Program Planning for October 2024
Things to Remember This Month:
- Train New and Incoming and Returning Unit Leaders
- Register for National Youth Leadership Training
- Cub Advancement Resources Help Parents Lead and Succeed
- Follow-Up on BeAScout Leads!
October Council Events
OA Fall Fellowship
October 4-6
*New Date* A weekend of fun activities for Order of the Arrow members.
LEARN MOREIstrouma Area Council Scout Skills / Webelos Woods
October 11-13
Scout Skills Weekend is designed to give Webelos and Arrow of Light Scouts (W/AoL Scouts) and their parents a small preview of the Scouts BSA experience. The program reinforces Scouting values, procedures, methods, and skills.
REGISTERCub Haunted Weekend
October 25-27
Join Cub Scouts this Fall for a Howl-arious Family Camping Event. A fun filled weekend at Avondale Scout Reservation which includes: Dr. Frankenstein's STEM Lab, Haunted Trail, BB Guns, Archery and Wrist Rockets, Costume Contests, and more!
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Cub Scout Position Specific Leadership Training
October 3
Join us for position specific training for Den Leader, Committee Member, Cub Master and Committee Chair training.
Order of the Arrow: Polestar Induction Training
TBD
Event will be rescheduled and posted when dates are available. Join us for three (3) trainings in one Order of the Arrow weekend: Elections training, Polestar: Induction Leadership Training, and Elangomat training.
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Nuclear Sciences Merit Badge Day @ River Bend
October 19
The Nuclear Science merit badge lets Scouts learn about this exciting field at the cutting edge of science, and to learn about America's largest baseload electricity source that does not contribute to global warming.
CLASS FULLNRA Shotgun Instructor Training
October 19-20
16-hour course teaches the knowledge, skills and attitude essential to organizing, promoting and teaching NRA’s Basic Shotgun and Instructor Shooting course.
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STEM Club
October 5
ALL Scouts (Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, and Sea Scouting/ Venturing programs) along with NOVA Counselors are welcome to join us monthly, as you can.
LEARN MORENorthshore District Roundtable
October 10
Monthly program offered by Northshore District that gives leaders hands-on experience and provides a forum for leaders to offer and receive help from their fellow Scouters.
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Central, Southern, and Western District Roundtable
October 17
Monthly program offered by Central, Southern and Western District that gives leaders hands-on experience and provides a forum for leaders to offer and receive help from their fellow Scouters.
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Sporting Clays @ Covey Rise
October 18
The course is set to be a fun shoot for all skill levels, but some stations will challenge even the expert marksman!
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Popcorn - Take Order Entry Due in Camp Masters
October 20
Complete the entry of Take Orders for your Pack or Troop. Entry must be completed no later than October 20, 2024. Be sure to determine the prizes and/or patches to order from Keller Prize Program.
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OLE MISS @ LSU
October 12
This fundraising opportunity is open to all Scouts BSA, Venturers, Explorers and their leaders and parents.
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October Planning Items
Other Notable Activities
- St. Tammany Parish Fair - October 4-6
- Washington Parish Fair - October 11-12
- LSU @ Arkansas - October 19
- LSU @ Texas A&M - October 26
- Halloween! - October 31
Follow-Up on BeAScout Leads!
The Fall Media Campaign has driven traffic to BeAScout.org up more than 33.3% over 2023. That means more and more people are visiting the site, which makes it more important than ever for units to follow-up on their BeAScout leads. Flyers, yard signs, social media content and many other marketing tactics are driving potential Scouting families to beascout.org. Many of those people reach out to get questions answered and/or apply to become members.
The system, though, is not automatic. Each unit must respond to those "leads" and accept those new members. The more often a unit checks the system for those leads, the better the experience will be for those potential Scouting families. For information on how to manage BeAScout leads, visit this site: https://www.scouting.org/resources/online-registration/
Let's help families connect with Scouting!
