Category Archives: Leaders

T.L. Storer

Cub Scouts, Leaders, Parents, Scouts BSA, Venturing
STORER3

T.L. Storer

4 Adams Pond Road
Barnstead, NH 03218
(617) 272-3507

Click here to rent tent sites.
Click here to rent cabins.

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March 11th -13th - Winter Preparedness

They say that March in the Lakes Region comes in like a lion and out like a lamb; can you tame the winter lion here at T.L. Storer Scout Reservation? Join us for a weekend of winter wilderness survival, shooting sports & some winter cooking.  What is winter cooking? We will have recipes that are geared toward fueling the body in the colder months and easy to cook outdoors.  And of course we will have time for fun and adventure on the pond and trails.

When it’s time to eat we will have some farm fresh foods from our local farms right here in Barnstead, NH.  When it’s time for bed you can choose from a heated cabin or put up a tent and get those camping frost points.

Any Questions Contact [email protected]

Register Here for Winter Preparedness

April 20th-22nd - Horsemanship Program

As one of the few Scout Camps to offer Horsemanship this is a great opportunity to learn to safely enjoy riding a horse. They find out about the care and anatomy of horses. They show that they can groom a horse and care for the saddle and bridle. Participants demonstrate their knowledge by riding a horse and using a variety of skills. When its nap time for the horses we will explore the remarkable complexity of a forest and identify many species of trees and plants and the roles they play in a forest’s life cycle. You will find that forests change. You will discover some of the resources forests provide to humans and come to understand that people have a very large part to play in sustaining the health of forests

When it’s time to eat we will have some farm fresh foods from our local farms right here in Barnstead, NH.  When it’s time for bed you can choose from a cabin or put up a tent and get those camping nights.

Any Questions Contact [email protected]

Register Here for Horsemanship Program

May 20th-22nd - Complete Angler Weekend 

Come join us for a weekend of learning and fishing in beautiful Adams Pond, this course will cover the following:

  • Fishing safely
  • Knot tying
  • Proper use of different types of equipment
  • Fly tying
  • Leave no trace and the outdoor code
  • Cleaning and cooking fish
  • Fish and Wildlife conservation
  • And so much more…

 When it’s time to eat we will have some farm fresh foods from our local farms right here in Barnstead, NH.  When it’s time for bed you can choose from a cabin or put up a tent and get those camping nights.

Any Questions Contact [email protected]

Register Here for Angler Weekend
TLS Winter patch
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Join Base Camp - Multiple Locations - Tons of Fun - Plenty of Perks

The Adventure Card provides access to thousands of outdoor activities, unlocks special member-only pricing, and provides early registration to events. With this membership, your family will have access to tons of adventures for all ages and skill levels, both in-person and online!

Purchase an Adventure Card Here

Eagle Scout

Eagle Scouts, Leaders, Parents

eagle

It is recommended that once a scout reaches Life Rank, they participate in a Life-to-Eagle Workshop. If one is not available, please reach out to your District Advancement Chair.

 

Eagle Scout Links

 

Once a Scout has completed the steps for Eagle Scout, they should reach out to the District Advancement Chair.

GE – Greg Paul
WW – Neil Thomas
FL – Joshua Kline
NL – Josh Huston
SOL – John Tumblin
GBH – Bob Wanamaker
BOF – Mark Svendsen

 

Any questions about the Eagle process can be directed to Jenny Trickett at [email protected].

Scouting Beyond the Coronavirus

Leaders, News, Parents

Blog submitted by Scout Executive, Chuck Eaton

We hope you and your circle of family and friends are doing well during this crisis.

Earlier this week, we shared our plans for providing summer programs to our scout families through a series of virtual meetings. Our plans will meet or exceed all the health and safety protocols and provide outdoor experiences that serve children this year. You can  view the Slide Show that we presented.

