gpurlee

This drone camp looks like a lot of fun. Our troop's experience has been that Scouts are really engaged in these STEM projects and they provide great hands on experiences. They also provide very positive public relations opportunities and are a valuable recruitment tool. 

Our troop has work to integrate STEM activities into our troop program on several occasions. Some of our activities have included:

Launching a camera equipped weather balloon during a total solar eclipse

Sending a balloon to an altitude of over 100,000 feet. You can clearly see the curvature of the Earth. 

Launching a balloon that circled the globe twice (we attach a solar powered tracking transmitter)

HAM radio classes to help Scouts earn their amateur radio license. 

https://www.newsandtribune.com/multimedia/photos-boy-scouts-visit-tunnel-mill-on-saturday/collection_8a76c3e4-b6d4-11e7-9478-ff8cda9937cf.html#1

https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/jeffersonville-boy-scouts-troop-headed-south-for-solar-eclipse/article_6a79747a-8456-11e7-be6b-43a047b6bc60.html

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10154283260948889

Thanks for following up on the lead!

Some interesting findings on retention:

"By far the biggest family-related factor affecting both retention and recruitment was the cost of Scouting, which arose in 20% of interviews. Several leaders commented that Scouting can be quite expensive when accounting for membership fees, uniform and supply costs, and the costs of summer camps or high adventure experiences. "

It raises the question of whether we are pricing a significant number of potential and current Scouts out of the program. 

The future of the national high adventure bases in the bankruptcy proceedings has been a repeated topic. The newest base, the Summit was planned as a cornerstone to an effort to stem the membership decline and to attract a new generation of Scouts. It was envisioned as “Disney World for Scouts” that would have the impact in the 21^st Century that Philmont had in the 20^th Century. It would be a blend of high adventure, state of the art facilities and technology. The Summit would become the permanent host site for the national jamboree and would have the capability to host the world jamboree. It would hopefully allow the BSA to recapture positive messaging at a time when the organization was under increasing criticism. The site was selected after the BSA had solicited proposals from dozens of states. The West Virginia site which was ultimately selected was located within a day’s drive of a vast section of the nation.

However, from Day One, the vision was under a shadow of doubt.

Although this Reuter’s article dates back to 2013, it helps to provide valuable background information to set the stage for the current controversy.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-boyscouts-finances-specialreport-idUSBRE96E08B20130715

 “The Summit gives us the opportunity to reintroduce ourselves to America and raise $1 billion for the best youth development in the world,” says a slide from a June 2010 presentation on the project.

It isn’t panning out that way. Costs are rising. Initially budgeted at $176 million through 2013, the Summit’s cost is now estimated to reach at least $350 million by the end of this year and $439 million by the end of 2015, according to Scouts documents reviewed by Reuters. To keep up, the Scouts issued new bonds last year - more than doubling their previous borrowing for the project.

The Scouts’ efforts to pay for the Summit are off target, too. Internal financial updates show that the Scouts’ national organization, based in Irving, Texas, was $108 million behind its capital-raising goal for the Summit as of the end of March. That was 32 percent shy of its projection of $342.6 million.

Early on,  there were  BSA board officers who were troubled with the proposal and its implementation.

Last year, the Scouts drew up a financial plan to address rising Summit spending. A February 2012 internal memo from Boy Scouts president Wayne Perry advised senior Boy Scout executives that available cash from donations would be insufficient to cover the “cash burn” rate for the Summit.

 Some board members considered the project a potential white elephant whose cost could outweigh its usefulness, according to two people familiar with the matter. Rising spending soon became a concern for some.

Nevertheless, the article noted that despite the cash burn from the Summit project, the BSA was still in a strong financial position.

Despite its falling membership, the national Boy Scouts organization has a strong balance sheet. The Scouts could operate for nearly three years on their readily available funds alone, according to an analysis conducted for Reuters by Daniel Borochoff of charity-evaluation service CharityWatch.

