– Bryan On Scouting

Eagle Scouts regularly rise to elected or appointed offices at the local, state and federal level. Some don’t even bother waiting until they’re out of high school to do it. Last month, California’s governor appointed Eagle Scout Naomi Porter to serve as the 2022-23 student board member on the California State Board of Education. In this role,…

In 1971, Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Board made one of its most significant recommendations: That approval be given to establish a National Eagle Scout Association … That the primary purpose be to conserve and develop the manpower potential represented by approximately 30,000 young men who annually become Eagle Scouts plus the more than…

Wherever you go with your Scouts this summer, whatever you do, you already have one of the most powerful tools you need to spread the joy of Scouting: your smartphone. “People always ask me, ‘What’s the best camera?’ ” says professional BSA photographer Michael Roytek. “The best camera is the camera you have on you.”…

By some accounts, as much as 18 inches of rain fell on Philmont during a three-day period in June of 1965. Waters at Rayado Creek reached a height of more than 12 feet — 11 above normal. “What used to be a creek that a person could jump across began to be a raging torrent…

Fifteen years before the grand act of kindness that earned him the nickname the “Berlin Candy Bomber,” Gail Halvorsen was the beneficiary of another act of kindness closer to home. Only, he didn’t realize it until he saw his mother’s ragged shoes. The year was 1933, and Halvorsen was a 12-year-old Boy Scout in Rigby, Idaho.…

Norman Garges knows not every student earns exemplary grades or holds leadership roles in his or her school. So when employees with the office of development at his alma mater, the University of Illinois, approached him about financially supporting students, he wanted to help those who might not have excelled academically but shined in other…

It’s been a while since we’ve asked Scouters to share their unit’s trailer designs. It’s great to see Scouts and adult leaders’ creativity and how they advertise their unit and Scouting. We still receive submissions, including the two below, which were done thanks to local artists the troops recruited. Many units pay a company to…

The place: A job interview at a high-paying company. The time: The not-too-distant future. The interviewer leans back in her chair and begins reading through the applicant’s résumé. The applicant is in their 40s and has impressive work experience and relevant skills. The interviewer gets to the section marked “activities and other experience” and starts…