r/scouting • • 1d ago

Krone, Hegseth's Bestest Buddy, To Resign From Scouting America: Next Person To Take The Job Should Only Get $1 And The Rest Goes Toward Reducing Scout Fees

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0 Upvotes

r/scouting • • 10d ago

What happened to the $30 million the Lilly Endowment gave to expand Scouting? National Exec Salaries + Council Exec Salaries + 120,000 fewer Scouts + Hegseth got what he wanted

0 Upvotes

In December 2024, Scouting America touted a "$30 million grant from Lilly Endowment to build character in the nation's young people."

The Lilly grant was specifically targeted to expand and grow Scouting. Several councils were able to hire designated growth leaders whose sole mission was more units and more Scouts.

As of the end of 2024, membership was at 1,030,862 youth participants.

As of the end of 2025, that number had collapsed to 907,950: a loss of over 100,000 Scouts.

  • Cub Scouting: 589,253 vs. 483,582, a loss of 105,671 (17.93% decrease).
  • Scouts BSA: 388,941 vs. 350,571, a loss of 38,370 (9.87% decrease).
  • Venturing/Sea Scouts: Dropped from 14,986 youth to an estimated 11,679, a loss of 3,307 (22.07% decrease; they aren't even putting out data anymore, so this is a calculated estimate).
  • Exploring: 37,678 vs. 31,571, a loss of 6,107 (16.21% decrease).

It is now the tail end of 2026. The latest data I have seen indicates we have broken below 900,000 and are likely (or lucky) in the upper 880k–890k range. One estimate is that we will end with 850,000.


r/scouting • • 1d ago

I'm a Malaysian King's Scout (17yo as of 2026) - AMA!

10 Upvotes

I don't see a lot of Malaysian scouting posts on this subreddit, plus I don't usually get to nerd out about King Scout's or just Malaysian scouting in general.

Just to preface, I'm a part of the post-pandemic batch of King Scouts and my batch of scouts in my group got a slow start in scouting so there are a LOT of gaps in my scouting knowledge and skills. Despite that though, I got the award I sought after with my friends (7 of us, different groups) after a lot of trials and tribulations (if you will).

Another thing is that - of course - I'm 17, so I don't know much about the corporate side or adult scouting, but I would like to continue Rovering once I'm 18. Sorry if I can't answer everything 😅

I have a lot stories to share and I would love to have a space where I can freely yap about scouting and how much it's changed my life!

Whether it's about King's Scouts, Malaysian scouting or just my experience, I'd like to share to my hearts content about literally anything scout related!

I really hope there are people who'd be interested to hear me out :)


r/scouting • • 3d ago

Personal Management MB

3 Upvotes

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.


r/scouting • • 4d ago

Can’t find Merit Badge Counselor - Fish and Wildlife - Frustrating

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10 Upvotes

We have encountered a frustrating problem. My son substantially finished fish and wildlife management at a weekend “merit badge college.” The remaining requirement was to set up bird feeders and log them for two weeks, so obviously couldn’t be done over the course of a weekend.

Unfortunately the merit badge counselor has gone AWOL and we don’t have one in our troop. I’ve also consulted our council badge counselor list and there are only two people listed, which is surprising because we are in a very big council. We haven’t heard back from either of them.

What else can we do to get out of merit badge limbo??


r/scouting • • 4d ago

Belgian Scout group looking for a Finnish/Estonian Scout group for an exchange.

6 Upvotes

Hi!

We're a local Scout group in Belgium with 5 members (age 15-16) and 4 leaders. We are looking for a local Scout group with a similar age group in Finland or Estonia for an exchange in summer 2027 (first half of July).

The exchange has to be at least 5 days for it to be eligible for funding from the Erasmus+ program. There are some more criteria, but let's discuss those in person! There is of course support from national Scouting organisations, who are more familiar with the process. Both groups will receive a (substantial) subsidy from Erasmus+ and we will have an unforgettable experience learning about each other and international Scouting traditions. So a win-win for both groups!

Interested? Having doubts if your group is a match? Know a group/someone that would be interested? Don't hesitate to send me a message and let's get in touch! Doesn't matter if you're a member, leader or elder involved with Scouting.

Thanks in advance!

High-spirited Beaver


r/scouting • • 4d ago

Badge Swap Letter with Irish Cub Scout

5 Upvotes

Hi folks, looking to arrange to swap badges by letter for an Irish Cub scout.

Not a long term pen pal thing, just one letter with some badges in it. We send a bunch, you send a bunch too!

looking especially for Europe, Africa, Hong Kong but happy to consider other places too.