As you read through the article, it is interesting to note the number of times that the writer states that BSA spokespersons declined to respond to questions or were evasive in their answers.

Thanks for sharing this study. For a hundred year old organization that has impacted millions of youth and adult, the Boy Scouts of America has had an amazing lack of serious, rigorous research. Instead we have relied upon anecdotal evidence to build our case that we are an effective program. 

It was announced in 2019 that Montclair University was launching an in-depth study (Building Evidence in Scouting Together) of  the impact of Scouting which was funded by a multimillion grant through the Bechtel Foundation. I am not sure where that study currently stands.

Welcome to the forum! We are glad to have you here.

To the original poster, it historically has been difficult to find a good, active chartered organization who will actively participate with your unit. The vast majority, despite the charter agreement, have viewed the relationship as providing space for a community organization, not the ownership and accountability for the program. And this is likely to haunt several chartered organizations in the not too distant future - perhaps for decisions that were made decades ago by a whole different set of leaders.

Keep in mind that there is an option now that the council can be the "sponsor" of your unit. While some Scout executives do not promote this option but it is available.  You will need to work with the council to find an appropriate meeting spot, in that instance.

Make sure that both you and the chartered organization understand what you are getting into.  Accountability requires oversight and involvement. Some of our chartered organizations locally have now required their COR to be present at many unit activities including camping and to attend unit committee meetings.  Some, such as ours, have done formal annual reviews of the program performance using national standards. The Scouting program is regularly discussed and reviewed at the monthly program ministries meeting. And for your own protection, you need a chartered partner who will provide this oversight as well as space and other support. This is a big undertaking for the chartered organization.  One that, unfortunately, some are just now discovering.

Lots of great opportunities.

Our first trip into the Boundary Waters was through the BSA northern Tier base. The rest of them have been with private outfitters once we had the skills and confidence to go on our own. We have enjoyed the Gunflint Trail south of Ely a lot.

Great trips in the past to Colorado and the Rocky Mountain High Adventure Camp.  Rode Amtrak out of Chicago to Denver which was an experience in itself (both very good and very bad). Stayed in beautiful Salida, Colorado. Rafted the Arkansas River, rode mountain bikes on a world class trail, hiked to near the summit of one of North America's tallest mountains, explored ghost towns and panned for gold. Did another trip on our own without using the base but instead a motel and did a series of adventurous day trips. That was a very good combination for us. Hard, active days hiking, rafting and biking and nights with great food, pool, sauna and soft beds. The Scouts were very experienced and capable campers but wanted their time being spent on activities rather than camp duties. 

Trips to Washington D.C. by Amtrak, plane and bus over the years. Great fun and educational place to visit. 

Recently did a multi-day canoe trip in South Carolina with a private outfitter and camped at night on platforms. 

A couple of trips into Canada (pre-pandemic) to attend an international camporee that is held every two years. Very modest camp but superb experience. 

Trips to Philmont, Seabase, most national  jamborees since 1977 and a visit to the international jamboree at the summit.  Have made a "scouting" trip to Kandersteg in Switzerland in hopes of a troop wide European trip (we have lots of international student Scouting friends who have taken part with our troop). However, the pandemic has put those discussions on indefinite hold  . 

BTW, we are not a wealthy or large troop by any stretch of the imagination (downtown troop) but have good Scouts, parent support as well as exceptional church and community support.  And we work very hard to try to include every Scout who wants to attend. 

Welcome to the forum. I am not familiar with the proposed camp. To my knowledge, it has not been discussed at any of our International Representative recent teleconferences. It looks like it is aimed at a Rover age group, similar to a moot encampment? Appears to be a beautiful region, reminds me a bit of Kandersteg in Switzerland.

Probably worth at least $0.02. 

Lol - not sure firing everyone is within the Judge's domain. However, I suppose a liquidation achieves almost the same result.

Seriously, there will be a lot of questioning and second guessing for years to come of what could and should have been done differently at the national level from sixty years ago to today. 

