Dangerville

Another suggestion: Politely suggest to the parent to get trained (or retrained) in Scouting. The online courses do a great job of teaching patrol method, etc. I would definitely recommend all parents taking ALL of the training available online and at Council events. It's good for them to GET and STAY involved. Danger

Sorry, for some reason, the question didn't post. The question was, "if you are ex-LDS, why are you in an LDS unit?" Danger

Question: Answer: My younger brother is a part of the unit, and I also used to be SPL to some of these boys when I was still a Scout in the Troop. My differences with the church are strictly religious, and so I keep them out of my dealings with the boys. I'd like to see these young men to grow up to be upstanding citizens, regardless of what denomination they belong to. So, I guess you could say I have a sentimental attachment to the Troop. My only concern is for the growth of these young men. I'd like to be a force for good in their lives like my SM was to me. I want them to remember some of the lessons that I teach. My sincere hope is to get the troop back on track, some time soon. And, I'll continue to work within the system, while maybe trying to help LDS units change some of their more ridiculous regulations (I hope). Danger

Thanks everyone for the replies. Your suggestions are very helpful to me. The real problem with LDS units (from an ex-LDS point of view) is over-management and lack of training. The LDS Church imposes many administrative rules over and above the Scouting codes. Most are not out of any real religious reason, but matters of insurance for the church. Like finances, for instance. My unit is given a "budget" of $500 for the entire year of activities. This budget is to be shared with the Young Men's Organization (the church youth group for boys 12-18), and is usually eaten up in large chunks by their once-a-month activities. Fundraising is very specific, (no car washes, etc.) and we're only allowed 1 fundraiser per year (usually the fall popcorn drive). As I mentioned in my first post, this barely covers the $250.00 per boy for the local LDS-only Scout camp. The parents of most of our boys can't afford that kind of cash, but if the Stake decides it's holding an LDS Camp, it's mandated that you attend, because you won't get approval for any other type of Summer Camp. We got lucky this year and the Stake won't be planning an LDS-only camp, so we've planned a 5-day canoe trip for the summer. Cost: only $50.00 per boy!! (after fundraising) Another is the religious issue. I understand that the faith is very important for church members, and rightly so, but do they have to be so uptight about it? I have two boys in my troop who are friends of some of my LDS boys, but these two are Catholic, and from what I understand, very much so. Well, when drafting my letter to parents about the upcoming canoe trip, I mentioned that the boys were requested to bring a Bible, as we'd be having a short non-denominational devotional service shoreside each night at camp. I had prepared a short "topic starter" for each night. Basically, it was "how does such and such scripture illustrate such and such a point in the Scout Law?" It was meant to be more to illustrate the correlation between Biblical moral code and Scouting moral code, than to teach any deep religious doctrine. Considering that LDS hold the Bible to be accepted scripture, I didn't think there'd be a problem. Anyway, one of the parents (and my ASM) went to the Bishop all up-in-arms because of the word "non-denominational" in the letter. I was subsequently told that the devotional service had to be strictly "denominational" and that a Priesthood holder had to preside. Now, am I off-base, or is this totally unfair to my two Catholic boys. Am I wrong in not wanting to use the Scouting program as a proselyting tool? I'd like to thank CalicoPenn and Beavah specifically for some very helpful suggestions. I definitely will suggest that the members of the Troop Committee get trained, and directly after camp, I will appoint a new PL and see if I can't breathe some life into this troop, and have it function the way B-P would have. One clarification: LDS troops ARE allowed to recruit outside of the ward, but it's very difficult because of the stigma the world has about Mormons. Most non-LDS parents don't want their kids to be part of an LDS-sponsored troop. Thanks to everyone, and keep those suggestions coming! I really appreciate every single one! Danger.

Hello, I'm new to the forum, and also new to the SM game...I was a Scout not too long ago, I'm only 24. I'm SM-ing the troop that I belonged to, but things have definitely changed. Here's my dilemma: Problem No. 1: I only have 3-4 active boys who attend on a regular basis. Due to athletics, I occasionally only have 1 boy. Other times, some of my less actives show up, and I could have up to 10 boys. So I plan activities for 3-4 boys, and sometimes I either have too much planned, or not enough. Problem No. 2: Obviously, there's not enough active boys for the "patrol method". I tried Troop elections when I first started a year ago, but the boys thought it was a big joke, and elected an SPL who never attends. Problem No. 3: The boys who do attend do not want to plan activities. Any time I try to organize a planning meeting or PLC, they laugh and joke, and nothing gets accomplished. Then I spend all of my spare time between work and sleep, planning and executing activities to keep the program running. Problem No. 4: The Troop Committee and Parents don't really seem to want to get involved. I've repeatedly brought up these problems in Troop Committee Mtg., and they throw out ideas for activities, but then they assume I'll handle the logistics. AND, the parents are more than happy to complain when their boys aren't being entertained. Problem No. 5: The Troop is chartered to the LDS Church, and the Stake only allows fundraising once a year. This fundraiser usually pulls down enough to almost cover Scout Camp, but the rest of the year, we've got no resources. LDS Church rules also say you can't collect dues. Any more experienced Scouters out there who can help me? I'm pulling my hair out trying to run a decent program for these boys. Thanks in advance, Danger.