Calendar for NEXT year & more

[Deaf Scouter]

After doing a GREAT calendar session in the beginning of the year of getting a preliminary calendar with something every month, I've learned that the beginning was really a NEWBIE case.. *laughing Out of all those dates we've ACTUALLY done 2 campouts. We planned 3 cabin camping and could only do one after realizing the fund needs for deposit.. *sighs

 

Other than taking the school, council and district calendar, what other things should I consider or questions should I ask when putting things on a preliminary calendar to create a WORKED calendar? Also do any of you do a 5 year calendar or a special MB calendar for the required MB in your 'calendar' planning? Always wanted to do a jamboree but the expense and time to come up with the money didn't work for my son and I'd like it to work for my scout parents.

 

Also any of you experienced calendar planning yet while trying to transition your Troop and Committee? In the past the SM was both SM and CC. I wanna be SM...*tired grin

 

My committee is still weak and I realize I've got to come up with sheet guides for us all to make the committee work for the SM yet redirect the follow ups. The calendar is one of many topics of changes needed for us. Learned A LOT by DOING with my first calendar so getting a jump start now. Any advice, wisdom and experiences to share is WELCOMED... *smiles

[Beavah]

Hiya Deaf Scouter!

 

I think yeh want to be careful not to take the boys' work away from them. So things like a special MB calendar for the required MBs is somethin' that yeh should file in the recycle bin. One of the great things boys at Star, Life, and Eagle learn is how to read, plan, and meet requirements for themselves, eh? Just like they'll have to do in college or in work. Don't take that away from 'em.

 

When your Patrol Leaders Council meets to do an annual plan, I think it's helpful if they bring their school calendars, as well as a list of ideas / desires for activities from their patrol members. It's also helpful if they bring what things their patrol members need to learn advancement-wise if they are younger fellows. If you're dealin' with a young and inexperienced PLC, I think it also helps if you bring some notion of a total $ budget for the year and a rough notion of what some things (like cabins) cost, as well as some activity ideas to have ready. Sit with the SPL and ASPL and share those in advance, so they're comin' from the youth leaders, and spend some time with 'em on how to put together an agenda and lead a discussion, so that they'll do a good job with the boys. I think it helps to choose a spot to meet that is a ways away and sort of special.

 

The Committee, of course, shouldn't be doin' a thing with the calendar since that's the job of the boys. I suppose in some committees they review and rubber stamp it, mostly to make sure the safety, budget, and adult coverage makes sense.

 

Jambo participation is done at the council contingent level rather than at the troop level, so it's more of an individual thing than a troop thing. Your committee can help out by doin' a bit of communication to the families of boys who will likely be eligible for the next Jambo about what it is and what the participation costs are likely to be. Dependin' on how yeh handle finances in your unit and how fast and loose your CO is willing to play with the IRS, yeh might allow the boys to accumulate money toward Jambo, or yeh might just decide as a committee to set aside 10% from each fundraiser as a pool of funds to support any boy who gets a national or international jamboree berth. Yeh might do somethin' similar for high adventure trips.

 

Beavah

 

[Deaf Scouter]

Hi there again Beavah!!... *loving the greeting and laughing

 

My Troop:

Scout working on Eagle so really not into planning. I finally stopped doing PLC with him as it was a dead end.

Sibling Brother is working on Star and not sure where he is headed yet

and 5 new crossovers that are active minded and body.

I'm basically doing the calendar myself with their ideas then gonna teach them how to plan come fall. It really needs to be done step by step because even the leaders have weaknesses or they are newbies. (My leader planned many hours of 'community service' yet never read the Citizenship-Community that it needs to be with the organization we chose. I'm still clueless as to how changed to confusion when it was properly executed and understood in the Troop meeting... *still scratching head Should I tell ya HE chose the organization??... *laughing)

 

 

MB calendar: I see your point. Maybe a twist on the idea is to have a 5 year calendar and write in which MB were covered? I've seen a pattern through the TM of the same MB so the required ones are NOT getting done. I've already go plan the MB activity cards but ONLY for the required ones. Will have the list and book for the others MB handy.. over there---->... *laughing

 

Last years calendar: The problem with the committee is get the places reserved so they can be locked in on the calendar. Fundraisers chaired, started and etc, etc, etc. Committee approves the initial one at the same time gives me feedback on their 'quirky' way of doing things since we're new to each other...*winka

 

Jamborees: I want to bring an awareness of them to the scout and parent as no one brought them to my son and I. Financially I wouldn't have been able but had I been then my son and I would have sold way more popcorn to do so. I really want to be able to have the info at the parents finger tips WHEN they come into Boy Scouts. We are going to start collecting dues that go into a parent account so we can do more high adventure kinds of things that haven't been done. Who knows how much is a dream or reality?

