ctbailey

Seattle - Thank you for utilizing the UVTS 2.0. I have found in my short 18 years as a member of the BSA, the only thing about the BSA that stays the same, is that it is always changing! I think UVTS 2.0 is a change for the good. This is a tool that provides the commissioner service a better understanding of the "true pulse" of the units. Another thing that I honestly believe, this tool will help "re-invigorate" and re-engage those Commissioners who may have become a little distant. When a commissioner logs a visit - and fills in the comments - other commissioners can see what's going on. Also - over time, the unit commissioner can actually see some progress by reading his or her own comments, as they progress through out the year. Everyone likes to see feedback, and confirmation that their ideas or counsel actually helps. To have these visit comments recorded for posterity does just that. Of course, from the council and higher commissioner perspective, the UVTS 2.0 does another thing - and that is to validate that the commissioner service in their service-area is functioning, and the metrics help towards our Journey to Excellence. This tool is only going to help us be better commissioners, and ultimately the youth will have a better (and more effective) time in Scouting.

Seattle is 100% correct. this amounts to "sand bagging" the youth at the absolute very last minute.

The question really is - "Which fight do you really want to have?" 1. Fight#1 = "The boy did not satisfactorily complete requirement #2: 'Demonstrate that you live by the principles...' 2. Fight#2 = "I as the CC did not do my job to maintain the advancement records, provide sufficient Unit administration, or correctly hold Boards of Review." Therefore I quit, and I am leaving the entire unit in the lurch. 3. Or just sign it. The person who had the responsibility to ensure the youth was given the oppurtunity to grow, had plenty of coaching, etc, etc, is the Scout Master, not the CC. You're job was to ensure the unit was administrated effectively. The CC signature is there to say "Yes, I know the records are valid, his membership is valid, etc." The CC signature is NOT THERE to pass judgement as to whether the boy is "Eagle Material" or not. The only thing that will come of a non-signature would be unneccessary drama that runs through the District, and eventually it will elevate to Council, and chances are the boy will be successful in getting Councils' signature. The youth will be proclaimed an Eagle, the unit will be identified as a "problem" unit, and no one wins. If this Eagle candidate is signed-off, he will never be allowed to wear the badge, only the knot. If he hates Scouts so much then he won't be continuing as an adult, and his memory will fade into the background. Requirement#2 is always the toughest one to "verify." If the boy did the neccessary work on merit badges and leadership, and even tried a "little" to live by the law, then he has completed the job. No where on the application does it say "completed to the random level of expectation by a few people in your unit..." he could do a rotten job leading, as long as he tried and had appropriate coaching. He could do a rotten job writing his plan and report, as long as he tried and had appropriate coaching. The concept of "Eagle Material" has gotten way out of hand, and all too often units and even district boards of review slowly lift the "bar" and allow the requirements to effectively "creep" up and up. This is wrong, and needs to stop. Craig

To Moose - I think trainers EDGE is a reasonable expectation for a trainer to posess. In this day of Powerpoint, and the difficulty in getting folks to training in the first place... the last thing you need is a "boring" slide show. We've all attended the horror shows: the presenter that reads directly from the slide, for example. Or the presenter that speaks like a robot. BUT - and this is a big BUT - in your case the "untrained" presenter in this case is a professional educator! You as the District Training Chair make the policies for your trainings, do not let the inmates run the asyllum. For heavens sake, you couldn't ask for a more "trained" presenter than an educator. Powderhorn - agreed with shortridge, that is only for the outside stuff. Has taken the course - it is a well known fact that BSA has allowed "instructors" to also be on the participant list to gain credit for the course. Long story short, your second "experienced" trainer should be "un-invited" to your training class, and you and the "inexperienced advisor" present the course!

Moose - it is sort of a moot point that the JTE doesn't get too specific about SM and ASM, because all direct contact leadership shall be "trained" for their positions or else they will not be included on the charter as of December 31 2011. (in our council - other councils recharter on a continual basis.) The intent of the JTE is clear that "all" unit leadership be position specific trained. The challenge for District Trainers is to get committee members into class - or go to the committees and provide the training on site. Craig

Beaver - that actually made me LOL, because it's so true.

before Jambo! wow, that's how often I used to check into that thing. The performance was so slow, that even I gave up on it. (And I've got high tolerance for bad software.) Thanks for the reply

My apologies to all if this is old news, but why (and when) did "MyScouting Community" go down? I've been out of touch a while, but has it been gone for long? craig(This message has been edited by ctbailey)

In my opinion, SR540 has hit the proverbial nail on the head! That approach is precisely how I counsel new units to proceed. Also... the occasional "unit Reset," by which I mean sometimes a unit has swung so far out of balance (either too much boy "led" OR too much adult "led.)

