Eagle1993

I think many of us would agree the aims of scouting including citizenship development. The question is the how (methods). In order to achieve the top rank in UK Scouts, you have to complete 9 challenge awards. Of those, 1 is similar to BSA's Citizenship list. Below are the requirements of the "World Challenge Award". You can see all of our 4 Citizenships in this one award. I also notice that it would be tough to earn this sitting in a classroom (in fact, there is almost no classroom aspect to this award). This is about taking action (6 of the 7 requirements are about taking action, 1 is about self-directed research). Now compare to our Citizenships which use the term "explain" all the time with no linkage to actively participating in anything. Simplify & combine our Citizenships and focus on action ... that will lead to better results (from actually gaining and retaining knowledge to BSA retaining scouts). World Challenge Award Requirements: Whether you’re volunteering in your local community or learning about an international issue, this award is all about exploring the world from your doorstep and making a positive impact. How to earn your badge: Choose an aspect of local community life and find out as much as you can about it. You could learn about: local government local history different faiths and beliefs types of farming/industry found locally 2. Spend a day volunteering with and finding out about a service in your local community: What are their challenges? Who relies on this service? What positive impact could you have on this service in the future? Services could be homeless shelters, local nature reserves, care homes and food banks. 3. Take part in an activity that reflects upon and explores your own beliefs, attitudes and values (this may or may not include religious beliefs). What values do we share as Scouts? Which Scout value means the most to you? 4. Take part in an activity that explores common beliefs and attitudes towards gender or disability in different societies. You could look at this in the context of music, sport and fashion. 5. Take an active part in an environmental project. 6. Investigate and try to make contact with Scouts in another country. Make sure you and your leader read the International Links Guidance. 7. Take part in an activity that explores an international issue.

The merit badge program for Eagle is not designed well. I think it does little to keep youth in scouting, is redundant, boring and not aligned with the "outing" in scouting. It is what it is. National doesn't seem to care. So, either scouts slog through it or Eagle factories pump out the clinics for youth who want to add Eagle Scout to their resume. I've heard more positive feedback about Society than other Citizenships. However, given the group setting and Troop size, we have only had one chance to earn it... So it could catch a lot of youth by surprise if they procrastinate.

I think this is true for the whole of scouting. The lack of girl troops in scouting is because, for the most part, the bulk of citizens don't care. Same reason why scouting is falling for boys ... because the bulk of citizens don't care about scouting. In 1960, 20% of boys were in scouts. Just talking about boys, if the same ratio existed today, we would have 6 million scouts. Since we offer services to girls as well, we should have close to 12 million scouts. We are under 1 million scouts across boys & girls. I think BSA can help change this, but National Leadership is mute. BSA has a lot of choices to make. One is going to have to be if they tell girls they have no option after 5th grade while the boys they had been working with move on to Troops. I'm seeing this frequently as many girl only troops struggle to maintain 5 scouts in my area. (Boy Troops are also falling/dropping). If BSA does not want to give that message, then they could allow coed Troops. No need for additional overhead to create single gender girl troops. I would expect more Troops would be available for girls. If BSA does not like those two choices, the only other option is to stop admitting girls into Cub Scouts if there is not a path for them in Scouts BSA. Perhaps that is decided at District Level. This is a bit of chicken/egg situation as previously mentioned, but Boy Scouts of America started at the Troop level. I would argue Troops/Boy Scouts/Scouts BSA has the biggest impact on youth, is the most unique offering BSA offers and has the most important impact on the country at large. If you cannot first setup Girl Troops in your district, then you shouldn't start allowing girls in Cub Scouts. None of this helps the question at hand. You have 2 options. Lone scout OR creating a girls only Troop by recruiting more girls. Perhaps an existing boy troop will help be a linked unit.

From what I can tell, the case is going to District Court for appeal. District court accepted the case and layed out various ground rules. I could not find any dates or schedules yet.

