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  2. Cburkhardt
    Outdoors and Camps. Our movement teaches our young people how to master the outdoors. The thought of heading outdoors for the weekend is very positive and that helped us get through the difficulties. Some of our camps approach matching the beauty of our national parks. This is what comes to mind for many when they think of Scouting.
  3. Cburkhardt
    We are Inexpensive. The annual expense of involvement in our Troop is about $1,000 per year. That includes annual national dues, our council program fee, summer camp and fees for troop participation (campouts, etc.). That is under $100/month, which in my experience as a parent is indeed quite inexpensive. You cannot name another youth organization that provides anywhere near that deal for a quality year-around experience. My Sea Scout Ship is a bit more (around $1,200/year). So yes, we are inexpensive. Our unit always supported the Friends of Scouting effort, so our families cont
  4. Today
  5. AwakeEnergyScouter
    You don't mention your academic background on your profile, so apologies if this is telling you something you already know, but if Scouting America funded the researcher (as implied by "engaged" in the press release), then they weren't independent. I looked for the funding and conflicts of interest sections in the paper that I would expect to find, but either they're behind the paywall or weren't included. Either way, it's not clear to the public that the researcher really was independent. It's well-known that studies often end up biased in favor of the funding source in social sciences (see f
  6. DannyG started following What is it about the BSA that has allowed it to survive?
  7. DannyG
    Scouting empowers young people to leadership through its methods: Scout Oath and Law, Patrol method, etc.
  8. JSL3300 started following What is it about the BSA that has allowed it to survive?
  9. JSL3300
    100% this. Our council just announced that they'll be doing a council fee that matches the national fee so now before one single activity, it is $170 to be a scout. As far as I can see, this gets you zero fun. My family has two scouts and two leaders. We're looking at $470 before a single camping trip, rank patch, anything. Maybe the small expense was once a draw (When my boys started in 2018, it was $33 for national, $42 pack fee and that wasn't even very long ago!) but that's in the past.
  10. fred8033
    I will challenge this one. If your scout is active, scouting has significant cost. If your scout and you are both involved, it's very significant. IMHO when both scout and parent are active in scouts, the cost is at least the same as most sports; if not more.
  11. InquisitiveScouter started following What is it about the BSA that has allowed it to survive?
  12. InquisitiveScouter
    BSA using the legal system to deter other organizations from using the terms Scouts and Scouting.
  13. BetterWithCheddar started following What is it about the BSA that has allowed it to survive?
  14. BetterWithCheddar
    The Eagle Scout brand is still very strong.
  15. yknot
    We've talked about that document before here. This document was from 2011/2012. In 2019, its paid consultant/author was stating such incorrect things as: "100% of cases over the last 50 years have been reported to law enforcement." That turned into a big, credibility damaging "research" miss and mess that led to an embarrassing Congressional apology, and pretty much discredited it. You can be generous if you like, but that 2011 document was more press release and PR strategy than a serious attempt to contribute anything useful and heartfelt to the public CSA discussion. BSA h
  16. HashTagScouts
    Merit-Badge-Counselor-Qualifications.pdf (scoutspirit.org)
  17. SiouxRanger
    What would "restricted" merit badges be? Thanks.
  18. Yesterday
  19. qwazse
    It is common knowledge that BSA made its ineligible volunteer files available to an independent researcher at the University of Virginia. She provided initial findings in 2011, and an executive summary in 2012. Here's the reference to her formal work on the files, published years later on a sample of 6878 perpetrators of CSA: Warren, J. I., & Reed, J. (2021). Victim selection patterns of community‐residing child molesters identified by a nationwide youth‐serving organization. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 39(3), 307-327. Those conclusions have been folded into the
  20. InquisitiveScouter started following Eagle Project Private Donations and Is Becoming a MB Counselor Worth the Effort?
  21. InquisitiveScouter
    Thank you for trying to do this. And welcome to another headache of mistreatment by paid staffers. If your integrity and doing things with excellence are important to you, then yes, pursue. If you are not the type to jump through bureaucratic hoops, and you have a unit leader with access to Scoutbook who will approve MBs on your behalf, then consider that option. We are in a similar situation. We have an adult leader who submitted the application in Feb. He was approved as a MBC in March (about a month later), is populated in Scoutbook, but has NO MBs associated (yes, thi
  22. skeptic
    I am curious at the comment of the BSA rate and a comparison. That suggests that BSA or Scouts America has one of the lower stats compared to others in the comparative fields. Is that something that might be important to share more directly? I am asking, as a number of times when I have noted percenage comparisons I have been shouted down and called names. So, a verifiable link or notation would be useful, if nothing else. Thanks.
  23. swilliams
