Tatung42

What is the best way to approach the issue when you have large ability diversity between your strongest and weakest scouts on a backpacking trip or other high adventure trip? The scout’s solution is to split the crew up into two groups with all the fast hikers in one group and the slow hikers in the other group, but to me that is a really poor way of handling it. It is just avoiding the issue rather than solving it. They have also tried (based on my suggestion) pairing up each slow scout with an experienced scout to help motivate them, but that just led to the experienced scouts not having as much fun and not wanting to come on future trips.

My son is having a great time. He has some friends in the troop, and he likes all the outings (kayaking, horseback riding, rock climbing, cope, to name a few). He just finished his first year. The SM talking for most of the meeting is so normal that the scouts really just don't know any different. The troop has patrols, but I'm not really clear what they do. Occasionally at troop meetings, they spend a few minutes for patrol meetings where they do stuff like menu planning. However on outings, the troop cooks for everyone, and I believe the adult outing leader plans the menu and buys the food. For things like camporee, the SM combines the scouts going into temporary patrols so that each patrol has enough scouts. We looked at other troops in the district last year, but the other troops were pretty unimpressive.

I would love to see BSA open to girls at all levels. I never realized until I attended the world jamboree, that the USA is like the only country where the scouting programs are separate. I was in an explorer post as youth and young adult, and one of the issues that we faced was that the girls were all inexperienced with outdoor skills compared to the boys who had learned at lot from their troops. It generate a divide between the two gender groups, which made working as a team just that much more difficult. I'm just getting back involved with venturing now, and it appears that the same still holds true.

Yeah I am trying to decide between 2 and 3. 1 is also not an option, since the Committee Chair is also the scoutmaster's puppet just like the SPL. Like I said above, it is just really hard to leave a troop with such a good outdoor program.

Practice canoeing with your crew before you go. It is good way to build your crew camaraderie and the strength you need to paddle 5+ miles out to the island. Make sure your sunblock is waterproof, and when you are heading out to the island, make sure that you put it all the way up on your thighs since shorts tend to ride up when you are seated in the war canoe. Nothing is less fun that having a sunburn on the island. Bring the recommended seasickness medicine in your crew first aid kit. Even if you don't normally get seasick, when you are out on the fishing boat in waves 2x taller than the boat, things change. Even our Island Mate threw up! Your shower on the island consists of taking your water bottle and dumping it on your head.

I just recently started helping out as an ASM. I can pretty confidently say that there is no possible way to change the way the adult leaders in the troop think. The SM has been in his position since the 1980's and most of his "trusted sidekicks" have been involved with the troop for 15+ years. Everything is done his way, and he frowns upon new ideas from "rogue" ASMs like myself.

So after being involved with my troop for awhile, I have come to the realization that the troop is pretty much totally adult led. Sure they put on the facade of being boy run. The SPL is in front of the troop at meetings, but he is just reading off an agenda prepared by the SM. And a big chunk of the agenda is "here is the SM to talk about XYZ". There is also a youth "in charge" of most outings, but their job is mostly to just promote the event (again usually by reading off a script prepared by the adult in charge of the trip). The thing is, the troop has an excellent program. There are outings at least every month, the troop owns a ton of camping equipment, and there are a bunch of experienced and committed adults (even if they are the ones running the show). The boys are having a lot of fun, probably more than they would in a "less polished" troop that actually has a boy-led program. It is just really hard to leave a troop like my current one for one that might not have as strong of a program.

I have been lurking on this forum for a few days, and I just registered so that I could participate in discussion. I am just getting back into scouting with my kids, but I have a pretty deep history with boy scouts. I'm an eagle scout, I am big into high adventure (I did the triple crown...I need to go to Summit Bechtel now!), and I spent three summers working at summer camp as a young adult.