WickedAwesomeScouts – Scouting in the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America

Scouting Thrives!

Scouting Thrived in 2020!

Despite the challenges of 2020, it is AMAZING the incredible amount of Scouting that happened thanks to our incredible volunteers, Scouts, and donors! Watch our “2020 Year in Review” video (3-minutes)

Adventure Base Camp Is a Key Component of our Strategic Plan

Michaela Johnson of WPRI CH12 The Rhode Show interviewed me about our new Adventure Base Camp. (4-minutes)

As one of our troop leaders said in January after coming to base camp,
“It was great! We crossed off a lot of rank advancement, 2 kids lead campfires (communication merit badge requirements), and they loved BB guns, archery and ax throwing. We didn’t get to everything we planned, which is nice. We will be back! Great to point out that this is covered by the new Narragansett Council fee.”

Our Adventure Base Camp is part of a unique collaboration with Spirit of Adventure Council based in Boston and Daniel Webster Council based in Manchester. Through base camp, we will (1) provide greater program support to our packs and troops, (2) increase programs for Scouts in our 1910 District units, (3) use it as a new way to introduce families to Scouting, and (4) turn Camp Champlin into a revenue-positive operation. Visit our new website for base camps at www.experiencebasecamp.org.

Membership Growth Initiative

We are preparing for a post-COVID, post-BSA bankruptcy world! Our Membership Growth Initiative is our number one priority to recapture, reengage, and recruit Scouts! This includes multiple components:

Expanded marketing program
New, additional sales executives to organize new units and recruit both youth and volunteers
Capital improvements to our program facilities to help us recruit and retain Scouts
Mobile Base Camp to take Scouting on the road to various camps and community events

Check out these great stories:

A GREAT national story about the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts on NBC—Click here.
Two GREAT local stories about two of OUR new female Eagle Scouts:
1. Warwick Beacon
2. Attleboro Sun Chronicle
One of our local Cub Scout packs, Pack 7 Slatersville, was featured on the National BSA’s Official Scouting blog, “Bryan on Scouting” for their “over-the-top”, Emmy-worthy virtual pinewood derby. Click here. You’ve GOT to watch at least the first few minutes! Watch their video here. And then give them a “thumbs up”.
Due to COVID, we recognized this year’s council Silver Beaver Award and other award recipients virtually via a new video on Facebook that was broadcast last night. Watch the video here. Thanks to Peter Ham for chairing the council’s High Court of Honor Committee this year.
Participate in our University of Scouting coming up virtually on Feb 27^th. Great for those of you who have kids in Scouting! Thank you to board member Bob DeFelice for chairing—Get details here.

The Scouting program is a volunteer-driven program. Yet, there are staff. How does the work of the staff benefit your Scout(s)?

Most of the program received by our Scouts is delivered by volunteer leaders like you. Thank you! No child would benefit from Scouting without our nearly 4,000 volunteers in the Narragansett Council.

If that’s the case, what do the staff do?

38 full-time staff work hard behind the scenes to coordinate the many details of Scouting SO THAT you and other volunteers can devote your time to delivering a great Scouting program! This reduces dramatically the time required of volunteers to handle program coordination, legal, administrative, facilities management and fundraising requirements to deliver a quality program.

How does this benefit you and your Scouts?

Staff restained the fort at Camp Norse this summer as a service project.

Each of our 5 districts has one or two “District Executives” that work full-time to support units, organize new units, recruit volunteers, promote Scouting, coordinate more than 200 council activities a year (such as camporees, Klondikes, and merit badge workshops) plus coach, coordinate and recognize volunteers. They meet with community leaders and school leaders, distribute flyers, and conduct hundreds of in-school presentations annually

“District Executives and their assistants are exceptionally helpful and very much needed.”
Response on our 2019 Customer Survey

Communication throughout the organization is vital and staff produce videos, e-newsletters and much more.

Your unit has a Unit Service Coordinator assigned to you that assists your unit leaders and parents with questions, problems, orienting new leaders, registering youth and leaders, recharter, Scoutbook, training, coordinating monthly leader roundtable meetings, newsletters and more
Camping and properties staff plan camp programs but also handle maintenance, safety, forest management, improvements, security, insurance and much more
Support staff keep the website and social media up-to-date, track advancements and awards that your Scout(s) earn, conduct criminal background checks on all new volunteers and produce materials for unit leaders
Program staff organize hundreds of activities that your Scout(s) participate in. From Scouting for Food and merit badge clinics, to dozens of camp programs
Communications staff promote Scouting throughout the council, coordinate social media, advertising, video production, and newsletters to Scouting leaders. See this news story or this story that our staff successfully pitched to local media resulting in great coverage

Staff develop and coordinate camp programs that serve 9,000 youth a summer.

