FireStone

There is a difference, but not in what the scouts want to do. It should always be about the adventure of scouting, at any age and level. But you're right, the focus shifts at the troop level to leadership development and patrol method. It's almost like at the Cub level we're playing a game and not keeping score, so the focus is always on fun. We have advancement, but it's not as strict and serious as Scouts BSA advancement. We go from not keeping score to telling kids that in a troop they have to make sure they check every box, and we're definitely keeping score then. I don't know wh

I think the Cub program actually gets it down to simplest terms in their marketing materials. "Build your Adventure." Pretty simple. I think that's why kids want to join. They see these posters and fliers we put out there showing pictures of kids their age camping, hiking, building PWD cars, firing off model rockets, etc. It's an adventure, that's what kids want. One of the things that frequently comes up at our committee meetings is the challenge to deliver on the promise of adventure. I actually make it a point in my presentations to the Pack on recruiting that our single greatest asset

You can get deer ticks this way? My fat fingers can't. I'll stick with the kit.

My unit is 76 years old, all 76 years chartered with the same church. Some of the names on our original charter are family of current members. Permanence and solid roots are in our DNA, despite our 3-digit unit number that we got saddled with because of multiple Council mergers. I really dislike the notion that our 3-digits say anything about how we stack up to single-digit units. It's just a number, and Packs/Troops come by their numbers in a variety of ways. It's not just a "roots" thing.

Whatever you pick, just own it and be consistent. I inherited a mess of a Pack number, with a 3-digit number used some places, single-digit used elsewhere. Our Pack flag had 3 digits, uniforms 1 digit, Pack website URL 3 digits, Pack fliers 1 digit. For recruiting and promotional purposes it was a mess, we looked like 2 completely different Packs. I know a lot of units use the "unofficial" number, and that's fine as long as you're consistent with it. Don't jump around with the public use of the number so that people know how to identify you.

I don't disagree, this is just counter to what I hear locally. There's a lot of local emphasis on the uniform, badges, etc., especially at the Cub level, and definitely at the recruiting level. Our Council encourages us to talk about the uniform at recruiting events, we've even set up displays of the uniform, badges, etc., as a sort of "look and see" to get kids excited about the badges they'll earn. I try to "sell the fun" in recruiting materials. And the materials using the BSA imagery are great for that, but they also mostly leave out the uniform, and that makes for a sort of weird ima

It seems odd to me, though. Especially the photos of girls, after all we've seen and heard about girls being so proud to join and wear the uniform, wouldn't that be an angle the BSA would want to emphasize? I'm not sure there's a better image of the BSA being fully open to girls than a photo of a girl in a BSA uniform. I know marketing materials aren't policy, and neither is the examples set by various folks from National and around the national organization, it just seems to me like another point of conflict between what local folks say and what National shows us by example. I've even he

I've heard a local scouter refer to the uniform as a "field uniform", and say that it should be worn at all Scouting functions, by all scouts and scouters. "There is no Class B", he says, adding "You're either in uniform or you're not." I'm the recruitment coordinator for my Pack, and I frequently browse the BSA Brand Center for interesting photos to use in marketing materials. Not every parent wants photos of their kids used in promotional materials, fliers we distribute around town, etc., so I find the stock BSA photos to be useful for this. Browsing the latest batches of photos, I

Girl Scouts might wish they had more of a uniform in theory, but in practice I'm not so sure they'd really like it or that what we have is the best option. Kids generally don't like the BSA uniforms. Try getting scouts at pretty much any age/rank beyond Tiger to wear a uniform to school. My son hates going out in public in-uniform. We went out for ice cream after a recent scout activity and he wanted to go home first to get changed (I didn't let him). I've debated a local scouter on the uniform, he thinks it should be worn always, no exceptions, because it's a "field uniform suitable for

I don't know how accurate the earlier claim of 5 cases of sexual abuse in the BSA in 2018 is, but assuming for a minute that it's in the ballpark of accurate, can we just acknowledge the immense progress the BSA has made in curbing abuse? If we go by the available data from these articles, 12,254 victims of sexual abuse in the BSA have been reported since 1944. On average, that's about 163 per year. And surely the rate of abuse has diminished over time, likely with recent years tapering off and years further back having significantly greater numbers of abuses per year. We've gone from hundreds

