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UPDATE: A helpful Scout shop volunteer on the other side of the country saw a post I'd made on a Facebook Scouting group and let me know that they'd found a medal while doing shop inventory. I got it in the mail yesterday! All hail the Laurel Highlands Council volunteers for their help. If anyone else is looking for a medal, I heard from one or two other council shops that might still have one in stock. Let me know if you need info. Thanks, everyone, for your help and ideas!

January numbers will fluctuate all month, drop at the start, grow a bit with renewals/new people. Is your Jan 25 number from 1/1/25? Your numbers are still interesting to compare end of 24 vs end of 25. So... Dec 24 986,520 Dec 25 907,949 Loss of 81,571 or (8.3%) for the year. So, using Krone's loss number, we really lost 341,571 and gained 260,000 to get to the net loss of 81,571. From a strategy standpoint, an EVP of membership and council unit growth executives could/may/potentially help by having people focus on things like renewals and membership vs. an afterthought. I do agree, though, having some additional employees in and of itself doesn't do much. How about a gosh darn renewal system that doesn't break in the last month or the year, or one that works robustly each and every day! That would be a start.

I think this is the issue. Due to so many factors we have this atmosphere of permissiveness. Sometimes it's not even permissiveness; it's just burnout. How many of us have reported something because we had valid concern or outright knew someone was willfully violating SYT/YPT or the GTSS and were ignored by people at the district or council level.

This is what I understand. The membership churn is killing the membership numbers. We did recruit 260k "new" scouts in 2025; however, based on the numbers shared with me we lost somewhere between 300k and 500k existing scouts. If we don't deliver on our promises of an excellent outdoor leadership program scouts and their families will keep voting themselves off the island and leave scouting. National needs to enforce quality control and modernization; how can expect a unit to properly execute the program when 4 out of 5 adult leaders are so incompetent they can't do free online training? Paid scouters are scrambling to save their jobs, they don't care to save the program; national must force council consolidations to get the focus back on program and off of fundraising.

The 01 Jan 2026 number is real time... today's number. The Jan 2025 number looks to be the close out number for 31 Jan 2025.

Let's be honest, we won't get actual numbers until March when all the December 31st expirations go into effect. And I bet the March numbers will. be down. While I do think more Unit Serving Executives may help, they will need to get the right type. For whatever reason, BSA seems to think educators make good execs and program folks. Yet BP realized when he started that educators make lousy SMs. As for IT systems, this is what happens when you put a former SE into being the CIO without any experience in the field.

Did anyone see this from Mr. Krone? Membership: Recruitment and Retention In 2025, we focused on growth by hiring an executive vice president of membership and leveraging Lilly Endowment funds to hire unit growth executives for councils. We also expanded our marketing efforts, driving a record number of visitors to BeAScout.org. I am pleased to report that by the close of 2025, we will have recruited almost 260,000 new members. But membership is more than recruiting — it is also retention. In the coming year, we will intensify our focus on retention and on delivering a more meaningful experience for all members. If we recruited 260,00 new members but the overall membership through November is around 900,000 where did 260,000 that were on the rolls the end of 2024 go?

Or they get tired of your calling them out (correctly) to many times they tell you that your services are not needed. But still send you FOS requests.

I think your first sentence hits the nail on the head. I would add that before there was any relationship with the US military we at the ground level were already doing the duty. To your second sentence: I know that my council is in life support mode and is mission inaffective; however, based on what I read online and the interactions I have with other scouters throughout the country I wonder how many (as a percentage of the total units) are not even trying to run the program as designed? I would even go so far as to say originalists that are trying to run things out of the original scoutmasters handbook fall into the program as designed bucket; and, in that situation, are the number of units trying to run the program as designed less than 50%? I horribly fear that to be the case.

The issue is one of humanity and the people who are warped in some way. And those people, even if involved in the program, are still warped. No manner of rules or guidelines will completely stop someone that is going to do abusive things. That is why everyone needs to be aware and respond as required if something is out of line, no matter who it is. Sadly, no barriers are completely foolproof, no matter what they are.

I will disagree; if it happens, no matter what the reason, it is a scouter issue. The sad part is, where does the buck stop? With the professionals, who are the ones who should be high-level watchdogs, being the least trained and can be the last to unset the offending high-level volunteers, it took over 20 years to get them to stop using torches with the OA

All the world’s a trail, And all the boys and girls merely hikers; They have their exits and their entrances, And one Scout in their time plays many parts, Their acts being seven ages. At first, the Tenderfoot, Huffing and aching in the Patrol Leader’s gaze. Then the willing Second Class, with his backpack And shining new boots, creeping like snail Willingly to camp. And then the First Class, Working like journeyman, with a woeful ballad Made to his buddy’s ’ cookset. Then a Star Scout, Full of fun tales and dirty like the worker, Jealous in honor, sudden and quick to help, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the campfire’s smoke. And then the Life Scout, In fair proud and downlooking to the Tenderfoot, With eyes severe and mien of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the sage and sought after , With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful face, well shaved, a world too wide For his Eagle earned, and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is Scout Leader, signed and devoted he, Sans time, sans money, sans gear, sans everything but Scouts to inspire.

@mylo_cat and others, what would a fair price be, now that this is a collector's item? My son is home from college, and may part with his. He is not as "attached" to Scouting as I am.

It is dying. And the majority of folks do not want to put quality control measures. They want 'High Speed, Low Drag" advancement and increasing the number of Eagle Scouts. They would rather celebrate the 13 or 14 year old with all 130+MBs than the troop that is doing trail work on the AT, or the troop running Red Cross evac stations.