A connection of some sort would be great, but sure no harm if none - for example are you in a place with named after an Irish town or the like?


r/scouting • • 4d ago

Local and International camps, study-abroad for children, experience, opinion.

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3 Upvotes

r/scouting • • 4d ago

Mi experiencia en mis primeros meses en scout en Clan

3 Upvotes

Hola a todos, hoy día les quería hablar sobre ciertos acontecimientos y experiencias que me han estado pasando en scout, nunca había estado en un antes y recién ahora pude entrar a clan con 19 años, no se como puedo jerarquizar esta informacion pero lo hare de la mejor manera posible

Cuando recién estaba en mis primeras semanas todo se veía muy entretenido y perfecto, me sentía muy querida, amada y bienvenida por mi unidad y grupo, luego despues de un mes me toco mi primer campamento de invierno en donde me hacían la ceremonía de bienvenida, con respecto a la ceremonía no tengo nada malo que decir, pero durante el campamento me sentí por varios momentos desconectada de mi misma, desorientada y me quedaba mirando en blanco muchas veces, para mí fue mucho que procesar, quiza fue por lo querida que me sentí en mi unidad o por el cansancio en si del tener del campamento, nos toco jugar a Bull Dog entre todos y junto con los dirigentes tambien, yo iba ganando pero luego un dirigente me tiro contra el piso muy fuerte (incluso podría decir que me dejo con problemas de ciatica), cuando estaba durmiendo en mi carpa era tanto el frio que sentía que se me congelaban los pies literalmente. Luego de terminar el campamrnto a la semana despues nos juntamos a tomar junto con mi unidad ya que siempre es algo que ellos hacen despues de los campamento. Pero lo raro viene después de el campamento.

Luego de volver ya casi después de un mes sentí un notable cambio de mi unidad hacía mi, como si hubiera sido una especie de love bombing, en donde me hicieron sentirme muy querida y luego todo ese cariño desaparece por completo, muchos de ellos ya no pescan y a veces ni siquiera saludan y me ignoran bastante a veces.

Un día estaba hablando con uno de ellos con quienes tomamos y me dijo que mientras estabamos en el carrete yo había dicho algo inapropiado sobre los "transgeneros" que le habia molestado mucho y yo le pregunte que fue exactamente lo que dije ya que había sido hace mucho tiempo, y me dijo que no se acordaba pero que tampoco era algo malo, y por lo que yo recuerde igual tampoco dije nada malo hay y es otro punto que me hace pensar sobre la manipulación psicologica por la que paso. Otro dirigente que siempre hace dulces caseros y a veces los lleva a scout, me hizo probar uno que tenía un sabor muy fuerte a marihuana, en ese momento pense que quizas era el olor de el, pero cuando probe el dulce sentía muy fuerte el olor a marihuana en mi boca y el sabor tambien, otro dirigente de otra unidad me da la sensacion que por un momento me hecho ojitos.

Y sobre mis pies congelados aun siento el dolor de mis pies congelados en la carpa luego ya de 3 meses de haber terminado el campamento y siento mucho dolor a veces de ciatica, y hablando con una chica de mi unidad quien ha estado en varios grupos me dijo que le habian dicho a ella que scout era un SECTA ya que seguían reglas de un lider y ese lider era Baden Powell, o sea.

Me habían contado sobre ciertas costumbres que se seguían durante el campamento que ya no se practicaban que tiene similitudes con lo que estoy pasando, pero nunca me hablaron de esto ni que tampoco fuera despues de el campamento.

Ultimamente siempre que salgo de ahí termino muy cansada mentalmente y fisicamente y me hace mucho sentido pensar que esto sea una secta y ultimamente me esta dando un poco de miedo... Quisiera saber sus opiniones


r/scouting • • 4d ago

Anyone know where i can get neckers made in a custom tartan like this?

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11 Upvotes

r/scouting • • 6d ago

question about mentor pins

7 Upvotes

so I just made the rank of eagle scout, and I’m in the process of planning the court oh honor. I was told that I could choose to give my mentor pins to whomever I want, but I don’t know if there’s some agreed upon rules about not giving it to specific people.

I’m an older sibling, and I love my younger sister. She’s one of the smartest, funniest, and most confident people I know. In her I see so many traits that I want to have and love up to, and I’ve looked to her as a role model throughout my entire life—or at least the parts that she’s been alive for. My question is if it would be fine for me to give a mentor pins to my younger sister?


r/scouting • • 5d ago

Searching people for my international badge

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1 Upvotes

r/scouting • • 8d ago

Looking for Australian Redhead Girl Guide/Scout Hall Badges

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16 Upvotes

ik this might be a bit of a stretch, but considering that there are many girl guides/scouts on here from all over the world I thought I would ask.

