InquisitiveScouter

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.

I posted system numbers on 01 Apr. They have changed slightly: Total Current Youth on 01 Apr was 782,466 (this includes LFL): 18 Apr number is 792,273. ( +9807, or + 1.25%) Total Current Unit-Based Youth on 01 Apr was 749,343 (this is Crews, Posts, Ships, Troops, & Packs): 18 Apr is 756,627 (+7284, or + 0.97%) End of 2025 Total Unit-Based reported on 01 Apr was 877,399 (Total including LFL 907,946), number remains same So that means, from end of Dec 2025 to now, the total unit-based drop is 120,772 or a 13.76% loss Sorry, my 01 Apr calculation was wrong... I had subtracted current unit-based from previous total youth... should have worked with numbers in the same column. My error on 01 Apr painted a rosier picture than reality.

Keyboard Advisor here, lol... @jcousino is right. You are "owned" by your CO. If your CO does not want you to open a bank account, then you have three choices: 1) Don't open a bank account, 2) as @ShootingSports says, find out why your CO "doesn't want the responsibility", and find a way to alleviate their misgivings or 3) Find a new CO. Before you pursue any of those, you need to answer a few questions: A) How is it that you have a bank account (used for years) when your CO says they don't "want the responsibility"?? Did you inform the CO that you already have a bank account using their EIN? Which begs the next question... B) Whose EIN are you actually using for the current account? Which begs the next question... C) Do you have a current signed Annual Unit Charter Agreement?? Your DE is supposed to secure one for you each year, so, as @ShootingSports has said, call your DE to see if they have one. If the answer is "No", then your DE is not doing his job. https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/524-95625-Annual-Charter-Agreement.pdf Get your Chartered Organization Rep on the horn and ask them to get this all important document coordinated and signed post haste. D) If you do have a signed Annual Charter Agreement, read para II B.4. "Authorize the unit to open a separate bank account for the Unit using the Charter Organization EIN and provide the Unit with policies and procedures for financial reporting and asset management." Again, get your COR and DE on the horn, because the CO not allowing you a bank account is a violation of the Agreement. Recommend you read the whole document for other pertinent responsibilities and understanding of who owns what... Also, for the Moderators... the OP never showed up on my Unread Content. Any idea why??

You'd almost think that old English dude was on to something when he said, "The one part which I can claim as mine towards promoting the movement is that I have been lucky enough to find you men and women to form a group of the right stamp who can be relied upon to carry it on to its goal. You will do well to keep yours eyes open, in your turn, for worthy successors to whom you can, with confidence, hand the torch. Don’t let it became a salaried organization: keep it a voluntary movement of patriotic service." (emphasis added) https://thescoutingpages.org.uk/bps-last-message/

Agreed, but it is only expressly required for camping. ----------------------------------- Camping Scouting America has established the following guidelines for a safe and quality camping experience. Fundamental guiding principles for camping: - Supervision of camping activities must include qualified, registered, adult leadership. - At a minimum, one leader present is current in Hazardous Weather Training for all unit types. It is recommended that all leaders complete this training every two years. ------------------------------------- https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss03/

Please help me make this make sense. There is a unit in our District with five adult leaders and eight Scouts on their roster. Scouts are all high schoolers. Five of the eight are the children of three of the adult leaders. These adult leaders have, over the past few years, consistently neglected to complete training for their positions. Commissioners and trainers have had ongoing engagement over the years, but these leaders ignored efforts to help them get their training. They have, at a minimum, kept YPT (now SYT) and Hazardous Weather (as required by Guide to Safe Scouting) up to date. (I personally have not engaged with them, except by email, but I know their Commissioner and the District Training Chair have contacted this unit numerous times over the years.) As of yesterday, the Troop is now at 0% leader trained. No one has Hazardous Weather done. They are still SYT current. The District Training Chair brought this new low to the attention of our District Commissioner, District Chair, and District Executive (a brand new guy), with a call to action to contact the unit to, at a minimum, get Hazardous Weather done. (I do not know if the unit actually has any camping planned.) The new DE response, with courtesy copy to our Assistant Scout Executive, basically told everyone not to worry about any of the training from here on, as this unit is going to fold after their last Scout earns Eagle in a few months. That response is just wrong on so many levels, and sends a bevy of mixed messages that do not align with the stated safety standards, aims of the program, training policies, and negates the sustained efforts of the Commissioner Corps and District to get the unit do what is required. Further, by putting that in an email, it now gives the council some liability if an incident should occur where safety training may have made the difference. I'm really shaking my head on that one... Again, help me make this make sense?

