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Youth (particularly scouts and similar youth organizations) should receive a free or discounted premium membership.


weikelk

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My point here is that as a scoutmaster there are many areas, frequently in state parks and camping areas where there are limited basic caches and the scouts can’t peruse the many higher level caches because of the cost of premium membership. I have paid for premium account, and so they look premium caches using my device but they cannot log it under their own account.

 

There is a Geocaching merit badge, so we should be encouraging youth through free premium status. scouts BSA and Girls Scouts should be able to get a free premium membership using ther BSA or Girls scout registration number. 
 

Students should be allotted a similar opportunity, though verifying age is likely more complicated. 

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2 hours ago, weikelk said:

My point here is that as a scoutmaster there are many areas, frequently in state parks and camping areas where there are limited basic caches and the scouts can’t peruse the many higher level caches because of the cost of premium membership.

I have paid for premium account, and so they look premium caches using my device but they cannot log it under their own account.

 

There is a Geocaching merit badge, so we should be encouraging youth through free premium status. scouts BSA and Girls Scouts should be able to get a free premium membership using ther BSA or Girls scout registration number. 
 

Students should be allotted a similar opportunity, though verifying age is likely more complicated. 

 

When we see scouts losing interest in their one cache out within weeks after placing, I'm not too keen on giving them more than a cacher who's been in the hobby over ten years, has thirty caches placed (all with good maintenance), owns trackables, yet still a basic member...

 

Most scout caches we've seen have become junk with no one answering emails. These are kids.  Their hobbies change frequently.

There's one near me I think I'll head to soon (I'm sorta able now...).  It's been 90' off since it was created over a year ago.  I'll be the first NM...

I love fly fishing.  There's a scout reservation near me with some awesome spots.  They ask for a "donation" to play there.

 - There are IIRC, monthly PMs for six bucks. Have a bake sale, and give your kids a temp PM.  

 

Most problems with caches we had were kids (students...) who went with mom and dad, then brought their friends to see the "cool stuff you can grab."

 - And I agree, it's kinda age related with kids that aren't supposed to be here anyway, but teens get stupid time-to-time too...

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2 hours ago, weikelk said:

I have paid for premium account, and so they look premium caches using my device but they cannot log it under their own account.

Not true. They can log any cache under their own account.

5 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

Most problems with caches we had were kids (students...) who went with mom and dad, then brought their friends to see the "cool stuff you can grab."

+1

 

Edited by Max and 99
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3 hours ago, weikelk said:

My point here is that as a scoutmaster there are many areas, frequently in state parks and camping areas where there are limited basic caches and the scouts can’t peruse the many higher level caches because of the cost of premium membership. I have paid for premium account, and so they look premium caches using my device but they cannot log it under their own account.

 

There is a Geocaching merit badge, so we should be encouraging youth through free premium status. scouts BSA and Girls Scouts should be able to get a free premium membership using ther BSA or Girls scout registration number. 
 

Students should be allotted a similar opportunity, though verifying age is likely more complicated. 

Scouts under supervision, maybe, but others have given good options.

"Students" -- absolutely not!  Many of us make our caches PMO specifically to keep them out of the hands of this age group.

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5 hours ago, weikelk said:

My point here is that as a scoutmaster there are many areas, frequently in state parks and camping areas where there are limited basic caches and the scouts can’t peruse the many higher level caches because of the cost of premium membership. I have paid for premium account, and so they look premium caches using my device but they cannot log it under their own account.

 

Basic members can log premium caches at this website: https://www.geocachingadmin.com/  Hope this helps.

 

3 hours ago, The Leprechauns said:

Don't get me started on the track record for geocaches hidden by scouts.  I wish that hiding a cache would be removed as an option for earning the merit badge.

 

My son hid a cache 9 years ago and I'm just doing my first necessary maintenance on it now.  It helped earn him the geocaching merit badge on his way to being a fellow Eagle Scout.  You can always sign up to be a geocaching merit badge councilor and help make those hidden by scouts even better if you think the caches scouts hide aren't up to good standards.

 

1 hour ago, NanCycle said:

"Students" -- absolutely not!  Many of us make our caches PMO specifically to keep them out of the hands of this age group.

 

This is a terrible attitude to have.  Instead of looking down on this age group, why not spend time mentoring them about geocaching to make them better cachers?  I've been a guest several times at my kids' local middle school to teach about geocaching, and it didn't result in the rampant destruction of the local caches.

