Jameson76

At Philmont check-in a few years back, my BP was higher than they liked. Hung around the medical place, drank water, etc. One of the medical folks came in, I asked what's the end game here. They advised that ultimately the decision to head for the trail was my decision. I told them "and we're done here". Had a great trek. 80 plus miles, Baldy and Tooth, etc etc I have not take WB but knowing some of the leaders in our council and from photos, pretty sure NOT a HA and not a physically stressing activity.

Well...you can't have your CEO out and about with the great unwashed.

Most Boy Scouts do not even realize they have a membership card/number. That is until they start filling out the Eagle application

Rather than Woodbadge, lead a second summer camp or a longer term summer experience for the troop

You just know that their version of all of this is that the TROOP would not make a reasonable accommodation for their son who had a life threatening allergy. The TROOP was insensitive to his needs. The parents graciously offered to attend the outing so as to relieve the burden of this from the TROOP leadership. The pleas from the parents fell on deaf ears and everything was fine up until this point. They are not a welcoming TROOP This stuff will write itself

They have published the 2019 Treks - Seems that the middle of the ranch will not be used. Sort of expected this was going to be the case. Either south country or north country. No hiking bear canyon or crossing US 64 https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/2019-itineraries-and-guidebook-to-adventure-released/?fbclid=IwAR0EAgyPzzB6nDK20QvbLg0oKnVvtunDAxmeqtRc7Y7JcUfHk17wOn8rhE8

Option B As Gerry Bertier's so eloquently stated in Remember the Titans - "Sometimes, you just gotta cut a man loose”

We have Scouts (youth) who are Life or Eagle sign off on the Tfoot / Second Class / First Class requirements. I guess if we had Life Scouts in the troop that also had a son in the troop we would evaluate if they could sign off, though not likely we will put it in the rotation of things to talk about. For merit badges scouts find leaders other than their parents to cover that. We are a large unit so most merit badges (especially Eagle required) have 3 to 4 MBC they can call on. For our unit no parents can be on their son's BOR. Same for SM conferences, no parents does those for their son.

We try to recognize key leaders each year as they are being active with the troop. For summer activities we have made mugs (large / regular / travel) and metal coozies over the years. In August we have an adult leaders "meeting" and review the summer. We have about 25 - 30 leaders there from various summer camps, HA, and support functions At Christmas we try to get a small gift for the SM / ASM's / Outdoor For others they sort of, to paraphrase Dugout Doug McArthur..."Old leaders never die, they simply fade away" (Note that he swiped that from and old English folk song) Now we did have a long-term SM step down, we had some items for him.

We were pleased that they acknowledged there is an issue coming over the horizon. They made clear the separation of National to Local council. They specifically called out the properties (Woodruff and Bert Adams) and the VSC (literally in the shadow of the new Braves ballpark) would not be affected. AAC is clearly in the latter part of this question...do you raise money to have scouting OR do you have scouting to raise money. Note that the message is addressed to Parents, Volunteers, and Donors. No mention of the actual scouts who we are providing program to.

Interesting message from the Atlanta Area Council today..... Parents, Volunteers and Donors: The purpose of this communication is to help you understand the position of the Atlanta Area Council, BSA and how it relates to National BSA's story in the recent Wall Street Journal article. Below are some fast facts we would like to share with you: We operate as a financially separate not-for-profit organization and our Council receives no funding from the National organization. The Atlanta Area Council is a 501(c)(3) entity incorporated in Georgia. Our Camps, Volunteer Service Center and finances are owned and controlled by the Atlanta Area Council. Local Scouting programs, camps and the Volunteer Service Center will not be directly affected by National BSA's consideration of their options. All funds contributed to the Atlanta Area Council stay in Metro-Atlanta this includes Friends of Scouting donations, popcorn and camp card sales. Our Council is strong, in fact the Atlanta Area Council is among the strongest in the nation from perspectives of fiscal health, quality programs, volunteer dedication, safety and staff quality. It is our hope that the National organization can navigate the difficult waters that many organizations face over a century of existence; we will help the National organization as called upon. In Atlanta our primary focus is on bringing high-quality programs for over 31,000 Scouts in each neighborhood we serve. Thank you for continuing your role and providing leadership and support to the youth in Metro-Atlanta. Yours in Scouting, Tracy Techau Scout Executive/CEO Atlanta Area Council, BSA

Yes. It is a cash drain. If you read the notes (buried I might add) in the annual report the true picture of the issue comes to light. There are forward thinking statements about "upcoming fund raising" and "anticipated donations". Also there is a balloon payment north of $125 million on the bonds in 2021 I believe. Assume they would refinance that for more interest and kick that can down the road. Bottom line Summit is sort of a microcosm of what is wrong with "corporate" scouting. Some group within National (volunteers and pros) decided THIS is what was needed. This giant EGO project. A big shiny Disneyesque camp to draw all these Scouts to it, cash would roll in. They based some of this on the "waiting lists" for Philmont and Seabase, and to a lesser degree Northern Tier. There was supposedly this unfulfilled population that could be tapped. Well shockingly that is actually a smaller group. Also Scouts want real adventure and action. If you want zip lines, mt biking, whitewater rafting, backpacking, water park adventures, and planned climbing; guess what, my unit can do it waaay cheaper locally. No one bothered to ask if units wanted that or would they spend money to go there. Answer seems to be nope. The local unit is where Scouting happens. Maybe they should ask units what they want and more importantly, what they will pay to actually do.

