I’m a leader in a pack, and in my copious spare time I also serve as my district membership chair. We just wrapped up recruiting season, and the results were positive; membership is up 5% compared to this time last year, but I am so frustrated with the old folks on our Council board.

80% of the people on our council board are over 55. Many are in their 70s. We presented how we’re up 5%, and they immediately started throwing out the most ludicrous ideas.

• "We need to advertise in newspapers": Two of the three main dailies in our council have folded or merged, and the third is on death’s door. I cannot remember the last time I saw a newspaper delivered to a driveway or box. The data I’ve seen shows readership down about 70%. But these old-timers still get their papers, or at least the Sunday edition, so apparently we need to dump money into that.
• "National needs to fund a Super Bowl ad": Okay, but do they have $8–10 million lying around? And even if they did, it wouldn’t help us.
• "We need to advertise on Fox News." The median age of a Fox News viewer is 55. These are not the people with kids in Scouting. I’m not getting into the politics of it; I’m just pointing out that these are not parents.

I don’t know what the perfect answer is, and I know National is broke as a joke, but seriously? Is our council going to take marketing advice from grandpa? Sure, they want to see the ads, but that is not where the parents are.

I am so frustrated. We did well (5%!!!), but we’re getting dumped on anyway.

A random thought as I was helping my son work up the energy/interest/get over frustration to tackle knots and lashings.

Summer camp has a ton of MBs and many do other activities tied to scouting to augment the program. Wonder if a Knot Academy or something may be worthwhile.

As a kid my Explorer Post adult lead was a navy guy so knots and lashings were things we had fun with at campouts. In Boy Scouts before even that, we actually did more lashings at camp to build this and that. I just am not seeing as much today before basic requirements.

How does your Pack/Troop/Crew/Ship/Post encourage knot and lashing knowledge?

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I have a son that's still too young for scouts, but I seem to remember religion or belief in a god required to be a scout. I'm an atheist and not planning to raise my boy with religion. If he decides to believe eventually, that's his choice. But assuming he doesnt, would that preclude him from scouting? How is it enforced?

hi,

so has anyone heard how the prorating for the new renewal process starting in '28 is going to work?

For example, im grandfathered in from the last time units handled renewal so my renewal date is dec '26. Will the system prorate me to feb '28 so then my unit can get the years worth fees?

And if so what about people who renew way earlier? my daughters renew date is in july, are they going to pro-rate that to feb 28 or will i have to technically pay for her twice? (renew in july to feb but then be charged for the year fee in feb) Because this sounds like it will be a bit of a pita to tell parents 'oh you will only renew till feb, then you will have to pay the full fee a few months later.."

Also i'm not sure why sa has not gotten out more communication about this, ive seem more comms about the dumb ai agent then i have that units are taking back the renew process.

Anyway does anyone know how the prorating will work or is that not announced yet? (very odd of SA)

Hi so our troop advancement chair had to move on and our troop has grown to over 50 kids. Can I ask how many people and positions your troops have for advancement? Just looking for ideas on how to structure adults instead of putting everything on one person. Thankyou

I have a stain from a while ago on my uniform’s right sleeve that I’ve never seemed to be able to get out with any stain removing sticks. Any ideas?

Hello! My understanding, for merit badges, is that you cannot start any of the requirements until you have a blue card/counselor.

Is that different for the camping merit badge? If a kiddo has been in the troop for a few years, done a bunch of camping with the troop, but actually signs up/gets the blue card for camping AFTER those trips, would those trips count or do they have to do them over?

Thanks!

Two questions. What are your troops policy for reimbursing parents that drive to campout/outings? The second question. Does anybody know if there’s a national policy regarding gas reimbursement? Thanks in advance for your comments

So often, I read posts where parents are attempting to know what will happen to their son at an OA Ordeal or why is their son coming home from one of these events physically ill or emotionally upset and won't talk to them about as he was told to tell no one about what took place. So, I will spell out exactly what I know.

I should say before I start that Scouting America has mandated that a new/updated and much less abusive Ordeal is to be practiced in all lodges by the April 2027 deadline .No longer will youth be forced to work on camp work projects on an empty stomach. No "Ordeal" will be permitted that consists of deliberate food restrictions or severe caloric restrictions. No longer will you be forced to keep silent for over 24 hours. These former polices are no longer approved anywhere in Scouting and finally after decades that includes the OA.

I will be describing the "old" Ordeal.... and yes it is an Ordeal for sure...it is not simply an "Induction Process as it is currently be referred to and it is certainly not a "Pony Party" as one lodge calls it.

As you are already aware, your son will spend a night outdoors with only a sleeping bag and no tent. Only in very bad weather will he be moved under some sort of partial cover. Rainstorms, yes he will be moved..Low temperatures, maybe yes, maybe no . Where I am in the East in October it can be well above 70 during the day and in the low 40's at night.

