As part of the Mayflower Council’s Spring Membership Campaign, we would like to encourage your participation in Operation Re-Engagement between now and March 31st, 2021. This effort, which is council wide, is designed to invite former Cub Scouts who may have dropped from your roster back into your pack. Your participation will be beneficial to the health of your pack, district, and the Mayflower Council.

Here’s How To Make This Work…

• Download a report of Scouts who have dropped from your unit over the past two years. Step by step instructions on how to download this report on My.Scouting.org is available here.
  • NOTE:  Be sure to select the FILTER Button and enter dates from 1/1/2021 through 1/1/2022.
• Reach out via a callout campaign (If necessary, designate several volunteers to help you) to the parents of these “lost Scouts” to invite them to your next pack meeting. Use this meeting as an opportunity to welcome them back into Scouting by encouraging them to re-register with your pack (Some key points to promote with the parents include the Pinewood Derby in May, upcoming pack meetings, Chuck Wagon Derby in June, summer day camp and other activities you have planned for your pack.)
• If they indicate interest in re-joining, whether as part of the callout campaign or at the pack meeting, refer them to your page on BeAScout.org

A Few Tips for Success…

1. Review the list with your volunteers to see who may have a friendly/personal connection with certain parents. Sometimes a call from someone they know can be very influential.
2. If your attempt at a callout does not work, try an email.
3. If the parent indicates interest in attending the next pack meeting, schedule a time to remind them, whether it’s another callout, or an email reminder a week prior to the meeting.
4. If possible, work with them 1-on-1 with the online application. Try not to let them to “do it when they get home.” Remember, after that meeting, life happens. Help them transition back to Scouting by helping them in that moment, instead of possibly losing them to the things that happen after they leave your meeting.
5. Consider using your April meeting as a membership building meeting, whereby these “lost Scouts” can come back to re-discover the Scouting experience.

We appreciate your effort in Operation Re-Engagement. If I can be of assistance, please email Rob or call him directly at 508-217-4623.

As part of The Mayflower Council’s Spring Membership Campaign, we are primarily focusing on Scouts BSA troops and Venturing crews and 4 opportunities to increase participation in these aspects of the Scouting Experience.   

WHAT’S INVOLVED 

The Spring Membership Campaign involves several different elements: 

• Operation Re-Engagement
• Webelos To Scouting AND Scouting to Venturing Transitions
• Peer To Peer Recruiting
• April Membership Event

SETTING YOU UP FOR SUCCESS 

We have complied LINKS for the following documents to help you succeed, including: 

• A Checklist for Success & Overview on each phase/element of the membership campaign
• Suggested social media posts that you can use to promote your troop and/or your upcoming membership event:
• Instructions on how to download a list of Scouts who have dropped from your roster
  • (NOTE: When downloading this report, be sure to use the FILTER and select the dates of 1/1/2021 to 1/1/2022)

PLEASE NOTE: Once you have set a date for your April membership event, please let the council know by filling out the form located here.

THE INCENTIVES

• Top five units who recruit between now and May 31st will receive a weekend cabin at one of our camps.
• Any Scout who recruits a friend using our peer-to-peer campaign will be entered into a drawing to win one of three restaurant gift certificates

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 

Additionally, the following resources are available upon request: 

• Photos/videos from BSA  
• Buddy cards 
• Posters/fliers to promote your membership event 
• Sign in sheets for your membership event 

Simply email Rob to reserve yours.  

NOTE FOR VENTURING CREWS:  Use this as an opportunity to invite prospective members to an upcoming meeting or event.  Additionally, we will be working on getting you information on Scouts who have “aged out” of Scouts BSA.

NEED HELP OR TO DISCUSS IDEAS ? 

If you would like to set up a time, please click here to schedule a time with Rob to discuss.

OR  

You can also register here for Virtual Office Hours on Tuesday, March 22nd and Monday, March 28th from 7 to 9 PM each night. 

We appreciate your effort with our Spring recruiting effort.

One of the best ways to promote our programs and encourage new membership is to continuously promote our units and activities to the public. By doing so, we can create several positive outcomes if we show our units, activities, and programs off “at their best.”  

