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Of course, a name change on 9/1/24. Effective September 1, 2024, Scouting’s Shooting Sports programs within all programs including Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting will be referred to as Range and Target Activities. No non-commercial club ranges - nationally authorized camp property’s range(s) or at a commercial firearm range only. Venture sporting programs have taken a hit.. excerpt [9/1/2024 Shooting Sports Program Updates Effective September 1, 2024, Scouting’s Shooting Sports programs within all programs including Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Venturing and - Today
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Another factor, membership losses are that bad that it affects the ratio.
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I was thinking more along the lines of implications of the ratio, rather than causes... One thought is, this is indicative of the complexity of Scouting. There's a heck of a lot to do to run a successful unit, under the current program of Scouting. And then I looked at our unit ratio. We are 1 : 1.5 (not including IH), or one registered adult for every youth member of the unit... and we are an extremely successful unit. Then I also subtracted the adults in the unit who do not really contribute: With that, we are at 1 : 2.4, so one adult for every 2.4 Scouts. Still seems
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A few reasons why this may be the case, but I do not know. 1. MBCs are now a paid position, so they are now included 2. the 18-21 crowd, the 'Adult participants" are now being included 3. A lot of folks are getting tired of the constant increases in prices.
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@BetterWithCheddar, I also appreciate the courage to share, and the gentle reminder to not accidentally imply that all individuals who had a gender-segregated scouting experience failed to learn how to work with the opposite gender respectfully. The folks on our committee who scouted gender-segregated are quite well-adjusted and respectful. I see and hear other examples of that in media and on the Internet. So, if you don't mind explaining some more - is the view you're expressing an adult-looking-back view, then, rather than what you were thinking at the time? What were your friend group
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Just saw our council's numbers... from a year ago at this time, we are down almost 8% of our youth numbers, and almost 12% of our adult numbers. The patient is very ill. And, I noted something curious... our registered adult to youth ratio? 1 : 1.8 We have one registered adult for every 1.8 youth in the council... I am cogitating on that one for a while. Thoughts?
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Our GT hasn't been over 5 at any point since we charted it in 2021. They elect an SPL rather than PL, and male SPL/female SPL share responsibilities they work out between them on opening/closing and planning. On outdoor weekends, they function as their own patrol so if only two attend, they divide all their responsibilities amongst the two (cooking, KP duty, etc.). I too have seen true co-ed units as well though. One unit near me, they had only a single SPL in 2022 for "the two units", and happened to be a girl that was elected. I used the co-ed Den example in another post of what these
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🙄 = on paper only
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To acquire Venturers in any significant number, the registration fee will have to be less than the cost of a pizza and a movie. While we’re rumoring, scuttle but says there are co-Ed troops being piloted. But even on an informal basis this is happening. I was manning a station at spring Camporee and saw several patrols of mixed sexes. One or two may have bee ad hoc, but a couple operated well enough that I figured they weren’t segregated OPO.
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And, while the staff churned through the coordination and public relations blitz of the re-branding, and spent untold time preparing for and scurrying about at the National Meeting, your units do not have access to tools and resources to plan and execute their programs... https://troopleader.scouting.org/ https://troopresources.scouting.org/ https://tap.scouting.org/ How about just building your new websites in a sandbox, and then, when ready, migrate all at once? Seems a simple enough concept...
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Interesting... I can use it, but you can't... https://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/press-releases/resolution-of-litigation-between-boy-scouts-of-america-and-touch-a-life-foundation-inc/ And yet... https://www.touchalife.org/talscouts/
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Last year there was a rumor out of the national meeting about a new program for older scouts to replace venturing. I think national is still baking that one, I cornered a local who is on one of the national committees and he was like "I know of the rumor you're talking about, I can't discuss that." and he wouldn't say a word. So I would say there is legs to the rumor but no one has details/will provide. Venturing is really in the decline where I am at. What I see is that some troops sporadically have a handful of engaged older scouts and so they form a crew for a couple years and then when
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Wow, lot of stuff to digest here. The cub program is fine. It has been fine. The updates that are kicking in June 1st (or abouts) will be an improvement. The key to the cub program is what many of you already touched on; disengaged parents will provide a poor program no matter what the program is. I do feel that there will be some more advanced WEBELOS that will get held back due to the new program; however, the overall 4th and 5th grade cubbing experience is going to be better for the majority of scouts. The key to retaining AOLs/capturing them into the troop level program is going to be
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I resemble that statement. The thing is those activities that scare the parents of 10.5 year-old crossovers, they want to do them by the time they turn 12-13 years old. So in the last 2 years we have had more scouts join by word-of-mouth, by talking to their friends doing fun stuff like this, than we have had by crossing over kids on their way out of elementary school.