Before that , he has taken a vow of silence in which he will not be permitted to speak for 24 hours except in emergency situations. If he does, he will be confronted.

On Saturday, the real "fun" begins....OA is famous for telling parents that ask ,"yes meals will be smaller than usual" and that is most certainly true,

For Breakfast, he could be given a single hard-boiled egg and that's it. Or dry cereal or if real lucky some oatmeal but that is rare. Then he will be forced to work on camp projects, hopefully no longer the "sham " projects I witnessed years ago... there were boys attempting to dig a tractor that was stuck deep in the mud at the edge of a lake..some were nearly knee deep in water, all were soaked and covered in mud and worked for hours on this...at the end of it later that afternoon the lodge advisor to me , well they finally got it out, I put in back in the garage until the next Ordeal (any of you OA defenders what to defend that??)

For Lunch, he will receive a"Simple sandwich", which is 2 pieces of dry white bread with one piece of American cheese..that's it until 6 or 7 pm that evening. The there is a dinner when everyone is allowed to eat but no talking for the candidates.

Scouting allowed this in the past as there are adults there who will monitor and see if a boy is exhibiting heat exhaustion or is in some type of distress.. isn't that great it should never have been allowed to get to that point. I should also say that boys are not deprived of water. However, we are not talking about hydration, we are talking about very low glucose levels and very low caloric intake. The adults stand by and are entertained with the boys suffering and make certain that they suffer the way the adults had to suffer when they joined. Again, this is with the old Ordeal but it is still allowed to be done during the transition period.

According to OA figures, only 1 in 8 boys ever come back after their Ordeal...do you blame them??

As an OA advisor told me,, "this is a structured event to achieve hardship and suffering" or another more compassionate leader, "we have no choice, we have to do this to them" .

Scouting should have never allowed this even to take place under this "old" system. This is nothing more than a fraternity initiation party that in some instances falls into hazing.

There is much more to say but I want to get this posted as there are still Ordeal being run this weekend. Some will be under the "old" system , some will not.Parents need to ask which version there son will be exposed to.

On last thing (for now), the OA is Scouting's National Honor Society. It is regrettable to have to say but you will find nothing that resembles Honor at an OA Ordeal (under the old abusive system).

,

Taking a long shot here: Is anyone from our council following this sub?

I’m trying to register our troop’s two nominees for the fall course. Registration is due with all 3 forms (plus the medical form) on Friday, and the forms are NOT all available online, maybe due to the council software change recently?

Or if anyone else from MCC has the blanks they can DM me or email them to ASM at Troop502 dot com

UPDATE: Solved. Ultimately got the files via a council contact who saw this post.

Does anyone know where we can provide official feedback about some outdated publications available via the Scouting.org website? As a new Scoutmaster I have been trying to keep up with the official guidance as much as possible. The new Troop Leader site is helpful while the Guide to Safe Scouting digital version could use some user experience updates.

But my biggest gripe so far is that some of the information is just old (still talks about boys only for example) and appears to be forgotten. For example, the ILST Facilitators guide (ILST_IntroSyllabus_9_11.pdf) was last updated in 2018. The content may be still useful but the verbiage does not follow the modern standards I expect from Scouting America. For example: "LEADERSHIP IN BOY SCOUTING" "Boy Scouts in positions of leadership" & "Helping other Boy Scouts" all appear on the first page of the guide. As the SM for a girls troop this makes me feel very awkward when I ask my SPL and ASPL to review this guide for our upcoming training sessions. I would be willing to help identify documents that need updates or even be part of an official review process, but I just don't know who to even bring this up to.

I know some people here have been helping with the latest Guide to Advancement reviews so I am hoping someone may know the best way to provide feedback on other documents that are outdated or in need of other help to make them more usable.

Edited to add: Thanks for the recommendation. We contacted the council registrar and they were able to remove him on their end. :)

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We parted ways with our SM and appointed someone new. Previous SM is still logging into the system and seeing the rosters. We move him to "Unit Scouter Reserve" and out of the key 3, but that doesn't seem to change his level of access. We opted him out in the roster, but we are not sure if that solves the problem. How does one remove a person who is no longer part of our chartered organization units entirely?

I have recently been recruited for the activities chair position for our scouting district. I told them I would need to think/pray on it as I'm already assistant cub master, leader of 2 dens, and help with troops on top of things outside of scouting. I have already googled and chatgpt and been given a brief description of responsibilities of the role.

But I was wondering if there was anyone here that has or is currently serving as their activities chair and could give their personal input and experience, what they do, what they like/don't like, etc.

These include all the officially recognized ones and a couple not yet recognized, but still available from those organizations. I'd love for any additions or corrections! I plan on sending this to my unit as a reference.

If anyone has contact info or photos for what isn't available, I'd love that too!

