BetterWithCheddar

@oldasdirteagle: If it's an item you really treasure, then I would suggest dry cleaning. I've machine washed old neckerchiefs on a gentle cycle only to see some of the stitching come loose. Alternatively, I would suggest maintaining the worn look as a badge of honor to show you've been doing the work a long time. 😉

As a youth, I was part of a new Troop that quickly established itself as one of the best in the district. Looking back, I think it got off the ground so quickly for three reasons: We had a great Scoutmaster who was willing to do most of the heavy lifting. We had plenty of parents who were willing to go camping. We had a strong feeder Pack. You'll have to be the driving force (for everything). As your Troop matures, you can cede control to the PLC and to adult volunteers who may be willing to head up certain key functions (fundraising, new scout patrol, High Adventure, etc.).

Welcome, @lw3s. Good on you for reaching out! I don't have any programming experience, but here are some pointers that would be applicable to most industries: The best internships post in the Fall. Many places will begin the process of hiring summer students and Spring graduates in the Fall. That seems early, but they're trying to attract the best students to fill their talent pool. Try proactively reaching out to places of interest to inquire when they typically post their summer internships. Write for Blogs or Newsletters. Make a list of information sources that compile professional content for your industry. Reach out to them and offer to submit content or provide peer reviews. It might not be an internship, but you'll start to write and think like a member of your chosen field, and you'll make connections with the editors of these publications. Hire a Resume Coach. Go to Fiverr and pay someone $50 to review your resume. You can often find people with HR experience in your chosen field who will help improve your resume and make it stand out. They'll also alert you to any gaps that you might be able to address. Bonus: You've now added someone in your chosen field to your network. Good luck!

Isn't that the truth? I don't see many coaches saying "no" to a week off for Scout Camp. More than likely, they express frustration when requests pile up. For many kids, it's not just a week off for Scout Camp, but also a week off for a different activity and another week off for family vacation. Despite not being the smartest, or best-looking, or even the most diligent person at my place of employment, I've carved out a pretty decent existence over the last 15 years just by being consistently not stupid. I show up on time, I dress a little nicer than required, I try a little harder than required, and I rarely miss a day of work. Half of life is just showing up. A few coaches might be unnecessarily strict on attendance, but most are trying to convey the same life lessons as we are.

There are probably a few "hardo" coaches out there who make it difficult for kids to participate in other activities, but I'd imagine most are willing to make reasonable accommodations. The real issue lies in team sports where roster spots and playing time are scarce. Few coaches would punish a kid for missing a week of training because they took a family vacation or attended Scout Camp, but eventually, it becomes an issue of self-selection. You either demonstrate your commitment to the program or you take your chances. That's the unspoken ultimatum in many school districts.

Thanks for sharing. I thought that was a nice piece of marketing material - surprisingly well done for the BSA / SA. If SA positions itself carefully, there's a good opportunity to add and retain more athletes to our units. Scouting can be a nice counterbalance to the year-round youth sports grind, provided SA and local units maintain flexible programs. At our annual New Scout Information Night, our Pack always mentions "we're OK being your family's second favorite activity" and that has helped lead to some healthy numbers. When we look for a Troop, I'll probably steer my son to the one that has the best parent support, but a secondary factor will be the SM's philosophy on attendance and advancement. I don't mind if the Scouts who attend all Troop functions advance faster than my son, but I'd still like for there to be a path to Eagle if my son communicates his availability to his SM / SPL and is willing to do extra work when he's not playing basketball.

It looks like the Northern Start Council (Twin Cities Area) absorbed 2 of the Voyageurs' Districts, but I couldn't figure out where the other Districts went (assuming to either the Central Minnesota or Northern Lights Councils). This merger resulted in what has to be one of the more oddly shaped Councils in the country: Northern Star Scouting > About Us

It's definitely an uphill battle with the recent membership decline and abuse scandal. I often question the time I have invested in the program, but my son and his friends still seem to be having fun, so I'll push forward. We're providing a welcoming environment where they can exercise, socialize, and get outside. Some kids really need that.

