We hear this question often “Is a medical form required for this activity?”  The answer is yes!  All Council and District activities like Camporees, Klondikes, Chuckwagons, etc are required to collect a medical form for every youth and adult participant.  These forms are filed by unit and returned to the unit leader or designee at the end of the event.

The Boy Scouts of America and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts require that we retain health forms collected for summer camp up to 36 months.  These forms are maintained in a secure, offsite facility.

As a rule, all units should collect an Annual Health and Medical Record for all youth and adult members as well as parents who are regular participants.  These should accompany the unit on weekend outings and field trips.  These forms should be reviewed and updated on an annual basis.

See the attached for more information regarding this policy as well as the link to determine which form is appropriate based on your activity.

Mayflower Council and BSA National Health and Medical Records

With our first major snow of the 2018-2019 winter the council would like to remind our community about our adverse weather policy.  The council follows the lead of the Canton & Marlborough school systems when setting it’s adverse weather policy.  If Marlborough Public Schools close, so does the Marlborough Service Center and if the Canton Public Schools close, so does the Canton Service Center.  If the Marlborough or Canton Public Schools announce a delay (1 hour delay for example) the respective council service center delays it’s opening by the same time. We encourage everyone to follow the weather and school closure reports of our media partner WCVB Channel 5 in order to stay informed and up to date on school closings and weather alerts.

The Mayflower Council is pleased to announce that Kevin Paicos will be serving as our Nominating Committee Chair for the Council Board. In this role, Kevin will lead a group of volunteers to identify leaders who will serve as the governing body of the Council. We are seeking individuals who are strong leaders and believe in the ideals espoused through the Scout Oath and Law. We are also seeking diversity that reflects the communities that we serve. If you have recommendations, please forward those names, along with contact information to: nominatingcommittee@mayflowerbsa.org

Any background information you can provide on why you feel the nominee would be qualified will be most appreciated.

Thank you to all of our units for participating in the 2018 Scouting For Food initiative.   We ask you to please take a moment to fill  out the google form below.  This data is used for tracking purposes of community service and Scout service hours.

2018 Scouting For Food Tracking

A special Thank You to Channel 5 WCVB TV for serving as this years media sponsor, Cumberland Farms and Consigli Foundation.

Scouts BSA tools and assets are available to help you create awareness and interest among youth and adults.

Starting January 1, 2019, Scoutbook subscriptions will be free to all BSA units! Scoutbook is an online unit management tool that ensures that you never miss a Scouting moment—from tracking advancements to milestone achievements along the Scouting adventure.

When units with Scoutbook accounts need to renew these unit subscriptions this fall, they will not pay any renewal fees effective September 1, 2018. For units currently without a Scoutbook account, they can begin their free Scoutbook unit subscription on January 1, 2019.

Learn More Here

The Mayflower Council Advancement Committee released a revised council-wide process for the submission and review of Eagle Scout Project Proposals and Eagle Scout Applications on Friday, August 31, 2018. Unit leaders and future Eagle Scouts are urged to review these updated processes so they are prepared when they need to submit documents to the advancement committee.

Here are links to the updated documents:

How to Prepare Your Eagle Service Project Proposal and Report

How to Complete Your Eagle Scout Application Form

How to Submit an Eagle Scout Application to Mayflower Council

Eagle Application Review Process

Questions regarding the Eagle Scout Project Proposal or Eagle Scout Application submission process should be directed to your district advancement chairperson.

Updating unit pins on BeAScout is an important step in helping prospective Scouts and their families get in touch with units in your council.

BeAScout is open for units to indicate boy-only (default), family pack, or girl-only AND the date that they will begin accepting female applications.

1. Log in to your My.Scouting account; select Menu at the top left
2. From the drop-down menu, select your unit
3. Select Organization Manager
4. Select the Settings tab
5. Scroll to Family Scouting
6. If remaining boy-only, do nothing (this is the default setting); otherwise, select girls only or boys and girls
7. Enter the date that the unit will be welcoming girls.
8. Click Commit

For a pdf with instructions, click here.

The BSA Launches Historic ‘Scout Me In’ Campaign Inviting Girls and Boys to Experience Adventures Through a Cub Scout’s Point of View

‘Scouts BSA’ Also Unveiled as the Name of the Program for Older Boys and Girls to Ensure All Youth Are Welcome and Can See Themselves in Scouting

Irving, Texas – May 2, 2018 – The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) made history today by unveiling the new Scout Me In campaign that features girls, as well as boys, in its iconic Cub Scout program for the first time. Starting this summer, all kids are invited to say, “Scout Me In,” as they join the fun, adventure and character-building opportunities found in Cub Scouts. The campaign presents an energizing Scouting experience that speaks to kids by putting them in the middle of the action. It also engages parents who are looking for ways to make the most of the time they have with their kids and help them to be Prepared. For Life.

The Scout Me In creative shifts the perspective by showing what it’s like to be a Scout from a kid’s point of view. Instead of simply showing Scouts participating in activities, the campaign brings the young viewer into the middle of the action – from fishing, biking and canoeing to launching rockets and making slime – where they get even closer to the experiences that Scouting brings to life.

“Cub Scouts is a lot of fun, and now it’s available to all kids,” said Stephen Medlicott, National Marketing Group Director of Boy Scouts of America. “That’s why we love ‘Scout Me In’ – because it speaks to girls and boys and tells them, ‘This is for you. We want you to join!’”

The Scout Me In campaign celebrates the BSA’s expansion to serve families and welcome girls and boys into Scouting in communities across the country. It reinforces that the mission and core values in the Scout Oath and Scout Law are welcoming, inclusive and foundational for both young men and women. Since announcing the BSA’s historic decision to welcome girls into Scouting, more than 3,000 girls across the nation have already enrolled in the BSA’s Early Adopter Program and are participating in Cub Scouts ahead of the full launch later this year.

“As we enter a new era for our organization, it is important that all youth can see themselves in Scouting in every way possible. That is why it is important that the name for our Scouting program for older youth remain consistent with the single name approach used for the Cub Scouts,” said Michael Surbaugh, Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America. “Starting in February 2019, the name of the older youth program will be ‘Scouts BSA,’ and the name of our iconic organization will continue to be Boy Scouts of America.”

The new Scout Me In recruitment campaign and creative approach was created by award-winning Dallas agency Johnson & Sekin, who also led efforts in the naming process supporting Scouts BSA. The Cub Scout and Scouts BSA program launch, led by Golin, will encompass a fully integrated strategy that spans paid, owned and earned channels.

“Scouting is deeply woven into the fabric of American life,” said Chris Sekin, Managing Partner of Johnson & Sekin. “It is a privilege to work with the organization to usher in its newest era that now includes all of our country’s youth and families.”

“We are excited to partner with the BSA to expand its impactful programs that are relevant to all families,” said Caroline Dettman, Golin’s Chief Creative and Community Officer. “We are thrilled that the mission and goal of the BSA’s programs to instill character and leadership is now a powerful promise for boys and girls alike.”

About the Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®” The Scouting organization is composed of nearly 2.3 million youth members between the ages of 5 and 21 and approximately 960,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.scouting.org.