The Game of Torts

You are invited to play along and respond to the question at the end with this fictional account based on real world events. 

You shift restlessly in your seat as the judge stops her tirade and looks at you, waiting for your response.

As a member of the court appointed mediation team, during the past year and a half, you have had a unique vantage point to witness one of the most complex and emotional cases that has ever unfolded in federal court. 

Now in the early fall, it seems that the events are poised to soon reach a climactic moment – although the exact form is still to be determined.

Even though she does not show it in the courtroom, the judge is clearly exasperated today.  A twitter post by a highly vocal attorney for the abuse claimants has irritated her, proclaiming that the process is tantamount to a second round of assault upon the victims  She unconsciously taps the manicured fingers of her left hand onto the tabletop in the small conference room adjacent to the judge’s chambers. All of the while, a portrait of President Biden has been staring down upon you. Is that a smile or a bit of a smirk on his face, you try to decide?

You glance at the notes on your legal pad.

Mediation has reached a stalemate with the parties still far apart on any agreements including not only issues of settlement dollars but also feasible actions to root out and prevent future abuse. It did not go well during mediation in late winter held in Miami with some key parties leaving feeling slighted and the mood has not improved since.  The gap in proposed settlement amounts is not in the millions but the billions of dollars.

It is very clear that neither the proposed global settlement nor the toggle plan despite a series of tweaks will be acceptable to anywhere near 2/3 ‘s of the claimants.

Insurers which looked to be the major payors in any settlement are now stating that the amounts being proposed by the representative of the abuse claimants will force them into their own bankruptcy.

 The federal agencies ensuring the protection of employee pension funds as well as the secured creditors and others have quietly but persistently reminded the court of the priority of their claims.

 For the past several weeks, the national BSA organization has been adamant that it is in a critical cash flow position with professional fees exceeding ten million dollars a month draining it of reserves and a threatened freeze on its line of credit. In addition, the impact of the pandemic and its resulting membership losses has thrown their future in question. Their financial statements appear to be support that they are rapidly nearing a crisis point.

The TCC and legal representatives of the claimants have essentially given the claimants the go ahead to proceed with lawsuits against the local councils and chartered organizations where the statute of limitations is not a prohibiting factor. This is likely to trigger legal actions which will last perhaps for years in overwhelmed state and local courts. And they are pledging to work with victim’s advocate groups to extend the SOL’s in the states which have not yet done so, citing this case as the prime example of why it is needed.

A number of Scout councils are working on their own bankruptcy plans or mergers. A record number of Scout camps are going on the market due as much to the impact of the pandemic as well as the bankruptcy and the looming lawsuits.

The judge acknowledged that this is likely to be the most impactful case that she will ever deal with in her professional career. And probably the most challenging. Her desire is to craft an agreement that would be responsible and respectful to the abuse victims whose stories have touched her but also would allow the mission of Boy Scout organization to continue whose role she respects.

You glance at her folder and notice a brightly colored brochure promoting the small resort town of Sorenburg in Switzerland. She is eagerly looking forward to some time away once this case is settled and the pandemic subsides.  Ironically, you mentally note that the resort is not that far from a major world Scout camp in the inter-lake region of Switzerland.

Despite the frustrations, there has been some progress over the spring and summer.  The local councils for the purpose of this bankruptcy are seen as affiliated but independent entities. The national BSA essentially resolved this question in the mind of the judge when they proposed the toggle plan separating themselves from the local councils as a viable option.

The other issue regarding the liability of the insurers was also resolved – at least in a basic sense. There was a ruling that they do have a legal obligation under the terms of the policy with the BSA. However, the specific amounts remains very much a question to be determined.

 Options have seemed to narrow and some of them feel more like options of last resort.

 An unprecedented cramdown on abuse claimants to force a settlement?

 Pressuring the national BSA toward a Chapter 7 liquidation?

 She interrupts your thoughts as she repeats her question to you again –

What would you advise me to do? 

