Author Archives: Bryan

Bryan, an Eagle Scout, is the senior editor of Scouting magazine.
map-summer2013-day4

Where are Scouts going this summer?

4 June 2013

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Update June 7, 11:12 a.m.: We stand at an impressive 683 pins! Keep commenting with the location you’re visiting (be as specific as possible) and your unit number. I’ll update the map regularly.

Perhaps the better question would’ve been where are Scouts not going this summer?

Earlier today on our Facebook page, I asked where packs, troops, teams, and crews are headed for their summer adventures. More than 175 responses later, the answer is “far and wide.”

There’s Venturing Crew 505′s trip to Alaska’s Denali National Park, several units visiting the Florida Sea Base, a Transatlantic Council visit to the U.K., and pretty much everywhere in between.

I’ve compiled it all in an interactive, searchable Google map. You can click each marker to see which Scout unit is visiting that location. You can zoom in close. And you can uncheck Boy Scouts and Venturers if, for example, you’re only interested in seeing Cub Scout packs. Speaking of, the blue markers indicate Cub Scout packs, green markers represent Venturing crews, and red markers are for Boy Scout troops.

Several units are headed to Philmont, Northern Tier, Sea Base, and the Summit Bechtel Reserve, so I spread those markers out a little to make every submission visible.

Want to put your unit’s summer adventure on the map? It’s not too late.  Continue reading »

money

Learn how to work with Scouts from different economic backgrounds

31 May 2013

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scoutcast-logo1Scouting isn’t free.

Yes, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper to be a Scout than to participate on a club soccer or lacrosse team. But there’s still a cost in Scouting — dues, uniforms, gear, activity fees, travel expenses, printed materials, and more.

Within one pack, troop, team, or crew you likely have parents who live comfortably and those who live paycheck to paycheck. You could say the socioeconomic status of our Scout families is as diverse as our Scouts themselves.

So how do you handle this situation and give everyone an equal Scouting experience? And what happens if a Scout family’s economic situation changes — perhaps a parent loses a job, for example?

Take some time to ask yourself: Are you doing all you can to handle economic diversity within your troop?

Start by listening to the June 2013 ScoutCast. Joining the hosts for this important topic is the team leader of the Council Fund Development Team, Mark Moshier, who shares ways to keep funds from hindering a Scout’s involvement.

And continue the conversation by sharing your ideas in the comments section below.

The most important CubCast ever

Cub Scout leaders, if you only listen to one CubCast this year, this should be it.  Continue reading »

troop-program-features

Make your life easier with next-gen troop program features

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The new design for the Science program feature (above) and the old design.

The new design for the Science program feature (above) and the old design.

Update, June 3: As several people have pointed out, these aren’t just for troops. Teams, crews, ships, and posts can find great use out of them.

In Scouting, one size doesn’t fit all.

So suggesting a month-by-month troop planning calendar on a national level, as in the past, just doesn’t work.

For example, take the Fishing program feature. A troop in Texas could make that work in March, but a troop in Wisconsin would find that timing a little less, well, comfortable.

Enter the next generation of troop program plans, sure to make your life easier. I have a preview of two from the upcoming generation that I’ve been authorized to share with you.

There will be 48 in all, delivered in three volumes of 16 each over the course of 2013 and early 2014.

But the best part is that the new program helps are flexible, and troops can customize their own year from the 48 months of activity ideas. Selection is key as youth leaders plan the upcoming year.

There’s also customization within the program features themselves. You don’t expect every skier to go down the same run, so why expect a 13-year-old First Class Scout to complete the same troop programming as a 17-year-old Eagle Scout?

That’s why meeting plans, like ski runs, come in three flavors: green, blue, and black. Skills marked with green circles are essential, those with blue squares are challenging, and the ones with black diamonds are the most advanced.

Another change is the way the program features are divided by volume. Nobody creates a troop calendar alphabetically, but past program features volumes were organized that way. This time they’re mixed up, deliberately combining outdoors, careers, and hobbies to make each volume more diverse.

Vol. 1 comes out this fall, Vol. 2 is out by the end of 2013 or beginning of 2014, and Vol. 3 is released in first or second quarter 2014. The hope is that each of the 48 program plans will be made available individually and digitally so units can purchase and download only those they want to use. Stay tuned for more details about distribution once I learn more.

Curious what one of these program features will look like? Continue reading »

indy-0

BSA IndyCar turns in top-five finish on racing’s biggest stage

29 May 2013

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indy-1When the going gets tough, Scouts shift into high gear.

And as it turns out, so does the Boy Scouts of America IndyCar team.

Justin Wilson, driver of the Dale Coyne Racing No. 19 car, overcame a tire problem that dropped him to 24th midrace all the way to a fifth-place finish in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. Wilson had the fastest lap of the day — 226.940 mph — don’t try this at home — and had the highest-finishing Honda behind four Chevrolet engines.

With a crowd of 300,000 watching from the stands and 5.7 million viewers in front of TVs at home, Wilson zipped around the track, showing off his racing skills and the BSA colors and logos that cover his car.

Whenever the BSA car does well, Scouting benefits from the positive exposure and the almost-subliminal message that the BSA is closely connected to science, technology, engineering, and math.

And don’t forget, all of this publicity comes at no cost to the organization or its members. For that, we have to thank Scouting benefactors Dale and Gail Coyne, who were surely smiling at Indy on Sunday.

