RememberSchiff

My SM and ASM were no nonsense WW2 veterans. While not an official BSA policy, in my troop, if a scout could not achieve achieve the little asked in Tenderfoot requirements quickly, why are you there? This was common with other troops at the time, particularly those with waiting lists. This may seem unkind today, but my SM was not there to babysit, he was there to develop first class scouts. You didn't waste his time . I took a long time to earn First Class too. Somehow, I eventually passed Morse Code after failing, trying Semaphore and failing, and trying Morse code again and again. I was particularly unskilled at understanding messages. Meanwhile, my Great Lakes (he said it was a Scout camp ) trained father tapped away at 20 wpm. My $0.02

Update from Narragansett Council (MA): Alert: Oct. 28, 2019 - The Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut Depts of Public Heath have identified numerous communities in Southeastern New England as at serious risk for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). All overnight camping at Council properties will be cancelled until the first hard frost. Stay up to date for camp closings, program updates, and safety guidelines updated each Monday at NCBSA.org/EEE.

Interesting ideas. Back in the 60's, most troops required that scouts earn Tenderfoot as a prerequisite for their first campout. Not hard to do and the name made sense "Tenderfoots on their first campout , where they are working on Second Class " . The speed of earning Tenderfoot was also gauge of Scout Spirit and Patrol Method. If the fault of not earning Tenderfoot, in say 2-3 months, was the scout's, he was usually asked to leave. The Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class were , in part, a common sense skills progression of outdoor skills. Every scout started at the beginning and no scout wanted to be a Tenderfoot or Second Class for long, they wanted to be First Class scout. So did their SM and BP. Your experienced scout would advance quickly. IMHO, the whole "Scout" rank/non rank is unnecessary confusion for a non-existent problem. Every kid who joins is a scout. Skills mastery was demonstrated by doing and not assumed absorbed from x number of campouts/overnights. My $0.02,

Hiking through the religions of Rochester (MN) On Saturday, around 100 people... took part in the eighth Ten Commandments Hike hosted by Gamehaven Council and the Boy Scouts of America. The daylong, three-mile hike through Rochester’s faith communities aims to help the scouts and their adults develop an appreciation for diversity, said Pam Legried, a registrar with Boy Scouts of America Gamehaven Council. As part of the day, faith leaders or representatives from each congregation gave short presentations about one of the commandments at each of the faith locations. The 10 stops on the hike were Christ United Methodist Church, Zumbro Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian, Calvary Episcopal, Masjed Abubaker Mosque, Salvation Army Church, Holy Anargyroi Greek Church, B’nai Israel Synagogue, Church of Christ and the Rochester Mennonites. More at source: https://www.postbulletin.com/news/local/hiking-through-the-religions-of-rochester/article_ae4a6cca-f832-11e9-8c04-6fa977d66004.html

Why not just Google his name as I did. He may not be currently in that position but he was in the past. I am more interested in his comments as a long time scouter than who the messenger was.

Negative feedback on fees increase continues from members on Bryan on Scouting and the New York Post The once-storied organization sent out a notice to leaders that the registration fee will nearly double from $33 to $60 on Jan. 1, blaming the increase on the rising “cost of insurance.” “Everybody knows what this is really all about,” fumed Charles Greinsky, vice president of the Staten Island Council Boy Scouts of America, who has been involved in scouting since 1963. “This is about the pedophiles and the insurance we have to pay because of these pedophiles and the fact that the Scouts knew about many of them for years.” Greinsky called the hike “horrendous,” charging that the scandal-scarred Scouts have been “mismanaged at the national level” for years. “The Scouts have been fighting for survival. There’s been a dwindling membership. … I’m afraid that scouting is on the verge of extinction,” he said. Source: https://nypost.com/2019/10/26/boy-scouts-membership-fees-nearly-double-in-wake-of-sex-abuse-lawsuits/

YP, adult supervision , two-deep issues? Maybe if someone expands a tandem harness to allow a scout and two adult leaders to jump together?