Boring meetings: What do they want to do? Maybe focus the meetings on what fun activities you can do on your monthly weekend. This one has been mentioned by multiple scouts in many Troops. You are definitely not alone here. My son's best friend, who dropped out of scouts (from another Troop) said Boy Scouts is 10 hours of boring meetings for every weekend of camping. His thought ... just skip the meetings and go camping. His Troop had gone from ~60 scouts to 9 in the last 4 years and are on the verge of collapse. I've talked with several parents in our Troop who were scouts 20-30-40 years ago. When we met back then, we planned various outings during our meetings (in addition to scout skills). However, kids today do not typically meet in person to plan activities. They do it over Discord or other online communication tools. One thought we had was to simply allow scouts to meet over discord to do planning activities (if they prefer that method). Then, keep meetings to games/scout skills/advancement. We would perhaps eliminate a meeting or two a month. (Personally, I prefer the in-person meetings. In addition, the PLC says they like meeting in person; however, I'm not sure if that is because they think that is what the adults want to hear. We haven't changed yet, but it is on the table). You have some tough choices. I wouldn't blame you if adults step in a while to save the Troop. However, it shouldn't be the permanent solution. Perhaps adults plan a fun/engaging meeting and then meets with the PLC to show options on meetings and what can be done to make it fun. I know we have had to do that time to time when our PLC isn't really stepping up well. We debated do we allow several bad meetings to occur or step in. We have done both and have seen allowing repeated bad meetings (to help the PLC learn) has caused more long-term damage to the Troop than stepping in and then working to teach/coach the PLC/SPL. Either way, it's a tough call.

So could tripping down a few stairs. However, AK47 propel a larger mass at a higher velocity resulting in far more energy. .22 is around 250 joules ... AK47 are closer to 2000 joules. There has been studies that show ... larger caliber weapons increase likelihood of death. In Boston, if individuals were shot with only smaller caliber bullets, their gun homicide rate would have dropped nearly 40%. Simply put, higher caliber is more deadly. The Association of Firearm Caliber With Likelihood of Death From Gunshot Injury in Criminal Assaults | Emergency Medicine | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network I have allowed my son to shoot a variety of guns, including some larger caliber long rifles. There is a BIG difference between controlling a .22 and larger caliber or higher velocity gun/ammo. You can teach everything scouting should teach with a .22 ... if you want more, then expand your experience outside scouting. I wouldn't argue against maintaining separate options for older scouts ... but it seems like most camps I go to struggle to have an RSO/instructor available to manage a .22 and shotgun range. No surprise here ... I fully disagree with the opinion piece and believe the BSA shooting sports are a great program that should continue. However, insurance companies and some anti gun parents will use cases like this to push BSA to end the program. (Shooting sports is already in trouble in many areas due to lack of trained volunteers). Hopefully BSA pushes back, but all volunteers need to ensure they follow the BSA/NRA rules or there is no doubt the program will end.

An RSO AND an instructor is required for every 8 scouts. I struggle to see how this could happen with this ratio in place. It sounds like there was lack of oversight of the range; however, it could happen if a scout purposely ignored orders ... so we need to know a bit more before casting final judgement. If the adults broke BSA rules, they should be held civilly liable and pay. They should also be removed from BSA. If the adults broke the law, they should be held criminally liable. If we want shooting sports to remain in BSA, we need the leaders to follow the rules. The fastest way to end shooting sports is to have adults break the rules. Terrible what happened to these scouts.

What I find interesting, is that Circle 10 signed off on their targets in October of 2020, and at that time, predicted they would have 44,000 scouts by the end of 2020. Now, nearing the end of 2022, they see 33,000 as growth. I can't imagine that is a good sign (they were targeting 46,000 scouts for end of 2022 only 2 years ago).