    I filled out my application and turned it in to Council April 12th. Heard nothing back, so I called and left a message asking about my status on May 3rd. Got an email on May 7th saying I needed to turn in another adult application, along with the consent form, as this is a separate position. That seems nonsensical and redundant, but sadly used to this with scouts. I filled out another application and sent it to our committee chair to sign (having received no instructions to the contrary), then she forwarded it to Council. We (CC and I) then got a passive-aggressive email back saying
  24. SiouxRanger
    And I will just have add: When things go really bad in the outback, and your life depends on it (the news has stories weekly of folks who have died), having MASTERY of a skill is potentially lifesaving. And if not saving your life, will make a stressful situation more comfortable. Louis Pasteur's quote "Chance favors the prepared mind" means that the better prepared and more knowledgeable you are, the more you'll be able to take advantage of any chance opportunities or observations. Once, headed into a federal wilderness in winter time, the rangers, after looking at our gear sai
  25. SiouxRanger
    Interesting comment, presents the question: is Scouting an "experience" or "learning (skills mastery)?" "Experience" implies: "Go through the steps, complete them in some measure of demonstrated competency of skills and you are done." (Whether you remember them tomorrow or not.) "Learning" implies: "You've made 8 failed attempts and now you've demonstrated the skill 3 times perfectly-you've learned. Come back tomorrow and if you can do it again, you've mastered it and passed." An anecdote: While on that camp staff in 1969, the waterfront director at an evening staff meeting
  26. yknot
    That is a new one I haven't heard before: It's not coaches, then, but lurking predators who scope out kids and swipe them off the field in view of the public, other kids, parents, and ubiquitous surveillance cameras? Interesting. I guess these lurkers don't go after the tuba players very often. I think it's significant that BSA, the youth organization that probably has the most data about child sexual abuse cases over time, and that could produce information useful to scout parents and leaders as well as all other youth organizations regarding incident characteristics, age, gender of vi
  27. qwazse
    That’s some serious wishful thinking! Those “two hours in public view” are just the tip of the iceberg! From there, while noble coaches are trying to guide kids into a lifetime enjoyment of athletic pass time, the neighborhood predator, on the field or in the stands, is getting acquainted with hundreds of kids and ranking them by vulnerability. Sports and band camps are notorious for providing first exposures to pornography and worse. Some of the kids who are routinely assaulted at home:work their way up in the structure to where they can propagate assault. USA Gymnastics learned the hard way
  28. InquisitiveScouter
    Recommend a different thread. I never retest the Scout. Yes, we discuss the experience. "How did you like the badge?" "Tell me about a challenge you had, and what you did to deal with it." "Did the Merit Badge Counselor require you to do anything more than the written requirements in order to receive the badge?" "Would you recommend this badge or counselor to your friends? Why or why not?" etc. The attitude here is not to play "gotcha", but to gauge the Scout's experience with the badge and counselor. So, if a Scout comes to me with a Hiking MB card, for example, I would love
  29. SiouxRanger
    So, a few observations: Comment 1: Back in 1969 and 1970, I was under age 18, and counseled merit badges both years. About a year ago, I asked my camp director, me being curious how it was I could counsel merit badges being under age 18, said, "we knew that you knew what you were doing, so if you approved a scout's completion of a merit badge, we (adults) signed off on the approval." Hmmm. On the one hand, I did know my skills dead-bang-cold, and I did not approve anyone who had not demonstrated that they could actually do the skill. (And, being a naive kid who knew h
  30. InquisitiveScouter
    @Alec27, He does not need the form. If you need confirmation from the "chain of command", have your candidate check with the District or Council Approving Authority AFTER he submits his proposal. See the Preliminary Cost Estimate section: "Note that if your project requires a fundraising application, you do not need to submit it with your proposal." Worrying about the form now is putting the cart before the horse. During the proposal phase, he only need answer the question: "Fundraising: Explain how you will raise the money to pay for the total costs. If you intend to
  31. DannyG
    You mock, but somewhere there is a kid sitting at home on his device that needs to start being physically active so he can train to participate with the troop on a day-long hike, a canoe trip, a long bike ride, whatever. We have some kids who struggle. Everyone is different. For some the requirements are easy, for others, some might take a little work. I watched my son complete the physical fitness requirements and MB as a young scout, and no, it wasn't difficult for him. But there was a sense of accomplishment. That the activities he participates in and effort he made has a difference in his
  32. SiouxRanger
    The thought here being that National is surreptitiously passing liability for injuries from the Council to volunteer adults with little or inadequate training without their knowledge of the shifting of risk?
  33. Jameson76
    If money for the project is raised / solicited from the candidate, his parents or relatives, his unit or its chartered organization, parents or members in his unit, or the beneficiary then NO FORM is needed. Do not overthink.
  1. Load more activity

