swilliams

There’s a debate, for sure. We would need more parents to camp if we didn’t have the trailer. This trip we had six adults and ten scouts. Newly crossed over, so more parents than usual. Between patrol boxes, backpacks, food/coolers and scouts, we were very pressed for space. If we hadn’t had as many parents as we did, we wouldn’t have been able to transport. And I don’t know about other troops, but we have a really hard time getting parents to stay for a meeting or send out an email, let alone camp. That said, Venture Crew doesn’t have a trailer. But we’re also a small al-girl crew and our youngest is 14. Big difference between crew and troop in terms of who is ready for mainly backpacking trips. We also buy a lot of freeze-dried meals for the crew (we’ll be using them our next trip - 14 miles in the Burroughs Range in NY), and they get expensive. Admittedly there are alternatives. Would be interesting to see how many have trailers and how many do without.

Can confirm. We are the only family besides the SM who can pull the trailer, and my husband has done so for the last five trips. This past trip, our newly-licensed daughter needed our trailer-pulling car to get herself to Venture Crew while we were camping. Our only other vehicle is a stick shift. We ended up having to load patrol boxes into a couple cars. Parents now have a new appreciation for our towing abilities. 🤣

I also found the following, saying the CO selects leaders, which seems a little weird, only because our CO has next-to-nothing to do with our troop. 18-981.jo (scouting.org) It makes much more sense that the Committee Chair is responsible. I have new info to add... no one else wants to do the job, apparently. My husband said 'no way', and said the third ASM had indicated to him in the past that he had "zero desire" to take on that role. As much as I would love to, I firmly believe the boys need a male in the role. If this particular ASM is the only one willing to step into the role, then the maybe the focus needs to shift to how best to make sure he gets the needed training - which has been lacking on all fronts for a few years, including committee, SM, ASM, and PLC - and that he gets the support to build the troop back to where we were when our boys first joined. It also seems that we're still struggling to get back to a 'normal' level of activity post-Covid., so that's not helping.

I had a conversation last night with the Committee Chair. I was shocked when she said this particular ASM was going to be our new Scoutmaster. She was shocked when I told her there had definitely NOT been a conversation with the other ASMs (nor any other registered adult, as far as I can tell). And it wasn't discussed with her. So next question, since the outgoing Scoutmaster has tried to do an end-run around everyone involved, aside from the person he is trying to appoint: can you give any advice as to best way to tell them both that there needs to be a different process here? Just say, "There needs to be a different process here"?

After a very rocky start with the new Scoutmaster a few years ago, we managed a decent working relationship, but here we go again. I just found out from our Committee Chair that the SM told her a particular ASM would be taking over as the next Scoutmaster. Is this the way it's supposed to work? That the SM just picks someone and informs the rest of the Troop, including the CC? The CC told me she assumed he had talked it over with the ASMs, but one of the ASMs is my husband, and he said there was no discussion. In fact, my husband and I had privately discussed whether he had any interest in being Scoutmaster, or whether the third ASM (not the one "selected") might be willing to step into the position, as he's been very good in the role of ASM. I really like this person, and he and my husband are good friends, but he's frequently away for days at a time with his job, he backs out of plans all the time, he hasn't been on a camping trip in forever, he comes to maybe one or two Troop meetings a month... I don't know. He's a really great guy, he has some great ideas and has helped organize a VERY cool aviation day in the past. He's an Eagle Scout. But coming off of three years of 'managing a decent working relationship'... I'm concerned. How much say do the Committee Chair, the committee in general, and the troop parents have in who leads the Troop?

We camped at Resica Falls Scout Reservation this weekend. Opted for cabin camping because we had all of our newest scouts camping, but only a single First Class scout (my own son who just barely turned 14). We hiked, but the reservation also had a life-sized foosball pen and a gaga pit, which the scouts loved. The rest of the time they spent hanging out in hammocks and exploring one of the many, many streams that feed into the river. In March I ran an orienteering event that I'd been working on for a VERY long time. Making the map took forever (and took a lot of trips out to the area, so I got lots of outdoor time). Of course - always the way things seem to go - I found open-source software that helps you make an orienteering map once mine was 90% done. Parents manned each 'control' (checkpoint) since this was our first ever time trying the event. Staggered the start times and sent out three teams of scouts. They had a blast!! The youngest scouts were very excited to be heading out to the woods without adults accompanying them. We're headed to Gettysburg next month, then Citta Scout Reservation near the Jersey Shore for cowboy action shooting and sea kayaking in June. Also in June I'm planning a 'Scouting Experience Day' - part recruiting event and partly something fun for the scouts and the community to do. Going to have two teams of scouts have a trebuchet building contest early in the day, then will use them as part of the community event.

My troop thinks I have mystical powers because I know so much before anyone else does. All because I came here a few years ago hoping to learn how to create a good program and be an effective leader. (Or was it because I couldn’t figure out how to print blue cards from Troopmaster?)

From a legal standpoint, for the LDS church I'm wondering if they have more of a liability due to the way they "call" (appoint) their leaders?

Question about how the lawsuits are listed. If a council shows "John Does 1-10", does that mean there are ten lawsuits filed under that claim number? If a second listing shows "Corp. 1-100"?

Your pain, that of the others who have posted, and if the many others who aren’t on this board, do have value to the ground level volunteers like me. (‘Value’ used in this case only in quoting your post.) It’s very apparent at this point that there isn’t enough money in the pot to compensate for the renewed pain of the bankruptcy case, let alone the original abuse. Not that any amount could erase the harm done. I sincerely hope that when this is over there are enough of us (those who are involved in today’s scouting) who have become aware of the magnitude of the abuse, that we can make a difference on an individual level in our Packs, Troops and Crews toward stopping future abuse. Please know that your sharing has changed my own views of what BSA can and should give up - and that probably goes for others here as well. Hoping that we come out of this leaner, more disciplined, and more focused on youth and less on the organization. This post may get bumped to a different thread, as it’s not directly related to the case, but I felt compelled to try and let all of you know that your involvement has made a difference to at least one person, and I’ll take that to my Troop and Crew.

