Nationwide open house on Oct. 29 will help spread the story of Scouting

LDS-100-logoIt takes a village to recruit new Scouts, and here’s the latest example of that Scouting village uniting for the greater good of the BSA.

Packs, troops, teams and crews are invited to celebrate with the LDS church on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 29, for Scouting Open House Night.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints becoming one of the BSA’s first chartered organizations, LDS chapels and stake centers all over the country will open their doors to tell the story of Scouting and to invite youth to join the program you and I believe in so strongly.

The event, designed as a kind of national join Scouting night, is open to units and prospective Scouting families from all denominations — not just LDS units or members of the LDS church.

But wait, isn’t Oct. 29 the same night as the church’s A Century of Honor live broadcast I told you about last week? Yes, and though these are two different events held on the same night, they do overlap and fit together nicely.

Download a printable (PDF) flier for Scouting Open House Night by clicking here. And find out more info, including how councils and chartered organizations can get involved and how you as a unit leader can make the most of this opportunity, after the jump.

Eight ways to get the most out of Scouting Open House Night

1) Contact your LDS-BSA Relationships chairmen or other key LDS Church leadership in your area to set up a time to meet to discuss how to make this event as successful as possible.

2) Communicate event plans with fellow volunteers.

3) Make sure you’re aware of which LDS chapels/stake centers will host the event.

4) Make sure you’re working with key LDS leadership where appropriate.

5) Clearly communicate that all chartered organizations are invited to assist with the planning and are encouraged to participate, not just members of the LDS church.

6) Develop a plan with the local LDS Church leadership on how to best promote this event to the community.

7) Attend the event.

8) Remember that your main responsibility for this event is to provide youth the opportunity to join Scouting.

What do councils need to do to support this event?

This is an ideal opportunity to continue the dialog with chartered organization representatives and community leaders about the need for Scouting and opportunities for growth.

What about other chartered organizations? Can they hold their own events the same evening?

Yes! While this is a national celebration, it makes sense to leverage it into a broad community awareness opportunity with open houses and events. Councils should reach to the unit leaders of their other chartered organizations and units to talk about this event and creating others like it.

Should this replace a pack’s, troop’s or crew’s other recruiting events?

No. This event is in addition to your other recruiting efforts. It simply provides another opportunity to raise Scouting’s profile locally and invite even more youth to join.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.