 

[Beavah]

Ah, a startup enterprise, eh?

 

I think what yeh need to do is think about your two older boys as Troop Guides and JASM sorts, eh? Inspire 'em with the challenge of being partners with you in building a great troop over the next few years, beginnin' with your crossovers. Really use 'em as partners, too - making site reservations, helping teach, comin' up with new ideas, being mentors to the younger guys, etc.

 

Along the way yeh can push the Star Scout on MBs just because he needs to have those skills to teach the basics to the younger guys.

 

Your real deal then is to sketch out a 3-5 year plan with your two partners in crime. How do yeh get from where you're at to being a great troop? Yeh might share that with the CC or Committee, but it's really your plan on the operational side, eh? Then yeh need the CC to work with the committee to come up with their 3-5 year plan to support your 3-5 year plan. How much money in year 5? What gear in year 3? What research back-up to support the boys in year 2?

 

When it comes 'round to year 1 of the Plan to be a Great Troop, don't give in to the temptation to do it yourself. That's a waste of your time, because you're givin' up one of the best mentoring opportunities yeh have. Get with your two youth partners in crime and work on it together. You need them, because no matter how "hip" you think you are, yeh really don't have anywhere near the kid-savvy that they do.

 

And from now on, I every time yeh start to think "Merit Badge Calendar" I want yeh to put your hand on a hot stove. Yeh have to break yourself of that habit early on or pretty soon you'll be a two-pack-of-blue-cards-a-day chain smoker.

 

I sorta like da notion of settin' aside some fundraising or some dues revenue toward future high adventure treks, but for that one yeh want to sit with your COR and CC and then with the committee, because it can be a real bear trap. When it comes to "pools of money" yeh have to be very careful and very clear about what you're doin' and why, and about how it is not the family's money. What will yeh do when a boy quits the troop before he goes on a high adventure? When one boy fundraises more than another? When only one gets a slot for Jambo? When yeh have a pot of money saved up for high adventure and a boy needs financial help for summer camp? Yeh want to think through these things and more, and then be very clear with everybody (over and over again), and transparent with how yeh manage things.

 

Beavah

 

[qwazse]

Warning: the more youth involvement, the more short term your calendar needs to be. A boy will say "I wish we could learn about fly fishing." and for him to feel like his troop is responsive, you need to put him in touch with the folks who could present within a month or so. Telling a kid that his MB was not part of the 5 year plan is a real buzz kill.

[ScoutNut]

Keep in mind that, for the most part, merit badges should be an individual activity. Troop merit badge classes should be few and far between.

 

Also, Merit Badge Counselors should all be registered with, and approved by, your Council/District Advancement Committee.

 

[Deaf Scouter]

Beavah... More like revival enterprise for the Troop.. *grins

A few situations have had a HUGE impact in killing Troop numbers in just 3 years. Death of the current SM/CC had the Deaf parent contacting me because of my Scouting experience. Its true what they say that one never knows what they walk into... *smiles

 

Troop Guide is a good title. Like the JASM but already know hard to depend on him as pushing to finish his own Eagle and move out of the Troop. Attendance is an issue with the Life rank because of his sports.

 

I like the ideas on my 3-5 year plan and their (Committee) 3-5 year plan but how does one get the Committee to do THEIR work without me. I'm SM and not CC too unlike the previous SM.

 

On your year 1 comment of 'don't do it all yourself', I've just recently discovered that I stopped counting on them because of their attendance at Troop meetings. I know I'm new at the ropes of SM but realized that much of what my son and I did together (I went on all the campouts), I was never in a leadership role. I'm struggling to learn the SM and Troop ropes and make the changes together with them yet feeling alone in who I can depend on and in planning alone. Just recently decided to have leaders meetings. I also realize the changes within the committee has to come from me but kinda lost on how and also have so much on my own plate. I'm also taking the lessons learnt this year and trying to make next year better by starting now. The calendar is the first priority in getting dates LOCKED onto the calendar and setting up the pattern of planning ahead.

