Scouting Programs

Whitewater Rafting BSA Award

January 7, 2019 by The Scouter Digest Staff

The Whitewater Rafting BSA Award was launched last summer to assist the many Scouting units that participate in rafting trips conducted by outfitters. The Whitewater Rafting BSA Award recognizes the challenge and adventure of such activities.

The award is available to BSA youth and adults who are members of Scouts BSA, Venturing, or Sea Scout units.

Requirements for the award focus on safety and basic paddling skills on whitewater up to Class III. All instruction and skill completions are directly supervised by a professionally trained or licensed rafting guide. A qualified raft captain must be in each raft during the required trip. Participants must help power and control the raft with paddles.

A new resource brochure is now available on the aquatics page of scouting.org at https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/WW-Rafting-brochure-6-28-18.pdf to support units and outfitters in completing the Award. Check it out while you are planning your next whitewater rafting trip.

Happy New Year! Scoutbook Is Now Free for Scouts and Scout Units

January 2, 2019 by The Scouter Digest Staff

Authored by Bryan Wendell, this post originally appeared on Bryan on Scouting: A blog for the BSA’s Adult Leaders, January 1, 2019.

Fellow Scouters, 2019 is off to a great start.

Scoutbook, the Boy Scouts of America’s online tool for managing and tracking Scouting advancement, is now completely, totally, 100 percent free. The change became official today — Jan. 1, 2019.

Longtime users know how Scoutbook makes it easy (and fun!) for Scouts, parents and leaders to track advancement and milestone achievements along the Scouting trail.

Before 2019, individuals, units or councils paid a small annual fee — up to $1 per Scout per year — to access Scoutbook’s suite of unit-management features.

In 2019 and beyond, those same great features are available for the best possible price: $0.

Now everyone can learn what more than 1 million users already know: Scoutbook can improve your Scouting experience.

Here’s what else you need to know:

How will my unit be affected?

Units with a current Scoutbook account will continue to use Scoutbook as before.
Councils that provide Scoutbook accounts for their units will no longer need to manage a subscription process for units starting a new account.
Units without a current Scoutbook account will be able to access Scoutbook free on Scoutbook.com and elsewhere.

How will subscriptions/renewals work in 2019 and beyond?

The need to subscribe or renew annually will become unnecessary.

Once your unit is on Scoutbook, you’ll be set for as long as your unit would like to continue using this free tool.

How will making Scoutbook free affect its performance?

Scoutbook will only continue to improve.

The BSA IT and Member Care teams will continue to support Scoutbook with their timely service and quality resources. Scoutbook performance enhancements have been implemented regularly over the years, and its performance is continually monitored. That will continue.

What’s new in this release of Scoutbook?

Scoutbook has a new Single Sign On (SSO) process that will allow users to easily create accounts with the same properties as my.scouting accounts.

You’ll use the same account credentials (username and password) for both platforms. This makes things much easier for users by streamlining the login process.

For details, consult this list of Frequently Asked Questions [PDF], which includes a step-by-step guide for use of SSO.

Where can I get more information about this change in Scoutbook?

Keep an eye on Scoutbook.com for all the latest updates.

If you still have questions, you can always contact the friendly and helpful folks at Scoutbook support. Their email: Scoutbook.support@scouting.org

Hooked on Scouting Program Angles to Draw Area Youth to Scouting and Fishing

October 30, 2018 by The Scouter Digest Staff

As part of our fall recruitment campaign, NCAC adopted the theme of “Hooked On Scouting”. During the months of September and October, new Scouts who registered received a free piece of custom NCAC fishing gear, plus an invitation to a local fishing event where they were able to practice their fishing skills, learn more about Scouting, and meet some of the amazing volunteers who make Scouting in our Council the success that it is. Participating Scouts had a blast, catching a few trophies and a lot of smiles.

NCAC Bids Farewell to Snyder Camping Director, Michael Snowden

October 30, 2018 by The Scouter Digest Staff

On Sunday, September 23, several hundred Scouters from across the Council gathered in the dining hall of Camp William B. Snyder to celebrate the life of former Camp Snyder Camping Director Michael Snowden.

Michael passed away unexepectedly in August of this year. In his time with our Council, he made a lasting mark at Snyder, driving it to achieve its full potential and energetically creating a superior experience for all those he hosted there.

For those who had the privilege of getting to know him, he is remembered as a uniquely warm and kind individual who possessed a drive to succeed in all that he did.

