Learn the secrets of storytelling in the age of social media

9 May 2012

You don’t tell young people why they should join Scouting.

You show them.

That’s the thinking behind the BSA’s new Visual Storytelling Workshops, happening this summer.

Here’s a chance to spend several days learning the secrets of storytelling in the age of social media. The goal? Turning Scouters and Scouts nationwide into visual storytellers, ready and able to share the excitement and adventure of Scouting through audio, video, and photography.

Do I have your attention? Read on to find out how you can sharpen your storytelling skill-set.

A word-perfect summer reading list for Scouts

8 May 2012

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At this point of the school year, are your Scouts ready to put down F. Scott Fitzgerald and pick up a Frisbee?

Embrace their urge to get outside once school’s out, but don’t let reading take the summer off. And fortunately, there’s help to do just that.

Children’s Book Week, the “national celebration of books and reading for youth,” is celebrating its 93rd year this week. And today, the Children’s Book Council released the winners of its Children’s Choice Book Awards, “the only national child-chosen book awards program.”

Gear review: Best water bottle ever? Maybe, if stealth’s not a priority

3 May 2012

5 Comments

I’ve never written a gear review. Best leave that to the experts (like our gear guy Stephen Regenold), I say.

But after using the Avex Wells AutoSpout water bottle for the past few weeks, I just had to tell you about it.

Turns out, it’s the best water bottle I’ve ever used. Here’s why:

How to request congratulatory letters for your Eagle Scout

2 May 2012

20 Comments

Earning the Eagle Scout Award is something to write home about — literally.

Politicians, astronauts, celebrities, and other recognizable figures have been sending hand-signed letters to new Eagle Scouts for, well, 100 years.

The very first congratulatory letter was sent in 1912 when the first Eagle Scout, Arthur R. Eldred, received a note from James E. West, the first Chief Scout Executive.

Today, parents and Scout leaders can request these scrapbook-worthy keepsakes from pretty much anyone with a mailbox.

But who is known to respond, and how do you contact them? And when do you send off these requests anyway?

To help, I searched the Internet and consulted a source closer to home — my dad, who sent away for the letters included in this post when I received my Eagle.

Check the BSA’s tool-use guidelines before your next service project

1 May 2012

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Hey, you with the post-hole digger! Let me see some ID!

When it comes to service projects, nobody does it better — or safer — than the Boy Scouts.

But before you gather equipment for your next Good Turn, ask yourself some questions:

Can my 14- and 15-year-old Boy Scouts use lawnmowers and string trimmers to cut the grass at the local church?

Can my 16- and 17-year-old Venturers use a chain saw and log splitter to cut firewood for elderly residents?

In this case, the answer is no and no.

That’s why it’s critical to follow the Age Guidelines for Tool Use and Work at Elevations or Excavations, a new document that details how old Scouts should be to use certain hand tools and power tools at service projects (including Eagle Scout service projects).

I’ve got complete details below.

Enter to win a Buff in the Gotcha Covered Giveaway

1 May 2012

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When our gear guru Stephen Regenold (founder of thegearjunkie.com) selects items for Scouting magazine’s “Great Gear” column, he uses two important criteria when making his final selections: style and function. Buff headwear—featured in our May-June issue—meets both of these standards.

That’s why we decided to snag a handful of Buffs to give back to our readers: Enter our GOTCHA COVERED GIVEAWAY for a chance to win one of 10 Buffs. This contest will end in one week, on Monday, May 7.

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

30 April 2012

29 Comments

Can a unit set attendance requirements?

Can Scouters mandate, for example, that Scouts show up for at least half of all meetings and outings?

When I first received this question in 2009, the answer was no. But that was back when Bryan on Scouting was called “Cracker Barrel.”

Times change. (As do advancement requirements and names of blogs.)

Today, the answer is yes — with certain limitations. Read on to learn more.

Bryan on Scouting named best blog by Western Publishing Association

30 April 2012

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Allow me to amend the Scout Law to add this: A Scout is Grateful.

I’m grateful to the Western Publishing Association for naming Bryan on Scouting the Best Web Publication Blog/Trade & Consumer at its 61st Annual Maggie Awards last week.

I’m grateful to Managing Editor John R. Clark and rest of the Scouting magazine team for their continual efforts to enhance and promote my blog.

And I’m grateful to you, my readers. You’re the reason this blog exists at all; I couldn’t do it without your support, participation, and feedback.

Here’s a little more about the award:

Should Scouters capitalize on archery interest inspired by ‘The Hunger Games’?

26 April 2012

9 Comments

Thanks to The Hunger Games, archery is cool again. Your move, Scout leaders.

In the megahit film and book, the character Katniss Everdeen (above) uses a bow and arrow to hunt for food.

And she does it in style.

Sounds like a great opportunity for Scouters to get their troop excited about Archery merit badge, right?

Turns out it’s not that simple.

What effect is the Summit already having on W.Va.? Check out the newspaper

25 April 2012

2 Comments

Scouts and Scouters aren’t the only ones counting down the days until the Summit opens.

(446, as of today!)

So, too, are the people of West Virginia, who stand to benefit greatly from having a national high-adventure base nearby.

That’s according to an editorial published this week in The Register-Herald, the daily newspaper based in nearby Beckley.