IMHO, rather than repeating the same YP content year after year after year after year, why not build and expand our knowledge and skills in protecting youth. According to the Mental Health First Aid Organization, the course, titled "Youth Mental Health First Aid," is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. It introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a five-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and noncrisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders. “Everybody should be trained,” Carolyn Griess, assistant teaching professor in Penn State said. “Parents, friends, teachers, clergy, scout leaders, anyone who interacts with youth. Some schools train their janitors, their cafeteria workers.” https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/take-a-course/find-a-course/ https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/ https://news.psu.edu/story/594703/2019/10/24/academics/new-course-offers-tools-address-youth-mental-health-crises

Mike Lovitt is now officially a Boy Scout. Lovitt has been the owner of Chick-fil-A Bristow for the past 10 years and is retired Army Lt. Colonel, having served 30 years. Lovitt’s dream of becoming a Boy Scout manifested at a young age during the 1950s as a young boy in Hawaii. Lovitt, who is African American, didn’t have to worry about prejudice in Hawaii because many had a different nationality. It was only until his family moved to North Carolina where suddenly he couldn’t fulfill his dream of becoming a Boy Scout. When he wanted to join Boy Scouts, the leaders came to his home and told his father, who was a USMC Gunnery Sergeant, that he couldn’t join scouts because they didn’t allow African American boys. Despite his disappointment at a young age, Lovitt has supported the scouts by letting them hold fundraisers at his restaurant and helping out with scout functions. Recently, his disappointment ...(rest of story at source) https://potomaclocal.com/2019/10/25/40-years-ago-they-banned-him-because-of-his-skin-color-today-mike-lovitt-is-a-boy-scout/ Scout Salute!

Some of the local veterans groups that support Boy Scouts of America include AMVETS Post 57, Veterans of Foreign Wars Bruce Post 1146, the VFW Fraser-Reid Post 6691, VFW Post Menge 6756 and American Legion Post 261. They will be part of Operation Crossover 1-3 p.m. Nov. 2 at Macomb Mall in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Court. “We will have a number of area organizations and scout packs and troops at the mall in order to convince kids to join or continue in scouting,” Kevin Lauro said. “There will be a number of area youth and parents in attendance as well as some raffle prizes.” “Many veterans organizations sponsor scout groups. The veterans are our adult leaders and scoutmasters, or they assist scout masters. They provide scouts with a meeting place and fundraising opportunities and teach different lessons to kids. “They have flag retirement ceremonies, the means to earn merit badges and Eagle scout rank. The scouts perform service projects and learn outdoors skills. What the veterans do runs the gamut. Some are quite involved. They do it to give back to the community,” Lauro said. AMVETS is a chartered partner with BSA and has a seat on the National BSA Community Relations Committee. The effort goes under the motto “today's children are tomorrow's leaders.” Lauro is a Unit Service Executive of the Sunrise District Boy Scouts of America, Great Lakes Field Service Council, Dauch Scout Center in Detroit. Source link: https://www.macombdaily.com/lifestyles/service-circuit-veterans-support-boy-scouts-as-part-of-operation/article_8bce3734-f680-11e9-ad5c-bf3897d358dd.html

In Northeast, Feb and Mar seem to be the months with the greatest need.

In the Oct 23, fees announcement I had expected more financial disclosure regarding impact of abuse, personal injury, and trademark litigation, instead we got that liability insurance is more expensive. IMHO, for a national non-profit which has been considering bankruptcy for over a year, which included last December hiring Sidley Austin, a Chicago-based law firm, to help with a possible Chapter 11 filing, the priorities would be 1. Survival 2. Maintain Control 3. Continue service delivery Two out of three? My $0.02

Maybe. IMHO, nearly all MBC's are already unit leaders/committee members or registered family members in which case they already paid for a background check. I have been unable to recruit anyone outside of scouting to become a MBC. Once they see the paperwork, they immediately are concerned with protecting their privacy. This concern will only worsen with the broader information sharing in the new (2018?) background check form. For my troop's adult leaders, the fee increase in less concerning than the background check form.

From Heart of New England Council (Central Mass): To ensure BSA has the resources to fulfill the promise of Scouting despite increasing operating costs, the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America has made the difficult but necessary decision to increase the annual membership fee effective January 1, 2020 to $60 for Cub Scouts, Scouts, and Venturers, $36 for adult members and $60 for unit charter fees. Every dollar of the national membership fee will go toward the cost of essential services, including liability insurance for those participating in approved Scouting activities, program resources, safety standards, youth protection and personal safety training, and services to councils nationwide to sustain Scouting. The National organization will also continue to develop and improve resources that support our volunteers and youth members such as online registration, Member Care and Scoutbook, which now includes the Den Leader experience to ensure the safe and consistent delivery of Cub Scouting; as well as improvements aimed at simplifying the annual renewal process. The fee increases above are paid directly to the BSA. Including the $12 local insurance fee, that Heart of New England Council announced earlier this year, the recharter fees for 2020 will be: $60 for each unit charter fee $72 for each youth participant in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing $48 for each youth participant in Exploring $48 for each adult leader (includes cost of background check and Scouting Magazine) The BSA will be sending out additional information through ScoutWire and Bryan on Scouting regarding their need for this increase. We realize that the timing of this increase is challenging for our units. Heart of New England Council’s board communicated our frustration regarding this process to the National Executive Committee. Our council will continue to provide need-based financial assistance that can help a family with financial barriers towards participation in Scouting. We will also provide a method for your unit to request up to 3% in additional popcorn commission for units who need assistance managing this change. Details will be available in November. from FAQ: Q: How will these fees be used? A: Every dollar of membership fees will go to cover the cost of essential services, including liability insurance for members participating in approved Scouting activities, background checks for adult leaders, program development and training resources, continuously updated youth protection and youth safety training, improved IT/digital experiences and services to our councils nationwide.

