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I’m not sure why it’s so hard to believe. Although, I’m kind of glad you weren’t in school with wannabe klansmen. Their reaction to the way the world was going (and would, in fact, become): “Unbelievable.” I’ve returned to my hometown, and it warmed my heart to meet some minority business owners. A trivial gain statistically, but meaningful nonetheless.

@robert12, I strongly suspect so. But do you have a source?

This mostly from Jambo patrols, Venturers, and the occasional provisional scouts who have camped with our troop ... 1. Training, training, training. If a scout is not working in a patrol at home, he/she will be overwhelmed in a patrol of strangers. As an SM/Advisor, you will have to coach that scout along. Read the pertinent pages in the Handbook (which the scout may have never read), and encourage the scout to get up to speed. Obviously, if you have more than one inexperienced provisional scout you will have to make this a more public discussion. Be upbeat, recognize the challenges facing them, and establish high expectations. 2. Courtesy. Kindness. Helpfulness. If a scout hasn't mastered this in with the patrols in his/her troop, it will show up in the patrol. Ask a scout like this to help you with a task. It might involve a chore, meeting with other scouts/scouters, or a brief conservation project. I had one scout tell me nobody in his troop ever asked him to do anything because he had established a pattern of not doing anything when asked. I made it clear that I tend not to ask favors of the scouts who are already finding chores for themselves and working. I did see a change in outlook that trickle down to his patrol later in the week. 3. Reverence. Scouts must go through this world as if it's a gift for them to tend.

Welcome! And good luck on your hunt. There are several sites whose owners maintain discontinued badge requirements (e.g., http://www.inquiry.net/traditional/badges/master-at-arms.htm). Have you contacted them regarding their sources?

So much for individual showers.

@NDW5332 clearly, the scouts would go home, pull out their smart phones, and one would video the other using his/her phone to navigate. They would then post videos of them doing this task to their patrol leader, who would sign off in the scouts' handbook at the next meeting. Of course they would cc the SM, ASM and concerned parents to maximize YP. @ShutterbugMom, the SM is the one who sets the boundaries. The committee needs to quickly reply firmly that they will stand behind the SM's decisions as to what tools scouts may keep on their persons at meetings or camp. They need to let this parent know that if she deems it important for her son to be under leadership that makes rules to her own liking, she is more than welcome to start her own troop. Frankly, if I were SM or ASM I would send notice to all parents and scouts regarding anyone who adds blanket rules. I would tell the troop that they were misrepresenting the troop committee and myself. When we share a policy change, we give the reason, and set a time for when the committee will evaluate the usefulness of the rule.

I’m gonna push back, just a little. Scouts like being recognized for their achievements. They don’t like being recognized for things they didn’t do. And they regard less highly people who give an award just so they don’t feel left out. If you have a tight knit den, obviously they are going to earn their rank patch simultaneously. But, what if a scout skips a required adventure and doesn’t want to do it with a parent or guardian? The best thing you can do for that scout is to award the other scouts promptly so that he/she may reconsider and make-up the requirements for the award. If you wait until end-of-year, you deny that scout an opportunity. All that said, don’t make monthly awards suck the oxygen out of the room. Each DL lists awards earned by whom, then announces the next months activities.

Well, I can see that offering you to see our Civic Light Opera or Transmissions by Lucille won’t come off as particularly hospitable. There’s a bit of a disagreement on when one should downvote. I’d like people to downvote me when they disagree with a post and don’t otherwise want to comment. If I’m just rude (or using this site to sell something) report it, and I’ll soon get a personal message from a moderator. It’s not a problem. Reputation seems to do with how many upvotes minus downvotes one gets. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing. Unlike software forums we people upvote things that they’ve tried and actually succeeded in using, a lot of upvotes here are opinions, I think. Well, it’s nice that someone thinks what I wrote sounds nice, but I’d rather a post be upvoted if folks have experienced the same thing on some practical level. So, you’re doing us all a favor if you like stuff that you’ve seen actually “work” and do the opposite if you’ve seen it fail. Comment if you’d like to add nuance or specific personal experience.

Knowing what can put a hurting on you around here is pretty standard training. And generally I don’t limit scouts to the BSHB for that information. Over time we train them on where to look for the latest notifications.

Yes, it would be nice to have empirical data — not for individual decisions, but to determine how to help schools make better policy going forward. Unfortunately camps aren’t required to — nor would they be capable of — fielding a public health officer who could report either COVID or salmonella outbreaks. (The latter could be truly harmful in this population.) That would be a mission of your state’s public health office. Volunteer to pay more taxes and it might happen. Data costs real money, and statisticians don’t come cheap. But, based on the few studies that I’ve read from last year’s camp season, a positive COVID test or two for every thousand campers would be reasonable expectation. Assuming a majority of adults and older campers/staff would be vaccinated … symptoms, hospitalizations, and deaths, among camp participants would be increasingly rare. How that translates into some unvaccinated adult back home getting sick is the largest unknown, but that’s the most likely downstream effect of youth infections.

Way to take something to the dark side @jcousino. I’m sure @5thGenTexanwould have acted and not posted if the “poke” were a physical assault. The CM is a an uninitiated insignia wonk. That’s all.

I wouldn’t stop him/her. The SPL may dock a point on inspection but it would be worth it if the scout is that loyal to the den.