 

 

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47 minutes ago, GeoElmo6000 said:

Instead of looking down on this age group, why not spend time mentoring them about geocaching to make them better cachers?

I've taught geocaching to several groups of kids. But I've never had them create accounts on the geocaching.com site, premium or otherwise. I focus on what caches are like, finding caches, trade items, trackables, etiquette, and such. When I take them to find actual geocaches (always at a park some distance away, never the local neighborhood geocaches), I let them know that I'll help them create an account and log the caches we found together if they're interested. A few have been interested. The rest enjoyed a hike in the woods, finding geocaches with the group.

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18 hours ago, GeoElmo6000 said:

This is a terrible attitude to have.  Instead of looking down on this age group, why not spend time mentoring them about geocaching to make them better cachers?

 

Nothing made look down on children so much as having gone through grades K-12 with them.

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2 hours ago, JL_HSTRE said:

Nothing made look down on children so much as having gone through grades K-12 with them.

Yep. And even if I trust the kids in my geocaching class completely, I don't trust their friends and classmates who hear about hidden containers full of trinkets, which is why I never take them to the local neighborhood geocaches.

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2 hours ago, niraD said:

which is why I never take them to the local neighborhood geocaches.

 

When I taught my 10th grade outdoor ed classmates about Geocaching I hid my own unlisted caches specifically for teaching/demo purposes. There was only one "live" cache I had people go find, and I made sure I had the COs permission. 

 

Afterwards when I went to clean up one container was damaged. I have to assume it was a friend of a classmate. I am thankful that they did not damage the "real" cache. 

Edited by Hügh
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3 hours ago, Hügh said:

When I taught my 10th grade outdoor ed classmates about Geocaching I hid my own unlisted caches specifically for teaching/demo purposes.

This is my preferred approach for an intro class for kids. I'll hide a dozen or more containers in an outdoor area near the classroom, ideally at least one container per student. After the explanation of what geocaching is and how it works in the classroom, we go to the outdoor area and I have the kids raise their hands when they spot a hidden container.

 

Later, I take the ones who are still interested on a geocaching hike at a park or other open space some distance from the neighborhood.

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Look out trackables. Never seen again!

 

Scout group, after I dropped off a bear TB.

 

"We kidnapped the bear."

 

And they meant it. The TB, years later, has never been seen again. I contacted the writer of that, and 'naturally' never got a reply. I contacted the person who appeared in charge. Never got a reply. I hope NO scout or similar group is allowed near my caches.

Edited by Goldenwattle
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I do think there's some merit to finding a way to enable participation through groups like scouts, but I would agree that it would be better if the badge didn't require hiding a cache - it's only going to incentivise hides that won't be well taken care of. That being said, I would be of the view that the most ideal way for a group like a scout troop to participate would be an account for the troop itself. One premium membership. Controlled by the leaders so the kids are supervised and supported. If the kids get into it independently as they grow up or with their families, they can make their own account. I do think it's good for kids to participate and to encourage them, it just needs to be supervised and supported adequately as kids will - understandably - make mistakes or do things more focused on fun than consideration.

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5 minutes ago, jaysonC said:

it would be better if the badge didn't require hiding a cache

The badge does not require hiding. Hide is one of 4 options in section 8.

 

I've given TB tags to scouts, as release a TB is another of the options. I'd rather see free TB to scout groups than access to PMO caches, as in the original post.

 

https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/merit_badge_reqandres/geocaching.pdf

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10 minutes ago, Isonzo Karst said:

The badge does not require hiding. Hide is one of 4 options in section 8.

 

I've given TB tags to scouts, as release a TB is another of the options. I'd rather see free TB to scout groups than access to PMO caches, as in the original post.

 

https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/merit_badge_reqandres/geocaching.pdf

My mistake! I'm not in the US so I'm unfamiliar, I misunderstood from the other comments that scouts were hiding for the badge.

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1 hour ago, jaysonC said:

My mistake! I'm not in the US so I'm unfamiliar, I misunderstood from the other comments that scouts were hiding for the badge.

Your understanding is correct and it is apparently a frequently use option. However there are three other options that could be used instead hiding a cache. And they may being utilized but the only one that we would be aware of is the hide.

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