The impact of this abuse scandal and the resulting bankruptcy threatens to swamp not only the national BSA but also a number of local councils, chartered organizations and insurers alike. Not to ignore the multitude of shattered lives. This series of events is likely to literally become a textbook case that will be studied for decades. Coupled with the impact of the pandemic and the devastating effect on the image of the organization, from my perspective, the path to survival for the BSA continues  to narrow and become increasingly steep. My fear is that not only may the national organization collapse but who else will the ensuring reaction take with it? This feels like being a witness to the disaster of a slow motion train wreck or watching the aftermath of the Titanic's ill-fated encounter with an iceberg in the North Atlantic.

Welcome to the forum. You will find a lot of good ideas, great conversation and a wide diversity of new and experienced Scouters. We look forward to what you will add and learn from participating in the forums.

Some observations from our troop and council regarding the achievement of Eagle rank from five decades as a Scout leader.

(1) Clearly statistics show an achievement rate today of two to three times the rate in the 1970's.

(2) The explosion of district and council merit badge weekends has made it easier (too easy?) to achieve many requirements. This has accelerated with virtual classes now being available. It used to be rare to see a Scout with 25 merit badges on their sash. Today, frequently sashes almost collapse under the weight of 50 or more badges.

(3) Many troops now provide separate merit badge groups outside of the regular merit badge classes. 

(4) We have given tacit consent to quantity over quality in merit badge instruction in many instances. Much of the intended richness of the merit badge counseling process has been lost. 

(5) We are providing better guidance in the Life to Eagle transition. Many of the Scouts who in the past were "Almost An Eagle" are now achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.  As more Scouts achieve the rank of Eagle, it raises the expectation for everyone else.

(6) There has been a marked shift from 16 to 17 year old Eagles to 13 to 15 year old Eagle Scouts.  Eagle rank is seen more as a destination rather than a part of a longer journey in Scouting. Young people are encouraged to move onto the next achievement. At the same time, by achieving the rank of Eagle Scout at an earlier age, fewer Scouts are being thrown off course by jobs, cars, dating, etc.

(7) As a side note, many Eagle Scout ceremonies have become much more elaborate  in terms of features such as video presentations, ice sculptures and full meals. 

Weather can be very unpredictable and being prepared can be a challenge. Over a long period in Scouting, I remember dealing with a tornado passing very near camp while we were away from any manmade shelters as well as at least three lightning strikes in the immediate camp area. Portable weather radio, weather apps on cell phones today and improved forecasting make it much easier to be prepared.

 My most vivid weather  lesson, however,  came as a private pilot. I had flown my son and a couple of his friends to a nearby state park that had a runway. We spent a great morning on the lake and made plans to leave immediately after lunch. I am always wary of summer pop up storms and was anxious to leave as soon as possible. We only had a short thirty minute flight to our home airport. Even though the skies looked fine with some cumulus building, I made  a quick phone call to flight service to double-check conditions .  They saw no weather issues and their radar was totally clear. Good to go. Or so I thought …

About ten minutes into the flight, the stormscope in the plane began to light up behind us indicating lightning and rapid storm development. In the next ten minutes, it was like watching popcorn erupting on the storm scope encircling us in all directions around us. Air traffic control could see the development of storms on their radar and recognized the danger to us. They provided us with an amazing job routing us directly above a major metropolitan airport straight into our adjacent home field. As I approached the airport, I witnessed one of the most amazing sights that I have ever seen. It was a black curtain of blinding torrential rain about three miles north heading toward the airfield. The tower was urgently issuing instructions to other small plane pilots who had been caught unaware also. We landed just a couple of  minutes before the rain engulfed us as I taxied off the runway.  I sat inside the plane with the oblivious boys, my clothes just as soaked as if I was sitting outside. It was a lesson in the awesome power and unpredictability of Mother Nature that I have never forgotten.

A couple of thoughts concerning the question of insurance  for persons considering the possibility of creating a local alternative to the BSA.

