New Birth of Freedom Council, BSA Website for the New Birth of Freedom Council, BSA
Thank you to everyone that joined us for the February 2021 Council-wide Roundtable. We had a great meeting and we hope that all of the participants were able to get a lot of good information on how to KEEP SCOUTING and to do so safely.
We shared that during the presentation we would share both the slide deck and the recording from the meeting. A list of additional resources is below.
Updated 2/11/2021
Announcements
- Next Roundtable, Thursday, March 4 at 7pm – Register Here
- April Roundtable, Thursday, April 8 at 7pm – Register Here (note this is a week later because of Easter)
- Nut Patches for the Popcorn and Nuts Sales are available to pick up at the Council Service Centers
- Scouting for Food Patches are available to pick up at the Council Service Centers starting February 12
- Blood Drive information is available here.
- National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) Registration is open – Register Here
- Wood Badge has moved to August 27-29 and September 11-12 – Register Here
- Boys’ Life has changed name to Scout Life get the details here.
- Friends of Scouting Campaign will be different this year. Please, contact your District Executive or District Friends of Scouting Chair to schedule a virtual presentation or an in-person presentation. You can find out more details about this year’s Friends of Scouting campaign here.
- Order of the Arrow Update
- Elections will be held virtually January to March
- More information on the election process and how to renew dues can be found here.
- Instructions for printing Membership Cards and Charter Certificates for 2021 can be found here.
- Mark calendars for this year’s leader training courses. Register here.
- Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills (IOLS) for Scoutmasters and Assistant Scoutmasters- April 9-10 and April 30-May 1
- Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) for Cub Scout Leaders – April 23-24 and May 14-15
- Make sure you don’t miss any upcoming events by downloading the 2020-21 Council Calendar here.
COVID-19 Update
- Most current updates are available here.
- Service Centers have new hours starting March one. Read the announcement here.
- Scout Shops hours will continue to follow their own schedule
- National Council updated COVID Guidance from 1/14/21 available here. Key highlights include:
- Updates on In-Person Meeting Guidelines
- No current plans to nationally require COVID-19 vaccines for 2021 Camping Season
- No extension or waiver for Part C of the medical form
- Units may not partner to hold their own BSA summer camp outside of a BSA approved camp. Exceptions are units sponsored by the same chartered partner (see more explanation in Q&A)
- Minor tweaks to completing rank advancements virtually (Scouts BSA)
- Klondike Derbies
- Unit leaders will need to provide unit roster and individual COVID screening form for every participant
- All guidelines for mask wearing, social distancing, and building capacities are in place
Program Fee Study Committee Update
- Next meeting is scheduled for 2/10/2021
- Members of the Committee
- Chair – Randy Cline
- Vice Chair – Shawn Leppo
- Battlefield Representatives
- Bob Smith – District Chair
- Ed Tharp – Troop/Crew 107
- Bev Taylor – Troop 88
- Conococheague Representatives
- Teresa Brush – District
- Rich Saunders – Pack/Troop 92
- Chip Stoehr – Pack 136
- Heritage Trails Representatives
- Jim Mooney – District Vice Chair Finance
- Jim Jones – Troop 35
- Kevin Mather – Pack 57
- Keystone Capital Representatives
- Michael Sargent – District
- Douglas Baker – Troop 262
- Mike Glass – Pack/Troop 74
- Pioneer Representatives
- Bob Badders – District Chair
- Matt Culbertson – Pack/Troop 168
- Ben Rupp – Pack/Troop 270/284
- Executive Board Representatives
- Art Williams
- Scot Chadwick
- Dave Wywras
Spring Membership Campaign
- Get all of the details on the spring membership campaign here.
- Register your unit for the Spring Recruitment Campaign here.
- Register your unit for the Active Summer Pack challenge here.
- Summertime Pack Award details here.
Advancement Updates
- Cub Scout Advancement Extension
- Cub Scout units can set their own dates for the “end” of their advancement year
- Scouts recruited in the Spring may choose to work on requirements into the fall or follow program rollover in June
- Arrow of Light Scouts should discuss with their pack and future troop plans for completing requirements. Once the Scout joins the troop they can no longer work on Arrow of Light requirements
- Packs should discuss with families the best options for summer camp taking into account these requirement changes
Cub Scout Adventure Camp
Camping
- Join Project Hercules at Camp Tuckahoe at our monthly Service Days here.
- Attend Chainsaw Basic Certification here.
- Rendezvous
- Save the date for September 24-26, 2021
- Activities will follow a medieval theme
- Summer Camp 2021
- Get more information and sign up for the 2021 Cub and Webelos Camping Opportunities here.
- Leader Guides should be available the week of February 8
- Get more information and sign up for the 2021 Scouts BSA Summer Programs here.
- Leader Guides are available here.
- Reasons to Consider Camping In-Council this summer
- Summer COVID-19 restrictions are unknown
- Travel restrictions may limit summer camp options
- Staying close to home is a safer option
- Gives support to our local Council Camps
- Camp Staff Opportunities here.
