Troop Administration

Andrea Cooperman on compassionate listening with Scout parents; Scott Williams (Troop 534, Flowery Branch GA) on handling last-minute transportation cancellations; anonymous question on whether a chartered organization controls unit fundraising and bank accounts.

Steve Berthium asks about a second-class scout who refuses to camp and seems likely to quit; anonymous sender asks whether scoutmasters can require scouts to sign leadership contracts; Mike Rosslender asks why boards of review must be limited to registered committee members.

Three anonymous emails answered: (1) who decides NYLT attendance — Scoutmaster vs. committee; (2) how an assistant Scoutmaster can encourage a shift to the patrol method in an adult-led troop; (3) why sending a large policy/frustration email to troop families does more harm than good, and the importance of aligning with the committee chair.

Anonymous sender asks about re-registering inactive longtime troop associates; Steven Smith asks how to build teamwork without older experienced scouts; George Cloud asks for Eagle project proposal review tips; Steve Cottrell asks about annual program planning with the PLC.

Mitchell Locken (Cubmaster, Pac-20, Lincoln NE) asks how to increase roundtable attendance; Barry Dickinson (Scoutmaster, Troop 175, Foster City CA) asks how to get more parents to courts of honor. Clarke's advice: offer consistently excellent, brief content and honor the effort of those who show up.

Three anonymous/named emails answered: (1) anonymous — benefits of district and council involvement when other troops seem to get preferential treatment; (2) anonymous Wolf Den leader/professional engineer — why STEM is considered 'Cub stuff' at roundtables; (3) Robert, Scoutmaster in Massachusetts — troop declining enrollment and Webelos choosing other troops.

Brad Watts, troop committee treasurer, Troop 287 in St. John's Florida — asks about whether scouts should handle dues and paperwork, or whether adults should manage money so scouts can focus on patrol-method activities.

Four email questions answered: (1) anonymous unit commissioner asks about 'firing' a senior patrol leader for off-campus misconduct; (2) Jim Manson asks whether troop fundraisers count as service hours; (3) Brian Kerner asks for a definition of conservation-related service hours for Life rank; (4) Robert Grimes from Madrid, Spain asks whether scouts should use the 'mister' honorific with adult leaders.

Second half of a two-part panel discussion with author Mark Ray and Walter Underwood covering the second volume of the BSA Troop Leader Guidebook, including extraordinary troop meetings, high adventure, STEM and fitness awards, service projects, Eagle projects, advancement advice, working with older scouts, Order of the Arrow, Venturing, Sea Scouts, and responding to special challenges including discipline, underserved populations, and scouts with disabilities.

Mark Ray, author of the BSA two-volume Troop Leader Guidebook, and Walter Underwood join Clarke for part one of a two-hour discussion covering volume two's chapters on troop vision, self-evaluation, team development, the patrol method (including how to make it fail), youth leadership, and the CFD code word.

Four anonymous or named listener emails answered: (1) anonymous — supporting a troop after the sudden death of an adult volunteer; (2) anonymous — older scout sharing profane limericks with younger scouts and whether to delay rank advancement; (3) Christopher Taylor — BSA policy on private Facebook groups for troops and Clarke's advice on troop communications; (4) anonymous — how to handle a newer parent who is critically undermining the scoutmaster's work.

Multiple email questions answered: Eric Flesher (troop 309, Orange Village OH) on re-engaging older scouts who have drifted away; Jacques Goulet (troop 473, Fort Pierce FL) on structuring leadership for a brand-new eight-scout troop; Paul Thiel (troop 825, Houston TX) on what qualifies as a scouting campout for merit badge purposes; and an anonymous former Scoutmaster on handling an overstepping advancement committee chair.

Craig Snodgrass (Troop 1, Altadena CA) on whether three planned activities is too much for a patrol leaders council and why participation is low; Paul Teal (Troop 825, Houston TX) on the difference between the instructor and troop guide positions of responsibility; James Longo (Troop 228, Rockford MI) on whether a committee chair can also serve as treasurer.

