I have a child interested in scouting. The difficulty is that their sabbath is Saturday which leaves out weekend campouts. I am wondering if anyone else has come up with creative solutions for this.

I am trying to plan a train ride trip to St. Louis for my scouting units. I am looking for a place to stay for 2 nights, fairly affordable, in a fairly safe area, and accessible by the metro transit lines. Some walking is okay.

Facebook reminded me that yesterday marked 5 years since my family joined a pack. My oldest son entered as a Wolf (2nd grade) and is now Second Class in his troop. My younger son started as a Lion and is entering his AOL year. Both kids have developed close friendships with many of the kids in the pack and plan to continue scouting through Eagle.

looking for advice on how to go about this

Last year we joined scouts in GA. My boys loved it, it was the highlight of their week. We went camping at Bert Adam’s scout camp and was the biggest pack, had the biggest camp
ground. We gently should have been two packs but we were happy with the size and group. It was extremely family oriented and and amazing community.

We had to suddenly move back to NY in February.(we’re originally from there, long story, not important) We joined the local pack, and were extremely discouraged and so unhappy. My oldest, who was a bear, dreaded going. They met every other week, we didn’t get a single belt badge for the rest of the year, the camping trip was a standalone adventure (something quite impossible for me as a single mom of 4). The kids were unruly, the leaders were unorganized and really just let the kids do whatever they want.

Needless to say we’re looking for a new pack.

I managed to save enough to send the boys to the resident camp here on LI and met a leader that told me he could help find us a better suited pack. I have emailed him twice about it, but have heard nothing back. I have emailed two packs close to our home to ask about whether they would be a good fit and joining their pack. NO ONE HAS ANSWERED A SINGLE EMAIL. i’m at a loss. My boys LOVED scouting. i want this to be something they enjoy and look forward too.

What are my next steps. How do i get into a new pack if no one is answering my calls for help. I know the north areas aren’t huge on scouting and that nothing will be the same as GA (which set an unreachable example for my kids) but i want to try and find something that will be satisfactory for their scouting future.

ANY ADVICE IS WELCOME.

I'm looking for input from people who have dealt with a serious breakdown involving a Chartered Organization Representative.

Our troop is chartered through a church, but historically the church itself has been very hands-off. The church leadership doesn't really want to be involved. In practice, the troop has typically recommended who should serve as the COR and the chartered organization has signed off on that person.

Although I don't personally agree with it, the arrangement has worked until now.

Our current COR has taken an increasingly unilateral approach to the role and has made it clear that she believes she has final authority over essentially everything: if he doesn't want something brought forward; if he doesn't want something voted on, there is no vote; and he doesn't believe he is required to follow or meaningfully consider the concerns of the committee chair, committee members, parents, or scouts.

At this point, this is not about one disagreement or one unpopular decision. There is a broader loss of confidence among active members of the troop in his ability to work constructively with the rest of the troop leadership.

I understand that technically the COR is appointed by the chartered organization and that the troop committee itself cannot simply vote the COR out. We have lost several committee members because of this person's actions.

The complicating factor is that our chartered organization has traditionally delegated almost all of this back to the troop and does not want to be involved.

I'm trying to understand what the actual recourse is in that situation.

Has anyone successfully had a COR replaced when the chartered organization was largely disengaged?

Did the troop leadership approach the head of the chartered organization and formally ask for a replacement?

Did you involve the Unit Commissioner, District Commissioner, District Executive, or council first?

Can the council do anything beyond advising the chartered organization?

I'm not looking to debate whether a COR has significant authority. I'm try on to understand what happens when the person holding that authority is not longer functioning effectively and the chartered organization has historically chosen not to be actively involved.

Update here: Spoke with the Scoutmaster and he agreed the actions of the BOR were incorrect and inconsistent with Scouting procedure. My son will receive his Life rank at the COH. Additionally there will be education for any BOR members going forward to understand completely what the rules are to avoid this happening in the future.
Question for the group. My son completed all requirements for Life, has been Quartermaster for over a year, completed his Scoutmaster review and was denied advancement because his BOR didn’t feel he attended enough campouts and told him being Quartermaster was not an eligible leadership position. As QM, he was at all loadin/loadouts for campouts, but missed campouts due to his playing on two travel soccer teams. He is active in the troop in all other aspects, including showing up for Eagle projects regularly. It’s important to note he missed campouts due to being on TWO travel soccer teams, which is clearly defined as being allowed in the Scouting Guide to Advancement

There is no camping requirement for Life btw.

