InquisitiveScouter

My bet is that the number includes multiples. So, a Cub Scout that crosses over this year counts as two memberships. A Scout in a Troop who is also a Venturer counts as two memberships. I suspect it also includes all those who were on the rolls until recently. That is, if a youth had a renewal due in early 2026, but did not renew, they still count as a youth served in the program for the year. It would be telling to see a breakdown of the criteria for inclusion into the 887K number. I'd bet that net is as wide as possible

15 May 2026 numbers: Total Unit-Based Youth: 754,640 - This is a loss of 12,754 from end of March number, which was 767,394. - End of April number was 762,883, or a loss of 4,511 from end of March. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark Reporting 887K when system shows 755K, or 15% less. It cannot be that hard to post a current number on a slide. You gotta go back to Dec 2025/Jan 2026 to get near 887K total youth, and that includes unit based plus Learning for Life. Do you think the NAM number includes LFL?

@gracebanks You can bring whatever you want! But remember, you have to carry it And everyone hikes his own hike... For a six day trip, I'd bring one set of clothing to wear, some spare things, and one set of clothing for sleep. The set I wear in late spring/early summer Appalachia: Short sleeve shirt (do not bring a long sleeve... if you get chilly, put on your rain jacket) and a spare. Shorts (do not bring long pants... is you get chilly, put on your rain pants) Quick drying fabric. No spares. Socks and an extra pair of socks if they get really wet or you have to wash a pair... Every time you stop for a break, take off your boots and socks, and let your feet dry out a bit. Put a bit of body powder on your dry feet (not foot powder, because I also use body powder on pits and groin before bed... dual purpose) [Don't use foot powder on your body. If you have had any chafing on inner thighs or groin, you will regret the extra menthol in foot powder. If you are a masochist... well, then, enjoy ) Underwear and an extra pair. Once you wear something until stinky, wash/rinse it... hang it on the outside of your pack to dry while hiking. Or, hang it up at camp... always be drying something Try your best to go to bed clean. Sometimes this means just wiping off with a few unscented wipes. Five F's done in this order: Face (and head/neck) Front (torso, arms, arm pits), Feet (feet and legs), Fanny (groin and butt), Fingers (hand sanitize and wipe for your hands if you cannot wash them) Some body powder on pits and groin/butt, and then into your sleep wear. Do not wear anything you hiked in to bed... you'll regret it. Air out bed clothes in the morning before packing up. [And do not put on the powder inside your tent.] Expect to be ripe before the end of the trip. If you don't stink after six days on the trail, you did not do it right. Go back and start over And no, I do not bring deodorant. I do bring a set of water shoes (toe protection) because I'm prone to jump into any body of water I can They serve double duty as camp shoes. Have a great hike!

But unit recharters will stay at 31 Dec??

I perceive no appetite at the unit, district, council, or national levels to police this. Enforcing any kind of integrity into the process would hamper the money flow of summer camps and merit badge events, and make Jimmy or Jenny less competitive on their college applications. I have had numerous discussions with parents who absolutely expect that, if they pay their $600 camp fee, then their child had better have a multitude of merit badges to show for it. Many parents don't give a hoot about values, ethics, and morals. And we wonder why so many kids do not join Scouting, or if they do, do not stick with it. Once they realize the emperor has no clothes, the ones with a good measure of integrity are tempted to pull their kids from the program. As long as merit badges are available for sale (and I do not mean the pieces of cloth...), then we will have this problem. Pay your fee, get your degree?

A sad, but true, indictment...

Guide to Advancement, para 7.0.2.3... "It is sometimes reported that Scouts who have received merit badges through group instructional settings have not fulfilled all the requirements. To offer a quality merit badge program, council and district advancement committees should ensure the following are in place for all group instructional events. • A culture is established for merit badge group instructional events that partial completions are acceptable expected results. • A guide or information sheet is distributed in advance of events that promotes the acceptability of partials, explains how merit badges can be finished after events, lists merit badge prerequisites, and provides other helpful information that will establish realistic expectations for the number of merit badges that can be earned at an event. " If only we would follow our own literature

1 Timothy 6:10

At last night's meeting, one of my Scouts proudly presented a counselor-signed blue card for a merit badge. (No leader signature.) He had attended, on short notice, a "merit badge event" at a local museum (where he had to pay a fee) and had been counselor-approved for a badge. When I asked him about the badge, I sprinkled in the questions I always ask... 1. Did you read the requirements for the merit badge? "No" 2. Did you talk with a Troop leader before meeting with the counselor? "No" 3. Did the counselor review the requirements for the merit badge with you before starting? "No" So then, we reviewed the requirements.... one of the requirements was a task that he could not have completed at the event... 4. Did the counselor ask you to bring any work you had completed ahead of time? "No" 5. So how did the counselor see your work for requirement X ?? "He never saw it." (Later, at home, I check the website for this event, and there are no pre-requisites listed.) 6. Oh? Well, did you complete requirement X? "Yes, I did it at home after I got back." Would you show me that work? He does... Good job! 7. But, the counselor gave you a signed and completed blue card without having X done? "Yes" OK, thanks! Hey, let's review the instructions in your Scout Handbook on how to earn a merit badge (page 416). We review together, and I emphasize the appropriate points... I review blue card instructions with him. I show him the statement on the blue card which says "The applicant has personally appeared before me and demonstrated to my satisfaction that all requirements have been met for the..." We talk about the meaning of "Trustworthy" and "Obedient", and whether the counselors actions reflected those values, and what he, the Scout, should do in a case like this. (Let a leader know ) I signed the card and congratulated him on his badge. So, given that, in the past, I have never once gotten feedback on any of the concerns I submitted, once again I submitted Reporting Merit Badge Counseling Concerns. https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-800_WB.pdf Do you think I'll get any constructive feedback on this one?

Might as well, with the posts that we see all around.... Would also prevent showboating..., I chose not to post any links but... For those of you who are serious MB Counselors, like me, you doubt any who are awarded all merit badges, Notice I use the term "awarded" versus "earned".

All of your posts help support the argument for eliminating the age requirement on Eagle Scout. If we remove the 18 year old requirement, it removes the focus on the destination, and helps us turn the spotlight more on the journey

They have been making changes without announcing or annotated the change. Not a great regulatory practice

Just in time to order new sales merch for Jamboree

Nah... let's just log it and get some quick cash. Who cares if the forest is gone, erosion starts, half the camp looks like a disaster area, and wildlife habitat gets destroyed?

I can confirm those are numbers in the system for end of March 2025 and 2026. Those are the total unit based, and do not include LFL.