AB100 meets the wild west in San Antone

Life is what you make make it. That pretty much sums up my Adventure Base 100 experience. I'll talk about that portion later or not at all.

AB100 was not a standalone event for the Alamo city. Yet they managed to place the AB100 in an area of the rodeo grounds that received little to no traffic. I think they could have found a better place for us.

The patch above is the only thing that is exclusive to AB100. Our store staff said they had trouble getting the patches. The Adventure base showed up Thursday the 4th, but the patches showed up late in the afternoon on the 6th. So we had the patches for 1 day of the Bases four day stay. If you register for an AB100 passport you get $5.00 of a souvenir book. so for $20 you get a book and the patch.

The museum was cool. I thought some councils could have put more in their time capsule. Heck it would have been nice if my council had submitted a time capsule. Some of the items were a CD-Rom, a belt buckle, a custom coin, and some OA flaps. I rocked the early morning evironmental Pinewood race with a score of 390.

When you get in the go scouting dome go in front of the table and lay down on your back. The show displays up past the top of the dome. In side you feel kinda like your in an igloo and at a forest campsite. It was a nice 5 minute show.

Many scouters took advantage of the green screen. Your white water rafting or rock climbing. I think I saw one dad getting carried up the rock face by his Webelos scout. What I could do there with a little more time and imagination.

The penny press breaks at the drop of a hat. I really wish they had more than one press traveling with the show.

The ropes course was awesome as an attention getter. Can I order one for my council? Ok for the walk through... once harnessed up you walk up the ramp around and over some teeter totter blocks. Around the next corner is swing steps. The next challenge is Swinging across the vines to the cargo net. Once you side step across the cargo net you jump off a box and "zip line" down to where you harnessed up.

Since most places haven't had this yet. I'll let you know that you need about 20 volunteers minimum to help run the AB100. Please make sure your council has somebody that is good at scheduling people to run this. Nothing worse in my opinion than to have 15 Explorers show up and have nothing for them to do.

I would like to give special recognition to SAPD Chief William McManus. Prior to Chief McManus, SAPD had Explorers, but nothing like they do now. San Antonio has 180 police explorers in part due to the Chief's mandate that every substation or precinct have an explorer post. I have no doubt that these explorers will turn out to be fine officers in one of the nations law enforcement agencies. More importantly to me, it is just another way that the SAPD shows a compassionate face to San Antonio.

A time to face the Facts.

Well it all started about 6 months ago I had to take a break from blogging and finish some things up. You know little things like Wood Badge, Finding someone to get my back, getting trained for a new position.

I'm going to run out of chairman stuff to talk about. Although it appears with my various hats I have today that a new blog title was due. I find myself rambling through scouting. Taking different positions and trying different things as I help my son through his scouting career.

So my posts will take on more the idea of sketches of where my son, his unit, my units, and myself are today.

The difference between IN and OF

Today is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America.

Today I have ran across some that are incorrectly saying it is the Anniversary of the Boy Scout Movement IN America.

Troop 1 in Pawhuska Oklahoma has the honor of being the First Boy scout troop in America. They were founded in 1909 roughly 9 months prior to the incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America by W.D. Boyce. Troop1 was founded under an English charter.

Too many the argument about the use of the word IN and OF is like like arguing whether the new millennium started January 1, 2000 or January 1, 2001. It could also be said I was arguing use of the Metric system versus the Imperial System.

So I may be arguing over small verbiage, yet I would believe that the scouts in Pawhuska, Oklahoma were not the only scouts that were practicing Lord Baden-Powell's methods in the United States before 19010.

So let's Celebrate the anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America and remember there were at least 18 Boy Scouts in America before then.

Scouting as a Contiuum

Heresy, I say, It is heresy. Scouting in the US is not a contiuum but 4- 6 seperate programs that should not be mixed. I love making input where I think I can change things that can be changed.

Some of you may ask why I said 4-6 programs. Well, lets look at continuum theory first.

Continuum (theory), anything that goes through a gradual transition from one condition, to a different condition, without any abrupt changes or "discontinuities".

Traditional non LDS scouting does not operate as a continuum. We have a lions pilot, who will have to reregister/transfer next fall to participate as Tiger Cubs. You have Cub Scouts in 1st through 3rd grade. Webelos are regulated by the pack and participate in pack activites, but operate somewhere between Cubs and Boy scouts. Many will argue the break or discontiuity bewtween cubs and Webelos. There is a very hard break between Webelos and Boys scouts, as you must fill out a new registration form to move from pack 458 to troop 458. Then there are hard breaks between Boys scouts, and Venturing. Varsity unfortunately seems out in left feild unless your in the LDS church.

