Leaderboard

An April evening... Troop 544 was having their weekly meeting at their Scout Hut when law enforcement arrived to report a missing autistic child in the area. The scouts quickly organized into search patrols led by older members and an assistant scoutmaster. As temperatures dropped and daylight faded, the group found the child hiding in bushes and stayed with him to offer comfort until first responders arrived. Scout Salute, More at source including photos and map. https://www.nwfdailynews.com/story/news/local/2025/05/21/scout-troop-honored-by-okaloosa-commission-for-helping-to-find-child/83773869007/

Going from memory here, so bear with me. One of the reasons for better quality control is that there are a lot fewer professionals, so there is no pressure to increase membership numbers. As a result volunteers are empowered more to do things. If a group of volunteers want to clean up camp to prepare for an event, they contact the camp warden (ranger) and Bob's your uncle, you can do it. I know of councils where you have to go through the council office and SE in order to have a work day, and they may even deny it! Another thing is that their standards when I was there had not changed. "One and Done" was not a thing. Emphasis on advancement, and Queen's Scout was not existent, compared to the pressure in the US. I have had folks tell me HA is a was a of time because there is little to no advancement involved. Instead their focus was on skills and adventure. Finally, they held their Scouts to higher expectations/standards. It was not uncommon for their Scouts and Ventures to go on a week long expedition without any adult supervision as part of the DoE Award program. Even today they do "Remote Supervision" as defined as: "Remote [Supervision] ‑ Where the Supervisor remains out of sight and hearing of the team and allows them to get on with the expedition without any intervention ‑ The Supervisor will have a good idea of roughly where the team are and how they are progressing ‑ This is the norm for the majority of practice expeditions and all qualifying expeditions. It allows the Supervisor to: ◦ Periodically observe the team without intervening ◦ Allow the team to make mistakes and to recover from them without outside intervention ◦ Support the team by remaining remote yet in the expedition area and able to intervene if absolutely necessary or if requested."

Here's a slight modification to @Eagle1993's comment about ditching the lions and tigers. Cubscouts was originally meant to be pre scouts, not it's own thing. The question is what would a cub program look like if the goal were to get every scout to bridge over? Just my guess but a 3 year program that was fair weather camping would be a start. Very little else. If the goal is to camp or play outdoors from May to September then it's pretty easy. Tie it to the troop so those kids see the scouts doing their thing. The UK has "groups" where each group has all age ranges covered. So make a group where, up front, the expectation is to prepare cubs and parents to be camping with the troop. Parents need to learn how to camp, how to have fun singing silly songs at camp fires, how to cook in the outdoors. Yes, the scouts need to learn this as well but that's obvious. Those 3 years are to teach the parents what scouting is about while they have fun with their kids. The pinewood derby is not important. The pins are not important. The badges and patches are not important. Learning how to have fun with your kids in the outdoors is important. That would be much easier on the parents than putting on a weekly program for kids that aren't mature, can't sit still and really need to burn a lot of energy. Final comment is that cubscouts is where cubs camp with their parents. Scouts is where they don't. Sure, slight modification would be a major change. I'm not sure what would happen with single parents and siblings and all that. Those are the details where the devil lies. My kids have their own now, so I'm probably the wrong person to ask anyway.

