Scoutmaster Podcast 32

And now for you, Scoutmaster.

So this guy just celebrated his 50th birthday and he says, you know, my brain has worn out. There's a lot of miles on it. I can't remember things anymore. I can't remember people's names. I go running upstairs at my house and I can't remember why I ran up there. It's time to get a new brain. So he goes down to the brain store. And there on a lovely shelves on a display are brains in a jar full of alcohol, just like you would imagine. And he finds this really good looking brain. It's kind of nice and pink. It looks like it was well taken care of. So he grabs a salesman. He says, hey, how much is this one here? And the salesman says $250,000, sir. And the guy says, wow, I wasn't really expecting to spend that much. Why is that one so expensive? And the salesman says, well, this was a college professor who became a Nobel laureate. And this is a really great brain here. He took very good care of it. And the guy says, no, you know, that's way out of the budget. Let me see what another, what about this one over here? And he looks at this brain and it's, yeah, it's a little tattered, but it looks like it's probably in better shape than his. And the guy says, well, that one's only $150,000. Wow, it's still really expensive. Why is that $150,000? He says, well, this was a minister, had a large church, a very learned man, very moral. But, you know, he wasn't quite up to the $250,000 level. Yeah, that's still really expensive. And the salesman says, well, look around. Now you have a little background. Just look around. See if you can find a brain that looks attractive to you that you think will fit. And then let me know. So the guy looks in all the jars and he comes across this one brain that's kind of small and it's a little tattered. And it has kind of an unhealthy color to it. But he thinks, this one's probably in better shape than mine. So let me see if it's in the budget. And he calls the salesman over. He says, how much is this one? The salesman says, that one is actually $3 million. Wow, that's expensive. Why is that so expensive? $3 million. It's not as nice as the professor brain. And the salesman says, well, listen, that one is a scoutmaster's brain. Do you have any idea how many scoutmasters we have to go through until we can find a brain? Okay. Hey, laugh at yourself a little bit, right? This is podcast number 32. Hey! Hey!

Welcome back to the Scoutmaster Podcast. This is Clark Green. Good to have you back. This edition of the Scoutmaster's Podcast and Scoutmastership in seven minutes or less. We're going to talk about a model troop outing. What happens? What's the role of the leaders? What's the role of the scouts? And it's not seven minutes. It's more than seven minutes, of course, because I can't stop talking. After that, a quiz. Yeah. Right here on the Scoutmaster Podcast. And it's a quiz about merit badge counselors. So hopefully you'll find that useful. That'll about wrap it up. So we've got a lot to do. So let's get started, shall we? Scoutmastership in seven minutes. Or less. Any active, lively scout troop is going to go out camping eight to ten times a year. And they'll do a week of summer camp and hopefully some kind of high adventure activity. But what happens on these monthly campouts? What do they look like? How do they work? Who does what? Well, here's a discussion that I want to do in this podcast of a model of these campouts. Now, this is just a model. It's just some ideas strung together. But what it emphasizes is the independence of the youth leadership to do things and to make preparations. And it kind of describes the adult role. So let's talk a little bit about preparation. The major preparation for any outing is going to be done by your patrol leader's counsel. They've already developed a schedule of events for the year. And then scouts, individual scouts who are members of that patrol leader's counsel, may be detailed to set up the particulars of any given camping trip. A few of the logistics are going to be attended to by adults. And that would mostly involve securing campsites and registering and doing tour permits and things like that. Although, although, that is, you know, in most troops majorly in adult function, I would not disallow scouts from becoming involved in things like that. But in the end, the patrol leader's counsel is responsible for the vast majority of the planning. In the patrols, as they prepare for the trip, they're going to select what we call a grub master. And this is the person, the scout, who's going to plan, purchase, pack, and prepare the meals for the outing, for the patrol. The patrol scribe is going to collect fees and permission slips. And the patrol quartermaster is going to check over the gear that they will need. And the patrol leader is going to administer all these preparations. Now, that's the way a good active patrol would work. Five or six guys in the patrol have a job. And the patrol leader is going to be administering their jobs. And they're going to be doing this with the support of the patrol leader's counsel, the senior patrol leader, the scribe, and the quartermaster. The senior patrol leader and his cohorts, they're going to form a transportation plan and oversee the preparation of the patrols. The troop scribe is going to collect money and permission slips from the patrol scribes and develop a troop roster for the outing. The troop quartermaster oversees the patrol quartermasters in preparing their gear. And the senior patrol leader creates a schedule of activities for the outing. Now, notice, up to this point, the only adult involvement has been to do those kind of logistical things that scouts may not be able to do. And so we're not interfering with this process. We're letting the scouts go ahead and do it. They've developed an understanding of how it works. And they know how to do it. And they will carry it through. Now, troop meetings leading up to the outing may discuss special skills or preparations for the trip. Ample time is scheduled for patrols to complete their preparations. And so what happens then is that if, like most troops, you leave on a Friday night, Friday night rolls around. And the SPL and the patrol leaders see that the scouts have their proper personal gear. And then they make sure they have their patrol and troop gear from the quartermaster. And see, it's all packed properly and loaded in the vehicles. And then it's time for the scouts to move out. Now, the senior patrol leader and his patrol leaders and other members of the patrol leaders council