- Get more information and sign up for the 2021 Cub and Webelos Camping Opportunities here.
Camp Cards
- Camp Card Kickoff recording available here.
- Register Here for the 2021 Camp Card Sale
- Place your Order for 2021 Camp Cards here.
- Get all of the details of the sale here.
Questions and Answers from Roundtable
General
Q: What is the best way to get patches or pick up other items from the Service Center with limited hours?
A: You can let your District Executive know when you think someone is available to pick up the items from the office. We have left items at the Scout Shops for pick up or have been able to make alternate arrangements. There are days that even though the office is closed someone may be there for you to pick items up. If we have a little advance notice, we can work with you.
Q: What is the updated information on the Diversity Merit Badge?
A: There are no new updates from the announcement made at the January Roundtable. The new badge is still indefinitely delayed. You can read that announcement here.
COVID-19 Updates
Q: Is the guidance on units not planning activities together for all unit activities or just summer camp or resident camps?
A: The guidance in the updated COVID-19 guidelines specifically pertains to resident camping activities. Units that want to do activities with other units such as going on a field trip, a hike, participating in a ceremony, working together on a service project, etc. are welcome to do so as long as leadership requirements and youth protection requirements are followed for each unit.
This guidance prohibits units from different chartered partners from conducting their own, multi-day summer camp or weekend camp experience without obtaining district or council approvals. This guidance does not prohibit a unit from having their own summer camp or weekend camp experience, nor does it prohibit units who share a chartered parter (i.e. a troop and a crew) from working together. National prohibits this kind of event or camping due to the chartered organization partnership structure at the core of our unit operations and to keep Scouts safe. BSA approved camps or camping facilities whether run by a local BSA council, the National council, or another organization are all required to meet specific health and safety guidelines. Programs that operate outside of those guidelines have a greater risk for health and safety issues and create greater liability risk for those conducting the camp as well as the chartered organizations that sponsor the units.
What about Merit Badges? Units are welcome to work together on merit badges as well. There is nothing that says a merit badge counselor cannot be working with Scouts from multiple troops at the same time. However, if merit badge instruction starts to move away from a single merit badge counselor working with a diverse group of Scouts and starts to resemble a merit badge college, there is a separate approval process that units must follow before proceeding. For more details on this specific topic, please see our Merit Badge College resources here.
If at any time you have questions, please reach out to your District Executive.
Training
Q: When will the patches for the University of Scouting be ready to be picked up?
A: University of Scouting patches will be mailed to participants by the end of the week of February 8.
Membership
Q: In the Save A Scout Campaign, will the $25 new member fee be waived for those Scouts who are rejoining?
A: The $25 fee is only assessed to those youth that are joining a Scouting unit for the first time. If they are rejoining Scouting either in the same unit or in a new unit, the $25 new member fee is not assessed.
Q: Who are the contacts for membership and recruitment?
A: You can contact your District Executive or…
- Council Membership Chair – Matt Haar
- Battlefield Membership Chair – Krystal Landis
- Conococheague Membership Chair – Ray Landrum
- Heritage Trails Membership Chair – Bridget Kohler
- Keystone Capital Membership Chair – Joan Nissley
Camping
Q: Will there be Tiger Camp this summer?
A: Yes, you can get details on Tiger Camp here.
Q: What is the official position from the council about our units going out of state (i.e. Maryland)?
A: We don’t have a position. You need to follow PA Department of Health guidelines. Please, make sure you are familiar with them. Currently, travel to other states is not as problematic as returning. For instance, if a unit went camping out of state today, PA requires that on return you either quarantine or get a negative COVID test.
Q: Can you provide more details on the non-refundable summer camp deposits?
A: For Scouts BSA programs, when units make a $60 non-refundable deposit, they are reserving a spot in their week of camp. This spot is typically associated with a youth registration. If a troop is planning to bring 10 Scouts to camp, the troop would make a $600 deposit ($60 for each Scout), which reserves 10 spaces. The 10 spaces are used how the unit sees fit. If a Scout backs out and the unit has another Scout add, the unit has still used the 10 spaces they have. The non-refundable part comes into play if the unit’s numbers drop below the original deposit number. If the troop made 10 deposits and only ends up bringing 9 Scouts, then the 1 $60 deposit for that Scout is non-refundable. The deposits also are used to begin the merit badge registration process. Scouts cannot start to reserve seats in merit badge classes without a deposit. Registration for merit badge classes opens on March 1. Those Scouts who have a deposit will be able to sign up for merit badge classes starting that day. If your unit doesn’t make a deposit unit April or May, or if you want to add additional Scouts then, that is no problem. It only means that some merit badges or programs may be unavailable because the class has already filled up. To make sure you get the merit badges you want, make your deposit and reservations early, but you can register Scouts to attend camp at any time. If you have further questions, please reach out to Director of Camping, Todd Weidner at Todd.weidner@scouting.org.