Thank you for the well wishes. Truly. Though I'm still barefooted on the floor attempting to navigate the final stanzas of this treacherous waltz with Kaa (through shards of my life and the lives of others), I'll take any encouragement offered. So, 1908 days after the Chapter 11 filing and 1755 days after submitting my Proof of Claim, I received my Allowed Abuse Claim letter. Who's counting, right? Living through many forms of abuse starting at the age of 3, spent many years drowning in self-medicating techniques through diverse (and sometimes creative) maladaptive behaviors. Along the path I've had my share of so-called, 'out of body experiences.' I have officially added reading that letter to the list. Whatever that means to you and however you envision it, that was surreal. I meandered around for hours then days, experiencing more manic, sleepless nights thinking, writing and, again, trying to avoid feeling it all yet again. The non-monetary narrative section placed me, appropriately, in the Tier One, penetration, category. Is that a "YAY!" moment? I suppose one celebrates such a thing, as twisted and morbid as that it surely is. The letter, signed by Randi Roth, the Claims Administrator, said in pertinent part: "Allowable" Claim. The Trust assesses seven basic eligibility criteria to determine whether your claim is "allowable." They include: (1) your submission was timely; (2) there was no previous resolution of your claim in litigation or another process; (3) you stated the acts of abuse that were suffered; (4) you established your connection to Scouting and showed that BSA, a local council, or certain Chartered Organizations may have been legally responsible for your abuse; (5) you sufficiently identified your abuser(s) and your abuser's connection to Scouting; (6) you provided the approximate date of your abuse (or your age at the time of abuse): and (7) you provided the location of the abuse. Once the Trust determined that your claim was "allowable," the Trust turned to calculating the "Proposed Allowed Claim Amount.. There are many aggravating factors listed in the TDP. In your case, ten of them applied: extended duration of the abuse; extended frequency of the abuse; you were exploited for child pornography; multiple abusers involved in sexual misconduct; adverse impacts to your mental health; adverse impacts to your physical health; adverse impacts to your interpersonal relationships; adverse impacts to your vocational capacity; adverse impacts to your academic capacity; and impacts resulting in your legal difficulties." Wee. I have been validated. More balloons, streamers, cupcakes, pink punch and party favors? The single Mitigating Factor applied was the dreaded Statute of Limitations, though they used the most favorable option since I was abused in three states. Still, per a very helpful and knowledgeable Claim Administrations Advisor, it's doubtful an attorney actual read and researched the substance of my argument for tolling of the appropriately abbreviated, SoL based on fraudulent concealment. That means I stay in the game and prepare my Request for Reconsideration of the tolling argument. For me, it's worth another at bat on this key factor in the final award determination. Thus concludes this grunt's update from the war zone. I have not yet found a DMZ. Please hold hope and carry on all of you survivor claimants, my friends and fellows, still out here with me. Per usual, forgive my speed typos.

Sounds like where we want to be as a program here in the states.

To quote Han Solo, and many others, " I got a bad feeling about this." BSA never does things rapidly. And BSA has never shut down all shooting sports activities at one time due to an accident. Even with the Hawaii death, they did not shut down all activities. I agree with @Jameson76

About three weeks before camps open. Perfect timing.

That kind of ended with a whimper. I wish those that are involved all the best of luck.

I’ve trained many scoutmasters of new troops and my First step advice is put down the SM Handbook and get the Patrol Leaders Handbook and SPL Handbook. Those two handbooks have the same information as SM Handbook without the adult baggage. They are fast reads and basic enough to layout a plan for the next few months of your program. You will find the scouts and adults will bond faster when everyone is working as a team with the same instruction guides. And get ready, you are embarking on the most confounding and rewarding endeavor of your life. i love this scouting stuff. Barry

As a youth, I was part of a new Troop that quickly established itself as one of the best in the district. Looking back, I think it got off the ground so quickly for three reasons: We had a great Scoutmaster who was willing to do most of the heavy lifting. We had plenty of parents who were willing to go camping. We had a strong feeder Pack. You'll have to be the driving force (for everything). As your Troop matures, you can cede control to the PLC and to adult volunteers who may be willing to head up certain key functions (fundraising, new scout patrol, High Adventure, etc.).

When you look for training check your council website; but also remember that you can go anywhere for training (just bring back proof to your local council to have it added to your training record), https://global.scoutingevent.com/ will help you find training at all participating councils.

Also, get yourself a Scout Handbook. Then read your new Scout Handbook!!! Then try to work through the rank requirements yourself in the back. (at least through First Class.) No, you don't get to earn the ranks. But, if you cannot do the skills, then how will you be able to help teach or evaluate your Scouts until they can become the instructors? If you don't understand something, come on back here and ask 😜

@danimal508, welcome! If you have not already done so... Log into your my.scouting.org account. On the upper left, select the pull down menu and choose "My Training" On the page that pops up, select "Training Center" on the left, and then under then "Training Courses by Program" tab, select Scouts, BSA. On the next page that pops up, select the "Scouts BSA - Scoutmaster Position Specific Training" Learning Plan. Enjoy the 192 minutes of training modules there. When you are done, come back for more 😜 Thanks for volunteering!

