In just a few seconds, Power Pivot tables can take your raw Commissioner Tools report data and create advanced reports. The Power Pivot table files were volunteer-developed and are NOT supported by the BSA’s Information Delivery Group. Presently, these tools work only on a Windows-based computer with Excel 2013 and newer; they do not work […]

In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand what we are taught. — Baba Dioum 1968 Quick Concept for Be Considerate of Other Visitors Exploring How to Be Considerate of Other Visitors This activity should take about 40 minutes. What Your Group Will […]

The Scout Oath instills in youth that, “On my honor I will do my best … to help other people at all times.” Emergency care is no exception. The Emergency Care & Safety Institute is providing training materials to help Boy Scouts of America volunteers and staff members teach Scouts how to provide life-saving care […]

Congratulations for stepping up to be the outdoor ethics guide advisor. This is a critical advisor position for the unit. It will challenge you to think about your outdoor experiences in new and positive ways. Your growth may, in some ways, be greater than the youth you are advising.  Our outdoor activities reflect Scouting’s mission […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Spring 2021 Chris Beaver NCS Roundtable Support Chair cbbeaver@gmail.com At this point a year ago, many of us were not necessarily familiar with virtual meeting platforms. Now, we use these online spaces frequently to maintain our connections with each other. We commissioners need this connection and […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Spring 2021 Jeff BostwickRecruiting and Retention Chair  bostwick.jeffrey@gmail.com If you are like me, you might be exhausted with all the new normals we have confronted in the last year. With the upheaval of 2020-2021, you might be craving constancy, not change. So if adapting to change […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Spring 2021   John CherryDevelopment Chair jcherry628@aol.com One of the new areas of focus as we continue to adapt to change is “developing commissioners to enable them to serve units effectively.” Your Commissioner Development team is focused on several areas to support local councils in this effort: […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Spring 2021 Steven LeeProgram Support Chairstevel0923@gmail.com Choose an achievement this year you consider memorable, momentous or a milestone. Maybe the unit you serve achieved an improved JTE. Maybe you set a new record of roundtable attendees. Or on a personal level, maybe your child or grandchild […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Spring 2021 Craig Martin Exploring Chair  bruin1967@aol.com     It is probably an understatement to say that COVID-19, along with the ongoing BSA restructuring, has turned our Scouting and Exploring world upside down. At the beginning of 2020, before the pandemic, the Exploring program had 4,450 […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Spring 2021 Mike MoegenburgMarketing and Communication Chairmikemoegenburg@yahoo.com We are seeing change in many aspects of our lives. We need to adapt to change when it occurs, and as commissioners, we need to communicate that change to others. To adapt to change, you need to be aware […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Summer 2021 Chris BeaverRoundtable Chair cbbeaver@gmail.com As we move into the fall season it will be crucial to engage all unit volunteers through roundtable, meeting each where they are and providing the Unit Service each Scout deserves. In fact, this idea of engagement is key to the […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Summer 2021   John CherryDevelopment Chair jcherry628@aol.com The Boy Scouts of America has been through some challenging times over the last eighteen months! The combined effects of a worldwide pandemic and the bankruptcy have had an impact on many aspects of Scouting. Commissioners are in the perfect […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Summer 2021   John CherryDevelopment Chair jcherry628@aol.com Ninety-two conference participants converged at the Philmont Training Center the week of June 6-12 for the 2021 edition of Commissioner Week. When you add in faculty members and families, there were a total of 163 attendees. Here are some highlights: […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Summer 2021 Steven LeeProgram Support Chairstevel0923@gmail.com Following a year and half of pandemic restrictions and waiting for easements to allow social gathering and traveling, many folks spent this summer enjoying the great outdoors and traveling to see friends and relatives all over the country. Scouting was […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Summer 2021 Craig MartinExploring Chair bruin1967@aol.com Commissioners’ Role in Re-Growing Exploring after Covid-19 Impacts.  Thanks to COVID-19 vaccinations, we are seeing Scouting and Exploring units returning to in-person meetings and activities with proper prevention protocols in place. However, we have a long road in front of us […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Summer 2021 Sean Byrne Resources Chair sppbks@gmail.com  Last month I had the pleasure of giving the keynote presentation at Atlanta Area Council’s quarterly commissioner meeting. My topic was ‘Growing Scouting,’ and it was a slightly expanded version of a talk I gave during Commissioner’s Week at Philmont Training […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Summer 2021 Linda Baker lalbaker@aol.com Council Support Chair  Build Belonging to Grow Scouting Qs: 1. How can Scouting enhance its appeal to youth and young families? How can Scouting retain youth and their families once they’ve joined? A:  According to sociological researchers, the most important factor […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Fall 2021 Linda Bakerlalbaker@aol.comCouncil Support Chair  We’ve all seen or heard the awful results of subjecting people to toxic cultures—how the effects of hurt and frustration and hostility ripple through the world around those people and spread the damage relentlessly. What if we could create and […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Fall 2021 Chris BeaverRoundtable Chair cbbeaver@gmail.com A group’s culture indicates its customs and its achievements. In unit service, we certainly have customs and, in the end, we aim to achieve the mission of the Boy Scouts of America as well as our vision to ensure that each […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Fall 2021   John CherryDevelopment Chair jcherry628@aol.com Be the Heart. Build Relationships. Change Lives These seven words have the capacity to help transform unit service in the Boy Scouts of America. A key element of any successful organization is having a clearly defined and easy to articulate […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Fall 2021 Steven LeeProgram Support Chairstevel0923@gmail.com Following Commissioner Week at the Philmont Training Center this summer, you may have noticed a new slogan from the National Commissioner Service Team: Be the Heart, Build Relationships, Change Lives. As members of the team considered new challenges and opportunities […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Fall 2021 Craig MartinExploring Chair bruin1967@aol.com As a reminder, Exploring is a co-ed program for youth and young adults, ages 10 to 20, which provides opportunities for real-world, hands-on career experiences to help them “Discover Their Future.” The program links young people with mentors and experts affiliated […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Fall 2021 Sean Byrne Resources Chair sppbks@gmail.com  Hopefully by now, you’ve read each of the service team’s articles on the culture of unit service. If you haven’t, I encourage you to stop reading this one and go read those first. Across many of those articles you’ll read quite […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Winter 2022 Chris BeaverRoundtable Chair cbbeaver@gmail.com “When I attend roundtable, I leave energized and refreshed.” This is a sentiment I hear Scouters throughout the BSA express frequently. Truly, something as simple as a monthly gathering can prove to be just the pick-me-up Scouting volunteers need. In fact, […]