Those benefits include: 

• Increased awareness, participation, and community support for our programs (such as “Scouting for Food,” etc.)
• Increased opportunities for Fundraising (Friends of Scouting or “FOS,” Eagle service projects, etc.)
• Increased possibilities to recruit new members and volunteers

On a unit level, here are some ideas and ways that you and your leadership can easily promote your programs and units within the community:

• Know your local Patch.com representative. Look on Facebook for your town’s Patch Page (there should be an email address to reach out to). If not, sending a message may get better results.
• Know how to reach your local news outlet. Community Newspaper Company, owned by Gatehouse Media, has weekly publications and the “Wicked Local” websites available for free in many communities within the Council footprint. These publications & sites cover the local/community news. Scroll to the bottom and select CONTACT US to locate the reporter/editor for your community and send any upcoming events or ideas about your unit to them. 
• Does your unit have an organization Facebook page? Starting one is easy. Use it to share National and Mayflower Council posts and promote your upcoming community events. Don’t have one? Stay tuned for information on how to create and maintain one!
• Join and share your local unit event posts on your community’s local Facebook page! Also, make sure you monitor and follow up on any comments added to your shared post. Note: There will ALWAYS be someone who may try to speak negatively about your event/post, etc. As the OP (original poster), you may be able to hide their comments. Regardless, take the high road and kill them with KINDNESS when responding. Possibly send a message to the admin for the page and let them know what is going on if a note is particularly nasty.
• Local community access channels exist in almost every community, too. Some shine a spotlight on community organizations and events. Contact your local community access studio for more information. BTW: Some of these studios can also be helpful with the Movie Making Merit Badge for your Scouts.
• If you partner with another community organization throughout the year, make sure to share your “good news” or upcoming events with them through social media or directly through their leadership; this might also be a good time to mention the usefulness of Twitter and Instagram.
• Be sure to send your good news to your local town officials (mayor, town council/select board, etc.)

Of course, all of the above ideas take a certain level of commitment from your unit committee or leadership to make it work. So, consider asking for a volunteer or parent to help – it’s important. After all, spreading our good news will show your unit’s commitment to your community. 

Cub Scouts can #AdventureOn during the winter months…

Yes, it’s cold. Yep, it’s snowy. However, just like Scouts BSA, Cub Scouts can still find outdoor fun, too.

That was the theme of a recent repost of a 2010 article entitled, “Hot tips for cold-weather fun with Cub Scouts.”

For Scouting, Mark Ray wrote:

Tim Tocket, a Scouter in Pen Argyl, Pa., always thought the BSA had a rule forbidding Cub Scouts from camping when temperatures dipped below 32 degrees. Not so. The “Age-Appropriate Guidelines for Scouting Activities” states that only Scouts BSA members and Venturers may participate in winter camping. But the addition of heated cabins (when you follow appropriate Youth Protection guidelines) can make winter activities with overnight stays suitable for Cub Scouts. With cabins available, a Scout who gets too wet, too cold, or too tired can head inside.

Of course, The BSA Guide to Safe Scouting is the definitive list of rules and guidelines for winter camping and sports. However, Ray pointed out a few general thoughts about Cub Scouts in the cold.

Tips included:

• Give plenty of packing guidelines to parents and adult leaders and stress layering for warmth…

• Pack extra items of everything warm. Domino suggests bringing a stash of extra hats and mittens for Cub Scouts whose gear gets wet, lost, or forgotten…

• Remember hydration. Campers need plenty of fluids, even in the cold.

• Offer plenty of hearty food, and keep meal preparation simple.

• Cancel or postpone if the forecast calls for heavy snow or extremely low temperatures

Even better, in yet another article, “Making Winter Fun for Your Cub Scouts,” Ray said, keep the C-O-L-D in mind. 

Clean: Keep your insulating layers clean and fluffy. Dirt, grime and sweat can reduce the warmth of a garment.

Overheating: Adjust your layers of clothing to match the temperature, and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

Loose Layers: Wear several loosely fitting layers of clothing and footgear to get maximum insulation without impeding your circulation.

Dry: Sweaty, damp clothing can cause your body to cool quickly. Avoid clothes that absorb moisture, and keep clothing around your neck loose to let body heat and moisture escape.

Looking at the weather forecast for tomorrow at Camp Resolute: 34-degrees and cloudy.

Sounds like it’s time to #AdventureOn.

Sure, you might know how a Pinewood Derby car gets made, but how about the actual kit?

“Who knows how a Pinewood Derby kit gets made?”

Shhh. Put your hands down. Signs up!

Okay now. Yes, you know how to build a kit, but do you know how that kit gets made?

Well, true to form, Scout Life magazine (yes, it’s the same publication you read as Boys’ Life) has the answer.

