CubsRgr8

The religious emblem medals are NOT scout awards, so I say go ahead and wear it on the uniform.

My sons' troop has run its own summer camp for 40 years plus. I have attended nine summers and love going. Here are some things I think are key to making it work: 1) We have a stand-alone state group campsite all to ourselves. 2) There's a theme (lumberjacks, Robin Hood, etc.) that ties together the activities planned over the course of the week and provides the basis for earning Honor Patrol status. 3) There's a craft tent for rainy days, a waterfront for sunny days, and a couple of half-day out-of-camp activities (5 mi hike, forestry site visit, etc.) so nobody goes stir-crazy. 4) Scouts cook most of their breakfasts and dinners by patrol while lunch is a simple chow lines of sandwiches, etc. while adults cook and eat their own meals. Some things I think I would change: 1) Offer more merit badges that tie directly into the theme, while dropping anything that is not outdoors or theme related - like the three CITs or Communications. 2) Go later in the summer so the new scout patrols (we usually have two) will have camped at least three times in advance. 3) Add a couple of advanced activities (i.e. two night canoe trips) for the older scouts.

There is no doubt in my mind that a troop's culture is driven by the leaders. Given that most COs, CORs, and CCs do not have any particular vision for the troop they sponser, most often the leader I'm referring to is the scoutmaster. Why is that? Who attends the meetings, the campouts, the week at summer camp? The scoutmaster. Who knows all the boys' names, where they go to school, how things are at home? The scoutmaster. A new scoutmaster comes in and he has ideas about troop culture that drives how things will happen during his tenure. Changing a culture that doesn't seem to be working well? That's pretty simple, change the scoutmaster.

koolaidman, thanks for the link to NBC, that adds a lot of information to the story. To answer bear dad's original question, yes, it's fair. It's fair for BSA to uphold its membership requirements. The scout chose to inform BSA that "he does not agree to Scoutings principle of 'Duty to God' and does not meet Scoutings membership standard on sexual orientation." So, he chose to cross the Rubicon twice. Actions have consequences and he had to have known what the consequences are for a member who refuses to accept BSA's membership requirements.

In reading the article the scout proactively notified his Eagle councilor that he has issue with duty to god and btw I am gay too.... The link posted by bear dad does not include any mention of DTG. Where did you find that?

Random thoughts. I do get tired of stories with gross inaccuracies - the scoutmaster does NOT award the Eagle, so he cannot possibly prevent it being awarded to a scout. Fair? If the facts as presented are accurate, it certainly is not fair for a scoutmaster to (apparently) deny a scout his Eagle scoutmaster conference - for any reason. If a scoutmaster won't conduct the scoutmaster conference - for any reason, stated or unstated - the scout can and should go to his District advancement committee. Did the scout and mom really think splashing this on Yahoo News would help? Now he has crossed the Rubicon and labled himself a "self-avowed homosexual". (This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

It's sad to see "your" camp run down and on the chopping block. Make sure that 100% of proceeds from the sale of the property are encumbered to the development of the new camp. Don't let the money be used to pay the SE a bonus or any other such nonsense. Also, check out if perhaps the existing Cub World can be relocated to the portion of the overall site that has the most history.

Uhg. Cold food is a big, red warning light that proper food handling was not in place, making the danger of food poisoning extremely high. If this was my banquet, I'd send a polite letter (not email, they're too easy to ignore) to: The Lodge Key Three (Chief, Advisor, Staff Advisor), the Scout Executive (the Supreme Chief of the Fire), and the Banquet committee chair. That said, the other short-comings are easily addressed - never use that facility again. But for $15, I'm guessing this was catered by volunteers in a church basement. Then it's up to the event chairman (who is a youth, right?) to be better trained by his adult adviser on how to run a banquet.(This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

I agree that OA activities and visibility vary significantly from lodge to lodge. I, too, wish my lodge was more visible and more integrated into council, district and unit activities. However, I recognize that the lodge is what it is because the Scout Executive is the Supreme Chief of the Fire. If she only sees the lodge as "free labor for BSA to set up/take down summer camp at council scout camps", then that what the it be. If he delegates all responsibility to the staff advisor, then it's the staff advisor's vision that shapes the lodge. Anyone agree with me?

I NEVER camped or scouted (?) when I was a kid, so I didn't know jack when I became a WDL. Training and the internet were my friends and opened up the world of scouting to this city slicker. Put together a two year plan that incorporates as many outdoor activities (day hikes, day camp, camporees, joint activities with Troops) as possible. ABSOLUTELY have your den attend a Webelos 4 day/3 night resident camp between 4th & 5th grades - this summer if at all possible. If you're anywhere in the Midwest, Camp Rokolio (Bay Lakes Council) or Akela's World (Samoset Council) have fantastic reputations. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

Lodges will not be allowed to die by the staff adviser as long as Quality Lodge rubrics are number based (Brotherhood conversion rate, membership growth, etc.) and Quality Lodge is one of his annual performance evaluation factors. Therefore, adults are recruited to "cover" the critical functions (elections, induations, etc.) and end up running them. In six years, I have yet to see ANY activity/event fail or be cancelled due to poor youth leadership and, frankly, many of them should have failed.

Since this is a Milwaukee troop, here's the link to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's article about this tempest in a teacup. http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/milwaukee-boy-scout-troops-border-patrol-patch-causes-ire-3b50ads-147414825.html Funny how the same paper somehow wasn't able to mention that this same troop celebrated having seven eagle scouts at a special ceremony at the War Memorial last November.

Here's a better link to the LDS webpage about Cub Scouting: http://www.lds.org/service/serving-in-the-church/primary/leader-resources/scouting-in-primary?lang=eng

Well written. ^^^ Few things aggravate me more than parents of Cub Scouts who think BSA stands for Baby Sitters of America. I've personally seen it in both Catholic parish and public school Packs and am certain it pops up in every Pack at one time or another. It all comes down to the Charter Organization making the effort to educate the parents right up front, before their sons join the Pack. If I understand correctly, your service as a den leader is considered a religious calling and you do not have the right to tell parents that their kids either "shape up or ship out!" Even so, there is nothing on the LDS website page about Cub Scouting (http://www.lds.org/service/serving-in-the-church/primary/leader-resources/scouting-in-primary/cub-scouting?lang=eng&query=scouting) that says you are expected to be a patsy and suck it up. My brief review of the webpage also finds that the Church expects the Pack to be organized and run just like any other Pack, with some minor LDS specific variants. That includes scout behavior and parent support/participation. I suggest you contact the unit's COR, explain the situation to him, and request that he back you up in communicating expectations to the parents. This would be best done with all parents simultaneously, perhaps after a religious service, to avoid anyone from feeling singled out. If the COR is unreceptive, then go up the ladder. Unfortunately, if that doesn't help, then I suggest you not worry about tailoring the program to attract more kids and instead provide a program the conforms the BSA standards and pleases the kids who do show up.

That's great news and I'm glad you posted. I'd like to hear about some of the strategies you used to grow the Pack, the ones that worked best and the one that didn't. A success story like this needs to be shared.