 

Advice on the dues.. Glad ya mentioned it as will give that much thought on discussion questions to bring to the committee and ask for clarity on rules. So true on transparency and thanks for that reminder!!

 

Now calendar and MBs...

Beavah, Qwazse, ScoutNut.. I think I need to clarify something...

MB calendar and yearly calendar are two different things and two different issues. Yearly calendar works on 3 months - 6 month thinking while MB works on a 1-3 months thinking. I know the boys pick the MB but I was trying to prevent the same ones from being picked again and again and this EXTENDED partials mentality of continuance that 3-4 years later that MB is still not done. Heck real life, you'd lose your job if you take that long. The boys will still be allowed to pick ANY MB but I want to see that the required ones do get picked to. In the past, they weren't picking the required one on a yearly basis.

 

I have a problem with understanding ScoutNut's thinking of Troop MB being few and far between. If you aren't doing rank advancement, what else do you do? True that MB are individual paced and had wanted to do round robin style but not working if I don't know what adult is going to be there.

 

Another thing to clarify is that MB's require activities. Let's use Citizenship in the Community as an example. It required 8 hour of community service with the organization chosen plus a court, board and something else (choices are given) visit. We picked Food Pantry just because Scouting for Food was happening so we could take advantage of it. Scouts don't see the bigger picture of the Food Pantry like holiday baskets, open hours of giving food, meals on wheels, soup kitchens, emergency aid like fire in one's home, and etc. We also picked town court to broaden our experiences since we've done town meeting. Those will require outings so they get put onto the short term calendar. It MUCH easier to put those kinds of things onto ones calendar then a camping trip to Smuggler's Notch, summer camp, cabin camping and etc.

 

FYI...We planned a calendar with TOTAL boys work from their ideas to inserting those ideas into a Troop calendar for the year 2011-2012. The outcome... we've had one campout so far with another one actually happening. The calendar had one for EVERY month. Realistically our Troop can't do 3 cabin camping as the deposit aspect kills us. We don't take advantage of district or council stuff but made it totally Troop only activity. I was behind in follow ups even when I brought up that campouts 3-4 months ahead of time. The committee is still learning so things were being planned in that month so of course failure. I'm now going to set deadlines of when things must be locked in by. (something I wasn't doing before)

 

There is a reason for the 3 month ahead thinking. Hence the reason for wanting to plan a 2012-2013 calendar NOW and get a few more perceptions on things I should look at when putting things on the calendar. Some have given GREAT advice in area here and else where in the forums. I recreated our preliminary calendar so its one page with 6 rows, 2 columns for the 12 months. In each block there is fundraiser, service project, outing with space for whomever needs it. This will be a reference guide for the entire year. (as I typed this I'm adding in a deadline by in each block)

 

I'm going to take care of Sept, Oct, Nov monthly outing for now as trying to do it in August is awful. Parents come back with I can't so it NEVER makes it ON the Troop calendar. If I have just one Scout going, I can piggyback another Troop so that scout has the scOUTING experience. I have a HUGE problem with middle school sports that is totally NEW to me. My son's Troop was high school.

 

Now do you Scouters still find flaws in my thinking?? Suggestions on another outlook or things I still need to conisder??

 

[ScoutNut]

>>"I have a problem with understanding ScoutNut's thinking of Troop MB being few and far between. If you aren't doing rank advancement, what else do you do?"

[Deaf Scouter]

Good reminders and benchmarks for myself to keep that goal oriented part of myself in check, ScoutNut... *winka

 

A neighboring Troop just gave me an AWESOME survey to use with the scouts in planning the monthly event calendar.

 

I will be honest and say I prefer the FUN hands on approach incorporated into planning. Maybe because I'm Deaf I sdislike lectures unless there is an interpreter. Between your writings and the survey, maybe a different approach is needed in letting the scout see how I plan their meetings using a tailored sheet of the PLC that fits our troops' learning/communication needs. If I weekly review it, they should be able to take off for Mid - May and June, don't ya think? Use Sept to review again and let them take off for Nov. (Not gonna give them Oct as it'll put them behind that working 3 months calendar. Sept is a busy month for parents)

 

On this quote below..

"Because of the importance of individual attention in the merit badge plan, group instruction should be limited to those scenarios where the benefits are compelling."

