Cleveland Rocks

No, it's our council requiring that. I turn in the advancement reports to council since I'm closest to the council service center. There have been times that I have had the paperwork submission rejected when I turn it in at the counter because there was not an accompanying paper from the troop listing all the merit badges that we put on the advancement report, along with the name of the counselor (we only put "Summer Camp" if the Scout earned the badge at Summer Camp). It might even have the BSA Member ID on it, if we happen to know it. I've then had to go back at a later time when I've had all the paperwork with me. I'm not the Troop Advancement chair, but he's told me that there have been cases where the troop has been called later, after they've reviewed the paperwork and told that so-and-so wasn't on the list (I don't know what the consequence is). It's not an official form, just a list that we print in Word or Excel and submit at the time we submit the advancement report hard copies to council. We do Internet Advancement but of course still turn in the paper version to council when I go to pick up the awards. Our council won't let me pick up any awards without the advancement report, and they check the quantities. If I'm picking up six First Class badges, there'd better be six entries on the advancement report showing six Scouts earned First Class. Our council does a pretty thorough job with merit badge counselors, in my opinion. We get forms from them every year listing what badges we're counselors for, and whether we want to re-up for next year as counselors. We're allowed to be counselors for 15 badges, and only 6 can be Eagle-required. If you are a counselor for one of the badges that requires certification (climbing, rifle, shotgun, whitewater and scuba) you have to submit a copy of your current, up-to-date certification. Same for YPT--they won't accept your paperwork if your YPT isn't current. If you don't submit all the paperwork on time (i.e., you're lazy and forgot to turn it in before the deadline), you will have to start from scratch in order to re-up (fill out a new application and disclosure form). Our council also did away with separate lists for troop-only counselors. We can no longer say we will only work with just Scouts from our troop. They do say, though, that you have the option to decline a youth's request if you receive a call from a Scout outside your unit. They also update the counselor list four times a year. It's a password-protected document, and they change the password every year. They only give the password to the council advancement committee, Scoutmasters, Committee Chairs, and unit advancement chairs. Our registrar is very thorough.

If it were my council, they would return the advancement report to us because the MBC was not registered. We are required to turn the names of counselors for MBs earned when we turn in advancement reports for MBs. If they're not current, or they're not registered for the MB earned, they won't count it. You can certainly try backdating the blue card. Nothing wrong with that. You were a registered MBC at the time.

Time for the chartered organization to get hands-on. It's their money. They own the Pack. Your council won't get involved because this is between the Pack, your former Cubmaster, and the chartered organization. I agree with RememberSchiff--time to find a new Pack.

I agree with the facepalm. I'm an IT professional and I think the Cyber Chip is worthless. I really want to see how they plan on confirming that everyone has the Cyber Chip. For the older Scouts in my troop who are past Star and aren't required to have it for rank, they've just laughed at this whole thing, like, "yeah, okay, whatever." It's like those that say you can't light a fire until you've gotten the Firem'n Chit or can't use a knife until you've gotten the Totin' Chip. I did just look up our camp's program guide and it is indeed in there.

While I agree that there is no national rule saying that you can't wear open-toed footwear at camp (at least I couldn't find any documentation that says it's prohibited), I wanted to relate this story that happened a few years ago: I was on staff at our council's Cub Day Camp in charge of one of the stations. One of the days had the inspector show up to do his inspection of the camp for accreditation. We had told families (and it was on the paperwork that families got prior to camp starting) that sandals, and other types of open-toed shoes would not be permitted. While our camp did very well on the inspection, and we got the accreditation and flag to fly on the flagpole, we did get dinged on the report because he observed Scouts and parents who were wearing sandals and flip-flops, despite us telling them not to (and there wasn't any reason for them to be wearing those types of shoes--we did not have a pool or shower facilities). We did catch some people and sent them home during the week, but we obviously didn't catch everyone. Anyway, on the report it was noted about these people and the inspector wrote "National Camp Rule" next to the note. He didn't mark off any points (maybe because a national camp rule on this doesn't exist?) but that was noted as such on the report. That, at least for a few years, burned "No Open-Toed Shoes In Camp--That's a National Camp Rule!" into many people's minds.

