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This issue will not go away. Though I don't see the harm and I could easily counter-argue from many directions, it's non-productive. Society has changed. Kids don't watch cowboy and Indian movies anymore. Whole generations are losing connections to our past. ... The key problem is protesters will always be using BSA to prove their point at BSA's expense. .... IMHO ... We can come up with our own ceremonies that are just meaningful without using Indian lore. ... Sadly, our scouts will lose out by being less aware of our countries Indian past, but so be it.

Yes, and it is not "unfairly targeted" if a) you seek and get an injunction or stay of 35+ lawsuits against your organization and then b) try to play hide-the-assets in the meantime. Stay means stay: it means ALL parties halt their efforts to either grab assets (plaintiffs) or hide assets (defendants) until either a) a settlement or b) special court permission. For example, when National has had to hire people for contract work (and thereby spend assets) they got special permission from the court to do so. That's fine; if the court says you can spend or transfer certain assets during

To survive, we need to appeal to people who exist outside our close circle of dedicated scouters, dedicated parents, and dedicated scouts. We can depend on most of the choir. We need to fill the pews. More than half of my troop was made up of boys who would not have ranked scouting as their number-one activity. Most of them did not come from families with a generational history of scouting, and they did not join as a matter-of-course. Scouting is a little bit like politics. You cannot win an election by appealing only to your base. You have to go after the independent and un

Not sure if this is the best forum to post this , so moderators feel free to move. Attached is a link to an article in the Kansas City newspaper. Very negative about the cultural appropriation. Probably the same thoughts are there about OA. https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article244845322.html#storylink=sectionheadlines

Counsel for The Waite and Genevieve Phillips Foundation (Philmont) has arrived, requesting service of papers and reservation of rights. https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/839320_1093.pdf

Native American,,,, First Nations,,,,, Anyone here heard of "Straight Arrow"? http://iloveshreddedwheat.com/1949-52-straight-arrow-cards/

When I was a kid I was fascinated by Indians. I loved Westerns. I spent hours looking for arrowheads. I wanted a Mustang. I completely get the sense of wonder and nostalgia and tradition. However, I think it's past time to let things like this go. Kids today are not much interested in it and few parents today are going to look at that aspect of BSA and think, gee, that's what I want my kid to be doing. Most that I know find it cringe worthy. We've had a drop off of interest in OA partly because of it.

This part gets to me: Blaise, an author and an illustrator who lives in Arkansas, called out the organization In a blog post on Medium last year for allowing white people to imitate Native Americans. “Who asked the BSA to ‘preserve’ Native American traditions, and why can’t Native peoples do that for themselves?” she wrote. “Dancing, donning Native regalia, or utilizing sacred symbols (like Eagle feathers or sacred pipes) are not things that should be divorced from their particular tribal reality and religious meaning.” She obviously does not know the history BSA, OA, and I assu

Lazy tweet-trolling disguised as journalism. The author didn't even bother to call a local tribal elder for his/her take on the matter.

Could some of the skyrocketing costs be due to NCAP standards trying to make every camp identical and "branded?" We have a camp that needs a bathhouse. Under local codes, no problem to build, got the volunteer manpower to do it, and can get the donations to build it. Told we could not build it because it did not meet NCAP standards. Building a bathhouse to those standards up the cost 4x. We had shelters destroyed in a hurricane. We wanted to build ones that match the 70+ year old ones still in use. Those meet local codes. We cannot build them because they do not meet NCAP standards. The

My comments about showers and water come from the stupidity of the decision. When this was first noted PRIOR TO CONSTUCTION (emphasis) people commented that there were ecologically friendly ways to get be hot water. From painting water tanks green to absorb sunlight and heat up water, to solar heaters, to some others I can't remember. Instead of using these methods during the building process,they now have to pay more to fix the issues.

I have taken 6 courses at PTC over the years, going back to 1977, and I saw almost nothing but positive family experiences going on. What they told us last summer when I was there again for the History program was that they were developing a program along the lines of the family options for PTC, but that would be done outside a family member in a training seminar. I got the impression it also would be eventually open to non scouting individuals.

Help a Venturer earn the Silver Hornaday Award & Venturing Summit Award by helping to pick up 1 million pieces of trash by August 30 (his project close date). Anyone who spends at least 2 hours on the project and has their collection reported on the project's Google Form is eligible for the Messengers of Peace award (environmental dimension). You can find more information at the following links: Bryan on Scouting: Venturer’s conservation project involves worldwide effort to pick up 1 million pieces of trash Facebook: 1,000,000 Piece of Trash Great service project for all

This has been an interesting read. I continue to be flummoxed by some of the truly negative comments, especially in light of the detailed positive report. Cost, other than the transportation if you are not near, is within the same range as our more local camps, and less than some. I would dearly love to be able to take our unit there, based on the report given, but for us, in California, it is prohibitive from the travel standpoint. I do wonder if the format I perceive in the report is what they are moving towards in the changes at Philmont. Their descriptions last summer of the dir

Probably not the smartest decision MTC ever made. I hope it does not come back to bite them in the posterior. I spent all but the first 7.5 months of my time as a youth in scouting in Middle Tennessee Council, and while I have not lived there in almost 50 years, I still look back on those years as among the best of my life.

The cold showers were one of the very few things our troop noted as a negative when they went for the first time this year. Lack of shade and the extreme distance between activities were the others. They very much want to go back next year.

Moderator note, let's keep on topic Summit Summer Camp experience - activities, cold showers , costs, gear, medical checks, camp setup, check-in, safety,... Thanks P.S. oh and food. @John-in-KC @MattR

What about the showers, are they still "ambient temperature?"

A new posting in my download from Bryan On Scouting. I found the disclaimer, show below, almost too much for common sense, but also understand the reason. Just a comment on where we are in our society now. Importantly, these answers are designed to provide information and should not be used to diagnose health conditions. Please reach out to a professional health provider for support in addressing concerns you may have. COVID-19 is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation. Any materials that the Boy Scouts of America provides are for information purposes only and do not

There is an hour long infomercial playing in my area about this. Lawyers are really trolling for clients.