Development staff raise funds to support Scouting from businesses, foundations, alumni, and families that fund programs and camps. For example, in 2019, they raised more than $450,000 in new grants to fund additional improvements at Camp Cachalot, Camp Norse, Buck Hill Scout Camp, Camp Champlin, Camp Aquapug, and Camp Yawgoog.
Scoutreach staff organize and deliver Scouting programs in low-income neighborhoods from New Bedford to Taunton to Central Falls to Providence and many other communities. They coordinate financial assistance and camperships for families that need it
Customer Service staff operate our two Scout shops and service centers as well as assist parents and leaders with their questions and requests
6 full-time camp rangers plus 2 caretakers maintain our 9 camp properties, run water systems, waste-treatment systems, remove dead and dying trees, and much more!

Staff work behind the scenes to coordinate hundreds of program activities in partnership with volunteers.

All of these functions are necessary for quality, safety, and legal reasons in order for your Scout to enjoy a safe, challenging, fun and rewarding Scouting program.

On behalf of each of these staff members, thank you! We need YOU now more than ever. We value and appreciate your time, energy and resources that you provide to make Scouting thrive. YOU are preparing the next generation of leaders…leaders with the skills, integrity and values so vital to our nation’s future success.

Our staff thanks YOU for all that you do to make Scouting THRIVE in Southeastern New England!

Tim McCandless

Scout Executive & CEO

A Wicked Awesome Year of Scouting!

2019 In Review

Council President Lloyd Albert and Council Commissioner Bob DeFelice join me for this special “2019 in Review” edition of the #WickedAwesomeScouts Blog.

We couldn’t be prouder of the accomplishments that our 4,000 volunteers, 3,000 donors and 38 staff made possible to achieve the objectives of our Council Game Plan. The positive impact on thousands of youth and families is awe-inspiring!

A Year of Change

“If you don’t like change, you will like irrelevance even less.”
Gen. Eric Shinseki

A Year of Progress

As Benjamin Franklin said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished!” Change is hard but essential to building a thriving Scouting program! Inventor Charles Kettering said, “The world hates change. Yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.” Let’s talk about our progress!

Developing Leaders

The core of Scouting is the development of leadership in youth so that we prepare responsible, ethical, capable leaders for our future. Here’s how we actively developed leaders in 2019 with the Scout Oath and Law as their foundation!

Three National Youth Leadership Training courses directed by Bill Bradford, Michelle Avelar and Rick Hammond trained 120 participants
Eight weeks of our new Yawgoog Leadership Experience were conducted;
Our largest-ever Law Enforcement Exploring Academy, led by Pat McMahon, engaged more than 80 teens
289 youth achieved the Eagle Scout rank
Hands-on, practical leadership experiences for thousands of youth in roles from Den Chiefs, Patrol Leaders, and Webmasters to Senior Patrol Leaders and Crew Presidents

Serving More Youth

Knowing the distinct advantage that the Scouting program gives our youth throughout their lives, we are driven to serve MORE youth!

Focused on helping units promote Scouting effectively through marketing training for unit leaders, paid social media advertising, geofencing of unit recruitment events, and beefing up our presence at community events with inflatable BB & archery ranges, gaga ball pit, and displays
20 new troops for girls launched beginning on February 1^st supporting our initiative to better serve families
55% of our Cub Scout packs became Family Packs that offer dens (grade-based groups) for girls
The BSA’s nation-wide introduction of new program options for girls is the single most successful program launch in BSA history: 88,000 girls joined Cub Scout Family Packs and 30,000 girls joined all-girl troops nationally
Achieved overall youth retention of 75% compared to a national average of 68%
Announced a new partnership with the US Coast Guard to expand Sea Scouts with Jason Oliveira spear-heading the initiative

Delivering Adventure with a Purpose

Adventure Base Camp at Champlin Scout Reservation was launched in the fall to provide outdoor adventure to families, both those in Scouting and to all families in the region. Through Adventure Base Camp we are offering great outdoor programs to strengthen programming to Scouts and to introduce families to Scouting
Yawgoog Scout Reservation, the premiere camp for Scouting in the Eastern United States, attracted 5,800 youth from all over the eastern seaboard as well as Texas, Florida, and spots in-between. We successfully hosted girl troops all eight weeks of 2019! See our new Yawgoog video here!
Scoutreach delivered our proven programs to more than 1,200 youth by removing obstacles often faced by low-income, underserved, and ethnically diverse families. Our council has made a “forever commitment” to the youth in our urban and low-income communities—ALL youth can be Scouts!
Merit badge workshops were conducted on subjects ranging from Welding, American Labor, and Automotive Maintenance to Nuclear Science and Oceanography! Scouts earned more than 10,000 merit badges in 2019 expanding their horizons, learning life skills and introducing them to possible careers and avocations
No year is complete without “trash can turkeys”— hundreds of Scouts baked a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner in the outdoors using trash cans (or other creative devices)

Strengthening Adult Leadership

Volunteer leaders are the lifeblood of Scouting! We have been working to expand our support to volunteers.

