What does the Boy Scouts of America logo mean to you?
Perhaps it represents childhood campouts you took decades ago. Or maybe it signifies the special bond you now share with your son or daughter. All good answers.
But ask the folks at the Web site Top Nonprofits, and they’ll tell you it provides “an organization with a solid foundation upon which to build their brand.” In fact, they called our logo one of the best nonprofit logos around.
Read on to learn why.
Scouters and Scouts, start your televisions.
The Indianapolis 500, easily the best-known auto race of the year, is Sunday.
I’ve always enjoyed watching, but ever since the BSA IndyCar debuted in 2010, I’ve had even more reason to tune in to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
This year, driver James Jakes takes the wheel of the No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing/Boy Scouts of America car.
Jakes, one of eight rookies in the race, will start in the sixth row, sandwiched between Dario Franchitti and J.R. Hildebrand, who finished second in last year’s Indy 500.
Plan to watch? Here’s all you need to know about the 96th edition of this event:
Here’s something else for you to love about Fridays.
Photo Fridays, which debuted last week, showcases real photos from real Scouters.
Each week, the photos fit a different theme. This week it’s High Adventure, and the 29 photos below highlight a few of the many different kinds of adventure Scouts can have.
OK, this is really nice.
The Greater New York Councils created the special-edition council shoulder patch seen above to commemorate the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The patch, called “A Tribute in Light,” depicts the real-life Sept. 11 memorial displayed in New York each year. The twin beams of light shine from dusk on Sept. 11 through dawn the next day and can be seen for 60 miles.
It’s the first in the councils’ “Big Apple Series,” which is an annual “council shoulder patch series capturing the essence and world famous landmarks of the greatest city in the world.”
I love New York, and so I’m excited to see which landmark the councils showcase next. But it’s only fitting that they start with this moving tribute both to those who were lost and to those who are still healing from that terrible tragedy.
If you want one of these patches, read on to learn how to buy your own or — even better — win one of mine.
This just in, LDS Scouters: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has updated its Scouting Handbook.
The May 2012 version of the document, only available online (PDF), offers updates on “guidelines and policies relating to Scouting programs in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” according to the document’s introductory section.
This handbook isn’t meant to replace the handbook for each individual Scouting program. Instead, it outlines “differences between Church policy and BSA policy.”
“Bishoprics and Young Men, Primary, and Scouting leaders should be familiar with this information as they administer Scouting programs in the ward.”
Todos los Scouts se merece un líder entrenado.
In other words, “Every Scout deserves a trained leader.”
The statement is true in any language, and now, Scout leaders who are more comfortable speaking Spanish can take the highest level of adult leader training, Wood Badge, at a first-of-its-kind national Spanish-language Wood Badge course taught at the Philmont Training Center in Cimarron, N.M.
The course, held in conjunction with the Asociación de Scouts de México, takes place July 29 to Aug. 4, 2012. Read on for all the details.
Trails have been a part of Scouting since the beginning.
There are figurative trails — the one to First Class and to Eagle — and literal ones, like the 350 miles of trails at Philmont or the familiar 10-mile loop at your favorite state park.
Whatever your trail, show your pride by protecting it.
One great way? Participate in the American Hiking Society’s 20th annual National Trails Day, dubbed “America’s largest trails celebration.” I told you about it last year, and this year’s event on Saturday, June 2, 2012, promises to be even bigger.
Merit badges don’t teach themselves.
And with the 2013 National Scout Jamboree just 14 months away, the BSA’s looking for a few good men and women to demonstrate their skills.
The focus is on the six newest merit badges making a big splash at the Summit Bechtel Reserve next summer. They’re Inventing, Robotics, Chess, Welding, Search & Rescue, and Game Design.
And now for something completely different.
Starting today and continuing for the next seven weeks, I’m introducing Photo Fridays here at Bryan on Scouting.
It’s simple, really. I give you a theme, and you e-mail me with photos that fit that theme. Thanks to Patrick Adams (my first Scoutmaster) for the idea.
By the way, I’m not looking for frame-worthy photography here. Any photo — from your smartphone or your fancy camera — will do, as long as it fits the theme and belongs to you.
Today’s theme is Cub Scout Fun, and the 21 photos below showcase the excitement of Scouting’s younger-boy program.
For next Friday, send me your photos of High Adventure. I’ll leave the exact definition of that vague for this purpose.
E-mail me your photos with the subject line “PHOTO FRIDAYS: High Adventure.” Be sure to include your name and home council.
Enjoy these photos!
Here’s a new one: An East Coast troop’s uniform policy involves telling older Scouts not to wear their uniforms in public.
Yep, it happened in Scouter B.C.’s troop. Here’s how B.C., who asked me not to use their full name, explained it in an email to me last week:
I have recently become the assistant Scoutmaster for my son’s troop. The Scoutmaster has a policy that disturbs me a little. The older Scouts in our troop don’t wear their uniform in public. The Scoutmaster calls it “social suicide!” I believe they should be proud of the uniform. Am I wrong? Does the Scoutmaster have that right?
The BSA has a uniform policy that discusses the “sense of identification and commitment” members get when wearing uniforms. But there’s no specific mention of exactly when uniforms should be worn, other than saying they’re for “suitable occasions.” Deciding what constitutes a “suitable occasion” is left to units.
In other words, the Scoutmaster may have that right, but whether it’s a good idea is open for discussion.
So I posted the question on our Facebook page last week, and it quickly became the most-commented post in the Scouting magazine page’s history. At the time of this writing, more than 250 comments have been posted.
Here are some highlights from the conversation:
