RememberSchiff

"President Barack Obama will trek through the wilderness in Alaska this week with British TV adventurer Bear Grylls, the NBC channel has announced. He is due to tape an episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls to observe the effects of climate change on the area. He is the first president to appear on the show, to be aired later this year. President Obama is on a three-day tour of Alaska aimed at highlighting the pace of climate change." I wonder if they will discuss scouting? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34109681 http://www.nbc.com/running-wild-with-bear-grylls Oh and Mr. President, a Scout Salute for renaming Mount McKinley to Mount Denali.

GREAT STORY! Watch video interview with 13yr old scout. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/teen-scout-helps-save-dad-hurt-falling-boulder-rugged-wilderness-n417521 Scout Salute.

If so, consider similar attempts to increase membership from a specific population - Improved Scouting Program with an urban focus, scouting as a "family program", Summit for the 10 per-centers. There are at least three STEM programs in the BSA - the old merit badge program with Chemistry, Electronics, Welding, ... - the STEM/NOVA an embellished merit badge program??? Sorry I don't get it. Why not improve the merit badges themselves. - STEM Scouts which is pilot program entering its second year. I think we will see major revisions in STEM scouts this academic year. My $0.01 for rambling

Money. There are many youth STEM grants to be had from both government and the private sector. As an example, I recently received an email from FIRST asking volunteer help in social media voting to win a $500K award from Microsoft. Some of these STEM grants can fit into a school curriculum, but many would rather be outside, free of teacher unions, Common Core, open to all kids in a community. No surprise Boy and Girls Clubs, 4-H, and Girl Scouts are in the STEM money chase. Acquiring STEM grants is a way for the BSA to get back lost corporate donations. My $0.02

Back in the day, quality control of the BSA program was policed by councils. Their territorial marshalls were called Neighborhood Commissioners who dropped in on units. They looked at the program, troop finances, held uniform inspection, etc. If the unit failed to meet standards, he gave guidance and returned in a a couple of months to repeat the process. Those NC's had the power to dismiss volunteers and revoke charters. Scouting did not need a large number of adults as it had great, experienced adults ("The Greatest Generation"). Council was responsible for the BSA program in its geographic area. But as you know that changed, responsibility for the BSA program was surrendered to CO's. There were other gross mistakes which contributed - change in Wood Badge, Improved Scouting Program, National Leadership... a perfect storm. What I find hard to take are the former scouts who gave up on scouting, who discouraged their sons from joining and otherwise would not help, not even as MBC's. Yeah I wish my sons could experience the scouting of 50's and 60's. Recall a few years ago, NESA sent out postcards to old Eagle Scouts and only got about a 30% return. Bummer.

IMO, good ole troop/patrol meetings are the best means of communication. Miss the meeting and it is up to the scout to find out, not up to the SM, SPL, PL, or MOM to text/phone/email/smoke-signal him. My $0.02,

This.

Are you having fun?

Some of our scout camps have active energy production facilities such as solar arrays and oil wells which under contract with local energy companies. From such a relationaship, Muskingum Valley Scout Reservation in Ohio has partnered with Ohio Gas and Electric and developed a specialty camp program Ohio Gas and Electric Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) "THE POWER PROGRAM: Earn Energy, Engineering and Mining in Society merit Badges during this four day overnight camp at MVSR. Boy Scouts and Venturers will tour the American Electric Power, electrical Generation plant, and the Three Rivers Energy ethanol plant. They’ll visit the gas/oil well site on camp property and explore careers in energy and engineering. With a syllabus co-written by the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) our S.T.E.M. director Kevin Burch promises a fun and educational program." http://www.muskingumvalleycouncil.com/wp-content/uploads/e-blast.pdf Now the interesting part,if news reports can be believed, an Oil and Gas Engineering MB is coming next year. Boy Scouts recently attending a STEM camp at Camp Muskingum successfully completed an innovative oil and gas specific curriculum designed in partnership with the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program (OOGEEP) and the Muskingum Valley Boy Scout Council. Based on the success of this camp, and through funding provided by Ohio’s oil and gas producers, OOGEEP plans to offer a full oil and gas engineering merit badge at the camp in 2016. The merit badge is already in its third year at Camp Manatoc near Akron. The exciting program introduces scouts to the oil and gas industry through both classroom and field learning. The badge is designed to: showcase how engineering is crucial to Ohio’s oil and gas industry; explain how companies produce energy for Ohio from Ohio; allow scouts to put their engineering knowledge to work building models; give scouts a first hand looking at a working oil and gas well; and introduce engineering career paths available in the industry. “As an Eagle Scout and current engineer working in Ohio, I’m so proud to have watched this program develop and grow,†said Tim McNutt, General Manager of Pipeline Operations for Dominion East Ohio. “Strong science education is so important and this program teaches science and engineering to Scouts who are eager to learn.†... http://oogeep.org/2015/08/oil-and-gas-engineering-merit-badge-to-expand-to-camp-muskingum-boy-scout-camp/ http://www.coshoctontribune.com/story/news/local/2015/08/24/local-boy-scouts-offer-oil-gas-merit-badge/32254769/

I suppose anything is legallly possible though it is hard to imagine a court intervening or even listening to a case about how a religious organization selects its adult volunteers. Recently a Kentucky parish rejected re-instating a gay ASM, no legal rumblings just a Charge.org petition. Time is short, I think he and his son should transfer to another troop. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/06/gay-scout-leader-rejected-ky-parish/31200973/

Okay I see your points except for joining BSA. In his letter he asks Catholics to look at other youth groups Third, I list here for your consideration acceptable alternatives for our Catholic children and youth, should you wish to offer this in your parish and/or school. There are two very good alternatives to the Girl Scouts of America. They are: American Heritage Girls (americanheritagegirls.org), which has a National Catholic Committee; Little Flowers’ Girls Clubs (eccehomopress.com); and Federation of North American Explorers (fneexplorers.com). There are three alternatives to the Boy Scouts of America, which are acceptable. They are: Federation of North American Explorers (fneexplorers.com); Columbian Squires (kofc.org/un/en/squires); and Trail Life USA (traillifeusa.com), which has a National Catholic Committee in Front Royal, VA. I wonder how ND Catholic scouts will earn and be recognized for religious awards. Scout Sunday will be interesting particularly where the Bishop is celebrating Mass. Old Schiff would have that Mass packed with scouts.

Legal reasons? I have not seen that. Not doubting you, but in his public letters I read only concerns about moral issues and a misunderstanding about policy. "...and as expected, the Boy Scouts of America voted to admit openly gay adults into the organization to hold leadership positions. While there are indications that the BSA has a religious organization exception, which each local troop could invoke, that will provide no protection for any of our parishes and/or schools, which sponsor troops. Thus, effective immediately, the Catholic Church of the Diocese of Bismarck and each and every one of its parishes, schools and other institutions, is formally disaffiliated with and from the Boy Scouts of America. If your parish sponsors a troop, your priest has been asked to inform those persons associated with the BSA of this action and to inform the BSA itself of this decision. I regret my decision but, in conscience as the Chief Shepherd of the Diocese of Bismarck, I cannot permit our Catholic institutions to accept and participate directly or indirectly in any organization, which has policies and methods, which contradict the authoritative moral teachings of the Catholic Church." I bolded part of the second sentence above which I think is a misunderstanding of the policy. The troop does not invoke a membership policy, the CO and National do. So the parish or school sponsoring the unit still selects volunteers of their choice. Maybe his concern is with adult volunteers in troops outside of his control? http://bismarckdiocese.com/news/letter-from-bishop-decision-on-boy-scouts-of-america

Part of my question as I am RememberSchiif not RememberBaltimoreCathecism . I was thinking Schism? When the Church boots a group for moral reasons isn't there an implicit assumption that Catholics can no longer be members of that group under penalty of ...?