Introduced quarterly events for unit leaders (Launch Party, Thrive Drive, University of Scouting, and Boom Event) to provide best practices, sharing of ideas, training, and program updates
Streamlined our monthly roundtable meetings for leaders incorporating video updates and better planned programs under the leadership of Adrien Mercure
Marion Selby directed our Wood Badge Course which is advanced leadership training that benefited 40 adult leaders in a 6-day course
Welcomed new Executive Board members: James O’Brien of the Greater New Bedford Regional Vo-Tech High School, Jesse Kanter of Cintrin Cooperman, Morgan Grefe of the Rhode Island Historical Society, Keith Lavimodiere of Santander Bank, Cliff White of Graystone Consulting, Robert Taylor of Partridge Snow & Hahn, Randy Sacilotto of Navigant Credit Union, Edward Garcia of Northwest District, David Pickering of Southwest District, Ray Murray of Southeast District, and Rick Gariepy of Northeast District. Col. James Manni of the Rhode Island State Police joined the Advisory
Our commissioner team of volunteers logged 1,587 unit contacts and visits during the year to communicate with and support our unit leaders

Building Financial Sustainability

To better support unit fundraising, we selected a new vendor for our popcorn sale: Camp Masters Popcorn. We are pleased with the new products and service which led to an increase in gross sales, increase in average unit sales and increase in average Scout sales! More $ went to our units and to the council to support local Scouting!
Raised a record $515,000 in our annual Friends of Scouting Campaign thanks to our chair Christian Jenner and many volunteer presenters and table hosts!
The Distinguished Citizen Awards Lunch co-chaired by Paul Choquette and Tom Gilbane recognized outstanding citizens Joe Paolino of Paolino Properties and Bob Bolton of Arden Engineering. The event raised more than $300,000 for Scoutreach programs
The Sporting Clays Tournament was a blast (literally!) and raised more than $22,000 net in its second year thanks to chair Charlie Normand, the committee and sponsors!
Our Scoutreach Awards Lunch recognized George Nee of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, Jack Para of the City of Central Falls, and Mayor Allan Fung of the City of Cranston were recognized for their outstanding support of Scouting in the Narraganset

Marketing Scouting Effectively

Board members Steve Zenofsky and Morgan Grefeconducted marketing training for unit leaders to share best practices to help units market and recruit Scouts and leaders
Archie the Eagle Scout, our new mascot, was introduced to help us up our presence at parades and community events
A new partnership with Providence Mom helped us get the word out to more families about the huge benefit of Scouting!
Dozens of news articles were published in print and digital media highlighting our great Scouts and the tremendous value of the Scouting program

Building for the Future!

Thanks to generous donors, the new Camp Three Point Dining Lodge is under construction with an anticipated opening in June 2020!
Board member Bob Hefron funded the new Flag Plaza at Camp Norse! Additional facility improvements were completed at Camp Cachalot, Camp Norse and Camp Champlin thanks to many donors including the George W. P. Magee Trust, the Maxim Foundation, and The Champlin Foundation!
To improve safety for Scouts and forest health, we started a major forestry project at Camp Norse to remove dead, dying and dangerous trees
We are blessed with an exceptional staff of professional Scouters and support staff that are dedicated to a thriving Scouting program!
Mike Brown received a well-deserved promotion to Connecticut and othersretired after decades of service to Scouting (Kristina Andrews, Judy Ferrante, and Paul Forbes)
Mark Arnold, Joram Northup, Erin Escobar, John Vuono were promoted to new responsibilities
We welcomed Wyndell Walden as the new District Director for Southeast District, Rickie Zabriskie to the Yawgoog Ranger team, Michelle Costa to Scoutreach, Lynn Henault to Executive Assistant and Nicole McNamara to Program and Camp Administration
On top of that, three of our staff members welcomed additions to their homes: Rachel Sowersby, Erin Escobar, and Tiffany Bumgardner-Scheffler!

Together, let’s continue to make Scouting thrive throughout Southeastern New England!

Best wishes to you and your family as you celebrate the arrival of the new year. May 2020 be your (and Scouting’s) best year yet!

Important Updates: Registration Fees, Background Checks, and Scout Stores

Fall Recruiting Is off to a Wicked Awesome Start!

This is my favorite time of year as thousands of families through Southeastern New England are beginning their Scouting adventure when their child joins!

It is exciting to hear the great results that many of our units are experiencing in their recruitment! I’d love to hear from your unit!

