Col. Flagg

A few thoughts: Teams select people that first attend practices and other training sessions. If you don't do that you can't get any further. I'd like to see troops do this I think Eagle is partially an individual requirement. There's a whole host of people who play a part in that "individual" accomplishment. It may not be an official team effort, but it is like a NASCAR driver winning. The driver gets the glory, but without the pit crew, pit boss and a host of supporting folks, he wouldn't make it one lap. I'd have no problem with a highly active Scout who does not advance. That's my "recreational" Scout. Love them. They tend to have the most fun. I also have no problem with the highly active Scout who advances like Patton on Red Bull. They tend to show others what's possible...as long as they are doing it without parents flying air cover too much.

True. But a troop that allows a somewhat active Scout to barely complete the minimum set of requirements to become Eagle does not strengthen the Eagle or Scouting brand. Such Scouts are the Scouting equivalent of bench-warmers. They still show up, do the bare minimum and yet still get the ultimate prize...many times with mom or dad bulldozing the way for them.

Yes, quite often. In fact, the local school district tried to make an ad hoc band practice mandatory (e.g., for a grade). One rather astute parent -- whom I think was related to @@NJCubScouter due to her ability to find the pertinent section of some obscure, yet relevant document -- found the school board's own policy prohibiting making such events mandatory. What did the band director do? While not mandatory, anyone who missed the event could not go on the fun band trip; essentially coercing attendance. So the troop canoe trip that had 45 Scouts signed up ended up going with 20 since the other Scouts were compelled to attend the band event.

I remember when football was a fall sport. You reported to training camp in August (mid or late) and then the season ended in late October or November, unless you went to state. Now they have (mandatory) spring football and you report in late July for training camp. I remember when band was a fall thing. Like football, you went to camp in August. You played at games on Friday night. If you were good you went to a competition. Now EVERYONE goes to competitions. Practices are after school, before school and on weekends and they are mandatory. Then you have spring band camp. I remember when there was recreational and select sports. Only the best players went select, the rest played recreational. You started around 7 or 8 and played through high school, usually with your friends. Now EVERYONE plays select. Rec leagues are dying because players as young as 6 are playing "academy" or pre-select. Practices are several times a week and games or tournaments every weekend. The costs can run as high as $5,000 a year or more. The problem? Parents pushing kids or thinking their kids is the next Pele or Nolan Ryan. Schools pushing kids by making things mandatory so they can't say no if they want to participate if even just a bit. Heck, even church groups are becoming mandatory these days. Scouts is one of the only non-obligatory things around these days. You'd think that would make it popular, but it's become just another thing that takes up a weeknight or weekend.

Well if a working group was formed to explore the girls-in-scouting issue, the press is pretty darn silent on the topic. You'd think someone would pick it up if it were true.

BSA-sponsored? No. Some local councils along the trail sponsor segment patches. But the ATC has a site where you can get various segment patches.

Now I know why I don't have a gym membership.

Copperheads are nasty. Had a neighbor's kid get bit and he went through 5 vials of anti-venom and was in hospital for a week.

2013 and 2015 come to mind. And I'd say those decisions still have this forum a bit up side down.

Fall 2017?

I have the app. There's no real news being posted there.

They have an app to get the "news" from the convention.

We have a family in the unit from England (Manchester). That's why.

@@blw2, Our new advancement chair is an engineer. He's already digested the BOR section and is revamping a few things to come more in to compliance with the GTA. I'd say 98% of what we do was compliant. A few things, like uniform, were not...though the uniform remains heavily suggested.

I asked my teenagers what the talk in school was on this subject. According to them, most kids were worried about Arianna Grande, was she hurt and would her tour go on. My kids were personally disgusted by this lack of empathy for the true victims. Thankfully, the Scouts had a moment of silence at the meeting this week. Totally their idea.

Our troop MBC's don't use the worksheets. Their use tends to reinforce the mind set that the MB is like a school class where, if you complete the worksheet, you get the badge. Instead, we give our Scouts a piece of paper which is a series of quotes from the Guide to Advancement and the MBC Guide that outline how a MB is earned. We emphasis the concepts of "show", "discuss", "explain", etc., rather than focusing on completing a worksheet. Has worked well for us.

I was at Kandersteg twice since 2012. What they liked best about the US Scouts? Not the neckers...our uniforms. They loved the shirts and all the patches, especially the OA patches. Council strips were big traders too.

Missing the point. If the necker aficionados... Feel so strongly about one part of the uniform, then why not ALL parts of the uniform? Think that only "a skilled and perceptive leader" leaders can "get their boys excited about anything", why focus that energy on an object (necker) rather than really engaging their Scouts on a myriad of other more important issues? I get you guys are necker-happy. Great. But let's not cast dispersions on those who aren't. The necker doesn't make the Scouter. Heck, the uniform and knots don't make the Scouter, so it really doesn't matter WHAT someone wears. The program and boys learning and growing is what matters. That's the point.

No offense, bit if your premise was true -- that "a skilled and perceptive leader" get the boys "excited about anything" -- those efforts would be best applied to keeping Scouts who want to drop out of Scouting, rather than something as meaningless as a part of the uniform. I am assuming that since we all experience kids dropping out of Scouts, none of us -- even the necker-wearing ones of us -- are that skilled or perceptive. Do you feel the same about Scot socks? Scout pants? Wearing patches properly? Adherence to the uniform guidelines?

Not all camps are like this. A few camps out west have gone to an adventure-based program where there are blocks of activities during the day. Scouts can elect to go with a MB track or an adventure track. According to one camp our Scouts are looking at for 2018, the split is in favor of adventure over MBs. Sadly, this camp is in Utah, so the LDS pull out may impact them a bit.

Bandannas are the new necker.

It's BSA. It is likely prohibited for you and me, not for the members of the Politburo.

This maybe? Granted, they say they don't endorse (recommend) it, but you never know what the company did. http://www.scouting.org/Home/OutdoorProgram/Safety/zanfel.aspx Which brings me to this little nugget. Note the logo in the middle... https://www.zanfel.com/help And BSA wonders why we (Scouters) question things they say or publish. While not an endorsement, a sponsorship by many will be seen the same way.

Well, BSA has to move along with the times, so we always hear. Maybe getting rid of the necker is just another step in the name of progress.

BSA again using the wrong program for what their MEMBERS require. LiveCycle is a great program for taking various applications and merging them in to a pdf for output, BUT ONLY if the document is a static doc that does not require input or manipulation by the end user. Sure it's great for BSA's minions who have to manage the doc, but it stinks for the end user. There are digital rights filters in the doc that will trigger all sorts of fun formatting and content issues if you try to crack it with anything other than Adobe.