Tuesday was a great meeting for some and not for others.  We have a Life Scout aging out soon (under 30 days) who has recently returned to finish up his Eagle Rank.  He did his Eagle Project and started finishing up his merit badges.  It was then we saw that he needed his Leadership Position.  He has not been active in the Troop for some time and the last time he held a Position of Responsibility was as a Star Scout back in 2006.  Well he was out of time, 180 left to serve and 60 days till he turned 18.  What to do.  We (the CC and I) talked with the Committee and asked the DE.  We brought his history (attendance, camping, rank, achievements) and had some good conversations.  We then went to the Scout and asked him to provide some outside Scouting leadership roles.  He had one that he did for the past 2-3 years.  We got a nice letter from the adult in charge (who was also a Scouter) talking about the Scout and his role at non-Scout camp. 

In the end we couldn't find the leadership needed to fulfill the requirement.  We tried and looked high and low but it was not there.  So we (the CC and I) sat him down Tuesday night and explained this all to him.  He took it very well and asked few questions.  He took responsibility for not making Scouting a priority (he walked away for sometime) and did not think he should be allowed to sit on an Eagle Board if he did not complete the requirements as written.  He was very mature about it, which we complimented him on (man I wish he would have stayed on all those years passed that level maturity on to his Patrol) and then left the door open for him to talk to us some more at any time.  We also invited him to be an Adult Leader after his 18th and to make sure he came back for Summer Camp to teach a Merit Badge or two.

It was a learning experience for us all.  He told us he will refocus his attentions and make certain things in his life a priority and I was reaffirmed of the fact that you don't need a patch on the uniform to get something out of Scouting.  This young man will not be Eagle but he carries himself like a model Scout and that more, than the rank, will help him the rest of his life...

YIS
Bryan