HelpfulTracks

The Lodge only needs your health form if you are going to attend events. But in those cases they do need it, in fact it is policy. We usually have 3-4 youth doing check-in but adults are nearby and adults keep control over medical records. We are fortunate enough to have a few MD's in the Lodge and at events, so they are usually in charge of health forms, if not we keep them locked up in admin.

I’m sure those numbers will bounce back this year since, fingers crossed, Philmont will be operational.

It is not the location, we have some of the very best trails located within an hours drive. It’s the planning and having enough adults and youth willing and capable of making 5 day 50 plus mile trek. For some of those that planned for Philmont last year, turning around and planning their own trek. It’s the 5 days and fitting it into a busy Scouting schedule. My son, for example, already has 4.5 weeks out of 10 in Scouting events. All of which he committed to before he found out he could not go to Philmont last year.

I would estimate that the drop is 99% Philmont not being open last Summer. The 1200 MB decline in backpacking is about 5% of a typical Philmont Summer. The 30 miler over 5 days in no easy task logistically (or otherwise). If not for Philmont I wouldn’t have gotten it. My son probably won’t since he missed last Summer due to fires and his Summer is already booked for this year.

It disturbs me that someone who is responsible for/assist in making national policy could or would make that statement.

If the crossover is being conducted by the OA, then the sash is appropriate. Plus the OA is looking at different ways it can be of service and be more visible to the Cub program. Wearing the sash at crossovers is just one more way to be more visible to them.

For youth: Adults getting involved and taking over the training rather than let the youth do it Training is to academic in nature, i.e. indoor classroom rather than outdoors and hands on (usually because of the issue above) For Adults Adults are not very interested in getting training Too few adequately trained trainers Training gets shortened more every year, so some elements are dropped from training and others are just shortened to the extreme Training is to academic in nature, i.e. indoor classroom rather than outdoors and hands on (once again see the issues above)

Perhaps I misunderstood the OP, I thought he meant his son was cooking for 3 adults rather than his own patrol.

With the Den and Pack, the parents should be participating. I would have a simple discussion with them. Based on what you have stated I would tell them that their children are more than welcome to attend and participate but they need to be registered and have health forms A&B completed. This is a requirement for both safety and liability reasons. If needed, you can also find scholarships for them. Direct and simple usually works best.

Ultimately the MB Counselor has the final say, not the SM. I assume you are talking about requirement 5d for outdoor cooking. I always teach MB Counselors to read the requirements, base passing the requirements on just what it says, nothing less, nothing more. Which is BSA policy. In this case you read the requirements correctly. Following the requirements as written means your son did not pass. However, as I said, the final say is the MB Counselors. Is cooking for a group vs a group of youth enough to make a difference? Given the difficulty of getting youth on campouts in your troop, I can understand why the SM wants to count it. He is just trying to help the youth. Personally, if I’m the MB Counselor, I say it is supposed to be a group of youth that he cooks for, not adults. If it is a group of youth along with some adults, I’m fine with it. But that is not the case here. That said, read the requirement again. It says cook in the outdoors, it does not specify a campout. It would be easy enough to cook for a group of youth in any outdoor setting. It doesn’t require him to cook on a campout.

Here is the link https://www.cbs.com/shows/cbs_this_morning/video/mUObu4_8ouVgu0VRyBo8BuwWgSwwGXcf/a-new-era-begins-for-the-boy-scouts-of-america/

Your understanding of YPT is correct. However, she could save the $33 and register as a Merit Badge Counselor.

He is covered in the MB. In fact when I teach it, he is in there a good bit. He is one of the people the Scouts can write about, and I talk about him for the Handbook. In addition to what's specifically related to him in the requirements, I bring him up patrol method and Wood Badge. I also talk about Burnham, even though he isn't specifically mentioned in the requirements. We cannot add to MB requirements, but nothing says we cannot teach MORE than what is in the requirements.

As a youth my father taught me firearm safety and how to shoot (in that order). We did have NRA classes associated with school, but I never took them. Having been in the military and witnessed a number of NRA classes as an adult, I realize how thorough my father was in his teaching. As far as shooting instruction/sports etc. in Scouting. I think it is great! We no longer have NRA classes in schools. Without Scouting, I would say most of the Scouts I have been around would have never touched a firearm. They certainly would not have had any safety education. The mystery of firearms is replaced by a healthy respect for them.

