InquisitiveScouter

No, you should check who is listed in the Functional Roles under Organization Manager in my.scouting. You, may be able to tweak those...

So, as an Assistant Scoutmaster, this person works for you (Scoutmaster), and as Scoutmaster, you answer to the Committee Chair. You see the conundrum there?

Short answer: NO! Now, your Scoutbook roster isn't the official document. Before we go too far down the rabbit hole, may I ask what roles you have under your profile in my.scouting.org ?? Longer answer: You cannot be a CC and Assistant SM in the same unit. Having the "Key 3 Delegate" title in Scoutbook makes no sense, because, as CC, they are already Key 3. Regarding the other Committee positions, it begs this question: how many Scouts are in the Troop? You can see @DuctTape has quoted you chapter and verse above, per your request. Finally, reality often does not care what our regulations have to say 😜

I often say, the Scouting program is a mile wide, and, if you choose a specific area, you can go a mile deep as well. Ranks and requirements are the breadth... merit badges, awards, and further training (Kodiak, NYLT, NAYLE, etc) are the depth... For adults, you can go even deeper in the training opportunities offered in Aquatics, Shooting Sports, High Adventure, Outdoor Ethics, STEM, etc, etc, etc... I wholeheartedly concur with @OaklandAndy, in that most adult volunteers are simply ignorant of the opportunities Scouting offers for all ages.

Meh

Bring back a Bird Study as Eagle required! Or make it one of a group... Bird/Mammal/Insect/Reptile and Amphibian/Fish and Wildlife Mgmt/Forestry/etc etc etc Drop Cit in Society ASAP...

And we are missing a great opportunity to be THE organization that puts outdoor stewardship as a core value while we are in the outdoors. We dabble in it... to get requirements signed off...

Hey, wait... are we in the same council? Just looked at the training stats for our council/district. Only 68% of unit leaders have finished their position required training. Or, from the other angle, 32%, council-wide, have not completed their basic position training. There's a good place to start... We are the only unit with 100% trained adults in our district. Council-wide, we are the largest of 8 units with 100% trained. Gold JTE for the past 7 years... (so >= 85% retention year over year, >= 9 short term outings per annum, >=70% of Troop at summer camp, etc. etc. etc.) The only interest we have ever gotten from council, in my time here, is to ask why we weren't having FOS presentations in our unit, and to ask why we did not attend our local Summer Camp. (the answer is because the PLC decided to go to other camps, and the committee voted each year not to have FOS presentations) Council did not like those answers from me the Scoutmaster... not my decision in either arena... shows a complete lack of unit organization/unit program understanding to hold those against any SM. smh

We make earning the awards fun 😜 Fun with a purpose. The purpose is to experience the personal growth (and other Scouting methods) reached while pursuing the award. The award is simply a "tangible" milestone marking the intangibles we experience along the way...

Do they have the "attachment" rates for Scouts BSA awards?

Great idea, but it is all about the money... Girl Scouts of the USA (part of WAGGS) is simply not going to give up an $800 million dollar revenue stream to either 1) merge with the Boy Scouts of America (part of WOSM) and become one WOSM NSO, or 2) accept "Scouts of America, or Scouts USA" as a trademark infringement which confuses their business model and target audience (although they lost that lawsuit...) https://www.wsj.com/video/series/the-economics-of/from-thin-mints-to-tagalongs-how-cookies-fuel-girl-scouts-success/B4839193-1AB9-4CCE-B106-C2BAEE40E912 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/boy-scouts-defeat-girl-scouts-trademark-lawsuit-over-co-ed-scouting-2022-04-07/ https://scoutingwire.org/girl-scouts-of-the-united-states-of-america-gsusa-and-boy-scouts-of-america-bsa-have-entered-into-an-agreement-to-end-trademark-infringement-litigation/#:~:text=July 25%2C 2022-,Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) and,respective missions to serve youth. Finally, although in reality, a "Congressional Charter" doesn't mean squat, BSA clings to this designation as a basis to be the only legitimate Scouting organization for boys in the USA. (Including the dog and pony show of an annual report to Congress required by the charter.) Changing their name might mean giving up their Congressional Charter, and therefore, some perceived legitimacy to monopolize/dominate the market.

LOL, thought I was a connoisseur of the obscure... had not heard of Elbonia... guess I have a lot to learn, yet. https://dilbert.fandom.com/wiki/Elbonia

Reductio ad absurdum 😜 Love it.

Once again... @DuctTape for National Commissioner!!