*Pack 7 Somerset MA recruited 20 new Cub Scouts last night!* Using the Council’s inflatable archery range as part of their recruitment event.

Archie, the council’s new Eagle Scout Mascot makes an appearance!

Pack 7 Slatersville’s recruitment night was featured in the North Smithfield newspaper!

Three Important Updates:

BSA National Registration Fee Change

I have received news from the BSA National Council that I want to share immediately with you.

As the National Council evaluates the growing cost of delivering the Scouting program, a team of volunteers and staff from across the country is currently considering the best way forward that will likely require the implementation of a national membership fee increase for youth members and adult leaders as of January 1, 2020. This prospective change is being driven by the significant cost increase of the liability insurance the organization must carry to cover all official Scouting activities.

I do not know the amount of the increase at this time. As this fee goes directly to the National Council (the council does not keep any portion) a fee increase requires National Executive Committee input and approval which will not happen until later in October.

“We recognize the timing of this likely fee increase creates challenges as units have already begun collecting fees for their 2020 registration renewal process. We sincerely apologize and hope you understand that this path would not be pursued were it not absolutely necessary to ensure the BSA can continue carrying out its mission to serve youth. We are committed to supporting you through this process and is making necessary adjustments to the online rechartering system to ensure units can carry out the normal yearly registration process with as few issues as possible.”
Michael Surbaugh, Chief Scout Executive, BSA

I know that this is not easy information to hear, but I want to be transparent so you can prepare your unit appropriately. The National Council has committed to provide the amount of the new registration fee no later than October 23, 2019, to take effect on January 1, 2020. The online rechartering system will still open on October 1^st to allow units to do their roster work. The fees section will be available on November 1^st.

Updated Adult Background Checks

Adult background checks are conducted on every new adult when they apply to register. In 2020, the BSA will implement periodic criminal background checks on a five-year basis. The first periodic recheck will take place in January 2020. This is an important element of providing a safe Scouting program to children.

A new, signed Additional Disclosures & Background Check Authorization form must be collected before any adult’s annual registration is processed. All adult leaders will be required to review and sign the new authorization form and turn it in with their unit’s recharter. If they do not do so, their registration will end on Dec. 31 and they will no longer be able to serve as a volunteer.

The BSA National Service Center will send an email with three separate background check disclosures and authorization form documents around October 7th to all currently registered adults who have a valid email address listed in their ScoutNET person profile.

Update on Warwick & Swansea Scout Shops

One of our major fall orders of BSA uniforms, books and supplies has been delayed and has not yet arrived. It is expected to arrive mid-week next week.

This delay has, unfortunately, resulted in a shortage of several uniform sizes, program books and other items. As you can imagine, this could not have come at a worse time as hundreds of families are joining and looking to us for these items.

I apologize for the shortage. We are working as feverishly as we can to get the supplies in stock as soon as possible. We will post on Facebook (facebook.com/ncbsa) as soon as the supplies have arrived and been placed on the shelves.

Building a Great Leadership Team

Great leadership is the key to a thriving unit!

When your unit has enough enthusiastic, trained leaders, your unit delivers a wicked awesome Scouting program

When there aren’t enough leaders, leaders aren’t trained, or key leaders move on without replacements, units struggle and leaders burn out. Recruiting leaders can be a challenge, but there are successful techniques that will help your unit be successful

Units CAN build a strong leadership team! Try the methods in this article to help your unit recruit leaders.

Successful Recruiting Techniques

Recruit new leaders is 4-6 months before they are needed. Someone is MUCH more likely to agree to be your popcorn kernel if you ask them NOW in May when they have 3 months to get ready vs. asking them in August or September. Recruit a parent to serve as your New Member Coordinator NOW for next fall. It’s much easier a person to say yes to to a commitment that is several months out.
Recruit individuals, don’t beg for leaders in a group setting! Identify parents that you think would be a good fit in a particular role and ask them one-in-one (or better yet, two-on-one). Ask each person to take on a specific job and give them a job description.
Set the expectation at at the outset! When welcoming new members, explain to parents that Scouting is a family program and that parents are expected to help. Don’t ask IF they will help, Ask WHICH role is a good fit for them: helping with the court of honor, pinewood derby or Blue & Gold Banquet; on the unit committee in a registered position, or as a leader working with the Scouts.
Don’t undersell! Don’t ask a bunch of people to “help out.” Ask each person to be in charge of a specific job: be the New Member Coordinator, chair the Blue & Gold Banquet, be the Assistant Scoutmaster to work with the New Scout Patrol, be the Advancement Chair or other role.
Inspire to Success! Explain how they can make the Scouting program in your unit wicked awesome for your Scouts! Show them how they can make a positive impact. Ask people to join the fun, don’t threaten people!
Delegate! I often see leaders become a 1-person show because they are unwilling to let go or don’t know how to delegate effectively. You must be willing to let go and accept other ways of doing things. But you can insist that all new leaders take the appropriate training (online or in-person) and follow BSA program guidelines and procedures.
Build an active unit committee. When I was a Cubmaster, I was blessed with an active and engaged pack committee with lots of parents involved. My job as Cubmaster was to produce an awesome pack meeting once a month. The pack committee handled ALL of the behind the scenes work. Together, we had an a great experience.
Once you have key positions filled and as your unit grows, recruit assistants for each position

Strong unit committees make a huge difference!