I found a strategic plan online from a Circle 10 discussion in late 2020. Their goals then: 2020 - 44,000 2021 - 44,700 2022 - 46,000 2023 - 48,000 33,000 is concerning, at least vs the plan 8146795-StrategicPlan-2021-2023-1647373160710.pdf

My district is short it's goal by about 50% or just over 160 Cub Scouts. That is as of October. They will probably close the gap a bit, but will end short of plan. I am concerned about Troops. Several are down to 1 patrol in my area. One Troop in my town who always had 50-60 scouts even as of 2018/2019 are down to 9. I talked to that Scoutmaster who said a former SM took over who was really strict and a rules guy to the point most of the scouts just quit. My pack recruited well and our Troop is fairly healthy. However, I am seeing some dark clouds on the horizon. BSA will need major changes to survive.

A bunch of filings hit over the last few days. BSA financial update ... unrestricted liquidity now at $73M (as of end of August). Down $11M from July and down $161M since start of bankruptcy. Notice of Appeal to District Court filed 9/22 & 9/23 5afa7f6b-ff0b-4f3b-be07-7ddd14903ae9_10466.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) c2df4ef0-e46e-4f47-9fde-73c0837abd91_10472.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Then several detailed filings of those appealing the order... So far, I don't see the DOJ; however, I'm not sure if they would send anything or just argue in court. In general, it looks like the non-settling insurers are going after this case individually (I see 15 different insurance companies) along with a couple of groups of claimants. Arch Insurance Company - 52790349-974a-4ece-95e7-6dc5b77eb59d_10507.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) National Union Fire Insurance - b92529d9-9786-44d3-b7b1-625a67a1726c_10508.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Travelers Casualty and Surety Company - 9298c20f-f03b-4f0a-afff-f620d04e4c32_10509.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Indian Harbor Insurance Company - aa9ba6a0-d4e5-41c9-99fc-646c3b30469b_10510.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Munich Reinsurance America - aa9ba6a0-d4e5-41c9-99fc-646c3b30469b_10510.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Arrowood Indemnity Company - aa9ba6a0-d4e5-41c9-99fc-646c3b30469b_10510.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) General Star Indemnity Company - 1aefc7ec-86d1-4666-b296-37c13cbf4664_10513.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Continental Insurance & Columbia Casualty - 2a28ea5e-3cdb-413b-808d-b2b8f978c40a_10514.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Argonaut Insurance Company& Colony Insurance - e26ef6b9-ba5e-40ac-965d-82b6946d923d_10515.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Allianz Global Risks - 5629d276-6abe-4a66-9559-1bd7f81f1513_10516.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Traders and Pacific Insurance - 8e25629a-a98e-4d46-84d1-2525253646c8_10517.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Liberty Liberty Liberty - https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/6b294191-1490-4029-9ebc-fcd714777bc0_10518.pdf Old Republic Insurance - 6cb0fa22-8ad6-45f3-8cf2-ddb13e0ca2ae_10519.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Gemini Insurance - b3c41443-693a-486f-a5e7-e1bb0ab01e1a_10520.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) D&V Claimants - 12bee4e1-f6e3-45ca-ae69-fc1a67f0019d_10521.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Great American Assurance Company - 48bfe057-add5-482f-82db-21b0f56319f4_10523.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) Lujan & Wolff - 63f20f61-5d67-4cbe-8bde-7288d615dd5a_10526.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com) & b3990d44-3023-41e1-bdfd-ad932e0a7cdf_10527.pdf (omniagentsolutions.com)

Don't forget the scouts who do not renew membership fall off the books after recharter (early 2023). The number I am interested in will be posted in February. I have seen a big uptick in scouts dropping during recharter. I think in the past, parents would see $25 and figure they would renew even if they don't participate much. Now scouts who rarely participate drop off. We need to continue to see growth feb to feb every year or BSA is in trouble.

These companies do not need the BSA. Why would they pay the BSA? Rocket League has, on average, 90 million users every 30 days. Madden sells about 150 million copies and has even more users. I don't understand how an E Sports tournament ties into the BSA, but if setting up an E Sports tournament allows BSA to advertise their offerings and helps recruiting I'm all for it. Now, if there was patrol based e sports game that would be a much better path.

I'm curious is they expected us to be closer to the goal by now.

