Comments on: New Boy Scout Rank Requirements http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/policies/new-boy-scout-rank-requirements/ Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts under one roof... with proper supervision, of course. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:37:36 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1-RC1 hourly 1 By: Charlie Dean http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/policies/new-boy-scout-rank-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-59613 Charlie Dean Tue, 05 Jul 2011 03:32:36 +0000 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/?p=3175#comment-59613 You might find this site interesting. You might find this site interesting.

]]> By: Chris http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/policies/new-boy-scout-rank-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-41829 Chris Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:51:02 +0000 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/?p=3175#comment-41829 I got my Eagle at 14 yrs "78". I worked hard and set a goal. I wanted to go to Prep school and knew I wouldn't have time for Scouting. In my day there was a Star project (I repaired and painted the church fence-back in the day a Scout was reverent- Scouting to me seems to have lost some of that). My Life project I raised money for the Audubon Society (back then very few cared about the environment- raised thousands of dollars to help them-funding was low back then) and my Eagle project I orgainzed a get out and vote campaign for my town. I went to every home in my town with preballots and helped with the voting day activity. Those projects took time and creativity. I still remember all the work that went into them. Now my son is in scouting. he's 2x the scout I was. He's in the 7th grade, but takes High school classes, Algebra Math and Biology. The prep schools he is looking at, I wouldn't have even thought to write off to. He learned the knots in half the time, and get this, he even realized that some of them no longer apply to scouting, like taut-line hitch, told and tested in my day, as the knot to be used between the tent and tent peg- there are no tent pegs any more. I find the opposite happening of the gentlemen above (Dave Halo). Scouts are staying in and getting their Eagle at 18 yrs old. Most of the time because the troop and the scoutmaster fell it's the right thing to do, he put his time in. I saw a 17 1/2 scout swearing at a scoutmaster and grooping him to fight him. What a disgrace. And they still gave him his Eagle- the quote was "he put so musch time in". In the 70's 1-100 scout earned their Eagle, now it's 4-100, anyone can get an Eagle if they stay in scouting till 18 (I hope). If you played sports along, today or in my day, you earned 4 merit badges-and Yes Sports was Just the Scouting Handbook tells the story, look at the 8th edition (70's) and look at today's scouting book. The 70's shows young boys, today's scouts that are older. At 18 yrs old, I was running my Dad's shipping department in the summer months, training for college track and dating. My point, BSA needs to have a cut off date 15 or 16 yrs old. It's called Boy Scouts for a reason, not Man Scouts. Today, boys are full grown by 16. The BSA should have all scouts 16+ yrs transfered into Venturing Scouting, so that they can be with the opposite sex. Back in my day, Explorer scouting (renamed Venturing in the 80's I guess) was really non existant. Why in God's name with a 17 1/2 yr old want to be around 11 yr olds? Advancement is advancement, regardless of age, it's what the scout does with his Eagle after scouting ends. Some Eagle scouts do great things, Steve Foster, NASA astronauts etc and others, and some tarnish the award and the organization- the Eagle scout in the 70's that climb the U Texas water tower and sniped people, the NH Eagle acout 2 yrs old that cut a mother and daughters head off, asked why or did he know them, he answered "no, I was bored". I got my Eagle at 14 yrs “78″. I worked hard and set a goal. I wanted to go to Prep school and knew I wouldn’t have time for Scouting. In my day there was a Star project (I repaired and painted the church fence-back in the day a Scout was reverent- Scouting to me seems to have lost some of that). My Life project I raised money for the Audubon Society (back then very few cared about the environment- raised thousands of dollars to help them-funding was low back then) and my Eagle project I orgainzed a get out and vote campaign for my town. I went to every home in my town with preballots and helped with the voting day activity. Those projects took time and creativity. I still remember all the work that went into them.
Now my son is in scouting. he’s 2x the scout I was. He’s in the 7th grade, but takes High school classes, Algebra Math and Biology. The prep schools he is looking at, I wouldn’t have even thought to write off to. He learned the knots in half the time, and get this, he even realized that some of them no longer apply to scouting, like taut-line hitch, told and tested in my day, as the knot to be used between the tent and tent peg- there are no tent pegs any more.
I find the opposite happening of the gentlemen above (Dave Halo). Scouts are staying in and getting their Eagle at 18 yrs old. Most of the time because the troop and the scoutmaster fell it’s the right thing to do, he put his time in. I saw a 17 1/2 scout swearing at a scoutmaster and grooping him to fight him. What a disgrace. And they still gave him his Eagle- the quote was “he put so musch time in”. In the 70’s 1-100 scout earned their Eagle, now it’s 4-100, anyone can get an Eagle if they stay in scouting till 18 (I hope). If you played sports along, today or in my day, you earned 4 merit badges-and Yes Sports was Just the Scouting Handbook tells the story, look at the 8th edition (70’s) and look at today’s scouting book. The 70’s shows young boys, today’s scouts that are older.
At 18 yrs old, I was running my Dad’s shipping department in the summer months, training for college track and dating. My point, BSA needs to have a cut off date 15 or 16 yrs old. It’s called Boy Scouts for a reason, not Man Scouts. Today, boys are full grown by 16. The BSA should have all scouts 16+ yrs transfered into Venturing Scouting, so that they can be with the opposite sex. Back in my day, Explorer scouting (renamed Venturing in the 80’s I guess) was really non existant. Why in God’s name with a 17 1/2 yr old want to be around 11 yr olds?
Advancement is advancement, regardless of age, it’s what the scout does with his Eagle after scouting ends. Some Eagle scouts do great things, Steve Foster, NASA astronauts etc and others, and some tarnish the award and the organization- the Eagle scout in the 70’s that climb the U Texas water tower and sniped people, the NH Eagle acout 2 yrs old that cut a mother and daughters head off, asked why or did he know them, he answered “no, I was bored”.

