The Council Service Centers will be closed on Monday, December 25, for the Christmas Holiday.

The District Award of Merit is presented to registered Scouters who render service of an outstanding nature at the district level. Nominations must be made on the national nomination form and must be received no later than January 30, 2018.

Completed nominations can be sent via email or dropped off at the Canton or Marlborough service center.The awards will be presented at the District’s Recognition Dinner.

Calling all unit leaders—the Scoutbook Youth Advancement sync is officially underway!

All Scouting units with active Scoutbook subscriptions have recently been invited to complete the Scoutbook Youth Advancement Sync with ScoutNet. The Scoutbook Unit Admins have been notified and given instructions on how to activate this sync by December 31, 2017.

This sync will allow units to approve advancement in Scoutbook, which can then automatically sync with the BSA national database. Scoutbook users will no longer need to access Internet Advancement to track and report their unit advancement.

Scout Shop staff should know that the Advancement Report from Scoutbook and the Advancement Report from Internet Advancement are both certified and should be accepted. The bottom of the Advancement Report from Scoutbook looks like this:

Starting January 1, 2018, units with active Scoutbook subscriptions will only be able to approve advancements for Scouts who are in the advancement sync. If you have not activated your unit and/or Scouts within your unit, you will not be able to approve advancements for that Scout(s).

Note that as a unit activates the sync, the unit can un-approve Scouts who have not yet been registered (entered into ScoutNet or My.Scouting) and continue the sync for the rest of the unit. Once registration is complete for the outstanding Scouts, the unit can then approve them and they will then be included.

Check out the user guide for more.

If you have any questions about the Scoutbook Youth Advancement Sync or if your Scouting unit has not received the sync instructions, please email Scoutbooksync@gmail.com.

Mayflower Council NESA Committee Is now accepting nominations for the 2017 Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year.

The National Eagle Scout Association established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award to recognize valuable service of an exceptional nature by a Scout to a religious institution, a school, community, or other entity. The award recognizes the Scout for his Eagle Scout leadership service project, which is part of the requirements for earning the Eagle Scout Award. Each year, the Mayflower Council National Eagle Scout Association Committee may select a winner from the applications received.

The recognition consists of a bronze device for the Eagle square knot, and a $250 award. Our winner’s Service Project will be submitted to the NE Region NESA Committee for consideration of their $500 award. If the Region selects his project, he will be in consideration for the National $2,500 award

Eligibility

You must have completed your Eagle Board in calendar 2017.

How to Apply

To download the Application for the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year.  Click Here For Application

A complete duplicate copy of your Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook (previously submitted by you to the Eagle board of review committee) must be attached to your application. Please note this copy will NOT be returned to you.

Applications must be received in the Council office or E-mailed on or before January 22, 2018.  Your completed application should be sent to:

EMAIL:  mayflowernesa@gmail.com

(By US Mail to:)

NESA Eagle Scout Service Project Award

Mayflower Council BSA

2 Mount Royal Avenue, Suite 100

Marlborough, MA 01752

Send your application in today!

Explore, Learn, Achieve!

The 2017 Autumn Merit Badge College is being held from 9:00 am – 3:45 pm at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School in Marlborough on Sunday, December 3rd.

Registration Deadline is 11/29/17 at midnight!

READ MORE AND TO REGISTER

Introducing the New Member Coordinator Position

Sustaining strong membership in a unit depends on having new members join the unit and engaging youth and their families in a welcoming manner that makes them want to stay. The role of the New Member Coordinator is to insure that both keys to success take place.

If you are interested in serving as a New Member Coordinator, now is the time! The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is offering a “free” logo imprinted shirt or cap as an incentive to the first 2500 registered and trained New Member Coordinators (NMC) and the first 500 District-level Scouters.

To learn more, visit New Member Coordinator (http://scoutingwire.org/marketing-and-membership-hub/councils/new-member-coordinator/) today!