NCAC asks that you please continue to keep Michael and his loved ones in your prayers. As you mourn his passing, we also encourage you to take the time to celebrate his life by sharing your memories. As a co-worker, a colleague, or most importantly, a friend, he will certainly be missed by all of us in the NCAC community.

He has gone home.

Family Camp: Two Camps, Twice the Fun!

October 30, 2018 by The Scouter Digest Staff

For the first time this year, Goshen had two Family Camps – one during Memorial Day Weekend and one during Labor Day Weekend. The inaugural Memorial Day Family Camp had good turnout for the new event. It was a little stormy, but campers crammed in fun in the sunny mornings at Aquatics and Shooting Sports and then, when the storms came in the afternoon, tried their hand at crafts in Handicraft. The event was popular enough that Goshen is happy to announce it will be offering Memorial Day Family Camp again in 2019!

The traditional Labor Day Family Camp once again had great attendance this year and had the full range of activities. Families could have fun shooting rifles and BB’s, test their skills at archery, go swimming and boating, fly on the giant swing, and more. It was a little rainy on Saturday, but that didn’t stop the hike to the Swimming Hole, where families could hop in and float down the river. The sky was nice and clear the next day for the Viewing Rock Hike, which afforded those who went beautiful views. In addition to swimming and boating, Aquatics also offered tours of the lake on the pontoon boat.

The newest aspect of Family Camp during the Labor Day Weekend was the return of the Saturday evening Square Dance. Way back in the day, the Square Dance was a staple of Family Camp, but it gradually faded away as there was no one who knew how to call. Lucky for Goshen, one of the current summer camp staff members, Lauren Brown, knows how to call from her off-season job at an outdoor school. She led much of the camp in square dancing and line dancing at Forster Hall. Everyone had a fantastic time and we’re looking forward to adding the Square Dance back in as a regular event at Goshen’s Family Camps.

Family Camp closed off, as usual, with the Sunday evening campfire. Families, Troops, Packs, Staff, and Staff Alumni shared their favorite songs and skits before heading back to their campsites for bed.

Miss out on the fun? Want to come back again? Join us for Family Camping fun in 2019. Goshen Family Camps will be offered Memorial Day Weekend (May 24-27, 2019) and Labor Day Weekend (August 30-September 2, 2019). The cost is $20 per person. Bring your own tent, bring your own food, and Goshen supplies the program. All ages are welcome. Registration is already open! Learn more and sign up at www.gotogoshen.org/family-camp.

Wood Shop Opens at Camp Snyder

October 30, 2018 by The Scouter Digest Staff

Looking for a great place to work on your Eagle Project? Would your Pack or Den like to hold a Pinewood Derby clinic? Would you like to add a service project to a weekend camping event? Camp William B. Snyder is pleased to announce the opening of its new wood shop. The wood shop is fully outfitted and with approximately 1200 square feet of floor space and 150 sq. ft. of work benches, there is ample space to handle projects of all sizes.

We are very excited to have this facility up and running. We are expecting to be able to offer new events and merit badge opportunities throughout the year and to offer expanded program activities for our summer camps. In addition, the space will be available for Scout, Unit or District events and service projects. We have created a photo gallery for the wood shop which shows the space, tools available and the many safety features of the shop. It will be available shortly on our website.

An official grand opening and open house will be held during the Scout Expo at Camp Snyder on November 17, 2018. Demonstrations will be scheduled throughout the day and our volunteer Shop Stewards will be on hand to answer questions about the facility.

This has been another great example of how volunteers have added tremendous value to Camp Snyder. From the initial planning and throughout the construction, this project has been completed with 100% volunteer labor. We would like to thank all the volunteers who have contributed their time, tools and equipment to the construction and outfitting of the shop. We would like to specifically recognize Dave Schneeman, CJ Staton and Mell Cunningham for their countless hours of effort in planning and construction of the shop and Dick Meyers, Mitch Lynch and Pack 1860 for their generous donations of equipment and tools. In addition, we would like thank Cole Howell who arranged for the donation of all of the electrical supplies needed for the project as well as for his time in making all of the final electrical connections.

We will be continuously seeking to improve the offering and capabilities of the shop. If you would like to purchase a tool or supplies for the shop or if you have tools, supplies or equipment that you would like to donate, a list of needed items is posted on the website. We are also looking for experienced woodworkers to serve as Shop Stewards to help maintain & operate the shop. If you have tools or equipment to donate, or if you are interested in volunteering as a Shop Steward, please email Dave Schneeman at dschneeman@cox.net.

We hope to see you at our open house on November 17. If you have questions or would like to visit the shop, please contact Phil Barbash at Philip.Barbash@Scouting.Org.