https://info.traillifeusa.com/annual-report (2020 - 2022) https://info.traillifeusa.com/2023-annual-report https://info.traillifeusa.com/2024-annual-report https://info.traillifeusa.com/annual-report-2025

Agree that this is a large factor. I have noted the culture at Council and National of taking adult leaders for granted and simply expecting them to always be there. We have units folding in our council due to lack of adult leaders. And also have units who have names on a roster who do nothing for the unit. These "ghosts" allow their names to be used for registration (as long as the unit pays their fee) and never intend to do any serving, outings, or training for BSA or the youth they are on the roster for... It still baffles me, too, how many people think that the unit leaders get paid, or get some of the money from their registration fees.

UPDATE: OK, the system is back up, and showing current numbers... As of 01 Apr: Total Current Youth 782,466 (Up 927 from last month, same time) this is all programs, including LFL Total Current Unit-Based Youth 749,343 (this is Crews, Posts, Troops, & Packs) End of 2025 Total Unit-Based was 877,399 (Total including LFL 907,946) So that means, from end of Dec 2025 to now, the total unit-based has dropped by 94,933, or 10.82%

I just went in to look at the 31 March numbers. The membership tools system now does not have any numbers posted past 31 Jan 2026. I'll check again over the next day or two to give an update. But, if they have stopped posting numbers because of the story the numbers are telling, then, my friend, that is what the bottom looks like

Do not issue an ultimatum. If you feel that strongly, file the charges. That might be enough to get him suspended. Ask yourself, what is the right thing to do?

So, this will still be calming down over the next few days, but: 1. You should seriously consider filing charges against the guy. He communicated a verbal threat. Should at least be a misdemeanor, depending on state. 2. Talk directly with your Scout Executive. No middle man. DE is middle man. Tell him what happened and the impact on your Scout, you, and the unit. His behavior is unacceptable in a Scouting environment and should be removed. Immediately. Give the SE names of witnesses. 3. If after careful consideration, talk with your spouse, and prayer, you decide from #1 it is best to file charges, then contact your local DA's office, or contact police to file a report. Have the courtesy to let your SE know you are going to do this. It is not up to him. This decision is yours. Give the po-po the names of the witnesses. 4. Consider hiring an attorney. 5. Expect to be removed from Scouting until this is resolved. Yes, you may be guilt-free in the incident... the SE does not care. He has to protect the image of Scouting, and protect youth (probably in that order), and removing you may help him in his priority of image and brand protection. If he chooses to remove (suspend) you, he also should remove or suspend the other leader until resolved. 6. Look into your local Trail Life chapter. I find the Scouts BSA environment to be getting a little toxic lately, too, with all the intolerance of youth behavior that should be admonished and corrected, rather than knee-jerk reported... We still police ourselves in-unit, and have begun to avoid all district or council events because of the horrible behavior of other Scouts and leaders. Yours is a case in point. 7. Move to New Jersey / Pennsylvania and come join our Troop.

Then why don't they just write the policy to say, "On a case-by-case basis, the local council may issue a written exception to a parent or legal guardian to tent with a Scout who has a special need or disability requiring care. The unit and parents must develop a plan in conjunction with their local council Scout Executive to address their specific needs." ???