That last paragraph is what brought me here a few years back. Yes, a wealth on information here. Our council has still declined to tell us the amount we will owe, though we didn’t get a letter telling us what the fee increase would be (with an emphasis on what a bargain it is). To be fair, it does seem they are keeping council fees low compared to what they were last year. I did not get a reply to my email pointing out that there is no longer a NDA keeping council from letting us know what the damages will be. Unsurprised. Husband said I shouldn’t have sent it, but what are they going to do? Fire me? 🤣

Thank you. I told our committee chair I was going to email them and call them out on this. Feeling a bit pissy this morning. I admitted it may not be scout-like to call BS on their email. The CC said it’s not scout-like to lie. Haha.

Could someone please clarify where LCs stand with regard to the NDA? I received an email from ours finally admitting they will have to pay, but claiming they aren’t allowed to tell us what the contribution is. I thought I read the info is no longer confidential. This thread (these threads) are too long to go back and search for it.

Thanks for your response - particularly point #4. There’s a lot to learn from listening (or reading, in this case). I see where many of us likely have the wrong idea of helping and ‘fixing’.

As a parent, I’d want the abuser to suffer in ways more creative than any I could even come up with. I’m not sure that would be of any help to a child. Or a grown man who was abused as a child. It appears there’s not much that does help - no undoing what was done. And yes, I’d want the organization that allowed it to pay. Still, I want to see scouting continue because I see my older son, who had some pretty major issues with anxiety, self-doubt, and suicidal thoughts as a 10-11 year old, and who has a very mild learning disability, become stronger and more confident through the opportunities he has gotten from scouting. (He actually corrected his swim coach the other day. A major achievement for him to speak up for himself.) There has been a lot of discussion about what can be given up and still have a functioning program. Camping, and the learning and leadership that goes along with it, has been the largest part of my son’s progress. Maybe everything should be given, as it’s not like camping doesn’t exist outside of a scout reservation. My own bigger worry would be that without an actual organization it all falls apart. Maybe something else eventually takes its place, but most people I know can barely organize a dinner with friends twice a year, let alone structure something meaningful for a large group of kids without the support being part of an organization brings. I’m not sure, after being part of this thread and having all of you willing to share your thoughts and stories, that the trade off of helping some boys is worth risking the abuse of another. I don’t know what the right answer is. I’m just a mom who wants what’s best for her own child, and is having a hard time reconciling. I’m getting there, though. One thing that has occurred to me, as I’ve questioned why I’m okay with having my sons in scouts (and daughter in Venturing), is that I’ve continually camped with both the troop and crew and am personally involved - as a crew advisor and a troop committee member and registered adult. My husband is an ASM now as well. I’d say make all the parents be more involved, but who am I kidding. I can’t even get enough people to sign up for once-a-season shift in the snack shack and end up making my kids help me run it.

At our last Eagle COH I gave the four scouts we were honoring a picture frame with the photo mat showing images of the merit badges they had earned, and with their name and date they made Eagle at the top. It was intended to be a personal gift from me, but our Scoutmaster somehow convinced me to present them as being from the Troop. I guess that’s what we do now.

I’ll answer myself, haha!! For anyone else who may have come across this issue., I still don’t know how to print on the cards from the scout shop, but our former advancement chair just contacted me. (Of course, mere seconds after I posted here.) Apparently there is special blue cardstock you purchase from Troopmaster.

I think I’ve posted about this before, but can’t find anything. I’ve been unable to find a program/template that prints on those perforated cards you get from the scout shop. Troopmaster will generate a card, but it’s in landscape format and print two per page -huge!! Can anyone help?

That would be nice, but I just don’t see BSA suddenly reversing over a year’s worth of foot-dragging and unrealistic view of what they can part with. Does anyone think they’ll now agree to sell off the HA bases? Maybe they’ll try to legally force councils to participate? I can’t pretend to know, but their past maneuvering makes any new progress seem unlikely.

Certainly sounds like it. Without being there, and not totally understanding all the legalese, it appears to this lay-person that BSA and their lawyers are still not putting forth any “real” effort. Over a year into it. Disappointing, I’d hazard to say, for all of us regardless of our interest in seeing the end of litigation.

Agree with those who have said let the individual units decide whether to be girl, boy, or co-ed. My daughter had two Venture Crews to choose from; one co-ed and the other all-girl. She chose the all-girl crew. Apparently it's not only boys who feel less pressure or more comfortable in a same-sex group. 🙂

We don't have any recruiting events planned (thanks Covid), but will hold off of basing any plans around the outcome of the bankruptcy, with the exceptions of telling Life scouts to hurry up (and encouraging the same for Star). We're planning on welcoming the AOL's as usual. Dues aren't due for any current scouts until fall anyway.

Thanks. I’ve seen your magic math on this pages back, working from two ends, just didn’t make the connection.

Can someone please explain to me what “Estimation of Claims” is in layman’s terms? Also, is anything happening prior to the status conference in mid-April? And is that just what it sounds like; a check-in on progress of BSA supplying rosters? From what I can tell by reading the last four pages, there’s been no ruling on whether LCs are separate, is that right? Did she indicate whether LCs must come to the table? We all know they’re going to have to, but as of now they’re still not being required to? Thanks.

I'll ask what our SM asked when I suggested this. Who is going to insure you?