2.5 MB’s a week. If each MBC in your district counsels 5 or more different MBs, that’s 25 people to contact. Even without any “high-speed, low-drag” adults in the vicinity, it sounds doable for a scout who starts at a more mature age, and this is his/her sole hobby. My wish is that one in ten of those badges sticks with the scout and forms a hobby or occupation for the rest of their life.

Pre-camp testing seems impossible to enforce. To be practical, campers and staff would have to test the week before remain socially isolated, and retest. Since seemingly few camps experience outbreaks (this doesn’t seem like an outbreak), testing one camp of residents as confirmed cases arise is the most effective use of resources. It means that a handful of camps will close, but most will go forward with campers reinforcing social distance practices in advance of the school year. Close attention to local public health reports is critical at this time.

Whenever someone thinks “very Christian,” I think Byzantium.

I also like to stress how that's not the final point along the trail. About as three months hence (and quarterly thereafter), expect the scout to meet with you to fulfill Palm requirement #5.

Are you saying that EDGE is not enough to teach a scout skill? That a referencing is essential, and any method that omits it falls woefully short? Heretic!

More media churn. This article is not about BSA. If it was, it would admit that the "demise" is more of a "denouement" ... protracted over a half-century. It would talk about how membership began to decline in concert with policies intended to appeal to its (assumed) majority base. Nor is it about TL/USA. If it was, it would admit that this organization has not taken up the "slack" of scouts who left BSA before aging out -- in 2013 or any other year. It has not attracted the vast majority of Christian communities. It's a fun ride, but nothing "like wildfire." If it cared, it also would discuss the liability issues that are giving churches pause regarding endorsing any organization. It would give readers suggestions about how to donate to defense funds to help manage liability, do background checks, and generally lower the costs of managing the inherent risks to kids in these programs. FRC cares about one thing: promoting a restrictive sexual ethic. They get donations from deep pockets every time they post an article that says those who hew to it (and oppose permissive sexual ethics) will grow and thrive. Nuance does not make them money. Guiding adults to lean in to their preferred organizations sends donations the other way. Talking about observed national rates of CSA gets them nowhere.

You've made my point. Leadership was not a method of scouting in 1933. As @fred8033, scouts have a reputation for treating the roughest parts of boot camp as another night out under the sky. It's their self-reliance and resilience that are selling points. People have sacred cows. They love to carry them wherever they go. They think it makes them special. It does, to the other people carrying those same cows. But what about the folks carrying sheep? Could a lot of our potential membership be shepherds who are intimidated by those cow-pokes? Some of us know that the Almighty finds a lot of leadership in those shepherds as well as cowboys. Okay, that metaphor is falling apart fast. But my point is that more parents are worried that their kids grow up strong and good than are worried that they become these cracker-jack leaders. We all have been trained to see leadership blossoming in places that a lot of people ignore, but that's not how the world thinks. Yes, Mrs. Q and I want our kids to be leaders in their fields and give honor to the Lord wherever they go. But we have a lot of friends who just want their kids to have okay lives. Some are just hoping to keep the kid out of jail. Some are holding a revival meeting in the back of the hall as he/she walks to get that diploma. For those kids, if you take the spot-lite off of leadership, they begin to feel welcome. (And, your scouts who do want leadership have some "real" peers to practice on!) And those kids have been some of the best people for my kids to befriend. In general, membership growth has to do with attracting the folks who haven't drunk the bug juice.

Or, is it like saying, “We’ll provide chocolate wafers, and and the scouts, the filling!” We all know that we’re not taking leadership out. We’re just removing it as a method … possibly replacing it and personal growth with “service” and “responsibility.” I saw yet another post on the scouting forums from a leader who was bothered about an SPL and PL who already earned Eagle wanting to hold their positions while he/she wanted to let younger scouts to have a crack at those while Star or Life scouts. Our adults aren’t getting the message. Not all of them. Maybe not even most of them.

So, time to think out of the box … Will we increase membership by removing Leadership Development from the methods of scouting? Why would that make any sense at all? I can think of two reasons. LD not distinctive. Sports claims to be leadership development. Academics claims to be leadership development. Music/band claims to be leadership development. Same for lots of other organizations and many religions. Kids hear it, and it is just another phrase of doublespeak to them. Not everyone is looking for it. I’ve only met a handful of youth who were all about LD, and they were venturers. Many parents just want their kids to grow up strong and good. They don’t see themselves as leaders nor their kids as leaders. When many parents think of “leaders”, they think of a politician who stole the election from their candidate, and they absolutely don’t what that for their kid.

@Oldscout, the story that TAHAWK found may not have anything to do with the OP. It's not clear how personal this case is to the OP. So "recently" could be 5 years ago, or not. Regardless, the bottom line is that stuff like this gets out, and action is usually taken at some level. I think most of us prefer it be handled at the unit level, but sometimes units don't react. Or, they don't communicate their actions to their district or council. In that case, councils will respond.

Yep, @yknot, this is pretty routine. A scout is trustworthy. A person who betrays trusts is not a scout. Usually this is a troop committee decision, but when the matter is of public trust the dismissal can just as easily come from Council or National. It is not a fun day when an exec calls you about a member in your unit.

The way the US code reads, a criminal charge would be a very high bar.

So, to work back the history a little-bit (as some of you are about to roll your eyes): In the sixties, National instituted the ageist policy of restricting advancement to those under 18 because Eagle Scout "is a boy's award." The removal of "observe-and-report" badges like Bird Study and the rise of book-work badges ensued. In 1973, the steady decline in BSA membership began and continues until this day. In 1982, cue Stevie Wonder, I wish. Yep.