Dear Andy, Both my son and I have been very active in Scouts since Tiger Cubs. He’s now 14, a freshman in high school, and I can’t seem to interest him to continue Scouts. He’s very close to Life and has many of the Eagle Scout-required merit badges already completed. I’m so upset! I’ve been […]

If you’re a regular reader, you already know about the tyrants and tin gods, renegades and recalcitrants, bullies and belligerents, dictators, martinets, and “world’s oldest Patrol Leaders” masquerading as Scoutmasters. Thank goodness that, for every one of them, there are a thousand or more dedicated Scouting leaders who get it right! But how did this […]

It’s OFFICIAL! The BSA has changed policies and procedures! We can all now start doing the things we’ve always wanted to do, knowing they’re now all legal! Here are the new rules… The new “hours” line on the Eagle rank application is a requirement – the number of hours must be 100+ or you can […]

Dear Andy, I’m a District Advancement Chair and I’ve been told that for an Eagle Scout project, as the district representative who reviews the project workbooks, I should only look to see that the recipient of the project are from the approved type of organization and nothing else. Some troop leaders are saying that the […]

Dear Andy, After reading several letters in your columns about aggressive, dictator types of committee chairs, it seems that many may have experienced what we’ve just gone through. Once our troop’s long-time Scoutmaster and Committee Chair left the area, a new Committee Chair took over and began her reign. Not only did she alienate most […]

Today’s the best day of the year for a PARADE! So March Forth! Last month, I was asked about Scout Sunday in the United Methodist Church and, referring to it sans denominational considerations, I said, “Yup, ‘first Sunday in February’ is it!” Some of my sharp-eyed readers added further enlightenment. Read on… Dear Andy, The […]

Dear Andy, I’m trying to find out which Sunday in February the United Methodist Church Scout troops do their service or honor the anniversary. There seems to be nothing on the council or national websites except that Scout Sunday is the first Sunday and Scout Sabbath is the following Saturday. (Lloyd Biller, ASM, Virginia) Yup, […]

Here are two “must read” letters. I will personally guarantee that they are authentic. Make no mistake: We talk about our youth being “the future of America”—Today, we’re talking about the future of THE WORLD. (Related Videos: Iraqi Scout Day Camp | Start of Iraqi Scout Camp — right click and download to view) Read […]

Hi Andy, I’m a Beaver Scout leader based in Saltford near Bath in the UK and I’d like to set up some links with like-aged (between six and eight years old) Scouts around the world. Are you aware of any BSA equivalent unit that may be interested? We have a pretty active group of 25, […]

Wow, do I have a bunch of sharp-eyed readers! The other day, when I had a “brain hiccup” and told a fellow Scouter that Camping merit badge doesn’t require that the 20 days and nights be Scouting activity- or event-related, I was flat-out WRONG! You all wrote instantly! Thank you! Here’s a sampling… Dear Andy, […]