________________________________________ Hi Andy, I’m Scoutmaster of a small (11 Scouts) troop. My biggest problem is getting our meetings more interesting and exciting for our Scouts—they’re bored! How can I keep them more engaged and excited about our meetings? (Steve Kopezna, SM, Suffolk County Council, NY) “I feel your pain”… seriously. Been there more than once. […]

________________________________________ Hello Andy, As the advancement coordinator for our troop, I’m looking to promote the National Outdoor Awards program. We have a very active troop and I’m sure there are many Scouts who would strive to achieve more if they have a goal in mind. As I’ve been learning more about this program, I discovered […]

________________________________________ “If you’re out and about some morning and you run into a jerk; okay, so you met a jerk. But if you keep running into jerks all day long… you’re the jerk.” – Raylan Givens ——————————————————————— Couple of weeks ago, Scouter Joe Martinez, who had just completed YPT, asked about the “no more than […]

________________________________________ On the morning of this day 120 years ago, the United States was hardly a recognized “world power”—this accolade went to Great Britain (and remained there until the early 20th Century). But by sunset of this day, America had taken its place—if not yet the lead—among the world’s dominant countries. The impetus for this […]

________________________________________ Last week, Scouter Joe Martinez, who had just completed YPT, asked about the “no more than two-year tent-mate age difference for Boy Scouts” and as part of his question wondered since, as he described it, “…youth sharing tents should not be more than two years apart in age…but it doesn’t say ‘must,’ so is […]

________________________________________ Dear Andy, Thank you for your support with my son, as his counselor for Communication merit badge and helping him promote the Order of the Arrow in his troop. While he was fulfilling the requirements for Communication, he needed to attend a city council meeting to take notes. But something beyond this happened… At […]

________________________________________ Hi Andy, On a Scout’s position(s) of responsibility relative to six months’ tenure in one or more slots, I advise our adult volunteers that if there’s a Scout who has this position but isn’t showing up to fulfill its responsibilities, then it’s time to remove the Scout from that position. The Scout needs to […]

________________________________________ Dear Andy, Thank you for your informative and insightful columns! In light of the upcoming changes, I have a question… Why is it that the “Boy” Scout program has no restriction on the gender of the adult leaders providing oversight (this can be both male and female and even be two females on a […]

________________________________________ Dear Andy, My dad has been reading your columns for years and he suggested I write to you about a problem I’m having. My family just moved here from another state and I’ve joined up with a new troop. This troop doesn’t have Order of the Arrow elections or anything. So, on my own, […]

________________________________________ Hi Andy, This isn’t really a question so much as it’s something we’ve learned along the way… As references for soon-to-be Eagle Scouts come in to us, we respond with thanks to the person participating in the process. However, more important is that we believe the Scout himself should contact all references and get […]