– Bryan On Scouting

Eagle Scout Michael Conner proudly displays the American flag outside his home in Colorado. Everything Michael Conner needed to know about flag etiquette he learned from his 1971 Boy Scout Handbook. “I still have that copy,” the Eagle Scout says.  Fifty years later, Conner is now a husband and father. And he still treats the…

When the Dentistry merit badge debuted in 1975, The New York Times covered the news with this clever headline: “A New Drill For Scouts: A Dentist’s.” “Time was when the tools of Scouting were a compass and an ax,” the Times article read. “In the new Boy Scouts, it could help to have a little…

Photo by W. Garth Dowling There are a lot of things in common with being a parent and being a Scout leader. Among them: the importance of understanding the perspectives of the younger generation. Jennifer L.W. Fink, author of The First-Time Mom’s Guide to Raising Boys (Rockridge Press, 2021), shares a story that demonstrates how parents and…

Post 1010 finished in first place at the 2021 UAS4STEM Search and Rescue Challenge, a drone event. Whether in the air or on the ground, the young people of Exploring Post 1010 know how to build impressive machines.  Their rockets, quadcopters and robots regularly qualify for — and even win — national competitions. So it’s no…

Photo courtesy of Mike Hogan (second from left) and Brad Orleck (second from right). After working together at Yawgoog Scout Reservation, Mike Hogan and Brad Orleck reunited to lead First Providence Troop, a 111-year-old unit that now serves a mix of working-class and immigrant families in Providence, R.I. Hogan has been Scoutmaster for 11 years;…

Andrew (left) and Matthew Schramkowski stand inside the completed community center. Andrew and his helpers installed the floors, and Matthew and his team did the walls. (All photos courtesy of Paul Schramkowski) When Scouts put their hearts and minds into getting something done, no distance is too great — not even 1,100 miles. For proof,…

Photo by Getty Images/Istockphoto (3) A Venturing crew Advisor was doing her job – working with the crew’s youth leaders to help ensure the success, safety and personal growth for all members — when she heard the Venturers mention something that caught her ear. It seems they had recently taken to a popular online gaming…

cmart7327/Getty Images For New York City firefighter Rick Gimbl, the simplest gestures had the most profound impact. On Sept. 11, 2001, Gimbl arrived at ground zero moments after the second tower collapsed. He was there for nearly four days straight, digging through the rubble in search of civilians and fellow firefighters.  During the dark moments…

Your kids can join Nort McKrakken and Chip Munson on their crazy, funny adventures in a new youth book series from Wattpad Books. If your kids are fans of the Captain Underpants series, then they should love author Richard Clark’s book, My Best Friend Is a Secret Agent: How Chip became C.H.I.P. and Foiled the Freaky…