Advancement Resources for Leaders and Parents
By now, you’re really into Handbook Advancement and Adventures. The Cub Scout Advance link from the Atlanta Area Council will take you to resource pages for Adventures, and give you – and the parents in your Den – helpful information to be great leaders of your Scouts. Each Adventure resource page has the Den Leader Guide Plan, simpler “streamlined” plans for most “required” adventures, and similar simple “family led” plans for every Adventure. Plus all of the native content from “Scouting on Demand”, and even more videos (like BSA videos en español) and resource links to keep you smarter than your Scout.
Changes to the Webelos and Arrow of Light Programs
The Webelos program confused parents, leaders, and even professional staff. Webelos officially referred to all Cub Scouts in 4th and 5th grade which was different compared to the other ranks where each rank is specific to one grade. Several leaders started using the terms Webelos I and Webelos II to identify which group was working on the Webelos badge of rank and which group was working on the Arrow of Light badge of rank. The purpose of the Webelos program was to prepare Cub Scouts to join Scouts BSA. After reviewing the program, it wasn’t clear how the current 2-year Webelos program was accomplishing this objective, aside from the required Arrow of Light Adventure – Scouting Adventure. It was also identified that it was not necessary to take 18 to 24 months to prepare a Cub Scout to join Scouts BSA. This is what led to the decision to make the Arrow of Light a stand-alone badge of rank to prepare Cub Scouts to join Scouts BSA. Additional FAQ's can be located at Cub Scout Program Updates FAQs 1/3/2024.
Youth Protection and Barriers to Abuse FAQs
Adult Supervision
Two registered adult leaders 21 years of age or over are required at all Scouting activities, including all meetings. There must be a registered female adult leader 21 years of age or over in every unit serving females. A registered female adult leader 21 years of age or over must be present for any activity involving female youth or female adult program participants.
Notwithstanding the minimum leader requirements, age and program-appropriate supervision must always be provided.
All adults staying overnight in connection with a Scouting activity must be currently registered as an adult volunteer or an adult program participant. Adult volunteers must register in the position(s) they are serving in. Registration as a merit badge counselor position does not meet this requirement. See FAQ for list of approved adult registration fee required positions.
One-on-one contact between adult leaders and youth members is prohibited both inside and outside of Scouting.
- In situations requiring a personal conference, the meeting is to be conducted with the knowledge and in view of other adults and/or youth.
- Private online communications (texting, phone calls, chat, IM, etc.) must include another registered leader or parent.
- Communication by way of social media (Facebook, Snapchat, etc.) must include another registered leader or parent.
Does a Cub Scout parent or legal guardian have to be a registered leader to participate in a Cub Scout overnight program with their own child/ward?
No. However, they cannot serve as unit or den two deep leadership or supervision.
I am an adult attending a pack, troop, crew, or ship overnight activity, do I have to be registered?
Yes, if you participate/stay overnight, you must be currently registered as an adult volunteer or as an adult program participant. Adult volunteers must register in the position(s) they are serving in and be approved by their charter partner where applicable.
For example, a parent attending a Scouts BSA campout could register as a committee member, unit Scouter reserve, Assistant Scoutmaster etc., depending on their unit role. Adults may select from the list in the FAQ below of adult leader position options provided in the “Registration Guidebook of the Boy Scouts of America” that is available for their unit type.
Also, see Cub Scout Exception for parents or legal guardians. The 2024 Registration Guidebook can be found by logging in to MyBSA>Resources>BSA Resources>Registration Resources> Manuals, Resources & Reference Guides.
More FAQ's can be found at Youth Protection FAQs.
Scout/Scouter Membership Renewal
Every Scout/Scouter must renew with the Boy Scouts of America annually. We are now in the beginning period of membership renewals from those that signed up last year as part of the new 12-month membership outside of the old recharter process. Key 3 leadership can review the list of members due to renew by logging into your my.scouting.org account and then follow the directions in the "Unit Pay for Member Renewal" below. Volunteers/parents should also receive an email to renew at my.scouting.org>my application>my renewal. Please see the "Infographic Membership Renewal" and communicate with your unit to renew.
Important Note: Adult members’ Youth Protection Training (YPT) must be valid past the expiration date. The system will allow members to go through the renewal process and pay the fees, but the membership will not renew if YPT is not valid at the start of the new membership period. If you have any questions, please contact your District Executive or Margaret Brown @ 225-926-2697.