BSA Rules & Policy on ScoutmasterCG Archive

BSA Separate But Equal Plan for Girls

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

I did not start out as a believer in co-ed Scouting. For most of the last 35 years I’ve been a volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America the status quo worked fine for me, co-ed Scouting was a big unknown, and being unknown it was something to resist.

Three Things That Changed My Mind.

First – during a week-long international Scouting trip several years ago (and two more since) I watched co-ed Scouting at work.

Rules Create the Game of Scouting

Thu, 13 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Scouting’s policies and procedures, the rules that create the Game of Scouting, are not intended to check the ardor, interest or inventiveness of Scouts but to guide their efforts towards the aims of Scouting and to keep them safe A common problem arises when we misunderstand the place of a specific Scouting procedure or policy.

Sometimes they seem helplessly inefficient or circuitous so we attempt to fix them. But like the rules of a game define how the game is played the policies and procedures of Scouting define how we reach the aims Scouting.

BSA ends the ban on gay leaders

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

“For far too long, this issue has divided and distracted us. Now it’s time to unite behind our shared belief in the extraordinary power of Scouting to be a force for good.”

Robert Gates, BSA president. In a vote of the executive committee yesterday the BSA ends the ban on gay leaders. From a BSA press release – “On Monday, July 27, the National Executive Board ratified a resolution that removes the national restriction on openly gay adult leaders and employees. Of those present and voting, 79 percent voted in favor of the resolution. The resolution was recommended for ratification by the Executive Committee earlier this month. The resolution is effective immediately.” For some years the question of sexual orientation has opened a rift in our families, our communities, our nation, and the BSA. It’s not my intention to argue, we all must search our hearts and decide this issue for ourselves. It’s difficult to separate this issue from politics.

Scouts and Politics

Sat, 18 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The following statement comes from a Council website. It seemed a timely thing to pass along.

I found the picture above on the web. The name on the sign isn’t important, we all need to read, understand and practice this policy: Boy Scouts of America policy prohibits Scouts from participating in political activities.

Uniformed unit members and leaders may participate in flag ceremonies at political events and may lead the Pledge of Allegiance; however, they should retire after the ceremony and not remain on the speakers’ platform or in a conspicuous location where television viewers could construe their presence as an endorsement or symbol of support. In addition, photos of candidates or Scouts in uniform or BSA marks and logos are not allowed in political campaign materials of any kind.

Scout Rank Requirements and Policies

Mon, 13 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Our nationwide organization of some 2.8 million youth and 1.3 million adult participants is defined by written Scout rank requirements policies and procedures.

Individual understanding, subject to an individual point of view, can lead to some misinterpretations if we do not read requirements, policies and procedures with an open mind. As an example look at these Scout rank requirements: Scout Badge

Understand and agree to live by the Scout Oath or Promise, Scout Law , motto , and slogan , and the Outdoor Code .

Tenderfoot Rank

The Pace of Scout Advancement

Sat, 11 Oct 2014 00:00:00 +0000

A reader asks about the pace of Scout advancement: “Our troop seems to think we should hold off the scouts until they are older (ie end of Junior Year) to do their Eagle Projects and try to control the pace of advancement in the troop because they want the scouts to be more “mature” and stick around to lead the younger guys.

I see some value in this, however, if a scout is motivated and fulfills the requirements needed, shouldn’t he be allowed to advance at his own pace? It becomes discouraging rather than motivating. Is there a policy we can point to in addressing this concern?” The one specific policy that may help is ‘a Scout may earn any merit badge at any time’ – there are no age or rank restrictions. More importantly there is no policy that permits scout leaders to control how quickly a Scout advances. A duly constituted board of review may, on rare occasion, ask a Scout to work on some particular aspect of their advancement if it is found wanting, but I have never seen that happen in the past 26 years as Scoutmaster. Get yourself a copy of the Guide to Advancement 2011 and see that your Troop is conducting things ‘by the book’.

How to Save the BSA

Wed, 27 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

What follows is my three point plan for reversing the membership decline we have witnessed for the past ten years. This is written with the clear knowledge that it represents one point of view (your plan may differ) and is purely an exercise in seeking resolution to some difficult problems.

MEMBERSHIP STANDARDS Allow chartered organizations to determine the suitability of Adult Volunteers according to their organizational goals and reading of the Scout Oath and Law. The GSA has already got this figured out .

Scout Accounts

Sat, 18 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

If your Troop, Pack, or Crew assigns proceeds from fundraising to individual Scout accounts you may have been taken aback by this statement in the Fiscal Policies And Procedures For BSA Units FAQ I shared last week Can my unit credit amounts from fundraising to an individual toward their expenses? No. The IRS has stated that crediting fundraising amounts constitutes private benefit.

However, the unit could use the funds (all or a percentage) raised to reduce or eliminate dues and various registration fees, purchase uniforms and Scouting books, and purchase camping equipment. The unit could also use its funds to provide assistance to individual Scouts in cases of financial hardship.

How to Wear the Scout Neckerchief

Sun, 29 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

This is all the official verbiage you will find about how to wear the Scout neckerchief - anything else you have heard is urban legend. From the BSA Insignia Guide : The Neckerchief Boy Scout neckerchiefs are optional. The troop decides by vote, and all members abide by the decision. If the neckerchief is not worn, then the shirt is worn with open collar. Boy Scout and Boy Scout leader neckerchiefs may be worn in a variety of plain colors and contrasting borders.

