Topic
Rank requirements, Scoutmaster conferences and boards of review. Leaders worked through the Guide to Advancement and helped Scouts move from Scout to First Class and beyond.
188 posts · 2007–2020
25 posts
In the season of Wise Men, you won't find many wiser than Chris Hunt, advancement team leader for the Boy Scouts of America. Whatever advancement-related question I throw at him, he answers right away. He's one of the big reasons my Ask the Expert series has been going strong for years.
Every Scouter has been there. You've been there, and so have I. Your fellow Scouter, a parent, or Scout has a question. You think you know the answer. After telling them what you think there's a little shadow of doubt in your mind;"did I get that right?".
Students pore over countless study guides for their midterms, but where's the study guide for Scouting's biggest evaluation? Right here. The Eagle Scout Board of Review study guide, created by two Pennsylvania adult leaders, will better prepare your prospective Eagle Scouts for this potentially stressful final step in the journey to Eagle.
Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in Scouting Reader Shelley asked I'm a new Troop Committee Chair and was wondering if anyone has some great questions that they ask their Scouts during their Board of Reviews?
Don Bennett directed Eagle Scout boards of review like a film director creating his latest masterpiece. He challenged the Eagle candidates with expertly crafted questions all with the goal of making the young man see just how his time in Scouting has formed who he is.
Scout advancement is a natural result of applying the patrol system. Requirements without the patrol experience are a lifeless checklist. Tenderfoot 2. Spend at least one night on a patrol or troop campout… 3. On the campout, assist in preparing and cooking one of your patrol's meals.
While we're on the subject of Rank Advancement for 11 year old scouts (or a new Scout patrol), take a look at these video clips to help you get though the early rank requirements: Notice in the lower left corner of that page, these can also be downloaded as Podcasts!
Over the weekend, I taught my first Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Leader Specific Training course. I think the class went well but kinda felt bad for all the brand new 11-year-old scout leaders who would have benefited from more info specific to their group.
Someone asked me how long, on average, does it take to be a First Class Scout? We know statistically Scouts who become First Class within the first year tend to stay in Scouting longer. I am pleased when Scouts advance because that's one indicator that we are delivering on the promise, but it's only one…
You the Life Scouts and Eagle Scouts of the Boy Scouts of America, in Order to form a more perfect understanding of the U.S. Constitution, establish awareness of our nation's Founding Documents, and secure some Free Money, do indeed need to enter this Bill of Rights Institute Eagle Scout Competition OK, so maybe my version…
Once he's completed the last requirement for First Class a Scout opens an application on his smartphone or tablet. He scrolls to his advancement records (past his membership records, training records, camping log, OA information and the weekly messages he get's from his patrol leader) and has someone virtually sign off the requirement.
In last week's article, we listed some of the changes incorporated in the 2013 Guide to Advancement, the current revision to the comprehensive 2011 edition. Many policies have been tweaked and clarified, and since most of us have become familiar with …
The long-awaited 2013 revision to the standard reference text for Scouting's advancement programs has been released, leaving a somewhat bewildering series of changes and clarifications in its wake. The 2011 document did a great job of consolidating, codifying and clarifying …
The long-awaited 2013 revision to the standard reference text for Scouting’s advancement programs has been released, leaving a somewhat bewildering series of changes and clarifications in its wake. The 2011 document did a great job of consolidating, codifying and clarifying BSA’s rules relating to advancement.
Here's one for your browser's bookmarks bar: The newest edition of the Boy Scouts of America Guide to Advancement released today. The PDF version contains answers to pretty much any advancement question that might come up, and it's essential reading for your unit's advancement chair and others who like to be kept in the loop…
So far, Ask the Expert posts have offered one often-lengthy answer to one complicated Scouting question. You can read past posts here . Perhaps a question you have is answered there. But now it's time for the lightning round. Here's a collection of questions I've received along with the short answer: blue cards Question from Ramona…
Are all service hours created equal? If a Scout, say, builds a house with his church youth group or delivers meals with his school's student council, can those hours count toward Boy Scout rank advancement? That's what a Scouter named Andrea wondered this week: Bryan, Our troop only allows service hours to accrue if it…
Not all merit badges are earned in the traditional troop setting. Enterprising Scouts can earn them at council-run merit badge "colleges" or workshops, summer or winter camps, or on their own with a registered counselor. But some troops restrict or even prohibit this practice, insisting that merit badges must be earned under their own roof…
At summer camp, what's more important for Scouts, advancement or fun? Trick question. Scouts who attend the best summer camps and have effective Scout leaders guiding them don't have to choose. For these Scouts, advancement is part of the fun.
One of my responsibilities as the Chartered Organization Representative is to see that a committee is organized and functioning. I'm trying to get parents involved, but I've really struggled with who to get for the advancement chair. I have wanted to avoid having a parent do this, just to avoid any potential problems, but I…
David from Hawaii writes: I am a fairly new Scoutmaster and I asked the committee to present merit badges and rank patches in troop meetings and present the certificates for those badges at the court of honor. They declined out of fear that no one would attend the court of honor.
I have a really crazy idea. It has been floating somewhere in my mind for over a year now. I've thought several times about posting it here but for some reason I haven't. Maybe it's because things have slowed down for me (Scouting-wise) that I finally decided to do it.
How effectively you apply the Scouting advancement method hinges on how well you understand the subject. The National Advancement Team has released a bunch of new educational resources that you ought to check out. While Scouting advancement is at least some part of leadership training I think we owe it to our Scouts to take…
Introduction In Part I of this series, I began the process of looking into the "older Scout problem". This is where Scout Troops have trouble retaining and recruiting boys from the ages of 15-18. In the last post, I began the discussion by examining just why this is a very important issue and why older…
A new edition of Boy Scout Requirements was released in mid January, 2013. Paul Wolf at the US Scouting Service Project Inc. has published his annual review of Boy Scout requirement changes, a tremendous resource and a great service to us all, thank you Paul!