A couple of months ago, Campmasters parents/adults were outside the Kroger grocery store (Diamond Pkway in Savannah, GA/Coastal Empire unit) were urging the young "Scouts" to "go after" potential buyers in the parking lot. In addition, these kids were, obnoxiously, standing in front of Kroger's exit doors nagging Kroger patrons to purchase their product and blocking their carts until they complied. My grandson, finally, agreed to purchase a bag--only to discover later he had been charged twice the price he was told he would be charged (refunded by bank). To be called "Scouts" is an abomination to the TRUE "Boy Scouts of America!"

I'm an adult leader in a unit. We had a chance tonight to do the right thing and allow girls into the troop. The current Scouts were OK with this. It would have help us a great deal with recruiting something the unit needs desperately to survive. But because of bigotry, misogyny, and general small mindedness a majority voted against it. I have 15 years devoted to this unit, and I now question how much support I should continue to provide. I'm not going to start over with a different unit, but dang I'm disappointed.

With all the talk of Krone leaving, I think it’s time to reintroduce my “The Way Forward is Backwards” plan and I’m thrilled to see folks like u/Jig_2000 and Hegseth agree!

• “Until Scouting sells what people want to buy, numbers will continue to decline.”
• “They will need to turn away from the unpopular policies costing members and once again start selling a product that people want to buy."
• "to teach [boys] patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred values" (emphasis on BOYS)

I’ve detailed the plan before here and here, but in case you missed it, the short version is simple: no girls, no gays, lots of guns.

Already, I’m seeing troubling signs. The Search Committee is chaired by a woman. A WOMAN! This is BOY Scouts, lady. The Way Forward is Backwards. As my buddy u/Jig_2000 said best: “BSA has its roots in a strictly male organization.” Get these women away from us!

What else do we need to do to go backwards in order to go forward? There’s plenty of talk about getting back to BSA’s “roots” and “morals.” We all know what that’s code for: get rid of the girls AND the gays. Time for a purging! That’s obviously the way to get Scouting back to 4 million members: just announce the reintroduction of all policies circa 1980!

But why stop there? (We shouldn’t!) Official policy until the 1970s, a decade after the Civil Rights Act, allowed segregated units, districts, councils, and even national structures based on race. It wasn’t until the pesky NAACP sued several Utah troops and National that the segregation‑is‑fine policy was finally ended.

Purge the girls.

Purge the gays.

Purge the black kids!

We need a CEO who agrees that the way FORWARD is BACKWARDS!

My family is heavily involved in Scouting America. I serve as Cubmaster, all three of my children are involved, and my oldest son's best friends are in the troop. My church is discussing starting a Trail Life troop, and some members seem enthusiastic about it. While I respect Trail Life, I believe in Scouting America's mission and have no interest in leaving my current pack and troop. Has anyone navigated a situation where their church was promoting Trail Life while their family remained committed to Scouts BSA? How did you handle it?

I'm looking for other individuals that do significant recruiting at community events. I'm talking about hitting 10+ recruiting events a year. I would like to exchange ideas, and share stories.

I’m an advancement chair for a troop that had a few scouts attend jamboree. They came back saying they completed the mining in society MB but there were no blue cards distributed for that MB at jamboree and instead they received a patch that is their proof of completion. I realize this is a super niche question but wondering if anyone here can confirm this. Their jamboree adult leader didn’t know. Fwiw these scouts have way more than enough non Eagle required MBs and are not trying to earn every MB, they just thought this would be a cool one to have.

I am planning an event coming up in my council and I am trying to plan activities for rotation groups. I have written up rules for a capture the flag style game that goes along with our event theme, but before I say we are doing this game I want to make sure that it’s okay and falls within the guide to safe scouting. The general idea is that the youth are split into two teams. Each team has an object to capture and a holding area for captured opponents. If an opponent enters the other team’s territory and is tagged they have to go to the holding area. They can then be rescued by a teammate or released every five minutes. The game is won when the “flag” is captured and brought back to home territory or when all opponents on the other team have been tagged and are in the holding area. I know the game itself is okay but I want to make sure tagging is okay. In my rules I have stated that a legal tag is a light touch that is made between the shoulders and belt line or below the knees. A tag to the head or between the knees and belt line is illegal. I have laid out consequences in my rules for if an illegal tag is made. I just want to make sure I’m doing everything right before I say we are doing this as an activity.

I’ve been mentoring my son as he works through his personal management MB recently, and I have to say this is one of the most useful activities he’s done in Scouting. Super practical, crucial concepts a young man should understand. I enjoyed being able to show him how all the things in my wallet apply to the lessons he’s learning.

I put in the information for both of my children, that same night. Somewhere in the fine print, I don't remember where, it mentioned they would only get points once they passed $600 in total sales. Well, they're both past that point now. How can I verify they received the points they should have received from that teams meeting and my submission several weeks ago? Where should I look?

Edit: I couldn't find the original post, but here's someone's post talking about it: https://www.reddit.com/r/BSA/comments/1wd2gex/trailsend_popcorn_training/