Because the BSA can’t read your mind …

16 August 2012

Ever wonder who signs off on major changes to the Scouting program?

Instead of wondering, why not be one of those people?

Yep, by joining the Research & Program Innovation team’s Scouting Research Panel, you’ll be one of the insiders who give their thumbs-up (or down) to new merit badges, updated rank requirements, or other major changes to the Boy Scouts of America.

As a member of the panel — which I first told you about in 2009 — you’ll get three or four surveys per year regarding new programs or proposed changes to existing BSA programs.

The panel is open to all current Cub Scout parents, Boy Scout parents, Boy Scout and Venturing youth members, and registered volunteers (Scouters in any BSA program).

One note on youth members who want to lend their thoughts: “By law we are not allowed to send surveys directly to youth ages 13 and under. However, if a younger Boy Scout would like to participate in our surveys, he can do so by having his parents register in the Boy Scout Parent Panel and indicate that their son is interested in participating.”

Visit the Scouting Research Panel page to get started.

Photo via Florida Center for Instructional Technology and ClipPix ETC

The Ultimate List of Scouting Apps

9 August 2012

79 Comments

Once upon a time, we used maps printed on paper to find our way. We studied laminated sky charts to identify constellations. We counted seconds after thunder strikes to locate storms.

What were we thinking?

Today, thanks to the ubiquitous smartphone, we can do all that and more with a few taps.

As Scout leaders, we can now carry a library, GPS, weather radio, compass, map, camera, and field guide in our pocket. But which apps are worth downloading or — in some cases — paying for?

I tapped our Facebook friends to find out. Continue reading »

Make your point: What’s your unit’s knife policy?

6 August 2012

65 Comments

In Scouting, knives are a double-edged sword.

Used safely, they’re part of a rite of passage for boys and a chance for leaders to impart important lessons to help Scouts become “Prepared. For Life.”

But inevitably, some Scout will do his best Crocodile Dundee impression and show up at summer camp with the 10-inch sheath knife his uncle bought him.

The BSA keeps its knife policy intentionally vague (see below), offering suggestions but leaving specific policies up to individual units.

Does your pack, troop, team, or crew have a policy? Continue reading »

Task forces propose moving to one Oath and Law for all programs

3 August 2012

187 Comments

UPDATE (Oct. 17, 2012): This proposal has been approved. Read more here.

Scouting’s core values are the same in every program, but the words used to express and affirm those values differ depending on whether you’re in Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, or Venturing.

That may soon change.

The Scout Oath and Scout Law — engrained in the minds of Boy Scouts everywhere — also would be used for Cub Scouting and Venturing if a proposal by a group of volunteer-led task forces is approved.

That would mean Cub Scouts would recite the Scout Oath and Law instead of the Cub Scout Promise and Law of the Pack. Similarly, Venturers would no longer use the Venturing Oath and Venturing Code.

Here’s what else I know: Continue reading »

Are you safe when driving Scouts around? Take the quiz and find out

31 July 2012

3 Comments

Parents in your troop expect you’ll help mold their boys into better young men.

They also have another, equally important expectation: that you’ll keep Scouts safe while doing so.

Before you drive Scouts to your unit’s next campout or other event, ask yourself: Am I safe behind the wheel?

Your life — and the lives of your Scouts — may depend on it. Continue reading »

Popcorn-selling secrets heat up August Cubcast

30 July 2012

4 Comments

When someone down the hall makes popcorn, the enticing aroma makes me drop everything and find the source.

If only selling Scout popcorn were as easy, right? Turns out it is.

That’s thanks to the August 2012 edition of Cubcast, the excellent audio podcast for Cub Scout leaders that I told you about earlier this month.

Part 2 of the latest episode explains why units sell popcorn, some secrets for how to sell more, and info about some tasty new flavors. Continue reading »

Power of plastic: Discover card programs benefit Scouts, Scouting

23 July 2012

24 Comments

Ready to lead the charge in your pack, troop, team, or crew?

Check out the Boy Scouts of America’s new Discover card programs, which offer a lesson in financial responsibility for your Scouts and a boost for the BSA.

There are two separate components to the program. Here’s what you need to know: Continue reading »

How Cubcast can make you a better leader on your drive to work

2 July 2012

5 Comments

In the July 2012 episode, you’ll learn how to teach Cub Scouts to be honest.

Listen up: A simple download of the Boy Scouts of America’s Cubcast, an audio podcast featuring how-to topics for Cub Scout leaders and parents, can improve your pack or den.

Sync Cubcast to your iPod, iPhone, Android phone, or favorite MP3 player before your next commute, and watch the miles fly by as your knowledge of the Cub Scout program grows.

Or, if you prefer, listen to it right from your computer at home — or at the office (go ahead, I won’t tell your boss).

Here’s some more info: Continue reading »

Points in the Paint: Ohio troop’s trailer a slam dunk for the BSA

18 June 2012

17 Comments

Want to get your unit’s recruiting up to speed?

Consider hauling your “Join Scouting” message everywhere your pack, troop, team, or crew travels.

Start by taking a page from Canton, Ohio, Troop 4’s playbook, which just wrapped its trailer with a complete visual history of the unit.

Michael Gorfido, assistant Scoutmaster, writes that the trailer has been “completely wrapped with graphics that tell the whole Troop 4 history in picture form and a nifty timeline that features WD Boyce, Baden-Powell, handbooks for each period, and the history of Scouting, including the 100th year celebration. It’s really cool.”

Troop 4 was formed in 1915, making it the oldest continually chartered troop in the Buckeye Council, Gorfido says.

“Our troop has more than 150 Eagles, a storied history of very committed Scoutmasters, has participated in Pipestone every year, Klondike, and goes to Philmont every other year,” Gorfido continues. “I transferred my son there two years ago because of the rich heritage and wanted him to experience that.”

Find some more photos of Troop 4′s mobile masterpiece below. Continue reading »

With BSA’s new Cyber Chip, online safety’s the point

4 June 2012

28 Comments

The patch comes in blue for Cub Scouts and green for Boy Scouts, Venturers, Varsity Scouts, and Sea Scouts.

Kids spend more than 7.5 hours a day using some kind of electronic device, according to a 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation study.

In other words, if they’re awake and not at school, they’re probably online.

Whatever their reason for logging on — school project, merit badge research, socializing, games — safety is never guaranteed.

That’s why the Boy Scouts of America’s new Cyber Chip, announced last week, is a big step in the right direction in the effort to keep kids safe online. And because June is National Internet Safety Month, the timing couldn’t be better.

In developing this new Youth Protection tool, the BSA teamed up with content expert NetSmartz, part of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as training experts for different law enforcement agencies.

The Cyber Chip joins the Totin’ Chip and Whittling Chip as important safety tools your Scouts should earn and carry with them. Bonus: The pocket patch they get, designed to look like a smartphone, is unlike any official BSA patch I’ve ever seen.

Have your Scouts earn their Cyber Chip ASAP. Here’s how:

Bryan on Scouting

The official blog of Scouting magazine, a publication of the Boy Scouts of America.

Category Archives: Cub Scouting