So far I agree with all the advice given. Scout - the unit where you serve as ASM... that would be the first unit that I would recommend you find a replacement UC for yourself, instead of a replacement ASM for yourself. My guess is you have a son in the unit, and naturally you are a good choice as ASM. That's where you belong - with your son. You probably wouldn't be objective enough to serve as a 3rd party, or a mentor/coach/counselor to the SM. Some of the most rewarding communication I have had as a UC is from a Unit Leader that calls me out of the blue for advice, or simply another person to bounce ideas off of who isn't in the middle. Lets consider a scenario where the SM has a difference of opinion with his ASM. (This would never happen, would it? ) If you are the ASM he's got an issue with, and you are the Unit Commissioner.... who's the SM going to turn to? Sooner than later - find a replacement UC for yourself at your "own" unit. Craig

So, you're a new UC, eh? You've been assigned a unit that really needs some help to get the train on the right tracks, so let's hear some horror stories of how NOT to inroduce a new UC to a unit!

Scoutbox, let's spin off a new thread, shall we? I think your experience with this unit could use some light shined on it. I spun it into the "Program" area, because it's really not "adult leader training" related, and I'm sorta interested in some ScoutMasters and Cub Masters experiences as well.(This message has been edited by ctbailey)

AHHHH!!!! I've seen those before, never knew a name for it. Actually, now i think about it... didn't you and I have a similar discussion about those "camp blankets" where a person basically wears a blanket that has a hole cut out for their head? thanks!

what's a capote?

I still haven't heard any viable solutions. It's not always the DE/DD who is presenting. Very often it is a District volunteer, who has been asked to make a presentation by another District volunteer. Maybe someone with some "experience in professional fundraising" would care to shed some light on when and how to successfully run a campaign.

OK, we get it. FOS at an ECOH is deemed "untasteful" by the majority of respondants. So, when is a 'good' time for an FOS presentation? If I were to suggest inviting all the parents/grandparents/etc to a special "FOS" meeting during a unit meeting, I would probably get a low turnout. If I were to suggest inviting all the parents/etc to a special "coffee night" during a unit meeting, and NOT TELL THEM it was for FOS, I would be accused of ambushing the parents. If I were to suggest not specially-inviting people, and just take 15 minutes of a normal weekly or monthly unit meeting, I would be accused of "stealing time away from the youth." So... I ask you... maybe with a slight tounge-n-cheek, when is there a "good" time to do an FOS presentation? So often on these boards people are so passionate about an issue that a workable solution is never presented, only continual complaint. if you're not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

hi Ramblin: As many have said all ready, it sounds like you are being tasked with Assistant District Commissioner duties. This is good. Please, Please, reconsider your trip to Philmont for the WB Refresher course. You would be so much better served by atttending the week long Commissioners Conference held at Philmont. You will find very quickly that Wood Badge is much different now than when you originally took it. My reccomendation to you is to hold off on the WB Refresher and take the Commissioners Conference. Serving as a Commissioner in any capacity has many different challenges than serving as a Scout Master. If you have any training oppurtunities either in your Council, or out-of-Council, you should get into any "Basic Commissioner Training" course as soon as possible. These are often held in conjunction with a "Commissioners College" or a "Commissioners Conference" being held at the local level. if you are committed to a weeks vacation anyways, and you are heading out west, if you can change plans - scrap the WB and get into the Philmont Commissioners Conference. It was the absolute best week of my life, and i would do it with you this summer if I could. Craig

OK, I have some information to report. I have contacted Scouter Magazine, and asked about the program inserts. I have been informed that Scouter Magazine no longer includes program theme information. I was not surprised to hear this regarding Cub Scouts, since Cub Scouts 2010 is very clear. I was a bit surprised to learn the Troop program theme information is no longer included, though. I was directed to the "scout source" section of the national website by the scouter magazine respondant. Of course, as you are all aware, the scout source section does not have the monthly program inserts. Yes, "Troop Program Features" is available in all three volumes for download. The only document is the Round Table planning document, which lists the monthly themes into 2013. I was hoping to utilize Boys Life, in concert with the monthly themes, to try and help a unit plan a great program, with as much support from BSA as possible. I can't think of a better system, than to have a national monthly magazine "follow" your troop program. It's unfortunate that BSA is reducing the amount of monthly support.

