The Bloggers
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You’ve probably heard the term helicopter parents. These are parents who seem to hover above their children, manipulating them like marionettes and steering them around life’s obstacles. Afraid to see their children fail, they try to push them to make the right decisions, acting as managers and spokesmen and try to erase any uncertainty.
On my honor, I will do my duty to God… These familiar words open the Scout Oath, one of the fundamental guideposts of our movement and one which establishes our values. It’s always been part of Scouting, and was recently reaffirmed at the National Annual Meeting as a key part of all of our programs.
We recently bought some new patio furniture. If you’ve ever done the same, you realize that it most likely comes to you in pieces and you need to put it together yourself. The large Swedish-based retailer whose logo shares colors with Cub Scouting (you know who I mean) is well-known for their quality and price…
By now, you’ve heard or read about the Boy Scouts of America’s plan to change the name of our venerable flagship program, Boy Scouts, to “Scouts BSA” in February 2019. The decision is part of the BSA’s Scout Me In campaign to recruit girls as well as boys into our ranks.
The Boy Scouts of America’s National Advancement Team continuously reviews and updates matters of advancement across our programs. They work to keep requirements relevant and establish clear wording so the chances of misunderstanding are minimal. Part of their mission is to keep volunteers informed not only on new advancement opportunities, but also ways we can…
I’ve had the opportunity to review several Eagle Scout leadership service projects over the years. Just as each Scout is different, so is their level of preparation for their projects. Some have mapped out their projects down to every screw and nail, while others give a more general description of what is being proposed or…
Recently, the Boy Scouts of America updated (overhauled, really) its youth protection training and related requirements, which I wrote about here. Among the changes is the new requirement that adults staying at a long-term Scouting event, such as summer camp, must be registered with the BSA if they attend the event for more than 72…
Today’s article comes to us courtesy of Sean Scott. Sean’s a long-time Scouter who I got to know through a Cub Scouting forum when we were both Cubmasters. Back in the day, Sean wrote: Yesterday I was getting ready for a new pack organization meeting.
One of the greatest virtues of the Scouting program is that it teaches young people how to solve problems in real time with the resources they have at their disposal. They’re not usually major problems – at least not to us, but to the Scouts, they can befuddle and confuse until they set themselves in the…
As anticipated, the Boy Scouts of America has issued some major updates to our landmark Youth Protection procedures. The program is being expanded and strengthened, and will include youth training in youth protection for the first time (aside from our traditional A Time to Tell and It Happened to Me programs).
As the old joke goes, meetings are the place where the minutes are kept and the hours are thrown away. But meeting minutes – the written record of the business conducted – are probably the most important, yet the most ignored, aspect of our meetings.
In October 2017, the Boy Scouts of America took the historic step of deciding to allow girls into our Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting programs The introduction of Family Scouting , as it’s known, into Cub Scout packs was to begin by the fall recruiting season in 2018, while the parallel program for girls of Boy…
Time marches on, and technology comes along for the ride. It’s true of the Boy Scouts of America, which a couple years ago unvelied Scoutbook , a unit recordkeeping software package initially developed by a Scouter who had a better idea.
As we roll over the calendar into the new year, councils will be beginning their fundraising efforts for 2018. Our part as volunteers and Scouting families is participation in the Family Friends of Scouting program. Most of us are familiar with the need to help fund our Scouting programs above and beyond the direct fees…
Over the last few weeks, our offices at work have undergone some renovations, including removal of the 25-year-old wall coverings, painting, general cleaning and rearranging of the furniture. The good news is that I get a new office cubicle with more space and a bit more privacy, but the downside has been working in the…
Thanksgiving has become a speed bump in the marketing cycle that starts before Halloween and continues all the way to Christmas and beyond. In the past, it marked the beginning of the holiday shopping season. In recent years, retailers have been tripping over themselves to attract customers by cutting prices and opening earlier.
One of the most persistent problems in keeping a troop or pack going is obtaining sufficient adult leadership to get all the various jobs covered without causing burnout of the small group of people who usually get stuck with everything.
By now you have heard that the Boy Scouts of America will begin to allow Cub Scout packs to register girls beginning next fall, and a program for older girls is on the way as well. This is a long-awaited (and long-feared) advance in our programs.
“All in favor, say Aye.” How often do you hear that in your committee meetings? If you’re doing things right, you shouldn’t. That’s because the troop committee isn’t a legislative body and doesn’t make decisions based on what most of the committee members agree with.
Cub Scouts recruited? Check. Dens formed? Check. Leaders volunteered? Check. Applications submitted and filed? Check. Dens are meeting? Check. Training completed? Ummm…. Something’s missing here. It seems like in the hubbub and rush to get our Cub Scout dens cranked up and running again, families invited and involved, pack meetings held, popcorn sales organized, supplies…
It doesn’t happen very often, but on rare occasion a troop’s committee withers away as Scouts leave or age out and their parents, who served on the committee, also depart without being replaced. Sometimes, others just take on the added responsibilities rather than recruiting a replacement, until the burden gets too great and they themselves…
If you’ve ever transitioned from being a rank-and-file employee to a supervisor or manager, you’ve undoubtedly run into some rough spots as you made the transition. Taking on a managerial role is a big step, because you’re now overseeing the people you used to work alongside.
Along with welcoming new members into our packs and troops and starting the program year, fall is the time when many units collect updated health forms from their youth and adult members. The Boy Scouts of America recommends that each member have on file with his or her unit a completed copy of the General…
You may have already received word from your council, but in case you haven’t heard – be prepared to shell out a few more dollars soon. The National Council has announced that effective December 1, 2017, the registration fee for all members of the Boy Scouts of America, from Cub Scout to adult, will increase to…
If your Cub Scout pack is typical, you’ll not only be recruiting Scouts this fall – you’ll also be recruiting adult leaders. Den Leaders are the ones that packs usually need the most, and they’re the most important because they deliver the program.
