maryj75225

I'm a freelance writer working on an article for Scouting magazine about the 100th anniversary of Boys Life. Since the magazine has been around for 100 years, it just occurred to me that there may be a Scouter out there who remembers reading the magazine as a boy ... whose sons now read Boys Life ... and who remembers his father sharing that he'd read the magazine, too. (Maybe someone even remembers his grandfather sharing some memory of Boys Life, too?) If that applies to you, and you'd be willing to talk with me about (via phone or email) please reply to this post, message me directly, or email me at [email protected]. Thank you! Mary Jacobs

Greetings, I'm a writer in Dallas on assignment for Scouting magazine, writing about the upcoming 100th anniversary. As one part of my story, I'd love to hear any suggestions from Scouters on what you've done to make sure every boy in your Pack, Troop or Unit receives Boys Life at home. I know that some units subscribe through the unit budget plan -- i.e. the Scout gets the subscription automatically as part of his registration fee. Any Scout who has pushed to initiate that in your unit - I'd love to hear how and why you did it. Also would be interested in hearing other approaches to promote subscriptions, why you think BL subscriptions are important/valuable, and any barriers you might have encountered. Subscriptions to Boys Life are linked to Scouts staying in the program longer - obviously hard to prove a causal link, but I'd like to hear any thoughts on why having that magazine land in the Scout's mailbox once a month might help encourage them to stay in the program and be more involved. I'd also love to hear from anyone whose unit ended up going on an adventure or trying an activity after learning about it in Boys Life. If you have any thoughts on these topics, reply to this post or email me directly at [email protected]. Thank you!

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. Skeptic, I will pass along your comments about the school libraries to the circulation manager at Boys Life. (Highlights for Children magazine used a similar strategy, I believe, by sending the publication to pediatrician's offices and it worked, at least at one time.) I laughed out loud at the memory about Culver Military Academy. I have a similar memory, and I'm a girl (and was never a tomboy or an athlete or an aspiring soldier!) I'm not even sure where I saw the ads, but they MUST have been REALLY cool!

Thanks everyone, for your thoughts. I should have probably said, more accurately, that subscriptions to Boys Life subscriptions are linked to advancement, participation, etc., but agreed, a causal relationship would be hard to prove. Love the Turkey in a Mailbox story! Any idea when that article ran in Boys Life? I may be able to track it down in the archives....

Greetings, I'm a writer in Dallas on assignment for Scouting magazine. I'm writing about the 100th anniversary of Boys Life, and would love to interview Scoutmasters, Scouts and any others who might have stories to share. If you'd be willing to talk with me, reply to this post or email me directly at [email protected]. I'd be interested in thoughts relating to any or all of these questions: How have you used Boys Life in meetings and other programs? How have you seen Boys Life inspire boys to read? What memories of the magazine do you have from your childhood? Have you shared or read the magazine at home? Also - data shows that readers of Boys Life stay in Scouting longer and advance further. Ever see any direct evidence of that? Deadline is Oct. 11. Thank you!

Greetings, I'm a freelance writer on assignment for Scouting magazine. I'm writing about the 100th anniversary of Boys Life, and would love to interview Scoutmasters, Scouts and any others who might have stories to share. If you'd be willing to talk with me, reply to this post or email me directly at [email protected]. Specifically, data shows that readers of Boys Life tend stay in Scouting longer and advance further. If you've seen any direct evidence of that, I'd love to hear from you. Deadline is Oct. 11. Thank you!

Thanks everybody for your thoughts - very helpful. The kind of "camping" I'm writing is in cabins, so my first task is to clarify the terminology in the article, and explain why Cubs aren't ready for tent camping in the winter.

Hi, I'm a writer on assignment for Scouting magazine. I'm finishing up a story about winter camping for Cub Scouts. I've interviewed some good sources, but thought I'd throw out a request for any tips Scouters might have, or ideas for cold weather camping activities, or examples of council winter programs that have worked well for Cubs. Also - I'm surfing the various Council websites regarding the Polar Bear Patch, and can't tell whether Cubs are eligible. I know this may vary from Council to Council, but I'm trying to get a sense of whether they are generally available to Cub Scouts. Any thoughts?

Greetings, I'm a freelance writer for Scouting magazine. I'm starting my research on an article about youth obesity. I'm hoping to connect with Scout leaders who have found ways to promote fitness in their troops - through exercise, activities, education, or simply new "habits" such as healthier food on camping trips. My goal is to write an article that's helpful and practical - not just "advice" from the "experts." If you have something to share, please contact me directly with a few lines about what you've done, and we can correspond about the possibility of an interview, either by email or phone. Thank you.

Greetings, I'm a freelance writer for Scouting magazine. I'm starting my research on an article about youth obesity. I'm hoping to connect with Scout leaders who have found ways to promote fitness in their troops - through exercise, activities, education, or simply new "habits" such as healthier food on camping trips. My goal is to write an article that's helpful and practical - not just "advice" from the "experts." If you have something to share, please reply with a few lines about what you've done, and we can correspond about the possibility of an interview, either by email or phone. Thank you.

Greetings, I'm a freelance writer and contributor to Scouting magazine. I interviewed Richard Louv for an article in Scouting a few years ago, and I think he was definitely "onto something" of great significance to young people. For a future article, I am looking to talk (via email or phone) with Scout leaders who are finding ways to encourage fitness and to prevent obesity through Scouting activities. I plan to cite Louv's work, so anyone who's been inspired by Louv's book, and in turn tried some ways to respond through your troop, I would love to talk with you. Please contact me directly.