We deeply understand that children are only eight, eleven, or thirteen years old once in their life and each childhood year has unique development needs and opportunities. Children grow so much during each year. Their sense of right and wrong, their self-esteem and ability for self-reliance are uniquely developed during these childhood and adolescent years. Camp supports the development of these lifelong attributes. Losing a summer experience for adults is a disappointment, but for a child it could alter or inhibit the growth of their sense of self.

In addition to these concerns, family dynamics are also rapidly changing. Family members are experiencing unemployment, while another family member may have extreme work demands. Instant homeschooling and the pressures of cabin fever have been building for months. Camp provides relief to all those family pressures.

To meet these competing needs, and in trying to navigate the rapidly shifting and unstable forecasting, we realize the greatest attribute for Scouting and camp will be nimbleness and flexibility. The curve could flatten, and we’ll want to open camp; the curve could spike, and we’ll want to support stay at home measures. To generate the greatest flexibility, we’ve developed a “multi-modal and modular” structure. You can learn more about our thinking through a recent interview and podcast through WBZ, WZLX, WHDH and 101.7, IHeart radio stations and their New England Weekend Podcast. 

You can also see the elements of our Multi-Modal Programs and Modular Programs approach through NewEnglandBaseCamp.org

These solutions provide so much more support than simply answers to summer camp. The multi-modal and modular approach will provide value to Scouts and children well beyond the current crisis. The Spirit of Adventure Council is able to adapt and deliver quickly because of our innovative approach to supporting Scouting. In addition to our summer and fall plans, we are in discussions with several school districts and families so we can anticipate needs as students go back to school in September. Schools will clearly have to adapt to new social distancing standards which will impact bussing, cafeteria, classroom size and team sports. We believe this multi-modal and modular methodology will provide solutions to serve family’s child-care and educational needs.

The articles below address the potential changes to the education system based on Covid19. When reading articles like these or speaking with educators it becomes clear that Base Camp and Scouting is uniquely positioned to adapt and meet these needs.

“Neighbors may decide to form their own in-home learning co-ops, taking turns caring for and educating each other’s children while balancing their own work schedules..” (from the Forbes article, this sounds a lot like a Cub Scout den)

Comments from parents of children currently involved in Base Camp Online or our Home School programs:

“Thank you for taking your time to help Scouts like my son continue to be productive during this time! Have a great day!” – George Knox, Dad.

“Thank you for all that the Council is doing with remote learning opportunities.  You guys have done a great job of delivering meaningful content and providing for group interaction. And you started it early.” – Alex Earp

“You have been much needed support and consistency during a really stressful time for our family.” – Amanda Ciccolo, mom

He said, “I just can’t explain how fun it was.” That must be the greatest compliment for you as a teacher. For me as a parent, well, I am just so grateful. Thank you for making learning a magical experience for my sweet River. You are both so special to us.

“How Do You Scout?”- Unit & Family Alignment Survey

Leaders, Parents

Submitted by Chuck Eaton, Scout Executive

Here is a BRAND NEW tool to help make sure that your unit values are aligned with the values of your Scout families!

DOWNLOAD the Facilitator Instructions
DOWNLOAD the Survey

Why Alignment is Important
Scouting is families working together to help raise each other’s kids. When we look at Scouting like this, it reminds us that Scouting is a community function. Each unit is a reflection of its families and charter organization.
There are some things in Scouting which we require be done the same way:

  1. We must adhere to Scouting safety guidelines at all times to ensure that everyone feels physically, emotionally, and socially safe.
  2. We require all our members to do their best to adhere to Scout Oath & Law – to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

There are other areas of Scouting that provide units the chance to make it their own. Each parent brings their unique skills to the group, and the Scouts learn skills that range from music, to camping, robotics, first aid and everything in between. However, like all communities and families, sometimes discord evolves out of the peace and fun. We understand that people see the world differently and therefore they have different expectations for how Scouting fits into their family.  It is important that we know that there are lots of ways to do Scouting.  

We find families and parents work best and develop harmony when all the families are aligned.
To help our Scout families self-identify what’s important to the group assembled, we recommend each family fill out the quick but insightful family alignment tool. This tool which we call “How do you Scout?” calculates the program features and intensity of those features that are most important to the families in your unit. Then it provides a simple chart for each of the 8 areas of alignment to help the families know their starting point on each topic, as well as the intensity level.

