Each year, each and every part of the Boy Scouts of America must renew its charter, giving it authority to operate for another year. This applies to packs, troops, crews, districts, OA lodges, and even councils. The annual renewal process allows for an opportunity to review a unit’s performance over the previous year, review its membership and leadership, and re-commit to the ideals of Scouting so that we may serve the youth who have come to us seeking fun and adventure. Continue reading “Get ready to recharter”
Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops
Training boy leaders is the Scoutmaster’s most important job, and that process has now been revised and updated in BSA’s new publication Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops.
ILST, as it’s known in the acronym-crazy world of Scouting, succeeds Troop Leadership Training after only a few years in use, and improves on it in a number of ways. TLT, as you recall, took us away from the step-by-step training course that was provided to us in Junior Leader Training. Continue reading “Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops”
The knots, they are a-changin’
Cub Scout leaders and volunteers can expect to see some changes to their training awards and insignia beginning next year.
The national training team has received requests and suggestions for simplifying the large number of personal achievement, recognition, training and service awards, commonly called “square knots,” that are available for leaders to earn. Among the changes coming are a consolidation of the Cub Scout Leader training award knots. Continue reading “The knots, they are a-changin’”
Trained or trained?
A rather confusing clarification came forth from the national training team recently regarding just what constitutes being “trained.” It seems there are two slightly different definitions of the term, and they apply to slightly different things. Continue reading “Trained or trained?”
For aged-out Scouts, a new option
If your troop is like mine, you probably have had a few Scouts age out of youth membership and head off to college or military service. Most likely Life or Eagle Scouts, these young men still enjoy being active in the OA (where they are still youth members until they turn 21), and taking part in troop campouts, hikes, high adventure or other Scouting endeavors, but can no longer be a Scout in the Boy Scout program. Unless you had a Venturing crew closely associated with your troop, your only option to keep them active in your unit was for them to register as an assistant Scoutmaster. (They can’t register as a committee member until they turn 21.) Continue reading “For aged-out Scouts, a new option”