]]> By: dave halo http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/policies/new-boy-scout-rank-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-28976 dave halo Sat, 16 Oct 2010 19:37:08 +0000 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/?p=3175#comment-28976 late post on this...so some qualifiers, I am an eagle scout ('90) and now have a son in scouting (2.5 years). Perhaps my expectations were wrong but the changes in scouting are astonishing to say the least... The push to obtain Eagle regardless of these new req's is absurd. I still see scouts as a skills based organization: wilderness skills community skills leadership skills faith skills These 4 core areas are lost in the new zeal for boys to make eagle before highschool starts. As a biologist, I know that there are always exceptions to the rule...but earning eagle as a 13-14 old was rare to uncommon when i was in scouts. It appears commonplace now. I see merit badge days where boys go in and earn first aid in 7 hours (yes with a few pre-req's like a 1st aid kit already completed and no some of these boys are not 1st class yet and have not finished the 1st aid req's for tenderfoot, 2nd class and 1st class). Or the response I get from adults in my son's troop that many non-eagle merit badges can be earned in a day because in essence they are "gimme merit badges". Example - ski and snowboarding. You've got boys earning this in a day who have never been on a 1 or 2 planks before in their life. This is assinine and represents just one example of the short-changing that BSA now does in teaching life skills. Yes I think BSA can teach still serve a function. Yes I hope my son gets his eagle but it will be on his schedule and ignoring the current adult leaders who question...yes question...his commitment because at 13 years and 4 months he just earned 1st class. Point is he is having fun and learning... I could go on about OA...a 13 year old in OA? Give me a break. This is supposed to be an honor to scouts who have demonstrated a commitment to scouting over time. A 13 year old doesn't even come close.... My only goal is keep my son from seeing how disillusioned i am about the current state of the BSA. late post on this…so some qualifiers, I am an eagle scout (’90) and now have a son in scouting (2.5 years). Perhaps my expectations were wrong but the changes in scouting are astonishing to say the least…

The push to obtain Eagle regardless of these new req’s is absurd. I still see scouts as a skills based organization:
wilderness skills
community skills
leadership skills
faith skills

These 4 core areas are lost in the new zeal for boys to make eagle before highschool starts. As a biologist, I know that there are always exceptions to the rule…but earning eagle as a 13-14 old was rare to uncommon when i was in scouts. It appears commonplace now.

