{"id":1937,"date":"2015-12-29T14:01:10","date_gmt":"2015-12-29T19:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=1937"},"modified":"2015-12-29T14:01:10","modified_gmt":"2015-12-29T19:01:10","slug":"issue-467-december-29-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2015\/12\/issue-467-december-29-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Issue 467 \u2013 December 29, 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week (December 22 \u2013 Issue 466), in response to a 14 year-old Scout who\u2019s been getting into fights, with punching Scouts in the face, kicking them in the shins with steel-toed boots, and threatening Scouts with a knife, you ended by saying, \u201c\u2026since you also mentioned that he may be going with a crew to Sea Base soon…I think I’d reserve judgment on his participating till you see how he performs on dry land, because a dust-up at sea can be life-threatening\u2014and that’s the last thing you want or need!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Overall, you had a great answer, except for that last comment about being in close quarters aboard a Sea Base ship. I’ve lead multiple crews to Philmont, Sea Base, Northern Tier and Maine High Adventure base, all of which lead me to judge that it’s way better to deal with the anger that may come from telling a family “No, your Scout can\u2019t go on this trip” than to have conversations with lawyers (or undertakers) after the trip. Just like when climbing, unless I’m 100% certain that the Scout is “on belay,” I’m not letting him to go over the cliff with me, period. Scout high adventure expeditions are no place for \u201cbehavior modification therapy.\u201d (Al Best, SM, Crew Advisor, Wood Badge Course Director)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hey Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d immediately remove that Scout from the Sea Base trip. As a leader on the trip, I\u2019m just not willing to take on that risk. (Wunder, ASM, Advancement Committee, Pacific Skyline Council)<\/strong><\/p>\n

These are just two examples of the raft of letters I received about my \u201creserve judgment till\u2026\u201d so let me be a bit more direct so there\u2019s no further confusion: I’ll make the final call after I see this kid back in the troop and on an outing, where he’d better be a bloody angel or there’s no way I’m putting him on a boat!<\/em> Does that work better?
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\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one\u2019s about Scouts fundraising for their Eagle projects. I\u2019ve run across a Life Scout working on his project for Eagle project and has created a “GoFundMe” account asking for donations to his project. Is this appropriate and within BSA guidelines? I\u2019ve asked our council folks but I can’t seem to get a straight answer. The Scout isn\u2019t doing any other kind of fundraiser; he\u2019s relying on funds generated by this crowd-funding site. Can you advise? (Kim Stanton, UC, Seneca Waterways Council, NY)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Service projects that need to acquire supplies or materiel (paint, lumber, plantings, soil, cleaning materials, etc.), whether for Eagle rank or otherwise, can be funded in a variety of ways. The recipient of the service, for instance, can offer to provide all needed supplies or materiel as a way to express tangible appreciation for the service rendered. A second way is for the unit or Scout to request supplies or materiel (or discounts on same) from local merchants. Third, a community-wide fund-raiser can be carried out. Fourth, specifically for Eagle-qualifying projects, they can be self-funded by the Scout or his family (although we\u2019d certainly hope this would be modest to minimal, and the BSA encourages no funds necessary wherever possible). Fifth and more recently, in light of the rapid growth of social media, “crowdfunding” has entered the arena as a possibly viable option and the BSA does say it’s okay for Scouts working on their projects to use these sites to raise funds for materials, equipment rental, etc.<\/p>\n

That said, it’s important to recognize that Eagle projects aren’t evaluated on how much they cost and, as I just mentioned, the BSA would prefer project-related costs to be either minimal or nonexistent: “Eagle projects carried out with minimal, if any, expense are always preferred to those with high price tags. The BSA prefers there not be any fundraising at all for an Eagle project.”<\/p>\n

For a longer description and discussion, go to my friend Bryan Wendell’s blog-site: “Bryan on Scouting” —<\/p>\n

Crowdfunding sites and Eagle project fundraising<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n