The Bloggers
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The Boy Scouts of America’s Monster Truck may not have been in the heat of the Monster Jam competitions Feb. 21, 2015, but its rip-roaring stunts dazzled kids of all ages (and, who are we kidding, plenty of parents too!).
Calling all volunteers, parents and Scouts! The Voice of the Scout (VOS) survey is headed your way next week. It will only take a few minutes, yet the collective perspective given by participants will help drive relevant and impactful decisions for months and years to come.
Planting Seeds for Membership Growth Calling all Scouting professionals and volunteer leaders: Join us for the Southern Region Marketing & Membership Summit, March 20, 2015, in Atlanta! From 9:45 a.m. – 4 p.m., this informational meeting will prep your team spark stellar growth and serve more Scouts than ever.
When you think of Monster Jam, you probably imagine giant trucks jacked to the max flying through the air, crushing cars, pulling dizzying donuts. But you may not immediately see the event as a viable way to get kids into Scouting.
Picture BSA resources burgeoning with digital experiences, mobile apps, and virtual merit badges and you’re picturing the BSA pipeline of today. Training Industry Magazine recently covered how going digital to meet the learning styles of the newest Scouting generation is not optional for the BSA.
Scout Executives, council volunteers, and staff with major gift duties who are ready to find funding more easily than ever, this is your ticket! The 2015 Major Gifts Seminar schedule is here, and your chance to excel in the Journey to Excellence Criteria #2 and #3 has arrived!
New Venturing and Sea Scouting participants who are 18 but not yet 21 must complete an Adult Application and Criminal Background Check Disclosure/Authorization form beginning March 1. To support this change, the youth and adult applications have been revised. The new youth application, No.
How can you maximize the potential of your local BSA Facebook pages? If somebody asked you what the most effective type of content on Facebook was for reaching your audience and driving engagement, you might have said photos – and up until recently, you would have been very right.
You’re probably accustomed to receiving supplemental roundtable content the first week of each month, but we’ve decided to release this month’s roundtable early. (Keep an eye out for “Voice of the Scout” survey information at the beginning of the month!)
On Tuesday Feb. 10, 2015, the All Markets Strategy committee gathered at the semi-annual BSA Board Meeting to discuss ways to deliver Scouting to more of our diverse markets. President & Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Mobile & Business Solutions, Ralph de la Vega chaired the meeting.
The Greater NYC Council is hosting a bilingual Wood Badge course in Spanish and English, August 8 – 13, 2015. Scout leaders from all Scouting programs are invited to attend the course, located at Alpine Scout Camp in New Jersey. Hear from course staffer Bishop James Tamayo, as he invites Scout leaders to partake in this…
I’m proud to say that we have had a number of American presidents who were Scouts as they were growing up. The first Scout to become president was John F. Kennedy, a member of Troop 2 in Bronxville, New York.
Carlos Cortez has been named Scout executive of the Los Padres Council in Santa Barbara, California, effective March 16. Carlos will join in partnership with the volunteers and staff of the Los Padres Council to deliver quality Scouting experiences to the young people of the communities they serve.
Attention Council, Area, and Regional Key 3 and board members! Are you looking for one of a kind leadership development course? You’ll find it when you join us at Philmont Scout Ranch June 8 – 12, 2015. At the Creating Organizational Excellence course in the Philmont Training Center, you’ll hear from BSA leadership, like National President…
Training as a Scout comes in handy. Sure, knot tying and kindling know-how are awesome, but let’s not undersell how valuable time as a Scout can be. For these Scouts, BSA skills are a life saver: Alrick Johson saved his co-worker from choking, credits his Boy Scout training for life-saving skills.
Why draft a Unit Service plan? Why use Commissioner tools? What’s in and out for 2015? Find out in this winter’s Commissioner Newsletter. Check it out here: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/commissioner/newsletter/2015_winter/pdf/winter_2015.pdf
Break out your Scouting uniform and get ready to celebrate because this February you have plenty of reasons to flaunt your Scout pride. Norman Rockwell’s birthday was earlier this month, and Scout Sunday, Scout Sabbath, and BSA’s birthday are right around the corner – which means this month is sure to be unforgettable.