Hi, Is there any where on the National Site where we can download those monthly program ideas that are stapled into the center of Scouter Magazine? Thanks in advance. Craig

moose, I think the rock climbing example might be too extreme, due to "Climb on Safely" training and the G2SS. But if you were to replace "rock climbing" in your example with say fly fishing, or snowshoeing, then I'd say "yes." The SM or advisor (or even CM) should try and get at least a primer on the subject, but still know where the true "experts" are. In my experience, when a Unit leader feels they are personally unknowledgeable in an activity, the activity won't happen. If that Unit Leader has even a small understanding, there is a good chance the activity will happen. Our purpose as District trainers and Commissioners is to build the "database" of experts that units feel comfortable contacting for help. We volunteers need not be the experts, and certainly the Unit leaders are not expected to be experts in all areas of Scoutcraft. As for the youth component, the PLC does not know what it doesn't know, so adults are still required - even in the most perfect boy-run program. One often underutilized tool at the Unit level is the "unit resource survey," which is a simple document that adults and parents are given, where they are asked to list their abilities and or favorite activities. You can find this in a number of places, including the Scout Master Handbook and Cub Scout Leader book. There is nothing stopping a District Training Chair from sending out a "District Resouce Survey" to all district scouters and even all the unit leaders. I am positive you will be absolutely amazed at the pool of talent that is out there, just waiting to be asked to show their favorite Scoutcraft.

that's a good question. Chances are there will be a "It depends" answer. The Course Director has some say in these matters, and if the ticketee missed by a month or two... the CD would probably let it slide, and the woodbadger would be allowed to receive their beads. If, however, the woodbadger misses the ticket window by a "long time" they would need to start over as an attendee at a future course. The person would still be "trained" in wood badge items, they just wouldn't be eligible to wear the beads and tartan necker. If the ticketee wants to complete it, and their Ticket Counselor is effective, this situation should rarely occur. But there are certainly people who do not wish to complete their ticket, or were brow beaten hard enough that the ticket was incredibly difficult to complete, so they just quit.

Moose... Round Table does not fall under any District Committee function at all. RT falls under the "Commissioner Staff" and is planned and run by the "Round Table Commissioner." Anything that happens at RT should be approved by the RT Commissioner, and in the event there is no RT Commissioner, the District Commissioner has the authority.

'92: I totally agree this has been a massive headache for thousands of folks. I have faith that the National Council uniform committee will stand up and speak for the volunteers. But we need to remember there may be financial pressures behind some of these decisions. The Centennial transition has been a big effort by a lot of folks. This issues will shake out, I'm sure, certainly now that the big party is starting to wind down. Maybe now we can all get back to the job of Scouting, and wait another 100 years for the next big four year party. ctb

Hi Everyone, I am pleased to report that the National Commissioner has taken a stand on the Color of the Trained Strip. According to the latest newsletter "The Commissioner" which is found here: http://scouting.org/filestore/pdf/522-975_Fall20109.pdf On page 11, there is a FAQ about the color of the trained strip for wear by Commissioners: 2. Is it true that commissioners should only wear the red Trained strip upon completing Basic Training? Thats what is listed in the documentation. Answer: If you have the new Centennial uniform, then you should use the new green Trained strip. If you wear any of the previous styles of uniforms, then you should use the red Trained strip. While the commissioner documentation has not been updated to reflect it, both Trained strips are equivalent. Note that the red strip may not be available in the near future. So, we can rest assured that all commissioners should be wearing the green strip on the "centennial uniform." Can we make the jump that ALL non-unit scouters do the same? I for one feel comfortable making that jump as a leap of faith. Thanks very much Craig Bailey

Well, I could only find one National BSA document on this issue - the online National Supply website: www.scoutstuff.org Item #18120 is the smaller red trained strip that fits on the pocket flap of the "smokes" pocket. The catalog indicates that yes, indeed, Cub Scout leaders wear the red strip. If we assume that the National Uniforming committee has seen this item in the catalog, and they have not asked the Supply Division to change the description, then can we assume that this description meets the intent, as does in fact set a de-facto policy on the subject? And no, E92 c,ub scouts don't wear the strip. I made a mistake. the first of many today, I'm sure. craig