PACAN

Lots of good discussion but here is the bottom line: They are going to implement this MB and evidently rank requirements. This will be Eagle Required reducing the number of non required badges for scouts. 50000 scouts will earn this before May 2021. A good number will be pencil whipped and completed in one hour. Not sure how this one fits the purpose of the merit badge program which is supposed to allow Scouts to examine subjects to determine if they would like to further pursue them as a career or vocation. Finally...no one who is on the panel who came up with these requirements (and we can only imagine what the rank requirements will be) care what any of us think as they are on their mission.

I'm looking forward to seeing the look in the 11 year old face when you ask "what do you think about intersectionality?" They answer...is that like a 4 way stop at an intersection? C'mon man admit it! Everyone one of us had to look that up to see what the heck the BSA was talking about.

This MB will be the least popular and last one to be earned for Eagle. Lots of rubber stamps for those who just need this prior to 1 May. It has repetitive requirements that could be halved and still get the points across. Should eliminate American Cultures MB. There is the obligatory "careers" requirement but where is the First Aid one like in every other MB? Wish there was a "research the BSA's history on DEIBI" and tell how the BSA has been in the forefront of these items since it's founding. Identify specific milestones. JMHO

Cynic....not suggesting organizations don't have fixed costs or staff should work for free. Companies need to review their fixed costs as well especially when they lose 35% of their customers. Downsize their footprint of office space for example. A solid business case analysis is certainly appropriate which should include all the resources properties, reserve requirements etc. you are not going back to the funding levels of even three years ago and if you try and spend your way out, there will be for sale or auction signs at your camps.

Comments on a few items scattered in a couple of topics: We need to see what comes of the bankruptcy for reorganization changes before much will happen. DEs - The job is not what most believe it is when they get into it. It's not an "Executive". It's really a behind the scenes working the administrivia (my new word) of the council and doing projects at the whim of their SE. They are given unrealistic goals to meet by their SE that not even the SE could meet and then axed. That's why they leave and/or are expendable labor. All DEs will vanish before any SE will get rid of their registrar. I do not believe they get any training (carebear 3895 can correct me) in how to manage and leverage a volunteer workforce and deal with individuals who have much more experience not only in scouting but in other pieces of business like budget execution. Thumping the desk gets them nowhere. Charter Partner: Not sure what the game is here but any unit that says they want a council to be their CO is nuts. If your council can't provide services now, what chance does an individual unit have. Will those that are not under the charter agreement of the council get less service. I think the franchise (territorial) model the BSA uses has failed as well. Units have no real ability to find the best value for their unit even if their unit borders a council that in their opinion provides better service and requires less travel to district or council meetings. FOS vs Activity fee: It always seems "we have to add" (like Congress) vs an honest analysis of the expense side. With the overall membership of every council down at least 25%, the income needed to support those youth should also be reduced appropriately. The activity fee is a tax. FOS is a voluntary donation where people see value to donate just like other non profits. The activity fee might be palatable if the activities were of quality. We have had many activities cancelled (pre-Covid) for lack of planning or just a crappy theme the units decided to do their own thing. The BSA blew it big time with the new scout $25 joining fee. Lions down I hear 70%. What risk analysis is done on potential losses when you tack any fee on a scout's parent? Don't go down the "we are a great value compared to x/y/z". and 69.00 must pay goes to national so don't blame us at the council. Those arguments are dated and no one buys it. The new regular Charter agreement requires participation in FOS and product sales. A user fee (camp sites, university of scouting, camporees, special events) seems more fair than a straight tax. All the above is just MHO.

If the council owns the unit, then they are the COR aren't they?

Do not hold the board until these drug implications are fully flushed out. If the board is held, you turn him down, council turns him down, national will award him.

@carebear3895 Why would this form be any different than any other item from national? 😅

When you go to print out the Charter Partner Agreement in Internet Recharter the new form comes up. I guess it is imminent

Wonder why something like this wasn't in the Churchill project? Also the old form used to require an annual sit down visit with the CO. Never happened of course so the solution is let's just take it off the form. For those councils who have already extorted a council fee does that count for "actively" support scouting?

