– Bryan On Scouting
Five myths about the 2017 National Jamboree, debunked
With the 2017 National Jamboree a year away, many Scouts, Venturers and Scouters think they’ve missed their chance to attend this quintessential quadrennial Scouting event. But there’s good news: The door to the jamboree is still very much open. In fact, “jamboree registration has closed” is one of several myths floating around out there about the jamboree, which I…
Read MoreThere’s a Pokémon GO PokéStop outside BSA headquarters — where else have you found one?
By now you’ve heard about Pokémon GO — the augmented-reality app for iPhone and Android that’s encouraging people young and old to get outside and explore. Here are the basics: You download the app and head outside. Then you walk around an area looking for Pokémon — tiny virtual creatures with names like Bulbasaur, Pikachu and Rattata. When you find one,…
Read MoreSurprise, you’re the Cubmaster! Here’s a guide to getting started
The moment arrives slowly, then all at once. You’ve been involved with the Cub Scout pack for a few months. You have led a few field trips, brought snacks to a few meetings and even led a pack meeting or two all by yourself. Then suddenly it dawns on you. You’re the Cubmaster. That all-too-familiar tale happened to Matt…
Read MoreSea turtle rescued, released with help of Scouts from Florida and Texas
To help other people at all times? Two groups of Boy Scouts — one from Texas and one from Florida — might want to amend that part of the Scout Oath to read “and reptiles, too.” Last month, a group of Scouts from Texas helped return a sea turtle back to the wild — the same turtle a group…
Read MoreWhy shouting ‘sign’s up’ to quiet Scouts kind of defeats the purpose
The Scout sign holds incredible power. Without saying a word, a leader can raise the Scout sign and transform a room of rowdy Scouts into a quiet, attentive group. Sometimes it take a few moments, but eventually the Scouts notice the silent signal and raise their sign. Like magic, the effect spreads until everyone quiets down. But on a…
Read MoreCub Scouts compete at an epic pinewood derby race in Times Square
Forget about the neon signs and towering buildings in New York City’s Times Square. Last Saturday, the center of attention was a 45-foot pinewood derby racetrack. More than 250 Scouts from as far away as California sent their handmade cars flying down the track during the Greater New York Council’s 2016 Cub Scout Pinewood Derby…
Read MoreCub Scouts compete at an epic pinewood derby race in Times Square
Forget about the neon signs and towering buildings in New York City’s Times Square. Last Saturday, the center of attention was a 45-foot pinewood derby racetrack. More than 250 Scouts from as far away as California sent their handmade cars flying down the track during the Greater New York Council’s 2016 Cub Scout Pinewood Derby…
Read MoreU.S. Forest Service aims to ease special-use permitting process
If you’ve ever tried to obtain a special-use permit for a troop activity on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, you understand that the process can be frustrating. The agency admits the sometimes-clunky operations have, in some cases, thwarted visitors from getting out and enjoying our country’s lands. Now the U.S. Forest Service says…
Read MoreOn point: Boy Scouts of America, USA Archery announce partnership
Now this is a bull’s-eye. Just in time for the 2016 Olympic Games, the Boy Scouts of America and USA Archery, the national governing body for the Olympic sport of archery, have announced a new partnership aimed at enhancing the awareness of youth archery. Archery is already wildly popular within Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops.…
Read MoreJeff Segler named BSA’s national artist, following in footsteps of Rockwell and Csatari
The story of Scouting has been told through campfire tales, physical and digital photo albums, and official Boy Scouts of America paintings. In history, only two men have created those official paintings: Norman Rockwell and Joseph Csatari. Now a third has joined that colorful lineage. Jeff Segler, an Eagle Scout and former Philmont staffer who has been involved with…
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