When I was a Scoutmaster, the troop’s mantra was that, “The Scoutmaster works with the Scouts. If the Scoutmaster has to touch paperwork or handle administrative stuff, the troop committee is NOT doing its job and needs to step up.” And they did.

Resources for Recruiting

Succession Planning-A Year in Advance

Recruit your replacement 1 year before you anticipate leaving that position-don’t leave your unit in the lurch! Ask a qualified person to come on board as an assistant for 1 year with the expectation that they will take over in a year. It’s much easier for a person to commit to being the new Cubmaster (or other position) a year from now than to be the new Cubmaster starting with the pack meeting in 2 weeks!

Now is the best time to recruit parents to serve in these positions:

New Member Coordinator to organize your fall recruiting
Popcorn Kernel
Tiger Den Leader
Lion Den Leader
Assistant Cubmaster
Assistant Scoutmaster

Over the summer, ask them to take YPT, get registered, and complete the training for their position.

Your Unit Committee and Charter Organization Must Approve ALL Leaders

All candidates for positions should be approved in advanced by your unit committee and their application must be approved by your charter organization.

What Now?

Recruit parents to be your
1. New Member Coordinator
2. Popcorn Kernel
3. Assistant Unit Leader and other key roles
Ask them to complete YPT, complete their registration and complete online or in-person training
Get them to the Boom Event on June 13th: See here for details.

The Boom Event is for your New Member Coordinator or membership chair, your Popcorn kernel or fundraising chair, your committee chair and other unit leaders.

You Are Golden! (AND Platinum!)

Units (packs, troops, crews, ships and posts) are delivering a wicked awesome program to Scouts! In fact, we are doing so well that the Narragansett Council is recognized by the BSA as a “Gold Council” in the BSA’s Journey to Excellence (JTE) quality standards for 2018.

JTE consists of 18 criteria that measures our work (at the unit, district and council levels) in program, membership, leadership, and financial stewardship. Depending on performance, councils can be rated as “not rated–falling below minimum standards”, Bronze, Silver, or Gold. 2018 is our second year in a row to be rated as Gold.

The areas that Scouting in Narragansett Council are excelling include:

State Representative Carlos Tobon talks about his Scouting experience with one of our Webelos Scouts.

youth retention,
% of Scouts BSA going to summer camp,
unit retention,
commissioner service to our units, and
% of our unit leaders that are fully trained for their position.

Of course, there are areas that we could improve at. Those include:

% of Scouts advancing,
growing our endowment fund, and
community service hours (Are units reporting all of the community service provided by their Scouts? I suspect a lot of the good work being done by Scouts and leaders is not being reported!)

“I believe Scouting is one of the most beneficial programs available for youths today. It has provided great opportunities for our son and he enjoys participating and learning from Scouting. Thank you.”
Scouts BSA Parent, Voice of the Scout, Narragansett Council, 2018

Narragansett Council was awarded GuideStar’s highest rating of transparency!

In addition, the Narragansett Council was recently given GuideStar’s highest rating of transparency, Platinum. GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations and we maintain a full profile there so that people interested in donating to us have the information they need. Learn more at www.GuideStar.org.

Key goals in 2019

Narragansett Council offers Cub Scout Day Camps, Family Camp, Webelos Adventure Camp, Scout Camp, National Youth Leadership Training, the Yawgoog Leadership Experience, and Fun Friends Adventure for your Scouts. Learn more at www.ncbsa.org/camp.

Getting ALL Scouts to summer camp programs because that’s where the adventure of Scouting is delivered: Day Camp, Family Camp, Camp Yawgoog, National Youth Leadership Training and more
Webelos to Scout Transition: getting every Arrow of Light Webelos to cross over and join a Scout troop because that’s where Scouts take a deep dive into leadership, citizenship, community service and more
Helping troops successfully recruit new Scouts this spring through a coordinated peer-to-peer or “bring a friend” campaign
Improving our communication with you through increased focus on our emails, social media, roundtables, website, and new monthly “Scouting Thrives” webcast.
Successfully launch the new Scouts BSA program in February with new Scout troops for girls–11 new girl troops are off the ground and running already!
Implement a successful Family Friends of Scouting campaign this spring to invite Scouting families to financially support Scouting in the Narragansett Council

See our council’s 2019-2020 Game Plan here.