From Forest to Finish Line

SL’s Bryan Wendell wrote:

Even before you open the box, your Pinewood Derby car has traveled thousands of miles. The journey begins in a forest in Idaho. The wood blocks travel to Indiana, where they are packaged and shipped. Finally, they arrive at your local Scout shop. The rest is up to you and your parents or guardians. Cutting, sanding, painting and racing is the best part.

I must recommend the whole article, because the photos are pretty cool.

But they included a video, which is pretty cool, too – all 73 second of it:

Making a Pinewood Derby Kit in Just 73 Seconds

However, for those of you who are still reading along and could use some real tips on assembling the kit, we can help there, too.

In this vintage video, “A former NASA engineer explains 7 steps that are scientifically proven to help you build a fast Pinewood Derby car for your next race.”

Scout Life magazine presented the below video in 2014.

The Science of Making the Fastest Pinewood Derby

Meanwhile, if you weren’t quick enough, check out the 7 steps, below:

What do you do when your Girl Scout Troop stops meeting? Well, if you are Molly J, you join a Boy Scout troop, then found a Scouts BSA Girls’ Troop, earn Eagle Scout, and finally garner the title of “VFW Scout of the Year” in Massachusetts.

NBD. The Order of the Arrow is in there, too, BTW.

Yep, that’s how Molly rolls. She sets up the challenges and just knocks them down. Over and over and over.

Rick Harbert of Wicked Local reported:

Plymouth’s first female Eagle Scout is now also the state Veterans of Foreign War’s Scout of the Year… Molly Joyce won the state VFW’s 2021 title after winning similar honors on the local and district levels. [The junior] at Plymouth South High School received a $1,000 scholarship during ceremonies at Camp Squanto [in August].

A member of the first-ever girls’ class of Mayflower Council BSA Eagle Scouts, Joyce joined Plymouth Troop 1620 after reaching the Girl Scout rank of Cadette. Then, she founded Crew 1920 (a fitting moniker, as the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1920, giving women full citizenship in the United States).

She then worked her way up the ranks of the BSA.

Molly, a Senior Patrol Leader, whose Eagle Scout Service Project restored the Stations of the Cross of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church in West Plymouth, became an Eagle Scout on the same day as her younger brother Liam (whose Eagle project created shooting benches and targets for the gun club in Middleborough).

“To have a student reach that level is an incredible accomplishment because it takes a great deal of effort to get to that point,” Denis Russell, commander of VFW Post 1822, told WickedLocal.com. “It’s quite an achievement, and the VFW was proud to have her represent the state.”

Do you know a Mayflower Council Scout who deserves some recognition? Email john@mayflowerbsa.org and send along the details.

Most folks know the name “Norman Rockwell.” But did you know that the illustrator documented Scouting from 1913 to 1976? Rockwell’s portfolio is evocative of the Scouting spirit and portrays the ideals of the movement during its infancy through the United States Bicentennial.

A Scout is Helpful (1941) – Hillcourt’s “Norman Rockwell’s World of Scouting” explained this work was inspired by a 1938 hurricane. Rockwell thought to show the rescue in “the hurricane’s fury.” The powers that be preferred that the good turn be pictured in perfect uniform.

An Army of Friendship (1933) – As the Scouting movement made its way around the globe, Baden Powell hoped it would make future generations less susceptible to war. Here, Scouts from the US, UK, Thailand, Poland, Sudan, and Hungary represent those attending the 4th World Jamboree.

High Adventure (1957) – This time Rockwell illustrated a group of Explorers at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Modern Explorers are more vocationally oriented; however, the spirit of adventure continues with Venture Scouting. Philmont remains a treasured destination.

Mighty Proud (1958) – Now a scene played out by boys and girls across the country, here Rockwell’s young Scout leaves Cub Scouts behind as he dons the antique olive green uniform and garrison hat, while mom pins a Troop 2 patch on his sleeve and brother helps with the neckerchief.

A Scout is Kind – Today’s illustrations, named Good Friends (1927) and A Good Scout (1935) portray Norman Rockwell’s oft-used interpretation of “A Scout is Kind” as focused on an appreciation for animals (especially dogs). This motif is seen many times in NR’s work.

Come and Get It! (1970) – Cooking is a big part of camping. However, this illustration — used on BSA publications — represents the many different ways that a Scout outing plays out. But the Scout in the foreground is feeling pretty good about whatever he’s made for the troop.

Scouts in the UK have some ideas for in-the-moment relaxation…

Getting back into the routine of things after the Holidays is supposed to put folks on even footing. It’s supposed to be comforting to be back in “the swing of things.” But for many of us, especially during these confusing, frustrating COVID times, that old routine might seem far from mind.