Commissioners The Commissioner a publication for commissioners and professionals Winter 2022   John CherryDevelopment Chair jcherry628@aol.com In February 2017, Denzel Washington was speaking at the NAACP Image awards, and this notable quote was part of that speech: “Without commitment, you’ll never start, but importantly, without consistency, you’ll never finish…” Think about how important commitment and consistency […]

Shooting Sports The Boy Scouts of America adheres to its longstanding policy of teaching its youth and adult members the safe, responsible, and intelligent handling, care, and use of firearms, air rifles, BB guns, and archery equipment in planned, carefully managed, and supervised programs. Except for law enforcement officers required to carry firearms within their […]

Cub Scout Day Camps are facilitated by local councils and individuals who serve as camp director, program director or staff adviser must be nationally certified by taking the National Camping School Day Camp Administration section. To be nationally certified as a day camp director, program director or staff adviser, individuals must complete a three-part training […]

Instagram #escapeindoors Contest 2020 Official Rules Boy Scouts of America Instagram Contest Official Rules NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER Eligibility: Entrants must be legal residents of the United States to enter the Instagram Contest” (“Contest”). Entrants must be 13 years of age or older at the time of entering. Employees of Boy Scouts of America […]

SUMMARY Camping is a long-honored tradition for many families, including the BSA family. Timing, supplies, and location should be determined ahead of time so you can make the most of your camping experience. There might be some instances where you overthink or underestimate a camping trip, but there are also many ways to enjoy the […]

The Den Meeting is the most important part of Cub Scouting.  It is where Cub Scouts build friendships, work together to learn new things, and progress towards earning their common badge of rank.  Serving as a Den Leader is providing an opportunity to make a positive life long impact on your child and others in […]