– Bryan On Scouting

If you loved exploring the ideas in our “Five games for virtual den meetings” post, the Cub Scout volunteer Facebook community is about to make your day! Cub Chat Live, our weekly Cub Scout-focused Facebook Live show, recently challenged viewers to create a list of 25 virtual den meeting ideas in 30 minutes. In true…

Blake Little plays Minecraft. (Photo courtesy of Blake Little) At first glance, videogames might seem antithetical to the spirit of Scouting. They’re often played alone, inside, in front of a screen. But a recent event put on by Troop 12 of Clinton, Miss. (Andrew Jackson Council), suggests that maybe it’s time to take another look…

Greg Bedell had prostate cancer. He didn’t know, though. It was discovered thanks to the BSA physical exam that eventually led to the diagnosis. “Scouting saved my life,” he says. “This is not an exaggeration.” Before joining his son on a Philmont Scout Ranch trek in 2019, Bedell, a committee chair with Troop 55 of…

Scouts from Surrey, England, show their Scout sign. (Photo courtesy of Neil Jones) In 1940, Scouting magazine encouraged volunteers to connect with troops in other countries and exchange “cheerful, friendly letters — filled to the brim with chatty, bright good news.” “Let there go out from America a great wish — a prayer that soon all…

Earning the Eagle Scout Award can open the door to many career opportunities, and as Scouts study for those careers, the National Eagle Scout Association can help. Several scholarship opportunities are available to active NESA members (click here to learn how to join). Last year, NESA awarded 53 scholarships to Eagle Scouts representing the BSA’s…

Hank Aaron films a BSA public service announcement in the 1970s. (BSA file photo) Henry “Hank” Aaron, the baseball Hall of Famer who joined Scouting as a boy and continued to support the movement throughout his life, died on Friday. He was 86. Hammerin’ Hank is often incorrectly regarded as an Eagle Scout, but he…

Both photos courtesy of Erin Addington This is Unsung Heroes, a Bryan on Scouting blog series celebrating under-reported acts of Scouting heroism. These are stories that don’t make national headlines — but should. That’s doubly true in this world that can always use more good news. Read the latest story below, and find instructions for…

Photo courtesy of Ken Meybaum Benjamin Meybaum was hiking with his family along the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania when he spotted the sign. The modest wooden marker, a little faded by its years outside, read: “This site was made as an Eagle Scout project.” It listed the Eagle Scout’s name (Josh Custer) and the project…

Next week, Scout Life and #TrekAt2 are going all in on a science experiment you and your kids can do at home along with the show. Science Museum Oklahoma‘s museum educator Kirsten Therkelson will join the Facebook Live to demonstrate how to perform the “Magic Milk” experiment, answer questions and talk about some of the…

When he taught merit badge classes at Woodland Trails Scout Reservation in Ohio, Andrew Wheeler wanted Scouts to know the importance of conservation and environmental issues we face. It’s still his mission as the 15th administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To commemorate the agency’s 50th anniversary last year, the Boy Scouts of America…