Nearly everyone feels this way, sometimes. And our youngest scouts are no less susceptible to a bad day than the most experienced Scouter.

What’s to do? Nothing.

I mean, do something. But not the thing that is stressing you out? Um. IDK. 

What do I know about relaxation? I’m blogging at 11:30 PM.

But the folks at Scouts.org.uk, compiled a pretty spectacular last of cooling, calming techniques that can be done just about anywhere.

• Breathing

• Go for a walk

• Write it down

• Talk about it

• Eat something tasty

• Laugh

• Have a hot drink

• Get some rest
• Light a candle (safely)

And my favorite, since I have three new kitties…

• Pet an animal

Size doesn’t matter here – a hamster or gerbil can be just as calming as a Great Dane or a pony. If you don’t have a pet at home, you could visit a city farm or petting zoo, ask an animal-loving friend if you can visit, or just go on a walk around your neighbourhood in hope of encountering a furry friend.

The full list and explanation is here. 

However, I do know one thing that can help nearly everyone relax.

A campfire.

And just in case you don’t have any tinder in the vicinity, Pedro the Mailburo can help.

Crackling Campfire at Scout Camp – 1 hour of Relaxing Nature Sounds and Pedro the Mailburro

Image: Scouts.org.uk

Eagle Scout project garnered 300 new LEGO sets for Boston Children’s Hospital

Recently, children at Boston Children’s Hospital received almost 300 new LEGO sets from a former patient turned Mayflower Council Eagle Scout – Thomas R.

Thomas, a sophomore at Willow Hill School and a Scout in Troop 101 Northborough, learned those little blocks’ true value while fighting through illness several years ago.

“During my stay, there was not much I could do because of all the wires attached to me,” he told the Community Advocate last August of his stay at Boston Children’s. “I remember the Child Life Specialist bringing me a new Lego set to build, and that was a lot of fun.”

The Eagle Scout service project, “The LEGO Drive,” was announced in April 2021 via YouTube.

BTW: Shout out to whoever played the LEGO Minifig in the video.

In the video, Thomas explained that he was a patient at Boston Children’s Hospital in 2015; he talked about the cords and equipment and how the distraction of LEGOs was integral to his morale.

“I built [that] set and many more throughout my stay at Boston Children’s Hospital,” explained Thomas. “To bring that excitement to Children’s Hospital, I am hosting a LEGO drive.”

The Advocate elaborated on Thomas’ plan:

Lego sets were collected using an Amazon Wishlist, which shipped directly to Thomas. He also had donation bins set up at his school and house. In addition, a drive-up collection was held at Assabet Park on April 11.

Of course, like many things during 2021, COVID-19 made things difficult for Thomas and his fellow LEGO drivers.

“I delivered 60 sets and will deliver the rest as soon as BCH has lifted their donation restrictions due to COVID,” said Thomas last summer

Although tenacity is not an official part of the Scout Law, it is implied. Despite obstacles, Thomas was definitely HELPFUL to each of the kids at Boston Children’s Hospital who received the LEGOs.

“I am grateful to everyone who contributed to help make this project a success,” he said to the Community Advocate. “I hope the Legos will put a smile on the faces of the patients at Boston Children’s Hospital like it did for me.”

BTW: If you know of a Mayflower Scout who deserves some recognition, email John@MayflowerBSA.com.

Photo submitted to Community Advocate

The Mayflower Council looks to help leaders open Scoutbook on January 31…

Scouts BSA may have been born in 1910, but the current program is a little more contemporary vintage. And since a Scout is brave, Scouting continues to march into the digital landscape.

For example, did you know that Scoutbook is the BSA’s online tracking service?

Scouting.org explains:

From the first knot tied to the final hours of service performed, the Scouting experience is a journey like none other. And Scoutbook is your go-to tool to ensure not a moment is missed – tracking advancement, milestone achievements, and all the fun along the way.

Okay, okay. You’re familiar with Scoutbook. But maybe you are just a bit unsure of how to use the online module. Or perhaps you are just a bit technologically averse.

The Mayflower Council has a solution.

Mayflower Council Scoutbook Training: January 31, 7:00 to 8:30 PM

Does your unit use Scoutbook, or are you wondering how to get going with it?  This session will cover a basic overview and ways to begin using it.  

Topics like how to log in and how leaders sign off on requirements will be covered.  Please join us with your questions and come away with an understanding of how this tool can benefit the scouts and leaders in your unit.

So, Zoom in on Scoutbook!

Register in advance:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.