Screw it, we're doing some retired Webelos Adventures

[InquisitiveScouter]

1 minute ago, AwakeEnergyScouter said:

And aren't all the sewing avoidance methods already offered enough? 🤦🏼‍♀️

LOL, Badge Magic destroys fabric 😜

[Armymutt]

I'm seeing these changes as further evidence of the decline of the Scouting program.  Parents are less and less inclined to get involved with their kids and their activities.  If it's not easy, they don't want to do it.  All of our den leaders are only in those positions because their kids won't have an activity if they don't do it.  The complaint that the non-rank advancement awards were not in front of them and thus they didn't do them is telling.  A 5 minute look through the tabs of Scoutbook will show you all of these awards that are apparently so hard to find.  Only 4% of Scouts earn Eagle.  Are we doing away with that too?  My daughter doesn't wear the belt.  Her uniform would look pretty empty if it just consisted of her Lion and Tiger badges.  Right now she wears the Shooting Sports patch and the Outdoor Activity award flap patch.  Future Cub Scouts will probably be pretty boring since there won't be any awards outside of advancement to work on.  Oh well, we can always tell the kids that they will be able to earn patches for their uniforms once they reach 5th grade.  

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

Now that you say that, a parent was complaining about that at our last campout.

I mean, I get it. Sewing new badges is yet another thing on the to-do list. The incredibly long, winding to-do list. Blargh. If you just asked me out of the blue, I'd say I don't like sewing on badges either.

But that doesn't mean I think that we shouldn't have patches that need sewing on. Not loving every aspect of everything I ever do for scouts isn't the same thing as wanting to change the program. Everything in life is a mix of things you like and dislike. And seeing as scouting is a spiritually based program, and as such is based in the recognition that trying to only have pleasure with no pain isn't possible, it doesn't make sense to sweat these small ordinary irritations. They are meant to be overcome.

As a Zen Master Sengcan said... The Great Way is not difficult. It merely avoids picking and choosing.

[InquisitiveScouter]

Here's an example...

JTE patches... change every year, if you wear them...

(Yes, shirt is well-worn, and has seen many better days 😜 )

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

2 minutes ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

(Yes, shirt is well-worn, and has seen many better days 😜 )

That's how scout shirts are meant to be! 

[niagarafalls]

3 minutes ago, AwakeEnergyScouter said:

That's how scout shirts are meant to be! 

They're also supposed to have badges on them but now it's all belt loops

[AwakeEnergyScouter]

3 minutes ago, niagarafalls said:

They're also supposed to have badges on them

Been telling my scouts that exact thing in the context of the Internal Spirit Award... You can tell it's a scout shirt because it's a Western shirt with two front button pockets and a bunch of badges worn with a necker, even if you don't recognize from what country it's from. Without the badges... Fails scout shirt sniff test

[niagarafalls]

1 hour ago, AwakeEnergyScouter said:

Been telling my scouts that exact thing in the context of the Internal Spirit Award... You can tell it's a scout shirt because it's a Western shirt with two front button pockets and a bunch of badges worn with a necker, even if you don't recognize from what country it's from. Without the badges... Fails scout shirt sniff test

And now with the "New Bobcat" you're going to literally have a lot of kids with nothing on the shirt effectively.  A couple things on the sleeve

[InquisitiveScouter]

5 minutes ago, niagarafalls said:

And now with the "New Bobcat" you're going to literally have a lot of kids with nothing on the shirt effectively.  A couple things on the sleeve

Will any of their achievements be on the shirt?  

Or is it all just organizational stuff...??

[niagarafalls]

22 hours ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

Will any of their achievements be on the shirt?  

Or is it all just organizational stuff...??

It's my understanding "New Bobcat" is a belt loop. Just like "New Summertime activity award". I imagine lots of people will still wear the badge/pin for some time. But my scout is going to have to eat more to wear half of these extra belt loops.

Only the four ranks in the diamond (Lion replacing Bobcat there) and organizational stuff will be on the uniform basically. Religious knot and Recruiter being one of the very few other things.

I like the look of the patches and pins on the uniform as it encourages my son to work towards things. The belt loops (and patches and pins you "can't" wear on the uniform) do little to motivate him. With that said he has already earned his Wolf for the year and completed all current and a couple retired adventures and a few awards including the World Conservation Award also being retired into a belt loop or something.

PS there's a lot of debate over can you wear the World Conservation Award on your uniform other than in the temporary patch spot. My Pack growing up (early 90s) always wore them in the Jamboree spot above the right pocket as originally that was an international award. There's a lot of angry debate on that here and elsewhere on the internet. I find that spot to be fitting both in spirit and intent: To recognize an international scouting activity. It is my understanding that there was a time when people replaced the Scout patch with the World Conservation on the left side and a time when you had to do an international project to even wear. Scout patch is my understanding so we've definitely changed a LOT

Edited March 1 by niagarafalls

[mrjohns2]

On 3/1/2024 at 10:05 AM, niagarafalls said:

PS there's a lot of debate over can you wear the World Conservation Award on your uniform other than in the temporary patch spot

Ummmm.... there shouldn't be. It has been a long time since one could wear it where the world crest is now. It was never in the Jamboree spot. The guide to advancement is pretty clear. It is a temporary insignia now.