you can. You don't want to lose a family because they lost $1000 on top of grandma dying. The other scenario is a Scout who just changes his mind - you might not care about being supportive but you surely don't want a Scout on the trek who does not want to be there. Philmont rangers tell stories of Scouts who break bear-protocol rules on purpose so they will get sent home. Definitely don't want them along. One other option - for a big expense like Philmont we usually talk to the parents about trip cancellation insurance. There are lots of places online to purchase it and it is usually pretty inexpensive compared to the cost of the trip. The ones that Ive purchased in the past are very broad coverage - meaning they cover most any reason for cancelling.

Naw, you didnt miss the Eagle Scout team. I only saw them 3 times for about 3 seconds each - just barely long enough for their name to flash on the screen as they moved past the camera. When you watch the final episode and they show the teams crossing the finish line - pay attention to how long it took them. It was interesting to see the time for the fastest teams compared to the slowest. I cant imagine pushing yourself that hard (with so little sleep) for 11 days straight.

Yep, there is overlap in the list of skills but the purpose for them and the approach to delivering them is different. I can't find a reference, but as I recall, about the same time National blasted training chairs with "IOLS cannot be done online" they also hit us with "do not combine BALOO and IOLS". We used to do like you - combine groups for the skills that overlap. Now we schedule both courses the same weekend at the same camp so we can share instructors. We make clear that they are teaching the same skill but they need to follow the curriculum for each course to ensure the delivery is correct for the audience.

From page 6 of the IOLS facilitator guide: For IOLS the skills are only part of the purpose. The other part (even for experienced scouters) is to have that experience of being a new Scout - being in a group of people you might not know, going through the stages of team development, working together, the fellowship. It never hurts to have a refresher on the skills - the way BSA wants things taught does change from time to time. The other path Ive used for someone who believes they should not have to go through training - have them help teach the course. Naturally - during this time of restrictions we'll have to find ways to hold the courses that works within the restrictions and makes people feel comfortable. It is entirely possible - in fact off the top of my head there should be very few changes necessary since there is nothing in IOLS or BALOO that involves close personal contact.

My Troop is having their first campout this week. They are doing 3 days, mid-week at a county park (only one other camper in the park). They are doing 1 per tent and are not doing patrol cooking - meals are being prepared and served by the adults [ick]. "Family night" is parents bringing food for them and their Scout only. Everything is on paper/plastic, no dish washing [again, ick]. I dont know what they were told about masks. When I was there today they were all outdoors and not wearing masks but also not paying much attention to distancing.

I wouldnt worry about what NTier sets up for trips - focus on the neat things to see then build a route that takes in several of them. Prairie Portage is neat and they can get a picture at the Canada sign. Robbins Island is neat - there is "bacon rock" and some remnants of Dorothy Molter's lodge (stop at the museum before hand to learn about Dorothy). There are some pictographs between Jordan and Ima. Cattyman Falls is nice. You'd have to look it up - I remember there are some old pilings and a sunken steam ship in the south part of Basswood - near the end of 4-mile portage as I recall. If you want to get away from the Moose Lk area - we went in at Mudro last year then up to Fourtown and Gun lake areas. Very nice and fewer people.

Hey @John-in-KC I see Summit published something yesterday that gives more detail than I would. https://www.summitbsa.org/aditl-screening/?fbclid=IwAR3UYYbMGp5vUqkbRncxTGeqtLqHTeEfAWv0QbO5xiz8x7ZjyHhAKLnHZrc

The course does have a lot of movement between locations plus the hike to the overnight location. At Philmont it is held in the backcountry so arranging transportation would be a challenge (though not impossible if PTC really wanted to support it). I have never been to Summit and do not know how the locations we'll use for various activities are laid out. I'll message you to get an email address and put you in touch with our course director so he can check with Summit folks.

It is not my place to share specifics - I do not speak for Summit, details will vary by program or activity, and of course they are subject to change as things evolve. People who are going to Summit have been (or will be) contacted with details for their specific trek/activity/arrival. I can share some broad information, such as - the medical staff is reviewing where people/units are coming from, how they are traveling and their med forms to determine their risk level. Risk level will determine the level of screening people will receive on arrival. As you can imagine, PPE, hand sanitizing and social distancing are part of the procedures. Housing, dining and program activities will be adjusted/arranged/organized to ensure group sizes follow CDC / WV health department guidelines.

As of now (May 27) the July session of Summit Leadership Challenge and NAYLE are happening. If your summer plans have been cancelled, and if you are open the travel and being around other people - this could be your chance to attend. Summit has specific health procedures for everyone visiting the reservation, and we are working with Summit medical staff to adjust our program for things like group size and number of tents. This will be the first time the Leadership Challenge course has been run independently held at Summit. When the course was held in 2015 it was basically done as an adult patrol in the NAYLE course. It has been canceled for low registrations each time since 2015. You could be part of the first! For those who TL;DR this thread, the course is 6 days of activities and scenarios which provide context to practice leadership skills. Activities include challenge events (low COPE), geocaching, wilderness first aid (with moulage), search and rescue, leave no trace and radio usage. There is an overnight backpack trek, a conservation project and a trip to the Big Zip. The course builds on the skills from WB but there is none of the WB course (i.e. no song, no totems, no critters) - the focus is on servant leadership and the participant experience. Registration is still open: https://www.summitbsa.org/programs/training/