Why are the 1st two questions between adults volunteers usually...

[boomerscout]

As a university president once said, "Bless the A average students because they will bring honors to the university. And also bless the C students because they will provide us with endowments, new buildings, and fundings for academic chairs."

[Eagle92]

I admit, sometimes I had not welcomed the new folks like I should. Part of the problem with being in so long is that it is challenging sometimes to catch up with your friends at district and council events.

 

One reason why I liked CSDC and my RT position: I get to meet new folks.

 

As for how I view leaders, I say let them all have their say. Sometimes the new folks have great ideas, and sometimes they don't. Best example, new CSDC PD with 3 years scouting expereince, has some great ideas to improve camp. 110% behind him. A few ideas have minor challenges, mostly due to lack of NCS training while coming up with the ideas (that is getting solved this weekend). And some of his ideas I had major reservations about, and had talked to him privately about.

 

But every leader has a part to play. Every leader brings KSAs to the table that can be used. Key is to "Praise in public and criticize in private." And when you do criticize, you need to do so in a positive, respectful manner.

 

Some Boy Scout leaders don't realize this though.

[Jay K]

I just tell them that I was an Air Explorer, and they leave me alone.

[DeanRx]

I guess I'm just becoming more aware of the potential for the issue as I have begun to move from the unit level activities into more district-wide activities (i.e. helping at trainings, etc...)

 

Mom2cubs and Lisa - I hear your pain. As a male I can't really relate to it, but our unit did loose a very good / motivated female leader this past month because she told me she was unwhelmed and couldn't deal with the "good old boys club" mentality anymore within the organization (more so at district round talbes and training, but I suspect somewhat from the unit level as well).

 

Maybe I'm over sensitive to the eagle question, as when I look back at my old BSA handbook, I was only about 3 merit badges and a Eagle project away from completing the rank. Something as an adult I wish I had done as a youth. Just seems there is an institutional wide culture that reminds people of those who have and those who haven't attained the rank.

 

To be blunt, somtimes even as an adult - it seems like if you ain't Eagle, you ain't sh*t.

[Eagle92]

In regards to "To be blunt, somtimes even as an adult - it seems like if you ain't Eagle, you ain't sh*t." as my old MSGT use to say:

 

BULLKICKY

 

Some of the best folks I've known and met, folks that not only would trust my life in a wilderness setting, but HAVE once upon a time in one incident, never got past First Class, Star, or Life. I've known folks who were "Life for life" who have more outdoor KSAs than some of the Eagles I've met.

 

And yes I was shouting above

[Brewmeister]

>>Yeah I've run into the elitism thing aimed at cub leaders. It used to really tick me off, until I realized that most of the time, people with that attitude also don't know what they're talking about when it comes to the current cub scout program.

 

The worst elitism I've run into in my years in Cub Scouting has been in these forums in my short time here!

 

The only place I've *ever* seen Cub Scouting used as an insult toward a Boy Scout troop is here, where troops that don't measure up are referred to as a "Webelos III" program.

[Oak Tree]

I don't hear those questions in our troop, and I don't ask them. Maybe somewhere down the road I'll find out if they were in Scouts.

 

1)So, what do you do for a living?

2)How many kids do you have?

3)What brought you to Scouts?

4)What do you hope your son gets out of the program?

5)Are you interested in helping out?

[moosetracker]

Brewmeister - I am sorry, you felt that that was a put down to CS or Webelos.. While yes it is a put-down for a troop, I don't see it as parellel a put-down for CS.. That is because it deals with age appropriatness..

 

You shouldn't run a Webelos den the same as you would run a Tiger den.. That means you are not allowing your child to start becoming self-sufficient.. A Webelos Den run right is a wonderful thing, because it is exactly what the scouts that age need. It will offer them challenge and adventure for that age group.

 

But again, as you should not run a Webelos den similar to a Tiger den.. You should not run a Troop like a Webelos den.. By the end of Webelos the scouts are itching to do more, they are ready to take another leap into bigger things.. If that is how they feel at around 13 then how will they feel aroutn 15 or 17??.. A troop run as a Webelos den will loose the scouts interest very early on.. They need more challenge, higher adventures, more self sufficency and more trust from their adult leaders that they can figure things out for themselves..

[Basementdweller]

How about the cub leader who was an Eagle and has the program all figured out????

 

Had a Cub leader do that.....the looks that went around the room were kinda funny.

 

 

Or

 

The freshy beaded scouter with the taupe necker walking around wanting congratulated on completing their ticket......

 

 

 

 

 

[Engineer61]

1) Were you a scout as a youth?

2) Did you earn Eagle?

 

 

LOL! I never made it to the second question!

 

At my first meeting, one old guy (in full Scout garb) actually turned and walked away from me when I answered "No" to #1!!! Hasn't spoken a word to me since.

[BadenP]

 

It is interesting to me how WB and Powderhorn have now become the beacons for being the "best trained" leaders, because it is just not true. I have done WB and Powderhorn, so what, am I now one of the best scout leaders? As far as Powderhorn is concerned it began as a training ONLY for Venturing leaders to give them some real exposure to and experience with high adventure activities. Now that is open to Cub and Boy Scout leaders its content has been really watered down,IMO.

 

In our council we hold a special Powderhorn course each year open only to Venturing leaders that really emphasizes high adventure experiences, much more than the present course does, because our council Venturing crews adults and crew officers wanted it to concentrate solely on the Venturing program. Its reputation has spread and now we have pack and troop leaders asking us if they could come to our training instead and we politely have to tell them no.

[Eagle92]

BP,

 

With no disrespect intended, but I would do the local training as you have been doing it and let them come anyway. Just don't water it down.

 

EDITED: I'd love to get HA planning training(This message has been edited by eagle92)

[BadenP]

Eagle92

 

The only problem with that idea is that many of the Cubbers and half the SM's and ASM's will not participate in the activities that they would not do with their pack or troop, and that kind of brings the whole group dynamic down with them sitting on the sidelines. That is one reason why we started this more rigorous Powderhorn training in the first place, it gives the Venturing people more of a sense of ownership, stretching their comfort zone, and that this is THEIR program.

[Horizon]

It is only the equivalent of the "whats your major, where you from and what dorm are you in" that you get on a campus. The only issue is when they use that information to judge you without getting to know you. They can read your unit from your uniform, so the dorm question is out obviously!

 

I DO ask if someone was in Scouting as a kid, and if they liked it. It tells me if they know what Scouting is like from the perspective of a kid. Since I am married to a women who earned her Gold, I have the utmost respect for both Girl Scouts AND those who earned their Gold.

 

 

[qwazse]

I usually have that question asked of me by non-eagles/non-scouts. I find answering in the affirmative difficult because sometimes they are trying to fit me into some imaginary pecking order. Most of the time, it's just smalltalk.

 

I ended an argument about another scouter by pointing out that he was, in fact, an eagle. I'm sure if he were in the room, he would have resented it. But, I needed to put an end to a strained conversation about who I allowed to lead a contingent of ours. Pointing out that he'd hiked overwhelmingly more miles than I did wasn't cutting it.

 

Technically, the young women in crews, although members of the BSA, are venturers. So depending on how much brand recognition has been drummed into them, they may not answer affirmatively to #1!