Eagle94-A1

My experience, and research done in the past points this out, Cubs who cross over no later than March tend to go to summer camp, which retains them longer. I grew up in the old 3 year Cub Scout Program, and when I crossed over to a troop, 1. My family could not afford the lump sum payment required to go to summer camp and 2. My mom did not know any of the Troop Scouters, and didn't feel comfortable letting me go even if they could afford it. And my parents weren't the only ones with these issues as the BSA's research in the late 1980s, early 1990s shows. This is why when BSA revamped the

As @MikeS72 points out "Be active in your Webelos den for at least six months since completing the fourth grade or for at least six months since becoming 10 years old." So the earliest based on Grade is December (BSA's computer system uses June 1 as the start of a school year, regardless of when they actually finish 4th grade). If you go by year, it is theoretically possible to move them up by March of their 4th grade year, And since Webelos is no longer required for Arrow of Light, you can immediately start work on AOL as soon as they turn 10. We did the following based upon the ol

One of the biggest concerns many parents have in my experience is camping. And now they cannot camp with Scouts, Sea Scouts, or Venturers as all adults MUST (emphasis)be registered. And even without the council add on fees, that can be prohibitive to some families. At least National listened to Cub Scout folks who stated that if the new rule applied to Cub Scout camping, it would destroy the program. I am glad family camping is still allowed without restrictions at the Cub level.

Thanks. I would bet a Dutch oven pizza that the cancellation of AOL and Crossover Ceremonies I a reason for the lack of interest in AIA.

I have been known to give people a second chance. But if my Scouts are saying something, I would listen. I have found that Scouts know more about what is going on with each other than adults do. If they are concerned. You should be too.

@mrjohns2Can you show me where that stat came from? Also Can you provide me the info from a NOAC for the 2018 NOAC? Also total attendance from 2018 and 2022 would be nice as well if possible I ask because 2018 was when National stated no more ceremonial regalia for AOL and Crossover Ceremonies, and mandated skits ceremonies that seemed more like commercials. This 2018 rule caused so much of a ruckus in my lodge that folks refused to do those ceremonies. I have stated that many folks get their interest in the OA from those ceremonies, and it would kill ceremonies over time.

One of the attorneys is on the record, specifically an NPR interview, stating he wants the BSA dissolved. One of the bankruptcy threads has a link to the 30 minute interview.

If the BSA's Powers That Be (PTB) didn't agree with this decision, I bet NOAC would have been held elsewhere, This decision was made years ago, and they came up with a plan to phase out AIA. Look at ceremony teams today. I know when the OA chapter came and picked up their gear and equipment out of storage I had, everything AIA related, except the drum, was left behind: ceremony regalia, dance regalia, regalia making supplies, etc. Stuff that took years to get the money to buy and make just left behind like it was garbage. I bet they took drum, despite having no singers, because they can

I know folks who have not missed a NOAC since they were first became Arrowmen and are now skipping out on Colorado. I also know some lodges bring large contingents to compete in AIA events. I remembering one lodge had so many folks signing up that they did not have enough spaces. Almost all were competing in AIA events. I do believe attendance will be low.

@Cburkhardt, I do not know where you live and what socio-economic class your Scouts are in, but mine are in an extremely low economic class. If we were to charge full upfront costs and conduct no fundraising, we would not have a troop. 2/3 of the troop are on some type of financial aid for national and council fees as it is. EDITED I am hearing from the packs that the lack of prorating fees is hurting recruiting. It is too expensive to join. At least with the prorated fees, they could see if the child liked the program ( Scouting is not for everyone), and units had time to help out Scouts

[Old man Voice] "In my day, when we were coming from {insert activity here}, we went into the bathroom and changed into our Scout uniform, AND WE LIKED IT!" (OLD MAN VOICE OVER) 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Seriously though, I remember several times coming in late and changing in the bathroom. Heck I went from a HS senior ring ceremony (semi-formal dress)with my date to an Eagle Court of Honor, changed into uniform, went to the ECOH, and as soon as the ceremony was over change back into coat and tie and go to ring dance. But the absolute best was my girlfriend's winter formal. Prior to going, I had to MC a

Glad someone is being successful. The packs I have talked to are having issues with recruiting. Lot of folks cannot afford the $140 fee that national and council is charging.