The goal is certainly always zero. Without question. But that's a goal. Realistically, I don't see a way to ensure 100% success in stopping abuse from happening. We hope that all of the measures we put in place make it likely that we would catch a predator before they are able to abuse a scout. YPT shows us what to look for, how to spot grooming and precursors to potentially abuse before it happens. But there is nothing that can be done to ensure that 100% of our membership adheres to 100% of the policies and best practices 100% of the time. We can't track what every adult volunteer is do

I'm struggling with this, the wording of this. Saying the "problem is worse than anyone knew", it sounds like it's ongoing, like the high levels of abuse are a current problem. And maybe, admittedly very selfishly, I'm a little more concerned about the future of the program than the past. I have sympathy for the men in this article and the countless many more who have secretly carried the burden of their abuse by scout leaders for decades. But to me that's just it... decades, not a fair reflection of abuse today. I'm sure it still happens today, I'm not naive enough to think that our

Agreed 110%. I run a Wolf Den, and at this age they've just started to be able to handle the den meeting structure. And not all of them, but I'm seeing the shift happening. As Tigers, forget it, it was a mess. And from what I hear from our Lions parents, that's an even bigger mess. My daughter is going to skip the Lion year, no way I'm subjecting her (or myself) to that. We're also seeing issues with bringing in kids that young and the expectations of parents. Cub Scouts sells the idea of adventure, "Build Your Adventure" and all that. It's a huge let-down for some parents to join and not

Terrible news. Sad to hear this. I'm far from any kind of watercraft expert, so I'll defer to the folks here who know more... but in looking at that photo of the accident scene, it looks pretty sketchy to me. Lots of downed limbs, plenty of stuff to get tangled up in if someone is in the water.

What a cool story!

I also advise parents that if they prefer to buy a metal neckerchief slide, buy the Scouts BSA version. It's not rank-specific and can be used all throughout Cubs and Scouts BSA. Also not "official", I know, but if a scout can opt to use pretty much anything they want as a slide, I see no reason why the Scouts BSA slide isn't a suitable option too.

We made universal neckerchiefs and paracord slides for our Pack. I know that's not officially allowed, but whatever, we got tired of the nickel-and-dime routine too. Our neckers are really sharp, with a custom embroidered patch on them. Cost $12 but last all throughout their Cub years. It is ridiculous. Why on earth there are 3 different belt buckles is beyond me. It really is set up to just sell us more stuff. Not at all thrifty.

Strange that her father's law firm website seems to suggest they were involved, then. Her fight and determination are what I always liked about her. Her involvement in getting the BSA to change the policy on girls is an example of bravery that few adults could ever muster. I wouldn't want that spotlight, that attention, that pressure. I don't want scouts to be quiet in the face of something they believe should be different. But there's a right and wrong way to approach those issues. My support for Sydney ceased when she got what she wanted and it still wasn't good enough because

Over 100 years later we still talk about Arthur Eldred. It would be a lot more than 15 minutes of fame and she knows it.

There was an email address with the patch notification email, I replied but nothing back yet.

I'd be with you on this if it really was just about credit for past scouting work completed and she would join that inaugural class of Eagles. But my feeling (from what I've read and heard from this scout and her family) is that this may have more to do with her wanting to be "the first". She isn't content with credit for the work. She has specifically asked for the "immediate granting" of the rank of Eagle Scout.

My son completed the recent Boys' Life Magic Treehouse Reading Warrior promotion and qualified for the patch. The email to order the patch sat in my Inbox for 3 days too long and I missed the deadline to get one for him. Anyone have any extras? I'd happily buy one, pay for shipping, etc. Or trade for some local CSPs. Here's the original promotion with a photo of the patch: https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2019/01/31/magic-tree-house-reading-warrior/

It 100% tells me that things were fudged, fabricated, altered, or ignored. It is impossible that a female scout could even be wearing the Life rank badge today, not to mention months ago. We're 3 months into Scouts BSA. In what possible way could a female scout earn Life rank already?

It is documented, as I mentioned (media photos).

On the question of whether there are any shortcuts being taken/given to girls, I don't think it's debatable. It is an absolute fact that it's happening (a prominent female scout was wearing her Life rank badge in media photos months ago). There's too much appeal for some parents and leaders to have their scouts be among this historic group of girls who are "the first" in many facets of advancement, from Cubs through Eagle. It's literal history in the making. "Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts." What parent or SM of an eligible female scout wouldn't want them to be a part of that