Click to open the January issue The January issue of the Learning for Life newsletter has been published and is now available online. In this issue, you can read more about Distinguished Council Award due dates, 2015 Growth Kits, 2015 Law Enforcement Exploring Academies, and more.
A new Cub Scouting program is launching June 1, 2015, that will be more fun and exciting for boys, and easier to implement for unit leaders. To ensure you are ready to make the transition, a series of webcasts will be hosted on January 17 to outline the coming changes, how to prepare, and when…
As part of the Order of the Arrow's centennial anniversary, the Centurion Award has been made available for local lodges to submit nominations. The Centurion Award aims to highlight "Hometown Heroes," or Arrowmen who have meaningfully contributed to the forming, maturing, and ongoing operational excellence of their local council's lodge, and who, in doing so…
To provide the best programs for our members, the Testing and Evaluation Team conducts surveys from time to time to learn their opinions on various Scouting issues. Please encourage your youth members (14 years of age or older), volunteers, Boy Scout parents, and Cub Scout parents to join our research panel by including the suggested…
Now that 2015 is upon us, the Performance Management Department is providing various demographic data specific to each council. Two files are available for download from MyBSA: The Demographic and Income Profile provides information about the population in the council area, including: Estimates for 2014 and projections for 2019 Race and ethnicity data Educational attainment…
A Commissioner Training Conference will be held at the Florida Sea Base from January 18-23. This conference is designed to provide an open forum for sharing best practices and current ideas for commissioners at all levels of the BSA. Whether you directly serve a unit, serve as a roundtable commissioner, or as an administrative commissioner…
The Fiscal Management I course is designed to give council staff and volunteers a greater understanding of the fiscal management and administrative processes of a local council. The greatest benefits from this course occur when the Scout executive and accounting specialist attend together as well as the council treasurer or other finance volunteers.
Interested in the Learning for Life and Exploring certifications? Professionals of all tenures and titles can choose to attend one or both of the Exploring and Learning for Life Curriculum Based certification courses offered throughout the country. The BSA and LFL professionals who complete the courses will be recognized locally and their personnel record will…
Now & Then , the newsletter for retirees of the Boy Scouts of America, is now available online! You can find it under the BSA Newsletters header on the right. Past issues (as well as the current issue) also will be added to the Now & Then Archives link, so add it to your Bookmarks file and check…
The National Council has the following lease vehicle for sale: 2011 GMC Terrain FWD SLE – 2 Approximate miles: 62,161 Exterior color: Quicksilver Metallic Interior color: Light titanium cloth seats Asking price: $14,131 Location: National Council, Irving, TX Equipment/Features: 2.4L DOHC engine SIDI with VVT AM/FM stereo with CD/XM Radio 6-speed automatic transmission Heated front seats…
The BSA is hosting its 2015 Kindred meeting on Tuesday, February 3, at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside as part of the American Camp Association National Conference. The BSA Kindred meeting is a gathering of anyone interested in learning more about the BSA and our outdoor programs.
The Boy Scouts of America's National Key 3-National President Dr. Robert M. Gates, Chief Scout Executive Wayne Brock, and National Commissioner Tico Perez-wish the BSA family a safe and happy holiday season.
Experience Recovery reports from the Voice of the Scout fall session are now available for Scout executives to view on MyBSA. These reports list requests made by members to have someone from their council contact them about their Scouting experience.
Although it seems like the 2013 National Scout Jamboree just wrapped up, the official theme and logo for the next jamboree-planned for July 19-28, 2017-have been released. The 2017 theme, "Live Scouting's Adventure," symbolizes the adventurous spirit and exciting high-adventure and outdoor opportunities available to youth and adult members in Scouting.
As announced in the May 8, 2014, issue of Scout Wire , a Youth Protection/Membership Incident Information Report form and sheet of incident documenting and reporting tips has been produced for inclusion in the existing Incident Reporting Kit (680-147, burnt orange folder).