  • Posts

    • Cburkhardt
      What is it about the BSA that has allowed it to survive?

      By Cburkhardt · Posted

      Outdoors and Camps.  Our movement teaches our young people how to master the outdoors.  The thought of heading outdoors for the weekend is very positive and that helped us get through the difficulties.   Some of our camps approach matching the beauty of our national parks.  This is what comes to mind for many when they think of Scouting.  
    • Cburkhardt
      What is it about the BSA that has allowed it to survive?

      By Cburkhardt · Posted

      We are Inexpensive.   The annual expense of involvement in our Troop is about $1,000 per year.  That includes annual national dues, our council program fee, summer camp and fees for troop participation (campouts, etc.).  That is under $100/month, which in my experience as a parent is indeed quite inexpensive.  You cannot name another youth organization that provides anywhere near that deal for a quality year-around experience.  My Sea Scout Ship is a bit more (around $1,200/year).  So yes, we are inexpensive.   Our unit always supported the Friends of Scouting effort, so our families continue to contribute the same amount to support the Council (now as a program fee instead of a Friends of Scouting contribution).       
    • AwakeEnergyScouter
      Scouting America

      By AwakeEnergyScouter · Posted

      You don't mention your academic background on your profile, so apologies if this is telling you something you already know, but if Scouting America funded the researcher (as implied by "engaged" in the press release), then they weren't independent. I looked for the funding and conflicts of interest sections in the paper that I would expect to find, but either they're behind the paywall or weren't included. Either way, it's not clear to the public that the researcher really was independent. It's well-known that studies often end up biased in favor of the funding source in social sciences (see for example https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6187765/)  so whether Scouting America funded them is key to know when it comes to claiming their impartiality. I also noticed this fairly unique statement: DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT The data that support the findings of this study are available from the BSA, but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and so are not publicly available. This is highly irregular. I would expect to see the opposite, along the lines of "due to space restrictions, the complete data set could not be included here, but can be accessed online at <url>." It says that the data supporting the findings are available, but also says that they aren't publicly available without clearly specifying what a colleague should do do get the data. How would someone replicate their study? Will Scouting America provide the data to someone else to check the original researcher's work or not? Unclear. Even if the answer is actually yes, it's not clear to the public that Scouting America is actually letting the sunlight in here. This particular point seems a little weak.
    • DannyG
      What is it about the BSA that has allowed it to survive?

      By DannyG · Posted

      Scouting empowers young people to leadership through its methods: Scout Oath and Law, Patrol method, etc.
    • JSL3300
      What is it about the BSA that has allowed it to survive?

      By JSL3300 · Posted

      100% this. Our council just announced that they'll be doing a council fee that matches the national fee so now before one single activity, it is $170 to be a scout. As far as I can see, this gets you zero fun. My family has two scouts and two leaders. We're looking at $470 before a single camping trip, rank patch, anything.  Maybe the small expense was once a draw (When my boys started in 2018, it was $33 for national, $42 pack fee and that wasn't even very long ago!) but that's in the past. 

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