The purpose is to inform and equip you with some ideas and language to have conversations to figure out what your family priorities are and whether the unit can run in a way that is respectful of your wishes. By identifying possible areas mis-alignment, the adults can make conscious and intentional decisions about those topics.

We suggest an annual family meeting of all the parents in a unit to go through the group results. This way, each year all the parents can reaffirm “How they want to Scout.” Our hope is that if we all do this, we will increase the chance that everyone can find the right group of people to Scout with.
In order to get the most out of this experience, there are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Our plan is to understand how your family wants to participate in Scouting and use that to determine fit with the unit.
  • People don’t always agree, but that’s okay.
  • We all have a voice in the unit.
  • We understand that everyone is doing what they think is right for their family.
  • We must trust each other to be genuine.

Happy Scouting!

Chuck Eaton
Scout Executive

How NeXus Camps Are Prepared for Girl Troops

Leaders, Parents, Venturing

Download this Guide 

NeXus Camps have accommodated co-ed and entirely female groups in the past with no significant issues. This is how we have developed procedures and prepared facilities to provide equal opportunity for all to enjoy our campgrounds.

Staff

  • All activities are appropriate for all campers. Regarding interaction with staff members, Youth Protection Guidelines are adhered to at all times. For example, there will never be any camper alone with an adult staff member. See YPT Guidelines and the Guide to Safe Scouting

 

  • Nurses at camp are medical professionals and are processed as BSA employees, whether they are male or female. The nurses station stocks feminine products.

 

  • With a female troop, at least one female leader is required to accompany the Scouts to camp. This female leader does not need to be present at all activities as long as the buddy system and Youth Protection rules are followed.

 

  • The Buddy System requires that a youth be paired with at least one other youth. Youth Protection Guidelines encourage self-selection and having the youths close in age.

 

  • Units and leaders are supported and empowered to increase the strictness of the buddy system or provide additional adults in their responsibility to ensure the safety of their Scouts.

 

Facilities

  • All campsite bathrooms (latrines) have enclosed walls and locking doors, even though the walls do not touch the ground. Camp-wide bathrooms have separate stations for males and females. Additionally, all around camp near to program areas, there are either latrines or flush-toilet facilities.

 

  • Shower facilities are fully enclosed and separate for male and females. If there is a large group of females in camp, then there will be a pre-set schedule to rotate the usage of the showerhouses as per Youth Protection Guidelines.

 

  • At the waterfront, there will be separate changing stations available.

 

Campsites

  • Only boy troops and girl troops that are chartered with the same organization, “linked troops,” are permitted to share a campsite. A shared campsite must be large enough to allow for a clear separation of youth housing sections.

 

  • All units must follow Youth Protection Training tenting policy, which states that youth campers must be of the same gender and close in age in order to tent together.

 

Council Representation at Eagle Courts of Honor

Leaders

 

As a committed Scouter, if you would like to represent Scouting and make a presentation to an Eagle Scout in your community, please let us know by filling out this simple form. We would provide some basic training and you’d receive updates regarding when and where there is an Eagle Scout Court of Honor.

Every community comes together when a Scout earns Eagle. It’s a very heart-warming experience to see the non-profit recipient of the Eagle Scout project, Scoutmasters, parents and families, teachers and other community leaders come together to congratulate an Eagle Scout on their achievement. Typically, the Scout receives commendations from civic and government officials, the Boy Scouts of America, and other notable Eagle Scouts.

The people in the room, and those who send commendations collectively create an authentic unique rite of passage. Essentially, the entire community gathers together to say “Today you are an adult, today we recognize you as a leader in our community. From this time forward, we will count on you to make our community better. We share this obligation as adults and community leaders and we welcome you as a proven leader.” Each speaker, and each individual congratulates the young adult, and provides their unique perspective of the “Eagle charge.”

