At their February 16 council executive board meeting, $250k was approved for a major marketing campaign to help entice new members to join Scouting in Mayflower Council. The campaign is being directed by the Council Marketing Committee and managed by Mittcom, a local marketing firm who excels at integrated campaigns unitizing social platforms. The executive board agreed to direct the funds from the council endowment fund.
Many volunteers have requested information on how to help Scouting in Ukraine. Please see the official statement from the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) below.
WOSM recognizes one National Scout Organization per country. For Ukraine, the Member Organization is National Organization of Scouts of Ukraine (NOSU). We encourage all NSOs that any Scouting support is channeled through the mechanisms made available through WOSM.
We are aware that many other non-WOSM but Scout-like entities are active in the region, including PLAST. We are not affiliated with organizations in Ukraine besides NOSU.
In most cases, the best way to help with the unfolding humanitarian crisis is to make a financial contribution through WOSM or another reputable NGO.
To directly support Scouts’ humanitarian relief work in Ukraine and for refugees, you can donate here. Representatives on the ground know what is needed and financial contributions help them purchase the most needed and locally-appropriate supplies.
For additional and ongoing updates, please visit here.
Questions? Email International Division at the National Council.
In May of 2021, it was announced that 19 Cub Scout Elective Adventures would be retiring at the end of this program year (May 2022). See details here.
Elective adventures are reviewed for content and popularity. These 19 have been the least popular based on sales and advancement data. They will be archived in Scoutbook and Internet Advancement, removing the ability to mark them as completed after the retirement date of May 31, 2022. These 19 adventures are not being replaced with a new set of elective adventures.
Inventory at the Scout Shops for loops and pins is limited and will only be available while supplies last. Cub Scouts can still wear the adventure loops and pins after that date. Once it’s earned, it’s not taken away from the Cub Scout.
STEM Nova Award Impact – STEM Nova Awards that include Adventures also include an Option A and Option B to earn the award. Cub Scouts may choose to earn one of the remaining Adventures or Option A or Option B.
World Conservation Award Impact – The Wolf and Webelos rank are impacted. The Bear rank has no changes.
For Wolf Scouts who want to earn the World Conservation Award, the requirement to earn the Grow Something Elective Adventure will be replaced with the following activities:
For Webelos (including Arrow of Light) Scouts, the requirement to complete 1, 3a, and 3b of the Adventures in Science adventure will be replaced with:
Here is the complete list of adventures that will be retired on May 31, 2022:
Tiger
Wolf
Bear
Webelos/Arrow of Light
As part of the National Council’s ongoing mission to streamline and simplify the Scouting program, Scouting U, in collaboration with National Supply Group, has identified three Cub Scout device pins that will be discontinued from the program effective immediately.
These devices were traditionally worn on the Den Leader Training Award Knot, which recognizes den leaders who have completed training, tenure, and performance requirements. This Den Leader Training Award Knot (SKU 5016) will continue to be offered and is available to earn at any point throughout the den leader’s tenure.
Limited inventory of the Cub Scout Device Pins is available in Scout Shops while supplies last. These items will not be restocked once fully depleted.
The following SKUs have been eliminated:
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:
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:
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.
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:
SETTING YOU UP FOR SUCCESS
We have complied LINKS for the following documents to help you succeed, including:
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
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Additionally, the following resources are available upon request:
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.
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:
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.
Via storytelling, this concise, helpful book tackles the wide breadth of emotions that come with being a Scouter…
I found it!
For several weeks since becoming a leader in my son’s Scout troop, I looked for some reading that would help me sort out the many observations, emotions, and lessons that popped into my head on the drive home from our unit’s weekly meetings.
As an assistant scoutmaster, I often marveled at how cool the more experienced Scouters were in terms of dealing with the moods and methods of our teenage boys and girls. I noticed that, contrary to the Cub Scout meetings I’ve been more used to over the length of my son’s BSA career, the adults endeavored to place the Senior Patrol Leader in the prime leadership position.
They were also much more able to deal with the cacophony of squeaky sopranos and tenuous tenors. But I digress.
Former Scoutmaster Clarke Green’s book So Far, So Good! A New Scoutmaster’s Story reads like the way you’d hope your interactions with the Scouts, fellow Scouters, committee members, and parents would sound like in real life. Of course, Green fully admits that the book contains moments, incidents, and experiences from his over 30-year career.
However, Green’s Amazon description reads:
Now that I’ve retired my Scoutmaster badge I’m able to write what I would have appreciated reading when I first took on the job 30 years ago.
Since I started writing a blog at ScoutmasterCG.com 11 years ago, I’ve learned something of the power of storytelling.
This narrative loosely follows my own experiences, but the new Scoutmaster in the story begins knowing things that took me many years to understand [emphasis mine]. I share it with the hope you’ll find it useful, and inspire you to discover something more about the spirit of your work as a Scouter.
This was a great “listen” – and I would recommend downloading the audiobook and listening to Mr. Green himself speak to the experiences we all look to understand.
Now, hindsight is 20/20. But the way the “Mr. G” in the book interacts with everyone lends real insight into the actual goals of Scouting, with an emphasis on youth leadership and giving teens a safe place to learn, fail, and find success.
Moreover, in regard to adult leadership and learning, as Green said in his dedication:
We all encounter the same challenges, setbacks, triumphs, and rewards. We are never alone.
We share the joy of serving Scouting’s most important volunteers: the Scouts themselves.
The entire book reminds the listener/reader of those facts and emphasizes the patience required to help the kids in our charge improve along their own path rather than churning so-called perfect Scouts.
I can’t recommend So Far, So Good! more.
This time-honored Scout tradition need not wait until your next campout…
At our most recent Scout Troop Court of Honor, among various and sundry cookies and brownies and doughnuts, there was one, very popular, dessert.
Prepared by our Scoutmaster (and Eagle Scout), his Pineapple upside-down cake went fast.A BSA tradition, pineapple upside-down cake is cooked in another scouting staple – a Dutch oven.
Back in 2916, Tim and Christine Conners broke down the basics of Dutch-oven cooking.
“Dutch-oven cooking is as much a part of Scouting as tying knots. But learning to cook in a Dutch oven can be a bit intimidating. After all, they can be heavy and kind of messy, and the cooking style involves a little math.”
But a Scout is brave. And a Dutch oven is a really excellent tool.
“A Dutch oven is such a versatile cooking tool that when you bring one to camp, it’s like bringing the kitchen from home,” added the Conners. “It can be used to fry, sauté, bake, stew, roast, or slow-cook — any time of day and for nearly any type of meal.
“It’s not uncommon for a single recipe to involve several cooking methods using the same oven.”
And the article, entitled, “A Dutch-oven cooking primer” includes tips on getting started with a Dutch oven, additional tools, cleanup, storage, safety tips, and recipes.
Then enjoy the video recipe for pineapple upside-down cake.
With Halloween just around the corner, here are some great recruitment ideas for your Cub Scout or pack to use to recruit new Cub Scouts and families to join the Scouting program. These can be great ways to reach those families who missed your Join Scouting Day, want to be part of Scouting, but simply don’t know how or who to call. Let’s help them join the fun and adventure of Cub Scouting!