@5thGenTexan created a new topic with new fees.

Yes, as you observed, we re-schedule or re-locate activities due to lightning where the odds are even less.

Rochester,, MA (SE Mass): The Boy Scouts Haunted Hayride event, planned for Oct. 25 and 26, will be cancelled due to the Eastern equine encephalitis threat levels. In accordance with the Boy Scouts of America Council, camping or overnight events are still cancelled until at least three hard frosts with temperatures of 28 degrees or less have passed and the mosquitos which transmit EEE and their larvae are dead. https://sippican.theweektoday.com/article/boy-scouts’-haunted-hayride-cancelled-year/44480

Okay let's refrain from personal attacks. Hopefully, tomorrow Oct 23, we will have a better understanding of BSA priorities. Thanks. RS @desertrat77 @MattR @John-in-KC

Actually it does. In 2018, that sentence of sharing information suddenly appears : share this information with Company’s current or prospective clients, customers, others with a need to know, and/or their agents for business reasons (e.g., to place me in certain positions, work sites, etc.). The other major change is the CRA is not named! Most of what I am asking appeared in 2012, the last time I signed such an authorization. Use 2012 as template, replace Lexis Nexis and contact information with new agency name (not generic CRA placeholder) and its contact information. Yes, if the BSA changes agency again, a new authorization form is required as it has been in the past. If the right thing was done instead of only "all that is legally required", all volunteers not just those in CA, OK, MN, and NY would receive copies but I can sign a 2012-style authorization and contact the new specified agency if necessary. A provision should be added that if membership is revoked or application is denied that such an inquiry should be at no cost....I know not legally required , but the right thing to do. So the BSA wants my authorization to hire one or more unspecified CRA's to disclose whatever information these CRA 's obtain without my review to persons and groups unspecified until I leave the BSA. Not happening. The BSA overreached in this, perhaps to sell my private personal information which may or may not be correct, perhaps to reduce paperwork when they change CRA's.

Yes, National discloses their membership decision ( yes or "nope, not that guy.") to Council, my unit, and let me add CO, but not the information obtained from my personal background check.

Tweezers from my Swiss army knife works for me, that and staying on the trail.

Remove this sentence "Except as otherwise prohibited by applicable law, I consent to and authorize the Company to share this information with Company’s current or prospective clients, customers, others with a need to know, and/or their agents for business reasons (e.g., to place me in certain positions, work sites, etc.). " Legally, the BSA can perform only the specific personal background checks related to YP which I consent. If I do not consent , no check is done and I am no longer a member. But if I do consent, my information (CRA, etc.) is only to be shared with me. If others want that information, they can submit a request to me stating who they are and reason. All Council and my unit need to know is National's membership decision: approved or not. I understand the BSA may revoke or approve my membership based on the information in those background checks. Either way, the BSA needs to understand I want to fact check that information (same as OK, MN, and NY folk), after all I paid for this screening with my registration fee.

IMO , it could happen. Her REAL EBOR may raise concerns over this and the appeal process takes time. She may miss the first class of female eagles deadline.

Good , remove that clause. This would give the accused and his/her attorneys time to review the CRA, any other documents , and respond. Over the years, we have had a few good people rejected for reasons unknown and no appeal. If Council knew, they were not saying. Second point, understood. If I reject their conditions, I am free to serve elsewhere. Well at least there is no "do not disparage" clause , well not in writing anyway. Where would I be then?

Not sure of the legal options, but can the BSA 1. obtain a cease and desist order against the New York assembly member and others from holding fraudulent BOR's? 2. Revoke memberships of any scouts and scouters knowingly participating in fraudulent BOR's?