Eliminating barriers to joining Scouting and welcoming all the kinds of families who make up our communities should be a priority for every Scouter. Luckily, that’s what the Opening Doors course at Philmont Training Center is all about. In its fourth year, the course runs June 16–22, 2024, and is set against a backdrop iconic […]

The Scouts BSA program is designed to bring out leadership qualities in youth, and Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST) is one of the best tools out there to do just that. “Your patrol leaders, your quartermaster, your scribe … usually, this is the first time they’ve done something like this,” says Scouts BSA

Ron Fleming’s story is one that will sound familiar to many of us. “My oldest son had gotten into Cub Scouts,” says Fleming, a committee chair for two Scouts BSA troops in the Cascade Pacific Council. “He was having a lot of fun. My daughter’s like, ‘Hey Dad, I want to do something like that.’”

If you’re a Scout parent or leader who likes to keep a finger on the pulse of youth interests, the list you’ve been waiting for is here! Once a year, we share our roundup of the most-earned merit badges from the last calendar year. And we just got the results from 2023. In 2022, we

Through the celebrations known as Scout Sunday, Scout Sabbath and Scout Jumuah, Scouts can reflect on their faith and the 12th point of the Scout Law. Any weekend in February is appropriate for reminding your Scouts to focus on reverence; however, many units choose to reflect on their faith on the nationally observed day. According

The purpose of the Scouts BSA board of review is to determine the quality of the Scout’s experience and decide whether the requirements to achieve the Scout’s next rank have been fulfilled. It is not, notes Scouts BSA national program chair Angelique Minett, a job interview, retest or examination, or any other kind of challenge

When Roger Mosby became the BSA’s President and CEO in December 2019, he did so at the beginning of an extraordinary time of both change and opportunity for the entire organization. Four years later, Mosby has announced his retirement, having successfully navigated the turbulent waters of bankruptcy, the unchartered territory of a global pandemic, and

I hear a lot about Scout units across the country taking advantage of community events to promote their programs. And for good reason: It’s a great way to remind people that the BSA is alive and well, performing service, going on adventures, and changing lives along the way. And if someone happens to ask about

Campout planning can be a challenge for both youth and adults. What activities do we do? How do we fit it all into a workable schedule for the weekend? How can we compete with sports, school and sometimes even other Scouting events? The answer can be found by following a few basic guidelines. Thanks to