The Spirit of Adventure council provides our unique perspective in the way of “paying it forward” through a scholarship in the Scout’s honor. The scholarship is for camp (often called a “campership”) for a younger Scout in need of assistance. Last year, we provided over $70,000 in scholarships, many in the name of our 300 Eagle Scouts.

Added Value to the Adventure Card

Cub Scouts, Leaders, Parents, Scouts BSA
Submitted by:  Mariama Sano, Spirit of Adventure Council’s Development Campaign Manager

By now – most Cub Scout packs, dens and families have started using their Adventure Cards for several purposes. Entrance to either Base Camp (Lone Tree or Milton), discounts for Winter Camp, STEM camp, Day Camp, cabin rentals or other programs and services offered through the council. Additionally, most of our Venturers and Boy Scouts are also starting to increase the usage of card through high adventure programs, training programs and summer camp. Also, we are seeing a dramatic increase in Scoutbook usage which stitches all the programs together creating an individualized learning experience for each Scout.

But that’s all old news – Now your Adventure Card is gaining a new set of benefits! Be sure to check out the website and Facebook for updates and discounts for family attractions all around Boston! Below read about the first few benefits that are included in with your Adventure Card.

 

Boston Duck Tours

Boston Duck Tours is a great way to start off a visit to Boston. You get a great overview of the city through many unique neighborhoods as you splash into the Charles River for a breathtaking view of the Boston and Cambridge skylines.

A Scout group will receive a special group rate for 10 or more guests (normally 20 or more guests) when you present the New England Adventure Card at their Museum of Science location. Scouts will also receive $2 off Kids tickets and $4 off Adult tickets for groups of less than 10 at the Museum of Science location with the Adventure Card!

 

Historic New England Properties

Historic New England Properties such as Historic New England Phillips House and Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm offer 2-for-1 admission (a 50% discount) to all Scouts and their families/chaperones with the Adventure Card! This is for general admission museum tours and does not include programs, events or private group tours. Please show your card at the Museum of Science ticket booth and mention the code C-Scouts.

 

Salem Trolley

Ride the Red Trolley – Salem Trolley – Salem’s Original Trolley! Scouts get a 20% Discount on a group private one hour narrated historical tour of Salem with their Adventure Card. Trolleys hold 30-38 passengers. Contact [email protected] or 978-744-5469.

 

Ecotarium

The EcoTarium in Worcester, MA is a family-friendly, indoor-outdoor museum of science and nature. Scouts can print this special coupon for $2 off. If a group of 10 or more visits the museum, admission would be $8 per person, instead of the $18 (adult) and $14 (child) rate. To get the group rate, call in advance: 508-929-2700

 

SCOUTbox

SCOUTbox is a monthly subscription box service built specifically for scouts, by scouts. Keep your scouts excited each month when they receive a box filled with awesome gear for camping and other outdoor adventures as well as educational materials to enhance scouting programs.

For those in the Spirit Adventure Council, if you use the code SPIRIT888 you’ll get $8.88 off your first box when purchasing a subscription. It can be used on any of the 3 lengths; monthly, 3-month, or 6-month. Check out SCOUTbox online.

 

Plimoth Plantation

With the Adventure Card, Plimoth Plantation has 15% admission discount for Scouting families, Packs and Troops that may be less than the traditional group minimum of 15 people with the opportunity to visit Plimoth Plantation, Plimoth Grist Mill and Mayflower II (scheduled to return early summer – 2019) on the day of their choice.  A tremendous value for Boy Scouts (13 – 17 years) that reflects a 50% discount.

2018 Season Schedule: March 17th through November 25th, 9 AM until 5 PM daily. There will be an exciting STEM patch program for the Plimoth Grist Mill that will be a complimentary question/scavenger activity sheet for use at the mill, with patches available for sale through the retail store.

 

Salem Witch Museum

Salem’s most visited museum is the perfect starting point for your visit to the historic city. Explore the story of the Salem Witch trials with your group (ten or more visitors receive group discounts).

