– Bryan On Scouting

Main image: An artist’s rendering of the Perseverance rover on Mars. Inset: Alex and his dad, David, at a January 2020 court of honor. Here’s the plan: Alexander Mather will get a NASA internship, graduate with an engineering degree and then land a job at NASA. After a few promotions at NASA, he’ll apply to…

So, you’re spending a little more time around the house than normal, but many of you are continuing your Scouting adventures, including making great progress on your merit badge work. Bryan pulled together a list of merit badges that can be worked on from home or your backyard, and, while it might not be possible to pop…

Social distancing may keep you from physically canyoneering at Zion National Park or traversing unseasonably cold streams at Yosemite. But you and your kids can still take on rugged explorations you never imagined! Every weekday at 2 p.m. Central, Boys’ Life editors are jumping on Facebook Live to share treks, jokes and mind-bending facts that will…

This is Unsung Heroes, a Bryan on Scouting blog series celebrating under-reported acts of Scouting heroism. These are stories that don’t make national headlines — but should. That’s doubly true in this world that can always use more good news. Read the latest story below, and find instructions for sharing your own Unsung Heroes story at the…

The JOTI virtual campsite shows some of the activities Scouts can enjoy from April 3–5, 2020. Self-isolation can feel pretty lonely. But this weekend will bring a welcome reminder that as Scouts, we’re never truly alone. From April 3–5, join a special edition of Jamboree on the Internet, a digital event designed to help Scouts…

Most of you are carrying out your Scouting adventures and fun Scouting activities at home — with help from the resources on the BSA Scouting at Home site. While we know it may be a little while before you’re able to go back to sitting around a campfire with your troop, pack, crew, or ship,…

Leadership, service and the ability to respond quickly to complex situations. Those traits, which young people sharpen in Scouting, stay with you for life. For the latest high-profile example, look to the USNS Mercy, the Navy hospital ship stationed in Los Angeles to help the COVID-19 fight. Capt. John Rotruck, who commands the ship’s 800 Navy…

In the first World War, Scouts helped collect black walnut wood needed to make airplane propellers. In World War II, they scoured attics, basements and garages for “rubber, small iron and steel scrap, light metals and other materials needed for the war effort,” according to the July 1942 issue of Scouting magazine. And now, in…

Scouts BSA Troop 223 now has more than 50 members. Mike Lanning says the secret to recruiting Scouts boils down to three simple words: invite, invite, invite. What if every Scouting family invited one other family to join their Scouting adventure? Even if just a quarter of those invited families joined, we’d have half a…

James Dus, a member of Cub Scout Pack 350 in Evansville, Indiana, has always been a fan of Thor, the Marvel Comics character who has shot into the public consciousness with his appearance in the most recent series of Marvel movies. (The actor who plays Thor in the MCU has an interesting connection to Scouting…