RememberSchiff Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 (edited) In another thread @@Cambridgeskip made this comment I suspect that there will be a big effort to capitalise on the world jamboree (which will give you some brilliant PR if 2007 is anything to go by), I'd expect to see some rebranding, changes to uniform* and as Ian suggested, a big push to change public attitudes. The results won't come over night, but they will eventually. *I hope I don't offend anyone but if I could make one suggestion to BSA to change its image. Lose the badge sash. Seriously. The uniform over all isn't bad, I particularly like the navy blue shirt for cubs, much better than ours, but the sash really does have to go. What other changes, besides membership being discussed in numerous other threads, may or should happen in the BSA before or here at the World Jamboree in 2019? Uniform? Celebrity front-persons for the BSA? Will there be beer at the Summit as there will be there next week for the Spartan event? Edited August 25, 2017 by RememberSchiff grammar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberSchiff Posted August 25, 2017 Author Share Posted August 25, 2017 There's another controversial change needed at World Jamboree to bring the BSA in step with the rest of WOSM and the world - metric. I noticed British badge requirements for swimming and hill walking, etc have distances stated in meters and kilometers. If we the BSA are going to change, we might as well go the distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 Shiff's favoritism toward anthro-centric multiples of 5 and 2 (as opposed to more harmonic multiples of 3 and 2) is duly noted. A swear jar should be adjacent to any public figure who address the audience. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwin Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 You have my vote for the metric system. Ford was right, Reagan was wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJCubScouter Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 I have no comment on celebrity front-persons or beer, but I sense no groundswell in favor of getting rid of merit badge sashes. And where would the Scouts wear their merit badges? I have seen photos of non-U.S. Scouts wearing rows and rows of MB's on their sleeves, but I think the sash looks better. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoPenn Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 I vote no on the metric conversion - let's be honest, the only people in the US that uses the metric in a regular, non-scientific, way are running race organizers because 5km sounds better than 3.10686 miles. Plus, 25 miles per gallon sounds a lot better than 6.6 miles per liter. I can't imagine why there would be an objection to the merit badge sash - it's really just used on "formal" occasions (Courts-of-Honor) and is a handy place to put Merit Badges where they won't get lost. They're perfect for letting Scouts practice their sewing skills. I wouldn't mind seeing a change to the uniform - something classic (no more epaulets - we aren't the French Gendarme), dump the cargo pockets on the shirt - and let's change the color from drab tan to something else - it looks like a cheap imitation of the National Park Service uniforms - just a lot less dynamic. It's just doesn't scream out "active". I like the darker green of the Maine Warden Service uniforms. Dump the convertible pants with the zip-off legs and cargo pockets. Cargo pants are so Old Navy 1990's, and the zip off legs are fine for activities in the outdoors but don't look good with the uniform shirts or at meetings and in parades. Frankly, blue jeans look sharper. Finally, it's way beyond time for the BSA to officially sanction an activity/Class B uniform - They could easily choose four or five standard polo-style shirt colors and develop a network of shirt providers that are licensed to use BSA imagery and can customize basic shirts to meet a unit's need (Troop numbers, community, etc.) - CINTAS is a well-respected national firm and their pricing is pretty reasonable. We've had celebrities front the BSA before - often in a bid to attract specific segments of society. It became ironic after the fact but at one time George Takei, aka Star Trek's Sulu, fronted a number of ads for the BSA - mostly targeted at attracting more Asians to the BSA (and before he publicly came out - thus the irony). Caspar the Friendly Ghost and Richie Rich were "celebrity" Scouts (Caspar a Cub Scout, Richie Rich a Boy Scout) at the height of their popularity (granted, they were comics but at the time Richie Rich sold more comics than Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man combined). I don't think most celebrities have the kind of staying power needed to be a fronts-person for the BSA. They're either going to be flash-in-the-pans (whatever happened to the last Spider-Man), will do something stupid that will now ensnare the BSA (see Trump), or be attractive to too narrow a group of people (one of the most popular television shows going right now is still Big Bang Theory - I don't know if any of the male stars were in Scouting but I could see how they might be able to promote STEM initiatives but not the outdoors). I'm wondering if the most impactful thing might not be any big change in programming or in uniforming, or advancement - but could be something much more "personal" Now granted, there are plenty of US BSA units that are struggling, but there are also plenty that are not. I've always felt that the BSA is, like America as a whole, a bit insular - we don't really pay attention to our brethren on the other side of our borders - how many Scouts really understand that we're hosting an International Jamboree? This might be the perfect time to build a "Brother Scout Unit" program - it could be as simple as a "pen pal" relationship with one or more Scouting units from another country to as in depth as an "adopt a unit" model where a blessed unit in the US might adopt a unit in a