We're baaaack! The pause lasted 24 hours. Councils can resume RATA activities once the Scout Exec reviews their RATA Policy and signs some sort of certification. Let's make some noise this summer!

SA/BSA did the right thing, PAUSE and THINK... The time for panic is later. The time for concern is now. Someone is shot thru the head and Total Archery Challenge CONTINUES ? ? As a past CSDC Archery Range Officer, I have stories, but thankfully nothing like this. Avoidance of accidents is the goal, but sometimes "things happen". People don't want to walk all the way around 6foot tall stakes and yellow tape . People want to get CLOSER to get a good photo of Sammy Scout.... I trained my staff to PAY ATTENTION, and they did. The Cubs listened and PAID ATTENTION. Was I strict? You betcha. Overly so? You betcha.... I remember a Jamboree where a too tall tent pole met a too short electric wire over an area where camp should never have been assigned....

Stand downs are very standard in the area of industrial construction I work. If there is an injury or serious near miss, a stand down is issued. Initial facts are gathered and any prudent immediate follow up is taken before restarting. For very serious incidents, sometimes multiple common sites are on stand down until imitate follow-up is understood or complete.

That is true. I remember when they attempted to change the old YP rules, which allowed 18-20 year olds to be considered as a 2nd adult, to the current policy of only 21 year olds count. National made the policy effective March 1, 2018, but there was so much push back from local councils, and the HA bases, where units already planned for their 2nd adult to be 18-20, and they wanted their money back if they had to cancel. National pushed the implementation date to September 1, 2018.

The standdown shouldn't be a big deal. This shouldn't affect the summer camps. National needs to put resources into investigating the risks, conduct an analysis, and put out any recommendations (if needed, S happens right?). 3 weeks until camp should be a headache but not a show stopper.

@MikeS72 Thanks, I changed the topic title back. I continue to wonder why the BSA cannot timestamp their official communications.

This letter went out to all Council Key 3 and was passed down to District Key 3. It could have been worded better, but all range and target activities are to stand down until further notice.

I am sussing out that you're trying to figure out when to bring your knowledge to the table without burning a bridge. That's really tough to figure out; unfortunately we have a lot of bad leaders in scouting. I would recommend assessing the key 3 a bit, attend some leader meetings to see if they are just dictating or actually running the meetings properly. A key indicator to hold off and wait on making any recommendations is if the committee chair is not seeking input from all attendees at the committee meetings.

To combat "Daddy interference", as a Scoutmaster I was also the Patrol Leader of the Rockers (our patrol badge was a rocking chair). It was made up of the adults on the particular outing - Scouters or not. When Daddy hovered around junior a little too much, I'd assign him a patrol function in the Rocker patrol. One of issues I seemed to always run into before I did this was having the adults critique the menu plan and and take over cooking duties. Eating as a patrol (Rockers) and not getting in the way of their son's (and now daughter's) patrol was the goal. I'd also allow the SPL and ASPL to eat with the Rockers (adult patrol) if they so desired as a guest (they didn't have to cook or clean up). This did two things I thought were beneficial. One, it allowed for me to review how the outing was going with the SPL and give him some feedback (as well receiving feedback from the SPL) and just as important, kept the SPL from overshadowing the PL during their dining. My personal style was to always allow adults a leadership position (ASM) if they requested it (sort of like a Cub Scout asking to join a troop). Then as the Scoutmaster I'd assign them a duty commensurate with their skill set and willingness to do it. If they wanted a committee position, that was up to the Committee Chair. P.S. Same approach for "Mommy's" too.

