HashTagScouts

I I only have them discuss their thoughts on 6(b) 1 and 2. 3-7 I leave them to discuss with their parents, and have the parent sign that they completed the discussions. I ask them after they've had their family meetings if they want to share any general observations about 6-7, but the others I avoid- especially on the family finances, not really my place to know all that is going on there.

Yup. Council is charging $2,900 for Jambo.

Camps in New England are all at about$500/wk early bird pricing for 2023.

He ceases to be an active Arrowman, that is the terminology I would use.

I'm aware of what Capp said, also aware of the blowback those comments got. It undermined the purpose of the Lodge and forcing Lodges to send $$$ to National, when we could just create our own "camp society" and not operate under the name of Lodge. And, as the moment about NOAC illustrates, National doesn't actually stay in keeping to the Capp comments, as you can't attend a National event (NOAC, or even Arrow Corp, nor OAHA) without paying dues, and you have to do that through a Lodge.

And ended, as not compatible with YP standards. OA functions are Scouting functions, and that was the clarity that we're told over and over.

The conversation a Lodge Adviser has to have every now and then... Like the BSA, there is no such thing as lifetime membership in the OA. You are a member so long as you pay your membership dues. So no, it isn't exactly appropriate that someone continue to wear a sash if they are not paying their membership dues, the same as it is not appropriate to continue to wear a BSA uniform if you are not paying your annual BSA membership fee. True that an individual only goes through Ordeal once, but one has a continuing effort to be considered a member to wear the sash. The handbook states "“Only

BSA professionals can also be MBCs.

MBC renewal process is in the spring, for every MBC. Either your Council handles (or District, if that is what your Council designates).

Agreed. If a SM feels that a youth is not necessarily living up to the Scout Oath or Scout Law demonstrably, it's a good time to have a SMC with that youth and explain why they aren't going to get on the ballot. The very idea of trying to deny a youth AFTER they have been elected by their troop pretty much is public shaming. Having that conference with the youth, maybe you'd learn some things that are going on in that kids life, and it may just sway your opinion of them that being in the OA just might be an additional outlet for the kid to right themselves. I've seen enough Scouts flouris

Agree with @qwaze on not just automatically giving the Scout rank badge. For us, the very first campout that the AoL crossovers attend with the troop, they can breeze through "reviewing" all of the Scout requirements and most will have no issue with being ready that night to have their SMC and be awarded the rank on Sunday morning. And that is appropriate. For the small number that struggle with a requirement or two, they are not massive issues and the kid can still have their SMC and get encouraged to come to the meting that week and 99.9% of the time they will receive their award that night.

Year-over-year, RT has had the January topic as the "Webelos transition". Not the right headline, with AoL being a rank, so right there the whole topic goes off the rails. Also spends way too much time talking about the more "physical" attributes like the crossover ceremony, rather than hammering home to the Packs that if they haven't been direct to parents that there is an actual difference between Cubs and Scouts BSA, they've missed the boat. I've gone hoarse trying to explain this to the Cub RT commissioner. We lost the the narrative a long time ago IMO that Scouts BSA is not just a s

Agree with @5thGenTexan that trying to get youth of today to accept a program from thirty years ago is only going to work in limited fashion, and we're at that level. Accessibility to all those outdoor fun activities is an area we need to focus on. In the northeast, pretty much every council now runs a "base camp" program to make shooting/pioneering/orienteering and such available at least once a month, so that units/patrols/individuals can do them. Once a month may not be enough though. With all the other things kids/families have going on, the "once a month" opportunity may not fit the

Another observation you can take from Scouts Canada- outdoor opportunities abound, and families don't necessarily need an outdoor focused organization to enjoy the outdoors. If we look at Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, where there are numerous open spaces and outdoor opportunities abound, BSA numbers have been exceptional low. BSA policies that can hinder the outdoor experience do not help either. A childhood friend lives in Maine and was taking his daughter deer hunting when she was 9 years old. She wouldn't have been allowed to handle anything other than a BB gun in a BSA setting. Safety

I do think programs will take more of a look of other associations around the globe. Structurally speaking was more what i was getting after. I think we are headed to changes akin to what you see in other countries as well- as more retirements occur, BSA will more centralize operational aspects like recharters, etc. Councils will lose their "franchise" and there will be a more "service area" structure. They'll get out of the business of Councils being business entities in their own right. Initially, I think it will look a bit like the OA section strucure, but over a few more years will break d

The scuttlebutt in the pro ranks is that Mosby will be stepping down this year, and announcement will come this spring. I feel this is credible. The other thing I am hearing is that they anticipate that his replacement will once again be from outside the pro ranks, in favor of another person that has experience from the volunteer side, but preferably much younger. The rumor mill is that a more planned phase in of the CO-less model will be coming by the time of 2025 re-charters. CO model still an option, but the IH/COR would be expected to also be the Committee Chair as requirement

In our town (and I heard similar from parent of one of our girls that lives in a neighboring town), the existing GSUSA units are not exactly the most welcoming to newbies. The council contact basically told parent they should go and start their own unit, which this is a single mom who really truly is going in ten different directions all the time, so being the unit leader was not what she was looking for.

No disagreement from me on that. Stated long ago, Spirit of Adventure Council was the source of the "metrics" BSA stated as the evaluation that all parts of their programs were a fit for girls the same as boys, and that there was a large interest for girls to participate. The outside consultant the BSA used to make that evaluation also lived here in MA. Girls from that Council involved in Venturing sat in focus groups. Never once did I ever hear an actual statistic, only generalities. However, all of that is now in the past. It is a reflection on the BSA today what happens today, and tro

Terrible if you have interest, and still cannot get anyone from your Council to make the effort to help. Sometimes it's just networking and finding someone who can assist with an intro to help to get a CO partnership.

Terrible. The struggle I find myself in with our units- people seem gung ho to try to move mountains to save the boys troop that has been around for 60+ years, but for the girls troop that doesn't have that longevity, its all shrugs.

Hope for the best for you. I hope for those units that have been successful to this point they have continued success. I really hope that Councils at the least have real, practical conversations with the units that are limping along (packs and troops) to engage in productive decisions on what is best for the youth they have to be successful, and we aren't just "keeping units around" for the sake of a few $'s in the Council/National pocket (which often translates to an awful amount of $ and energy spent by the unit/parents to keep something going until it hits critical mass).

Well, actually even "worse" - they are chartered as a Council program. Thy don't have an independent CO that factors into their decision-making, the Council SE is effectively the IH and COR.

I don't disagree with some of your ideas, I just have significant pause when solutions are "Council, Council, Council". To me, Councils will respond in kind with the need to raise registration fees, summer camp fees, and activity fees to pay for more staff if we expect them to lead this. Volunteers- District Chairs, for example- can't make outreach for requests of units that have gear that they don't need and field connecting them to the units in need. Every OA lodge has all the contact info for every SM/Advisor/Skipper and unit committee chair, as well as Cubmasters, in their Council at their

MBCs are not considered a registered adult leader for any purpose other than for MBs. They are not expected to be trained on any other part of the program and serve a role in the outdoor program or troop/patrol meetings. Units do use it to avoid paying fees, but that is not at all appropriate (a Scout is trustworthy). MBCs especially should have nothing to do with the Cub program.

None of the script is taken from any actual Lenape lore, it is all entirely made up. While I don't have issue with the scripts themselves, I do think dropping the association to the Lenni Lenape specifically is appropriate.