Through the Adventure Card, museum-goers will receive $1.00 off adult and $.50 off of child tickets for up to a family of six when presenting their card. This offer excludes weekends in October or Halloween Day. See their website for more information.

 

Attitash

Attitash Mountain Resort & Wildcat Mountain invite Scouts and their families to join them for weekends on the snow and ski slopes at exclusive discounted rates. 

Special Pricings for Lift Ticket, Ski or Snowboard Rental Package, Learn to Ski or Snowboard and Groups 15+. Login with the Spirit of Adventure code to receive discounts, included in this flyer.

 

The Best Seats VIP

New England’s largest entertainment concierge – The Best Seats VIP offers customized entertainment experiences. Their VIP Hosts will work with you on any organizational outing for the scouts to take advantage of and provide unique, once-a-lifetime experiences.

All members within Spirit of Adventure can receive 10% off on all orders by using promo code SCOUT10 at checkout. For more information, contact Brandon Gilson at 781 201 0347, email: [email protected] or visit their website. Please mention your Scout affiliation when you contact them. This offer has no expiration date.

 

Wonder Dads

Dads of Boy Scouts  in the Spirit of Adventure Council can now get their first month free of WonderDads with this special URL for Scouts in our Council.

WonderDads is the largest membership-based association of Dads with kids ages 0-16, with over 50,000 members nationwide. Members get access to WonderDads This Weekend digital magazine, critically-acclaimed Dad resources, and their own online account where they can do everything from create an interactive Dad-Kids bucket list to plan a Dad-Kids trip. WonderDads entire mission is to help members be even better and “funner” Dads, and help them make the most of their kid’s childhood years.  Check it out and get your first month free!

Planning to Welcome Girls in Your Pack?

Cub Scouts, Leaders

A Discussion to Have With Your Chartering Organization and Fellow Parents

Submitted by the Council Key 3:

 

ACTION STEPS IF YOUR CUB PROGRAM WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME GIRLS:

If your parents and organization are already in agreement, you will be welcome to become one of our Council’s early adopters.

  1. Contact the Council (617-615-0004) and us know your pack would like to welcome girls
  2. Create a plan for Cub Scouts to complete rank requirements in a compressed timeline and send it to Jon Pleva
  3. Update your BeAScout Pin. Options will be “All Boy Pack” “All Girl Pack” “Family Pack”
    1. Chartering Organization Rep. must set this first and then the Pack Leadership
    2. The option to update the pin will be closed March 15th

         4. Starting January 15th, register a minimum of 4 girls, which must be done through Online Registration

If discussions lead you to believe your unit requires more time (later than March 15th) or won’t be able to deliver a program in a compressed timeline, your unit has the option of starting in mid-June.

ACTION STEPS IF YOUR CUB PROGRAM WOULD LIKE TO REMAIN ONLY AVAILABLE TO BOYS

If your Scouting community decides to remain a single gender Cub Program, simply update the BEaSCOUT information to state that your Pack is a “single gender – all boy pack.”

CHANGING YOUR Be A Scout PIN

The Be A Scout pins are ready to be updated for Family Scouting! Have your Charter Org Rep update, followed by your Cubmaster or other designated leader. (Your charter must be processed to accept online applications)
• Log on to my.scouting.org
• Click on the “Menu” button on left hand side
• Under your Cub Scout Pack, click on “Organization Manager”
• Under “Organization Manager” click on “Settings” at the top of the page
• On the settings page, scroll to the bottom
• At the bottom there is a section called “Family Scouting,” fill out this section and hit “commit”

 

This is a very exciting time to be a part of the Boy Scouts. As you might already know, the BSA will offer Cub Scouting to girls in 2018 and by 2019 all Scout programs will be open to girls, allowing them to earn the rank of Eagle.

Our character education program has been used successfully for over a century. A few years ago, Tufts University conducted a study to measure the effectiveness of Scouting with very strong and positive results, including Scouts being more likely to embrace positive social values and longevity and dedication in Scouting being correlated with higher character attributes.