I agree the PowerPoint requirement is unnecessary, but I also think it's a pretty reasonable request. If this were my son, I'm not going to expend a lot of social capital to push back. Most kids learn how to use the free Google Slides program in school. As for the unnecessary paperwork - I know a lot of people who make good money by doing things like filling out 3 different forms with the same information and just keeping their mouths shut. 😉

I think you hit on a few big factors that transcend Scouts: Too often, we raise kids to go through life and check boxes. I, along with many in my generational cohort, am a perfect example. My parents earned a decent living but encouraged me to go to college as they viewed it as a "golden ticket." I graduated during the Global Financial Crisis and, all of a sudden, I was overeducated and underexperienced. I did everything that was asked of me - got good grades, joined clubs, played sports, worked summer jobs, etc. and was underemployed for over 3 years. Today, I'm doing fine with a steady corporate job and decent long-term prospects, but I'm not a risk taker. I'm just a very diligent employee who is satisfied with his current career trajectory. I'm raising my son a little differently. My only expectation for him in school is to earn B's and behave appropriately. If he spends 2 hours after school tinkering with a computer instead of studying, that's fine as long as he's still getting his homework done. He and I also operate an eBay store that sells used Lego. For me, it amounts to a crappy part-time job, but at least he's excited and learning about markets, customer service, and e-commerce. Scouting can be a bit of a mixed bag. Some kids go through the program and check the boxes to earn their Eagle Scout Award. Others stand to benefit more from the outdoor program and patrol method. I'm hopeful the latter will push him out of his comfort zone and better prepare him for life. Kids are expensive. Cut us some slack. I love being a dad. I always figured I'd have 2-3 kids but am turning 40 soon and just have the one son. My wife and I are the same age, and our prime reproductive years (25-35) were bookended by the Global Financial Crisis and COVID. We're doing fine now, but having an only child was our form of "economic triage" (despite living rather modestly). Every generation has its challenges and I'm not seeking to minimize anyone else's struggles - we've just had a perfect storm of conditions over the past 15 years that have led to lower birth rates. Sure, there are probably a small number of young adults who value their freedom over parenthood, but most couples are limiting their family size out of economic necessity.

As a Scout, I would have loved the opportunity to pursue some of the more "academic" merit badges in a MBU setting. I don't see the problem as long as 1) the programs are well run and 2) they don't replace the outdoor program.

In my youth, most camporees had a theme and scouts could earn 1 MB by participating. You're telling me some districts try to cram multiple MBs into a single weekend campout?

To be honest, I recall being very motivated to earn merit badges as a young scout. I flipped through the camp handbook every winter to plan my "perfect" summer camp where I would earn 4 new merit badges. I would have turned down a high adventure outing for the opportunity to earn one more merit badge. I don't think the focus on advancement is a bad thing, provided each merit badge is taught correctly and gives the camper a meaningful experience. I take issue with all of the non-outdoor merit badges taught at summer camp these days - that just continues the "School 2" trend we've lamented about in other threads (how many camps now have a STEM Center?) Ideally, camps should offer outdoor merit badges that would be challenging for a troop to offer on their own (shooting sports, aquatics, etc.). Even if kids are "overscheduled" at summer camp, they are still having unique outdoor adventures.

Are you serious? How is that possible? My son is Cub-age now, but when I was a council camp staffer in the early 2000s, 4 MBs was the max at summer camp. There were 2 sessions in the morning and 2 sessions in the afternoon. They ran Monday through Thursday with Friday being a "free" day. We were accused of overscheduling kids back then.

I can't tell you whether this is feasible or even acceptable, but that parent is making an unusual presumption. Of all the points of the Scout Law, I best personify "thrifty" (wife can confirm). My penny-pinching brain would never devise a rebate system where I make a "donation" to a legitimate company match program only to turn around and expect that amount rebated to personal slush fund without first consulting the other parties. I'm sorry this puts you in such a difficult position.

This is absolutely a factor. Just focusing on the recent trend (membership being roughly 1/3 of what it was 10 years ago), there just aren't many new collectors to replace the ones getting up there in age. I actually don't mind the stagnant prices. The limited collecting I do brings me joy and helps preserve Scouting history in my area. I've never sold a patch. I'm sure it varies by region, but I noticed an "explosion" in patches specifically designed to be collectible around 2000 (different borders, limited runs, etc.). I was away from Scouting from 2007-2022 (returning to be my son's den leader). Since I never experienced this era first-hand, the variations have little appeal to me.

I'm not a big patch collector, but I will snag old lodge flaps and camp patches from my home council whenever I find them on eBay for $10 or less. From my limited sample, I've noticed these patches haven't appreciated much in price and, in some cases, are actually less expensive than they were 10-15 years ago. A few industries experienced a resurgence in 2020 with everyone stuck at home (Lego and sports cards immediately come to mind), but Scouting memorabilia may have been left out of the boom. Just curious - what has everyone's experience been in recent years?

I had a pretty traditional Scouting experience that culminated in earning the Eagle Scout award after I had a lot of fun and finally got around to the paperwork. One of my best my friends could be described as a "Paper Eagle." He made it through the program with very little camping and had everything wrapped up by high school so he could focus more on academics. Today, he's a professor at a prestigious university and travels the world to present his research. He is absolutely someone we'd want to represent the program. Scouting just means different things to different people and we all have to be OK with that for the BSA to survive.

