New ASM's All In A Row.

[Eamonn]

Last night we were supposed to have a Red Cross guy come and go over the Emergency Preparedness requirements with the Jamboree Troop. He canceled at the last minute, blaming the floods and other things that have hit our area of late.

It was too late to contact everyone. So we went on with the meeting, changing it so that we covered the youth protection requirements, along with some of the Emergency Preparedness things that I thought that he might not cover when he does get to come.

I truly enjoy and love working with real kids again. Our Jamboree bunch are a great bunch as cheeky and impudent a crowd as any I have ever had the joy to work for or with.

I don't know how or why but for some reason a lot of the Dads who have sons attending the Jamboree were at the meeting in uniform. They were from different troops and I don't remember asking parents to attend in uniform.

This was the first meeting that we'd had since the elections two weeks back. I was keen to see how the Patrols would and were coming together and how the new SPL would work out.

We met in the church hall that one of the Jamboree ASM'S has as the meeting place for his troop. He had set the chairs out in neat rows, I of course moved them so that the boys were sitting in patrols. I have been in contact with the SPL via E-mail and he was set and ready for the opening.

The meeting went well. The Scouts were wonderful, even with the YP movie and the follow up discussion. We broke the meeting up a little with a game that involved the patrols using the carrying methods outlined in the EP merit badge book. We got through it without dropping anyone and no injuries, which I always view as a plus!!

The Dads sat their, all of them had been in Cubbing and had crossed over with their sons early this year. At the end of the meeting we had ice cream bars and stuff. I went over to talk to this row of ASM's. They were very complementary about the meeting. I had used an overhead projector and had managed to get every transparency upside down or inside out. The Scouts had of course got on my case, I deserved it. One Dad asked me if I ever got upset with the Scouts? I explained that this was something that I did for fun and got a lot of enjoyment from.

Another Dad said that I had been a trainer when he went through Cub Scout training's and he thought that I had only been acting about having fun with the boys!! He wanted to know why I had moved all the chairs? And did I really think that this Patrol thing was really such a big deal? But the best one was the guy who told me that he thought that I only gave speeches he didn't know that I ever actually done anything.

No wonder the kids are so cheeky.

When I grow up I think I might want to be a Scoutmaster.

Eamonn

[acco40]

I can relate! Now, how many boys who just crossed over (Spring of '04) will be old enough to attend the National Jamboree? One of our Scouts in our troop will not be 11 until December!

 

Regardless if I am considered a "leader" or not, I attend Scouting functions in uniform, as I believe all Scouts and Scouters should. When asked by the boys in our troop the proverbial "do we have to wear our uniform to _______" I always reply, nobody has to, but for a Scouting event one should wear a Scouting uniform.