I’m super excited about Family Scouting! For the first time in American history, brothers and sisters can share the Scouting adventure! This will be great way for the Boy Scouts of America to serve more youth, boys and girls, through the nation’s foremost character and leadership development program!

How can we help your unit THRIVE? Let me know in the comments below.

A Thriving Scouting Program in 2019

The Narragansett Council’s 79% retention rate is among the highest in the country.

Council Executive Board members took an oath to do their best to help units thrive in 2019 through program support, unit service, leadership, marketing & communication, financial support and excellent administration and financial stewardship. See the “Council Commitment” here.

In December, we held our first ever Thrive Drive Kickoff to focus on how the council can help units (packs, troops, crews, and ships) thrive in 2019. Areas of focus were

Getting ALL Scouts to summer camp programs because that’s where the adventure of Scouting is delivered: Day Camp, Family Camp, Camp Yawgoog, National Youth Leadership Training and more
Webelos to Scout Transition: getting every Arrow of Light Webelos to cross over and join a Scout troop because that’s where Scouts take a deep dive into leadership, citizenship, community service and more
Improving our communication with you through increased focus on our emails, social media, roundtables, website, and new monthly “Scouting Thrives Webcast”
Successfully launch the new Scouts BSA program in February with new Scout troops for girls.
Implement a successful Family Friends of Scouting campaign this spring to invite Scouting families to financially support Scouting in the Narragansett Council

More than 13,000 boys and girls participate in Scouting in the Narragansett Council. Membership grew in 2017 by 4.6% and we grew again in 2018 with 2,753 new members joining during the year. Scouting in the Narragansett Council is as strong financially and programmatically today as it’s been in many years.

“Thanks to donors and leaders, the Narragansett Council is in solid financial health and membership continues to grow!”
Ed Broderick, Council President

Scouting is the finest and most effective youth development program in America instilling character, leadership and service. The Narragansett Council’s 79% retention rate is among the highest in the country and is further evidence of our success here, and the benefits of Scouting.

To our dedicated volunteers and supporters, we implore you to commit to make Scouting THRIVE in 2019! See the Unit Thrive Drive Commitment here.

Work with your unit leaders to ensure that all are fully trained for their position
Select a session of camp for your unit to attend this summer and hold a camp promotion presentation–urge all Scouts to attend camp!
Schedule and hold a Family Friends of Scouting presentation between now and April. Your service area will provide a trained presenter and it only takes 10 minutes
Commit to getting all of your Webelos Scouts to join a troop. If you are a troop, recruit Scouts to serve as Den Chiefs for local packs

We are committed to helping parents give their children an advantage in life. Together, we will make Scouting THRIVE in Southeastern New England!

THANK YOU to the 130 volunteers who attended the Thrive Drive 2019! Your participation and feedback is helping us to better focus our resources to help YOUR units!

What you told us about the Thrive Drive

We issued a special invitation to unit committee chairs to attend because an effective and functioning unit committee can make the different between a unit that is struggling and one that is THRIVING!

Question (Scale of 1=”Not at All” to 5 = “Absolutely”)	Score
Was Thrive Drive a worthwhile use of time	4.1
Gained useful ideas and information	4.2
Well planned and executed	4.4
Was general session useful	4.0
Was breakout session useful	4.1
How likely to encourage others to attend in future	4.3

Your feedback on communication

From our survey of volunteer leaders at the Thrive Drive Kickoff

Rank	Best Methods to Communicate with You	Score*
1	Email Newsletter	93
2	Facebook	48
3	Monthly Roundtable Leader Meetings	40
4	Council Website Updates (www.ncbsa.org)	35
5	Individual emails for individual activities	32
	*Score is weighted based on the ranking

Based on your feedback, we will continue to focus and invest in building the effectiveness of our communication programs in these areas.

We are grateful for each of our volunteers and donors that contribute their time and resources to benefit children across Southeastern New England.

The Best Decision I Made in My Life

“Hands down, the best decision I made in my life so far, regarding my son and I to join Scouts and push him to stick with it. He truly is a different person for the better.” – Scout Father from 2018 Voice of the Scout Survey

Your Feedback Is a Gift!

Throughout the year, the Boy Scouts of America emails out surveys called the “Voice of the Scout” (VOS) in order to get feedback from our Scouts, leaders and parents. VOS is a tool to measure the quality of the Scouting experience and to identify areas for improvement.

A few comments from local Scout parents:

“I believe Scouting is one of the most beneficial programs available for youths today. It has provided great opportunities for our son and he enjoys participating and learning from Scouting. Thank you.”
“Scouting builds leadership, friendships and discipline. It gets boys outside, teaches them skills they may not learn in their normal routines.”