Thank you. That was a nice video. I had to look up the membership numbers for myself: BLC membership has decreased from 22,600 in 2017 to 8,000 in 2023 (-65%). MCC membership has decreased from 57,000 in 2017 to 25,200 in 2023 (-56%). National membership has decreased from 2,167,800 in 2017 to 981,600 in 2023 (-65%). So while the MCC has lost fewer members on a relative basis, the BLC's situation appears no worse than what the rest of the country has experienced.

I LOVED Scouting as a youth and always figured I'd be a hands-on parent / leader - attending Roundtables, serving on committees, staffing district events, etc. I'm happy to be a Den Leader as long as my son and his friends are having fun. If he decides to continue with Scouts, I'll support the Troop, but don't have the enthusiasm I once had. I think the change comes down to three things: Scouting is in a death loop and I can feel it. Look no further than this message board. I used to lurk here 10 years ago and it felt like there was double the amount of activity (mods, can you confirm?). As a youth, I met a lot of neat people through Scouting. I always figured I'd see those people on the trail with their own kids, but many have either moved away from my mid-size city or don't have kids in the program. I'm terrified of liability and have no desire to attend overnight events with some of the poorly behaved kids in our Pack (even though most of the kids and families are great). My son loves basketball. Our town has recently won state championships in basketball, baseball, and hockey. These programs are pillars of our community. It's very different than when I was a kid and we played organized sports 1x per week at the YMCA. As for my local council, I know they have their challenges, but I've received sufficient support since re-joining as an adult. I even have a text chain with my DE. He's very responsive and makes me feel valued. I can only imagine how some of you feel when you're not getting ample support from your local professionals.

😬 I was terrified of the waterfront as a young scout because all of the counselors kept screaming at kids for simple things like switching seats in a rowboat or accidentally letting an old oar touch the ground. I'm surprised the BSA even allows motorboats - especially considering there are so many fun man-powered options that kids don't often get to experience (canoes, kayaks, row boats, pedal boats, inflatables, etc.).

I'm a Wolf Den Leader and recently held two successful den meetings: We completed the Air of the Wolf adventure by holding a "Paper Airplane Derby". I taped out a 40-foot "runway" in our meeting area for the kids to launch their planes. They each got 5 sheets of paper and 5 minutes to make some prototypes with their parents. After taking turns testing their planes, they got another 5 minutes to refine their prototypes. Following a second flight test, they got 2 minutes and 2 sheets of paper to make a final model and see who could throw their plane the furthest. It was inexpensive and all the boys seemed engaged. We also completed the Adventures in Coins adventure. I bought inexpensive coin folders off Amazon and gave the kids each 4 rolls of pennies. They had fun opening the coin rolls with their parents and filling up their coin folders with different years and mint marks. It's cold and dark on most weeknights during the school year, so we're often limited by activities that can be conducted at our meeting space in the public library. We also have a pair of boys whose behavior can present a challenge and impacts other kids' experiences. Running den meetings has always been hit or miss. Sometimes I'll put in a lot of effort and come up short; however, these meetings went great. I may repeat them next year once we've completed all of our required Bear adventures. I hope others are able to give them a try.

This is an odd one to me: As I understand it, the former Hiawathaland Council (Michigan's UP) asked to merge with the Bay Lakes Council because they felt they were more similar (culturally) to Northeast Wisconsin than Lower Michigan. So Bay Lakes accommodates, merges OA Lodges, and closes one of its camps. Then 10 years later, the UP says "Haha, just kidding. We're going to stick with Lower Michigan." Is that the gist? Am I missing something?

It was challenging enough to navigate the half-truths we saw in TV ads this cycle. My son also came home and informed me about the playground straw poll. This was probably the last Presidential election where we could avoid the subject. He'll be ready for some table talk in 4 years. I applaud your efforts to search for truth, but fear we may now be living in a "post-fact" America. It's rather difficult to win heated arguments on facts alone. Instead, we should challenge kids to be better persuaders by encouraging empathy, wit, humor, and concise writing

I was a Boy Scout in the late 90s and early 2000s and can only recall a single instance of politics coming up at a Scouting event. An older Scout referred to George W. as "King George" because he had not won the popular vote. It was in the Trading Post at summer camp and we all just went back to eating our ice cream. @skeptic, I think you're approaching the situation correctly by offering a thoughtful reply when prompted but not interjecting your personal views at every turn. I view my obligation as a leader to promote good dialogue, but not necessarily my opinion. My son is still Cub-age, but when the conversations become more nuanced, I plan to start with patience and humility.