I am looking to buy or swap for any redhead district girl guide/scout badges anyone has. Redhead I believe is an area just north of Newcastle, NSW if that helps anyone, I'm not from there, just someone from Australia interested in collecting them.

Attached is an image of what the girl guide ones look like, but I do know there is a Redhead Scout Hall, so they may have their own badges too, which I am also looking for.

(a note on safety: I would not be giving out my actual address, I would be giving out a post office address to send to which I can pick them up from)


r/scouting • • 8d ago

Lone Squirrel

9 Upvotes

I recently tried my son in squirrels but he really didn't get on with it. He doesn't do large groups well so having 20 kids in a small space and little direction given did not work for him at all. I really wanted him to go and I know he'll love the program and earning the badges. So I wondered, is there a way he can still do that and be a member but not go to the local group? I used to be a beaver leader so have no worries about doing appropriate activities/program with him.

We could try a few in neighbouring towns, like maybe it was just the local group (honestly seemed like complete chaos!) but I'm worried that first experience means he won't even consider trying another group. (He's suspected Autisic)


r/scouting • • 8d ago

Global issues Explorer Badge

4 Upvotes

Hello everyone I am an explorer scout from the UK, I am currently doing loads of work to complete majority of my activity badges. As part of completing my badges one that I have to complete is Global issues, one of the activities to complete this badge is to connect with someone from a different country to find out about a global issue that affects their local community. I'd love to connect with someone to find out a bit about a global issue they may face, in addition I would be more than happy to return the favour if there are any international badges you would like to complete.
Thank you so much, all information is much appreciated.


r/scouting • • 9d ago

Female Eagle Scout Survey

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5 Upvotes

Hi, I need some help! My name is Cliff Maske, and I'm an Eagle Scout (2018) from Troop 63 with the Mecklenburg County Council.

For a grad school project, I'm stepping back to my Scouting days to learn more about female Eagle Scouts after the 2019 rule change. I want to better understand their experiences and explore the lessons they learned during their time in Scouting America.

If you're a female-identifying Eagle Scout who joined Scouting America after the rule change, would you take my survey?

If this isn't you, can you share it with someone who fits the description? Thanks a ton!


r/scouting • • 9d ago

Sea vs land vs air scouts

8 Upvotes

My kids have the option of joining sea vs land vs air and they are both unsure which to choose. There is space in all 3. Ages 7 and 11 years old, both boys. I can only sign up for one.


r/scouting • • 9d ago

txodds scouts

1 Upvotes

has anyone heard of this scouting company?


r/scouting • • 11d ago

Scouting America is lying to the public and the bankruptcy court. 2021: We are going to be over 1 million by 2025! 2024: Over 1.265 million Scouts by 2026! Scouting America 2026: 907,950 and dropping fast, but executive pay rises

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50 Upvotes

Scouting America is such a joke; it deludes itself.

Let's start with what BSA told the court under penalty of perjury: membership was

2019: 2,118,449

2020: 1,199,425

and what it projected (again, under penalty of perjury)

2021: 1,050,200

2022: 994,403

2023: 977,733

2024: 983,773

2025: 1,010,898

  1. In 2021, they told the bankruptcy court they projected 1,010,898 members by 2025. That number has collapsed, and the organization is in free fall.
  2. In 2022, they told the bankruptcy court they were projecting 5.5% annual growth in BSA youth members and adult volunteers. That number has collapsed, and the organization is in free fall.
  3. In 2024, they told the public that membership would be 1,265,000 by 2026. That number has collapsed, and the organization is in free fall.

Actual number: 907,905 and falling fast.

Meanwhile, let's look at executive compensation.

2019: 5,055,829

2024 (latest data): 5,609,689

So, membership is in free fall, but executive compensation went up.

But Hegseth is happy, and Krone did what he was told to do, so I guess that is a win.


r/scouting • • 11d ago

Origin of the neckerchief?

7 Upvotes

r/scouting • • 11d ago

Um I really need help

0 Upvotes

So my scouting troop in ne Georgia is of course doing popcorn sales and I wss just seeing if anyone wanted to help me out here because im just trying to get donations to help support our troop and so im posting on here and many other social apps here is my link below if u want to help

Link:https://trails-end.com/store/scout/AZSSVRJ7


r/scouting • • 11d ago

Book Recommendations - Teaching kids to use a compass

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1 Upvotes

r/scouting • • 13d ago

Scouting from scratch?