A question, if the Bishop truly believed that the BSA "has policies and methods, which contradict the authoritative moral teachings of the Catholic Church", would he not also start excommunicating Catholic BSA members in his diocese?

Yeah scandalous. In 2009, prior to Pope Francis, the Church went after that group of 55,000 US nuns. The Vatican investigated the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) for “a prevalence of certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.†Not speaking out strongly enough against gay marriage, abortion and women’s ordination. They also went after Network, another group of social-justice, do-gooder nuns and also the Catholic Health Organization which agreed with Obamacare's birth control policies. After a seven year investigation and a condemning Vatican report, a new pope arrived. Pope Francis shelved this nonsense and met directly with US nuns for about an hour. “We learned that what we hold in common is much greater than any of our differences.", Sister Sharon Holland, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. I hope similar wisdom and charity will prevail again. http://www.religionnews.com/2012/04/18/vatican-orders-crackdown-on-american-nuns/ http://www.religionnews.com/2015/04/16/vatican-ends-controversial-investigation-u-s-nuns-olive-branch/

Pope Francis has removed bishops. We will see if Bishop Kagan is reassigned in the coming year.

Well considered response to Bishop Kagan from a Catholic Scouter http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/throwing-out-boy-scouts-nd-bishop-hurts-not-protects-youth

Yes I have seen a few troops in these parts with this interesting problem. Parents are in the dark about balance. Annual fundraisers continue so scouts continue to "earn" their way as those before them. Troop Committee reluctant to spend on large expenses,say a HA trek or even an annual scholarship to Philmont, as parents would start asking where did the money come from. Council knows and stops by annually, outside of FOS, to "wet their beak" . Ugh.

Good point.

For the troops that do BIG trips, with all the advanced trip reservations, it is not uncommon for $5K, $10K or more in their accounts. And then there is the rainy day fund, camp/Philmont/NYLT scholarships, almost forgot SM retirement fund

Yes, but ...here's my take. Your unit “belongs†to your chartered organization, not to your local council. The unit only "belongs" to the CO for the life of the unit charter, here's another quote from that link. Remember, the chartered organization owns the unit, and all funds used by the unit remain the responsibility of the chartered organization as long as the charter issued by the BSA remains in place. So the CO drops the unit, the charter ends, from the above it seems the unit gear and bank account is held in trust by the CO or council until it can be transferred to another BSA program, but if the CO wants to take possession of the gear and bank account, it would have to do so before the charter ends? As Stosh said pea and shell game.

Seems to say that the CO or council hold the money and gear in trust until it can be used for BSA programs. No mention that the CO owns the unit gear or money. From the above link. What happens to the unit funds and equipment should the unit dissolve? In the event of the dissolution of a unit or the revocation or lapse of its charter, the unit committee shall apply unit funds and property to the payment of unit obligations and shall turn over the surplus, if any, to the local council. In the case of a chartered organization, any funds or equipment that may have been secured as property of the unit shall be held in trust by the chartered organization or the council, as may be agreed upon, pending reorganization of the unit or for the promotion of the program of the Boy Scouts of America

CP. Stosh, qwazse, mostly I am making a prediction about money problems ahead. In the past and on a smaller scale I have seen the problems caused by "scout accounts" when a scout leaves a unit. I have never heard a parent or scout agree that it was morally right for a unit to keep that money. Never. Thank the IRS for getting rid of scout accounts! If a diocese closes all their BSA units (180 scouts in one diocese) and seizes those unit accounts, I am predicting a huge headache. My $0.02

Yeah but consider scouts and their families who have been fundraising for Jambo/Philmont/summer camp, a "Sorry, the money really belongs to CO" might cause a small riot. I would hope that money is in a separate account.

Where there is uncertainty, maybe some BSA units should consider moving their assets?