PACAN

Sash is going to $100. For Scouts who have to have all the MBs it will cost over $450 to buy them all Solution: Ebay sellers have fully completed sashes for $25. Doesn't matter which badges since the sash and uniform are not required items. 😁

Thanks PaleRider

Hi all..thanks for suffering through these hearings for the benefit of all of us. Because my head would likely explode searching for this, could the person who posted about the reorg going down to 80 councils please post it again or PM me. Thanks.

@mrjohns2 yes that would be great. I'm guessing there are a lot more closures and mergers out there than listed here. Thanks

Is there an astute member of the forum who is keeping track of camp closures/sales and mergers?

All the Scouts BSA Nova awards have a "earn one MB from the list" requirement in them.

@FireStone Haven't heard that rumor. Was it the Program was going away in that no more NOVA or Super NOVA awards? It could be the STEM Scouts program is what they are talking about. IMO, The STEM scout program was another attempt to grow membership by appealing to the non-outdoors types. These youth did not do a traditional program...basically live in the labs doing experiments. Not sure they were even allowed to earn the NOVA awards. I saw that their registration fee was around $200/yr. Of course the flip side to this is that there will be another Eagle required MB called STEM Citizen! 😂

@FormerCubmaster What I remember from my dealings with the LDS units was that all boys were LDS HQ paid for all registrations hence the large number of LDS youth in the BSA. The local Bishop would say that all are registered but not all actually participate. This was different in that all LDS youth were required to participate in their weekly church night. These units did not have any non-LDS youth but they were not precluded from joining the BSA program.

Jameson76: Nope Eagle Scout candidates will continue to use the current rank requirements until June 30, 2022, and will not be required to complete the new Citizenship in Society Merit Badge as long as they complete all of the current Eagle Rank requirements before July 1, 2022. They do not have to submit their final Eagle Scout application nor complete their Eagle Scout Board of Review prior to July 1, 2022, but must complete all current Eagle Scout requirements before then.

Just wondering...2 scouts that need to hurry on this? Cit in Society becomes Eagle required 1 July. Any scout who has completed all the Eagle Scout requirements by then does not need to earn CIS for Eagle rank. Tenure, MBs POR, Eagle project, SMC.

Again...it's just a MB. How do you make other MBs happen in your troop? Same process applies. MBs are most effective when a scout is enthusiastic about earning it and not force fed to check a block. Do you have lots of one-on-one counseling when a scout asks? Do you hold troop MB meetings and do MBs for all? This MB can be done in any of the ways you suggest. I would not be a fan of feeding or campfire or ZOOM because the scouts will get distracted. What works best for your scouts? Small groups of say 4 where the scouts discuss each requirement amongst themselves and reports out their discussion might be a way. Too large a group means that the chance of each one actually meeting the requirement is unlikely. Just MHO.

I'm seeing a lot of folks getting spun up over this MB...It's just a MB...follow the requirements and ensure each scout completes them just like any other MB. This "you must be a PHD specialist to be a counselor for this MB" is nonsense. Family Life has a "sensitive discussion" requirement to hold a family meeting and discuss 7 different topics, some which are likely uncomfortable to some families. A number of CIS requirements are questions I heard at EBORs. Answers are much more interesting than "what was your favorite MB". Remember N + C + W = S. A Good Citizen in the Nation and Community and World = A Good Citizen in Society. MB completed! 😉 This is why IMHO, this MB is unnecessary, particularly as an Eagle Requirement. But no one at the powers that be is interested in MHO.

Two comments: @Eagle 1993 80 Councils from 250 now. I'm sure a lot of SEs puckered. @Eagle 94-A1 "I am not so sure. Sounds local volunteers will be pushed aside. I see a lot of headaches with all the mergers" ...Did you mean like the the local volunteers are pushed aside like they are now?

Saw this on Facebook: Merger Announcement - Two northeast Mississippi councils, Pushmataha Area #691 (Columbus, MS) and Yocona Area #748 (Tupelo, MS), have voted to merge effective April 1st, 2022. For the rest of this year the new council will operate as Yocona - Pushmataha Council #748 and the two lodges, Watonala 169 and Chicksa 202, will continue to operate independently. This fall there will be a competition to propose and select a new council name and a new lodge name and totem. The new council serves the 22 counties of Northeast Mississippi and is headquartered in Tupelo, MS.

So Richard B czar of the G2SS, if the reason the rule is there is what you posted why not say that in the book?

The rule was likely put in for the reason Eagle 94-A1 states. Of course once again the BSA missed why troops were doing their own summer camps and camporees. Their events were unsatisfactory and uninteresting to the scouts and the usual "blame the units" defense for their failures and low attendance was used. Wonder if this applies to events other than camping? One unit here invites all troops who want to come to do their swim test for camp, others do MBs with other troops such as Cooking events.

I had a friend ask me about this. Her Girl Troop wanted to go on a campout with another Girl troop or possibly a 3rd one. She heard that she cannot do that because 2 or more troops constitutes a district/council event. She said that is one of the most insane things she has heard since starting her troop. I told her that I had heard that and it probably has to do with money but can anyone point me to the actual rule on this.

From the historic chart, 2002 was a banner year. 293k ventures and sea scouts cubs last year above 2M scouts. Last year above 1M

Unfortunately for wkobkr his letter likely went into a larger pile of like letters. The number of leaders that have left the program is huge.

The demise of Venturing has been going on for a long time. At one time there were over 200K members. At the end of 2020 there were 24K members. By April 2021 there were 14K. How many almost a year later...unsure. Explorers likely not much better.

Got it...this just looks like Congress passing an "emergency continuing resolution" for another 3 months. Let me know if there are any UMC scouts who want to come over to our troop.

@SiouxRanger and @MikeS72 Have not heard the National Catholic Committee on Scouting say anything about not rechartering. Of course some Diocese may have decided that on their own. Ours has not. Remember when the gay youth membership decision was made a few Bishops stopped troops in lieu of Trail Life. Also individual Pastors can decide not to recharter as well.

Can anyone from the UMC side of this explain why the Church and the BSA are essentially jerking around their scouts with this unnecessary extension of rechartering?

Thanks. I wonder if all CO that have a case currently under litigation have been contacted explaining their liability. If your CO has no cases, they will still drop scouts as lots of them have already done. The 40% loss of membership suggests that parents are tired. I cant find the post or even which topic it was in and maybe I read it wrong but it seemed to say there could be a fee levied on COs. Someone tongue in cheek said the national charter fee will go from $75 to $7500 in 2023.

@Skeptic....depends on who gets the bill. Still hearing that each CO will be presented a bill. Estimated 3000 UMC COs still standing so that's 10,000 each. I asked one of my Methodist church sponsored units friend whose units just went out of business. He was fairly sure not many UMC CO's would continue if presented with a fee like that. So hopefully the UMC has deep pockets. On the other side, it is good to see they feel the BSA still fits in their youth programs. Other COs will leave as well especially the smaller ones or "friends of" types if they get a bill. This mess continues! 😒