InquisitiveScouter

3 hours ago, MikeS72 said:

Actually, yes.  By coincidence there is a copy sitting in front of me right now that I filled out last week. 

Rhetorical question to point out that there has been no communication on release of this new, all-important document, which units use day-to-day...

7 hours ago, skeptic said:

I suspect a few of my posts on District pages have been wiped, as the council has the office as a moderator on them.  But, I generally share stuff I get from the National groups, like Commissioners, and especially On Scouting.  I find many are not aware of this, and local council often  does not pass stuff along.  Their newsletters are always months out of date.  IF it came from a National source, I feel it should be okay to share it.  Tough if they do not want your to.  

 

I have never been impressed with the communication prowess of the organization, nor the flow of information from National to units. 

With the old interweb thingy at our fingers now,  you'd think the simple solution is a "Daily Read File" or some such.  National posts all policy and procedure changes there, and anyone can access and read.  

The hard part would be keeping duff, fluff, puff, and stuff out of it... you know, propaganda, feel good, and image pieces like you see here https://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/

Like this:  Did you know that National has released an updated Annual Health and Medical Record (2026 version)???

46 minutes ago, Tron said:

Im not sure. I think they might be reporting "total unique youth served" which may include LFL AND other headcount or NO LFL and other headcount. I have not completely figured out the total unique youth served calculation.

Regardless, you are correct, something is off in how numbers are being reported.

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!

5 minutes ago, Tron said:

The rumor about renewals was confirmed and briefed at the NAM today. All renewals are moving to February.

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?

7 minutes ago, jcousino said:

NO feedback; another paper filed in the trash. The only action from council would be if the youth did not receive their mb, as when parents complain. There is no QA in any merit badges as long as the Scout gets their badge and no  parent complaints; all is well  mb have become meaningless. Like the Scouts' ranks. sorry no honor in scouting at the council levels 

 

A sad, but true, indictment...

1 hour ago, skeptic said:

When our council started adding a "fee" for these types of things a majority of our leaders sound off negatively.  After poor attendance due to the fee stuff, partly due to units refusing to particpate, they revised the program.  They now find sponsors for costs and no scout is charged.  Guess what, attendance grew dramatically.  The next step then was a group meting of leaders where our concerns were hear, mostly not prepping the prerequisites and working on unit communications.  I personally stopped doing counseling for the events, and I told them why, though part was just my age and related issues, it was also getting few follow ups from the partials.  Those that came prepared, also tended to follow up and arrange a meeting to finish.  And that is how I feel it should shake out.  I should note that I did have a few parents and a leader or two that were upset I did not sign the blue cards automatically.  But, I also had a couple that were glad I did not.  

 

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

10 minutes ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

THAT. IS. IT!  (caps for emphasis).

One district had an MBU on the same weekend for decades. Well organized, experts for MBCs, etc. However council was not making any money off of it. They created their own, the same exact weekend, but at a much higher price. Original group followed NCAC, and raised costs a bit so the council could make $1/person profit. You think council would be happy?

Council cancelled the event one month before it was to occur, and after the registration deadline to their MBU. 

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?

16 minutes ago, PACAN said:

Just remove all requirements and call it a day.

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

On 5/1/2026 at 3:26 PM, Tron said:

Search on the scouting.org/health-and-safety/gss/gss01/ for "accommodation".

 

Its all in there, worded weirdly, and I swear different than the last time I read it. 

They have been making changes without announcing or annotated the change.

Not a great regulatory practice

1 hour ago, Tron said:

Golden Spread and South Plains councils just announced a merger, a fast one, they said the merger will be complete June 1st.

Just in time to order new sales merch for Jamboree

6 hours ago, skeptic said:

Work at finding liaisons with other youth groups, including maybe church groups and such.  Put together a cooperative or two with local outdoor and sporting stores that run programs for climbing and so on.  If feasible, work with local professional groups to use the site for spot training opportunities.  Make serious cooperative out reach to local colleges and schools to develop teaching sites at the camp.  All things that could be workable, or so it seems to me.  Setting rates would need to be fair, and not made to maximize any profit  The main thing would be to simply keep trying new ideas and finding cooperative options Corporate weekends might be offered where they could use the sites for company gatherings.  The goal woould be to make the property viable, but also to have the community see it as an option.   Working with unions might be viable, both in the city and at camp facilities.  Union does training at the camp and the camp gets things fixed professionally.  Be creative, and if it does not pan out, try other things.  Some camps may have the type of location to grow Christmas trees, so that becomes part of the prograam and support.  If the camps have unique locations with interesing geograpy, or in our case a fscsimile fort, offer it for movie sets; maybe even incorporate it as part of the MB program to do that.  Keep that "can't" at bay.  

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?

10 minutes ago, PACAN said:

My friend sent me the end of March numbers 

 

     2026.  767394

      2025    949373

 

i don’t know if those numbers include LFL

 

 

 

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.

12 hours ago, Jameson76 said:

As we are well into April now (quick check of the calendar).  Wonder what the numbers are now? 

My intuition tells me that an organization based and financed by membership and units that does not in fact publicly publish the figures about member and units likely has a growth issue with member and units.

Call me crazy

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??

24 minutes ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

Funny thing is this: if you scream and curse out that top level volunteer, he may stop donating.  And he may tell his buddies what happened, and they stop giving too. That happened.  District had to drop their FOS goal severely since they did this. The current goal is 10% of what is was when I first got here, and that is not adjusting for inflation.

Worse part is the DC was actually doing something.

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/

2 hours ago, Tron said:

Patently wrong approach. Like you said this sends a message. Is the unit going to fold or is the DE allowing the scout to eagle (we dont punish scouts for adult mistakes) and then revoking the charter?

 

From a liability standpoint hazardous weather is related to outdoor activities and not just camping. Without hazardous weather the unit is technically not allowed to go for a walk around the block.

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?

8 minutes ago, IanR said:

Pulling them out of press releases, news articles, their home page, and Wikipedia. I don't think they have annual reports like the BSA used to.

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

2 minutes ago, Tron said:

Correct, membership is on a near linear decline 10%(ish) year over year. From what I have seen its fairly uniform across the whole country, no single council or region is responsible. I'm increasingly believing that the issue is just a significant amount of untrained or poorly trained unit leaders pushing families out of the program by not running the actual program.

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.

On 3/3/2026 at 11:42 AM, InquisitiveScouter said:

UPDATE:

01 March ended the grace period for those memberships which expired on 31 Dec.  Those expired memberships have now dropped off the rolls.

Let's look at the updated numbers now...

As of 03 March, numbers pulled moments ago...

Same Month Last Year: 980,311 (Mar 2025)  all programs...

Total Current Youth: 781,539 (Mar 2026) a 20.28% drop from last year.

Last Year End:  907,950 (This is the 31 Dec 2025 number in the system.)  This changed by +1  from previous reports. (weird, huh?)

Dec 2024 End of Year number was: 986,520

These numbers include Learning for Life,  33,478 on the books now.

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%