I see merit badge days where boys go in and earn first aid in 7 hours (yes with a few pre-req’s like a 1st aid kit already completed and no some of these boys are not 1st class yet and have not finished the 1st aid req’s for tenderfoot, 2nd class and 1st class). Or the response I get from adults in my son’s troop that many non-eagle merit badges can be earned in a day because in essence they are “gimme merit badges”.

Example – ski and snowboarding. You’ve got boys earning this in a day who have never been on a 1 or 2 planks before in their life. This is assinine and represents just one example of the short-changing that BSA now does in teaching life skills.

Yes I think BSA can teach still serve a function. Yes I hope my son gets his eagle but it will be on his schedule and ignoring the current adult leaders who question…yes question…his commitment because at 13 years and 4 months he just earned 1st class. Point is he is having fun and learning…

I could go on about OA…a 13 year old in OA? Give me a break. This is supposed to be an honor to scouts who have demonstrated a commitment to scouting over time. A 13 year old doesn’t even come close….

My only goal is keep my son from seeing how disillusioned i am about the current state of the BSA.

]]> By: Carol Fredrickson http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/policies/new-boy-scout-rank-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-15182 Carol Fredrickson Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:41:53 +0000 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/?p=3175#comment-15182 Does anyone have any information on the new troop leadership positions? I remember there was a Webmaster and a Leave No Trace, was there something else? The boys are having their leadership elections soon and I can't find this info. Does anyone have any information on the new troop leadership positions? I remember there was a Webmaster and a Leave No Trace, was there something else?

The boys are having their leadership elections soon and I can’t find this info.

]]> By: Mary http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/policies/new-boy-scout-rank-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-6164 Mary Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:38:13 +0000 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/?p=3175#comment-6164 The description of the scout webmaster is the key. Until we are given a clear description :) I was thinking that there could be a few different ways that a scout could serve as webmaster. 1) blog (link it to main troop website) 2) twitter or facebook... I think national bsa is hooked up with twitter & facebook. I'm not personally on it but I think it can be time consuming to keep up with.. perfect for those scouts who already uses these services. 3) scout takes over troop website... In many cases they might actually do a better job than the adults. 4) scout uses a free service like the google sites that have easy templates and the scouts could build these mini sites for preparing for special events like High Adventure trips or the National Jamboree... things like this... and then link to your main troop website. And of course, it all depends on the age of the scout and what the scout, troopmaster, and parents are comfortable with. It's an interesting topic and I look forward to see a better description for it. The description of the scout webmaster is the key. Until we are given a clear description :) I was thinking that there could be a few different ways that a scout could serve as webmaster. 1) blog (link it to main troop website) 2) twitter or facebook… I think national bsa is hooked up with twitter & facebook. I’m not personally on it but I think it can be time consuming to keep up with.. perfect for those scouts who already uses these services. 3) scout takes over troop website… In many cases they might actually do a better job than the adults. 4) scout uses a free service like the google sites that have easy templates and the scouts could build these mini sites for preparing for special events like High Adventure trips or the National Jamboree… things like this… and then link to your main troop website. And of course, it all depends on the age of the scout and what the scout, troopmaster, and parents are comfortable with. It’s an interesting topic and I look forward to see a better description for it.