In Scouting, we say “it’s about the boys” and none of our adults are involved for the recognition, but every now and then we need to say thanks especially to those volunteers whose leadership and example has left a lasting positive impact on the program and the broader community. One was we do that is through nominating a Scouter for the Silver Beaver Award, the highest adult recognition a council can bestow. Take a few moments to reflect on volunteers within your unit or district and consider nominating them for the Silver Beaver Award.

A detailed nomination form is available by clicking here and all nominations must be received by Friday, December 1, 2017.

Completed nominations can be sent via email or dropped off at the Canton or Marlborough service center.The awards will be presented at the Council’s Recognition Dinner in January.

Frequently asked questions about the Silver Beaver Award:

Overview

To recognize registered Scouters of exceptional character who have provided distinguished service within a council.  The award is presented by the National Court of Honor on behalf of councils.

Who Can Earn This Award?

Anyone may nominate any deserving registered Scouter to the council, which selects recipients for the following year. Each council may process their own annual allotment of Silver Beaver awards and shall send a list of Silver Beaver awards presented each calendar year to the National Court of Honor no later than January 31 of the following year.

Effective, Tuesday, October 31st, the Canton Scout Shop (Trading Post) will no longer be open. New England Scout Shops are located in Lancaster, Milton, Southborough, Woburn, and Swansea and will be able to fulfill your advancement and other Scouting supply needs. While the Scout Shop (Trading Post) is closing, the Canton Service Center will remain open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; from 10:00 am – 2:00pm. The Marlborough Service Center is also available Monday thru Friday; from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.

Outstanding Eagle Scout Award Nominations Now Being Accepted

The NESA Outstanding Eagle Scout Award (NOESA) is a prestigious recognition granted by the Mayflower Council’s NESA committee to Eagle Scouts who have demonstrated outstanding achievement at the local, state, or regional level. Unlike the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, which is a national award, the NOESA recognizes Eagle Scouts whose efforts have made a positive impact closer to home. All NOESA recipients must be Eagle Scouts in good standing with the Boy Scouts of America and either be registered with or have their primary residence within the boundaries of the nominating council. No length of time is required to have passed since earning the rank.

Each recipient’s actions and accomplishments should elevate the stature of Eagle Scouts in the public eye, and each recipient shall be held to the standards set forth in the Scout Oath, Scout Law, and national BSA standards for membership.

Eligibility

All NOESA recipients must be Eagle Scouts in good standing with the Boy Scouts of America and either be registered with or have their primary residence within the boundaries of the nominating council. No length of time is required to have passed since earning the rank.

Each recipient’s actions and accomplishments should elevate the stature of Eagle Scouts in the public eye, and each recipient shall be held to the standards set forth in the Scout Oath, Scout Law, and national BSA standards for membership.

To download the NOESA nomination form (BSA NO: 542_057_WB.PDF 2014 Revision) click here.

Submit the nomination and supporting documentation of their achievement(s) to:

National Eagle Scout Association Committee

NOESA Nomination (Confidential)

Mayflower Council, BSA

2 Mount Royal Avenue – Suite 100

Marlborough, MA  01752

Nominations are due at the Marlborough Service Center on or before November 27, 2017

As of September 1, 2017, Youth Protection Training is required for all adult leaders at the time of registration. Paper applications from new leaders must be accompanied by a Youth Protection Training completion certificate, which must be filed with the application.

Because completion of YPT is now required for all leaders at the time of registration, unit leaders must obtain copies of the completion certificates from the leaders who register online before approving their application.

With the upcoming renewal cycle, the Internet Rechartering system will be updated so that units cannot submit the registration renewal of any adult who does not have current YPT as of the effective date of the renewal. Completion of YPT as part of the online registration system will be required in a future update. Additionally, council registrars will no longer be able to override the registration system to register any leader whose Youth Protection Training is not current.

Effective for the 2018 BSA summer camp season, any adult accompanying a Boy Scout troop to a residence camp or other Scouting activity lasting 72 hours or more must be registered as a leader, including completion of a CBC and YPT, even if they are the parent of a youth on the trip.

Please Note: Although YPT is strongly encouraged for adults attending any overnight activity, at this time, the requirement applies only to individual adults staying three or more nights at a resident camp.