I agree with that reasoning, but that is not how our pro staff is implementing this locally. Their lament is that, once again, terms and conditions are not clearly articulated from National. Our council has levied the requirement that any out-of-council unit which needs this "exception" must have it in writing from their Scout Executive, or it isn't happening. That is. most likely, a CYA move, because common sense isn't common any more. They also advised us this morning, to get an SE email (so, in writing) to take with us for out-of-council events, to pre-empt any issues which might arise in other "jurisdictions". Once again, National has used the FAQ's to elaborate instead of stating the policy clearly in the source. "Q. Can I share a tent with my son or daughter who has special needs? A. Youth and adults tent separately in the Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts, and Venturing programs. Youth who have a special need or disability who may require a parent or legal guardian to tent with them must develop a plan in conjunction with their local council Scout Executive to address their specific needs." https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/yp-faqs/

Further clarification.... the "As an exception..." clause means you'll need to still clear this with council. We had pursued such an exception back in 2019, and our SE coordinated with National an approved exception to allow a parent to camp with a Scout who was a sleepwalker. My professional contacts elaborate that this "new" piece in G2SS means the "exception" is now at the council level.

I can: bad parenting

All, Perusing the Guide to Safe Scouting, as I do from time to time, and came across this... A policy change that went into effect between Sep and Oct 2025, allowing parents/guardians to tent with their child in youth programs beyond Cub Scouts: Current "Accommodations" policy now says: "As an exception, a parent or guardian may share a tent with their own child if they are of the same sex." https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss01/#a The web archives show this went in last fall... https://web.archive.org/web/20250902105452/https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss01/ https://web.archive.org/web/20251018205912/https://www.scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss01/ I had not seen any announcement of this in any channels... how about any of you? I'm fine with this, if there is a genuine health and safety reason (sleep walking, bedwetting, severe asthma, etc.) Looks like more of a move toward "Family Scouting", though... Thoughts?

I can now enter Wood Badge at the unit level. Just tested this... added a course completion date to another leader, saw it populate to the record, and then deleted it. Wood Badge (A90) (See under the "Other" heading on the Program drop down.)

And another rant on this topic. Shame on all of us for creating more work for the registrar to put Training items into the system. Did you know that every council, district, and unit training person has permissions in my.scouting to enter training completions at their level (except for first-time online courses)?? And, that the training for Training Managers out there directs them to do this? https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/idg/training_mgr_powerpoint.pdf https://help.scoutbook.scouting.org/knowledge-base/training-manager-tutorial-mys/ Here, when we complete a course like IOLS, BALOO, or others, we (the training team) take the rosters and input these directly into council training records, then print the system record (in a pdf) and send it with the roster to the registrar and staff training advisor for record keeping. This has freed up loads of our Registrar's time, and gives ownership of training metrics to the Training Committee, where it should be. If you wanna learn more, let me know

Glad you were able to find that. I was in the same boat when I first moved here... And even though I had the card from the old Scoutmaster Fundamentals course (S21), and had completed Wood Badge when it was really Wood Badge ;), my Bachelor of Commissioner Science, and had attended three National Camping School sessions for Scoutcraft (now named Outdoor Skills), Commissioner, and Aquatics, the council training folks here said I had to take the Scoutmaster Position-Specific Training Course S24, and Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills S11, before being "Trained". The policy is, that since the curriculum was "updated", you would not be given credit for the new course material. SMH Fine, I said... took the courses and was immediately asked to be on staff, which I did... and have continued to do for the past 10 years. Here is the biggest thing I have noticed over the years: There is a lot bad information out there... "word of mouth" Scouting, and people teaching their personal preference for how things should be done. Most people are teaching what they think they know, rather than what the Scout Handbook or other relevant literature says. Whenever any point of contention comes up, that is my first question: "What does the Scout Handbook say?" It is even more flabbergasting how few adults neither have a copy of the Scout Handbook, nor have opened it even if they do. This is a fundamental behavior we should be modeling for youth. Go to the source to learn and answer questions... The two most frequent responses I encounter when pointing out errant ways or information are 1) "Well, that's the way I was taught!" (OK, well you were taught incorrectly, so now let's fix it ) and 2) "That's they way we have always done it!" (OK, so, are you happy having always done it the wrong way?) Both of these biases undermine the promulgation of Scout skills. I do not understand, for the life of me, why people simply WILL NOT just go and read the source material. How can you teach the material if you do not know the material, or what the literature actually says??

