InquisitiveScouter

We could start by enforcing the laws we have on the books...across the board, or get rid of them! Then, reinvigorate our system of mental health hospitals. https://www.nri-inc.org/our-work/nri-reports/tracking-the-history-of-state-psychiatric-hospital-closures/ Then, we need velocity in justice. Justice delayed is justice denied. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_delayed_is_justice_denied# I, for one, have lost a great deal of faith in our justice system. I have lost faith in our Congress. Are your Representative and Senators really "representative"?? Are they working to make our country better? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_members_of_the_United_States_Congress_by_wealth I have lost faith in our Executive Branch... selective enforcement of laws erodes public trust. If we, the people, cannot trust the basic institutions we have put in place to secure our rights, then... "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute DespotismOligarchy, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." https://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/is-america-an-oligarchy Before this happens, expect unrest and violence to increase. Now add economic hardship as gasoline on the fire... I spent 26 years under an Oath to defend the Constitution. Wanna know why veteran suicide is at astronomical rates? Many feel their service and sacrifice is wasted, seeing at how we act as a nation. https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/2021/2021-National-Veteran-Suicide-Prevention-Annual-Report-FINAL-9-8-21.pdf Think about that this Memorial Day.

?? Would you elaborate, please?

This is where the BSA is missing out. There is a corps of military veterans out there who would love to serve as Scout leaders. BSA should be actively recruiting them. Totally understand that Scouting is not military training! That message must always come through loud and clear. But, every skill I ever learned in Scouting made me a better leader, officer, pilot, or whatever job I happened to be doing at the time. IMHO, these should also be the primary leaders in the corporate structure of BSA. Remember where BP got his ideas for the program. And I heard a great quote the other day from another Scouter... "If it wasn't for the Siege of Mafeking, I'd have a lot of extra time on my hands." 😜 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Mafeking

Yeah, your number three option seems the best... Separate male and female patrols until they reach a certain age and rank (my gut says 14 and First Class, kind of like the requirement for Scouts to join and continue working on advancement.) Then combine into Venturing Patrol (name isn't important, but could be kept for legacy...)

Adult volunteers who know what they are doing, and have a passion for the specific program. Think about who would be the majority of adult volunteers for these programs... What type of person or background comes to mind??

Or British Bulldog!!

They are on to you!!👀

No. No, there isn't. 😛 A poorly run Troop is the worst advertisement for Scouting. It undermines everything we are about. And yes, there are lots of them.

At $691B in endowments total across US, that's a heck of a lot of moolah. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=73#:~:text=At the end of fiscal,the total was %24675 billion. And at $41B endowment, Harvard is richer than about 66 countries in the world... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_wealth

I ask parents: "How many times have you cut yourself?" "How many times have you gotten splinters?" "How many times have you gotten stung by a wasp?" "How many times have you gotten a sunburn?" "How many times have you gotten into an argument?" "How many times have you had to deal with someone who is acting like a jerk?" etc, etc, etc, They begin to get the right idea that they cannot (and should not) protect or shield their kid from all of life's risks. "Well, it's going to happen here, and probably a little more. But, we watch them closely until they can learn to take care of themselves and work well in a group. We teach them how to avoid injuries and treat them. And, we provide a leadership and learning laboratory [camping] where the relationship consequences aren't that serious now, so they'll learn to work through issues with their peers for the future. Sometimes, it takes time to get to that point." And if they cannot learn to behave themselves, they will not be welcome here. We have dismissed Scouts from the Troop in the past for inability to control their behavior.

I knew it! It's that pesky Beaver Patrol! I used to be an Eagle, and a good ol' Eagle, too! (But, as an honorary Beaver, I did some dodging of inflated rubber spherical objects!)

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!!!

I find people often use the passive voice to hide... I always then ask the direct question, "Who told you?" If they can't give me name or point of contact, I ignore them. If they give me a name, I call the source (eliminate the middleman) and get the story straight. Nine times out of ten, what person A said and what person B heard are two entirely different things.

So, the BSA has two or three different threads for STEM, all undergirded by the highlighting of STEM related topics throughout the Handbooks, Awards, and Advancements... https://bsastemnova.org/#:~:text=Officially the NOVA program was,of BSA from its creation. 1. Cub Scouts, Scouts, Venturers, Sea Scouts: a series of STEM based awards called the NOVA and Supernova Awards https://www.scouting.org/stem-nova-awards/awards/about-nova/ 2. A program with separate units called STEM Scouts https://stemscouts.scouting.org/ https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/05/11/understanding-the-difference-between-stem-in-scouting-and-stem-scouts/ 3. And the not-so-strong push for Explorer Units to be STEM career-based https://www.exploring.org/activity-library-category/us-department-of-education-career-clusters/stem/ I am a NOVA and Supernova counselor...have been since inception (10 years ago??) I have had one Cub Scout come to me to earn the award. I did push it on our Webelos AOL den when my son was there... after the den had finished AOL program in late Nov, they had "nothing to do" (LOL) so I went through the program with the den. Scouts are interested, but have little to no bandwidth for ANOTHER PROGRAM 😜 P.S. Supercool bling!!! https://www.scoutshop.org/nsearch/?q=Nova

But his feet surely show it! They are Longfellows!

A fed animal is a dead animal.

Yes, the Committee may be looking into this because the Scoutmaster (who works for the Committee!) brought the incident to their attention and asked for intervention. That may be the entire reason the Committee asked to meet with parents and Scouts who were involved... as opposed to anyone "leaking" a report of a YP violation from the council. The Committee may be approaching this as a Troop disciplinary issue, or even some sort of health and safety concern, versus viewing it through a YP lens. Unless the OP informed the Committee (or others in the Troop) of the YP Report, the Committee may be completely in the dark about what has been filed at the council or national.

There are many who still carry the flame... But, yes, when all the hearts die, the tradition dies, too...unless it is written and recorded. It can be then resurrected.

I have already attended that funeral twice... Camp Linwood Hayne, Georgia-Carolina Council, and Treasure Island, Cradle of Liberty.

What camp and council?

"Don't let it become a salaried organization: keep it a voluntary movement of patriotic service." BP

It is important to say that maybe, just maybe, we don't have the complete story here. If I were the COR or SE, I'd like to hear from about three or four more people to hone in on "the facts of the case" before forming any judgements about the situation.

Estimates as to how long BSA can last on life support waiting for a Chapter 11 confirmation? What do the tea leaves say about the imminence of Chapter 7?