Our council announced that in order for Scouts to have smartphones at Summer Camp this year they have to all have earned the Cyber Chip.

That goes against the Guide to Advancement. 9.0.1.7 References Contacted Completed reference responses of any kind are the property of the council and are confidential, and only review-board members and those officials with a specific need may see them. The responses are not to be viewed by or returned to the Scout. Doing so could discourage the submission of negative information. For the same reason, those providing references do not have the option of giving the reference directly to the Scout and shall not be given the option of waiving confidentiality. Once a review has been held, or an appeal process conducted, responses shall be returned to the council, where they will be destroyed after the Eagle Scout credentials are released or the appeal is concluded.

According to that same calendar, CAD, Multimedia and Advanced Computing were all removed from the list. CAD and Advanced Computing were removed in May of 2015, and Multi-media was removed in April of 2014. I did not see anywhere where they had been added back. In Bryan's blog post announcing Exploration MB in February, he mentions that it was the first new MB since Animation in May of 2015, and: "It also could be the last new merit badge for a little while. The BSA’s Merit Badge Maintenance Task Force has shifted its focus to improving requirements for existing merit badges."

The supply division offers made-to-measure uniform shirts and pants. Just fill out the form and submit it to the supply division. You can also turn it in at a national Scout Shop, too. You can have minor changes to an off-the-rack shirt or pants, or have major changes done if you need something built from scratch: http://www.scoutstuff.org/media/content/docs/pdfs/5767_MadeToMeasureForm_shirt.pdf http://www.scoutstuff.org/media/content/docs/pdfs/7419-104590_Revise_Made_To_Measure_Form_Edit.pdf I've had fellow Scouters use this service and they were happy with the results.

Here's the text of an announcement that was put into our council's monthly newsletter for April, that was posted online yesterday: Tour and Activity Plans no longer required by National office! As of April 1, the National Council, BSA has terminated the Tour and Activity Plan requirement. Units will no longer have to file any trip forms. This is intended to cut back on paperwork for unit leaders. The BSA has adopted a flexible risk assessment strategy for your use. This is summarized in the Guide to Safe Scouting, and detailed in the Enterprise Risk Management Guidebook. The BSA program includes several planning tools (Checklists, The Sweet 16 of BSA Safety, Flying Plan) that are designed not for “filing,†but to prompt discussions and conversations about risks. The program hasn’t changed. For example, permission from parents is still needed to take youth on a trip, as would be program requirements for annual health and medical records for all participants. No policy or procedure can replace the review and vigilance of trusted adults and leaders at the point of program execution.

Guide to Advancement, 9.0.2.12, Addressing Common Misconceptions 3. There is no requirement a project must have lasting value.

Blue cards are to be issued by the Scoutmaster when the Scout requests one from him/her. That should be the case for a MB college as well as an individual working on a MB. The only exception I've seen to that is at our summer camp, where the blue cards and records are kept/printed electronically. But prior to that, we would issue hundreds of blue cards for summer camp. Not sure what you mean by "supposed to be written on by the camp's MBC staff". The MB counselor at camp should definitely be filling out his/her portion of the blue card. If the unit is only getting a printout, I would insist that the camp/college issue blue cards. That's the official record, not a printout. The lifetime of the blue card is until the Scout has dropped or aged out of Scouting. The blue card is to be retained by the Scout as proof of completion. That's the official record, same as the handbook is the official record for rank advancement. GTA 7.0.0.2: "It is important to note the “blue card†is the nationally recognized merit badge record." When there's questions, always refer to the Guide to Advancement section 7.