What do our local Scouts say?

“I had a lot of fun in Cub Scouts and I’m having even more fun as a first year Boy Scout.”
“Scouting provides excellent opportunities to lead, teach, learn, and appreciate nature.”
“Scouting builds leadership, friendships and discipline.” Parent of a Scout, VOS 2018
“Scouting has taught me about being a leader, how to perform first aid, and given me a deep appreciation for the outdoors.”
“Scouting has taught me how to show respect for others which is a huge part of life if you want people to like you and get along with you.”

“We have so much fun I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to be a Scout.”

Comments from some of our local leaders:

“I’m proud to be a Scouting volunteer and happily give of my time & resources.”
“Scouting has been such a wonderful program that has proven to reinforce many positive behaviors including being honest, helpful, thrifty, etc.”

It’s wonderful to read these comments, but the real power of the Voice of the Scout is to learn where we can do better. There were many comments on a wide range of subjects including:

“Ensure showers at Camp Yawgoog are clean and healthy for Scouts.” – I agree. The new Medicine Bow showers opened in 2017, the new Three Point showers will open in 2019, and we break ground this winter on the new Sandy Beach showers that will also open in 2019! All thanks to a generous Yawgoog Alumnus!
“There are core parents that are
New Camp Three Point showers! We’re breaking ground on new Sandy Beach showers in a few weeks!

helpful but difficult to get other parents to contribute,” and, “We struggle to find den leadership…” – This is a common theme and we clearly need to help units more with this challenge. Be sure to attend the University of Scouting on February 23rd for classes on this subject–watch for details coming soon.
“Talk about succession planning with adult leaders in the troop and get them to think about when to step aside.” Great suggestion–we’ll provide resources and focus on this.
Another leader suggested that the council provide a “marketing kit” for use at events – canopy, flyers and promotional materials for troops or packs to check-out for recruitment events. Good news! We have 4 such kits available for checkout PLUS 2 inflatable archery ranges and an inflatable BB Gun Range (trained volunteers are required to use the ranges.)
We now have 2 inflatable/portable archery ranges for checkout to use at community events to promote Scouting!

Other comments included:

“Our Pack is not as big on outdoor activities as some other Packs in the area are.” Come to University of Scouting on February 23 for great, easy ideas!
“Special Needs in Scouting is an area that needs more attention.” Agreed. Watch for more emphasis on this including at University of Scouting in February.
“Better communications and support from the council level.” We are absolutely working on this!
“We need to stress that bullying will not be tolerated.” Agreed!

THANK YOU for your feedback and comments! They drive our focus for training programs, roundtable programs, University of Scouting classes, and priorities with our staff and council committees. Your feedback will help make Scouting THRIVE even more in 2019!

For more resources on camp programs, outdoor adventure, leader recruiting, Webelos-to-Scout transition, come to the Thrive Drive Kickoff on Tuesday, December 4th. We’ll buy dinner for 2 leaders from your unit! Seating is limited. Learn more and reserve your seat now at www.ncbsa.org/thrive.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for the huge impact that Scouting has on youth and for our volunteer leaders who bring Scouting to life throughout the Narragansett Council! Subscribe to my periodic WickedAwesomeScouts Blog here:

Family Scouting Means More Options for Families and Girls

My three older brothers and I grew up in Scouting and became Eagle Scouts in the 70’s and early 80’s. My sister Marjorie loved Scouting, too. She wanted to be a Scout but was not permitted to participate. Regrettably, she missed out on a major part of our family’s life. Marjorie would have made a great Eagle Scout and that is why I welcome Family Scouting being introduced this year.

Girls who join will participate in an all-girl group, doing the same activities as the boys and earning the same awards. Boys will continue to be in all-boy groups.

Let’s be clear – Family Scouting is not coed Scouting. Our model will build on the benefits of a single-gender program and provide our iconic character and leadership-building programs to both boys and girls in gender-specific groups. However, the program will be the same for both boys and girls and busy families will benefit from a new, simplified option.

When the Boy Scouts of America started in 1910 women did not have the right to vote. For the most part, women did not serve in leadership roles in business, government or in civic life. “Family camping” was not a popular pastime. In 1910, 23% of women were in the workforce compared to nearly 60% today with women now making up 47% of the U.S. workforce. (U.S. Dept. of Labor, 2017). Today, women lead corporations, civic organizations, and universities. They not only vote, but serve at the highest levels of government and participate fully in our political process. Today, everything that we teach in Scouting is applicable to both boys and girls. That was not the case in 1910.