Three 'Secret Weapons' Every Scouter Should Have

Wed, 18 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Every Scouter has been there. You’ve been there, and so have I. Your fellow Scouter, a parent, or Scout has a question. You think you know the answer.

After telling them what you think there’s a little shadow of doubt in your mind;”did I get that right?”. That shadow grows, and you go looking for some resource that backs you up. You try the Scoutmaster Handbook, you look over your training notes (you do have training notes, don’t you?), but there’s no answer. A Google search later you’ve turned up three dozen forum posts, a website from 1997, two Troop Policy Manuals, and maybe even someone like me. One source says this, one source says that, and you are still not sure if you have it right or not.

BSA Membership Policy Resources

Sat, 10 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Let the Scoutmaster remember that in addition to his duty to his boys he has a duty also to the Movement as a whole.

Scoutmasters must necessarily be above petty personal feeling, and must be large-minded enough to subject their own personal views to the higher policy of the whole. … it is only by looking to the higher aims of the Movement, or to the effects of measures ten years hence that one can see details of to-day in their proper proportion.

BSA Membership Standards Review Information

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

After reviewing this BSA Membership Standards Review Information on Thursday, May 23, approximately 1400 voting members representing 265 local councils will vote on a resolution that, in short, removes the stipulation that boys can be excluded from membership in the BSA based on sexual orientation alone. The BSA has prepared a Voting Member Information Packet (PDF file) that describes the voting process and includes the findings of the membership standards review. In addition National President Wayne Perry, National Executive Committee Member Nathan Rosenberg, and Chief Scout Executive Wayne Brock hosted an in-depth discussion of the BSA’s Membership Standards Resolution on April 29, 2013. As we are all aware this membership standards review is a historic effort on the part the BSA and the thousands of volunteer hours and staff time that went into the process deserve our thanks. It’s a long presentation, but worth your time.

BSA Membership Policy Decision Slated for May.

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Several people have raised the same concerns and I am doing my best to address them.

I do not think expressing them makes you a bigot or narrow minded, and I think they can be answered with a little thought and consideration. .. most teenage boys and girls are filled with raging hormones.

There is a reason that male and female Venture Scouts may not tent together.

I think that the concern over sexual activity is one reason for them not sharing a tent, but there are also issues of modesty and privacy involved.

Eagle Project Guidelines - Avoid the Maze!

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Eagle Scout Projects are actually very simple; any Scout can complete a project without a lot of fuss if he avoids the maze.

There is a whole lot of opaque, misdirected and downright wrong advice out there. Much of it may come from district or council level Advancement Chairpersons.

Despite their best intentions these folks have erected a maze of confusing, contradicting directions that can leave Scouts and Scouters feeling frustrated. One major way to avoid the maze is to ignore (that’s right ignore) anything but what is said in two documents – The Eagle Project Workbook and the Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures book. For some reason many Councils and Districts have issued an annotated version of the Eagle Project Workbook with oft times misguided information. In effect they have added (hardly ever subtracted) to the simple verbiage that describes an Eagle Project. A clean,current copy of the manual is always available at the National Eagle Scout Association website . If it is not in this manual it is not National Policy – enough said. The 2008 printing of the Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures book is available here as a PDF document.

What is ACTIVE all about

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

An excellent treatise on the largely misunderstood ‘serve actively’ requirements at Ask Andy : In the advancement arena, one of the BSA’s most practical, intelligent, realistic, compassionate, and youth-sensitive decisions was to not attach percentages, numerics, or any other sorts of rubrics to the term “active.”

Instead, the underlying principle of “active” is simply “Do Your Best.” In the same arena, one of the biggest mistakes a troop can make is to attempt to make up their own “rules” for this, and, further, to fail to understand that “active” extends well beyond mere troop and/or patrol meetings and outings. You’ll see why in just a few moments… Read the entire post below.

Uniforms

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The word uniform is both an adjective and a noun; the noun being what we wear and the adjective the reason it is worn.

According to BSA literature: The uniform makes the Boy Scout troop visible as a force for good and creates a positive youth image in the community. Boy Scouting is an action program, and wearing the uniform is an action that shows each Boy Scout’s commitment to the aims and purposes of Scouting. The uniform gives the Boy Scout identity in a world brotherhood of youth who believe in the same ideals. The uniform is practical attire for Boy Scout activities and provides a way for Boy Scouts to wear the badges that show what they have accomplished.

Avoiding Eagle Scout Problems - Part 4 -The Eagle Project

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Open the Eagle Scout Project Workbook (opens PDF file) and you will find about 2 1/2 half pages of instructions about conducting the project written in less than 1000 words (966 to be exact).

Google the words “Eagle Scout Project” and you’ll get about 1.4 million references.

Avoid Eagle Scout problems by reading only the 966 words in the workbook. If you think this is adequate advice stop reading now and move on.

Why don't you just quit?

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

I have been accused of being unfaithful to the BSA because I disagree with its discriminatory practices. I have been told that I should leave the movement, that I don’t belong, that I am a traitor.

In totalitarian states like Iraq under Saddam Hussein the first and last dedication was to the party in power. To survive one subverted all personal opinions, all beliefs and adopted those of the government. Dissent was cruelly punished.