rallybug

Growing up (in the UK), I was as a cub and then a scout - officially, the program was cub scouts, but the youth were known as cubs.

Our eldest does Code Ninjas (learning to write code in C#, Python, Java for things like Minecraft mods) - that costs $220 a month. Our youngest (just transitioned to a Bear) does karate three times a week, I think that was $3k for 2 years.

Very council-dependent, and age of scout etc. In comparison, for my scout who just crossed over: $86 registration (no dues), summer camp is $100 this year (troop covering the remainder through fundraising), other monthly local 1- or-2-night camps are $10 per night, his uniform was bought for Webelos with much room to grow into, so that will be a while. As a family, we've bought, for him, a tent, hike shoes, hike boots, wet weather gear, going to need a better sleeping pad than my 20-year old Therm-a-Rest 😄and we'll gradually upgrade stuff as we need to (for him and me..)

And that an extended full-size passenger van (Chevy Express, Ford E-Series) must be a 2005 or newer currently - although as both of those didn't have head restraints for the passengers, to my mind they don't make great transport vehicles anyway (Chevy and Ford didn't/don't care about passengers and whiplash...). The newer (well, maximum 10 years old now..) Transit, on the other hand, does have head restraints for every seat.

I would say that, here in the US today, a "man embracing the traditional 'provider' role" leads to many fathers who aren't present in their child's life - so many people have to work really long hours, whether that is actually working or with a 2-hour commute each way, that they barely see their kids, and they can't rock the boat because their health insurance is tied to keeping that job, or the mortgage/rent they have to pay is so high they can't move to a job with a better work/life balance ...

Not required, although some may like to (my son doesn't like the feel of the scout shirt on his torso, so wears an undershirt or a performance "activity uniform" shirt underneath). I wear a performance shirt underneath if camping in cooler weather, etc Reference top button, as the ASM in charge of Trail to First Class said, "You're not in church, so undo that button!" 😄

Less willingness, or less ability/time to do so? My wife and I are already having talks about how far down the Scouter rabbit hole do we go. I'm an ACM for the pack with our youngest (just got his Wolf), and an ASM for the Troop where out eldest just crossed over. My wife is the Wolf (now Bear) DL and Pack Treasurer. (Our CM is also an ASM, and our pack CC is also an ASM - the joys of kids split by age, and the CC, CM, and our sons are all in the same Den, so that could be "fun" for the pack in 3 years...). I did the NRA RSO training last weekend as my wife works with one of the Council rifle/shotgun instructors, and he mentioned that they are always short of RSOs, so I might be called in there on Saturdays or evenings. We have a Camporee this Saturday (pack is taking 41 in total - cubs, scouts, and adults - woohoo!), then I'm off with the eldest to a 2-night camp the following weekend. Yet to plan is the probably wilderness survival camp with the Troop for June, and we have summer camp in mid-July - one parent going with a Scout can put more pressure on the parent staying home with the other kid(s), especially during summer break and the parent is still working. Add in that both kids also have other extra-curriculars that we need to get them too, and time gets to be squeezed.

From what we were told at (boys) Troop committee meeting last night, it will be girl patrols within a combined troop - our troop decided not to join the pilot program at this time as a) the feeder pack is about 4 years away from crossing over any girls, and b) there is a girls troop and boys troop under the same number already at the next (contiguous) city to ours, so it would make sense for them to have the opportunity to try it, especially as they have just lost their meeting place.

Not charging $230 a year might go a long way to improving their demographics...

We’ve just gone through our Cub Scout closet and found this old pony bead container with a list of what colors are for what. I’m guessing mid to late 80s as Tiger Cubs are mentioned, but as it is a typed sheet (rather than printed), I’m guessing not into the 90s - any ideas?

Duplicate post

This part I hate - the DE's job shouldn't be number of units, it should be number of Scouts! A few well-run units is much better for the youth than a multitude of badly-run/tiny/dying units. It's better to keep the Scouts than lose everything, surely!

Costs beyond uniform purchasing cost are very council- and unit-dependent. Crossroads of the West fees for adult leaders starting May 1st 2024 will be $71 ($65 + $6 for council - the Pack and Troop that I am involved in pay those fees for adults) and $91 for youth (Explorers will be $56). Neither the Pack or Troop charge unit dues - Pack and Troop both provide an activity shirt, Troop provides the unit number patch at crossover or registration, $15 for a Troop necker. Summer camp for our Troop will be $100 per Scout - the rest of the cost is covered by the Troop. Pack is covering day camps for both non-Webelos and Webelos, Spring Camporee is $7 or $11 depending on age, Family Camp in August is normally free (if I remember correctly), the last couple of years the Webelos overnight camp has also been covered by the pack for food (the place they've gone offers the site for free as along as the Scouts do a trash pickup service project).

Fine and dandy seeing the blog post about it, but then not following up with any more information a month later is annoying, but I suppose par for the course...

