livitup

Just registered the kiddo last night - so he'll be attending. I'm going to have to skip this year, as I have two week's worth of summer camp back-to-back this year. I can't wait to hear the trip report when he gets home!

Thank you both for replying. He's definitely an Area Vice Chief, but the situation is exactly as you both described, our Lodge uses the "Area" designation to cover 5 or so Chapters. Each area has a Chief and a couple Vice Chief roles that report up to the Lodge leadership. I managed to find the map on our Lodge's website, but it was the lack of any findable, formal documentation on what exactly an Area was that was throwing me for a loop.

Thanks for the background. I didn't see the info from your first paragraph, but I did see the info (and test) you describe in your second paragraph. The test that was conducted led me to my suggestion. However, I didn't realize there wasn't a way to disable the downvotes (or voting, period) without a custom code drop. Agreed that no money should be spent for this - such was never my suggestion. I'll go back to ignoring votes now. Thanks for the background.

Sorry for the necropost, but @mrjohns2, maybe you can help me out with something. My Arrowman son has been approached about an Area Vice Chief role. I can't figure out where the area sits in the OA hierarchy. I know Lodge equates to Council, but after that I'm lost, and the current OA website is no help. Is an Area a sub-unit of a Lodge that serves Arrowmen, perhaps from multiple BSA districts?

Something occurs to me... If a person agrees with a post they can: Upvote the post, which adds value because after enough upvotes, a post is highlighted - making it easier for future thread readers to quickly identify the posts that the community has agreed are of highest value. Or they can reply with a "I agree" type post which doesn't add to the conversation, or highlight the high-quality posts. If a person disagrees with a post they can: Downvote the post, which is in effect a low value "I disagree." post without an explanation. I can't discern any additional "consequences" of a downvote. Reply to the post with their thoughts which might change someone else's perspective, reframe the topic in a new way, etc. Thus, I posit: The upvote button adds value to the forums. The downvote button does not, and should be disabled. And please, to those who are currently debating the virtue of the current spate of downvotes, remember that a scout(er) is friendly and kind.

Wow, I had no idea. I'm (obviously) not a BP guy myself. Absent any real advice, I'll thank you for your service to Scouting and wish you good luck. I think anyone that tries to increase participation in an under-served area (like BP firearms) gets a special gold star. ⭐

First off, apologies for misinterpreting your original introduction - I read it as "Scouting curious" not "Already rafting and looking for oars". I was going to pile on to InquisitiveScouter's suggestion and also suggest a conversation with the CC, prior to steering folks towards them. "I've noticed this, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in helping to solve this by counseling some of the other adult leaders on how to be most effective in their roles..." or something like that. It gives the CC a heads up, and also an opportunity for the CC to reflect on what those responsibilities actually are for your troop's leadership corps. Besides, if you have the CC on the same mission you are on, then your mission just got half as hard!

Welcome, fellow Virginia Arrowman! My own ordeal was 25+ years ago, so I've long forgotten the answers to the riddles posed by those password prompts. I did pick up a copy of the OA handbook at the scout shop last time I was there - and I think what we are looking for is available in that book. Or I could just stoop to asking my son - nah... can't give him that satisfaction. 😛 Thanks for your service to scouting... if you're in the same part of VA as I am, perhaps our paths will cross.

No clue, @mrjohns2, sorry! Since I posted this I found the 2018 "course catalog" online. Tons of great opportunities for my son, but based on what I could see, I though the days might be kind of empty for adults. Now you have me thinking about staff... though with a week with my troop at summer camp (or 2, if the boy's troop needs me as well) and another likely week volunteering at a different camp, I'm thinking I might skip NOAC. There's only but so much of my summer I'm willing to dedicate to scouting, not to mention my PTO bank at work! Decisions!

Which course are you offering? I'm going through the process in getting NRA instructor certified in shotgun, but as I understand it, there's a total of 30 hours of training between Discipline Basic, Instructor Basic, and Discipline Instructor. How long is your course? Just thinking out loud... would you have better luck recruiting black powder enthusiasts to become instructor certified than you would have with recruiting Scouters to become black powder instructors?

Allow me to share a recent experience... I had avoided being an adult leader for many years, despite my natural tendency to answer the call. I really wanted to be a Scouter, but I wanted my kids to get the same benefits of Scouting that I did - namely the opportunity to interact with peers and adults outside my parent's eyes. When I finally volunteered recently it was like the floodgates opened. I'm slated to be the founding Scoutmaster for a Girl's troop that is linked to an established Boy's troop. But on top of that, I wanted to do everything that wasn't currently being done, because folks like you and I see gaps and try to fill them. But then our committee chair stepped in. God bless 'em. I was told I could only take on one role at a time. So despite the fact that there are open Committee positions, I will not take them. I'll serve as an ASM to the Boy's troop until we get our Girl's troop chartered, at which point I will transfer my registration and serve solely as their Scoutmaster. My Committee Chair empowered me to do one thing well. As a person who has always tried to do everything, and usually ending up performing poorly, this was liberating.

My son is an active member of his OA lodge and is currently an Area Vice Chief. He came home from Fall Fellowship this weekend super excited about NOAC this year. He hasn't been interested in any of the advanced leadership classes until recently, so he'll really only have one opportunity to attend a single one. He only has one summer before he ages out, and we can't find an advanced leadership opportunity offered any time other than the summer. We are 99.9% sure we'll send him to NOAC next summer, over NYLT. I'm an Arrowman also, and I'm thinking of attending as well - not to 'helicopter parent' him, but to experience NOAC as well, as I never could attend as a youth. So who else is thinking of heading to Tennessee next summer?

Welcome! Are you considering joining Scouting as an adult volunteer, or are you trying to learn more about the journey your Scout is embarked upon?

Update: The Boy's Troop Committee met tonight and invited me as a guest to speak. Long story short, the committee voted unanimously to move forward with forming a Girl's Troop and welcomed me as the founding Scoutmaster. I'm going to be joining the Boy's Troop as an ASM as soon as my application is approved. The Committee feels confident they can get 5+ girls at bridging in March, but they are going to start marketing, and if they can get 5 girls sooner, we'll go ahead. The CO is already on board; in fact they've wanted this to happen for quite a while. Our Troop's Chaplain is also the District Training Chair, so he's getting me lined up for IOLS, Scouting Academy, and whatever else he can throw at me. I'm nervous, excited, and happy!

I assume you are referring to the comments that some G-Troops operate as patrols in Boy Troops. In the cases I've heard of this happening, the G-Troop is chartered, they just operate as if they are not. That's not how I plan on running things.