Scouting magazine

The Final Countdown: 2010 is almost here

Tonight's countdown to midnight takes on extra meaning this year. That's because when the clock strikes 12, the Boy Scouts of America's Year of Celebration will officially begin.

It's a time for looking back and surging forward. Tonight provides a great opportunity to remember how the BSA got here. For that, check out Scouting magazine's comprehensive timeline of Scouting's past.

That historical knowledge serves as an excellent foundation for moving into the next 100 years of the BSA. But you won't be stepping into the next century alone. The BSA has packed 2010 with exciting opportunities for celebration, advancement, and fun.

The festivities begin tomorrow morning with the BSA's first-ever float in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif. The parade starts at 11 a.m. EST and can be seen on NBC, ABC, HGTV, the Hallmark Channel, the Travel Channel, or Univision.

As with any live event, it's impossible to know at what time or on which channel you'll be able to see the float. We'll be keeping an eye out for it, but if you spot the BSA float and can take a clear picture of it on your TV screen, please e-mail the photo to us. We'll post the best photos here on Cracker Barrel for those who miss it.

From all of us at Cracker Barrel, Happy New Year. Enjoy the parade, and get ready for an exciting Year of Celebration!

Cub Scouts help build 100th Anniversary float despite age limit

Scouts have been solving problems for 100 years, and this time was no different.

When they started to build their 100th Anniversary float for Friday's Tournament of Roses Parade, they ran into one small snag: an age limit.

The rules state that nobody under the age of 13 is permitted to be on the decorating floor. It's a safety issue, of course. The organizers don't want anyone getting hurt.

But what about the hundreds of eager 6- to 12-year-old Cub Scouts wanting to help be a part of this float?

The solution: Set up tables away from the construction area so the Cub Scouts could put together the merit badge discs you see above. 

True to Scouting form, everybody wins!

Check out more photos of the BSA's Rose Parade float

The excitement is building for the Rose Parade and the debut of the Boy Scouts of America float.

Earlier this month, we presented a first look at the float's construction. Now, the finished product has been taken to the streets for a test run, and it's our first chance to see the float in its entirety. As you can tell, it's an impressive work of art.

The moving marquee for the program will serve as a kind of opening statement to the nation from the BSA. With 2010's Year of Celebration officially beginning on Jan. 1, the float pictured above will help ensure that this first impression won't be soon forgotten.

For more information about the float and to see additional photos, click here for the BSA's press release.

Happy Holidays!

We're off all week spending time with our families.

We'll return on Monday with fresh posts. Happy Holidays!

U.S. Mint reveals design for BSA 100th Anniversary coin

Heads up, coin collectors! The U.S. Mint has unveiled its final design for the Boy Scouts of America’s Centennial Silver Dollar.

The obverse (heads) side shows a Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturer, and the reverse (tails) side depicts the BSA’s iconic fleur-de-lis emblem. Some of the inscriptions are ones you’re used to seeing on a coin: “In God We Trust,” “Liberty,” and “E Pluribus Unum.”

The rest of the text is unique to Scouting: “Be Prepared” and “Continuing the Journey.” The former, of course, is the Scout Motto, and the latter is a nod to the BSA’s 100th Anniversary slogan: “Celebrating the Adventure, Continuing the Journey.”

The Mint's first run will produce just 350,000 of these commemorative coins. So don’t delay getting your hands on one when they’re released in March. At that time, you can place an order through the U.S. Mint’s Web site or by calling its toll-free number: 800-USA-MINT. Just don’t expect to find one among the change you get from your Starbucks latte. They will only be available in proof and uncirculated versions.

Need another excuse to order one? Consider this: The surcharges collected from the sale of each coin will go to the Boy Scouts of America National Foundation, which helps bring Scouting to underserved communities. That's $3.5 million to a very worthy cause.

The commemorative coin represents just the latest in a growing list of 100th Anniversary keepsakes. It joins the “Celebrate Scouting” stamp, due out in July, and the apparel and souvenir items available now through the BSA Supply Group.

Baylor University study to examine long-term benefits of Scouting

You tell your Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venturers that Scouting will help them become better men and women well beyond their adolescent years.

What’s your proof? It’s mainly the anecdotal evidence of 100 years of great Scouting alumni and their profound impact on the country, right? Now, Baylor University plans to find the evidence behind those anecdotes.

A $992,000 study, financed by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, aims to determine the “prosocial benefits” of Scouting. Dr. Byron Johnson and Dr. Rodney Stark of Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion will spend two years examining how men who were in Boy Scouts differ from those who were not.

Researchers say they hope the comparison between Scouts and non-Scouts will determine the validity of some “common assumptions” about Scouting, including:

• Former Scouts have a better-quality family life.
• Former Scouts are more religious.
• Former Scouts are better citizens.
• Former Scouts are more generous contributors to charity.
  
• Former Scouts are less likely to drink or use drugs.
• Former Scouts are healthier and more apt to participate in fitness activities.
• Former Scouts are better educated and have higher occupational status.
• Former Scouts are more patriotic.
• Former Scouts are more likely to report that they are "very happy."

Although you and other volunteers may classify these statements as certainties, there’s no scientific study to prove them. That’s about to change.

