What homesickness research can teach parents and leaders before camp starts Your Scout might miss home at summer camp. That does not mean they are not ready. It does not mean camp is going badly. And it does not mean you failed to prepare them. Most Scouts who struggle at summer camp are not dealing … Read more
Cub Scouts can feel hard to read from the outside. You see uniforms, camping trips, Pinewood Derby cars, signup forms, and words like “Pack” and “den,” and it seems like everyone else already understands how this whole thing works. But most parents are trying to answer a much simpler question: Can our family realistically do … Read more
Most of us take pride in how we run a meeting. We plan them after work and reshuffle things when something runs long, keeping a game in our back pocket in case attention drifts. For that hour, maybe ninety minutes, we’re fully in it. We’re trying to make Scouting feel alive. And then the meeting … Read more
Something that seemed far-fetched not long ago suddenly feels plausible. Over the last week, ICE agents have shown up at schools during the day and even entered daycares while kids were there. As a Cubmaster with a responsibility to keep Scouts safe, watching that unfold led me to a question I never thought I’d have … Read more
On December 1, 2025, the Port of Los Angeles told Greater Los Angeles Scouting that they must leave the Cabrillo Beach Youth Center by December 31. This 12-acre waterfront site has hosted Scouts for almost 80 years, but it will soon become a training center for Olympic sailing teams preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles … Read more
The Family Troop model will be available nationwide starting December 15, 2025. After a year-long pilot in 174 councils, Scouts BSA has decided to make it a permanent choice, alongside traditional boy and girl troops. If you’re a Scoutmaster and want to know what this means for your unit, here’s what you need to know … Read more
Sean Magennis became Scouting America’s executive vice president of membership engagement in July—the first EVP focused exclusively on membership. Previously, he served as global president and COO of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and his strategies for recruitment and retention will likely touch every unit in the organization. In a recent interview with Scouting Magazine, Magennis … Read more
The recent NPR story reporting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is preparing to end the Pentagon’s century-long partnership with Scouting America has created a lot of confusion about what Scouting is and about the role of our government and military within the organization. From being an Eagle Scout that’s attended multiple National Jamborees to my … Read more
Today, Scouting America has 236 local councils, compared to 543 in 1949. This steady consolidation is part of a long-term strategy, and the pace has picked up recently, with five major mergers announced or completed between 2024 and 2025. If you’ve heard about mergers in your council or nearby, you’re seeing a planned effort to … Read more
Nobody tells you this when your kid joins Cub Scouts, but everyone else is just as confused as you are. As a Cubmaster, I’ve seen countless families arrive at their first pack meeting, filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Standing in contrast to the smile on their face, under the table, they’re Googling … Read more