Scouting magazine

Name That Council: July 31, 2009

Flying fish, a tree-lined shore, and a snow-capped mountain—what sounds like a scene from an L.L. Bean catalog is actually the content of this week’s Name That Council challenge.

We’ve altered the patch above to remove the council’s name and location. It’s your job to identify the council. Send us your thought, along with your name, hometown, and position in your unit. We’ll announce the name of the person who sends in the first correct answer on Monday.

After submitting, it’s safe for you to go back to daydreaming about hiking that mountain range or casting a line into that water. We won’t tell your boss.

Scouting in the News: July 30, 2009

Dedicated Scouting volunteers, such as yourself, get their BSA news and information from Scouting magazine and, we hope, right here at the Cracker Barrel blog.

But for the uninitiated, the mainstream media often are the only sources of the Scouting story. Luckily for we who support Scouting, most of what they’re reading and hearing is overwhelmingly positive and in line with the BSA’s core values.

So let’s take a peek at how the “other side” hears about the program we love. Here are three recent stories from major newspapers:

• First, from Atlanta, a dramatic river rescue features a heroic boy who says he “would’ve been clueless if it weren’t for the Boy Scouts.”

• Then find out why the license plates on Scouting mom and Miami resident Ana Vega’s Toyota Corolla now read “TWO EGL.”

• Finally, a Kentucky boy’s struggle to overcome a congenital heart defect was aided by the one constant in his tumultuous life: Scouting.   

Knot of the Week: Asian-American Spirit of Scouting Service Award

Scouting’s diversity helps boys learn what it means to be an American. And the BSA embraces that fact by encouraging the growth of the program in underserved communities.

That commitment became even more noticeable in 2004 with the Asian-American Spirit of Scouting Service Award. The award has a simple purpose: to honor adults who demonstrate steadfast devotion to bringing Scouting opportunities to Asian-American youth.

The award, available to people of any race, is a national award. But each local council submits nominees to the national BSA office. Once approved, worthy Scouters receive the purple, black, and white knot at a meaningful ceremony in their community.

More important than the knot, though, is the act of sharing the BSA’s values with youth who otherwise might not have known about Scouting. 

For the application and more information, click here (PDF).

Is this campsite a hotspot?

Two weeks ago, we blogged about troops that ban or limit cell phone use by their Scouts. Several of you responded with your reasons for forbidding their use at camp—from the wall of isolation they create to the risk of losing or breaking the pricey gadgets.

Now we’d like to know your thoughts about another digital dilemma: wireless access for leaders and staff members at camp.

We ask because a recent story in the Omaha World-Herald tells about Camp Cedars, near Fremont, Neb., where staffers and adult volunteers have had wireless access to the Internet for three years.

Camp officials there decided that it would be a good way for parents to keep in touch with their jobs or family while at summer camp. It also gives staff members the ability to stay connected during six-week (or longer) stints away from home.

Granted, it’s a far leap from the classic handwritten postcard home. But it’s a sign of Scouting’s firm embrace of technology.

You’ve heard the facts, and now it’s your turn to weigh in. We want to know: Is this technological transformation good for Scout camps? Does your local camp offer Wi-Fi? To reply, simply add your comment below.

Name That Council: July 24, 2009 solution

We told you that Friday’s Name That Council patch belongs to the home council of a VIS—very important Scouter—and that was no exaggeration.

In fact, none other than Chief Scout Executive Robert Mazzuca himself calls this council home. Read on to Name That Council.

Name That Council: July 24, 2009

We’ve got a special council for you this week. It’s the home council of a VIS (very important Scouter). We can’t tell you who it is, because we know you’d click over to Google and find the answer in a few seconds.

That said, there are some clues in the patch above that should help you narrow the field.

If you know the name of the council that wears the patch, send us an e-mail with your pick along with your name, hometown, unit number, and position. We’ll announce the winner on Monday.

Good luck!

Waiting is the hardest part

We at Cracker Barrel can’t wait for the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, and we’ve literally been counting down the seconds till it gets here.

For those of you who haven’t been watching the clock as diligently as we, it’s time to start. That’s because Sunday will mark exactly 31,536,000 seconds until the jamboree begins. Or, in more common language: one year. Yep, just 365 days till the “best, most exciting, fun-filled, and safest jamboree ever” kicks off at Fort A.P. Hill, Va.

Even though we wish the jamboree started, say, tomorrow, we know that the journey to get there will be fun, too—especially with the BSA’s 100th anniversary celebration set to begin in a few months.

So if you aren’t signed up to attend or serve on staff, do it here. But if you’re registered, we at Cracker Barrel will help you pass the time with frequent updates about jamboree news as we hear it. And next spring and summer you can turn to Cracker Barrel for weekly tips to help with your final preparations.

In the meantime, the clock’s ticking, dudes and dudettes. And just think—there are now 90 fewer seconds until the jamboree than when you started reading this post.

Knot of the Week: Community Organization Award

When representatives from the vast network of chartered Scouting organizations speak, the BSA listens. Want proof?

Look no further than the Community Organization Award. It began when a group of delegates from several chartered organizations told the BSA how they wanted to recognize adult leaders—with an award similar to the religious knots that represent the various faith-based emblems awarded to Scouters.

The BSA accepted the offer and created the knot you see above. Just like the purple-and-silver religious knot serves as a catchall for every faith-based award, the purple-and-gold community organization knot serves as a one-stop shop for the following prestigious awards:

• Marvin M. Lewis Award, Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks
• Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award
• Veterans of Foreign Wars Scouter’s Achievement Award
• American Legion Scouting Square Knot Award
• U.S. Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Department of Defense
• Herbert G. Horton Alpha Phi Omega Youth Service Award
• Cliff Dochterman Award, International Rotarians Fellowship of Scouting
• Ruritan National Scout Leader Service Award
• Raymond Finley Sea Scout Service Award, U.S. Power Squadron
• George Meany Award, AFL-CIO

Receive one of those awards from the applicable organization, and you’ve earned the right to wear the Community Organization Award knot. Congrats!

For more information, contact your chartered organization.

News of Scouting magazine redesign hits the Internet

While you’ve been busy taking your troop to summer camp, preparing for next year’s jamboree, or getting Cub Scouts ready for an exciting program year, we’ve been kinda busy ourselves.

What has occupied our time? Oh, just a complete redesign of Scouting magazine.

That’s right. When you pick up the September-October issue of the publication (seen at left), you’re going to notice a cover-to-cover makeover of the top resource for Scouting leaders.

We don’t want to give away all of the exciting changes you’ll see when Scouting hits your mailbox at the end of August, but expect to find 84 pages of valuable information to help you better lead your pack, troop, or crew. And expect that content delivered in a slicker, easier-to-use package.

Hungry for more details? Here’s a link to a press announcement that should whet your appetite. But be warned: Reading it may make you want late August to show up even sooner.

Name That Council: July 17, 2009 solution

On Friday, the Name That Council patch featured a prominent Midwest landmark that should have been a nice gateway toward identifying the secret council.

Plus, the sports clue was practically a slow pitch right down the middle. So, how’d you do? Read on to find out.