 

Would it hold true if I got only 4-5 scouts? On the community maps we have three helpers. I know things will change when the Troop has more then the minimum 5 scouts but hopefully by then someone else is in the SM role as I've been suggested I make a better CC... *laughing

 

[Beavah]

Yeh might want to consider goin' to your scout shop or scoutstuff.org and looking for the collections called "Troop Program Features" (or finding an older version called "Woods Wisdom" on eBay. ). These are sample plans for a wide range of different topics and activities, each covering 4 meetings and an outing. Has games, instruction, patrol contests, suggestions for older and younger boys.

 

I think those might help get yeh goin'. They're not perfect, and after a while your boys should start to modify 'em or come up with their own, but they'll go a fair ways toward helpin' yeh think about how to lay this stuff out.

 

I think you're right on in terms of buildin' "lead time" into planning. So yeh get your boy leaders together now and have 'em work with you on planning the fall, and then yeh take their plan to the Troop Committee and make them do their committee plan for supporting the boys' plan. Then sometime in the fall yeh do the same thing for winter and spring. Next year in the spring, yeh see if yeh can get your youth leaders to plan a year ahead, at least for big things like summer camp.

 

Beavah

 

[Basementdweller]

Yep, we never do merit badges at troop meetings......

 

You are short cutting one of the benefits of the merit badge program as it was intended.

 

Merit badges are not hurdles to be over come. But to be experienced and tasted like good food. How does a scout know if he like fly fishing if he does the badge at a troop meeting, instead of meeting a merit badge councilor with a buddy at a local stream or fly fishing store.....Plus he is responsible for calling the MBC and making the meeting plans...

 

Deaf....you have never mentioned your Senior Patrol leader in any of your posts.....Do you have one? Is he trained?????

 

How about the PLC????? Do you have one and is it active???????

 

Do the boys plan your program????

[Basementdweller]

If you only have 5 scouts then why in the world are you hosting a merit badge academy????????

 

You should be concentrating on growing your troop....

 

 

Seen this happen SM's loosing their way at district level....and the troop suffers because of it.....

 

Neighboring District a SM lost his job because his troop became district slave labor for their camporees....

[Deaf Scouter]

Beavah...

So THAT's what Wisdom Woods is.. *laughing Got two whole bins of notebooks and quick look through had me realizing most were nothing but training material. Some of it Council level and some SO old they still had slides.. *snickers this powerpoint user.

 

By the way.. took the income tax refund and BOUGHT several books from the scout store including ALL 3 Program Plans, Troop Record book and Rank Advancement chart... *grins

 

Okay.. enough browbeating me on MBs. Granted even I wouldn't do fly fishing at a Troop meeting... *sighing on the limits of the forums. I guess when I say work on MB at a Troop meeting, I should spell it out that not all of it is in the registered meeting place... *grins In fact, we're doing movie in the Rec office community room free of charge so we can use their nice size TV to watch Blindside for Community MB in exchange for doing their parks cleaning. Nice exchange, don't ya agree.. *impish grin

 

By the way Scouters.. did swing over into the other Forum to hunt down some 'How to start a PLC' and etc. to glean some more helpful hints. Won't ask ya again since many of your answers still hold true today even if ya gave them back in 2004 - 2009.. *laughing Implementation is the key and I LOVE the 100 feet back rule.. *Grins I'm kinda done being a parent ya know... *winka I REALLY want to go CAMPING again and in a darn tent. Cabins aren't really that FUN... *smirks

 

Basement Dweller... In answer to your questions:

'you have never mentioned your Senior Patrol leader in any of your posts.....Do you have one? Is he trained?????

 

How about the PLC????? Do you have one and is it active???????'

 

SPL... I set them up when I first started and not much help they've been in planning except to do the opening and closing. Did do PLC meetings for 4 months and gave up. At the time I had two families so made the oldest boys SPL and ASPL according to age. Every time I'd have a PLC, the ASPL would not attend the Troop meeting. It was pulling teeth to get ideas from the SPL. When one family transferred out I started the SPL (life) and his brother (second class) on MBs work. SPL had only Eagle and MB on his mind, not troop activities. It worked quite well for both of them since they weren't working on the same thing: MB (second class) and Eagle work (life). Last couple meeting brought them together onto Physical Fitness MB and Community. When the crossover came I just included them in both.

 

Crossover scouting coming into my meeting WHEN is a whole 'nother forum. *prays and crosses fingers and toes that now that the Crossover had they 'finale' party they attend Monday's meeting to help plan the campout menu. This is where I'm trying to plan and teach the PLC too.

 

Do the boys plan your program???? YES in they put the ideas on the preliminary yearly calendar. I quickly learned there is much more to calendar planning than I thought. Trial and failure is a nice little (BIG) lesson. Now my aim is a WORKING yearly calender. I WANT TO GO TENT CAMPING. I'm TIRED of being STOPPED by other schedules... *pfft on parents who overbook their kids in so many other activities. If I can do in 4 campouts in 6 weeks in the fall and 5 campouts in 6 weeks in the spring, they can at least do a couple. This year was actually the first time I did a winter cabin camping as I was always politely shooed away for obvious reasons... *laughing

 

On the MB Academy, THAT had NOTHING to do with my boys! Nor are they working it. I know Basement Dweller you don't like them but our district is going to host one ANYWAYS. After sitting through this years that was poorly planned and last minute, my partner in crime and I said, we're taking charge and running it well... *shudders at poorly planned and last minute put together. There is also a HUGE difference between planning with adults and gearing the direction of scouts' PLC. I've already been working to put the tools into my scouts hands to run the PLC after I lead them by showing how and leaving skill and MB tools around for them to utilize that 'idea' section of their brain.

 

I've already signed up for district and council camporees for the Fall that I was told no to this year. I may be deaf but my scouts aren't. Let them overhear what other Troop have done for ever more ideas... *laughing

 

You guys have redirected some of my thinking but at the same time the teacher in me will prevail in how I approach things. I really want a PLC that spills over into retention, recruitment and Eagles with a strong 'guiders and hands off' leadership team.

 

[Basementdweller]

Lots of I's in you post my friend.

 

Your SPL is elected by the scouts.....YOU set up nothing. Just as the PL's.....They are elected by their patrol...... You don't set up the PLC, the scouts do and you don't even have to attend.

 

 

Not sure about the age of your troop but I would get them to NYLT training or even attend a couple of events with another bigger troop so the boys can see how it operates....

 

Lots of Eagles???? I could careless about Eagles, It is one aspect of the program, if you have a decent program they will advance naturally..... Some boys are motivated by bobbles and patches.

 

 

Laughing here......If you want to go camping, go camping for cryin outloud, You don't need scouting to go camping.....

[5yearscouter]

ok, so back up a bit.

 

You have a troop that's been around a while, the SM died, and he had been mostly a one man show. so your committee doesn't quite know what to do, the scouts really don't either, and you are trying to plan the calendar and figure out when to do merit badges with the group focusing on eagle required mb?

 

so you need to go to training and read the whole scoutmaster book front to back. take the pages about committee jobs, and take it to committee and have them read it and have them do the online training and if you can find the training in person for everyone, do it, cause in person training is tons better than online.

 

then you can do SOME of the legwork for the calendar, or task committee to also do some leg work, and the scouts too. With a small group to work with, and boys that are almost done and boys that are just starting, the things the boys come up to do for outings may not work so much for all, but do need to fit all cause you really need all to attend all the outings since you seem to be a small unit. So Everyone goes and gets the ideas of where to go camping and hiking in your area, any other ideas they can come up with. check websites of troops in your area for ideas, look thru the program helpers for ideas of outings and then try to find a few different ways to do a few of them.

 

Make sure the boys bring some ideas too. They may want to do paintball or laser tag, or they may want to hike the grand canyon, or go canoeing or rock climbing. Put all the ideas on a big white board, and have everyone take a piece of paper and write down 12-15 of them that they like the most. adults don't vote, SM and ASM don't either. Adults brought the ideas to supplementwhat the boys found for ideas, but they don't get to decide what to do. If they have something the adults REALLY want to do, they can intro it to the scouts and tell them something about it, but they don't get to decide to do it. the boys get to decide.

 

Don't forget to bring info on the local and further away summer camp, week long camp opportunities, including a do your own thing 1 week of camp if you have a suitable location you could do.

 

The items that get the most votes by the boys, get put on the calendar. That's the simple thing. How they get put on the calendar and which months they fit best, I personally think the adults should have a little input into, especially the first year the boys make their own calendar. Adults know when they can get off work, and can focus attention on whether the troop as a whole likes going on campouts and hikes and such on holiday weekends, or do they prefer to have holiday weekends NOT scouting weekends. Adults can help guide away from doing a big huge campout say when there is state testing or SAT tests for the older scouts, and even can help give a voice to where to put events on months where half your scouts have baseball games or whatever the biggest thing that interveres with scouting for your boys. This is where knowing your scout's interests comes in handy.