It’s part of our continuing mission to unlock Scouting for all families who wish to use our curriculum to raise children of character.

EXPERIENCE SERVING THE WHOLE FAMILY

Scouting has had co-ed programs and co-ed camping for over 40 years. Exploring became co-ed in the ’60s and Venturing become co-ed in 2000. All our camp staff are co-ed and all our camps have experience dealing the nuances of co-ed Scouting.

In 2014 – 2015 we re-branded our camp in the Blue Hills, now called New England Base Camp, which is just 2 miles from Boston, as a camp open to the public. Our other camps are still primarily reserved for Scouts. The Base Camp is the embodiment of Boy Scout Handbook, yet because it’s open to the public, everyone plays and everyone learns. This means we have a LOT of experience with girls and boys sharing the same camping facility, programs and activities. Similarly on the national stage, the BSA has been adapting policies to help local councils better serve their communities by eliminating restrictions on members yet retain our core elements of the program. Scouting is very much still a private organization, and still supports the core concept that parents deliver the program.  

HOW THIS MIGHT AFFECT YOUR CUB PACK

Our focus moving forward is to enable any family that wants to utilize our curriculum, to join and work collaboratively with other families to deliver the program. Therefore, it’s imperative that each family joins a local Cub Scout Pack, Troop or Crew that best matches their family’s beliefs and values. That’s where our chartering organization relationship comes into the conversation. 100+ years ago much of our community values and goals were understood to be similar or identical. Today, our American society recognizes a much greater diversity of thought and beliefs. Scouting seeks to serve all families and respect each family’s unique identity while simultaneously supporting each chartering organization’s rights. We believe a growing community requires a respect for all people while we teach our children to adhere to the characteristics of the Scout oath and law.

This is undoubtedly a challenging road – but one we believe is critical for the future development of our young people. Therefore, the parents and chartering organization need to be in alignment regarding core issues, discussing and coming to agreement on questions like:

  • Will our Cub program (and eventually our Boy Scout program) accept girls?
  • Who will be the leaders in Pack, Troop or Crew?
  • How often will the boys and girls participate in Scouting together, and when will we provide single gender environments?
  • How do we discipline Scouts? How do we interpret (strict or lax) the advancement program? How do we handle special needs? How do we handle spiritual diversity?

Scouting provides the curriculum, resources and the safety boundaries for the families to use in their work to deliver the program. By developing a common ground understanding, chartering organizations and parents will be able to work better together. The advent of girls in the program simply heightens the need for these types of discussions which we recommend occur annually. Families will then be less apt to make assumptions about the program. Families who cannot align themselves with the group’s decision will still be welcome in Scouting, but it wouldn’t be in the child’s best interest to be in a group that doesn’t agree with their parent’s values. In that case, it will fall to the Scouting organization to help that family find the right parents and organization to work with to provide Scouting experience.

In many cases, the advent of girls in the program doesn’t require much conversation: the parents and chartering organizations are quickly in alignment. “We’d love to welcome girls!” or “We believe in the single gender environment and have a great program for girls in our community – so in our unit there will be no change.” Either position is OK with us! We simply need to know your collective decision.

A Unit Leader Webinar and additional program information will be available on January 8th for units still making their decision.

 

Read this for info about updating your BEaSCOUT pin

IF YOU NEED HELP WITH THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

Also, if you need help conducting the conversation with your parents or additional information, we’ll be happy to help. You can call 617-615-0004. But, please keep in mind, it’s a local community decision, we can’t make it for the organization or for the parents. All the information about serving the whole family can be found here.  Questions can also be directed to [email protected].

The conversation and the updated BeAScout information should happen as quickly as possible. Girls will be welcomed in Scouting as soon as January 15th 2018. However, your Scouting leadership does NOT have to rush the conversation.

Thanks so much for your time and consideration. Please contact us at any time with any questions and we’d be happy to speak with you about the future of Scouting.