I mean, that comment about "liberals" (that has now been deleted...) shows some discourtesy right there.

I'm guessing that things will change as current youth members age into Scouters if they stay involved in Scouting, but probably nowhere near as quickly as other people may want. Every time a scout goes to a World Jamboree, they see plenty of people their age in co-ed contingents, and will have for years, with how long UK, Australia, New Zealand, etc have been co-ed in all scouting levels. At some point, I would guess, Scouts BSA will change AoL from single gender dens to co-ed, in preparation for Troops going co-ed with them as they cross over the next year. "Can't have girls going into the same AoL den with the boy peers that they have spent the previous 5 years in the same den with".... 🙄 What a CO does at unit level is up to the CO with regards to boys and girls troops, but National should be standing behind their stance that Scouts BSA as a whole is not discriminatory and, at the very least, should be responding to posts on social media that violate Scout Law - a Scout is Kind, a Scout is Considerate, a Scout is Friendly - even if what is said doesn't fall foul of YPT or state/federal laws etc.

Admittedly, the online Den Resources Guide looks good, but I did have to chuckle at the "no printed book because that is a cost to bear to deliver the program and we're trying to remove these barriers", and yet, if your pack requires the full uniform for each Cub: Lion $74 (tshirt, cap, belt, neckerchief, slide) Tiger $130+ (field uniform, socks, council patch, pack numbers, world scouting movement patch, cap, neckerchief, slide - extra if you want standalone shorts, new Cub needs belt etc, slightly less for girls as the girls roll-up pants or skort are cheaper than the switchback pants) Wolf $44 (cap, neckerchief, slide) + field uniform if required Bear $44 (cap, neckerchief, slide) + field uniform if required Webelos $54 (cap, neckerchief, slide, adventure colors) + field uniform if required Arrow of Light $138 (field uniform, belt, shoulder loops, non-Webelos slide - $171 if green shorts also wanted) assuming Webelos hat, neckerchief, colors, and shirt patches can be carried over from blue field uniform) So, if your cub needs the entire uniform for all 6 years, you're looking at a minimum of nearly $500 in outfitting costs, plus extra for when they grow out of the field uniform shirt and pants along the way... Plus new handbooks every year. A scout is thrifty 🤪

As an ACM (and just this month an ASM, too - crossover...) I obviously don't see much of any conversations between the CM/SM and higher ups, but we do see our UC pretty regularly, and our DE is involved - came to the Troop's Spaghetti Dinner, came to the Pack's B&G, responds pretty quickly to emails, and she is friendly and personable. The districts seem to be struggling a little with taking over BALOO/IOLS/things like that from Council-controlled, but they are being communicative about it, which is great. Just be nice if the Council could be more up-to-date with information on their website etc. Of course, the DE for the next district over could be the complete opposite...

Thanks for this, @RememberSchiffinteresting to watch, and hopefully there will be some more guidance coming out soon for this. Sent a link to my CM to watch, too.

Yup, adult leadership in an LDS unit was a "calling" for an adult member of that ward of the church, normally for a year minimum, I think. I know someone who was "called" to be the Webelos DL for a year.

I wonder if they've talked to the other countries within WoSM that have been co-ed for years/decades (1988 for Cubs and Scouts in Australia, 1992 for Cubs and Scouts in UK, 1989 for New Zealand, etc) for their input?

I saw this photo on Twitter that appears to have come from the WoSM originally, and it looks like the Scouter on the right has a different BSA hat on than I've seen before. It looks to be somewhat similar to the '97 National Jamboree "bush hat" but with an embroidered BSA log and Boy Scouts of America, rather than just a logo. My Google-fu is lacking - any ideas?

We have a similar/different balance to go through in our family. Me = Assistant Cubmaster and now an ASM/Trail to First Class role Wife = Wolf DL and Treasurer Eldest son = just crossed over to Troop Youngest son = current Wolf We have to balance taking the boys on two different nights, I've had to do extra training online for ASM which hasn't been an issue (slow work day = online training complete 😄), I need to do IOLS which has just been canceled for May in our Council (enext one is October - brrrr), wife wants to do BALOO but all but one of those has been canceled and not sure if she can go to the last remaining one yet. I'm doing RSO training coming up, I will be going on the Troop camps, we'll be going on the family camp... I can foresee that when our youngest crosses over in three years time, my wife will change registration to the Troop and probably take up a committee role there. Add in the other activities (homework, karate for one kid, coding for another, plus family gatherings etc) along with both of us working, we have to do a lot of balancing.

And, to bring this one up to date, the parent now needs to be a Registered Adult to camp with the Troop, correct?

Crossroads of the West (uses same EIN as Great Salt Lake Council did) shows only one paid position for 2020, the SE, at $123,107 for reportable compensation from the organization, plus $71,592 in other compensation from the orgnaization and related organizations, so $194,699 in total.