Eagle1993

17 minutes ago, RememberSchiff said:

Maybe a discount for a future HA trek?

That was my thought.  Perhaps a free trip to Summit? I'm sure they wont get back the cash.

I've seen mixed updates on FB by some who are present.  Complaints about lack of shade options, lack of water, lack of facilities (4 toilets for 200+), kids putting drinking hoses down their pants to keep cool, no garbage service, etc.  Also, reports that some of the doctors in the hospital supporting the camp have collapsed due to exhaustion.

However, it appears not all sub camps are that bad and some want to stay. Some parents have said their kids told them it wasn't too bad and they want to stay.

Tough call to make and given how much money was spent, I hope BSA finds a way to compensate. 

It sounds like South Korea wasn't ready to host something this large.

Posted to FB:

The following was shared with all of the National Service Territories earlier today (31 July); I have been busy with other recovery tasks to fully read and vet the information provided. 

------------

"from the BSA Volunteer Training Team

**Changes to Cub Scout Pack Overnight Camping**

Effective Sept. 1, 2023, Cub Scout packs who are conducting their own overnight camping activity may now camp up to two consecutive nights. 

Cub Scout packs who are conducting their own overnight camping activities must continue to have at least one registered adult leader who is trained in Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO), oversees the planning, and is in attendance for the pack campout. 

This updated policy also applies to Webelos and Arrow of Light dens who may conduct den-coordinated campouts. The policy will be updated in the Guide to Safe Scouting and other resources on Sept. 1. An updated version of the BALOO training will also be released at this time.

ACTION: Reminder, Cub Scout camping is limited to their council’s designated locations with appropriate facilities. As councils prepare to communicate this change to their local packs, now is the time for the council to review the approved Cub Scout pack overnight sites and make any necessary updates. 

As this announcement is communicated to your packs, it is important to ensure that your council’s list of approved pack overnight camping locations is easily accessible from your website and is included in your communications. For additional information regarding Cub Scout camping, including required youth protection policies, please review the Guide to Safe Scouting."

(Mike Walton/Settummanque)

I would have rather seen an actual female scout, but it is still better than the naked man following the boy scout statue.

I'll add... You kill Cub Scouts recruiting you kill the entire organization in a few years. 

Cub Scout fees should be lower.  I don't see how you recruit many new scouts when those parents are looking at:

$140 Council Fee

$80 National Registration

$25 New Scout Fee

$15 Scouts Life

$xx Pack Fee

$75 Uniform/Book

Total $335+ to join an organization to build a pinewood derby car, run around a room a few times a month and visit a local police station.

6 hours ago, Owls_are_cool said:

Hypothetical...If I am selling Scouts BSA to a prospective scout, would bringing up this merit badge increase or decrease the chances of them joining the program?

It could help if they bring up anti inclusions stances BSA has had in the past; However, I don't think it sells the program at all.  I have never had no seen the need for it come up with prospective scouts.

1 hour ago, mrjohns2 said:

My wife just re-uped my middle daughter’s troop.
 

Scout: $25/scout national dues, $5 local. 
Adult: $25 only 

Which is what should be used as BSA's comparison vs travel baseball.  

I'll also mention that my GSUSA troop never charged for outings (including hotel rooms, camp sites, etc.). 

Also, not one call about FOS. 

My camp appears to have less attendees than previous years.  Bad news as one of the bigger camps in the state closed, so attedance should be up.

1,749 total scouts & adults are registered over 6 weeks of camp, averaging 292 per week with 130 Troops (average 13.5 scouts/adults per Troop)

Pareto of Troop size (including adults) below.  Just 22% of Troops are at least 20 scouts & adults

https://www.cnn.com/style/stephen-lucka-photography-scouts/index.html

2 hours ago, mrjohns2 said:

One would have thought they would have been working on the plan when not in court and would have unleashed this at the meeting. Instead, they unleashed the fee increases. 😞

I expect they do have a plan, but it sounds like they didn't make it public in NAM.  We have seen some snippets during the bankruptcy hearing, and those snippets were from late 2021.  Anyone with any competence would have a detailed plan ready to save BSA.  I was hoping they would release it during NAM but based on what has come out, nothing was really released.

If those were the top 15 items at NAM, I'm happy I didn't attend.

20 minutes ago, HashTagScouts said:

Would love to be privy to whatever that master plan suggested is. Can't imagine that someone you are paying to come up with that plan is only going to suggest things that are little/no cost or that can be done only with volunteer labor. 

Supposedly they received over $6M for the camp sale so have ~$3M to spend on this camp.  The camp has very few cabins, toilets, a small dining hall and is very underdeveloped.  

Definitely hope they listen to local scouters.  When I talked with the council leadership, they emphasized they want to ensure they have good plans before adding anything.  We will see...

Indian Mounds Reservation was sold to a NA Tribe.... Probably the best buyer of the land.