Wilson was smiling, too.

“The No. 19 Boy Scouts of America car was fantastic today,” Wilson said after the race. “Early on we were moving forward. We made adjustments on every pit stop until by the end of the race we had a great racecar. The guys gave me great pit stops, and we just kept working away at it to get a top-five. There is nothing quite like doing 225 mph around here.”

The IndyCar Series resumes next weekend at the Detroit Grand Prix in Belle Island, Mich. Both races can be seen live on ABC starting at 3:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2.

View lots more photos of Sunday’s Indy 500 after the jump, all courtesy of my friend and colleague John R. Fulton Jr. …  Continue reading »

nesa-2013-winners

Two thumbs up for these 2013 NESA scholarship winners

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The “feel-good story of the year” isn’t playing at your local theater.

It’s found in videos like the ones below, showcasing the winners of 2013′s three biggest National Eagle Scout Association scholarships.

First meet Elijah LeCroix, winner of the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. Elijah raised $64,000 to build a playground, working on the project even after his family’s house burned to the ground.

Then there’s Patrick Lowe, recipient of the $50,000 NESA STEM Scholarship. Patrick, a sophomore at MIT, has built his own wind tunnel, welded robots in high school, and built parts of a ’65 Plymouth.

Finally, Leonard Brunotte, recipient of the $25,000 United Health Foundation Scholarship. Leonard has a flair for science, biology, and chemistry. And his mother’s death in 2011 from breast cancer fueled Leonard’s interest in becoming a surgeon or biomedical engineer.

See the Scouts’ inspiring videos after the jump.  Continue reading »

venturing-roadmap

First look: Major Venturing changes coming next year

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venturing-bsa-logoAt age 15, the Venturing program is beginning to show its age.

Membership has declined since 2008. Venturing has the lowest retention rate — 53 percent — of any BSA program. And advancement hasn’t caught on with teens; just 0.66 percent of Venturers earn any awards.

But it’s not all bad news. Beginning next year, big program changes are on the way that amount to much more than just a fresh coat of paint.

I sat down last week with Bob Scott, senior innovation manager, to discuss the complete revamping of Venturing that will change the way the BSA’s youngest program serves young men and women.

The new “Venturing Road Map,” which outlines the program’s first substantial change since its inception, is broken down into six parts:  Continue reading »

BSA membership resolution passes with more than 60 percent of vote

23 May 2013

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After an extensive discussion within the organization, the Boy Scouts of America’s approximately 1,400 volunteer voting members chose to adopt the membership policy resolution and remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone.

The final vote breakdown was 61.44 percent for the proposal, and 38.56 percent against. The change takes effect Jan. 1, 2014.

Voting results were tabulated and certified by TrueBallot, an independent, third-party voting firm.

Read more at this site, or find the full text of the BSA’s official media statement below:
Continue reading »

moore-rescue

Oklahoma Scouts and Scouters ready to assist after tornadoes

21 May 2013

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Some rights reserved by NASA Goddard Photo and Video

Some rights reserved by NASA Goddard Photo and Video

Updated 1:03 p.m. May 14 with info on need for volunteers at May 21 event. See bottom of post.

Eldon Fossey, Scoutmaster of Troop 75 in Moore, Okla., was at work when the deadly tornadoes passed through yesterday, killing at least 24 and leaving horrific damage.

As soon as they got the all-clear, Eldon’s boss told everyone to leave. It took Eldon two hours to make the seven-mile drive home.

Thankfully, his house was three-quarters of a mile north of the tornado’s path. Other people in his life weren’t so lucky. A Scout in Eldon’s troop and Eldon’s brother-in-law had their houses completely leveled. When I talked to Eldon, he was on his way to his mother-in-law’s house, which was still standing but no longer structurally sound.

Understandably, Eldon had little to report as he focuses on helping his immediate family. But, thankfully, he didn’t know of any deaths in his 50-member troop.  Continue reading »

indy-500-teaser

Photos of BSA IndyCar and driver Justin Wilson will rev you up for Indy 500

20 May 2013

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It’s officially race week. Yes, the Indy 500 — aka “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” — roars to life on Sunday.

Fans of racing, fast cars, or major sporting events are probably already planning to tune in and watch the Indianapolis 500 (noon Sunday on ABC).

But here’s a reason for fans of Scouting to watch: The No. 19 Boy Scouts of America car, driven by Justin Wilson and provided at no cost to the BSA through the generosity of Dale Coyne Racing, has a good chance to do really well. The car was the second-fastest Honda engine qualifier, and Wilson has proven himself a successful driver on big stages like this one.

On that note, Indy 500 is easily the biggest national sporting event of the year from which we can spread the news that Scouting is relevant, exciting, and perfectly linked to science, technology, engineering, and math.

Think about it. Some 6.8 million viewers watched last year’s race. If this year’s race gets similar numbers, that’s a lot of eyeballs seeing the words “Be a Scout!” and the website BeAScout.org zoom around the Indy oval. And if the car does well, that’s even more air time.

It’s essentially free advertising, all made possible by the gifts of Dale and Gail Coyne.

All this week, Wilson and the Dale Coyne Racing team are preparing the car for Sunday. And John R. Fulton Jr., former director of photography for Scouting and Boys’ Life magazines, is at the speedway to document their preparations. He sent in these great photos:  Continue reading »