Issue 595 – April 9, 2019

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Hi Andy,

It’s always been my belief that, as a registered adult leader, I could make and receive phone calls to and from my Scouts, but the most current BSA policy on this says that “private online communications (texting, phone calls, chat, IM, etc.) must include another registered leader or parent.

Is a regular phone call considered “online” communication? If so, how is a Scout to call me to ask questions or to call our scout office to get questions answered?

Related to this, my son is a very active patch trader. Are the fellow patch-traders (adult Scouters, most frequently) my son’s in touch with via internet trading sites bound by this policy also? (David Boys, SM & OA Lodge Advisor, Greater St. Louis Area Council, MO)

This is a good time to take an overall look at the full BSA policies on adult-to-youth/youth-to-adult contact per the GTSS (bold by me):

“One-on-one contact between adult leaders and youth members is prohibited both inside and outside of Scouting. (a) In situations requiring a personal conference, the meeting is to be conducted with the knowledge and in view of other adults and/or youth. (b) Private online communications (texting, phone calls, chat, IM, etc.) must include another registered leader or parent. (c) Communication by way of social media (Facebook, Snapchat, etc.) must include another registered leader or parent.”

The overarching stipulation of course makes great sense and protects both the adult and the youth. (a) is an easy one: just have your in-person meeting in public–at a troop meeting, at a public location like a town library, or even on your front porch. (c) is also a no-brainer: just cc somebody and all’s well. And most of (b)—texting, IM, etc.—is easy as well. So now we’re at your key question about (b) phone calls.
As far as a Scout calling the local council’s service center, I leave that for those folks to manage.

When it’s phone call to or from me—and this isn’t “legal” advice; it’s simply what I’ve made a habit of doing as a Scoutmaster (several times) and, most recently (i.e., past 25 years) as a Merit Badge Counselor who receives and sometimes places phone calls from and to Scouts—I simply ask my wife to be in the same room with me when I’m on the phone for an initial phone call, and then, after that, the Scout and I use email or txt and simply cc someone else–my preference being the Scout’s own parent.

Of course, when the Scout comes to my home for counseling, either my wife is at home or I’ll ask the parent to remain, in a nearby room.

On your specific situation of your son’s contact with online patch traders, simply observe the cc practice, which your son can initiate from his “side” of the conversation.
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Hi Andy,

You answered a question about Eagle Palms a little while ago, that I’d like to discuss in a bit more detail. This is about being presented with Palms vs. wearing Palms. Let’s say we have two Scouts: Johnnie has earned 36 merit badges on his way to Eagle and earns Eagle Scout rank a month before he turns 18, while Joey earns Eagle Scout rank with 21 merit badges at age 17, and then continues to earn 5 merit badges every 3 months or so to receive first a Bronze Palm, then 3 months later a Gold Palm, and 3 months later—near his 18th birthday, a Silver Palm. Yes, both Johnnie and Joey wear only the Silver Palm on their Eagle Scout medal’s ribbon, since they both earned a final total of 36 merit badges; but while Johnnie has (only) a Silver Palm, Joey has a Bronze and a Gold and a Silver Palm!

So while I agree that what’s worn on a Scout’s uniform is much more important, in our own troop Eagle Scouts make shadow boxes where they proudly display their rank history—Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and so on. We lean in favor of awarding each Eagle Palm a Scout earns, so it can go in his shadow box. We do this because none of us adult volunteers wants to incur the wrath of an enraged Eagle parent! (Kidding aside, it’s just easier to explain.) (Chris Kolm, UC-in-Training)

Personally, I’m kinda “so what” about a couple of palms eventually sitting in a memorabilia box… It’s what’s worn on the medal’s ribbon that we take notice of. Silver is Silver. Cool! (After all, I’d imagine both Johnnie and Joey have a bunch of other stuff in that box besides rank badges, like multiple camp or Camporee badges, perhaps an Ordeal OA sash, a merit badge sash, and the list goes on…) But I do get what you’re saying! Hell hath no fury like that of an irate “tiger parent”! So if that works for you, there’s certainly no harm done, as far as I can see. (You all know, of course, that a “palm” isn’t a rank, right? )
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Hey Andy,

I’m an Eagle Scout and 20 years old. I’d like to help out at a local troop, where my experience might be useful. I’ve spoken with a few troops and they seem extremely receptive to this idea. What roles for an Eagle Scout of my age have you seen fulfill in a troop? And what are the earmarks of a well-run troop that I should be looking for? (Patrick)

At age 20, the role available to you in a troop is Assistant Scoutmaster (“ASM” for short). You’re also of age to become a Merit Badge Counselor (“MBC” for short). Once you’re 21 and beyond, a world of opportunities opens up, including Scoutmaster, committee member, district committee member, and Commissioner.