Three anonymous emails answered: (1) whether a pack should subsidize dues for a family that doesn't participate in fundraisers; (2) what constitutes improperly expanding merit badge requirements vs. enriching instruction, and Clarke's critique of merit badge classes; (3) how to select a new Scoutmaster from candidates, using Admiral Byrd's 1928 Antarctica peer-selection story as a model.

Anonymous backer asks what questions to ask adult volunteers when visiting troops during a Webelos crossover; Jim Witt of Troop 316 in Champaign, IL asks how to organize a nine-scout troop with meaningful patrol leadership; anonymous sender asks whether troop fundraisers count as service hours.

Three email questions answered: Bill Chapman (Troop 736, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) on rowdy troop meetings and whether chaos means something is broken; an anonymous Scoutmaster on what to do after accidentally crediting a Scout with a position of responsibility that didn't qualify for rank; and Danny (Troop 41) on Scouts who 'eagle out' and whether Eagle rank can be made more meaningful.

Tim Smith (Troop 52, Danbury CT) asks about patrol leaders signing rank requirements, length of position-of-responsibility terms, and troop meeting schedule structure; Rob Karagnan (Troop 1, Portland ME) asks about BSA policy on alcohol stoves; anonymous question about maximum recommended backpack weight.

Six emails answered: (1) anonymous scoutmaster on interpreting the Tenderfoot cooking requirement and parental interference; (2) Mason Turner on recruiting den chiefs from neighboring troops; (3) anonymous on how to leave a troop gracefully; (4) Robert on whether to create a troop policy manual; (5) Scott Peterson (Troop 626, Spring TX) on how scouts should address adult leaders; (6) anonymous on whether a 'supertrip' to museums and historic sites qualifies as optimal scouting.

Ron Troson asks whether wilderness first aid is truly required for backcountry trips; anonymous listener asks about troop sweatshirts and unofficial uniform items; Jim Boggs asks how Venturing crews organize themselves; Kevin Smith asks whether the board of review date or court of honor date is the Eagle Scout effective date.

Craig Dixon on permission slip deadlines; Steve on homesickness prevention at summer camp; Bob on merit badge placement without a sash; Greg Gotcher on senior patrol leader patrol membership and troop structure for 16 scouts.

Multiple emails answered: young adult (mid-20s) taking over as Scoutmaster; Don Fest on the Alligator River game for a field day; Larry Faust on Webelos attending camperees; anonymous on advancement modifications for a cancer survivor scout with permanent disability; Kyle Burkholder on transitioning to a year-round meeting schedule.

Nick Paulson asks how to combat last-minute sports-schedule conflicts that gut camping attendance; Kelly Tansy follows up on earlier advice, reporting success becoming committee chair and asking for guidance on leading a troop in transition.

Four listener emails answered: anonymous parent on a scout's anxiety and troop foul language; James on BSA liability coverage and safe scouting rules; Eric Byrd on cell phone policies during troop activities; Melissa (merit badge counselor) on enforcing use of the official first aid merit badge book over worksheets.

Clarke answers emails from Paul Flarely (Webelos leader — Cub Scout continuum and upcoming program changes), Bobby (starting a new troop with six Webelos — best first activities), Brian Snyder (reviving the patrol method and reducing older/younger Scout animosity), and Bill (how much adult direction to give a highly independent Senior Patrol Leader).

Bill Chapman (Troop 736, CA) on whether to keep sending a parent newsletter vs. developing Scout initiative; Bill Chapman also asks about starting backpacking without expensive gear; anonymous district advancement chair on conducting a fair Eagle board of review amid rumors of parental over-involvement; Rob Kerrigan (Troop 1, Pine Tree Council, ME) on Scouts volunteering as Salvation Army bell ringers.

Multiple listener questions answered: how to change an adult-led troop; Scoutmaster's proper role in Eagle paperwork and the statement of ambitions (Jeff Crump, Troop 701); forming patrols fairly for less popular Scouts and how often patrols rearrange (Brad Schroer, Troop 414); whether a Scoutmaster should step down when his son is SPL (anonymous); parent factions causing troop committee havoc (anonymous); and proper handling of a chronically disruptive Scout including discipline and retroactive denial of tenure (anonymous).