How would council know that he didn't complete the requirements using the new version? Internet Advancement doesn't keep track of individual requirements met. It's now March, how would council (or National) know that in these first 3 months of 2017 he did or did not complete the new requirements for Second Class? I could maybe see if it was January 5, say, and this came up, but we're 12 weeks into 2017.

More councils listing it: Mount Baker Council: https://www.mountbakerbsa.org/blog/2017/03/14/tour-and-activity-plan-terminated/ Far East Council: http://www.fareastcouncil.org/Districts/council-news/tourandactivityplans-nolongerrequired Buckeye Council: http://www.buckeyecouncil.org/News/TourPermit Three Rivers Council: https://www.facebook.com/3riversbsa/posts/10154621427323768

Looks like other councils are making the announcement, too. This is from Verdugo Hills Council: http://vhcbsa.org/tour-and-activity-plan-termination-faqs/ The text is identical to the document above. Same for the Ore-Ida Council: http://oreidascouting.org/tour-and-activity-plan-terminated-faq-as-of-april-1-2017/

That 4 uniform requirement isn't coming from National. I'm on my council's contingent and we're only saying two uniforms, and even at that, we're not telling them they HAVE to have 2 uniforms. If they can get by with just one that's okay. The only times you are required to wear your uniform at Jamboree are: arrival day, stadium show, religious observances, and departure day. All other times are at the discretion of the Scoutmaster. And we're not requiring it any other time. We are telling our Scouts that if they're not wearing their uniform, they should be wearing some other Scouting shirt, either the ones we're providing as a council, or a Troop t-shirt, or something else that says Scouting on it. Our council is charging $1350, that's only $375 above what the national fee is. We reduced the price from $1650 and saw a bump in registrations. Our neighboring council is charging $1650 but they're also doing side trips to Williamsburg and Kings Dominion on the way there and Shanksville, PA on the way back (and none of those destinations are "on the way" for them!). We're just touring the WV state capitol on the way down, and that's not costing us anything extra, since it's free to tour the facility. Our fee is covering the bus trip down and back, one night's hotel, patches, t-shirts, the Jambo duffel (since it's not included with your registration this time) and I think two meals. Pretty bare bones, if you ask me. I guess there was some talk initially about doing a side trip to say, DC, as part of it, but one of the reasons for not doing it, aside from the cost, is that most kids in our area visit DC as 8th graders on class trips, anyway, so most of the kids in our group have either just done the DC trip or will be doing it soon. For most of them, it'd be a "been there, done that" sort of thing.

Our council limits counselors to 15 merit badges, only 6 of which can be Eagle required. They also eliminated the "Troop only" stipulation last year, although in the notice that went out announcing that fact, they simply said you can just decline to work with someone outside your Troop if asked. Like CNYScouter, our council has a form you fill out annually. The renewal letter we get every July lists all the badges we are registered for, and whether we want to make any changes. We have until August 15 to return the form. They ask for your qualifications, but to my knowledge, they'll take just about anything as far as qualifications go: vocation, special interest, "I just like the subject", etc. For Climbing, Rifle, Shotgun, Scuba and Whitewater, you must submit your up-to-date certifications in order to be counselors for those badges. Our Scoutmaster was just discussing MB counseling the other day, lamenting on the days when Scoutmasters were automatically counselors for all merit badges. I'd never heard that before, and my Scoutmaster growing up was never a counselor for every merit badge by default, so I'm not sure the veracity of that statement. Outside of Summer Camp, I don't think any of the Scouts in my Troop now have done any merit badges with counselors outside the "troop counselor" list.

There was a post by Mike Walton on one of the Scouting LinkedIn Groups last week saying that Tour Plans would be going away as of April 1, citing, among other things, a desire to process less paperwork and red tape, and the fact that many units never bothered to even fill out Tour Plans when they would travel. That post has since been removed. He did note that while the intent was to eliminate them as of April 1, it was still not a done deal and that the team involved in making the decision was still taking comments on the issue.