Bennington, VT "Liam Lynch, 17, died last December after a tragic single-car accident in Bennington. Liam was just weeks away from completing his Eagle Scout community service project, something he had worked on for several months. The project involved building an outside classroom and gathering place for his beloved school, Grace Christian. According to his father, the plans for the space were sitting on his desk the night he died." “Liam was an amazing scout and an amazing kid," said Jim Poole, Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 353. “Being an Eagle Scout takes years of commitment and dedication. Liam really set a good example of what it meant to be a Scout. He was a great kid and loved this school with all his heart. It is only fitting that we can see his vision to the end. Liam started this. We are all so privileged to help him finish it. He was so close to finishing this. To be able to get this complete is huge. This was the last thing he had to do.” “Liam thought it was a fantastic idea to get this done for the school, Mike Lynch, Liam’s father, said. “I think it’s fantastic that after the tragedy, the first thing the scoutmaster said was that they were planning on having the Troop finish what Liam started on his behalf. This means the world to us.” His fellow scouts completed Liam's Eagle project. More (including photos) at source: https://www.benningtonbanner.com/local-news/scouts-complete-eagle-project-after-tragic-accident/article_98a0cb89-5c1e-476d-9338-7c6a96ff588f.html

As far as changing "troop culture", unless it is the SM with agreeable ASM, it is near impossible. It is much easier to change Patrol Culture as the Patrol makes their decisions. This is best accomplished by having the Patrol choose events separate from the other patrols.

Back in the day, I remember the old merit badge pamphlets were always red.

I've said the exact same thing when I saw the Lion program piloted. Burns out parents. Creates the wrong perception of scouting. Wears out the teaching elements of scouting. It's just too, too much during the early baby sitting years. IMHO, scouting (cub or troop) should start when scouts begin to be somewhat independent. Kindergarten and first grade scouts are tied too too much to the parents.

Growing Evidence for the Healing Power of ‘Forest Therapy’

It seems to me that while this is great to have been studied, it is certainly not new. Most of us that have spent any amount of time in the forest wit or without youth likely experienced similar benefits. Also, I can definitely suggest that a few youth with whom I interacted came back from a weekend in the forest with a more positive attitude, and if they continued in participating showed, or at least seemed to me to do so, a real change in their personality. A similar effect is likely found in simply sitting on the shore of ocean or a sea with waves, alone in the early or late quiet of nature. It reminds me of a discussion my nephew and I had on our porch in the Mojave Desert where we have a family retreat of sorts. He works with troubled kids in an Orange County school district, and as we sat there in the dark at almost midnight, the only sounds that of unseen desert denizens a peace settled in and we just sat and watched the sky with little talk. Then he mentioned that he wished he might expose some of his youth to this experience. That he suspected most had never heard the quiet, as he called it. In the city, even late at night, there is little or no real silence. Simon and Garfuncle come to mind.

@danimal508 welcome to scouter.com

05/25/2025 Bellingham, WA: Troop 4027 scouts pitched their tents in Riverside Park to overnight guard the 400 Ski to Sea canoes. “You gotta stay alert,” said Ramsey Mitchell, 15. “It would be pretty obvious if someone’s taking something.” Scouts have been watching "overnight in Riverside Park the Saturday before Ski to Sea for the last 40 years. It’s the troop’s largest fundraiser — from requesting a suggested $5 donation for watching the canoes to selling hot dogs during Sunday’s race handoff between road bikers and canoeists. Last year, Troop 4027 raised more than $3,000, enough to send six boys and two adults to Scout summer camp in Oregon." This year they raised $5000! Scout Salute. More at source (good read): https://www.cascadiadaily.com/2025/may/27/boy-scouts-keep-ski-to-sea-canoes-safe-overnight-at-riverside-park/ https://skitosea.com/

05/25/25: Dan Beard Council held the groundbreaking ceremony of the $2.5 million Dever Family Foundation Skilled Trades Education Center at Camp Friedlander. Over 250 supporters celebrated the upcoming 10,000-square-foot facility which is scheduled to open in November. More at source: https://local12.com/news/local/boy-scouts-america-dan-beard-council-breaks-ground-skilled-trades-center-loveland-cincinnati-camp-friedlander

No, there is a change. The outside groups that do their own range safety still are stopped. That is a real change.

So range activities seem to be back on as of Thursday late evening maybe. No additional training, no updates issued, just the local SE signing a document that their range follows all the known rules. No changes to the rules, just swearing they follow them. One would think that maybe now outside groups could not use the BSA facilities, but, there is money to be gained from that, soooo Basically corporate CYA, or as some in industry may call it "Safety Theatre".