Multiple emails answered: Carolyn Enomoto on SPL election campaigning; C. Scott Anderson on troop committee involvement and boards of review; James Spragley on toilet facility requirements for Webelos camping with Boy Scout troops; Michael Beck on teaching conflict resolution using the patrol method; Alan Schrivener on removing merit badge work from troop meeting nights.

Multiple listener questions answered: anonymous asks if a troop committee can dictate Eagle Court of Honor format and location; unnamed sender asks how to remove an underperforming SPL; Allison Benton asks how to run a first SPL election; burned-out den leader vents about doing everything alone and gets advice on delegation; patrol leader asks if backyard camping counts toward First Class overnight requirement; James Ezenwein (Troop 104, Navarre, FL) asks where BSA policy states rank requirements cannot be added to; Ranjit Sudan (Troop 4002, Oak Park, IL) asks how to integrate 16 new Scouts into a boy-led troop.

Jerry Curry (Troop 15) on rank sign-offs and proving active participation; Dave Scott (Troop 710, Bowling Green KY) on outpost-style camping vs. structured BSA summer camp; Ari (Life Scout) on whether non-Scout helpers must follow Eagle project power tool rules; Christian Kowski (Pack/Troop 168, Crystal Lake IL) on the role and mindset of a troop advancement chair.

Multiple listener questions answered: Keith Kingery on Baden-Powell's approach to understanding scouts; Frank on shadowing first-year campers; Andy McDonald on separation anxiety at campouts; Gretel on Patrol Leaders Council term lengths; Mike Horrocks on counseling merit badges for his own sons; Allison on blue card handling procedures; George Zach on whether librarian/scribe roles qualify as leadership positions, leading to Clarke's discussion of scouting's true aims.

Multiple email questions answered: Don Fowler (appointing vs. electing patrol leaders in special circumstances); John Vaughn and Steven Siruti (sending scouts to camp without their troop); anonymous (who should choose the summer camp); two anonymous questions on handling serious misbehavior — theft and a physical fight — using a 'first aid' analogy deferring serious issues to parents; Scott Green on empowering scouts and implementing change as a new scoutmaster.

Anonymous sender asks about scouts participating in a partisan political breakfast; Tom asks about a young patrol wanting to meet independently on their own schedule; anonymous question about non-parent significant others sharing tents on pack campouts; Jason asks about year-round meetings and 12-month leadership terms; anonymous Scoutmaster asks about a scout completing merit badges with his father as counselor after switching from another counselor.

Darnall Daily Jr., long-time Scoutmaster and 16-year Council Commissioner in Chester County Council, author of 'The Commissioner's Corner.' Topics include his Scouting history, boy-run troops, the 'Guardian of the Gate' essay on advancement, and the Scout law point of cheerfulness.

Multiple listener emails answered: Brock Ford (new Scoutmaster, patrol method, Court of Honor, Scout Master's Minute); Vin Cervantes (calling Scouts 'Scouts'); Gary Gomez (prerequisites for positions of responsibility); anonymous (problematic venture patrol contract); Andrew West (ideal troop size); anonymous (including a Scout with Asperger's); anonymous (brothers in troop leadership); two anonymous emails (adults traveling separately on camping trips).

Anonymous Scoutmaster asks how to manage conflicting adult opinions in the troop; Clarke advises asserting Scoutmaster leadership decisively. Richard Billion (Troop 298, Minneapolis) asks how to best utilize older Eagle Scouts and former SPLs; Clarke suggests asking the Scouts themselves and letting them define their involvement.

Multiple emails answered: Tracy asks whether cooking merit badge is required for a 2014 Eagle board of review when all requirements were signed off before January 1 2014; Christine Bennett asks about displaying old rank patches on the merit badge sash; James Zappelli asks about troop program planning and meeting plans; Chris Johnson shares a conversation with a reluctant Scout and asks how Clarke would have handled it.