are responsible for making this happen. And they need to get there a little early, perhaps on a Friday, to make that happen. Now, once they arrive at the campsite, the senior patrol leader is going to look over the ground and assign areas for each patrol. He's going to do this with the idea that patrols camp far enough apart to operate independently. And that the adults that are on the trip are billeted far enough away to allow the troop to function properly. Before they head off to bed, the patrol leader's council is going to meet and review the schedule for the next day. So, Saturday morning rolls around. And the senior patrol leader and patrol leaders are going to get everyone up at the specified hour. The patrols are going to prepare breakfast. They're going to cook on their own. And the adults who've planned and packed their own food were going to observe all this from a respectful distance. Once breakfast is cleared away and the day is ready to begin, the senior patrol leader and patrol leaders lead their scouts through whatever activity is the order of the day. Adults might be invited to offer instruction. Or might be asked to lend some oversight if the nature of activity demands it, like swimming or canoeing or something like that. Otherwise, the adults are pursuing their own activities away from the scouts' activities. We join in by invitation, not by jumping in and telling the boys how to do things. We keep ourselves apart, let them go ahead and pursue what they're going to pursue. Lunch and dinner happen much like breakfast and the day wears on. And then the entire troop usually gathers for the first time on Saturday evening. It could be a brief review of the day's events, a campfire, a cracker barrel. There's lots of different names to put on it. And we have usually what we call vespers. And that is just a group meeting in which we talk about what everybody observed and did that day. And based on the idea of a scout's duty to God and his pledge to be reverend. And that's usually followed by a cracker barrel and a campfire. Before everyone retires, the senior patroller reviews Sunday's activities and schedule with the Petroll Leaders Council again. On Sunday, breakfast, prepared by the patrols. It might be time to pack up or to pursue some activity before returning home. But once everyone is packed up and in the vehicles, you're going to arrive back at your place of departure probably. The senior patrol leader is going to oversee the return of gear with the quartermaster and patrol quartermasters. And then the patrol leader's council is going to meet soon to discuss the outing and what improvements can be made to their preparations or their implementation. The gear is going to be checked and cleaned if needed. And the whole process is going to be ready to begin again. Now, as I said at the outset, this is just a model. It's based on the idea that scouts have to be given very wide latitude to operate independent of adult interference, yet with appropriate oversight. There's very little the scouts can't do for themselves, and they should be encouraged to do as much as they can manage. Scouts cook on their own. They camp on their own. They pursue their activities on their own. And like I said, by invitation, we may be able to participate actively. But unless we are invited, we keep a respectful distance. Now, how far distant? What do I mean? Well, far enough away so that we're kind of out of earshot. That the temptation to jump in and to, quote unquote, help out is tempered by having to walk, you know, 50 paces. That usually helps me. But close enough that we can be called on very quickly if it's required. I should note, too, as we're talking about camping, unless a certain outing is designed to be a father or mother and son activity, it's not a family outing. Scouting happens when the scouts lead themselves. When they're given the autonomy and trust, they respond by being responsible. Of course, they will forget things. Of course, they will not have planned as thoroughly as they need at times. But we're watching. We're making sure that this is not a risk to life and limb. And they will learn exactly the same way that we learned, sometimes by trial and error, sometimes by listening to people who know better. But when they walk away from it and they have finished their camping trip, they will know it is something that they have done for themselves. And to me, that's a successful outing. We'll see you next time. Well, that music indicates that it's quiz time here on the Scoutmaster Podcast. Yes, from the very, very long-running and well-known television game show Jeopardy, we have the Think music. Dum-da-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-bum-bum. Hey, I'm no Alex Trebek, but we're going to give this a shot. This is a quiz about merit badge counselors. Merit badge counselors. And I got this off of Bella Online from a fellow called Eric Muller. I took the quiz. He created it. And I think the first time around, I got 8 out of 10 right. And I learned some things. It's always possible. How about that? So I thought it would be good to put on the podcast, give you something to think about, maybe pick up a few pointers. It's 10 questions long. And question number one is, Well, it is definitely D, all of the above. It's the responsibility of all parts of the scouting organization to recruit and train merit badge counselors. Question number two. All merit badge counselors must be approved by what committee? What committee? A, the Boy Scouts of America National Advancement Committee. B, your council advancement committee. C, your district advancement committee. Or D, both your council and district advancement committees. Well, the answer is D. There's a pattern developing. Your district and council advancement committees are going to approve applications from merit badge counselors. That's an important thing to know. Question number three. Which of the following is not true for merit badge counselors? Not true. A, they must be a registered scouter. B, they must be a registered merit badge counselor. C, they must be 18 or older. D, they must have skills and education in the subject they are counseling. The answer is A. Merit badge counselors are registered under a separate registration. And they don't have to be registered as a scouting volunteer, like a scoutmaster, assistant scoutmaster, etc. But they're registered as a merit badge counselor. Hey, question number four is, how many merit badges may one individual counselor counsel? How much wood? Would a woodchuck chuck? If a woodchuck could chuck wood. So how many merit badges can any single counselor counsel? Is it A, 3? B, 5? C, 7? Or D, there is no limit to the number an individual counselor can counsel. So is it 3, 5, 7? Or basically unlimited? Well, the answer is D. Hey, you detected the pattern. Good for you. Councils and districts might recommend limits to the number of merit badges one individual can counsel. But the Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures Manual states that there is no limit to the number one person can take on as a merit badge counsel. Question number five, we're halfway home. How many merit badges may a scout take with one merit badge counselor? So how many merit badges can a scout take from one individual merit badge counselor? Is it A, 3? B, 5? C, 7? Or D, as many as he likes? 