What the Adventure Card Can Do For Your Unit

Cub Scouts, Leaders, Scouts BSA
Submitted by Jeff Reynolds, Scoutmaster Troop 58 Danvers

If you are like me, you wear many hats.  I work a lot, and that includes more travel than I care to admit to.  I have a wife and daughter whose idea of camping is a budget hotel, making full integration of Scouting for the family unit a challenge.  My son seems to enjoy Scouting as much as I did as a youth, but has way more going on outside Scouting than I ever did.  

I took on the job of being the Scoutmaster of Troop 58 this year, ensuring that I live that family time constraint about 25 times over.  And continue to serve on the Council Executive Board and as Treasurer.

An hour a week they said.  No stress they said.  Time is at a premium for everyone.

But it is worth it.  When you see a kid that says “I can’t” that suddenly “does”, whatever time you put in isn’t enough for the gratification of that moment.  

If you are reading this, you are invested in Scouting too, know all the good it does, and get jazzed up about it for similar reasons.  

But this writing is not about that. This article is about the Council Adventure Card. I wanted to share some overall perspective on the the genesis of the card, and how it can extend beyond Cub Scouting to give Scouters another tool to help craft a successful Troop program.

 

Why the Card?

Simply put, the return on time invested in Scouting is high, but time is short.  Through the merger process, one of the things that was loud and clear is that Cub Scout leaders want to do the work running a Den but often feel they lack the knowledge or resources (time included) to do it.

Enter the Adventure Card and Base Camp Concept.  

If for a reasonable fee a leader could line up a series of activities for the year that would enable you to guarantee a successful learning experience and requirement completion for Cub ranks…would you?

Base Camp gives Cub Leaders that opportunity. From Saturday program at the Milton Camp Sayre property, to Lone Tree Scout Reservations activities, to satellite programs throughout the council foot print at properties that are Scout friendly. This is the intent of Base Camp and the Adventure Card. The Council wants to better utilize resources to make the Scouting experience successful for all involved. Base Camp is the place, and the Adventure Card is the Ticket.

But is it just “a Cub thing”?  An objective view of the current landscape might suggest yes.  There certainly is more program designed for Cubs than Scouts.  But this is fluid.  

The Adventure Card is a camping program loyalty card for Scouts. The more your Troop takes advantage of what the Council offers, the Lower the cost of some great Scouting experiences.

A Boy Scout Troop embraces the Card

I had 5 Scouts this year that wanted to attend Brownsea.  I am all in.  Great program.  Brownsea changed my life in ways I can’t give justice in this space.  So “YES”, if my guys want to go, I am all in.

But the cost!  $475? It was quickly pointed out to me that Adventure Card holders get a 20% discount.  The math isn’t hard:  our Troop and our Scouts save $475 if they have the Adventure Card.  Huh?   That means with the same cash outlay for Brownsea, our Troop can also pay for about 16 Adventure cards.  Hummm.

What else could I do?  

  • Spring Shooting sports at Lone Tree.  .22, Black powder, and archery. And the shooting program was included with the card!  What is a full day of NRA instructor time worth?  What is the experience of casting lead ball shot for a black powder and actually shooting worth?  Priceless based on the feedback from the guys.
  • Use of canoes.  Perfect 2 night May trip.  $30 discount off the site and cabin for 2 nights (17 cards now paid for)
  • Summer camp:  20% discount if you use a Spirit of Adventure camp.  Have not in the last few years…should reevaluate.
  • 20% off rental fees at any council property for the next year.  Planned on Lone Tree twice this year.  
  • A weekend day this summer in Milton to show recent crossovers from Webelos what summer camp is like when they didn’t have the confidence to go this year. Great experience and HUGE retention tool…free (all Cubs get the Card with registration).  
  • Winter mountaineering program:  deeply discounted.  I will make these buggers LOSE MONEY on this card!  **insert maniacal laugh here**

As I thought about it, the financial incentive of buying in and swimming with the tide helped shape some of my program this year and next year.  And with staff and materials provided, my job is a heck of a lot easier.

