FireStone

Just curious if any troops are easing up on phone usage policies during meetings/outings in light of the new digital-only merit badge pamphlet announcement. One of our local summer camps is extremely restrictive when it comes to phones in camp, even for adults. I wonder if now they'll have to ease off that a bit and at least allow MBCs to have a device so they can reference merit badge materials. Anyone altering their troop policies?

Is that nation-wide? The decision summary reads like it's only focused on California.

Just a point of emphasis: The schools are keeping the trans identity a secret, not teachers. Teachers are often legally restricted from disclosing gender identity or sexual orientation when a student confides in them but is withholding that information from their own parents. It varies by state but this is common practice. Board of Ed, lawyers, admins, they're the ones making the decision not to disclose. Some teachers want to talk to the parents about it but they are not allowed to.

Why would I have a lawsuit on my hands? I'm just doing what my Council is doing, we're continuing to sign up kids and not checking birth certificates.

Why would they? Parents have to fill out the form, if they're coming to a girls troop and checking the female box, that's good enough for me.

I'm not checking birth certificates and trans youth are welcome in my troop, you think that's abuse. We're miles apart ideologically. I'm good with where I'm at on this, alongside the many councils that have officially expressed the same stance. If you think this is abuse, you probably should report it.

It's standing up for our members. Not just trans youth but girls, too. Don't forget that Hegseth wants girls out and the name to change back to Boy Scouts. It's the stance National should have taken. Instead they caved.

I'm happy to see so many Councils putting out statements these last few days basically saying that they will not check birth certificates and that all youth are still welcome in Scouting. Once again, local has to do what National doesn't. Can't say I'm all that surprised, really. But it's nice to see so many Councils supporting our youth members, ALL members.

That's simply untrue. In Hegseth's own words:

Can we also just put it into perspective that this is a whole lot more than a merit badge discontinuation, and today's news effectively kicks many trans kids out of Scouting America? Trans kids now have to choose between switching to a troop that aligns with their birth gender or joining a coed troop, if one exists in their area. If a coed troop isn't available to them, and they don't wish to join a troop that doesn't align with their gender identity, they're effectively kicked out. This is awful.

So you want to kick all the girls out? Maybe you'll get your wish. Scouting America bent the knee and now we can only wait and see how they'll pay for it. Today's demands aren't the end of the list for Hegseth, and Scouting America showing this kind of weakness only opens the door for him to demand more and more and expect to get his way. I guess when that happens, we'll see if there is any bravery left in that building in Irving.

A plea to adults to stop staying quiet and speak up for our members, in particular the girls in our Packs and Troops: We're going on 7 years of girls in Scouts BSA at the Troop level, 8 years in Cubs. At this point, girls in Scouts BSA and Cub Scouts should seem completely normal to everyone, there aren't many active boys who would have been old enough to remember the time before girls were in the main programs after so many years. And yet if you look on social media, the hostility towards girls is still rampant, and sadly some of it comes from members, both youth and adults. Girls are treated like invaders, as if they took over the BSA and forced themselves into the organization. Nothing could be further from the truth, as these girls would have been under 10 years old when the membership policies changed. Still, some boys and men feel empowered to bully these girls, and yes I knowingly use the word "bully" as it fits the definition of what is happening here. Repeated targeted behavior meant to make someone feel unwelcome on the basis of gender. It's some of the same usernames and profiles making the same comments on every social media post that depicts girls. Whether they like it or not, these girls are full members of Scouting America and should be afforded the same recognition and respect as the boys. But few adults stand up to the bullies. Few people speak out, and even Scouting America seems reluctant to act. Anti-female comments are left on Scouting America social media posts for days or weeks before they are finally deleted, if they are even addressed at all. Meanwhile some of the older girls who are featured in these posts (or their fellow Troop scouts) see the comments and the damage is already done. I think it's long past time that the grace period be expired for what is often reduced to someone "just sharing an opinion". These are Youth Protection violations, use of social media to make people feel like they don't belong in Scouting should be handled as such. Each comment should be investigated, each person identified as a member of Scouting America should be dealt with according to any other in-person instance of bullying. Personally, I'd like to see any adult member who engages in this be immediately removed from the organization. And any scout who does it be referred to their Troop and local Council for appropriate disciplinary action. But aside from any hope for an official response and increase in action regarding this issue, I'd also like to implore EVERYONE to speak up for the girls, and defend female youth members in the same way we'd defend male youth members from bullying and targeted unkind behavior. Those opposed to girls in Scouting America have had more than enough time to get it out, say what they wanted to say, and voice their disagreement. And no one is saying that they can't still do that, but take your grievances to National or Council offices. It's been 8 years. Some girls are old enough to have joined and aged out already, and yet they've had to endure this nonsense from within the organization the whole time. Let's not let this remain a thing in Scouting. We can't control what everyone says, but we can and should end this tolerance we seem to have as an organization for social media bullying on the basis of gender.