Anonymous: delayed Eagle Court of Honor with missing Eagle kit; anonymous: Scout switching troops after Scoutmaster delays Eagle project; Michael Harrington: two-deep leadership requirements at troop meetings; Justin Field: communicating with and educating new troop parents.

Jay Maniskalko (Bellbuckle, TN) asks whether Totin' Chip is required for rank advancement and what the policy is on sheath knives; Sean Keeney (Pack 70, Foxborough, MA) asks whether a Boy Scout's participation in a Cub Scout overnight counts toward Tenderfoot requirements; David asks how to handle a community Veterans Day parade tradition versus Scout-led planning and pushy Eagle Scout parents.

How to run effective Courts of Honor: get badges to scouts promptly, keep ceremonies under an hour, let scouts lead the program, keep parent business brief, schedule on regular meeting nights, and diagnose poor attendance as a program issue.

Three emails answered: Robert asks about non-scout siblings on campouts; Derek asks about reworking patrol assignments before a crossover; an anonymous ASM asks how to handle an adult-dominated troop.

Multiple emails answered: Brian Monday (Pack 5, Springfield MO) on when to take scout leader specific training; an anonymous leader on whether an ASM can also serve as advancement chair (no) and who may sit on boards of review (not unit leaders); a scoutmaster on handling a senior patrol leader conduct complaint with an involved committee mom; and another scoutmaster on removing a disruptive family from the troop.

John (new acting Scoutmaster) asks about handling resistant adult volunteers, guiding scouts toward scout-appropriate activities, and running a Patrol Leaders Council; Brian Parton of Troop 271 asks about Leave No Trace wording in First Class requirement 3; Greg Stabaki asks which BSA uniform a returning commissioner should wear.

Multiple listener emails answered: a parent on bullying and pranking in the troop; wearing the Eagle Mentor Pin on the uniform vs. civilian wear; a patrol overruling a scout's meal preference; and whether to reject yellow summer camp merit badge forms in place of official blue cards.

Larry Geiger and Tom Gillard join Clarke to discuss tools for evaluating Scoutmaster and troop program effectiveness, including Journey to Excellence metrics, peer feedback, listening to scouts and parents, and warning signs like the '14-year-old troop.'

First installment of a new monthly feature: interview with Arlen Ward, new Scoutmaster of Troop 17 in Thornton, Colorado, discussing the genesis of starting a brand-new troop, finding a charter organization, securing a meeting location in a new church, recruiting disengaged Scouts with a boy-led vision, and holding a successful informational meeting.

Three email questions answered: (1) whether withholding a board of review for unpaid dues is permissible (it is not — it adds an unauthorized requirement); (2) how to give out badges at troop meetings vs. courts of honor, and how to improve court of honor attendance; (3) how to handle a helicopter parent planning her son's merit badge schedule.

Two emails answered: one from a Scoutmaster asking for troop recruiting ideas beyond speaking to church groups (Clarke recommends scouts talking to friends and parents talking to parents as the most effective approach); one asking about a troop memo claiming solo tent sleeping violates the buddy system (Clarke clarifies the buddy system rules from the Scout Handbook, Scoutmaster Handbook, and Guide to Safe Scouting, noting solo tents are not prohibited).

Jeff Kvistad, Scoutmaster of BSA Troop 965 in Kuwait, discusses leading a multinational troop (New Zealanders, Australians, Lebanese, Dutch, French-speaking, and American scouts) in the desert, camping challenges including extreme heat and dehydration risks, adapting BSA traditions for non-American members, distance from council support, and the enriching experience of cross-cultural scouting.

John Hibner (Indiana) on turning around a dysfunctional troop and implementing the patrol method; Dave on who may sign merit badge blue cards in a large troop; Troy Barber (Troop 994, Fairfax Station VA) on transferring signed-off requirements to a new scout handbook.

Larry Geiger, Tom Gillard, and Walter Underwood discuss a listener email about scouts using electronic devices during meetings, adult-imposed punishment (including push-ups), demerit systems, committee authority, and how to re-engage disengaged scouts.