The fact that you’re an Eagle is wonderful, but do keep in mind that this experience doesn’t automatically give you the knowledge or skills you’ll need for adult Scouter roles. For these, you’re going to need supplemental training, which will be offered by your district or council. So, as a possible ASM, you’ll want to sign up for Scoutmaster-specific training at the earliest possible date available in your council.

You can also be an MBC for any merit badge offering knowledge and skills that you’re already proficient in… and that’s more than having earned that merit badge yourself. If, for example, you earned Lifesaving merit badge, that alone isn’t quite enough. But if you went on to become Aquatics Staff or Aquatics Director at a Scout summer camp, this would definitely qualify you as an MBC for Lifesaving (and probably Swimming, too).

So sit down and have a chat with your local District Executive or District Chair, and sort out (a) what they need and (b) what you think you’d like to do.

As far as good troop earmarks, a troop that’s already Scout-led, uses The Patrol Method, and so on, probably doesn’t need your help. (It’s like Scouts themselves: The ones who show up at almost every meeting and campout probably don’t have to!) So how about meeting with the District Commissioner where you live and asking where you might best make a difference? That’s right—tackle a troop that actually needs some help instead of one that doesn’t. Yes, it’s harder “work,” but the sense of reward you’ll feel with be much greater.
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Hi Andy,

I’m sitting on the sidelines watching an email debate between our District Chair and some leaders from one of the units in our district. The core of the debate is this: Should ILST (Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops) be a mandatory prerequisite for NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training)?

In my own troop we’ve sent Scouts to NYLT without their taking ILST, but we found they were generally ineffective upon their return. So we started offering ILST ourselves and have had much more success. The concepts learned at NYLT seem to build upon those in ILST. Our council has since taken over offering ILST—for which our troop was thankful, because putting on the ILST is admittedly a lot of work!

I’m not sure I have enough scouting experience to weigh in on this topic, but I’m curious to know your thoughts. (Lee Murray, SM, Nevada Area Council)

Let’s start here: The primary responsibility of the Scoutmaster is to train, guide, and mentor the troop’s youth leaders so that they can run their own troop and its patrols. ILST (Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops) is an excellent tool for accomplishing this: It contains almost everything a Scoutmaster will ever need to fulfill this critical responsibility to the youth of the troop the Scoutmaster is serving. While an entire syllabus and support information is available through the ILST workbook for Scoutmasters, he or she can “cherry-pick” from the workbook’s 44 “how-to” pages and the 15 “appendix” pages. In short, the kind of training provided by the ILST concepts and process is critical to the success of a troop’s youth leaders. I personally recommend using this resource to all Scoutmasters, everywhere.

Because a critical aspect of Scoutmaster-provided training to the troop’s youth leaders is team-building within the troop, I fail to see how a “council-level” alternative to in-troop training can be successful in this important aspect. In short, I’m not convinced of this practice. In fact, if it’s indeed run by council-level Scouters to the exclusion of each troop’s Scoutmaster-plus-youth leaders, I’m obliged to recommend against participation because this defeats one of the most critical aspects of the much-needed Scoutmaster-to-youth leaders relationships.

As for making ILST “mandatory” for NYLT, I believe this would be a huge error. Yes, ILST would be in the “highly recommended” category; but mandatory? Nope. The reason for my non-recommendation is that it puts the Scouts themselves at major disadvantage: Unless their Scoutmaster embraces and carries out an ongoing ILST process in the troop, every single youth leader—present and future—is deprived of the NYLT opportunity through no personal fault. In short, making ILST mandatory sets up more of a barrier than an opportunity for Scouts to participate in NYLT.

Personal example… As a 14 year-old with no in-troop leadership training I attended the premier youth leader training of the era: The National Junior Leader Training Camp (NJLTC) at Schiff Scout Reservation—in its day the BSA’s premier national training center for Scouts, Scouters, and Scouting Professionals. This is where I “lived” The Patrol Method and learned for the first time what true leadership is all about. As a result, I returned to my home troop and, in one year as Senior Patrol Leader, led the way to taking that troop from a loosely grouped handful of boys in olive-green shirts to a troop of over three dozen Scouts and a half-dozen solid, Camporee-winning patrols. In the summer of my 16th year, I returned to Schiff on the NJLTC national staff, as Training Senior Patrol Leader. Now, more decades later than I’d care to mention, I still use what I learned and taught as a teenager.

Bottom line: Put the ILST concepts and process to work in your home troop and you’ll build the kinds of leaders America so much needs!

Happy Scouting!

Andy

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Write to askandybsa@yahoo.com. Please include your name and council. (If you’d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that’s what we’ll do.)

[No. 595 – 4/9/2019 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2019]