Dear Scout Leaders:

Earlier today, the Trustees of the Milwaukee Boy Scout Fund completed the sale of Indian Mound Scout Reservation (IMR) to the Forest County Potawatomi Community. The camp sale follows Three Harbors Council’s decision to end camp operations at IMR last fall. This difficult decision was reached following a comprehensive review of our two camps while taking into consideration the significant contribution of $3.685 million requested from our council to support the Settlement Trust, a compensation fund for survivors of abuse in Scouting, established through the BSA’s financial restructuring process. Selling the camp was a necessary and important step as we support survivors of abuse and ensure that we are in the best position to serve youth and families in southeastern Wisconsin for many years to come. 

Following the board’s decision, the Trustees of the Milwaukee Boy Scout Fund, who owned the camp, entertained multiple offers to purchase IMR. The property went under contract at the asking price in the fall, and following a due diligence period, the sale closed on June 1st. The buyers are still determining the future usage of the property. The property is zoned as “Institutional” and therefore the current permitted usage is restricted to camps, parks, schools, hospitals, or similar uses. 

The proceeds from the camp sale will be invested in the Milwaukee Boy Scout Fund, a separate Trust that serves as the council’s endowment fund, providing annual support for Scouting operations. The sale proceeds will allow the Trust to recoup the $3,075,000 it provided to Three Harbors Council as a special grant to assist in the council’s contribution to the Settlement Fund. At the discretion of the Trustees and pending the completion of a new camp master plan, funds from the sale of IMR may be made available for future investment in Camp Oh-Da-Ko-Ta.

While we are pleased to have the sale completed, today is also a time to reflect on Indian Mound Scout Reservation’s legacy. The camp was founded in 1917 on the shores of Silver Lake near Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. IMR served thousands of Scouts throughout its 105-year history. We are truly grateful to the Scouting volunteers, donors, and community leaders who donated their time, talent, and treasure to support the program at IMR. The camp had an incredibly positive, lifelong impact on Scouts, leaders, and families across our council. 

As we move forward, the Council’s focus will be on strengthening camp facilities and programs offered at Camp Oh-Da-Ko-Ta, located on Dyer Lake near Burlington, Wisconsin. Past Council President, Dr. R. Scott Pierce, is chairing a committee of camp volunteers charged with developing a new master plan for Camp Oh-Da-Ko-Ta. The council has hired Domokur Architects, a national leader in camp planning, to help guide the master plan process, and opportunities for Scout leader input will be shared in the coming months.

Please reach out to Camping@ThreeHarborsScouting.org with any questions about the camp sale. Any inquiries from local news media should be directed to Scout Executive Andrew Hardin.

Thank you for your continued support of Scouting in Three Harbors Council.

In Scouting,

Kimberly Kane

Council President Andrew Hardin

Scout Executive

Apparently they compared membership rates between packs with single gender dens and coed dens and found coed performed better.

One change announced today - K4 through 4th grade Cub Scout Dens can now be coed.

I believe the final financial statement has been uploaded (see attached).a467cb7b-d708-4574-bf09-af88162f82eb_11230.pdf

A lot of activity on this one as it closes out BSA's immediate cash outlays to the trust.  Note councils have ongoing payments and I believe BSA may have some as well.

BSA leaves bankruptcy with $25.5M unrestricted cash. 

3 minutes ago, PACAN said:

Did I miss a policy change?  My understanding is that councils cannot add a council fee greater than the BSA registration fee currently $75.

 

 

Agreed, but They said that limit doesn't apply to them.  Other councils are already getting around this limit as well.  Sounds like that limit is meaningless.

In this case, it appears the council leadership and United Way are not aligned causing UW to cut funding.   If my council lost UW funding, it would be a $78 per scout deficit.   Don't tick off the United Way without a plan to replace their funding.

7 hours ago, mrjohns2 said:

It is a complicated analysis that could show different stories depending on how one slices it. I think e do of 2022 compared to end of 2021 is an important measure as is April 23 compared to April 22. Comparing April 23 to end of year 22 is interesting, and important, but bakes in some ebs and flows. 

One concern has to be that the >10% increase in Cub Scouts shrunk to 6.5% by April.  Either we are losing scouts at a faster pace or recruiting isn't going as well Jan-April in 2023 as it did in 2022. 

In order to keep up the 10% annual increase in Cub scouts we will have to recruit 228K more Cub Scouts on top of the 410K we currently have ... They recruited 196K last year during the same time period so while a steep target not impossible.

BSA letter to survivors.

BSA-Open-Letter_042023.pdf

Locked as this thread hit its end.  Various other topics spun off, but to continued discussion re: Bankruptcy can be found below.

Sounds like those changes we discussed to Cub Scouts will come out during the National meeting. 

Also, how to bring in the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Very disappointed to see no discussion of any discussion of changes to Scouts BSA (required merit badges that look like High School 2.0 and cooking requirements that make you lose all love of cooking). 

Venturing seems like a hail Mary as well.