I agree. I have had the same issue with, for example, calling venomous snakes "danger noodles" or "spicy noodles". It's an attempt to Disney-fy things that are real world risks whose dangers should not be minimized.

These are the same consequences in any worthwhile endeavor... including Scouting. There are many who are fine with just showing up to be served, go camping and "have fun". We have to be fine with that, too... knowing (or having faith, actually) that we are having an influence, however small, on positive lifelong behaviors. The real question I'd love to see some empirical data on is this: Which programs have a more positive influence on the lives of our children? Sports or Scouting (or whatever flavors you choose). If such a thing can be studied...??

Some new background on this, and apparently this is not 100% just related to shooting sports, though that is what is impacted right now. From what I understand this concept of the "Stand down" is a BSA National initiative. If there is an aquatics incident in some state at BSA camps / property, ALL aquatics in all camps will stand down for a few days. If there is a mountain bike incident, ALL mountain biking will stand down for a few days. Rinse, lather, repeat. No information of actual process for what additional training or actions will be taken in a stand down, how long a stand down will be, or what will trigger the lifting of a stand down. This is somehow related to new insurance policy and coming out of bankruptcy. As we can all see a good bit of confusion. As a side note for camps that have staff in camp school RIGHT NOW for training, they are basically out of luck. Just sitting around and talking, no range time or any or the actual nuts and bolts as the range is effectively closed.

My read is that this is a stand down to assess BSA's corporate exposure. From the limited facts available, it appears BSA (Summit) was renting out the property to a third party, versus this being an event conducted under the auspices of BSA. Very different scenarios with very different implications... You'll notice the letter does not direct SEs to pause unit-level RATS events. That may be an oversight, or it may be deliberate. We cannot know until they issue further guidance. If it was an event conducted under the auspices of, then the stand down is warranted. However, it should have been extended to unit-level activities if that is the case. If it was not conducted under the auspices of, then this a "cover your butt" move to determine legal exposure, which would explain the "...camps and properties" verbiage.

I agree with your concern, especially if there is the mentality of zero risk. But I applaud BSA instituting a safety stand down when someone is hurt on a range (archery or rifle/shotgun). The stand down is a good opportunity to learn about what occurred at the Summit, and ensue that everyone has the right procedures and training in place. The best defense against any effort to reduce range activities is demonstrating mature processes that are not afraid to be self critical and truly place safety first. A stand down like this is a best practice among many professional organizations (police, military, etc) for a reason.

Update 5/21/2025: A Public Inquiry Workshop with Hernando County reps and the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council discussed proposed details of Council selling 51 acres of the 1400 acre Sand Hill Scout Reservation to Withlacoochee River Electric Co-op. Warren Hunt said a road in the reservation was named after his grandfather who helped acquire the land from the former property owner, Larry Die Polder. Hunt said, according to Die Polder's will, "Mr. Die Polder, when he passed away, donated it to the scouts, and it was supposed to stay a scout's camp forever. If it doesn’t stay a scout’s camp, it’s supposed to go back to the county for a park." The topic will be further discussed in a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in the coming weeks. More meeting details at source: https://www.fox13news.com/news/discussion-held-possible-boy-scouts-sand-hill-reservation-sale-despite-former-owners-dying-wish

Thanks! This is actually very good advice.

