Troop problems are not solved by punishing Scouts. Scouting is a volunteer movement. The primary volunteers are the youths themselves, and we adults who have chosen to serve them serve at their pleasure. Our responsibility is to deliver the Scouting program, as written, to the very best of our abilities, always seeking to improve and […]

Dear Andy, I’ve been a Scoutmaster for more than 20 years in my home town, and now I’m finishing an active duty mobilization in Afghanistan. I’m wondering if the Iraq Green Zone Council has a shoulder patch. If you know of a source please give me a yell. (D.B.) I don’t know if there’s one […]

Dear Andy, I’ve searched for, but not found a syllabus for “MCS 312”: “How NYLT Can Save Our Troops.” Can you help me out here? (Chuck Porter, ADC, Mississippi Valley Council) Start by reading my special column, “NJLIC to YSDC”! Hi, Andy! A Scouter recently asked about different Eagle Mentor pins for youth and adults. […]

Around this time for the past half-dozen years, I get a batch of letters about the Webelos Cross-Over ceremony. The letters are either from Cubmasters who’ve been set-upon by anxious parents wanting their kid to be in the ceremony, even when their kid hasn’t picked a troop and usually isn’t even sure he’s going to […]

Dear Andy, Peter Kronenthal, my father, about whom you wrote last year, has passed away at the age of 99. He was associated with the Boy Scouts of America for over 85 years. Donations, in his honor and name, can be made directly to the Boy Scouts of America. Thank you, Andy. (Donald Kronenthal, West […]

Hi Andy, Very good special article about YSDC, but I have a disagreement with some of your statements. I think that for many Scouters, we’ve never heard of YSDC. So to talk about YSDC immediately replacing NJLIC is a surprise to me and I think a lot of other Scouters. Many of us thought the […]

Maybe you’re already familiar with the BSA’s National Junior Leader Instructor Camp (NJLIC) at Philmont Scout Ranch. Heck, you may have been a participant or staffer there yourself! Maybe you already know that this premiere training course builds Scout leaders, builds top-flight home council course staffers, and BUILDS MEN. “It dropped off the ole radar […]

Dear Andy, I’m curious as to your understanding of religion in Scouting. I’m familiar with “God” and reverence in the BSA; however, how does a leader keep Baden-Powell’s edict to be sure that Scouting be available to boys of all beliefs? I become very uncomfortable at this time of year with some of the “forced” […]

“SCOUT SPIRIT”… What is it? How do we “measure” it? How can we get more of it? How do we get our Scouts to pay more attention to it? Why can’t the BSA give us a more tangible definition of it? How do we know when it’s there and when it’s not? Is a rank-directed […]

Dear Andy, A question asked of me by a single mom… For Family Life merit badge, can the word “parent” be substituted for “father” in this requirement: 7. Discuss the following with your counselor: (a) Your understanding of what makes an effective fatherand why, and your thoughts on the father’s role in the family. (b) […]