Well, maybe it is a lot of talking (and demonstration) but we are talking about a loaded firearm. Safety is critical. We have three one hour sessions with NRA instructor spread over 3 meetings. Miss one and you don't get to shoot on the outing. Best attended meetings of the year.

I am aware of it. Looks very interesting. I wish I had the time to add it to my Scouting repertoire. I have met several Sea Scouts including a Quartermaster, a couple of Skippers and even a Commodore. And I am aware that it is almost as old as Scouting. There also used to be Air Scouts, wish we still had that. We are hundreds of miles from any coast and have at least 2 Ships (Sea Scouts version of Troops). At lest one of them is at a "Yacht Club." I put it in parenthesis because 99% of the boats in that club are small sail boats, pontoons, house boats or motor boats. I could probably count on one hand the number that are large enough to have berths for more than one or two people. It appears that Ships use small sail boats, though they do occasionally have access to larger sail boats, but certainly not what most people would call Yachts and absolutely not tall ships. The youth are pretty much average youth, who would, if not for Scouting, not have access to sail boats. They also try to send a few youth to Sea Base every year for the Sailing experience.

I started writing a long story about an issue I had with parents not wanting to disclose. I decided to delete that and not to post the story even though no names were used. Long story short, I am accepting responsibility for their youth and others. Any medical condition that may effect that youth OR OTHERS around them, I need to know about. I may need to communicate that to other leaders as well. It is never discussed with other Scouts or parents. Beyond that, I keep the files in a locked box that has 4 keys which I distribute to other leaders in case of emergency. If you are trusting me to bring your child back home safely then you should trust me with their medical information and that I will keep in private. If you do not trust me to do that, then why on earth would your trust me with your child. There is one caveat that I have learned. It has never come up, but if it does I plan to handle it in the following manner. If Scout X has a medical condition that could impact other Scouts, I have a discussion with the parents of Scout X. I would suggest we have a group meeting with other Scout parents. If they disagree, I tell them I would like to take it to the CO and/or Council to have a discussion about next steps. I've never had to do that so I am not sure what would happen from there.

The OA has explained the process. There is an entire guide for elections. The Unit request an election from Lodge or Chapter (the election team doesn’t just show up). The OA election team runs the election. (It is highly discouraged for Unit Scouts/Scouters to be part of that team. The Unit leader determines who is on the ballot (as long as they meet camping and rank requirements). There are a lot of details in the Guide but it’s pretty straight forward.

You will find the OA is very accommodating to solo Scouts as well as groups. You should absolutely go. My son was the only one active from his troop at first, now other go as well and he is now Lodge Chief. He has made friends with hundreds of Scouts in the Lodge and in several other Lodges as well. Join your chapter meetings as well if they are active. Volunteer with the Lodge, join a committee and try different tings. Odds are you will find something you enjoy and can have a positive impact on the Lodge and Scouting. Most importantly, have fun, and don't worry about being solo or who else does or does not attend.

My name is Scoutmaster Matt Foley and I live in a van down by the river!

I have a question for the OP. Had there been no 1st year rule and none of the Scouts had been on the ballot would the Scouts and parents in question still be disappointed and confused? if 1 or 2 had been on the ballot would there still be an issue?

Contact your council to see if they have a Chair for International Scouting. Many do. Particularly this year as it is World Jambo year. If they have one, then they can assist you in connecting with Troops from other countries. If your council does not have one, then perhaps they can point you to another council in your Area that has such a position.

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Interesting. I use stories often. My son says I have a story for everything, as he rolls his eyes. But he admits they work........usually. Yelling? I guess it depends on how you define it. Berating anyone is a no go. But my son and others call my "coaching voice" yelling. He has pointed out it is the same volume and intensity if it is good (Great block!), bad (keep your head up or you will break your neck!) or indifferent (Water break!). I don't use it constantly so he says it gets your attention even if you are a 100 yards away. I don't use it much in Scouting except when there is distance between us, like setting up an orienteering course or working a service project where we are spread out. If that is yelling, then I am guilty. I prefer to ask questions when I am trying to make a teaching point. It takes longer, but it tends to sink in better when a youth gets to the correct conclusion on his own. Questioning just serves as a guide to get them there. It can also be a learning point for me, particularly when those questions expose a different perspective based on generation or culture.

Are telling me I’m old? 🤔