In many ways you are experiencing disinterest that may not be of your own making. Scouting has experienced a decline over the last 45 years. Slowly the passing down of Scouting from one generation to the next has grown smaller. Less parents were involved as kids so they do not migrate towards having their kids in Scouting. Basically a smaller population that thinks favorably of the program. Many have some esoteric view or opinion, but not actual experience. Additionally the overall Scouting program in the US has moved more towards the experience of Scouting and less on growing Scouts, easier to leave the program. In many cases units are seen as just more school. For Scouts (11-19) for summer of 2024 if you took all the camps, all the weeks, and all the availability, nationally the camps were at 30% capacity. A small handful were full, but most had lots of empty space. There may be youth registered, but not a high level of engagement. Long term I'm not sure of the fix. In many cases key will be to make the program relevant and work to be clear on what the program is about and what the positive outcomes can be. We too had 80 Scouts 9 years ago, not so much now and we are in the 20's. Also the expectations of families have changed. We camp 11 - 12 times a year, many kids and their families are not supportive of a robust outdoor program. Possibly meeting in the woods and kids running things scares parents. Also getting the parents engaged is tough. Have crews going on high adventure and could not find enough parents that would serve as leaders. Ended up recruiting a past leader who's son aged out 3 years ago and then an older brother who is 21 and an Eagle from our troop. 15 years ago we had wait lists for adults for the treks. As I noted, really not sure of the long term fix.

InquisitiveScouter is absolutely right about training, and how the role of ASMs being up to you. I hesitate to recommend assigning an ASM to each patrol b/c this can very quickly devolve into the ASM becoming the acting PL. This structure works, but it is difficult right off the bat. Instead I would recommend focusing on the strengths and attributes each ASM brings to the table. Have each ASM be "in charge of" one of the SM main duties. You as SM can oversee and steer the ASM to fulfill your vision. This models the Patrol Method with each patrol member having a specific role. It also increases the adult association for scouts as they interact with multiple adults not just the one assigned to their patrol. A breakdown could be: SM-Leadership & Mentoring of ASMs ASM-Camping/activity expert: the go to person for PL/APLs to get ideas about locations, recommendations, etc... ASM-Advancement/skills expert: the go to for the PL to plan patrol trainings & sign-offs ASM-Food/cooking expert: go to for all food & cooking related help. ASM-GearHead expert: go to for tools, equipment help. ASM-Scout Spirit expert: go to for all other "fun" activity ideas (intra/inter-patrol games, skits, songs, cheers, etc...) For clarity, I am not knocking Inquisitive's structure. Their's works, and I would bet it took a while to get there. I only hesitate to recommend it to your situation especially b/c it seems like the ASMs are not wholly prepared yet.

Great question, @swilliams!! 1. The first responsibility of ANY AND EVERY ASM (or any Unit Leader) is to complete their training for the position. If you are listed as the Scoutmaster (on the Troop roster in my.scouting,org ), then you should be able to see the Unit Training report at a glance. On the Training Landing page, hit the Report button under the Trained Leaders pie chart. It will list all leaders on the roster with their current state of training. Here is mine, minus the Personally Identifiable Information. Assistant Scoutmaster YES Yes COMPLETED: S11, SCO_800, Y01 - 100% COMPLETED: S24 - 100% COMPLETED: SCO_471, SCO_472, SCO_473, SCO_474, SCO_475, SCO_476, SCO_477, SCO_478, SCO_479, SCO_480, SCO_481, SCO_482, SCO_484, SCO_485, SCO_530 - 100% Push training HARD!!! And lead by example If you need help locating this, please DM me. 2. Next, how you use your ASMs is really up to you, SM!! Here's how we try to crack the code in our unit: A. SM directly mentors the SPL and ASPLs. The SM helps this leadership team develop the unit program through goal setting and tracking. (Adult Association) B. An ASM is specifically assigned to each Patrol to mentor the PL and APL. C. SM provides SM conferences at their discretion (for us, it is usually the Life to Eagle conference). All other SM conferences are delegated automatically to the ASM assigned to that patrol. In our unit, any ASM or the SM may conduct any rank-requirement-SM-conference at any time, and sign it off. D. The SM corps is expected to provide PRIMARY adult leadership on an outing. We call this the "Adult in Charge" on the outing... We EXPECT all our Committee Members (MC) to attend an outing during the year (but we only get about 25% participation here). The Adult in Charge makes the final call on all health and safety related decisions on an outing. E. The SM corps and MCs are also expected to be the adult planner for a trip during the year. The adult planner is to work with the PLC designated Scout Planner to make all arrangements for an outing, to cover expenditures for an outing on behalf of the Troop, and to reconcile the accounting for a trip after the event concludes. F. Once TRAINED, ASMs may sign off any requirements they are comfortable with, with the ideal being that they will help develop youth leaders in the Patrol who are also capable of signing off requirements. This is a constant work in progress (not everyone is good at lashing or orienteering, for example.) 3. We have reached the cultural level here where we are all "Scoutmasters" for our respective patrols, but there is a "first among equals" Scoutmaster who is the "frontman" for the Troop, and represents the SM Corps to the Committee. To further elaborate... since the Patrol Method is the heart of Scouting, each Patrol is encouraged to act like it is its own unit... (including conducting Patrol-only events), and that the Patrols come together to form a Troop. (versus the view that the Troop is made of Patrols...) Hope this helps