Insurance companies look at several factors including loss history, risk,  as well as their perception of the environment. An environment in which there are 100,000 claims and a billion dollar plus exposure is not very favorable.

I am a pilot. When I started to fly, it was was easy  to get a five million dollar coverage liability policy with a million dollar per seat coverage limit. Today, the typical policy limit is a million dollars with a $100,000 per seat limit. Your personal and homeowners' umbrella policy as well as most life insurance policies now exclude flying related incidents.. The insurance companies learned that in an aircraft accident, juries were likely to award the maximum coverage of the policy regardless of the coverage limits. Juries are especially sympathetic if a child or young person is involved.

Keep in mind that the BSA is self-insured up to a fairly high limit in order just to get an insurance company to provide excess coverage above that limit. And even then insurance companies may balk at paying a claim.

Yea, you might be able to get coverage in the future for a local group. The cost, high deductible and the limited coverage may give pause to whether the leaders want to place their homes and other personal assets at risk.

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away

American Pie

Don McLean

We seem to have quite the shortage of happy news at the present time. The bankruptcy is perhaps the most visible of the threats facing the BSA but I wonder if the impact of the pandemic may be the ultimate factor that leads to the demise of the organization.

In scanning our midwestern council’s most recent membership statistics, it appears that our total youth membership has plummeted almost 70% compared to the end of 2019! The Cub membership has been decimated with a loss of 80% of the total membership. Venturing is essentially gone. This will impact our FOS program, other fund-raising efforts, as well as activity and camp income. It will be very difficult to recover from losses at these levels. Many of our packs are for all intents simply gone even if they are still listed on paper. This is our feeder system for our troops. I fear that the welcome mat at schools may no longer be out for us. It will be a tough sale to recruit members as the BSA is bombarded with negative stories.  A perfect storm of events threatens to envelop us.

How do you justify the operation of multiple camps when just two years ago they were under-utilized? How do you justify current staffing and support levels with a program a fraction of the size it once was?

 How do you deal with over 350 claims of abuse even if half of them are not valid?

Scouting, when done correctly under the leadership of caring, committed adults, can be a life-changing program. I have seen it open a wealth of opportunities, provide unforgettable adventures and superb leadership development opportunities. It certainly has made a lifelong difference in the life of our family. I fear and mourn that my young grandsons may never have the opportunity for this experience.

And it saddens me that there seems to be no happy news.

We had a well known national consultant meet with our church leadership several years ago. He had worked with over 1,000 churches and had published over 40 books.  One of the programs he looked at was our legacy Scouting program which many members of the church had cited as one of the best programs of the church.  He challenged that notion by stating that, in his experience, most Scouting programs were only community groups housed by the church. His definition of church "ownership" of a true Scouting ministry was (1) church adults actively involved in the Scouting program on a regular basis, (2) the church including the Scouting program in its budget just like its youth group and (3) the involvement of youth connected with the church in the Scouting ministry. 

We have tried to "up our game" in recent years by more direct involvement between the Scouting programs and the church. Our DE said that our annual review of our Scouting programs using the JTE criteria was the only time that he had seen it done. Nevertheless, it is a challenge for an aging, mainline church that face many other challenges. The events of the past year are likely to result in churches and other sponsors either stepping up or stepping away, I suspect.

With almost 100,000 claims, it seems that there is a potential wealth of information for critical research to prevent future abuse assuming that (1) researchers would be allowed to access this information within the tight bounds of the confidentiality agreements and (2) the valid claims can be separated from fraudulent claims.  For example, did the abuse occur within a Scouting event or in another setting? Is there a pattern in terms of ages?  Did these tend to be re-occurring episodes or isolated, single events? It seems that we still have much to learn as we attempt to develop more effective youth protection programs. And if we are serious about preventing future abuse, it would be worth attempting to secure feedback from those victims who are willing to share their thoughts on how to prevent abuse.

