DannyG

The Scout requirement is "become familiar with" and "Explain how these items create patrol spirit." Unfortunately, you have discovered your patrol flag is missing and nobody can find it. Perhaps you could explain how having a patrol flag would create more patrol spirit.

I am not aware of any full face snorkel ban. My kids like to use them. But preferred to use in calm, shallow waters for casual snorkeling only. Contact the camp to be sure they are appropriate for your activity.

Yes. It is worth it. I will soon complete my first year as MB counselor. Also ASM for the troop. It is amazing to watch scouts grow, learn new skills, and bring them back to the troop. There seems to be an all-around registration issue going from paper applications to electronic. I am stuck trying to renew. The prompt says to renew in the electronic system but nothing about my MB counselor position is in there.

I found the call to action years ago when I rejoined Cub Scouts with my son. It became apparent that the Pack would quickly fall apart if new parents did not take on any leadership roles. It took me about a year to relearn the program, another year to find a place because we had a dedicated den leader, then we were running the show. Out of 8 youth that joined my son's new den as Tigers, at least 6 of their parents eventually became registered as leaders: Den Leaders/Cubmaster/Committee Chair/COR/Treasurer, etc. I had skills to bring as a former scout. But even parents who had no past experience in the program found the value and stepped up. Today it seems like a harder sell. We got parents to bring their kids to join with established leadership. But they sooner walk out the door than take on a leadership role themselves. Even parents who were formerly scouts.

As it is now, the troop starts preparing 18 months - 2 years out. I'd keep the backpacking/hiking activity ongoing, several trips a year, if it were entirely up to me.

Yes. Fundraising helps. Even though my scout can cost up to $1500 annually, I really pay less than half out-of-pocket because of unit fundraising. Just trying to be open and generic to the amount it really costs to scout. Many councils have instituted their own council fee above the $85 national membership. In effect they can charge up to $85 more. And every unit I have been a part of charges their own dues for patches and costs. That's how I estimate $200, but it really doesn't cost me that much out-of-pocket to register. You can reduce the uniform cost by reusing old uniforms. Buy it a couple sizes bigger so your scout grows into it over a few years. Sometimes you can them at a Goodwill store or Ebay. Borrow a uniform. Our troop has an old uniform bin so any of our scouts can borrow one. We went crazy with personal gear at crossover, so now we just have to replace what gets broken or lost. Plus the shoes he grows out of every year. We even bought a hiking backpack to carry all his gear, but we found out the troop doesn't really go on any backpack trips until a Philmont crew cycles around every 3 years or so.

Registration and dues $200/year. Summer camp $500+. New complete uniform $150. Monthly camp fees and gear, averages $50/month, say $600/year. High Adventure $2500. It costs around $1200-$1500 per year per scout, +$2500 if going on a high adventure trip. The troop fundraises year-round to offset some of the costs.

Scouting empowers young people to leadership through its methods: Scout Oath and Law, Patrol method, etc.

You mock, but somewhere there is a kid sitting at home on his device that needs to start being physically active so he can train to participate with the troop on a day-long hike, a canoe trip, a long bike ride, whatever. We have some kids who struggle. Everyone is different. For some the requirements are easy, for others, some might take a little work. I watched my son complete the physical fitness requirements and MB as a young scout, and no, it wasn't difficult for him. But there was a sense of accomplishment. That the activities he participates in and effort he made has a difference in his fitness. So he can participate in the challenging physical activities with the troop. Remember we have volunteers at the unit level. They are not high-level professionals training for years to conduct the program. So we might have to spell it out for them. The point is to encourage young people to make moral and ethical choices. I watch kids at summer camp skip breakfast and go straight to the trading post to load up on candy bars. It might work for a kid in the first year program, but not so well for the ones spending all day on the ropes course, or training for the mile swim. Some have to be told about the food pyramid. While the mess hall food isn't always the best, it has the nutrients they need to get through their daily activities. So I see where the program goes askew. It is the focus on these seemingly mundane requirements. When the focus is really on going outdoors, having adventures, having fun. If you focus on the latter, the requirements will happen. It is not about checking boxes in the handbook. We need to give kids the "why" to complete them.

If this works for your unit, then I say try it. It worked very well for us in Cub Scouts to have open campouts. Join us when your schedule allows so you don't have to write-off the entire weekend. If you have another obligation Friday night, but you can camp with us Saturday night, then join us late. Or if you don't have the personal gear or are unsure about camping out the entire night, make it a day camp and join us for activities. This works well with Cubs family camping, with parents providing transportation to/from camp and staying. Logistically, this sort of transportation arrangement for a troop is tricky (adults have to be on the charter, YPT and background check, to stay at camp). Our troop has allowed it on extenuating circumstances (ie. parent drops off kid at camp late and leaves) but it doesn't always work for everyone. Sometimes the troop is camping for fun nearby, so we can make it work out . Sometimes the troop is out on a trek in the wilderness and you wouldn't be able to find us as easily. But I think we have to realize this gap exists on the older side of the program, not just Cubs. I see both sides.

One big reason why families choose travel sports vs. scouting: parents travel with their child. A lot of adults don't like camping in the woods; whether they don't have much experience in the outdoors, they don't have the equipment, the arrangements are not comfortable, they don't like the bugs, whatever. But they will travel and stay in a hotel. The parents are nearby to keep an eye on their own kids. Many parents today want to spend their free time with their kids. They don't want to ship them off to other adults and leave them in the woods all weekend.

Thus, the unit leader signs the blue card again after the counselor completes it. That's the check the merit badge is earned.

Scouting charges fees to its volunteers to register. I don't know any sports coaches that have to pay a registration fee. The training can be extensive for a scout leader. Sports volunteers might get a rules document to sign, then they just show up. But I also have some stories of terrible youth coaches.

It seems contradictory. Be open to everyone but clearly define what the the program is and how it works? The promise is adventure and outdoors. Scouting let's you choose how you want to achieve those objectives. They provide the framework. Your unit decides how it is going to meet it.

Certainly. It shouldn't be 90% indoors. Unless that is what your unit wants from the program. Our troop spends 90 minutes a week in a troop meeting. There is another 90 minute PLC meeting for leadership. That is up to 7.5 hours of meetings a month. The monthly weekend camping trip is 48+ hours. Maybe spend a couple hours working on a merit badge, citizenship or whatever... Still, over 80% of the troop time is outdoors. This is the current program. That's the way I envision it to be.