Well said. "with my father" ... I can respect that. I fear this might be a psychology of the troop and a BSA training conflict. Strictly speaking, scouts are to socialize with scouts in their scouting activities and then with the other adults. In conflict, I also attending most scouting activities with my kids, but I tried to keep myself on the outskirts ... mostly. ... It is a pull/push or a training vs reality issue. ... I'm not sure there is a perfect answer other than making sure the scouts have positive growing experiences. "adult leadership crosses over" ... is really up to the troop leaders you are joining. They may very well be open to your immediately getting into a leadership role. They may want you to wait a year. They may have some in-between. ... Number one thing is to make a healthy connection with the existing unit leaders.

Thank you for your wisdom 😜 Berets are not practical for the field or training environments. Even the military recognizes this. Here's a blurb from an old Army regulation: "Soldiers will not wear the beret in field or training environments, or on deployments, unless authorized by the commander. Additionally, if the commander determines other environments are unsuitable for wear of the beret, such as on work details, the commander may direct soldiers to wear other appropriate headgear." Basically, berets are a decoration. In the immortal words of Sweet Brown, "Ain't nobody got time for that." https://youtu.be/6gLMSf4afzo

100% agree. Changing troop culture is nearly impossible as a new parent. It takes years. ... So for now, ask yourself ... can your son benefit, grow and enjoy the culture that currently exists. Will your scout have a positive scouting experience? Adventure? There is no perfect troop culture, but even a less than ideal scouting troop can be a big positive. Separately, to make change, plan that it takes years. Start by serving the troop that exists now. Build friendships and connections. Over time, other leaders will see your investment in the troop. Once you have positive credibility with the troop, then you can take on roles such as SM/ASM where you can influence the culture. This takes years though. If you push too hard too fast, you will alienate people. Be careful here too. Patrols are guide by the SPL and SM. You risk alienating yourself and causing issues if your words and actions are not aligned with the SM. My apologies if I'm nit picking here. I'm not trying to be a jerk. ... BUT, your son is crossing over. It's his scouting experience. His adventure. You can look for ways you can help the troop. AND, your son will definitely see you value scouting if you volunteer to help. ... "I will be crossing over" is a red flag that always makes me think about does the adult realize the youth scout is to have their own scouting experience.

When the methods are employed effectively, they result in the achievement of the Aims of scouting. These are the metrics by which we measure our success in implementing the methods.

They are socks. To put this all into perspective - they are socks and this is not the military. When I was a scout in Mississippi in the early 80’s, we went to summer camp (Camp Tiak) The expectation was to wear the uniform every day. Since I did not have the right socks (actually just missing the red tabs that were to be worn with the socks, I had to wear long pants. Not fun in 100 degree weather. The emphasis in the troop was on uniforms (and inspections with grip chits) - which was a main reason I left scouts - I hated it. I am an ASM now, and my son recently completed all the requirements for Eagle. And after 30 years in the military, my emphasis has never been on uniform other than 1) wear it appropriately, and 2) wear what you have. Perspective. What is important in scouts? Let’s make the main thing be the main thing and use common sense on implementing the methods. My two cents.

I felt the same about Bolos. I thought neckers were uniform... worldwide.

I did find the World Scout Foundation 2024 Annual Report which was PUBLICLY released a couple of weeks ago. https://annualreport.worldscoutfoundation.org/2024/ As for Scouting America's complete 2024 Annual Report aka Report to the Nation, I have not found the complete report online. Maybe it will be available in its entirety at the National Annual Meeting or some time after.