I noticed the same comment. I think that is a valid comment but challenging to attain, especially when the activity is more challenging such as overnight backpacking  or winter tent camping which precludes many adults physically.  Some troops seem to address it in part by maintaining a corps of recently "graduated" Scouts who want to continue ties with the unit. However, many of them are not age 21 yet. 

Interesting question. I did very detailed research of Boy Scouting in our community during that time period in the 1920's. Indiana was a hot bed of Klan activity. The governor, half the legislature and an estimated 30% of white male Hoosiers were Klan members. In many ways, the Klan was initially viewed as a fraternal and social organization. There were local instances in which a Klan member would walk down the aisle during a church service and present a financial gift to benefit the church or local organization.  Sometimes the church leader who received the Klan donation was also a Boy Scout leader. The Klan viewed themselves as patriots who were protecting the "American Way of Life."  They likely saw the local Boy Scouts as a natural ally.  I suspect that several of the local Scouting families had Klan connections. However, the darker side soon became more and more obvious. The Klan opposed immigrants, Catholics and others who they perceived as threats to their power and way of life.  By the late 1920's, there had been a series of scandals and area newspapers had exposed deep corruption and immoral behavior among the Klan.  The Klan membership plummeted. I found no evidence of any official endorsement of the Boy Scouts by the Klan nor any formal relationship. In fact, our region developed a significant outreach to black youth by the 1920's thanks to some local benefactors.

EagleDad - in response to your question:

In our large midwestern council, it appears that we are looking at a potential 70% to 80% Cub membership loss. We are right in the middle of re-chartering and will not know for certain perhaps for another month.  Several of our units are late in submitting their renewals. This number seems to be consistent from what reports are coming out of adjacent councils.

A lot of our cub packs have been decimated by the pandemic. While virtual meetings seem to work at least somewhat well for the older youth,  it has not done nearly as well for Cub age youth. In addition, in our typical recruitment years, we register between 4,000 and 5,000 youth. This year, it was less than 10% of that number. Also it appears that a number of our packs simply may not re-charter. Some of our 30 to 40 member packs are registering five or fewer youth (which requires a waiver). 

I sincerely hope that these projections are inaccurate. If not, we are looking at the worst single year membership loss in the history of our council.

Cynical Scouter - I would agree that the Cubs will take the major hit. I would guess 70% to 80% loss in some councils. Unfortunately, this is our largest program and major losses in this program will adversely impact the troop level programs, perhaps for years to come. 

I do not envy the position that many councils currently are in or will soon be in. I have worked not-for-profit management at the C-level most of my career. A very challenging set of circumstances are coming together than will challenge the continued operation of many councils.  

(1) Based on what I am seeing, it is possible that we are looking at a 50% plus decline in membership during 2021. The combination of the pandemic, the loss of chartered organizations, the loss of the LDS church at the beginning of 2020 and difficulty of recruiting will create a firestorm to manage. In our council, fall recruitment this year was less than 10 percent of one year ago!  I fear that this loss of members and sponsors will be difficult to overcome, especially with the organization being focused on the bankruptcy and survival, not membership growth.

(2) This membership decline will very significantly affect FOS campaigns, product sales, summer camp and activity fees, merchandise sales and more. As mentioned by another poster, councils face a number of fixed costs such as insurance, utilities, maintenance that make budget management a challenge today.

(3) We do not know yet how major donors will react to the adverse publicity and bankruptcy threat. Even if you are a strong supporter of Scouting, you have to begin question if the program will be here long-term.  Many corporations and foundations will be hesitant to donate until they see how this bankruptcy will play out.

(4) Councils are facing the very real possibility of having to tap reserve funds or sell properties in response to the bankruptcy. The financial safety net may disappear or be diminished.

(5) United Ways and other community funding groups continue to defund Boy Scouting programs in many communities.

(6) And the reality is that a significant number of our councils were not in the best of financial shape before 2020. 

I truly appreciate the work that many of our volunteer boards and professionals are doing to attempt to maintain our program at this time.  I have never witnessed an environment this challenging and overwhelming in my professional lifetime. I wish them much success.