3, 5, 7? Or D, as many as he likes? Well, it's D. It's unlimited. Once again, a counselor or a district might recommend a limit to the number of merit badges any one scout takes with any one counselor. But we've got to look at the Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures Manual because that's the rules. And they say that there is no limit. Here's a tough one. Question number six, which materials are available to help recruit and train merit badge counselors? A, a guide to recommending merit badge counselors. B, the pamphlet Merit Badge Counseling. C, merit badge counselor orientation. Or D, all of the above. Of course, it's D, all of the above. There are a lot of publications out there that are available to help recruit and train merit badge counselors. And at scouting.org, the Boy Scouts of America official website, there's a lot of valuable information and training for merit badge counselors. Question number seven, how often must the merit badge counselor list be renewed? So there's a list of merit badge counselors. How often must that be renewed? One, or A, yearly? B, every two years? C, every three years? Or D, once published, it's valid for so long as counselors wish to remain on the list? Now you've detected a certain pattern to the answers, but if you said D this time, you are wrong. No, it's A, yearly. The merit badge counselor list needs to be reviewed and approved each year. That way, people who are no longer interested in counseling merit badges won't be on the list. And new merit badge counselors will make it onto the list. So that list is going to get reviewed every year. Question number eight, when can a merit badge counselor counsel his or her own relative? So which answer? Well, it was A. They can counsel a relative at any time. Once again, the Policies and Procedures Manual states that there are no restrictions to counseling a relative, including your own son, your nephew, your grandchild. Some counselors might avoid that, but there is no rule against it. Question number nine, a scout receives a partial completion for a merit badge at summer camp. Question number nine, who can sign off the completion of the merit badge? Is it A, the scoutmaster, B, the committee chairman, C, any counselor approved to counsel the merit badge, or D, all of the above? And the answer is C, any counselor approved to counsel the merit badge. Only a merit badge counselor approved to counsel the merit badge can sign off on the completion of the merit badge. Scoutmasters cannot do that unless they are a registered merit badge counselor for the merit badge in question. Neither can committee chairman or advancement committee chairman. The only person that can sign off on a merit badge is an approved merit badge counselor. Number ten, same scout, he received a partial completion for a merit badge at summer camp. How long does he have to complete the merit badge? Is it A, six months? B, one year? C, three years? Or D, any length of time up until his 18th birthday? Well, the answer there is back to the old pattern again. It's D, any length of time until his 18th birthday. A scout can work on any merit badge, including partial completions, for as long as he likes, until he turns the age of 18. So how about that? Those questions really gave me some things to think about. And hopefully they'll get the juices flowing with you. You'll start thinking about merit badge counseling and exactly how it works and what the policies and procedures are. And since you've been such a good contestant, I have a bonus question for you. Question number eleven. Who reviews merit badges for completeness and the level of skill that was instructed? Is it A, the Scoutmaster during a Scoutmaster conference? B, the Board of Review during a Board of Review? C, the merit badge counselor before the blue card is signed? Or D, the District Advancement Committee? Well, the answer is C, the merit badge counselor before the merit badge card was signed. Now, some of the activities and things that a Scout learned during a merit badge may be the subject of some questions or just a discussion at a Board of Review or a Scoutmaster's conference. But Scoutmasters or committee people are not supposed to or allowed to re-review and re-test merit badges with Scouts. Once the blue card is signed, it's signed. And it's done. I hope that helped you out. It did me. And there's many more things to talk about as far as merit badges are concerned. If you have any more questions about it, give me an email. Yeah, send me an email and we'll talk about how to do that in just a moment. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Well, thank you for listening once more to Scoutmaster Podcast number 32. You can read the Scoutmaster blog at scoutmaster.typepad.com and follow us at Scoutmaster Blog on Facebook and ScoutmasterCG on Twitter. You can subscribe to the Scoutmaster Podcast on iTunes and when you do, please leave a comment or a review or a rating. Those are always helpful. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And if you have any questions, comments, opinions, you can email me at ClarkGreen and that is at ClarkGreen at gmail.com and that is C-L-A-R-K-E-G-R-E-E-N at gmail.com The Scoutmaster Blog and the Scoutmaster Podcast are not official publications of the Boy Scouts of America, nor are they endorsed or sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America. No, they're just me talking into a microphone, trying to lend a hand to Scout leaders and perhaps have a little bit of fun along the way. But before we go, let's hear from our founder, Sir Robert Baden-Powell. Sir Robert? Good luck to you and good camping. Thanks again for listening, folks. Until next time.

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