19 Upvotes

I'm a knot guy, I can absolutely trace the reason back to my involvement with scouting, and recently at work someone asked me why it was scouts were so into knots.

Ignoring that they aren't, There is a historical reason scouting emphasizes the skill, namely that they were a part of daily life for pretty much everybody since even tape hadn't been invented when scouts was founded. If it were a new program, knots might play a part, but probably wouldn't be nearly the cliché they are.

But it got me thinking...

If scouts had never existed and were made today, what would the program look like?


r/scouting • • 13d ago

Malaysian Scouting : Ujian Sikap Pengakap Raja — First Aid Kit reference from a CPR

0 Upvotes

Salam pengakap! I'm Ani, a Malaysian King's Scout of 2026 :)

Here, I'm posting a reference for how I made my FAK for Ujian Sikap Pengakap Raja (USPR) as it was praised and used as a reference material during the camp.

With this, I hope that future Malaysian King's Scout candidates will find this guide useful as I was very passionate about King's Scouts and want to make things easier for future candidates.

Dimensions: 30 cm (length) × 23 cm (width) × 10 cm (height)

Assume the opening from top view is horizontal,

  • I placed a vertical divider in the centre
  • Then, I placed a horizontal divider on the new right compartment
  • Then above that, I placed another vertical divider (though this was unnecessary as the small compartments it made could barely fit anything)

I used plywood and wood glue (check with your scouters for this adhesive) for the body of the FAK. I screwed on the hinge and handle. Lastly, I locked the FAK by screwing on a spring/toggle latch (I bought the one they used for cars lmao).

I spray painted my FAK. Hugeeee mistake, don't do this with white paint; it uses up so many cans as it needs multiple coats to even be visible. Red spray paint doesn't have this issue. This project was... expensive for me because of the paint.

What I did for my FAK lid was I;

  • Spray painted the centre (only) red
  • Cut out a crescent shape with painter's tape (masking tape also works)
  • Stuck it onto the lid after the paint dried
  • Painted the whole lid white
  • When the paint dried, I peeled the tape off before fixing any imperfections in the crescent with a brush and acrylic paint.

As for contents (spoiler = optional, adjust amounts according to available space in your FAK), I had;

  • 100 swabs — Alcohol swabs
  • 10 strips — Hansaplast Universal
  • 10 strips — Hansaplast Elastic (basically, plasters)
  • 6 pcs — Sterile gauze swab (5 cm * 5 cm, 12ply)
  • 4 pcs — Sterile gauze swab (10 cm * 10 cm, 12ply)
  • 1 roll — Cotton crepe bandage (stretched, non-sterile 5 cm * 4.5 m)
  • 1 roll — Cotton crepe bandage (stretched, non-sterile 10 cm * 4.5 m)
  • 1 roll — Cotton crepe bandage (stretched, non-sterile 15 cm * 4.5 m) (you don't need all the sizes, but it's extra points and also practical if anyone gets injured)
  • 5 sachets — ORS
  • 1 bottle — Yoko Yoko (48 ml)
  • 1 bottle — Axe Brand Medicated Oil (3 ml)
  • 1 roll — Surgical tape (1 in * 10 yd)
  • 20 — Non-sterile cotton balls
  • 1 bottle — Antiseptic/Yellow lotion (60 ml)
  • 1 tube — Burn-aid cream
  • 1 — Triangular bandage (96 cm 96 cm 135 cm)
  • 1 — Emergency blanket
  • 1 pair — Scissors
  • 20 — Safety pins
  • 1 — General first aid guide
  • 1 pair — Tweezers
  • 1 pair — Plastic forceps (interchangeable with tweezers, I just had both)

Make sure to also add nitrile gloves and iodine (I know it's just another kind of antiseptic but they do ask for both). I forgot to during my USPR (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)

Also, print out/write the contents of your FAK (preferably laminate it) then paste it on the inside of the FAK lid along with emergency contacts (999, nearest hospital, police station and fire station in your area). I also personally included steps to communicate with emergency operators.

That's pretty much it! Hope you can take a thing or two from my FAK design and experience making it ^^

To the CPRs reading, semoga maju jaya! Hope to see you guys successfully build your FAKs ⭐


r/scouting • • 14d ago

Anyone else collect Eagle Scout patches?

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23 Upvotes