BetterWithCheddar

When my son was 8, he broke his arm in a playground fall that occurred while he was participating in a day camp run by a well-known community organization. He fell just 2 feet but landed on his arm awkwardly. Our health insurance company wanted every detail about the situation so they could prove that << well-known community organization >> was liable and avoid playing the claim. It got to the point where we considered paying the $4,000 ER bill out of pocket because we didn't want to bring harm to the organization (who also provides us with reliable after-school childcare during the school year). They eventually dropped their attempt, but our deductible is pretty high, and we wound up covering the entire bill anyway. Given the extent of our troubles for a standard playground fall, I can't imagine the insurance nightmare this situation will be with a 12-year-old aggressor, a leader out vaping, and a wounded national organization that's just a walking claim-paying machine.

This feels like more than a big kids vs. little kids issue. Accidents happen, but the police report noted 2 punches, a push, and a stomp. That has a lot more to do with the aggressor than it does the age gap or the game they were playing.

It's all yours! It's a common phrase it my region used to question whether a benefit is worth the effort. In the case of Scouting, I think we can all agree the juice is really sweet, but our hands occasionally get sore from squeezing.

To that SE, I would say "be careful what you wish for," because there are many leaders out there (myself included), who are doing our best but often wonder if the juice is really worth the squeeze. Per the article: The soft, sphere-shaped projectile was not the problem here. This seems more like a case of a 3rd or 4th grader just being a huge a-hole. @skeptic, you've touched a nerve here because this is my biggest fear as a volunteer. As hard as we try to keep things safe and fun, there are constantly factors beyond our control working against us. And yes, we can eliminate activities perceived to be more dangerous. And yes, we can have more leaders present. But then what are we really left with?

That's a completely reasonable hypothesis.

Once again, I think youth sports are the winner of SA's recent action. They manage to stay squeaky clean while Scouting has been stuck in the mud since before COVID. The two aren't perfect substitutes (as this thread has established), but they still compete for a finite pool of time, energy, and money. My son is just barely hanging on to Cub Scouts. Sometimes I wonder if he's doing it just to humor me. Most of his favorite den mates dip in and out for youth sports (as does he, occasionally). The few regulars are mainly "indoor kids." They've tried team sports. It wasn't for them. Now they're in Cub Scouts because they like being part of a team, but the stakes are much lower. I'd like my son to stick with Scouting, but I'm running low on energy. One thing this thread hasn't acknowledged is that sometimes parents just want to see their kid win. I'll surmise it's especially true for fathers and their sons. There's just something primal about seeing your genes rise to the top. Even my wife, who is pretty well-grounded and considers herself above the fray, takes satisfaction in knowing that her son is better than so-and-so's son. This feeling probably drives spending more than most care to admit. With all of the membership changes of the past decade (of which I'm largely supportive), pretty much anyone can become an Eagle Scout if they attend enough merit badge seminars on the weekend. Membership is 1/3 of what it was at the turn of the century, yet the number of new Eagle Scouts per year has remained fairly consistent. For those parents who value excellence in youth programming (and those too sheepish to admit it), it's become more difficult to point to the Eagle Scout award as a mark of superiority. I'm not implying that Scouting is bad (still a huge advocate) or that it needs to change (it's still pretty good), but it's not meeting the needs of some high-achieving families.

Yeah, this is really bad (if true). If you're going to solicit large donations for an endowment, there's a professional and moral obligation to ensure they're protected to the fullest extent. Beyond the endowments, there has probably been a working-class family in every council who gifted their own modest estate in order to have a new health lodge or shooting sports range built at their favorite camp. And now that camp is gone. I'm just glad they're no longer here to see their life's work squandered.

The knee was already bent with the membership changes and Citizenship in Society merit badge. Now it's being hyperextended the other way. In between it filed for bankruptcy. Let's face it, we're really limping along here.

This was my biggest issue. It catered to one side and felt very reactionary. I'm not thrilled about the roll-back either for the same reasons. The damage is done. There are no winners.

At some point, the push to make Scouting safer becomes self-defeating. I've only been back in Scouting for 4 years now as a parent, but I've heard more experienced volunteers lament that updates to the Guide to Safe Scouting has led to the cancelation of events or the omission of popular activities. We showed up to one district event last year only to learn that the sling shot station has been replaced by a coloring station at the last minute.

Per the OA website: Once contributed, the funds will stay in perpetuity within the OA Endowment, whose spending policy allows for the growth of the funds to provide support to key leadership development initiatives within the OA. 1915 Society | Order of the Arrow, Scouting America

I like the OA. I've got lots of good memories from my youth and the admonition has stuck with me as an adult. That said, I wouldn't be upset if it folded. Lax membership standards and concerns over Native American cosplay have left the OA in rough shape. One underrated benefit of ending the OA program would be a boost in Venturing participation. Right now, they function as parallel senior scout programs, but a strong chapter could easily function as a Crew and continue providing service to its district and local camps. If the OA were to continue in present form, I'd consider eliminating elections in favor of a universal standard such as: 50 Nights of Camping 50 Hours of Community Service Star Rank Completion of Ordeal

This was a pretty good den meeting, considering the low cost and prep time. I highly recommend for future Ben Den Leaders. Save it for midway through the year when you're burned out and the weather limits your options.

One of the surest signs of membership decline is the lack of Scouters coming to this forum to debate adult square knot insignia. I swear that used to be every other thread around here pre-COVID. 😛

Hello Fellow Scouters: Due mostly to my own lax planning, I'm pulling together plans for tomorrow's Bear den meeting. We'll be working on the "Roaring Laughter" elective adventure. Thankfully, it doesn't look like this one will require too much planning and it's a great activity for an indoor den meeting in the middle of winter. Requirements are as follows: Think about what makes you laugh. Discuss these with your den or family. Practice reading tongue twisters. Play charades with your den or family. Have a "funniest joke contest" with your den or family. Practice "run-ons" with your den or family. Has anyone successfully covered this elective with their den? Any tips for making this a memorable den meeting? - BwC