A few comments. 1. be prepared to leave as the COR can do anything they want. grant you they are doing too much and really should be a support role. 2.. While I am a fan of troop ceremonies, my troop growing up had a standardized ECOH script, they need to be flexible. MY father was out of the picture when I got Eagle, but my Godfather was a big support, and he got the dad pin. 3. If you go the ECOH on your own, be prepared to pay the financial cost, as well as the emotional cost. It will cause issues with the COR. 4. A cheap way to go for initiations is to create a

When I was a youth many years ago, we had a troop fold and some of their Scouts joined our troop. We also got some gear out of them folding. Once I became an ASM, I found out the full story. CO was a civic organization, and the president and few board members were not favorable towards Scouting. They were also having some financial challenges. When their board found out that they owned equipment and money in the account, they decided they were not going to recharter the unit, sell the equipment, and use the money for themselves. One of the board members was pro scouting and got the word out. B

We are in a similar boat. We have no Cub Scout pack affiliated with us, and our council has refused to help when we asked for it.. Recruiting is strictly word of mouth, and usually entails folks transferring from other troops. However we now have 2 with no previous Scouting experience. We are pushing recruiting, both Scouts and parents. With the exception of me, none of the active, registered adults have Scouts anymore. And my youngest is looking to drop next year.

I admit, I see the necessity of having a SMALL (major emphasis) professional corps. UK is quite successful with a small cadre of pros. But BSA's overbloated bureaucracy is wasteful IMHO. Even councils can be wasteful. One council I know of has 3 individuals working one district, yet the other two have vacancies, and even when one was filled, the pro was not visible.

@Cburkhardt, You may not realize it, but there are ways for SEs, and to a lesser extent DEs, to manipulate who is, and is not, on a district committee, council executive committee, or council executive board. When I was a DE, my SE and DFS had an in-council training session on how to get the folks we want onto those committees. They essentially said we should get folks who will shut up and do what we tell them to do without question. One of the reasons why I was in trouble with them is because I refused to replace some "critics" with "yes men." I wanted the best folks for the job to

Again, I am just pointing out that nationally, there are different procedures. What is the norm in one area, is not the norm in another. Yes there are cameras, LEOs, metal detectors, buzz ins, etc. But presenting photo ID is not one of them.

As you stated, not everywhere. I visit high schools on a regular basis. I get buzzed into the office, register via computer which takes my photo and issues me a badge that is a sticker. No ID or fingerprints required.

I know some COs had no problem with parents taking YPT, getting a background check by the BSA, and registering as an MBC. We were told that MBCs also underwent a background check. Depends upon the council. In one council I was in, it was more than an afterschool program, just with subsidized SMs (he got resources he needed from the council. They had a parapro oversaw them and helped them. In another council, it was mixed. One district had a paid parapro running the 3-4 troops afterschool. In another district, 4 troops shared a subsidized SM. He was retired and 4 meetings

Yet the MBCs cannot camp. Will see a lot more of that, especially since it is already done at the Cub level.

And some councils have tacked on an insurance fee to MBCs, even though they can no longer camp with units. Understatement. Less staff, added council fees, and seeing no value for these fees is making many jaded in my area. And some families used Scouting in lieu of sports because they could not afford sport, like my family. Glad my older two are out because I do not think I could afford all 4 of us in the program ( would have been 5, but after multiple attempts to get the wife registered, and when she is finally registered as an MBC, she gets dropped with every other MBC in the

I hope when the mergers come to my area, the new pros actually listen and work with volunteers and develop relationships with them to get things done. Sadly the pros of late do not listen and do not stay around long enough for that to happen. Most quit within a year. Between the shortness of tenure and the lack of respect, there is a lot of distrust of professionals. And while sometimes change is good, at other times it is not. Sometimes the volunteers do indeed know better how to handle local situations because they know the community, and if a long time volunteer, what will work and wh

Sadly i see this in the future. Local distributers do not find it in their best interest to be a distributor anymore. IMHO, BSA has not treated them well. I know the Centennial Uniform debacle back in 2008 hurt a lot of distributors because they were buying merchandise that was going to soon be discontinued. My local distributor had a loss on Scouting merchandise, and quit selling stuff. And apparently his was everywhere. I visited a local distributor that was a direct competitor to the national scout shop, and they probably did as much business as the scout shop. I can tell you they hired fol

Source is a FB post by a previous NOAC judge/trainer.