InquisitiveScouter

elitts, thanks...I had exhausted my supply of pearls

+1 I believe the "regimental system" would be ideal. That is, a patrol exists in perpetuity. A Scout grows up in one patrol, and is always a member of that patrol. As new Scouts join the Troop, they are assigned to patrols as manning needs, based on those who have left or "graduated" It would be awesome if you had a "Sorting Hat" https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Sorting_Hat to determine which patrol a Scout should go into. Alas, we mere mortals must do what we can. I think random selection is probably best. The ideal patrol is 5 to 8 Scouts. Above six, and they naturally break into two sub-units anyway. Extensive research on optimal group size for task effectiveness has shown the number to be around 5 or 6 (but it does depend on the task.) Eight allows sufficient team members present when the inevitable absences occur for camping trips and events. Here are a few short reads... https://www.totalteambuilding.com.au/ideal-team-size/ https://conversational-leadership.net/optimal-group-size/#:~:text=Far too often in small,is the optimal group size. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaimepotter/2020/04/27/the-ideal-team-size-at-work-may-be-smaller-than-you-think/?sh=704263b7630a https://www.thebalancecareers.com/u-s-army-military-organization-from-squad-to-corps-4053660 https://hbr.org/2015/08/what-companies-can-learn-from-military-teams https://tcscouts.org/UoS/000-NationalTrainingCourses/BSBLT/BP quotes.pdf BP opined the best Troop size was 16 Scouts (that is, two patrols), but, allowing that others might be twice the man he was, he said it could go to 32. But that was based on personally knowing and developing each Scout. "The number in a Troop should preferably not exceed thirty-two. I suggest this number because in training boys myself I have found that sixteen was about as many as I could deal with-in getting at and bringing out the individual character in each. I allow for other people being twice as capable as myself and hence the total of thirty-two." BP "Men talk of having fine Troops of 60 or even 100-and their leaders tell me that their boys are equally well trained as in smaller Troops. I express admiration, and I don't believe them." BP We have 54 Scouts currently... when I go down the roster and count the Scouts who I know, and who do a good job in the woods, or what I would deem "well-trained"... 29 (but that does not include some of the new crossovers who I have not observed yet) If they were all dedicated, I think 32 is a great number... Four patrols of eight.

I would push it further and say it is mostly mental/psychological (rather than "as much") We have some 12 year olds that do just fine. We have some 14 year olds that still have significant challenges with anxiety and homesickness. I have already excluded two 14 year olds from our upcoming trek that have not demonstrated the level of maturity I want. (Yes, I said "I want", because I will be responsible for them in the wilderness. )

On the trips I lead, I put in the remarks, "Must be 14 by the start date, or with adult leader approval." I have made a few errors in judgment over the years in opening trips to all ages, only to wind up dealing with problems caused by immaturity or lack of physical ability to do the trip. (not my own immaturity or inability...for those of you who want to swing at that softball... 😜 )

Even with an aggressive and skill intensive program, in which we provide huge amounts of opportunity, it takes new Scouts on average about two years to get to First Class. That is, actually doing the requirements as written, without them being spoon-fed by adults. (Fitness requirements, for example.) If a Scout focuses and learns by her own ambition and initiative, First Class can be done in about 90 days, which is the minimum time. (This is for the ones who join later, like the 15/16 year olds.)

Great question! In reality, they weren't. That is, you can organize your Troop any way you wish, and if you want to have an older group called the Venture Patrol, then go for it. Here's a website with some more details... http://www.seniorscoutinghistory.org/seniorscoutsite/venture.html Programmatically, who knows why the BSA moved away from this? The old heads here (like me) remember the Leadership Corps, which was essentially the same thing. http://www.seniorscoutinghistory.org/seniorscoutsite/leadershipcorps.html The REALLY old heads will remember Rovers, Emergency Service, Senior Scouts, etc... http://www.seniorscoutinghistory.org/ Enjoy the reads...

We 'make it work' by using Troop Guides during the first six months and a lot of adult skill instruction during the first year. I wish we didn't have to 'make it work.' Our reality is that, around 16, our Scouts move on to other things. Venturing, OA, jobs, girls, cars, hanging with friends, school clubs, music, sports, martial arts, etc, etc. Loyalty to an institution is not part of our wider cultural mindset any more. In general, there is more of a narcissistic "What's in it for me?" attitude, and the belief that you must be involved in all those other activities in order to compete for college (which I do not believe is reality) They just do not have the bandwidth to do all the things they want to do (neither do I, for that matter), and after 5 years of Scouting and Eagle, most move on. I have learned to be OK with that. For the ones that do stay, we offer more adventures further afield, but the expectation is that, during 'regular' troop programming, they serve and help the SPL with leadership tasks. After 16, we hang on to about one third of them.