Exploration Merit Badge is super-new. I had heard it was supposed to be formally announced and released at the Jamboree in July (it's on the list of Merit Badges being offered there), so I'm surprised they already have pamphlets in stores. There hasn't been a formal announcement of it yet from the BSA. All that said, you won't be finding any counselors for it yet, since very few even know of its existence.

Our troop charges $95 for the first year dues for the first Scout and $75/year after that. For the second, third, more, scouts from the same family, it's $63/year. That covers: The $24 national dues Boys' Life (we do just one subscription per family; if they each want a copy, they pay the $12/year extra) Awards The extra money we charge first-year Scouts covers the Handbook, neckerchief and slide, Council Shoulder Patch, Patrol Emblem, World Crest, green tabs, and custom Troop numerals. If the Scout already has some of those patches they're bringing over with them from their Webelos uniform, we don't charge them less. We typically don't charge enough to cover all those expenses (we charge the $95, and it might cost us $100-115 depending on how many awards they earn in the year), so it's hoped that Scouts participate in the fundraising we do to cover. We charge $20 to Scouts and non-registered adults, and $15 to registered Scouters for campouts. Some campouts are more expensive than others, but we figure it all balances out in the end. The troop pays 100% of the registration fee ($200 at our council) for individuals going to NYLT. The troop will pay for gas money for adults, but only if the outing is quite a ways away (like, at least 2-3 hours away) Camporee and Klondike registration fees come out of the $20/15 charged for the campout, and the troop usually covers the difference on food, if there is a difference. The troop also kicks in some extras at things like Eagle Courts of Honor, such as, we buy the Scout a special CSP that our council sells that says "Eagle Scout", and we'll also buy an Eagle square knot for them if they've turned 18 (or will turn 18 soon) by the time they have their ECOH. Scouts pay for everything else you mentioned--summer camp fees, registrations, extra fees depending on where we're going, etc. With the fundraising we do, that covers camping gear, tents, cooking gear, camp stoves, propane, etc. We're also in the market to replace our troop trailer, so the troop has been saving some monies the last few years to pay for that. We don't keep all the fundraising money we earn, either--2/3 - 3/4 of the profits on fundraising is returned to the Scout for their merit fund to help them pay for activities that come up. There are probably some other incidentals that the troop will pay for over the course of the year that I'm not entirely privy to, just because I don't go to committee meetings where they're discussed. We do well enough with fundraising that it's not a big deal for us. Right now our treasury account is higher than usual, but that's because we're saving money for the new troop trailer. We typically do not carry a big balance on the account. We usually spend what we take in.

They told you that 2016 ribbons aren't available or 2017 ribbons won't be available? 2016 ribbons are available, and there's an order form you can submit to your council to order your patches, ribbons, etc. http://www.scouting.org/filestore/mission/pdf/513-192(16).pdf 2017 ribbons, patches, etc., wouldn't be available until at least the middle of 2017, since the awards are always for the previous year. But JTE ribbons are a unit award, not a den or patrol award, so wouldn't the ribbon go on the unit flag? Or are we talking about the National Den Award, which is a ribbon that would go on the Den flag or whatever totem a den uses.

That seems unlikely. There are already 2017 scorecards available, and Bryan had a blog post back in May discussing the 2017 program. http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2016/05/09/help-2017-journey-excellence-scorecards-will-even-better/ http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Awards/JourneyToExcellence.aspx

10% if you show your BSA membership card.

Bass Pro Shops, Dick's Sporting Goods and Gander Mountain each offer a 10% discount if you present a current BSA membership card. Cabela's offers 10% in store if you present your troop checkbook. Many other outdoors stores offer Scouts discounts. http://scoutingmagazine.org/2015/10/money-saving-tips-to-help-you-experience-scouting-to-the-fullest/

Beagle, Fleagle, Drooper and Snork!