 

At this point you'd also want the boys to have brought their family and school calendars, and the adults should have their own calendars, plus district and council calendars too. you start plugging things into dates based on usual weather and tring to avoid conflicts with everyone/or most. You may want to talk about things such as when say big backpacking trips aren't in the too cold, too deep of snow unless you are good with snow shoes, or in the heat of the summer in Arizona in the desert with no access to water kind of health and safety issues.

 

And then the troop publishes the calendar. Suggest that the SPL(or all the boys together) pick a theme from the troop program features that closely matches the events on this calendar to give them pre-planned meetings for a few months. Once they have an idea of how to do this, and how to use these features, give them the reins to do more self planning and less following the exact script in the book for meetings. You may want a Scout and a committee person to sort of be in charge of each event on the calendar, with the goal that at first the adult shows the scout what to do, make reservations, tour plans, permission slips, collect fees. But after a while, the adult only does the things that require adults to do--like perhaps make the credit card payment to reserve a campground.

 

Every month at PLC(patrol leaders council) the scouts would normally review last month, this month and next month, perhaps with an occassional 2-3 month out check to see if something new came up that means a big change. Of course with a small troop, you really don't need to have a patrol leaders council, or even an SPL(senior patrol leder) because you don't have multiple patrols. so the patrol leader ends up being the senior patrol leader. He can have mini-plc kind of meeting in conjunction with a troop meeting once a month where he goes over any upcoming events and what is working and what is not. In a small troop, expect that everyone of the boys will end up doing a lot of the jobs with some overlap. that's ok as long as the spl/patrol leader is the one guiding this to happen. The first time I expect SM may choose patrol leader, and patrol leaders chooses his patrol scribe, quartermaster, etc. But after that, it would be best for the boys to choose their own patrol leader, who chooses his slate of helpers.

 

Give the calendar to the troop committee and have them look it over to look for problems, mostly financial. can we afford this and how much do we need to charge. do this occassionally a few more months in advance of what the boys may be looking to, so you know if say the cost of a certain campground has doubled. and then give your spl the notice of these bigger changes with some advice of options --like changing location or doing a fundraiser, and also he may have other options, like just charging each scout a higher amount for the campout. have his discuss the options in his plc and see what the scouts figure out, they may surprise you.

 

now as for this merit badge stuff. you seem worried about boys starting badges and not finishing them, and not starting the eagle required badges willingly. Well not every scout will make eagle, and not every scout wants eagle.

 

as a teacher (I think that's what you said), you'd need to step back and look at the way scouting works as different than the public school system. Think of it this way, the more often you can introduce a cool and neato topic, the more likely a scout will also find it interesting, and will learn something, even if they never finish the badge. If they are truly interested in the badge, they'll finish it. otherwise they still get something out of starting the badge. Giving them a world of knowledge should be the goal of the SM and the MBC(merit badge counselors) but those goals should not come about in the same way.

 

the whole outing that is scouting, exploring the world and doing for yourself, that part of scouting should be the bulk of your meetings and outings. Rank stuff should come naturally-we are going camping, someone has to plan, shop and cook the food; we are going hiking, we should go over the rules of safe hiking. we are going to want a wash stand at camp, so learn the knots to lash together this wood to make a wash stand. naturally occuring learning.

 

Now along the way if you are going hiking, sure you may want to introduce the hiking merit badge and point out how the boys can do stuff on the outing that works for the badge. but if they actually do the stuff and complete the badge is UP TO THE SCOUT, not up to you. You just let it go. It's THEIR Individual merit badge to finish, not for the TROOP or SM to do.

 

Similarly if the troop is doing scouting for food, you could mention how that could fit into the Citizen in the community merit badge. But you should't sign them all up for the badge, and arrange for the community service for each of them. They should choose to dothe badge and choose to do the service and count it for the MB. They may only want to do it to satisfy community service hours for rank, or just cause it's fun, orthey may want to stay home. thats ok too.

 

Take your tracking pages that are driving you nuts because some boys are starting merit badges and not finishing them and throw this out the window. not yours to track. what you should track? not much. you could track how you are doing toward rank as a whole troop. you could track service hours, and you could track nights camping. and attendance and recruiting. those can be signs of a healthy troop. A healthy troop and a good scouting experience doesn't always have to = Eagle.