Our fire position is responsible for stove set up and getting an adult to check, charcoal prep if we are Dutch oven cooking, and firewood gathering/prep/lighting. There must always be enough tinder/kindling/fuel on hand for the next fire. At the end of the trip, we leave it for the next group.

J'ai mon voyage

You are mixing apples and oranges... The article is referencing physical assaults, not fatalities. Would you agree one is worse than the other? (Just to be clear, a fatality is worse than an assault, in my book.) And DWB is 45K people from around the planet. Can we limit our discussions to folks in the US as our target population? If so, there are 22.3M healthcare workers in the US. Even if I allow you the courtesy of saying all 45K were from the US, they are still only 0.2% of the entire healthcare workforce. Obviously, far less than that fits the bill... https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/04/who-are-our-health-care-workers.html My cousin's uncle's brother's sister's dog once barked at the moon. Doesn't make the dog an astronaut.

Depends on how you define "risk" I suppose....for infection? Sure. For fatalities? No way... https://www.facilities.udel.edu/safety/4689/

So being male disqualifies them? How sexist of you! I hope the moderators take note of your discriminatory comments and take the action against you that you prescribe as you twisted others words to match your own biases and angst. And Dr. Barber and Dr. Peterson are more studied in their fields than, I assume, you are. Unless you care to reveal your academic credentials or put up the research and experience of others. ???? Gobbledygook The only opinions talked about there are Google's... However, there are upwards of forty citations to scientific research made in his memo. Recommended reading for you. "essentially" ??? Words matter, and you are attributing words to others that they did not write. "Essentially" you are the guilty party in trying to stir up an argument based on your feelings and a perception of some offense offered, rather than what is actually there.

Please view a few of the videos I posted, which discuss the science behind the gender differences, and I'll be glad to engage further...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEDuVF7kiPU&ab_channel=JordanBPeterson @yknot, it seems you are twisting @Eagle1993 's words a bit.

https://jenikaplan.medium.com/the-great-girl-scout-cookie-scam-b024ffad6e1b

Ouch!

We do not let youth design the program of Scouting. I'll refer you to the aims and methods...

Scouting can certainly provide an equality of opportunity for males and females. The program, as currently written, is essentially gender-blind. And I concur wholeheartedly that all should be given the opportunity. However, you can never achieve equality of outcomes in any field of endeavor. Outcomes are based on opportunities, individual talents, desires, attitudes, behaviors, and probably a few other things I cannot think of at the moment. I would posit that mixing genders within Scouting changes the outcomes negatively for males. Or, maybe a better way to say that is, you get better outcomes for the majority of males when Scouting in a single gender environment (and when they are led and mentored by men). This is entirely an opinion, yes. But it sure seems that way to me as a father of a daughter and a son (both Eagle Scouts), and having been a Boy Scout leader and a Girl Scout leader, a Scoutmaster for 15 years, and having been a military officer for 2.5 decades, watching and mentoring males and females as they grow and become more proficient in their careers... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iudkPi4_sY&ab_channel=Skavlan Beginning @ 7:15 "The more egalitarian your state, the bigger the personality differences between men and women." @9:50 "If you minimize the cultural differences, you maximize the biological differences."

Agreed, but Scouting is more than just the activities.

OK, if you are involved with this, recommend: 1. address discrepancy between rquirement #1 (15 miles), and the statement at the end requiring only 10 miles. 2. be consistent in naming convention...use the name "Erie Canal Trail Medal" (ECTM) throughout. Avoid "Historic Trail Medal" references, as this could be confused with the BSA Historic Trails Award https://www.scouting.org/awards/awards-central/historic-trails/ (which the ECTM could be used to obtain) Best wishes

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-beast/202001/why-women-and-men-still-take-different-jobs

Is the "Historic Trails Medal" something different than the "Erie Canal Trail Medal"??

Welcome! When I was on exchange to the Canadian Forces, and stationed in Ottawa, we would drive down to many Longhouse Council events around the Ogdensburg/Watertown area. Welcome!

Although I support female youth in Scouting, the answer to your question is that we are wired differently, and there is some benefit in single gender programming.

And for our older Scouts this summer, after summer camp we are cycling over five nights on the Great Allegheny Passage! I wonder if we can camp at @qwazse's house the night before we hit the trail? There might be a free dinner and beverages at Hofbräuhaus in it for you 😜