@curious_scouter, it wasn't your recharter paperwork that was due on 16 Nov, it was your recharter PAYMENT that was due!! 😜 Never forget... it is all about the money. The service (even four months later) to youth is just a collateral benefit of having your cash. <sarc off>

I do support returning funerary items and remains, if the tribal representatives request, as these were most likely removed from burial sites. I also support museums and educational organizations (universities, etc.) asking a particular tribe for permission to keep and display those items and remains in a respectful way, so that everyone could learn about the culture and customs of their people. @Armymutt, you don't...

During our district Klondike Derby, I offered a one hour training class to adults, through five sessions during the day, while their Scouts were making the rounds to their stations. Got 21 adult students, and great feedback on offering it while they were already in attendance of another event that did not require their participation or constant supervision... (in a warm place, btw ;P)

@CLC848, welcome! This is an extremely common malady in any organization. And this malady is compounded by the not-yet-formed prefrontal cortexes of the people you are dealing with. Here's a good read to set the stage: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/what-is-executive-function-and-how-does-it-relate-to-child-development/ Here are some observations along with ideas to "better capture" and hopefully create a culture to introduce corrections. 1. People often think they are being "negative" when they point out things that need correction. This is why "roses, thorns, and buds", aka "Start, Stop, Continue" (SSC) offers a better mindset to ID trends in an organization. Use this methodology to have Scouts say something positive and something of a vision for future success, along with identifying something that went wrong. And, from a cognitive perspective, if you put the "something" that went wrong in the middle, it makes a bitter pill easier to swallow. That is, when identifying issues, never start with, and never end with the thing that went wrong. Also, challenge Scouts to come up with all three BEFORE they start talking. You have to model this behavior a few times to get it going: "Start: Scouts, we should start checking our Troop/Patrol First Aid Kit regularly, preferably before a camping trip. When we needed some items this weekend, they had not been replenished in the kit. Stop: Something on this trip that must stop is for Scouts to not bring their Scout Essentials. Being prepared for the weather is very important. When it rained, a high percentage of our Scouts did not have rain gear and got wet. Because we had some lower temperatures, some Scouts started to get chilly, and we had to stop our activity to prevent them getting hypothermia. Continue: Scouts, a great thing I saw on this camping trip was the great teamwork of the Panther Patrol. They were always working together to get their tasks done, like cooking, cleaning, and breaking camp. Good job, Panthers!" - The idea here is simply to identify trends... not to pose solutions or create tasks to solve the issues. That is done later at a PLC... 2. Don't let SSC turn into a gripe session. And don't make it so long that Scouts do not want to participate. You do not need input from every single person who was on the trip. A good way to get input is by Patrol. Tell the patrols to work together to come up with an SSC input. Then, one person from the Patrol will present their input during the SSC session. It is important to do this at the end of the trip. We usually do this after our Scouts' Own, and just before we load up the vehicles to travel home. We have tried it before Scouts' Own, and after we return to the our meeting place, and both times seemed to detract from the session. Finally, as far as capturing... ask the Patrols to text their SSC to the Troop Scribe. If you try to have a Troop Scribe scrambling to capture ideas during the session, somethings things get lost in translation/transcription. (Also, do not have adults give input during the SSC. This is the quickest way to shut Scouts down. Get input from adults later, privately. Yes, an adult should model the behavior to get it going, but once the Scouts "get it", let them go with it. This creates a sense of ownership in their minds. And yes, you will see things they will not... resist the temptation to pontificate. It is not YOUR TROOP! ) 3. Have the SPL ask the Patrols to think about the SSC items on the way home, and propose ideas, solutions, or ways to continue a practice in the culture of the Troop. The Patrol Leader then brings these solution ideas to the next PLC to address. We do not have a Troop Meeting the week after a camping trip. That next meeting night is always a PLC, and one of the agenda items is to address the SSC from the trip. The PLC can then identify and task potential solutions or ways to cement specific habits into the Troop. Tasks must be assigned to an individual or a Patrol. For example the PLC may say, "The Quartermaster must check the Troop first aid kit the meeting before an outing to ensure we have all the items in the Patrol/Troop First Aid Kit checklist on page 109 in the Scout Handbook. The QM will report to the ASPL when this is complete. QM is responsible to do, and ASPL is responsible to follow up and check that it was done." (Notice how this is kind of a SMART Goal?) 4. The most difficult part of this process is the "follow-through" or the evaluation. As an adult leader, you have the role of teaching and mentoring Scouts in how to create a "culture of continuous process improvement." After the PLC, our youth do not follow-up very well to track that tasks are done. Reading the Minutes from the last PLC helps. (Notice, this means you have to have Minutes 😜 ) As SM, I would remind the SPL of tasks their PLC have identified, and challenge the SPL to follow through to make sure tasks are completed. This is often a short conversation before a Troop Meeting starts. You mentor, and the SPL is on the hook to make sure his Troop gets things done. As SM, I would also ask ASMs to mentor the PL on the same... if a Patrol had a task identified, a brief conversation to remind between the ASM and PL is all that is necessary. Help the PL understand that one of his youth leaders will be checking on his completion of that task. 5. Finally, as an adult, hold your tongue unless it is an item related to health and safety for your Scouts. Hope this helps you turn "Lessons Repeated" into "Lessons Learned"...