]]> By: Dave Baer http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/policies/new-boy-scout-rank-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-5674 Dave Baer Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:08:26 +0000 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/?p=3175#comment-5674 Has anyone found a good job description for the new leadership position of Troop Webmaster? I've searched on line and found a few examples from other Troops, but I was wondering whether anyone else has anything they could share...? Thanks! Has anyone found a good job description for the new leadership position of Troop Webmaster? I’ve searched on line and found a few examples from other Troops, but I was wondering whether anyone else has anything they could share…?

Thanks!

]]> By: Neil http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/policies/new-boy-scout-rank-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-4494 Neil Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:53:46 +0000 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/?p=3175#comment-4494 Eleanor: the purpose is not to complete a requirement. earning money to pay ones own way is a basic life skill. how does a scout think his summer camp fees get paid? Most troops I know of maintain scout accounts the boys can contribute/save to through the year. - save cans and cash them in at the recycler (this sustains many homeless) - sell popcorn (and it promotes citizenship supporting your council) - organize or participate in a troop car wash (or any myriad of fundraisers you troop does) - shovel snow/rake leaves/mow lawns (any physically able 7th grader should know how) The requirement does not specify the amount. Just that it is agreed ahead (plan) and not all spent (a scout is thrifty). What's the lesson if mom or dad just "writes a check." Eleanor: the purpose is not to complete a requirement. earning money to pay ones own way is a basic life skill. how does a scout think his summer camp fees get paid? Most troops I know of maintain scout accounts the boys can contribute/save to through the year.
- save cans and cash them in at the recycler (this sustains many homeless)
- sell popcorn (and it promotes citizenship supporting your council)
- organize or participate in a troop car wash (or any myriad of fundraisers you troop does)
- shovel snow/rake leaves/mow lawns (any physically able 7th grader should know how)
The requirement does not specify the amount. Just that it is agreed ahead (plan) and not all spent (a scout is thrifty). What’s the lesson if mom or dad just “writes a check.”

]]> By: Leave No Trace on the EDGE of your Next Rank « JohnScout 2.0 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/policies/new-boy-scout-rank-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-3752 Leave No Trace on the EDGE of your Next Rank « JohnScout 2.0 Thu, 23 Jul 2009 03:53:29 +0000 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/?p=3175#comment-3752 [...] July 22, 2009 The next round of BSA requirement changes for Boy Scouts are making the rounds on the [...] [...] July 22, 2009 The next round of BSA requirement changes for Boy Scouts are making the rounds on the [...]

]]> By: Eleanor http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/policies/new-boy-scout-rank-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-3699 Eleanor Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:06:03 +0000 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/?p=3175#comment-3699 As a long time scouter and having been a scout parent, I think the requirement for the second class scout that says a scout should earn a set amount of money and save half of it......how as a middle schooler (most likely) is he going to do this? job? (too young); allowance? (are you kidding? in these times?). This will have to entail a lot of work on the parent(s), which sometimes is not feasible, especially single parent families. This requirement is all well and good and is an early learning of how income/saving/expenses work. But I suppose if the boy saves his birthday, Christmas, etc. money he may be able to complete this requirement. As a long time scouter and having been a scout parent, I think the requirement for the second class scout that says a scout should earn a set amount of money and save half of it……how as a middle schooler (most likely) is he going to do this? job? (too young); allowance? (are you kidding? in these times?). This will have to entail a lot of work on the parent(s), which sometimes is not feasible, especially single parent families. This requirement is all well and good and is an early learning of how income/saving/expenses work. But I suppose if the boy saves his birthday, Christmas, etc. money he may be able to complete this requirement.

]]> By: New York OA Trader | Shared Items From Around The Web – July 11, 2009 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/policies/new-boy-scout-rank-requirements/comment-page-1/#comment-3412 New York OA Trader | Shared Items From Around The Web – July 11, 2009 Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:00:50 +0000 http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/?p=3175#comment-3412 [...] New Boy Scout Rank Requirements [...] [...] New Boy Scout Rank Requirements [...]

]]>