I'm not a member of the LDS church but from the rules I see looking into their program there is a a smoother transition from program to program. The LDS packs are geared at age level boys not grade level. A tiger is a tiger from 7 years to 7 years and 364 days. Bang bang bang right up the ranks into Boy scouting. Where the program structure changes right into the patrol method. The LDS scouters, I talk to say the boys know exactly what happens after they get their Arrow of Light and turn 11. They go right into the church's boy scout program.

I am in a pack and have always been in packs outside of the contiuum. My pack has no default scout troop, but we have 7 troops in a 4mile radius of our meeting place. Our boys don't see the next step in scouting. We are always trying to get a Den cheif and show the boys the rest of scouting. A den cheif to recruit our boys to his unit. Yet, all they see is their parents as the leaders. Our webelos leave and the boys never see them again. Its not very continuous.

I hear RUMORS that national is tweaking the requirements for Arrow of Light. Possibbly making them more equivalet to scout or even tenderfoot. The purpose being Webelos retention for the scouting continuum. Our pupose doesn't stop, and our program doesn't either. It is continuous from first grade to 20Yrs old. As a Parent, I would like to see my son leave scouting with Arrow of Light, Eagle Scout and The Venturing Silver Award having conitued throughout the whole program.

So before National releases a new Webelos book and tweaks the program for next years webelos. How do the requirements for AOL and scout or tenderfoot stack up?

To be continued. (How the requirements stack up today.)

Good Ideas @ BSA

It's been a while since my last post. I need to get back into it, for me. It helps my mediocre typing skills.

I find it ironic this week that the BSA Innovation Engine email comes from Good Ideas @ BSA. They had some ideas that I' don't know where they came from. Sometimes it is a good thing they don't let scouters post up our comments about the ideas there. So here are some of the past weeks ideas.

Guide to Safe Scouting.

How about an update that includes a policy on Airsoft guns?

Um, how about this as a policy that addresses Airsoft Guns.

Pointing any type of firearm or simulated firearm at any individual is unauthorized. Scout units may plan or participate in paintball, laser tag or similar events where participants shoot at targets that are neither living nor human representations. Units with Council approval may participate in formally organized historical reenactment events, where firearms are used and intentionally aimed over the heads of the reenactment participants. The use of paintball guns, laser guns or similar devices may be utilized in target shooting events with Council approval and following the Sweet 16 of BSA safety. Council approval means the approval of the Scout Executive or his designee on a tour permit specifically outlining details of the event.

(However, law enforcement departments and agencies using firearms in standard officer/agent training may use their training agenda when accompanied with appropriate safety equipment in the Law Enforcement Exploring program.)

Not to rant, Ok I want to rant, but this is already in the G2SS.

Internet Advancement Reporting

When the Troops and Packs do not have any advancement, they are supposed to send a NULL report to council saying they had no advancement. IA does not have a way of doing a submission. It would be really easy for them to have a PDF file print out an advancement form with a statement saying No Advancement for this time frame.

How about we save both the volunteers and staff time by changing the default to only turning in a form when there is an advancement?

Training Completed/Training Not Completed Reports

Training Completed Reports and Training Not Completed Reports currently provide the unit, position, name, address and telephone number of the volunteers. If the email addresses were provided on these reports, the District Training Chairs could easily sort the reports for specific training that is needed for each individual needing training and then send them emails regarding any upcoming scheduled trainings.

Why isn't this done already? Today, the best way to catch and involve volunteers and voluntolds is to send an email. They could even poll the people missing training why they haven't attended, bad day, bad time, no babysitting, etc.

Internet Advancement and Cub Scout Packs Advancement Reporting

I think it would be very helpful for the Internet Advancements to include any and all awards that Cub Scout packs provide such as Sports and Academics Belt Loops and Pins, etc., since it would a selling point for the Cub Scout Pack Advancement Chairs to use because many of them do not want to do Internet Advancement now because they cannot create a complete "shopping list" because many awards they routinely report are not available to report on Internet Advancement.

I like this idea. Not so much for the shopping cart feature but the fact that the council would a a full and complete record of offical BSA Awards and Achievements. Still won't get me to use the Internet advancement. Even if I turn in the advancements of the internet, I still have to provide the Scout shop a hard copy to buy the advancements. Pack master generates the form for me.

