dancinfox

We have all had people in our lives who don't like us, and people who we don't like, but sometimes, to look above what they did to make us not like them is important. I talk to my daughter about this alot. She loves someone, then hates them with a passion. I try to tell her that she will instil this in my grandson and granddaughter, and try myself to follow this rule. It's not easy, but life isn't. Eamonn, you are one of the friendist people on this forum. Bob White is knowledgeable and knows the rules, but I don't think would make a very good judge, (not a lot of compassion for those who are not good at following the rules. No bad intended Bob White, please) All the rest of you I enjoy reading your posts. I don't post much, but do lurk often. To BadenP, I commend you on being a professional. All of us volunteers would like to think we would be great professionals, but the truth is, it's a long hard job that takes a special person to succeed at. I have known quite a few professionals and become great friends with them including DS, who was from my council and I'm sure their feelings about the Boy Scouts of America weren't always fond, but they never said any real bad things about the policies. I too, don't always like the policies and program that the National Council has come up with, but know I have to present the program as a whole to give the youth and adults every opportunity to judge for themselves, and not take my personal observations. Dancin

acco, I wish I would have known. I live about 40 minutes from Clare in St. Louis. We don't go to our council camp, Camp Rotary but to Traverse City. How did you like Lost Lake. Dancin

In the district program can be split between Boy Scouting, Cub Scouting, Venturing, etc. If your district had a Boy Scout Division and there was a District Boy Scout Chair, then he or she could appoint a District Activities Chair who would then bring together a District Activities Committee hopefully not made up of Scoutmasters or other Unit Leaders. This committee could plan the district activities, ie: Spring Camporee, Fall Camporee, Klondike Derby, etc. If done right as a

You can also use October Sky or Rocketship to the moon. Both show how teamwork can solve problems. Also show how a team is built. Dancin

I agree with FScouter. If you want to do this with a campout, start on Friday night. Have some place inside to show a movie. Cool Runnings, Remember the Titians, October Sky are good. They show team building which is good to start off the training with. Remember to do a reflection after the movie. I also have ice cream, pop, popcorn and cookies for everyone to eat during the movie. Dancin

Why I posed this question! I am the back up course director for our council's Wood Badge course this summer and we have had feedback from our course in 2002 that the Cub Leaders felt like it was a Boy Scout Leader oriented course and not enough time was devoted to Cub Scouting. By this I mean when the participants arrive for the course, they are put into a den and become Boy Scouts around 11:00 am or there abouts. The course is designed to function as a Boy Scout Troop from then on. For the course this year, we have made a few changes, such as giving them name tags with their den number on them until they cross over to the troop, then giving them a name tag with their patrol totem on it. We have also created a song book with the Cub Scout promise, The Oath and Law, and the Venturing promise in the front and also Cub Scout songs, Boy Scout songs and other songs to be sung during different times in the course. Dancin

Thanks Terry, It's not good when you can't get your fix of Scouter.com forum. Dancin

Just a question for those who have staffed a 21st Century Wood Badge Course. Did you, or have you found that the Cub Leaders taking the course feel that the course is not completely in tune with them or have you made changes to the presentation of the course to compensate for this. Dancin

Had a message from someone in my council who is involved in a lot of Eagle Court of Honors and feels the trend is going from adult leaders and parents planning the court of honor to the Eagle themselves planning. I just wonder what everyone's thoughts on this are? Dancin

We have a opening, done by a different scouter every month which follows the theme for the month. We then have a skills session which teaches us something new each month. Not all Scouters will find each month new, but as new leaders come they find something new to use. We then have patrol meetings in which the RTC gives us the news about coming events and anything else going on in the Council or district. Then we play a game. This is a game with a purpose followed by reflection. Then we have a closing. The opening and closing are always new to someone, so that they can go back to their units and try something different. Dancin

We have a opening, done by a different scouter every month which follows the theme for the month. We then have a skills session which teaches us something new each month. Not all Scouters will find each month new, but as new leaders come they find something new to use. We then have patrol meetings in which the RTC gives us the news about coming events and anything else going on in the Council or district. Then we play a game. This is a game with a purpose followed by reflection.

When we got a new Boy Scout Roundtable Commissioner in our district, he asked the participants (most of whom are experienced scouters) what we wanted. I told him that I would like to see roundtables run like a troop meeting. He has since done that, and I think he has done a great job. More information is given out to participants. Dancin

Check out Quartermasterstore.com they have a whole lot of Wood Badge stuff including some 21st Century Wood Badge stuff. Just be prepared with your credit card. Enjoy! Dancin

Check out the link. It might be that National has not upgraded their information yet. Have your District Exec. check on it for you. http://www.usscouts.org/advance/cubscout/worldcons.html Dancin