Well that is an interesting question. IMHO it goes back many many years and continues with inept management. The program at it's core is solid, the overhead execution is tone deaf and not aware of what is actually happening in the trenches. Early 70's - Social tinkering and the introduction of ISP (Improved Scouting Program) that gutted the core outdoor program, in 8 years 40% of Scouts left 70's and 80's - National Leadership handles abuse cases very poorly, and continues to handle them poorly 90's - Some focus away from the outdoor programs and focus STEM and non traditional Scouting activities 90's - Risk management gets to the forefront, BSA is afraid to do the things we used to do successfully 00's - Not fully funding pensions, decides (like many municipalities) to kick that financial can down the road 00's - More and continued social tinkering with the program drives away some membership 00's - Rather than focus on why some traditional units are successful and what draws youth the them, expands into "Scouting for Life" and other non-core offerings, membership shenanigans abound 00's - Early in the new century the brain trust decides that what is needed is a NEW and SHINY National camp, so the SUMMIT is born, 1/2 BILLION dollars later (and counting) it continues to be a giant hole to shovel cash into 00's - Liability insurance goes up, but National is remiss is passing that cost along for several years, really eating into the reserves 00's - The National overhead is not reduced in ratio to the actual number of Scouts, gotta pay the man 00's - Due to various changes the LARGEST group that charters Scouts (20% of membership) makes the decision to part ways with BSA

Curious if anyone has had any direct comments or feedback from their local councils? I wonder is the local councils were in the loop before the CSE e-mail or did it just roll into the inboxes at the office like it did ours? Not sure if the councils will try to do some damage control or hunker down.

I thought (think??) the Councils and Nationals money and finances are separate to a degree. For example National cannot make councils pony up cash to pay for Summit-a-palooza and all those costs. Just as National will likely not bail out a council for bad finance decisions and spending. There is overlap for pensions and the membership dues

What a vague note. Doesn't say BSA is NOT filing bankruptcy, just that these matters continue to have the full attention of the highest levels of our organization, Well..with that type of firm commitment, I am sleeping well

The district / council approval person likely has a copy. Contact them for a "refresh" I have not heard of the post project + pre BOR meeting. Our troop has 8 - 10 Eagles annually. The final check is performed during the SM conference. If the Scout wants a review then the Life to Eagle coordinator sets up a quick meeting.

Our unit had the same feedback from the Boy Scouts and actually our leaders feel the same about linked troops. If some group wants to start a troop for girls (as it is Wednesday not 100% sure what the correct term currently is) at the church we wish them well. We would be glad to speak with them and offer advice, but we are not looking at a linked model. The CO has 2 packs and our troop. Roughly 300 Cubs and Boy Scouts, but no groundswell for a troop for girls. If a unit and the current BOY SCOUTS (to be called Scouts 2/19) in the unit are supportive of a linked troop model, that would be an easier road to travel. If not supported by the youth, could get rocky

Not the project paperwork, that goes back to the troop and Eagle As others have noted we sign 2 copies of the Eagle application, one for the troop and one the district retains. Also the district keeps a record of who was on the EBOR, there seems to be a form. For our district the troop is responsible to file the completed one at the council office.

I think the "Family" aspect (however you may define that) is the largest unknown coming around the bend for the Boy Scouts (soon to be Scouts BSA). Not sure how all these new families that are flooding in will react when the kiddos can't be in the same troop, all the younger siblings aren't tagging along, and (if used) the linked troops do different activities. Also the way troops camp is vastly different from Cubs. Same for meetings, planning, advancement. These will be good times as it gets hashed out.

Incorrect signatures are sometimes an issue. On the report more photos is better than less, especially those that show what you were doing and what the end product or outcome may have been. Easier for the BOR group to visualize the accomplishment Remember that it is NOT a job interview, it is a review. This should be a conversation about your journey through Scouting, what you have gained, what you have given back, and (hopefully) how you may be of service to Scouting going forward.

We had a quick Eagle award last night. After as we were getting ready to leave the Eagle made the comment "I am glad I got my Eagle before the name change". Interesting thought. Not so much for right now, because we are heading down the road and already have made a change decision. Question is how will these young men feel in 10 -15 years about the Boy Scouts of America (or whatever it may be called) and what effect will that have. Will they believe it is the same organization that they were in? Are the folks in Dallas selling the future for a hopefully quick win in the current times? The analogy of the YMCA is spot on. People were members of the YMCA and they have most certainly changed and updated their focus, but they are still called the YMCA. We are the Boy Scouts of America. There is a tremendous amount of name recognition and good will from that name. Let's not muck it up.

The way that place is hemorrhaging cash, they would gladly take any and all groups to fill slots

I'm gonna bet nope One of our ASM's had a daughter in GS. She was about 12 or 13 at the time, he was getting her at an event and to say he was not welcomed would be an understatement. Now he is an Eagle Scout from back in the day, long term leader, nicest guy, just there to get his kid and say hey. Other leaders / dads with daughters have also said they were not welcome at all at GSUSA functions. God forbid they try to camp with them

I wonder when the MB will be changed to Indigenous Peoples Lore, also that headress on the MB may be an issue