Here’s this month’s ScoutCircle, a solo appearance! Here’s the resources we discussed The New Parents Quick Guide Webelos_to_Scout – BSA information webelos-to-scout-transition-plan-1 Heart of America Council WebToScout Webelos to Scout Transition: A Parents’ Guide
Most wilderness emergencies are avoidable, but, if you spend enough time in the outdoors, one will likely come your way. What will you do? Studying scenarios and reports is a one way to sharpen your outdoor leadership skills. Canoe guru Kevin Callan is the author of 11 books, including the Paddler’s Guide series and The Happy Camper. He shares his extensive experience as a wilderness guide instructing college-level courses in Advanced Wilderness Skills....
Here’s a hilarious, yet touching, Cub Scouts promotional video produced by the UK Scouts Association. The Scouts Association offers Scout mini figure T-shirts The Cub Scout mini figures themselves are available from Minifgs MeThere’s an Eagle Scout minifig listed on eBay
If you haven’t visited Scout.org (the website of The World Organization of the Scouting Movement, WOSM) in a while you are in for a big surprise! For the last ten months we have been reviewing and analysing feedback from our readers, which resulted in the developing of an innovative concept for our Movement’s web presence”, recalls Srinath Tirumale, from WOSM’s World Scout Bureau in Geneva, who co-leads the core team responsible for this relaunch, “and today, a radically new website saw the day....
This report of an impressive good turn performed by Afghan Scouts was filed by the WOSM today Scouts and leaders under PARSA, a non-government organization operating in orphanages in Afghanistan, did their good turn as they helped residents of Sarobi District, in Kabul Province, which is worst-hit by the flooding August this year. When Scout executives and leaders discovered that the building where they usually hold troop meetings was destroyed including the school that houses 1,100 female students, they immediately alerted the media, utilized social network, collected blankets, towels and clothes from national and international organizations and managed to raise certain amount of money....
From The Scout Association (UK) website: The Scout Association (TSA) has launched an additional alternative version to the core Scout Promise in order to officially welcome atheists into the Movement. Following an extensive 10-month consultation process within and outside of the Movement, TSA has introduced an additional alternative version of the Scout Promise that can be taken by those without a faith for the first time in its 106-year history. Alternative versions of the Scout Promise have been available for nearly 50 years and have been used by Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and those who live in the UK but are not UK citizens....
Boy Scout neckerchiefs have been with us since Baden Powell published Scouting for Boys: The Scout Uniform is very like the uniform worn by my men when I commanded the South African Constabulary. They knew what was comfortable, serviceable, and a good protection against the weather. So Scouts have much the same uniform. … … the scarf or neckerchief which is folded into a triangle with the point at the back of the neck....
A belated happy World Scarf Day! Scout neckerchiefs are the only unique element of the Scout uniform, I don’t know of any other uniformed group that wears neckerchiefs other than Scouts. As our group prepared for our trip to Switzerland in 2011 our Scouts first asked if they needed to bring their uniforms. I told them they would. Then they asked when they would have to wear them. I told them that they would be wearing their uniforms all the time....
Students from Basic Education High School 3 Dawei cook rice at Maungmakan Beach in December 2012 under a scouting program being trialled by the Ministry of Education. (Cherry Thein/The Myanmar Times) During a State visit to Canberra, Australia the President of Myanmar Thein Sein expressed the desire to successfully re-establish Scouting in his country (It was banned by the former government in 1964). Chief Commissioner of Scouts Australia Reg Williams communicated this message to the World Organization of the Scouting Movement (WOSM)....
I am sure that the wilderness rescue volunteers and professionals in Ontario are the nicest people you could ever meet, but I’d like to avoid them. Well, at least in their capacity as SAR (search and rescue) folks. Here’s a recent article from Ontario Parks that shares eight tip[s to avoiding wilderness rescue taht should apply to any backcountry adventure. Ontario Parks staff are well prepared to help when someone is in need of assistance in the backcountry....
Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe is a perfect game for a rainy day under the tarp, or an evening lazing around camp. All you need is a clear patch of dirt and a stick, or a paper and pencil. As you may have discovered yourself, tic-tac-toe is terminally dull. There’s no room for creativity or insight. Good players always tie. But here’s a more sophisticated version with nine games in a tic-tac-toe grid....
In addition to the program-oriented courses offered through MyScouting.org completing these six online training courses are a worthwhile way for any Scouter to improve their safety IQ. As a young Scoutmaster I felt a lot of these things were limitations, but now I don’t see these safety practices as restrictive. Quite to the contrary I feel more empowered and confident that I can help my Scouts plan and supervise potentially risky activities....
Two recent events prompted me to make a lightning safety infographic. Yesterday evening we held our Scout meeting at a park nearby during a powerful thunderstorm. We took shelter and played games for most of the hour and a half (this was one of our ‘summer sessions’ and we usually play a bunch of games at the park). While we were at the park 23 Scouts and adults were injured in a lightning strike at Camp Griswold in New Hampshire (hundreds of miles and several states away from us)....
The Boy Scouts of America Statement: “For 103 years, the Boy Scouts of America has been a part of the fabric of this nation, with a focus on working together to deliver the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. “Based on growing input from within the Scouting family, the BSA leadership chose to conduct an additional review of the organization’s long-standing membership policy and its impact on Scouting’s mission....
National Executive Wayne Brock’s message on the policy resolution; Anticipation and emotions are high as we prepare for the membership standards vote this week. Regardless of which way the vote goes, the important question for each of us is, where will we stand after the ballots are counted? To help provide some perspective, I’d like to share a letter from Ray Capp, chairman of the National Order of the Arrow Committee....
This ranks pretty high on my list of Scout games. On a recent trip we retreated to a cabin for a few hours when it started raining. The Scouts played this game too many time to count! The scenario presented to them is that A highly radioactive isotope has been discovered and it must be contained before it contaminates the area(!) Each participant has a square of cardboard from a cereal box....
What are balanced Scouting activities? This time of year I get colorful brochures in my actual mailbox (if you look outside your house there’s probably a little tin container that people put paper documents called ‘mail’ in periodically, it’s a quaint custom) and my email inbox from amusement parks, sporting venues, whitewater rafting companies and all manner of similar entertainments. I get advertisements for merit badge fairs, specialty camps and other ‘canned’ activities too....
Give this pioneering-themed game a try. An alligator infested river, a few Scout staves and some ropes, one Scout must get across the river without feeding the alligators! You can get this infographic along with OVER 50 other infographics and helpful PDF documents here If you’d like to print this infographic download the PDF file below BEFORE YOU CLICK THE DOWNLOAD BUTTON Consider joining all the other great folks who have become Backers!...
Here’s another idea to put in your file of Scout Games – we’ve had great fun with this one by creating a maze of chairs and tables for the ship to navigate, or as an inter-patrol competition. It’s a foggy night at sea, a ship full of passengers must reach a safe harbor. The captain is steering the ship through the fog by communicating his directions to the engineer below decks in the engine room....
The Thurman Throw, named after Scouting’s own John Thurman, is a great game recommended by Walter Underwood Equipment: For each patrol, a Scout stave or broomstick handle. Procedure: The patrols line up in relay formation, with the patrol leader of each holding the stave about 5 feet in front of them. On signal, he tosses the stave to the first Scout in line, who tosses it back to him and ducks down....