Back to the OP...my 3 cents. One major crisis early in the BSA was to get all the many splinter groups to agree to come into one organization, One being the Rhode Island Boy Scouts which still exists today as a trustee organization. Another crisis faced (this will be requirement number one of the new DEI MB), was the pushback of the YMCA to allow Catholics, Jews, Indians and "Negroes" and other ethnic and racial boys into the program. In 1972 the BSA membership peaked at 6.5M youth. What to do about this? I know let's start the ISP. I was part of a 50 Eagle Scout group who went to Schiff to evaluate this new program. Everyone of us said it wouldn't work and we all know how that worked out. Membership has never recovered and could fall below 1M at the end of 2020. The 18 year old cap for Eagle was set in 1952 when they did a major overhaul of the MB program. The BSA allowed those men who had gone off to WWII before they could finish their requirements to do so. This requirement was essentially ignored until 1965 when the BSA added the Troop Warrant Officer and Eagle Project. Since adults could not hold a troop youth position, that basically shut the door on adults although there were still councils who defied that. The exception to 18 is for Youth with Disabilities for which there is no age limit. The 18 year old cap is also since the BSA requirements are essentially written for 11-14 year olds.

The presentation looks like an administrative overhead shuffle the deck with zero mention of cost savings to the scout. There is mention of how many councils are currently meeting or not meeting some of the metrics but the numbers on gender and youth of color is not.

@OLDRIFLE...I'm assuming you are the scout in question. I assume you have been a Life Scout for more than 6 months. I sat on an Eagle appeal board where the unit wanted the scout to do exactly what your SM wanted and we overturned the unit. Does your troop have written expectations for the active time? Was your POR completed already or is it also in dispute? Formally send your SM an email request for SM Conference and info the world. Ask to have a response in 7 days. If you get nothing, write up all your Eagle paperwork and submit it to council requesting an EBOR under disputed circumstances. GTA 8.0.3.2 based on your belief you have met all the BSA requirements. JMHO.

The no swimming required in "being deferred" for what could be years. Still 4 and 6 months from 1st to Life and at least 6 more months before a scout is even eligible to Eagle. Haven't seen or heard of a 6 month Life having their EBOR since the 11 year old in California. As said...a little effort can get all of these deferrals done on time.

https://ocscouts.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Scouts-BSA-COVID19-Updates-20200826.pdf This is evidently official. So you can make Life Scout without being able to demonstrate you can swim 25 FEET. No one is even has to try to program. It took us a 2 minute call to a pool to get our guys to do their rank and MB requirements and another creek float trip to do the boating ones. The camping one is silly...unless you are only virtually camping in your backyard you can get 2 of these done.

These types of stories are so cool. Post as many as you can find. I'll see if I can find the 1920s story about a troop who did a fundraiser collecting rats for their town.

Charlie Brown's injury was attributed to Covid-19.

I am stunned and in awe of the Churchill project. Do nothing hard. Punt on the major decisions. The three priority items are ones that should have already been done as a part of regular business practices.

Sorry about those folks affected but I'm not sure any of us should be surprised by this. By the numbers of lost just youth membership (of about 1/3) and at $60 pp that is around $30M+ in lost revenue paid directly to National. We have also seen large scale staff reductions at the council levels and a few mergers folks have listed on this forum.

My understanding is that the National Directors of Sea Scouts, Ventures and STEM were axed. So what does that tell us about the future of these programs?

@Eagle94-A1 Once you realize that you are not your council's customer, they are yours it will come clear to you.

Their web site shows they have 4 camps in the council. Don't know anything about any of them but the 35% reduction in youth takes the total youth to right at 2000. Hard to see how they can maintain that many properties.

@mashmaster What does the National Commodore think or know the true membership of the Sea Scouts is? Again...how many are post 18? Are the over 18 primary registration Ventures? What is the need or ramifications of the Sea Scouts not being attached to the BSA? Thanks for any info he is willing to provide.

The capping of Sea Scouts, Ventures, OA at 18 is an interesting discussion. Sea Scouts...there are less than 2000 in the program..any idea of the numbers of 18 and under youth. The old Air Scouts program is now really the Civil Air Patrol. The Sea Scouts could be the same under the USCG. Does being under the BSA banner really do anything for them? Ventures..there are less than 22000 in the program..same question. Use to be over 260000. OA...since once elected to the OA you are a member for as long as you keep your registration and dues current does it matter where the youth/adult cut off is. The senior regional leadership all wear Eagle Scout knots and all over 18. Just wondering out loud on a friday.