New Merit Badge: Scout Heritage

There is a new Merit Badge which Scouts can earn entitlge Scout Heritage.

Looks pretty easy to earn except for Requirement Four:

Do ONE of the following:

A. Attend either a BSA national jamboree, OR world Scout jamboree, OR a national BSA high-adventure base. While there, keep a journal documenting your day-to-day experiences. Upon your return, report to your counselor what you did, saw, and learned. You may include photos, brochures, and other documents in your report.

B. Write or visit the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas.* Obtain information about this facility. Give a short report on what you think the role of this museum is in the Scouting program.
*If you visit the BSA’s national traveling tour, Adventure Base 100, in 2010, you may use this experience to fulfill requirement 4b. Visit www.adventurebase100.org (with your parent’s permission) for the schedule and for more information.

To learn more, go here.

Safe Trip to Troop 466

A number of Scouts and Leaders are heading down to Goshen Scout Camp. Be safe and have fun, because fun is the only thing to have!

Merit Badge Counselor Registration Deadline now extended to 6/30/2010

Due to the new Youth Protection Training requirements which were posted June 1, ALL merit badge counselors MUST have their Youth Protection Training up to date by NO LATER THAN June 30, the due date for registration for merit badge counselors. Remember, Youth Protection Training is REQUIRED every two years.

Here is what YOU MUST DO NOW:

1. Go to the council home web pagehttp://www.boyscouts-ncac.org/openrosters/view_homepage.asp?orgkey=370

2. Read ALL of the information at the top of the page regarding changes to Youth Protection Training. Click on second "here" button to get the instructions on how to make sure your Youth Protection Training is up to date or take the Youth Protection Training course to make your Youth Protection Training up to date.

3. If your Youth Protection Training is not already up to date (that is, it shows in your MyScouting account that your Youth Protection Training is up to date), then follow the instructions in the posted directions to take the course.

4. When you have completed the course either send via e-mail attachment or print out and fax a copy of your Youth Protection Training certificate to the council person listed in the instructions.

5. If your Youth Protection Training is up to date (and you have verified it in MyScouting), then you do not need to do anything else.

If you do not make sure your Youth Protection Training us up to date by the registration due date of June 30, then you will be dropped as a merit badge counselor, so PLEASE make sure you are up to date TODAY!.

If you have any questions, please contact council registration at either of the phone numbers listed at the bottom of the instructions.

Eagle Scout Project - Some Post Project Comments

This past weekend, we carried out an Eagle Project at the Christian Family Montessori School
3628 Rhode Island Avenue Mt Rainier, MD 20712-2006.

The task was to refurbish the playground. We removed and replaced the sand in the sandbox (at least 60 c.f.), put down new wood chips on the playground (at least 3 cubic yards moved, dumped and raked out) and new boards on the play set.

To quote the project manager:

Thank you all for coming out and helping with my Eagle Project; it definitely looked much better when we finished. We had 22 workers in all show up, more than expected, which was great and made for quicker work. The school representative was very impressed with the job done, and I am sure all the students will be just as pleased with their new digs.

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Billionaire Boy Scout

Youth Protection Training Policies - Important Notice

From BSA:

Youth safety is the No. 1 concern of the BSA.

To increase awareness of this societal problem and to create even greater barriers to abuse than already exist today in Scouting, the Boy Scouts of America is implementing several important changes to further enhance its Youth Protection policies.

Effective June 1, 2010:

-- Youth Protection training is required for all registered volunteers.

-- New leaders are required to take Youth Protection training before they submit an application for registration. The certificate of completion for this training must be submitted at the time application is made and before volunteer service with youth begins.

-- Youth Protection training must be taken every two years. If a volunteer's Youth Protection training record is not current at the time of recharter, the volunteer will not be reregistered.