In my mindset I agree with you and the BOR, but if the Scout has done everything for the advancement and has held a position of responsibily, then he should be awarded the rank. We can't change or make up new requirements for rank advancement. It does not say, demonstrate leadership abilities, it says hold a positon of responsibilty during the period from your last rank for a certain period of time ie:4 months from 1st. class to star, 6 months from star to life, etc. If you as scoutmaster allowed th

If you read on the Website, it says that families can camp nearby. Only organizations and units can't camp within I think 100 miles. In regards to the patch, my thoughts are that the patch is reserved for those going as participants or working on staff. The patch for youth is smaller that the patch for adults. In my council the cost is $1,200.00 per person. I have 9 of the scouts from the unit I am scoutmaster for going. I would like to think those 9 youth didn't pay $1,200.00 to go and have the hono

I also run Norton Internet Security and have the same problem. When I disable the security, I can log onto this site. When I turn it back on, no access. Maybe Scouter.com's firewall is causing Norton to block when security is set to on. At work, I use Sysmatec Antivirus Corporate edition and have no problem getting on. Dancin

http://www.631.org

Ken, One thing I would recomend to you. Let the Scouts plan their outings. It might be that your low attendance is because they are doing what you want, not what they want. If they pick the place to go, and the program they are going to do on that outing, then they buy into the outing. Dancin

FOG, It's not in Bob Whites world, it's in theory what the BSA wants us to do. Every unit should try to get to that point. Sometimes it doesn't happen overnight, sometimes it never happens, but if we keep the goal in sight and strive to accomplish it, then we are doing are best, and that's all we can ask of the Scouts and ourselfs. Dancin

Steve, On using the 360 self assessment, this should not be used to see how you did on your 4 other goals, but how peers see you doing your scouting position. When the results are gathered by your Ticket Counselor or other person you have chosen, they compile the results and send a summary of the answers to you. Thus, you do not see what the people you picked out to do the assessment on you said. Dancin

Just recently my ASM and I were talking. He told me that the scout meetings and outings were boring and we should step in and do the program for them. I told him that the leadership have all the tools i.e.(JLT, TLT, program materials, and my counsel at all PLC meetings, but they choose not to plan). I have held SM conferences with the leadership to no avail and it seemed that they have not consequences. If they don't do their homework, their parents take away something. If their bad in school, they get a suspension. I thought about it for a few days, thinking that maybe I should step down as Scoutmaster and let my ASM take over. The leadership had a PLC planned for a hour before the meeting, so I asked the SPL to have all the troop present at that meeting. As the meeting began, I took the floor and made the announcement that if they were not going to take ownership of their troop and plan longer than one or two meetings ahead, then I was going to resign. The look on their faces and their parents faces made me smile. I gave them a consequence in their minds they did not want. A week later we had a planning conference at my house that lasted for four hours in which they planned meetings, outings and themes for six months. They were always complaining about outings and meetings, but would not step up to the plate to make changes. Now they are. Dancin

Good job and well done fellow fox. Dancin

Eamonn, Page 3 of the Administration Guide (2003 printing) states: Note: The Boy Scouts of America encourages volunteer leaders to achieve high levels of leadership ability. To expand opportunities for as many Scouters as possible, a Scouter should serve ony once as a Wood badge course director and, after serving as a course director, should not serve on a Wood Badge staff again. There are three exceptions to this rule: 1. At the discretion of the council training chair and with the approval of the Scout executive, a veteran course director with recent course experience may be appointed to be a mentor for a current course director. 2. In the event of the unexpected withdrawal of a course director from a specific course, a veteran course director may assume the position of course director. 3. In no other candidates are available, a course director may lead a second course. However, this situation should be a strong warning to a courncil that insufficient attention is being paid to developing and encouraging Scouters to grow in leadership skills and to accept leadership challenges. When this years course director and myself as back up course director submitted our list of potential staff members to the Central Region, we got approval with the knowledge that there were no four beaders on staff. Your friend, using a previous four beader as SPL and yourself as a staff member is wrong. My understanding is that your region will not approve his list. As to your councils next course director, you are right. As of January 1, 2005, requirements for selection as course director shall consist of as least two staff experiences in the Wood Badge for the 21st Century course-one as a troop guide and one other staff position. Tenure as a staff member should not be a factor; the most capable individual should be chosen. Your friend could use your next course director as a Troop Guide, and some of your previous staff members to fill in his staff if needed. I would believe that there are people in his council that have their beads from previous Wood Badge courses and he could tap them as staff members. If he is an old dyed in the wool Wood Badger, then he must change his thinking for the 21st Century Wood Badge Course to work in his council. In our council, we have read through the Administratiev Guide and the Course Syllabus and the traditions that were in the old courses are not there. This is not Boy Scout Wood Badge, but a course designed for all parts of Scouting, and the way the course is put on should reflect that. Just my humble opinion. Dancin

Eamonn, My understanding of the Sylbus is that you can not have any four beaders on the staff. The objective of the 21st Century course is to get new staff. I can't believe since you ran a course last year, he can't recruit from those participants who took that course. Just my humble opinion. Dancin