CaptainRenault

Thank you FScouter. Maybe it is not Scout Spirit, but there is something about those guidelines that makes me uncomfortable. It seems to me that they are designed to take the fun out of outdoor adventures.

I was never a scout, so I'm not sure I have a good idea of what Scout Spirit is. Would anyone here say that these guidelines are a good example of Scout Spirit?

I see a lot of comments about training. That is another problem that I have. One of the ASMs who has been around a lot longer than me has told me that the committee chair is not trained, and even though the adult training coordinator keeps sending our committee chair info about training, the chair still won't go.

Answer to question by anarchist. No, it is not a new troop. But the committee member that wrote the list is the wife of the previous scoutmaster. And the troop is not boy-led, and does not use the patrol method. I have been trying to change that, and some of the boys are complaining, because in the past the adults have done most of the work. And these complaints have got back to the committee.

Ok, here they are. I think one or two are Ok, but some of them seem way over the top to me. Edit: please respond to any or all of these. Let me know which ones are good and which ones are bad. General A minimum of one overnight adventure shall be scheduled for each month except November, February and April. One parent from each family must participate in an overnight adventure as a chaperone or driver annually. This does not include Summer Camp. Each trip shall have a stated purpose and be approved by the Troop Committee. At no time will there be two outings scheduled on the same weekend without the approval of the Troop Committee. Should the Troop Committee approve two trips on the same weekend, Scouts may attend only one outing. All Trips require the attendance of one Trained BSA Leader identified as the Tour Leader for the duration of the adventure. The ratio of 2 adults for every 10 Scouts shall be maintained for all trips. At no time shall a scout be denied attendance because of an excess number of adults. Should it be necessary to limit attendance on any trip, the specific limitation will be communicated in writing and adhered to unless the Troop Committee approves a change. One month prior to any scheduled event, the Tour Leader must be identified by the Scoutmaster and drivers recruited . Permission Slips At a minimum, permission slips shall be distributed three weeks prior to the scheduled event either at the regular Tuesday Meeting or electronically. All permission slips must be returned no later than the next Tuesday. All permission slips will include a notation indicating the date turned in to the Troop. Scouts who do not submit their permission slips by the required date will not be allowed to participate if the trip is full. If the trip is not full the Scout must have the permission of the Tour Leader and Adventure Coordinator to attend. Planning The weekly meeting prior to an adventure shall be dedicated to Trip planning. Scouts who are not attending the adventure will assist with planning where appropriate (i.e. checking equipment, rank advancement, assisting with menu planning) or complete another task assigned by the Scoutmaster. The Scouts, with the supervision of an adult leader, shall be responsible for developing the menu, and preparing a shopping list. The Scoutmaster shall be responsible for determining which Scouts shall complete this task based on outstanding advancement requirements. Each Scout is also responsible to complete the shopping for one adventure which is required for rank advancement to First Class. The Scoutmaster, or hi designee, shall keep records and determine who will be responsible for purchasing food for each trip. At the conclusion of the trip, and on the weely meeting following, the Quartermaster shall be responsible for checking in all returned equipment and determining that it is in good condition. Scouts who do not return troop equipment in satisfactory condition will be held financially responsible for the equipment in question. (This message has been edited by CaptainRenault)

Hi. I am a new Scoutmaster and a new member. But I have been reading this board for a little while. My troop committee is trying to help me get started, and asked me for feedback on a page or so of "Adventure Guidelines" that they want our troop to adopt. Some of these guidelines seem to me to be out-of-sync with BSA policy. Would it be OK for me to put them up on this site to get feedback from all the experienced scouters here? Thanks