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From Newsweek "An online petition is calling for the Boy Scouts of America to reverse its planned name change...The name change, which is expected to go into effect on February 8, 2025—coinciding with the organization's 115th anniversary—sparked fierce backlash on social media." Sources: https://www.newsweek.com/boy-scouts-america-name-change-backlash-petition-1899301 https://www.change.org/p/save-boy-scouts
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The undoing for me last year was the constant push on converting Candidate to Ordeal. The Lodge was in my view bordering on harassment for kids to attend Ordeal with emails every week. By the time you got to November, many parents would be unsubscribing from our email list, and when they changed LM to take that option out of mass emails, I'm sure many just started blocking our email. When Nat'l officially changed to allow 18 months to complete Ordeal, it was the last straw for me- to obvious it was about numbers which equal $$$ than it was about nor or quality in the achievement. for our Lodge
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https://www.rovering4life.org/ Well, if anything is worth doing, it's worth over-doing 😜 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KH_JzLLIhA&t=2s https://fb.watch/rZX80EgGZj/ Please don't show that last link to your Scouts...
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And I endorse this. Building anticipation in Cubs that at the next program level they will be on their own mentored by other kids is the correct approach. We've lost that mentality far too much IMO.
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That right there is what I have noticed. I suppose it was to make it easy for DLs as most did not want to be DLs. We are in a drop off society and when I tell a parent that they will have to be the DL if their kid is going to join, they either leave or do it begrudgingly. By the time they get to Webelos and AOL, even the somewhat motivated parent starts phoning it in. What could be some really cool adventures turn into classroom stuff. My son's den cooked spaghetti in the church kitchen for Cast Iron Chef. I don't think they did much focus on budget and certainly didn't go shopping. My
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Anecdote: My Cub Scout Pack thrived because we scheduled fall/spring camping, a winter cabin weekend, and outdoor activities monthly. Many of the Packs in my area no longer camp outdoors, so we took those Cubs who left and let them join our Pack. I appreciated the chance to help my scouts learn and practice outdoor skills. ie. In Cub Scouts I can teach kids to cook on outdoor stoves and grills while standing next to them. In a troop, they learn practice as a patrol, led by other scouts. Adults are at a distance. When I recruited scouts I explained it is because scouts learn by doing. Not by me
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I never was a fan of units that pencil-whipped kids who had earned AoL through Boy Scout rank requirements. That doesn't mean they should have gone to an extreme and unnecessarily made kids wait to get rank requirements signed off, but rather they could actually, you know, test the kids on campouts to see where their skillset is at. I lamented (about a decade ago now I believe) when they pushed more outdoor cooking requirements down to the Cub program, that it would build more anticipation of kids/parents that would react with "I've already done that" when they hit troops. BSA seemed to knee-j
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I've noticed that the quality of the OA has gone down. It's become more of the BSA party society. My youth experience was only at the chapter level, the chapter covering all of the UK, Iceland, and Norway. We held our own Ordeal and Brotherhood ceremonies. I remember the entire chapter essentially did the Ordeal with the candidates. Some conducted OA business, but the other remaining few were out there working. In the evening, everyone was present for the ceremonies. I think it officially has changed form the honor society to the service society, but every rank requires some sort of ser
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For anyone who uses Troopmaster: when viewing a scout's advancement, and you click on "Palms", the participation requirement shows up with a notation about # and the year 2024, and it lists 90 days participation. Does this mean the requirement to wait 90 days after earning Eagle before being awarded Palms is back in place? Or is this just Troopmaster weirdness? This is my son's record. He has 30 completed MBs (one not entered yet, so 29 "officially"), so with instapalms he would have had at least a bronze.