Girls in Scouting is not new – girls have participated in our Exploring and Venturing programs for teens ages 14-20 for decades. Now, girls will be able to fully benefit from the citizenship, leadership, life skills, outdoor education and character development opportunities that Scouting offers.

Clearly, many girls want to be participants in our program. For decades we have seen sisters tagging along with their brothers in Scouting. For many parents who serve as leaders, they have no option but to bring their daughters along to the meetings. In many cases, they do the same activities as the boys, but they are not members, they don’t get to wear the uniform, and they don’t receive the awards. In other cases, parents who want to be leaders, can’t, because they can’t be in two places at once with their sons and daughters.

Our research shows that today’s parents want the benefits of the Scouting program for their sons and daughters. A report from the Pew Research Center shows that 4 in 10 parents want to spend more time with their children. And many young families want to achieve this by participating in activities together. If we don’t make the program accessible to families and remove barriers to their involvement, they won’t participate at all.

Many sisters of Scouts, like these girls in Slatersville, are anxious to have the same Scouting adventures as their brothers!

Beginning this June, families can choose Cub Scouting (grades K-5) for both their sons and daughters. Girls who join will participate in an all-girl group, doing the same activities as the boys and earning the same awards. Boys will continue to be in all-boy groups.

In 2019, we will introduce a new option for girls in grades 6 thru 12 to join troops for girls and give them the opportunity to achieve our highest rank – Eagle Scout. This will be in girl-only troops that are either stand-alone or may be “linked” to, or associated with, existing troops for boys. The experience for boys will not change; troops will be single-gender.

Many parents are excited that now their whole family can experience Scouting! Several of our Cub Scout families joined us at the Rhode Island State House for our official kickoff of Family Scouting.

This change helps parents that want to serve as volunteer leaders. Busy parents will only need to learn one program, one set of rules, attend one training program, and go to one set of organizational meetings. Parents will find it easier to be involved with their children.

For decades, our different programs – Explorers, Venturing, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts all operated under the umbrella of the Boy Scouts of America. Now, one of those four programs will change its name from “Boy Scouts” to “Scouts B.S.A.” The name change is important—calling girls “Boy” Scouts is a misnomer. And what 15-year-old youth likes being called a “boy” or “girl”? These teens are growing, maturing, and developing into young men and women. I embrace the program name change—they’re now “Scouts”. But the name of our organization – Boy Scouts of America – will not change.

This new option for families is powerful. Speaking to parents of boys whose daughters joined Cub Scouts this spring, it is rewarding to hear about how they appreciatethe opportunity to participate in Scouting togetherandhow grateful they are that their daughters can also benefit from Scouting’s character development programs. More boys and girls will be prepared for success in life!

Though my sister, Marjorie, could not be an Eagle Scout, she is excited that we offering our programs to today’s girls and to the entire family. And my niece, Leah, is looking forward to becoming a Cub Scout along with her brother Toby.

Artificial Packs & Troops

I once asked a Scoutmaster why his troop wasn’t signed up for camp. His answer was, “I asked the Scouts if they wanted to go to summer camp and they said they weren’t interested.” Wrong question!

That’s like asking a football team if they want to have a training camp or asking your school’s marching band if they want to have a band camp this summer. It’s not optional, it’s a fundamental part of building a successful team or band.

The question the Scoutmaster asked should have been, “WHICH summer camp do you want to go to this year?” An authentic Boy Scout troop ALWAYS goes to summer camp!

Real packs and troops go to summer camp! — Learn about all of our camps for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers at the Camping Kickoff on Thursday, January 5th. Will your unit be represented?

A real Cub Scout pack always goes to day camp and family camp. The question for a Cub Scout pack is, “WHICH day camp and family camp do we want to promote to our families and which location do we want to try (Camp Champlin, Camp Aquapaug, or Camp Norse)?”

If your son is unable to go the week that your pack or troop is going to summer camp, no problem! Cub Scouts can attend individually, as a den or as a pack at day camp and family camp. There are several outstanding options for Boy Scouts and Venturers to attend camp individually at Camp Yawgoog and at Camp Cachalot. For Scouts and Venturers 15 years old or older, serving on camp staff at one of our camps is an awesome option.

Boys join Scouting for adventure and camping. Summer camp is a fundamental part of the Scouting experience. One week of summer camp is more Scouting than a year’s worth of pack or troop meetings.

Learn about all the options for your pack or troop to deliver the “real thing” this summer by attending our council’s Camping Kickoff on Thursday, January 5th, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. in Seekonk. Learn more and register here: Camping Kickoff.

Be real! Go to camp! Be sure your pack or troop is represented at the Camping Kickoff on January 5th! That will make your pack or troop wicked awesome!


Lloyd Albert	Bob DeFelice	Tim McCandless
Council President	Council Commissioner	Scout Executive