Peregrinator

If one claims to be introducing a program, then I think it is implicit in that claim that it will be separate, not the same program that already exists. Why would an existing program need an introduction?

Baden-Powell himself thought that the BSA was too bureaucratic, and I'm sure it's only grown more so in the decades since his death.

15 hours ago, gblotter said:

 There will be an entirely-expected spike in Eagles next year as LDS Scouts prepare to exit BSA, followed by a big drop off in 2020 and beyond. Who knows how many years it will take to regain previous levels (if ever). If you believe there are too many Eagles (in numbers and percentages), the LDS church just fixed that problem for you.

What % of LDS scouts typically earn Eagle?

Weird, I always thought the audience of Boys' Life extended beyond the BSA.

46 minutes ago, FormerProfessional said:

(quoting someone else) "BSA is a national member society of WOSM. WOSM is the ultimate grantor of the license for Scouting."

That's an odd statement (about WOSM being the grantor of a license for scouting). I'm sure WOSM would like things to be that way, but as Baden-Powell put it many years ago, "Scouting is a movement, not an organization." There are many scouting and guiding associations that have nothing to do with WOSM or WAGGGS.

24 minutes ago, FormerProfessional said:

I thought the United States Congress established The Boy Scouts of America in 1910. How does the WOSM have authority of a “scout license” and power to revoke it from the Boy Scouts of America?

WOSM doesn't have a "scout license" but they could, in theory at least, revoke the BSA's membership in that association.

55 minutes ago, gblotter said:

I concur. A key deterrent for LDS families will be the Sunday activity program of many non-LDS packs and troops.

We actually investigated a non-LDS pack for my son back in the day. They had an attractive and energized program, but every premier event (Pinewood Derby, Raingutter Regatta, Rocket Launch, etc) was scheduled on Sundays. Regretfully, we had to say no.

My family is Catholic but one thing that has kept us away from organized sports is the prevalence of Sunday games. Not that playing games on Sundays is bad, just that it interferes with church, family, and leisure time.

8 hours ago, allangr1024 said:

catholic scouting (troops of St George)

Troops of St. George is not scouting, so it is not Catholic scouting.

I don't know in what sense Troops of St. George is supposed to be an "alternative" to the BSA ... it's not scouting, as they will tell you if you ask them.

4 hours ago, David CO said:

Same here. My unit has never had a single contact with NCCS. NCCS seems to parrot whatever BSA says. 

Typically they express concern, promise to review, and then decide that whatever it was is OK.

On 5/15/2018 at 6:04 PM, ParkMan said:

I believe I also noticed that the directors of the BSA make nothing for their troubles.

Directors of non-profit corporations making nothing is normal.

Quote

The vast, indeed overwhelming majority, of board members of charitable nonprofits are unpaid volunteer members of their boards of directors. This is because of the conviction that board members serve voluntarily, and they should not benefit personally from their service.

https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/can-board-members-be-paid

17 minutes ago, David CO said:

What is the National Catholic Committee on Scouting?

In another thread, someone posted a quote from the NCCA. What is the NCCA? Is it a private organization or is it owned/operated by the Catholic Church? Who are its members/leaders? Does it have any authority to speak for the Catholic Church? 

It doesn't have any authority to speak for the Catholic Church, no. In my opinion it is basically an arm of the BSA (a trademark search will show that the BSA owns the trademark to the organization's name); it doesn't work with non-BSA scouting associations (not even the Girl Scouts of the USA) or recognize them in any way.

On 5/14/2018 at 11:48 PM, The Latin Scot said:

Great, thank you! Um ... what exactly is the "flash?" Sorry I have never worn a beret before, lol. 

The insignia (badge or patch) that is on the beret.

On 5/14/2018 at 7:14 PM, ParkMan said:

It matters just as much.

No, actually, what B-P actually did do matters much much more than what you or I or anyone else thinks he might do today.

On 5/13/2018 at 12:48 PM, ParkMan said:

As an aside - interesting how much smaller the number of scouts is in Canada. I know Canada has a population about 11% of the US - but even accounting for that, the US numbers are still significantly larger.

From the BSA 2016 annual report:
Cubs: 1,262,311
Scouts: 822,999
Venturers: 136,629

 

Scouts Canada is about 1/4 the size it was in 1965 (its peak) and 1/3 the size it was in 1990.

On 3/15/2018 at 11:27 AM, cocomax said:

Just give me a little online store that I can buy handbooks, merit badge manuals, patches and uniforms and our troop can continue on just fine.
We also need an insurance policy in place.

Those are all the hardest things though - especially the last.

On 12/10/2017 at 4:32 AM, Cambridgeskip said:

Interestingly all the instances of dealing with helicopter parents I've had this year has been parents of boys.

The dad who wanted to know why his son wasn't a PL yet. (He didn't get chosen by the PLC) The mum who wanted to know why her son didn't have his chief scouts gold and was left to do (why isn't your son having this conversation with me?) and various others.

had no such issues with parents of my girls.

In fact as a counter example I spent a few mins on Thursday chatting to one of my older girls about the last thing she needs to do for her CSG. She approached me. No need for mum or dad to be involve.

Just an observation 

It's almost like boys and girls are different.

I was a Boy Scout during the 1970s, and received my Eagle in 1974. Some on this discussion thread may choose to characterize my viewpoints as spiteful or defeatist. I prefer the adjective "experienced". Scouting has been here before.

 

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Only this time, they're not going to be able to put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Boys acting differently around girls has been my main reservation about all this.  I have seen it happen.  On the other hand, the photos, videos and descriptions that Cambridgeskip and others have posted over the years suggest to me that in the UK the kids seem to do what they need to do regardless of gender.

I'm sure that scouts in mixed units can do whatever they need to do, the real question is whether the individual character can be brought out in each in such units. I'm really skeptical about that.

I don't see how these changes "Ruin" the character of scouting. To say otherwise is to say every other member of the World Scouting movement is doing Scouting wrong, or improperly. 

Yeah wouldn't want to say that WOSM and its member associations are bad even though many have made a hash of the Law and the Promise, would we?

I didn't realize there was a difference between the services.  The page I linked to said E-3 and it did not seem to be Navy-specific.

I didn't realize it either until yesterday!

I did know that college credit seems to matter more than whether or not one is an Eagle Scout or Girl Scout Gold Awardee.

I just read an article about girls and Eagle rank. It says that the US Army will automatically promote an enlisted recruit by a grade once they complete boot camp if they are an Eagle Scout. But not if they are female and have the Gold Award. I have no idea if this is (currently) true. If it is, then that is a case for allowing girls to earn eagle, or to eliminate the benefits the US military offers eagle scouts (unless it's also offered to gold scouts?).

 

Anyone know if any of this is true?

Gold Award holders are treated the same as Eagle Scouts at least with respect to military enlistment - both can enlist at pay grade E-2 (Army, Air Force, Marines) or E-3 (Navy).

The mission of BSA is "youth" not boys, after all.

That's not what the congressional charter says.

You are right.  When I was college age through mid 20s, I would have loved a Boy Scout program where I could canoe, hike and build skills.  IMHO, the BSA youth program would have worked great for this age ... especially as those new adults would want to really learn the skills and build the experiences and explore the MB topics. 

Sounds like the BSA made a mistake in never really implementing a Rover program.

He can be presidential when he wants to be. I'm sure the Jamboree will be one of those occasions.