Incorporating Mental Health issues into Boy Scouting

The H&S Support Committee would like to see mental health issues addressed within the program. They are requesting feedback on the proposal. Their desire is to weave it into the advancement process. SME's are available to support this effort.

While scouting incorporates a good many aspects of physical health maintenance and injury/crisis management in its advancement process, aspects of mental health are not. Yet there are a number of aspects of mental health and illness that could be articulated and incorporated in the scouting education and advancement program.

A colleague talked about this matter with his nephew, who was an active scout. When asked about a scouting program to assess competencies in mental health, that scout suggested it would be a ?great idea? to include this in the content of a merit badge. Indeed, he thought that Boy Scouts should be asked to have the following mental health competencies:

1. Have the ability to recognize signs! of good and poor mental health in oneself and others

2. Know strategies for helping others with mental health problems

3. Be able to provide first aid for acute stress (?psychological first aid?)

4. Be familiar with different types of mental disorder

5. Recognize drug and alcohol abuse and their complications

This scout agreed that knowledge of drug and alcohol abuse and prevention are important, but he thought that material presently is covered fairly well. He suggested that material about mental health could be learned through a combination of reading and meetings with a mental health professional. He thinks that competency could be demonstrated through the combination of a written test and discussion or demonstration (i.e. role playing).

I love the H&S Support committee, this one well detailed idea. I don't think it should be it own merit badge. Yet I think recognizing the pyschological issues is or can be taught as part of first aid. If a person has pyschological issue, you will need to treat them differently while rending first aid.

Finally, the most rant worthy idea I have seen posted on the Innovation engine

Massage Therapy

I know we are all working much harder in the New BSA and it would be absolute heaven if we had either someone come in once or twice a month, or have someone on staff that we could go to for a massage. Even just upper body would help alot. This is a great stress reliever and would give us all a better perspective on the days we really need it.

I love the idea. You need to tell me when to be at the scout office so I can sneak into the line. This would be so beneficial after a rough night at scout camp. This idea was promtly closed.

I think the Innovation engine is a great idea, but let the volunteers and voluntolds at it. Remember the volunteers are the ones that run and deliver the promise, message, and program of scouting. I think the volunteers will be the start of real innovation for the BSA.

Definition of a voluntold: Someone who is in a volunteer position after being told by a child, spouse, boss, government, etc. that they are going to volunteer for such position.

Update to Scouting.Org and the Scouting Community

I've seen tweets from people having trouble with the updated Scouting Community. I'm posting Here so they can see what's been reported.

Issues Since Upgrade on May 31

By Maria Manzella

Please report issues that have occurred since the upgrade on May 31.

Issues reported so far:

Missing avatars

Can’t access the Requests to Review page to check friend requests. Instead it keeps popping back to the profile page.

Dan Kurtenbach (and others possibly) have no member profile. Dan’s posts are being attributed to Richard Shaw.

Server error when uploading an avatar.

Many hyperlinks are not working and simply redirect you to your profile page.

When viewing a friend’s post from the profile page, get the message User Not Found.

All members show joined on 6/1/09.

Continuous planning

My planning agenda seems almost continuous right now.  Last month we wrapped up the SummerPlanning. I've planned out a fishing derby for this weekend and a skit for  our may graduation ceremony in the past month. Now to move on to the Rest of next year. 

I love google calendars  for planning the cub year.   In the past couple of weeks I went to my local school district web site and  transferred all of the Holidays, early release days, and any other important date to  a Google Calendar I set up for my pack. Then I pulled out my council calendar and copied every district and council training date, Cub event, camp, Etc.  

Basically we have a list of events that we as a pack want to do and our normal months to do them. All that's left for the Pack Committee to work out is when.   

We started our annual list  last year,  by sitting down and saying  we always do a blue and gold  and that has to be done in February. We always have a Pinewood derby.  We  give the cars as gifts at the Christmas party so it has to be after December. Then the space derby comes out.  we want to camp X number of times. ( We're currently up to 3 trips per year. ) We need to sprinkle some service projects in as well. Suddenly you have a packed schedule.

For those that want to see the calendar (http://bit.ly/15gR2W)

Next you'll need to set up a meeting with your Treasurer and see how much you spend on each type of event, how much you want to spend, where your going to hold various events, etc. to build your  rough budget.  You can give the total  to your popcorn chair for them to set your popcorn goals. 

And that should be the last of major planning  until fall. During the summer it's just the details for summer events.

 

Keep on moving forward.