It would be awesome if this was migrated into Scoutbook Plus for adult training and awards. But, I understand the focus has been on getting the youth side of tracking up to speed first. The electronic records that exist are a bit clunky, but you do have a way to track already. Would you like me to elaborate?

OK, so the solution from National was to create a third ID number for this Scout in our Council, and import his record from the other council to this "New Primary" membership, as well as merging the record of his existing "Multiple" membership in our council. This all went in overnight, and the Scout's record looks OK. Moving forward there... But with all that, his parent now has three ID numbers tied to this Scout. One of the parent numbers is also still in the old council, where he was a leader, and so it has all of his training records tied to it. (He wishes to become a leader in our unit as well.) So, I'll call my friendly neighborhood Registrar this morning, and begin working that piece of the puzzle. Our Committee Chair says he is gonna TRIPLE my pay after this one What is 3 x $0.00??? P.S. I wonder if Scouts, BSA's membership numbers went up by three (instead of one) with all this?? LOL

Yes, why not just have a National Membership, with that registration portable through all councils and units. You can already establish multiple memberships in multiple units, with one remaining primary. Why not let the member determine where their primary membership resides? Seems like a no brainer to me, but I'm sure there is something I'm not seeing, or remain ignorant of, in spite of my best efforts to understand the system...

We have a Scout whose registration records are a bit messed up. His family moved here in 2024, from a different council. In getting him registered here, rather than transferring his primary membership from the other council, he was made a "Multiple" in his current Pack. I use the passive voice there, because we have no idea who did this. The Parents say they did not do this through my.scouting, the Pack Committee Chair says they did not do this through Scoutbook, and the Registrar says she did not do this. Parents say they filled out a paper application here, but no one can (or will) produce a copy to figure out how it happened. But that is minor, and will only show who took what actions. We need to fix the registration issue at hand... When the Scouts registration became due, the parent dutifully logged into my.scouting to pay it by credit card. But, the registration (and the parent record) was in the original council. So, when paid, registration renewed as primary in the original council. And the multiple membership here continued. No one in either council caught this. Scout has finished his Arrow of Light, but we cannot transfer him to the Troop because of his "Multiple" status in the Pack. We have been working with the Registrars for a while on resolving this... The parent has receipt and order number from my.scouting to show paid registration. Yesterday, our Registrar told me she (and the other Registrar) cannot fix this with the tools they have, and our Registrar has had to put in a help ticket to National to try to get this resolved. I am astounded. With no transfer to Troop, parents cannot see Troop calendar in Scoutbook to help their Scout look at upcoming events and RSVP, leaders cannot help track advancement in Scoutbook, and committee cannot track financials (dues payment and trip charges) in the Scoutbook tools. For the interim, we have told the council (and they agree) that we are going to forge ahead with this Scout in our Troop while they fix their system. The Registrar agrees to back-date his Date Joined Scouts BSA to the date we tried to initiate the transfer. (This is because he cannot have his Scout Rank, or any other advancements, earned before his Date Joined Scouts BSA.) We'll use his Scout Handbook to track his advancements, and have sat down with the Scout and parents to review all upcoming events for attendance and conflicts. I cannot help but see this as a symptom of a dysfunctional system between councils and National. Add this to the long list of IT-type complaints we have endured over the past years. With the tremendous burden of administration we already have to make a Scout unit function well, it'd be nice not to have friendly fire incidents like this.