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 YPT program that we ask all parents to take. This year, one other publication reported on a randomly drawn sample of 48 cases ... Mackinem, M. B., & Laufersweiler-Dwyer, D. (2024). A Deeper Look at the Boy Scouts of America “Perversion” Files: Structural Factors Related to Access and Abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 08862605241230091. It goes over many of the structural problems unique to the organization and tries to make optimistic conclusions. We need to remind ourselves that criminology is hard. The data that are gleaned from these reports are also studied by folks who think it is their God-given right to lure our nation's children for their basest desires. May none of us make the error that any given activity is such a safe haven that our guard should be lowered to any degree.

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, this is a two step process.) Our Registrar is overworked and underpaid.  I spoke with District Advancement Chair... since this leader is not counseling any "restricted" MBs, we told him to go ahead and counsel in good faith. He will fill out a blue card, and we will approve things in Scoutbook based on the signed blue card. Sometimes you have to "help" the system.

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.

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, “M, I communicated directly with S because merit badge counselors are not a unit position and the application is not signed by the chartered org rep.“ Then I got a separate email telling me I needed to turn in another application.    I foresee nothing but headache here. Convince me otherwise. Or confirm and I can tell her forget it with no qualms, lol. 

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 said we passed and could go in. Knowing the difficult decisions rescuers faced in crisis, I told him, if a crisis, come look for us last. We will be OK. (Well, and not knowing the future crisis, maybe that doomed us, but we were confident of our skills.) And, many times merely having confidence in one's ability, allows one emotionally to continue on to solve an unknown crisis, that without that confidence would have caused them to hesitate and be lost. THAT is what Scouting did for me.