Robert D’Avignon Selected as Scout Executive of Louisiana Purchase CouncilCongratulations to Robert D’Avignon, who will serve as Scout executive of the Louisiana Purchase Council in Monroe, Louisiana, effective November 1, 2020. Bob began his Scouting career as a district executive at the Twin Rivers Council in Albany, New York. He moved on to become the senior district executive and later district director at theScouting Wire·October 22, 2020
Katherine Benson Selected as Scout Executive of Piedmont CouncilPlease join us as we congratulate Katherine Benson, who will serve as Scout executive of the Piedmont Council in Piedmont, California, effective November 1, 2020. Katherine began her Scouting career in 2003 as a district executive at the Cascade Pacific Council in Portland, Oregon. She was later promoted to senior district executive and then districtScouting Wire·October 15, 2020
Virtual Troop Meeting Facilitators GuideIt is understood that access to technology will vary from Troop to Troop and may be dependent upon geographic differences. The purpose of this guide is to encourage and enable Troops, where feasible, to conduct meetings virtually in a safe, efficient, and productive manner. During a period when in-person meetings may not be possible, it […]Scouts BSA Program Updates·October 15, 2020
Wendy Shaw Selected as Scout Executive of Longhorn CouncilCongratulations to Wendy Shaw, who will serve as Scout executive of the Longhorn Council in Fort Worth, Texas, effective November 2, 2020. Wendy began her Scouting career in 2000 as a district executive at the Pikes Peak Council in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She held a variety of positions with the council including senior district executive,Scouting Wire·October 8, 2020
The Steps You Can Take Right Now to Help You Return to Scouting ActivitiesWhile many Scout units have a desire to return to Scouting activities, they have questions about how to do so safely during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During the recent webinar on how to hold meetings safely during COVID-19, attendees received tips on the key steps they can be taking right now to find a safeScouting Wire·October 4, 2020
COVID-19 FAQ AdvancementUpdated information on rank advancement, merit badge requirements, and time extension request due to COVID-19 can be found on the COVID-19 FAQ.Scouts BSA Program Updates·September 29, 2020
Inaugural Class of Female Eagle ScoutsThe window for Eagle boards of review of the Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts is from October 1, 2020 to February 8, 2021. As such, all Eagle Scout credentials will be dated February 8, 2021 so that we commemorate this milestone alongside the recognized “birthday” of the Boy Scouts of America. This adjustment was implemented so that Scouts were not unfairly prohibited from being […]Scouts BSA Program Updates·September 24, 2020
Recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month in Your CommunityArticle submitted by Carlos Cortez, Scout Executive of Los Padres Council, and Juan Osorio, Scout Executive of Chattahoochee Council. In 1968, Hispanic Heritage started as a weeklong recognition of the contributions made to the United States by members of the Hispanic/LatinX community. In 1988 Hispanic Heritage Month was expanded to cover 30 days, September 15Scouting Wire·September 23, 2020
Jeff Whitten Selected as Scout Executive of Abraham Lincoln CouncilCongratulations to Jeff Whitten, who will serve as Scout executive of the Abraham Lincoln Council in Springfield, Illinois, effective October 16, 2020. Jeff began his Scouting career in 2006 as a district executive at the Miami Valley Council in Dayton, Ohio. He was later promoted to district director and then in 2012, moved on toScouting Wire·September 4, 2020
Owen McCulloch Selected as Scout Executive of Yocona Area CouncilPlease join us in congratulating Owen McCulloch, who will serve as Scout executive of the Yocona Area Council in Tupelo, Mississippi, effective October 1, 2020. Owen began his Scouting career in 1993 as an exploring executive at the Cascade Pacific Council in Portland, Oregon. He was later promoted to senior exploring executive and then seniorScouting Wire·September 1, 2020
Churchill Project Actions Moving ForwardAs we recently shared in Scoutingwire and during the All-Staff Conference, several Churchill recommendations will continue to be considered, based on extensive input from the field and our subject matter experts. The evaluation process also included the following filters: Does the action help the national organization emerge from bankruptcy? Does the action aid in gainingScouting Wire·August 31, 2020