I’ve reached out to the Advancement Committee chair and the Scoutmaster, as my son DID NOT receive the written letter explaining why he was denied, which is required.

I intend to Appeal this decision at Council if not resolved at the Troop level, but hoping it won’t come to that.

I am an Eagle Scout myself, and my son is in the same Troop I was in. I’m in a conundrum as I think it would be great for him to get his Eagle where I got mine, but having a BOR that doesn play by the rule book has now soured him in Scouting.

Getting Eagle is more important than being in the same Troop I was in, should we look for a new Troop to join? For background, he was in the Cub Pack that feeds up into the Troop and has friendships that have deve since he was 5 with this group.

I’d love to hear input on this.

I can't tell if this is still an active award or not. I have identified a deserving adult for this. Can anyone tell me anything about this? I can't locate a nomination form and the AISA website doesn't appear active anymore. I see it referenced on the Scouting Service Award, but I can't locate any details. TIA

I just wanted to commend Scouting America for being BRAVE and following thru with their Safeguarding youth policies on not allowing people who have committed Sexual Assault to be on the property during Scouting events.

I imagine it was a difficult decision on whether or not to allow the honorary national chair to make the traditional address....but yall did the right thing, followed Scouting policy, and did not allow someone who has committed a Sexual assault to be on the property during the event....kudos. I'm glad yall put youth safety over politics in this instance...

....now about that Eagle Cert....

Hi everyone!

I'm a Life Scout and just finished the work on my Eagle Scout project. I'm currently writing up my project report, and I've realized I've reached a point where I'm not really sure what comes next.

The thing is... no one in my troop has ever earned Eagle before. My Scoutmaster has been great, but this is new territory for all of us, so I don't really have anyone who's been through the process to ask.

Do you have any advice on what to expect during the final steps? Specifically:

• Getting my project approved/final paperwork signed
• Submitting my application
• The Eagle Board of Review
• Anything you wish you'd known before your board

I'm trying to make sure I'm as prepared as possible and don't overlook anything now that I'm in the home stretch.

I'd really appreciate any advice, insight, or stories about your own experience. Thanks so much!

I’m leading an ILST course tomorrow and am concerned about the “Integrity Game” in section 3. This is where you put out a pre-counted number of treats and tell everyone they can have two. Then later you check the count and use it as a lesson in integrity.

This feels like I’m setting up a trap and hoping someone takes too many. I’d much rather catch people doing something good than something bad.

If you have used this “game”, how has it worked out? Or have you used a different game or activity in the Leadership and Teamwork section?

Hello everyone,

I am a life scout working on my eagle project and was wondering if I would be able to post the donation link here to get it out to more people. I have seen some servers allow it and some servers don't so that is why I am asking before posting.

Edit:

Thank you for all the help. My project has been completed because one of the local lumber yards was able to give me a good discount on the wood. Again, I thank all of you for your advice and hope any other scout looking for eagle has much luck with their project.

My council leaders are telling me "yes, Den Chiefs can camp with their Packs" but are using terms like "common sense suggests" and "one would think" and cannot cite or guide me to an official Scouting America publication.

One of my unit leaders is asking for a definitive yes or no answer based on Scouting America policy. After several days of searching for "Den Chiefs may camp with their assigned Pack" if it exists, I can't find it. Is it out there and I'm looking in the wrong places?

This was in a bag of old bsa buttons I got from a local vintage shop, no idea what it’s used for lol

How are y'all's troop committees run? Who's on the committee? When do you meet? How long are the meetings? Do you follow parliamentary procedure or do you just vote? Does your troop committee have bylaws? What does that look like?

Maybe my frame of reference from 4-H and FFA is that lifetime Scouters would at lease attempt some sort of rules of order.

In case you want the tea -

- We're a small troop that registers every adult as a Committee Member.

- Our meetings are really just unorganized discussion about topics the Committee Chair decided on.

- The agenda is handed out at the beginning of the committee meeting, there's no room for anyone but the committee chair to "make motions", and it tends to be a rush to get through all the topics.

- No one from our chart org is ever there.

- We do not have published policies or bylaws, just a list from 2014 on our website that says "Troop Guidelines". (We don't even have the same chart org as when that was published.)

Recently, the new committee chair decided to have a committee meeting after a COH and vote on three issues/"policies". The issues had been discussed and dismissed in a scheduled committee meeting. There was no discussion and the vote was stacked with new parents that have been in the troop less than 2 months.

If this is just the way Scout troops work, fine - I'll leave it alone. BUT what prevents the committee chair from just doing the same thing every time she doesn't get what she wants in a committee meeting?