Five Scouting-related New Year’s resolutions for you to consider in 2024

It’s tricky to strike the right balance when setting your New Year’s resolutions.

“Become the most physically fit person on the planet.” Probably not going to happen.

“Work out more often than I did last year.” Now that’s something you can do!

A few years ago, we shared some pandemic-era resolution ideas. Two of them are still critically important today:

Make sure your Youth Protection training is up to date. You don’t even have to be a registered member of the BSA to do this one! Click here to get started.

… and …

If you’re a parent, say “thank you” to a Scouting volunteer. If you’re a Scouting volunteer, say “thank you” to a supportive parent.

Keeping in mind that those two resolutions can apply every year, here are five new Scouting-related New Year’s resolutions that you can most definitely keep in 2024.

Check out our three regularly recurring live streaming shows

• #CubChatLive is our weekly show in which we discuss all things related to Cub Scouts. Tune in if you’re a Cub Scout parent or Cub Scout leader, or if you’d like to keep up to date on the exciting new updates to the Cub Scout program. The show streams every Friday at 2 p.m. Central on Facebook and YouTube. If you prefer podcasts, you can listen to an audio-only version of #CubChatLive by searching for “CubChatLive” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
• #TroopTalkLive is our monthly show in which we discuss all things related to the Scouts BSA program. You can watch on Facebook or YouTube.
• And, just for fun, there’s #TrekonTuesday, where we discuss the latest content from Scout Life magazine, and occasionally give away cool stuff like camping gear, toys, books and Scouting memorabilia. You can watch on Scout Life Facebook and YouTube.

Attend a local roundtable

Your Scouting unit is part of a district that includes all of the units around you. Roundtables are monthly meetings where your district leaders share ideas and discuss the latest Scouting news.

Have a question about a Scouting activity? Roundtable is a great place to find an answer. Looking for ideas for camping locations? Roundtable is a great place to go.

Roundtables are good for brand-new leaders, returning veterans, and everyone in between.

The BSA also offers some virtual roundtables for on-demand viewing, but nothing can replace the face-to-face interaction you get when meeting other Scouting leaders in your area.

Make use of the BSA Brand Center

Looking for official, BSA-approved logos and flyers? The BSA Brand Center is for you.

The Brand Center is your source for BSA logos, photographs, promotional videos and templates you can use to promote your Scouting unit. And all of it is free.

Add it to your list of tools for marketing your unit.

And don’t forget to check out the great new videos you can share on social media.

Conduct at least one event at which your Scouts get the chance to interact with members of your community

Handing out flyers is great. Hosting recruiting nights is great. But there’s one more thing you can do to help grow your unit.

Passive recruiting is something you can work into your unit’s regularly scheduled events with very little extra effort. It involves simply showing up in full uniform or troop T-shirts and being present at a community event, like a town festival, community-wide trash pickup or any service project done in view of the public.

If someone asks what you’re doing there, take the opportunity to tell them about the fun things Scouting has to offer.

I recommend putting one specific night on your calendar right now.

Do Your Best

The Scout Oath begins with “On my honor, I will do my best …” and I think those are words we should all strive to live by.

If you’re a Scout leader, just Do Your Best to keep your Scouts engaged by offering a fun program focused on building character and being competent in the outdoors.

If you’re a Scout parent, Do Your Best to make sure your child remembers all the positives that come from being a part of Scouting.

And if you’re a Scout … just Do Your Best to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.

Happy New Year, everybody!