Two email questions answered: Derek Morton (Pack 780, Vail AZ) asks about BSA resources for starting a new troop; an anonymous writer from Iowa asks how to address a scoutmaster who improperly withholds positions of responsibility from Star and Life scouts by claiming they lack scout spirit.

Anonymous sender asks about troop record-keeping; Clarke explains that keeping advancement records is a unit committee responsibility and that losing a blue card should not require a Scout to redo a merit badge.

Anonymous leader asks how to accommodate a vegan scout's dietary needs on campouts; Glenn in St. Peters, Missouri (Troop 857) asks about handbook sign-off systems and getting youth leaders to own requirement sign-offs.

Larry Geiger, Tom Gillard, and Walter Underwood, joined by guest Cubmaster Arlen Ward, discuss whether and how to start a new Boy Scout troop, covering charter organizations, key adult roles, startup costs, youth leadership with a young troop, and the patrol method.

Charles Sanders, ASM Troop 976, College Station TX, asks whether the Troop Bugler position counts as a leadership position for rank advancement. Clarke clarifies it qualifies for Star and Life but not Eagle, and explains the Guide to Advancement's distinction between 'positions of responsibility' and 'positions of leadership.'

Multiple listener questions answered: a scout being pushed out over position-of-responsibility and active requirements (name withheld); Ann Olson on den chief training; Dave on Webelos camping without parents; Michael Kerry on new scout patrol pros and cons.

Tom Gillard and Walter Underwood join Clarke to compare Journey to Excellence troop requirements from last year to this year, covering advancement, retention, membership growth, adult training, camping, patrol method, service projects, budget, courts of honor, fitness (Scout Strong/PALA), and Jamboree on the Air/Internet.

The seven-step troop meeting framework: pre-opening, opening, skills instruction, patrol meetings, inter-patrol activity, closing, and post-meeting planning — with emphasis on scout-led programming and keeping merit badges out of troop meetings.

Anonymous parent writes about a son sent home from camp and suspended for three months after going to the trading post without permission; Clarke advises that the punishment seems excessive and outlines options including finding a new troop.

Frank Maynard (committee chair, Troop 407, Novi MI; Bob White Blather blog) joins Tom Gillard, Walter Underwood, and Larry Geiger to discuss the Scoutmaster-committee relationship, defining roles, running effective meetings, consensus vs. voting, and recruiting committee members.

Social media tools in scouting: categories of digital tools, youth protection in online communication, and why closing the communication loop still requires personal phone calls.

Panel with Larry Geiger, Tom Gillard, and Walter Underwood discusses the new ILST youth leader training syllabus, the new Guide to Advancement (positions of responsibility, unit expectations), the revised Eagle Project workbook, and a call-in question from David (committee chair, Lehigh Valley PA) about dividing responsibilities between the Scoutmaster and the troop committee.

Larry Geiger, Tom Gillard, and Walter Underwood discuss what they would tell a new Scoutmaster: qualities needed, working with youth leaders, parent and committee relationships, charter organization and district connections, avoiding adult meddling, and balancing family life.

Hab Butler, Northeast Region commissioner and Silver Buffalo Award recipient, discusses chairing the committee that created the Journey to Excellence program, its five key indicators, tiered ratings, patrol method emphasis, and national volunteer responsiveness.

Clarke's troop leadership summit: PLC calendar planning session, junior assistant scoutmaster coaching role, adult committee calendar review, and task commitments for the year.

Listener responses to three questions from podcast 65: handling a retiring Scoutmaster who won't step aside, addressing a Scout in trouble outside of Scouting, and stopping email flame wars in the troop.

Clarke turns the tables and poses four questions to listeners: handling a retiring Scoutmaster who won't step back; responding to a Scout who gets in trouble outside Scouting; finding high-adventure treks in the central US; and managing email conflicts within a unit.

Courts of honor and ceremony — brevity, tradition, and meaning

Part 3 — who are your key unit leaders for the next five years?

Part 2 — minimum annual membership to sustain your unit

Part 1 — where will your unit be in five years?