poorer country and send surplus equipment, etc. over to help them out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkwin Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 I have no comment on celebrity front-persons or beer, but I sense no groundswell in favor of getting rid of merit badge sashes. And where would the Scouts wear their merit badges? I have seen photos of non-U.S. Scouts wearing rows and rows of MB's on their sleeves, but I think the sash looks better. On the back of their shirt like girl scouts. *runs and hides* 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 .... And where would the Scouts wear their merit badges? I have seen photos of non-U.S. Scouts wearing rows and rows of MB's on their sleeves, but I think the sash looks better. Ohhh, I know! Instead of a sash ... a small flat screen that scrolls through all the scouts awards! Add touch capabilities ... so a lad can let the ladies can come up and ask to swipe left or right to scan the entire collection. Tap to bring up pictures of the scout doing activities related to the badge. (True story: when I wore my uni in high school. Girls would come up and ask what each patch was about. That was a better motivator than the free ice-cream on scout day.) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Turtle Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 'Skip, I gotta disagree on the Sash. It goes back pretty far and looks pretty good on the boys when they fill it up. I think the badges all over the sleeves, pockets, and what not of other WOSM uniforms to look equally silly. I think in the U.S. the most iconic things are smokey the bear hat, sash, and necker. Given the last few uniform 'innovations' I wish National would leave things alone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJCubScouter Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 On the back of their shirt like girl scouts. *runs and hides* Don't the Girl Scouts wear their badges on a vest? Of course, I may be a little out of date, both of my daughters quit the Girl Scouts more than 20 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJCubScouter Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 Ohhh, I know! Instead of a sash ... a small flat screen that scrolls through all the scouts awards! Add touch capabilities ... so a lad can let the ladies can come up and ask to swipe left or right to scan the entire collection. Tap to bring up pictures of the scout doing activities related to the badge. Meanwhile, back here on Earth... But who knows, in 10-15 years we could have exactly that. Along with the flying cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walk in the woods Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 I'd opt to break the overlap between programs. Make Boy Scouts the 11-14 year old program, focused exclusively on First Class Skills. Move Star/Life/Eagle and Merit Badges into the Venturing program. Let the 14 year olds that want to continue in scouting choose between Venturing and Sea Scouts. Everybody getting to Venturing would have mad FC skills, there's be a recognition program that Venturers might want to pursue, no more 13 year old Eagles, a chance to transition from Cubs to Venturing at a slightly slower pace, Venturing might be better positioned to work with a sister/brother troop to provide skills training (i.e. willing Venturers could hold positions like Trainer and Troop Guide?). Burn out of the "same old thing" in HS age scouts would be reduced. I'd move OA into Venturing as well. Although the Native American parts might need to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberSchiff Posted August 25, 2017 Author Share Posted August 25, 2017 (edited) Ohhh, I know! Instead of a sash ... a small flat screen that scrolls through all the scouts awards! Add touch capabilities ... so a lad can let the ladies can come up and ask to swipe left or right to scan the entire collection. Tap to bring up pictures of the scout doing activities related to the badge. (True story: when I wore my uni in high school. Girls would come up and ask what each patch was about. That was a better motivator than the free ice-cream on scout day.) Maybe a scout carries a RFID with all awards earned. Add a smartphone photo app which reads RFID. Point camera to scout and app superimposes uniform on scout with all earned awards. Virtual uniforms, what a concept. Edited August 25, 2017 by RememberSchiff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJCubScouter Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 Maybe a scout carries a RFID with all awards earned. Add a smartphone photo app which reads RFID. Point camera to scout and app superimposes uniform on scout with all earned awards. Virtual uniforms, what a concept. "Mr. RememberSchiff, I can't find my chip!" "It's probably with your handbook." 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleveland Rocks Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 Don't the Girl Scouts wear their badges on a vest? Of course, I may be a little out of date, both of my daughters quit the Girl Scouts more than 20 years ago. They have the choice (usually done at the troop level--the entire troop wears the same) of either a vest or a sash. In my daughter's area, most opt for the vest because there's more space to put more badges, particularly the activity/participation ones that go on the back. I'd just be happy to see Girl Scouts actually wearing their uniform. It astounds me how few Girl Scouts wear their uniform. Our troop participates in a flag-placement at the National Cemetery near us every Memorial Day. The Cub and Boy Scouts are all dressed in uniform quite nicely, and it amazes me how many Girl Scout troops come to the event and aren't even wearing their vest/sash. I think GSUSA made a mistake when they basically made their uniform be "wear your vest or sash over whatever else you're wearing at the time". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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