David CO

The Catholic Church recently decided that all units chartered by Knights of Columbus are to be turned over to the parish youth ministries. This was done to emphasize that the parish should be the focus of all our organized youth activities. The current trend in the Catholic Church is to be more parish focused, not less so. In no way should this reflect badly on the Knights of Columbus. Nor should it indicate an attitude on our part that our parish staff can do a better job of running units than the KCs. The Catholic Church is simply becoming more parish focused that we were a decade or two ago. Catholic parishes, their schools, and their scout units do not make these decisions irrespective of faith. Neither should our scouts.

That is one of the risks of accepting too many people from outside your CO. If they suddenly decide to form their own unit with their own CO, it can have devastating consequences for your unit.

If SPL is determined to leave his current unit, and he can't find an appropriate new unit right away, he might consider signing up as a Lone Scout. If his dad has an "in" at the council HQ, he should have no problem registering and advancing to eagle as a Lone Scout.

As an IH, I am shaking my head in dismay. First of all, if Eagle 94-A1 were in my unit, I would not allow him to serve in a unit position while he is representing the council as a UC. Secondly, if he were in my unit, I would not allow him to serve in a unit position while he is serving in a unit position for a different Chartered Organization. It is not a good idea for a scouter to wear too many "hats", particularly when doing so might create the appearance of a conflict of interest.

There is no requirement for any unit to buy or wear the uniform. If the UC is insisting that a unit be uniformed, he is way out of line.

The religious argument is never out of the equation. A boys loyalty to his church is a lot more important than any other program issues that might arise.

Any number of reasons.

Yes, Really. Our scout unit is part of our youth ministry. It is not at all like soccer. Soccer doesn't have a religious component.

If someone was poaching from my unit, I wouldn't be on speaking terms with them either.

It sounds to me like SPL has been doing just great in the troop he is in. The other boys seem to have liked him well enough that they elected him into the top youth position in the unit. There is no guarantee that the next group of boys in a new troop will feel the same way. I think maybe he should consider distancing himself from all this adult drama and just concentrate on having a good time with his friends.

I am actually pretty impressed. It's not every day that I hear about a boy with Asperger's who is both a successful athlete and a SPL (elected by his peers).

The rule is a lie.

It sounds to me like BSA has created an all-inclusive exception that would allow any registered scout to claim to be active, regardless of actual participation in scouting. I think its sole purpose is to keep the phony numbers up and the dues rolling in. It is blatantly dishonest.

One of the things I find so strange about the activity/participation requirements is that a unit cannot deny advancement to a scout, but it can drop them entirely. Should we really want to leave units with no recourse except the "nuclear option" to maintain standards for activity/participation?

Your point is well taken. Our unit is chartered by the Athletic Department of my school. Like most grade schools & middle schools, we don't give out "letters" like the high schools. If we were to form a lettermen's club like those in the high schools, I can see no reason why our scouts couldn't "letter". AP has its own rules. A teacher in a regular class, however, could give a student extra credit for subject related scout work. It really is amazing how little some scouters (at BSA) value our scouting program.

I think we need to consider the very real possibility that a financially struggling family might be invited to a special event as somebody else's guest.

Even more so if the son is the SPL.

Zuzy suggested that the Dad's position as UC of the unit may have been at least partly responsible for the problem between the scout and the SM. I would suggest that they do not repeat that mistake with a new unit.

My CO insists that we be very discreet about financial assistance. We do not broadcast who is, or is not, receiving assistance. It is not a matter for public discussion. The last thing we want is to do is make a scout the subject of gossip and accusations.

Thank you for saying that. Most parents and scouts don't like to admit that they simply can't afford it. Many will just quietly drop out. I wish more parents would speak up about the spiraling costs.

How many scouts today pay their own way?

I guess I don't understand why this scout's advancement, or lack thereof, would be the subject of a meeting. In my unit, scouts aren't required to participate in the advancement program if they don't want to.

I totally agree. Yes, It does change your program. It changes your program so much that I think this is more of an Chartered Organization decision than a unit leadership decision. It sounds like Alabama Scouter's CO has already made a decision. My CO went in a completely different direction. We feel that there is a real benefit gained by having boys from all economic backgrounds.

Would I be out of line if I speculated that the unit leadership is moving up the SPL election to August as a means to remove your son as the current SPL without publicly "firing" him?

Do I understand correctly that the Senior Patrol Leader says he hates his troop?