The Reality

Putting my Treasurer hat on, I can tell you the Council does not want to lose money.  We need more membership, a strong retention rate, and have a massive sunk cost with our various camp properties.  

This is why the Base Camp concept and Adventure Card works.  

  1. We want to increase the utilization of our properties.  Check.
  2. We want some pre-canned program that helps our volunteers that are short on time or knowledge put on a great program.  Check.
  3. We want to see Cub and Boy Scouts have opportunities to advance in skill and rank.  Check.
  4. And (most important) we want to see that our youth are taking in all the outdoors have to offer from a learning perspective.  Check.

 

In Closing

From popcorn, to Friends of Scouting, to activities, to camp , to training, to advancement camps, we all support the mission of our Council and what it is intended to do to varied degrees.

Some of us have traditional Troop programs that are more self sufficient and successful, blessed with a leadership team that makes it so.  

Some of us have programs that need some help; full of the best of intentions but in need of guidance and structure to make Scouting thrive.  

Regardless, nobody wants to do work they do not have to do.  Plug and play is so much easier than programming.  I found that if I used the card for my Troop a couple times, the cost recovery was quick and I still have 6 months to go before it expires.

What can the Adventure Card do for you?  If you are a unit leader, you owe it to yourself to have a look to see…

Why is the New Member Coordinator so Important?

Cub Scouts, Leaders

Submitted by Paul Gendreau, Membership Campaign Manager

In addition to surveying our member families and leaders (voices of the Scouts), BSA also takes the pulse of non-member families. It seems that nationally lots of people leave Scouting before they even get their feet wet. This appears to be particularly evident with the current generation of parents, a generation that we need to improve on reaching. Millennials as a group tend to value inclusiveness and being included as well as having what they do for work and social activities be meaningful pursuits. A simple internet search points one to many sources of information on Millennials, who are now making up the group whose children are eligible to enter Scouting. Here is one link to a brief outline for those who’d like to see a handy synopsis on this generation

The position of New Member Coordinator (NMC) strives to have a non-uniformed person whose job it is to smile, welcome them, cut through Scouting jargon and help engage them with all that Scouting can do for their family as well as all they can do with their family. While Millennials are not big into hierarchy, they want to be part of a team of people who achieve some goal. Other aspects of this generation’s general outlook make it appear that Scouting should be particularly attractive as they espouse conventional values and views.

Lots of our units have parent orientation meetings to explain how Scouting works in their unit. The NMC position substitutes one on one relationship building for the traditional group orientation. Remember, Millennials as a group are the ones who’ve been protected/sheltered all their lives and have been brought up to believe that they are special. The NMC uses that view to the unit’s advantage by forming a special bond with new parents and the family as a whole. Where the role has been used, it appears to have the desired effects of increased parent engagement and eventually, greater ease in cultivating these parents to help with the unit as well as becoming registered as leaders or committee members, and with that comes improved youth retention. That’s the bottom line after all – keeping young people in Scouting long enough for it to work its magic.

This just in from National BSA:

We recently announced the New Member Coordinator position (NMC) that is available for every type of unit. New Member Coordinators guide new members and families through joining and engagement, share the benefits of Scouting and help coordinate recruitment. They are essential in relationship building and membership growth.

As an incentive for units recruiting New Member Coordinators, the first 2,500 registered New Member Coordinators that complete the online New Member Coordinator Welcome Course, will receive an email to choose a free New Member Coordinator hat or shirt.

There aren’t too many people registered in this position yet. As an example, we have yet to receive an application for a New Member Coordinator in our council. Jump in now to get your free hat or shirt! Note that a requirement is to take the welcome course. You get to it by logging in to my.scouting.org and then clicking on BSA Learn Center. If you have trouble with your browser, try either Chrome or Safari.

This week, I sent an email to Cub Scout and Boy Scout unit leaders and Committee Chairs asking if they had someone who was fulfilling this role, even if unofficially and how it was going if you did. If you did not reply and still wish to let us know how it is working out for you, you can email [email protected].