I'm curious if these were 22s and a variety of shotguns or something beyond what is approved by Scouts BSA. It sounds like the guns were not stored properly. There should be no chance a unsupervised scout should have access to firearms at camp. Hopefully a warning to anyone who doesn't take the shooting sports rules seriously. I've never seen anything close to this at any camp I attended. Firearms are always secured when the range is closed. Sad story, hopefully never repeated.

@ajherkert Welcome to Scouter.com. Sounds like you have a lot of great experience. I'm sure others will provide guidance as well. As a former leader of a pack, the best way to help a pack is to be a great den leader. Personally, I think having great energetic den leaders is the most important aspect of a healthy pack. Perhaps watch how den meetings are run and get a sense of the pack culture. Find some areas where you may be able and provide some suggestions. If you see a need for major changes, that is a whole different topic. In terms council, attend the district meetings. That lets you meet fellow scouters and allows better local discussions about scouting topics. One caution is to be careful of burn out. Being a scouter is a marathon not a sprint. I ramped up quickly, den leader, Committee Chair, Scoutmaster and district committee... It was too much and now I backed down to solely Scoutmaster. Looking back, it is better to do one job great than a bunch of jobs half assed. it sounds like you can bring a lot to scouting, I would just hate to see you burn out early. Hope this helps & good luck! It is a blast to see the kids mature through the years in scouting.

We had Lions in 2016. They started a pilot program for Packs that were willing to jump through some hoops.

Just for some info. My first Lion den had over 30 scouts. Those scouts are now in 6th grade and 3 crossed over. I had 4 den leaders... 0 of their kids crossed over (and clearly they didn't as well). I asked why and nearly every parent said they were done with scouting.... They felt it ran it's course. I explained Scouts BSA was different but it didn't work.

I used to be a fan of the Lions program as it provided an early scouting experience and aligned with GSUSA Daisies (plus the timing when many kids start sports). However, I am seeing local evidence that both volunteers and youth burn out on scouting at a higher rate if they start as Lions. I'm not sure if that trends across my council or nationally. We kept Lions to a one meeting OR outing per month. Very limited attendance at Pack meetings. We charged no pack fee and didnt have them sell popcorn. The high BSA fee is a turnoff. In terms of uniform, you could skip the Lion shirt and just have them buy the Cub Scout uniform. It only needs to last through 3rd grade. BSA should make Lions very cheap, $25 only with no council fee. Their pricing on Cub Scouts and the length of time in the Pack is damaging the long term health of the overall program.

So take the over on my 9 month guess. Hopefully BSA has a record setting recruiting year. I'm not 100% convinced they can last 18 more months in bankruptcy without some major cash infusion or a big recruiting surge. Hopefully the pace of bankruptcy legal fees drop.

Purdue took about 3 months to see their settlement rejected in District court. Then another 3 months for the bankruptcy judge to approve a modified plan. They were then heard by an appeals court in April and are still waiting on a decision. So, Purdue is at 1 year post initial plan approval. My understanding is that the District court response was fast for Purdue. I'm setting an over/under plan effective date of 9 months (mid June 2023). Just a wild guess. That pains me as I hope it is faster, but looking at similarly complex cases it seems like this is going to take some time.

Started new topic.

Now that the judge has confirmed the order, BSA plans to take the show to district court. Feel free to discuss, but please keep this to the legal case only.

If it helps pay to keep camps within BSA and has limited impact on scout programs I have no issue. I'm sure many families could be interested and it would be a unique experience. I expect BSA will have to be more creative to gain revenue streams and at least this one doesn't involve selling off camps.

Letter from The Honorable Judge Silverstein re: language for paragraph 51(b) Filed by . (CMB) https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/07463674-d994-4157-8aa6-809221601f3c_10304.pdf The judge asked both the non settling insurers and BSA to submit their own versions of a section of a plan. She said she would pick her favorite. Here you can see she replied. Now just waiting on plan approval. Once approved, BSA will quickly move to District court. So, the saga will go on. It will be interesting if anyone outside non settling insurers keeps up the fight.