I learned a lot of new words and ideas 😛😜😜

Citizenship in the Community (not Nation) ------------------------------------------------------- 4. Choose an issue that is important to the citizens of your community; then do the following: (a) Find out which branch of local government is responsible for this issue. (b) With your counselor's and a parent or guardian's approval, interview one person from the branch of government you identified in requirement 4a. Ask what is being done about this issue and how young people can help. (c) Share what you have learned with your counselor. ----------------------------------------------------------- Not hard for us in our community... we have had lots of folks... Any person paid for by local government could fit this requirement. - Public Works could talk about roads, sewers, water, or any other items they deal with - Animal Control could talk about the importance of proper pet care and how to work with your pet while out in public - Police Officer could talk about crime prevention - County Health could talk about how vaccinations are important for controlling communicable diseases (see recent news articles about measles and polio outbreaks) - Emergency Management could talk about the importance of being prepared for natural disasters etc, etc, etc Many of these overlap with other Merit Badges. And a phone conversation is fine...

Thank you for all those dedicated years of service! I care, brother! YIS

I am commiserating with you in most things. Our Troop is still good at the moment, but I have seen a decline over the past two-three years that is now what I would call a trend towards an end, unless something changes. All good things must come to an end.

Here's another one... In the early 80's there was a US Army Ranger program for youth at Mt Yonah in Dahlonega, GA. (It is still going, but much different today... https://www.nega-bsa.org/Ranger) We had a few of our older Scouts attend. Of course, they became immediate "experts" in climbing and rappelling 😜 They wanted to showcase their new-found coolness, and the venue our Troop selected was our annual Scout Show. We worked with the fairground managers and our local power company, and sank four telephone poles into the ground there. Then we got the lumber, hammer and nails, and built a 30 foot rappelling tower. It was the hit of the Scout Show. We had an assembly line of Scouts helping people tie a Swiss seat harness. (A requirement only recently removed from Climbing Merit Badge. And, no, there was no Climbing MB back then.) Visitors would then climb up ladders to the top, and rappell down a doubled-up Army-issue twisted nylon rope, with a single carabiner. No helmets. A few of us demonstrated Australian rappell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAnxYKUVNVI&ab_channel=SkillsforClimbing (That's not a video of us, of course.) Again, thank the good Lord, no one got hurt. But, knowing what I know now about safe climbing practices... we were dangerous, and put a lot of folks at risk.

If you submit the form for a carwash in July, and get declined by your council, I recommend you do it anyways. (I would be absolutely shocked if they declined.) Just inform parents that you are doing it on behalf of your CO, to benefit your unit through them, and that the BSA insurance does not apply in that case. BTW, do your unit parents know that BSA insurance is supplemental only? (There are some exceptions where it is primary...) That is, it only covers the copays for things. There are a few other benefits, but I would not rate them as significant enough for you to cancel your car wash. Again, inform them and let the Scouts and parents decide. I would not view that as a violation of the "Obedient" point of the Scout Law, in this case. You attempt to get it done under their guidelines. If they refuse, their own policy says your fundraiser is not covered under the insurance of BSA. Fine, do it as a CO group. One last caveat. Make sure your COR knows and approves. The CO CAN ABSOLUTELY SAY NO.

Please don't portray it that way to your Scouts. We live in a society of rules (and laws). No, Scouts do not get to make up ALL their own rules and laws. (Inmates running the asylum?) It's a good lesson that, any time you are dealing with money, you must be careful and know what you can and cannot do. It can also be a safety issue. Back in the 1980's, we youth leaders wanted to earn some money. We had adult leaders with chainsaws who agreed to teach us how to use them. And we had an old beat up '73 Ford farm truck with a trailer to haul away the wood. We then went out and cut down trees as a fundraiser. As long as it wasn't near power lines or structures, we would do them. And back then, you only had to have one adult present for a Scout function. It is only by the grace of God none of us ever got hurt... We made a heck of a lot of money, but it was foolishly done. It is a good thing there are rules made by adults, in many cases 😜