{"id":2066,"date":"2016-08-30T17:00:15","date_gmt":"2016-08-30T21:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=2066"},"modified":"2016-08-30T17:00:15","modified_gmt":"2016-08-30T21:00:15","slug":"issue-499-august-30-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2016\/08\/issue-499-august-30-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Issue 499 \u2013 August 30, 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

________________________________________
\nIn my previous column (Issue 498\u2014August 16th) a parent had written about her son, a Life Scout, who was told that work on his project for Eagle \u201cmust have Scouts as helpers\u201d and \u201ca troop leader must be present to observe how well he leads his project.\u201d I replied that there\u2019s no BSA stipulation making it mandatory that there be project helpers who are Scouts, and there’s absolutely no stipulation that demands adult unit volunteers be present specifically for the purpose of observing the Scout’s \u201cleadership\u201d of the project. As a result, quite a few folks wrote in (special thanks to Matt Culbertson and Wayne Huddleston!<\/em>), pointing out that the \u201cSweet 16 of Safety\u201d definitely applies to projects for Eagle rank and that indeed there needs to be \u201ctwo-deep (adult) leadership\u201d on such projects because they\u2019re considered \u201cunit activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, adult presence for safety assurance is definitely required, and the GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT as well as the GUIDE TO SAFE SCOUTING provide the guidelines for this (including how to apply \u201ctwo-deep leadership\u201d). That affirmed, the crux of the question wasn\u2019t from a safety standpoint; it was about an adult \u201ctroop leader\u201d being present to \u201cjudge\u201d the Scout\u2019s \u201cleadership.\u201d So here\u2019s the bottom line as far as I\u2019m concerned: Safety standards by all means, but nuts on the notion of \u201cleadership watchdogs\u201d at projects for Eagle.
\n==========
\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is it appropriate for a council\u2019s Scout Executive to deny a unit-level adult volunteer membership in the BSA, after the chartered organization has already signed off because the person at question has been known by members of the organization for several decades and is generally considered a pillar of our community? Upon denial of membership, neither this person nor any of us associated with either the chartered organization or the unit itself (I\u2019m the unit\u2019s Committee Chair) was provided with any alert or substantiation related to the denial. Is this allowed? (Name & Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n

For any adult volunteer to be summarily removed from or denied BSA membership is pretty weird. There are usually only two reasons why this can happen: Significant violation of youth protection policies or criminal activity. There are no other reasons that I’m aware of that can trigger a summary dismissal; however, I’m neither a council officer nor BSA professional nor attorney.<\/p>\n

If I were in your shoes, the first person I’d want to speak with is of course the volunteer himself or herself. There’s a chance they may understand what’s happened, and why, and it’s to be left alone if they want to leave things as they are and not discuss it further\u2014in which case, you’ll need to find a new volunteer and that\u2019ll be pretty much the end of the story here.<\/p>\n

If, however, this person believes there are no grounds for this action and wishes to pursue a reinstatement, then it’s definitely appropriate to reach out to your council president immediately. You and he or she may want to do this by phone to begin with, and that may be all that’s needed. If that’s not successful, then it’s time to do this in writing, possibly with a copy to your Area Commissioner as well.
\n==========
\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our Presbyterian church is in search of denomination pastors, elders, or officers who can work with a Cub Scout on his God & Me religious emblem. The pack this family (who are members of our church) is involved with, with their son, is chartered by a United Methodist church, so this is why we need someone at a high level in our denomination. Unfortunately, our pastors are at the moment unavailable to work with this boy, so we\u2019re looking at other options for him. Can you provide any guidance for us? (Administrative Assistant to the Pastors)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although it’s disappointing that no pastor is available at the moment, the good news is that laity can do this! Here’s what P.R.A.Y. (www.praypub.org) has to say: \u201cADULT MENTOR PROGRAM. Parents have the option of enrolling in the God and Me Adult Mentor Program. In this program, the parent is an active learning participant alongside the child. The parent would have lessons and projects to complete in the Mentor Workbook just like the child, and then both parent and child would work on the student curriculum together. The mentor program is designed to provide the adult with additional opportunities to model his or her Christian faith and to help a young child talk about his or her belief in God.\u201d<\/p>\n

All that’s needed is for one or two parents to say, “Yes, I’d love to do this!” and it can happen. (I’m recommending two parents because it’s always more enjoyable when you’re sharing something like this, and it also means that the program can continue to move forward even if one of the two is unavailable at a scheduled meeting time.)
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since when has it been the rule that a CR (Chartered Organization Representative) can appoint or remove unit leaders? I thought that was a troop committee function. (Name & Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yup, it’s true… check page 2 of the BSA Adult Volunteer Application. The CR actually does have “hire-fire” authority, subject only to approval by the head (“Executive Officer” on the charter renewal documents) of the chartered organization. One reason for possible confusion is that the CR position is the only one that can be a “double-register” in the same unit (most often being the CR-CC combo).
\n==========
\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m looking for information on the history of the different awards for commissioners and also any current updates on requirements. Can you help me? Gracias! (Hector Velez, DC, Puerto Rico Council)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good news! The Commissioner section of the BSA’s website lists all available commissioner recognitions and the requirements for each. (De nada!)
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m looking for the current BSA definition of \u201cactive\u201d as it relates to Boy Scout rank advancement. Can you give me a heads-up on this? (Tad Davis)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best description of “active” can be found in the BSA’s 2015 GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT. Check out Topic 4.2.3.1.
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve got a question about the requirement in Citizenship in the Community, where I\u2019d do 8 hours of service time and how that lines up with the Star rank requirement of 6 service hours. Can I do the 8 hours of service for Cit-Community and count it for the Star requirement too? I\u2019d also like to know when doing the Citizenship in the Community, does the organization have to be a non-profit organization, and how do you know if they\u2019re non-profit or not? Is a \u201ccharitable organization\u201d the same as non-profit? (Kevin, First Class Scout)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good questions! Take a look at the exact language of Cit-Community req. 7(c). Not only will what you choose to do get approved ahead of time by both your Merit Badge Counselor and your parents, but you\u2019ll be doing it along with other requirements for Cit-Community that relate to it. Then, assuming you\u2019re working toward Star rank at precisely the same time (something that doesn\u2019t always line up so nicely), your intended service for the rank\u2019s requirement gets approved by somebody else\u2026your Scoutmaster, for the rank. But, let\u2019s say they do line up. Since the BSA doesn’t subscribe to the notion of “make-work” (that is, work that only serves to keep someone busy), it’s entirely likely that you\u2019ll be able to get approval from all three people.<\/p>\n

On your second question, a “charitable organization” and a “not-for-profit organization” are the same: Neither one is a commercial or for-profit business. You can discuss which specific organizations fit this definition in a conversation with your Merit Badge Counselor. (An easy way to tell is to use a search engine and find the organization\u2019s URL. If it\u2019s a \u201cdot-com\u201d it\u2019s a business; if it\u2019s a \u201cdot-org\u201d or a \u201cdot-edu\u201d it\u2019s likely (but not guaranteed) a not-for-profit.<\/p>\n

Happy Scouting!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Andy<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2019d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

[No. 499 \u2013 8\/30\/2016 \u2013 Copyright \u00a9 Andy McCommish 2016]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

________________________________________ In my previous column (Issue 498\u2014August 16th) a parent had written about her son, a Life Scout, who was told that work on his project for Eagle \u201cmust have Scouts as helpers\u201d and \u201ca troop leader must be present to observe how well he leads his project.\u201d I replied that there\u2019s no BSA stipulation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2066"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2069,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2066\/revisions\/2069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}