On November 4, the voters of West Virginia overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state constitution that will allow the Summit Bechtel Reserve to be leased or used to generate revenue while still being exempt from property taxation. The use of the SBR will be guided by the BSA's tax-exempt bond funding and laws prescribing…
The BSA's National Camp Accreditation Program (NCAP) require professional challenge course inspections each year. To help reduce the cost of these inspections and to bring consistency to the process, councils in some regions have banded together to contract group inspections by area or even multiple areas.
With the release of the new program updates, there are lots of questions regarding the Venturing program. Here are a few answers to the most commonly asked queries … Training: There is now training for Crew advisors and the Crew committee.
The 2015 National Camping School informational brochure is now available online. National Camping School provides adults with training needed to operate council camps. These key staff members will, in turn, train and supervise other staff personnel in your council camping program.
Click to open November issue The November issue of Learning for Life newsletter has been published and is now available online. In this issue, you can read more about the 2013 Learning for Life Annual Report, preparing for year-end, and information on how to order LFL and Exploring resources.
Northern Tier's Ely Trail staff director received the following letter from a Scoutmaster. The letter is a true testimonial to the benefit of having a Northern Tier interpreter and the value of a Northern Tier trek: Good afternoon: I wanted to provide some feedback on our troop's Northern Tier experience.
Recently, all Scout executives received an email with details on how to submit an invitation list to the Philmont Training Center (PTC) for 2015 conferences. The PTC invitation process enables you and your council staff to submit names of Scouters from your council to receive a personalized invitation from the Chief Scout Executive to attend…
We're excited to announce that to date, 18 councils have successfully transitioned to the new Commissioners Tools. Councils that wish to know more about this new tool are encouraged to visit the Commissioners website for important information.
Boy Scouts of America Unemployment Plan Most states require employers to pay unemployment insurance premiums to the state. The council is then responsible for handling all unemployment claims, appeals, etc., as they arise. Participants in the BSA Unemployment Plan can potentially save money on unemployment insurance costs by reimbursing claims in a secure environment.
In May 2014, the Risk Management Advisory panel (RMAP) which is made up of two Scout executives from each region passed a motion recommending to the Chief Scout Executive that vaping be added to BSA's tobacco use policy. Chief Scout Executive Wayne Brock has approved this recommendation and therefore, effective with the October 2014 "Guide…
Effective January 1, 2015, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration is lowering the threshold of when you must orally report injuries to them. While the mandatory reporting of work related fatalities has not changed (within 8 hours), the new standard now requires the reporting of any work related in-patient hospitalization of one or more employees…
Venturing Ranger Award Due to an oversight, the electives for Shooting Sports and Scuba were left out of the new Venturing Awards and Requirements (SKU 618767). These will be added to the e-pub and will be included in the next printing of the book.
The next few years promise to be exciting for Scouting as our traditional programs will be updated based on several years of volunteer-led research and development. These changes are part of the BSA's current strategic plan that emphasizes the need for dynamic and relevant programing for today's youth.
Giving Tuesday" is a world-wide effort to focus the public's attention on giving, particularly through online giving. This year, Giving Tuesday falls on December 2 and the BSA is providing some support to local councils who want to encourage people to participate.
Click to view the 2014 BSA Sustainability Report The Boy Scouts of America has created its first-ever Sustainability Report as part of an effort to define what this important topic means to our organization. The interactive online report features thoughts from Chief Scout Executive Wayne Brock, as well as a timeline of the BSA's sustainable…
(Reposted from Scouting magazine's "Bryan on Scouting" blog … To learn more about how to tune-in to the BSA Sustainability Summit and participate in the conversation via social media, read the full post here .) Sustainability has been a part of the Boy Scouts of America's DNA since the Conservation merit badge was introduced in 1911.
On October 7, thousands of Scouts, parents, volunteers, and chartered organizations received the fall edition of the BSA Voice of the Scout survey. Voice of the Scout is designed to measure the value of Scouting in our community and to help us deliver experiences that surpass the expectations of our members.
Recently there have been some questions and misunderstandings about the process for COPE and climbing training program evaluations. The COPE and Climbing National Task Force is committed to providing support to local councils and multi-council collaborations as they work through this process.