Transitioning Member Care to Serve and Support BSA Council StaffAs the national organization continues to prioritize and focus our services, we have made the difficult decision to streamline certain services at the National Service Center to best position the organization and the Scouting movement for the future. Beginning September 1, 2020, the Member Care Contact Center will no longer directly serve volunteers and willScouting Wire·August 26, 2020
[OA LodgeMaster Maintenance] - Inductions Module Release<p><small>Aug <var data-var='date'>25</var>, <var data-var='time'>18:00</var> EDT</small><br><strong>Completed</strong> - The scheduled maintenance has been completed.</p><p><small>Aug <var data-var='date'>25</var>, <var data-var='time'>12:00</var> EDT</small><br><strong>In progress</strong> - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary.</p><p><small>Aug <var data-var='date'>20</var>, <var data-var='time'>16:06</var> EDT</small><br><strong>Scheduled</strong> - OA LodgeMaster will be unavailable on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 from 12:00 PM EDT – 6:00 PM EDT. During this time, the LodgeMaster Team will be deploying the new inductions module. During the maintenance window, you will not be able to login to the LodgeMaster Online Lodge Client or perform a sync in the Offline Lodge Client. You can follow the status of the maintenance on the OA status page at https://status.oa-bsa.org. Once the maintenance is complete, we will post an update to the status page. We do not expect the upgrades to take the full 6 hours. In the event we need to extend the maintenance window for an unforeseen reason, we will communicate the extended maintenance window on the OA status page. <br /><br />Please note: If you use the offline client, please make sure you download and update to version 4.4.2 before August 25th so you will be able to continue to sync after the system updates.</p>OA System Maintenance·August 25, 2020
Engaging Our Networks for the Fall Recruitment CampaignArticle Submitted by Scot Fuller, Director of Field Service, Longhorn Council Back in June, the Longhorn Council held a focus group targeting our highest performing units when it comes to recruitment. One general theme came out of this meeting: it takes the entire Scouting unit and their network engaging the families in their community toScouting Wire·August 25, 2020
Preparing Now for Everything Unit Serving Executives Need to Do in OctoberArticle Submitted by Tim Hays, Senior District Executive, Longhorn Council By the time October hits, there are a few things that we, as unit-serving executives, should be doing and aware of as we continue to recruit new youth for our districts. During October, many of our first rounds of sign-up nights are done, so atScouting Wire·August 25, 2020
Scouts BSA Office Hours Session – August 6, 2020The Scouts BSA Office Hours session was live-streamed on August 6, 2020. Scouters and Senior Patrol Leaders had an opportunity to have their questions answered by subject matter experts from the National Scouts BSA Committee, topics included: COVID-19 Eagle Time extensions request Diversity & Inclusion Advancement changes Recruiting Ideas Female Troop Support WATCH THE RECORDINGScouts BSA Program Updates·August 13, 2020
Update: Moving Some Churchill Recommendations ForwardAs part of the ongoing process to identify how to optimize the Boy Scouts of America for success in the future, the National Executive Committee (NEC) recently asked the National Management Team to facilitate the evaluation of the 26 primary proposed recommendations that resulted from the Churchill Project. In addition to receiving survey input fromScouting Wire·August 12, 2020
Update Your BeAScout.org Pin, and Your Unit Could Win!What’s the easiest way for potential members to join your Scout unit? BeAScout.org! It works even better if your unit information is up-to-date. Now, if you update your pin, your Scout unit could win! Just make sure your unit BeAScout pin is updated anytime between June 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2020, and your unitScouting Wire·August 11, 2020
Family Fun Fest Is an Easy Way for You to Share Scouting With Families Who Need ItDear Scouting Family, With more than half of the year behind us, it’s natural for us to look back at the challenges we have navigated in the past few months, as a movement and as a country. But it’s even more important that we look ahead at the opportunities ahead of us. This is theScouting Wire·August 4, 2020
Jared Pickens Selected as Scout Executive of Cherokee Area CouncilPlease join us in congratulating Jared Pickens, who will serve as Scout executive of the Cherokee Area Council in Chattanooga, Tennessee, effective September 1, 2020. Jared began his Scouting career as a district executive and then senior district executive at the Great Smoky Mountain Council in Knoxville, Tennessee. He moved on to the Last FrontierScouting Wire·August 3, 2020