[ISSUE 667 – 20TH YEAR OF HELPING SCOUTS, SCOUTERS, & PARENTS] Last week and the week before, I handled some letters about uniforms and flag details. Turns out we have a couple more points to cover, so here we go— Hi Andy, A “uniform” might even be uniform. But as it is, there’s actually no […]

[ISSUE 666 – 20TH YEAR OF HELPING SCOUTS, SCOUTERS, & PARENTS] Last week I was asked about what Cub Scouts wear when they’re acting as a flag detail or presenting the colors. My simple answer was to wear their uniforms—but that didn’t account for some really important issues. I apologize. Thanks to some wonderful readers […]

[ISSUE 665 – 20TH YEAR OF HELPING SCOUTS, SCOUTERS, & PARENTS] Hi Andy, I’m a member of our Cub Scout pack’s committee and I’ve been tasked with fining out the regulations for Cubs wearing uniforms to present the colors. I’ve been wandering around online, but I haven’t found anything and I don’t have books in […]

[ISSUE 664 – 20TH YEAR OF HELPING SCOUTS, SCOUTERS, & PARENTS] Hi Andy, My son has been in our local Scouts BSA troop for almost a year (he joined just before the Covid-19 shut-downs began), but despite the troop quickly converting to a combination of outdoor meetings with facemasks and separation plus Zoom meetings as […]

[ISSUE 663 – 20TH YEAR OF HELPING SCOUTS, SCOUTERS, & PARENTS] Hi Andy, I’m hoping we’ll be getting back to real hiking and camping in 2021, so when this starts happening, here’s something I had to figure out along the way and wound up pretty successful. There were times when the ASM or committee member, […]

[ISSUE 662 – 20TH YEAR OF HELPING SCOUTS, SCOUTERS, & PARENTS] Paul Wolf, fellow long-time USSSP.ORG volunteer and our resident expert on BSA advancement (including consultant to BSA National Headquarters folks), told me more about the upcoming “DEI” merit badge. Scouting volunteer Kirk Wood pointed out this BSA post to me also. I’ve included it […]

[ISSUE 661 – 20TH YEAR OF HELPING SCOUTS, SCOUTERS, & PARENTS] Here’s a note about “badge hunting” that’s worth the time to read…and ponder… Hi Andy, Baden-Powell warned us to not let our Scouts get into “badge hunting.” He was—and still is—right! This sort of wrongheaded pursuit interferes with the greater experience to be had […]

Joe Sefcik, a Scoutmaster from Connecticut Rivers Council and a long-time contributor, sent me this article this morning—I’m passing it on to you not only because of these Scouts’ quick-thinking and bravery but because we need some good news about Scouts every now and again—and so does the general public! Sincere thanks to original author, […]

December 24, 1992, Southern California. Early evening. My 12-year-old Scout son and I are hunting for a tree. It’s been a difficult year. I’ve done my best to keep a bright face. Fact is, I’m pretty much in survival mode. I’d become a single parent this year. My business had imploded, the result of a […]

Hi Andy,About that Scout who used an outdated merit badge workbook, I’d like to offer an alternative view on why he grabbed that worksheet and started in before contacting a counselor. My guess is that somewhere along the way, the notion that it’s all about “capturing” the next badge (rather than learning about brand-new stuff […]