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Venturing has been in decline, our entire District is down to 1 crew. There w as a rumor that a new program Rovers? that could replace venturing. I think Rovers would be pushing the upper age limit of Venturing. Edit... Rovers look like option post Venturing.. https://tidewaterbsa.com/rovers/
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Maybe that is why the Venturing Director made that announcement. To quote Han Solo:
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Posts
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By RememberSchiff · Posted
Of course, a name change on 9/1/24. Effective September 1, 2024, Scouting’s Shooting Sports programs within all programs including Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting will be referred to as Range and Target Activities. No non-commercial club ranges - nationally authorized camp property’s range(s) or at a commercial firearm range only. Venture sporting programs have taken a hit.. excerpt [9/1/2024 Shooting Sports Program Updates Effective September 1, 2024, Scouting’s Shooting Sports programs within all programs including Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting will be referred to as Range and Target Activities. Note: As a reminder, the updated Cub Scout program effective June 1, 2024 includes elective adventures versus awards for Cub Scouts. These elective adventures can still only be offered at an accredited camp program (day camp, short-term camp, long-term camp) or a council organized one day event. For information on delivering these new elective adventures, please visit the shooting sports website. In addition, effective September 1, 2024, the following changes will affect the range and target activities within Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting. All other current Scouting range and target activities policies as indicated in the National Shooting Sports Manual remain unchanged and must be followed. These changes will be reflected in the National Shooting Sports Manual on September 1, 2024 and will be updated periodically. Additional information regarding these changes can be found on the Shooting Sports FAQ website. Firearm programs may only take place on a nationally authorized camp property’s range(s) or at a commercial firearm range. This does not apply to district or council programs that utilize BB devices*, but applies to pellet rifles, airsoft (any type), rifles, pistols, shotguns, and muzzle loading rifles and shotguns. The use of personal firearms and personal ammunition is prohibited in all Scouting programs at nationally authorized camp properties. Personal firearms and personal ammunition may be used at a commercial firearm range, subject to restrictions regarding caliber, gauge, and action as described in the National Shooting Sports Manual and herein. At a minimum, all Scouts BSA troops, Venturing crews, and Sea Scout ships who provide unit-level sponsored/planned range and target activities must have at least one registered unit leader 21+ years of age take the Range Activity SAFEty online training. This trained adult leader must be present at the range. The training is recommended for all unit leaders in Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting. Note this training does not replace the requirements for certified NRA firearms instructors and range safety officers. This training will be available beginning 9/1/2024. More at source: https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss08/#a -
By Eagle94-A1 · Posted
Another factor, membership losses are that bad that it affects the ratio. -
By InquisitiveScouter · Posted
I was thinking more along the lines of implications of the ratio, rather than causes... One thought is, this is indicative of the complexity of Scouting. There's a heck of a lot to do to run a successful unit, under the current program of Scouting. And then I looked at our unit ratio. We are 1 : 1.5 (not including IH), or one registered adult for every youth member of the unit... and we are an extremely successful unit. Then I also subtracted the adults in the unit who do not really contribute: With that, we are at 1 : 2.4, so one adult for every 2.4 Scouts. Still seems very adult dense... Is this "ratio" sort of an indicator of what it takes on the adult commitment side to make the program run well? -
By Eagle94-A1 · Posted
A few reasons why this may be the case, but I do not know. 1. MBCs are now a paid position, so they are now included 2. the 18-21 crowd, the 'Adult participants" are now being included 3. A lot of folks are getting tired of the constant increases in prices. -
By AwakeEnergyScouter · Posted
@BetterWithCheddar, I also appreciate the courage to share, and the gentle reminder to not accidentally imply that all individuals who had a gender-segregated scouting experience failed to learn how to work with the opposite gender respectfully. The folks on our committee who scouted gender-segregated are quite well-adjusted and respectful. I see and hear other examples of that in media and on the Internet. So, if you don't mind explaining some more - is the view you're expressing an adult-looking-back view, then, rather than what you were thinking at the time? What were your friend groups like, did you have any that were single gender? And how did you stop peacocking? (I assume you no longer do what you did back then, even when you are actively trying to catch a particular woman's romantic attention.) The reason I ask is that while I've certainly seen peacocking, I don't remember seeing much of it in middle school (but that was long ago so maybe I didn't notice or don't remember), and middle school was when girls and boys in my town started to form mixed-gender friend groups spontaneously after the "cooties" period in elementary school. There was kind of a redefining of gender relationships to reduce overall tension as people let go of some fixed ideas about what girls and boys were like, and people sorted themselves more along interest and personality lines and disregarded gender except for romantic pursuits. Almost like now that we were starting to turn into men and women, we could stop role-playing gender and just do what we wanted. So for me, middle school was a time of relaxation into friendships with boys - and I do mean friendships - in a way that sounds almost opposite to your experience.
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