"Unfortunately, there has been very little research on Boy Scouts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals are essentially nonexistent," Dr. Johnson said. "We need empirical answers to a number of important questions: Does Scouting matter? Is Scouting associated with beneficial results over time? Do Eagle Scouts value their Scouting experiences more than other Scouts? Does this vary for different eras? In other words, do Eagle Scouts from the 1950s differ from those of the 1980s?"

The timing of this research coincides perfectly with the BSA’s 100th Anniversary. The results could help guide the program’s leaders through the next 100 years. And that leadership starts with Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca, who said he looks forward to reading the results in a couple of years.

"For decades, the Boy Scouts of America has used outcomes research to strengthen our programs and curriculum,” Mazzuca said. “The research produced by Baylor University is very important and at this crucial time—we expect to learn a great deal from the research as we embark on our next 100 years.”

First Look at the BSA’s 100th Anniversary Float

The Boy Scouts of America and parades go together like New Year’s Day and the Rose Bowl. In January, all four unite in a moment you can’t miss.

To celebrate the BSA’s 100th Anniversary, the Orange County, Los Angeles Area, and San Gabriel Valley councils have joined the National Council to create a one-of-a-kind float for the magnificent Tournament of Roses Parade.

In just over two weeks, the world will be watching as the colorful celebration begins in Pasadena, Calif. That’s when most everyone will see the BSA’s stunning float for the first time. But Cracker Barrel readers get a sneak peek at this artwork on wheels today.

Thanks to these great photos from Dennis Kuba, an assistant Scoutmaster whose troop is helping build the float, you get a rare behind-the-scenes look at the unfinished creation. (Follow the jump to see three more great photos.) To see the final product in action, tune in to the big event on New Year’s Day.

The parade starts at 8 a.m. (PST) Jan. 1, 2010. See it on ABC, NBC, HGTV, the Travel Channel, or, in Spanish, on Univision.

Pasadena is also where the BSA will launch Adventure Base 100, the traveling Scouting experience that visits more than 40 cities across the country in 2010. To find out when it’s rolling into your area, click here.

National 100th Anniversary Audiocast Kick-Off Rally recording available

People from all 50 states and several countries tuned in to the National 100th Anniversary Audiocast Kick-Off Rally last Thursday. In all, 50,000 Scouts, Scouters, alumni, and parents were present for the virtual event.

Were you at the big party? If so, you heard Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca, BSA National President John Gottschalk, National Commissioner Tico Perez, and AT&T Chairman, President, and CEO Randall Stephenson, the BSA’s 100th Anniversary Chairman.

Those who tuned in also had a chance to win some great prizes. The prizes went to:

• Les from Idaho, two tickets to Gala Twenty-Ten
• Randy from Iowa, signed Joseph Csatari print
• Caitlin from California, U.S. mint coin celebrating the BSA's 100 years

If you missed the rally live, don't fret. The entire celebration has been archived here. Just follow that link and click the play button at the top of the page. The audiocast will begin playing immediately.

What's next in the yearlong 100th Anniversary celebration? You'll want to tune in to the Tournament of Roses parade on New Year's Day in Pasadena, Calif., to see the BSA's specially designed float. That also marks the beginning of the Adventure Base 100 tour. See the tour schedule here, and join the celebration in a city near you!

Reminder: Tune in Tonight for the 100th Anniversary Audiocast

Tonight’s the night for the National 100th Anniversary Audiocast Kick-Off Rally. Log in to your computer when the 30-minute, live audiocast begins at 8 p.m. (EST).

We told you all about the big celebration in a blog post last week. Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca and four key members of the BSA’s volunteer leadership will address the tens of thousands volunteers, staff members, Scouting alumni, and parents expected to attend the virtual gathering.

Need more incentive? If you register for the rally and tune in tonight, you’ll become eligible to win one of the following prizes:

• Two tickets to Gala Twenty-Ten, a black-tie 100th Anniversary event in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 9 that includes one night in a hotel.
• A signed, limited-edition print of Joseph Csatari's 100th Anniversary painting.
• A special-edition U.S. Mint commemorative coin honoring BSA's 100 years.

Click here now to RSVP. You’ll use the same link tonight to listen live to the launch of the BSA’s yearlong party.

 

Ask the Expert: The BSA’s ‘active’ requirement

We at Cracker Barrel feel geographically blessed to be in the same building as most of the Boy Scouts of America’s major decision-makers.

So when one of you comes to us with a question about Scouting policy, we know how to find the answer. That was the case when Clarke Green had a question about advancement. Clarke writes:

“Many troops have adopted a policy that interprets the ‘active’ requirement as attending a specific minimum percentage of meetings and outings. This seems to be in contradiction to the BSA policy forbidding adding or subtracting from requirements. Are troops permitted to add these percentages to requirements?”

The short answer: No. For the official reasoning, we went to Bill Evans, team leader of youth development for the BSA. Here’s what Bill told us:

“Good question.  As the writer states, it is true and stated several times in the Advancement Policies and Procedures Guide that neither, councils, districts, nor units may add to, modify, or delete BSA advancement policies. This rule is highlighted, bold, and in a box so people won’t miss it.  If a unit does modify the active requirement as the writer suggests, it could come back to haunt them if the youth appeals a negative decision based on that modification.  The national advancement taskforce just revisited the definition of ‘active’ and, after great discussion, decided to leave it as it is.  Units may not add a percentage of meetings to attend.”

We hope that clears up your question, Clarke. Thanks for asking. If you have a BSA-related question, we’ll find the answer. Just send us an e-mail.