WHAT'S HOT?

Membership Fee Increase

Please see this important message in regards to the national membership fee increase...[Read more]

United Way of Hancock County Coordinating Hurricane Relief Collection for Texas

United Way of Hancock County is coordinating a two-day collection of items needed for victims of Hurricane Harvey...[Read more]

9 days until September 14th, 7PM Rocket Into Scouting, see helpful resources your unit received at kickoff!

Social Media Posts

Social Media-Like Black Swamp Area Council on Facebook and share our Rocket Into Scouting posts. It’s a great way to get friends and families within your area exposed to Scouting. Twitter and Instagram also great platforms. Utilize #rocketintoscouting #beascout or #blackswampscouting for any hashtags or Instagram photo updates. Feel free to share posts from Black Swamp Area Council Facebook page to your posts. There is also a feature on Facebook where you can add a Cub Scout frame to your profile picture that says “Proud Scout family, ask me how to join the Pack”.

Final tips in promoting your packs sign up night!

• Many of you have your yard signs up and have conducted open house booths within your schools to get families engaged for Rocket Into Scouting!
• The most successful way to get kids signed up is to ASK! Sharing Scouting experiences and opportunities with a neighbor or friend who has a child has a tremendous impact and increases their chance of participation. Millennials gravitate toward first hand experiences and recommendations. Just think, if a pack of 10 youth had each member ask a friend to be in Scouts, the unit can double to 20 boys relatively easily. The number one reason why a boy does not participate is because he or the family isn’t asked. 
• Have your Scout where their uniform to school on your Joining Night! This is a great way to dress for success and remind your friends about the sign up night.
• Grab a yard sign at either of the Scout offices and display proudly at your place of business or home.
• Encourage families to go to Beascout.org and find their Pack.

Youth Welcome Packet – click here 

Deliver the Promise

Fall Family Festival

Fall District Camporees

Be sure to put your district's camporee on your schedule for this fall...[Read more]    

Council Shooting Sports Day

All Boy Scouts and Venturers: Come out to Camp Lakota on Saturday, September 9 for the Council Shooting Sports Day. Registration is OPEN here. Open shoots include archery, rifle and shotgun. Pistol will be available for Venturers only.   

Popcorn Sign Up Still Open

Units interested in selling popcorn, who have not yet signed up, now is your time to get registered.  Just click the link http://prpopcorn.com/ and register, that’s it! If your unit did not receive their popcorn kit, please get in contact with your District Kernel to receive it. You can find the District Kernel list here.

Do You Need Training?

Are you wondering where you take training? Look no further...[Read more]

Unit Committee Training Pack and Troop

The Executive Board of the Black Swamp Area Council adopted a training requirement for adult volunteers in the council in 2012. Those training requirements are being phased in over a number of years. The goal of the training is to enhance the programs offered to our youth members so that more of them will stay in Scouting. Since the implementation of the training requirement, year over year the council has had an increase in youth retention...[Read more]

Don't miss these community events happening this fall!

Join us for two days of fun at Camp Berry and Camp Lakota...[Read more]

Online Registration Is Here

This year, units will have the opportunity to accept new youth applications into your unit. Units can also invite people to register within your unit. Key unit leadership such as committee chair, charter organization representative, and cubmaster/scoutmaster will have access to online registration. All this will be done through your my.scouting.org account.  For additional information, please see http://www.scouting.org/onlineregistration.aspx

Cub Scout Rank Addendums

As of December 2016, addendums were added to the Cub Scout ranks advancements. These addendums are free and can be downloaded and printed...[Read more]

New Enhancements to the Lion (kindergarten) program

Based on the feedback, surveys, and focus groups, we encourage you to execute the following changes in delivering the Lion program this fall. 

Changes for 2017-2018:

• Pack meeting and activities-Open up as optional to Lion families. Look for ways to actively involve Lions and include them in program, skits, etc. Lions want more Pack involvement.
• Pinewood Derby-Open up to Lions as appropriate for the Pack. Three options are recommended for Lions: 1) Integrate into Pack with other Cub Scouts as Pack decides. 2) Use the wedge car from the Scout Shop to eliminate cutting, etc. 3) Have Lions do a Veggie Car Derby—information on website.
• Fundraising-Allow as a family option—Make fundraising an optional activity for Lion families. Although they do not want mandatory levels of funds to raise, families indicated they do want to have the option. Spring Fundraising is encouraged. If popcorn is sold by Lions, then Show and Sell with older boys and parents would be the preference—door to door only if the parent is by the youth’s side.
• Uniforms-Keep Lion T-shirt as required uniform with optional cap. But allow families to buy official blue Cub Scout button down or pants as desired for special occasions and Pack ceremonies.

For full article - https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2017/08/14/bsas-lion-pilot-program-for-kindergarteners-is-off-to-a-roaring-start/

Download the Lion Pilot Feedback here.

Download the Lions Program Overview here.

Download the Lions Program Request Form here.

See a mom's account of what it means to be a lion here.

The way Scouts earn Eagle Palms is about to change

Eagle Palms are bronze, gold and silver awards presented to young men who earn five, 10, 15 or more merit badges beyond the 21 required to become an Eagle Scout...[Read more]

AmazonSmile

Do you love the convenience of shopping online at Amazon? Why not give back when you order!

AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service but Amazon will donate 0.5% of qualified purchases back to the Black Swamp Area Council when you shop at smile.amazon.com. Giving back is easy! When you go to smile.amazon.com, select Black Swamp Area Council, Boy Scouts of America as your charitible organization and Amazon will do the rest!

This is how BSA members can participate in the 2019 World Scout Jamboree at SBR

The 2017 National Jamboree has ended, and the countdown to the 2019 World Scout Jamboree has begun.

The 24th World Scout Jamboree will be held at the BSA’s new permanent Jamboree home: the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia. It’s actually co-hosted by three Scout organizations: the Boy Scouts of America, Scouts Canada and Asociación de Scouts de México...[Read more]

Northern Tier 2018

Northern Tier, one of BSA’s National High Adventure Bases, provides exciting opportunities to explore the vast Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota and southern Canada.  Black Swamp Area Council is looking to send a crew(s) – each crew consists of 6 scouts and 2 adult leaders – to Northern Tier in 2018...[Read more]

Hike 100 Challenge

The North Country National Scenic Trail, generally known as the North Country Trail or simply the NCT, is a footpath stretching approximately 4,600 miles from Crown Point in eastern New York to Lake Sakakawea State Park in central North Dakota, passing through the seven states (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota)...[Read more]

2018 High Adventure Trek Opportunities

Check out the upcoming High Adventure opportunities...[Read more]

Waypoints: High Adventure News from the Boy Scouts of America

To view the latest news on high adventure bases, click here.

GEARING UP

Findlay National Scout Shop

The current promotions for the Findlay Scout Shop...[Read more]

Lima Scout Shop

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IN YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS

ARROWWOOD

CHINQUAPIN

EXPLORING

GREAT OAKS

OLD SYCAMORE

ORDER OF THE ARROW

THE EXTENDED FORECAST