A reader wrote to me a few weeks back asking for advice on how to select adults to go along on troop campouts, particularly those featuring above-the-norm, interesting activities. This reader felt that certain adults were given first crack repeatedly, that most of the adults were being bypassed when it came to offering the chance…
I’m sure you’ve been in many meetings where the chairperson or meeting facilitator does most of the talking. There’s the discussion of business, summary of past activity and general announcements. Many times, people are hesitant to speak up, so the chair just fills in the quiet spaces.
No sooner had the Boy Scouts of America published the 2017 revision to its omnibus reference work Guide to Advancement, which we reviewed in a recent article , than it announced a few changes. Eagle Palms There are some important changes to the way Eagle Palms are earned and awarded.
Since its inception in 2011, the Guide to Advancement has been the single point of reference for nearly all matters related to advancement across all our programs. It replaced a smattering of documents, references in handbooks and training manuals, and official policies that were not well documented.
You probably know someone – your parents, a college friend, maybe even yourself – who subscribes to National Geographic . The magazine contains some of the finest writing and photography available, and their iconic yellow covers have become part of our culture. But many people who subscribe just can’t bear to throw them away.
When you think about Scouting, you think about doing things in the great outdoors. Fishing, archery and hiking all come to mind. So do aquatics like swimming and boating. But certain activities have traditionally been off limits or restricted for various age groups because of safety, training, or other considerations.
On August 3, 1949, President Harry S Truman signed a proclamation designating a national day on which we honor the United States Flag, and so June 14 became known as National Flag Day. The story goes deeper, though. President Woodrow Wilson was the first president to establish the date by proclamation in 1916, following initial…
If you’re on one of your council’s committees, you might have seen the announcement from Chief Scout Executive Michael Surbaugh last week summarizing the discussions held at the Boy Scouts of America National Annual Meeting over the Memorial Day weekend.
Ethics. It’s a big word. It can be a loaded word in some ways. Ethics is typically defined as the fundamental principles of decent human conduct. Merriam-Webster defines it as the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation.
It’s May, so summer is almost here, and many Cub Scout packs are wrapping up their school year meeting schedules with springtime events designed to cap off a year of fun with a lighter activity or a ceremony to mark the transition from one year to the next.
At our church, I serve on a committee that oversees our communication efforts. Among our tasks are the advertising and promotions that we place in local media, our various “side-door” ministries (activities that help to enrich the community, like Scouting) and the church website.
A while back, we ran a couple articles about the role that other adults play in a Boy Scout troop. By “other” adults, I’m referring to assistant Scoutmasters, committee members and parents of Scouts. But sometimes, you encounter a situation where adults like to stick around after their sons have aged out and moved on.
Have you, or your Scouts, ever played the game of Telephone? A group forms a circle, and the first person thinks of a message. He whispers it to the second person, and the second to the third, and so on, until it reaches the last person.
From the very beginning, Scouting has been a volunteer-driven organization. The paid professionals are but a tiny number of people who make our program go. The heavy lifting is done by the parents and friends who step forward in every unit, district and council.
It’s now official: The requirement to file a Tour Plan for unit activities is no more. The BSA released word to councils (some time ago) that the procedure would no longer be required. We announced it on Twitter on March 15 when word came down to the Commissioner staff.
I once had four bosses in the same job, all at the same time. At one point in my career, I was a department head at a branch location of a company that had a half-dozen locations around the country.
Leadership development is one of Scouting’s most important effects on its members. Ask anyone who was a Scout as a youth and they’ll probably tell you that in addition to learning how to camp, hike and respect the outdoors, one of the most important takeaways is that it helped them become a better leader.
One of my jobs as a unit commissioner is to keep the leadership of my troops and packs informed about happenings around our council. Most events are pretty well publicized and advertised in newsletters and at Roundtable, but we often get inside information at commissioner meetings that can help our units when it comes to…
“Things went pretty well. I only had three boys cry.” That’s an actual quote from an actual Cubmaster following his pack’s annual Pinewood Derby race held last week. If you’re a Cubmaster, I’m sure it has happened to you as well.
January first is usually a significant day in the advancement process. Most rank and merit badge requirement changes become effective as of the first of the year. New Year’s Day in 2016 marked significant and sweeping changes in Boy Scout requirements.
As youth groups go, Scouting is extremely cost-effective. Where else can Scouts experience fun and adventure for such a reasonable cost? When I share the opportunity to become a Friend of Scouting, I often tell parents gathered at courts of honor and Blue & Gold Banquets that, dollar for dollar, Scouting is one of the least…
I remember when I was about six or seven years old and was first learning to ride a bicycle. I had training wheels on my two-wheeler for what seemed like forever. One day, I noticed that the training wheels weren’t touching the ground as I rode, so I asked my dad to take them off.
If you’re a merit badge counselor, you’re probably pretty familiar with the role that merit badges play in the Boy Scout advancement system. Once they reach First Class, Scouts must earn a certain number of merit badges to continue advancing, with some drawn from the list of badges required for the rank of Eagle Scout…
It seems like an ideal troop outing. A trip to a local ski area for a weekend of snow sports. The slopes are not too steep but still full of fun and challenge. They offer downhill and cross-country skiing trails, snowboarding runs, ice skating and tubing.
As we’ve been discussing , the Order of the Arrow is an organization for youth members in Boy Scouting. Its governance and activities are all conducted by members under 21, and because they are the top tier of Scouts, they do it very well, with a sense of commitment to the principles of the Order as…