What's weird is that by some observations, GNYC Council looks healthy and thriving. I'm in NJ but when we go to Alpine Scout Camp (a GNYC property located just across the river in NJ), that camp is always active and busy. We went to the Cub weekend in the fall and I was told that there were over 1,000 scouts there. For just that one weekend. And most seemed to be GNYC units judging by CSPs on uniforms and Pack t-shirts. The program looks healthy, so it's surprising to read that the actual numbers say otherwise.

I'm doubling down on my "Eagle Scouts who can't congratulate a new Eagle without making it about themselves and mentioning that they are an Eagle" pet peeve to now also include non-Scouters who just know an Eagle personally and seem to be afflicted with the same condition. The comment below was on a post announcing a new Eagle Scout and the commenter didn't even bother to offer any kind of congratulations or accolades and jumped straight to making it about themselves (and their husband).

This is so poorly worded and tone deaf. Family Scouting was a smart concept for Cub Scouts. It makes no sense as a marketing tool for Troops. And like Jameson76 mentioned, it's not what 11-17 year olds want. Also pitching this as a solution to inadequate numbers needed to start a single-gender troop is just pure nonsense. This didn't come about to solve that problem and we all know it. I'm 100% in favor of this all happening, it's long overdue, but I don't get this particular marketing pitch to roll it out as "family scouting". It makes no sense.

I've seen it a handful of times but what reminded me of this was seeing 2 in one camp, but in different units. I actually find it helpful, if everyone abides by the square knot rule it's easy to tell who is a late-teens scout vs. a late-teens adult.

I have so many questions... How did the driver get out? The doors had to be pinned shut. The thing traveled 75 YARDS after impact?? Wish there was video of that. How were there no injuries? Lastly, how about the troop gets to keep the car and they call it even?

Adults wearing Eagle rank patches. Not the square knot, the oval. And I'd personally let it slide for an 18 or 19-year-old, but I'm seeing too many 50-something men wearing an oval Eagle rank patch.

If a troop is starting with 11 and 12 year olds, does it even make sense to have an SPL to start?

We're moving ahead with girls-only for now, we have 2 boy troops in town already, and we are already moving along with the AOL boys preparing them to select one of those troops to join at crossover. I could be convinced to change that at some point, but that's not the plan for starting out next year regardless of what we find out in February.

We're in the early stages (working with CO and Council) to kick off a girls troop for a small group of girls completing their Cub Scout journey in March. I'm going through the SM training and trying to start to formulate a plan to hit the ground running in March despite having a roster of 11-year-olds and no older scouts to teach skills and lead younger scouts. We have a CO on board already, same CO as our Pack and CO of a boys troop, and we initially have agreement with the boys troop to have a shared Committee. From a high-level perspective, I'm just curious if anyone who has been through this or watch new troops get started have any advice, recommendations, tips, tricks, cautionary tales, etc., that could help along the way in these early stages of creating a troop and thinking about those first few months and first meetings. What worked well? What would you do differently if you had to do it again? I know there is only so much I can do with limited resources to start, so what should a new SM in a new troop prioritize? Program? Recruiting? Fundraising? Events/activities/summer camp? All of the above?

I guess it depends on how exactly Council is approaching this. From the OP it was described as "the council went after both the troop's money and equipment," which doesn't really sound like they were asking for stuff, more like demanding it or suggesting that it is their property. Even at that, maybe theft still isn't the right word but it still seems borderline criminal if they are effectively making a CO believe that stuff that belongs to them doesn't actually belong to them and should be handed over. Unless the Council rep doing the demanding is ignorant of the policy and thinking they have the right to those assets. But I have a hard time believing that would be true when money is involved. If someone in their professional capacity is asking a unit to hand over money, they should be darn sure that they are in the right to make that kind of a demand and that the funds are handled appropriately.

Pretty sure that's theft. As others have mentioned, the CO technically is the holder of the assets of the unit. It's why a lot of troop trailers are registered by the CO, insured by the CO, etc. They're not Council assets, they belong to the CO. Folding the troop doesn't default the assets to Council.

What's the minimum cabin layout requirements that would be needed to accommodate AOL dens overnight in a cabin(s) with a male den, female den, and parents attending (mixed group male and female) and be YPT compliant? Could one large cabin be used if it has 4 rooms (with doors) to separate all youth by gender and adults by gender?

20 minute drive in either direction (one troop to the east, one to the west, both about 20 minutes away). Entirely different towns and school districts.