Dear Scouting Family,

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has made substantial progress in its Chapter 11 case by reaching an agreement alongside the Ad Hoc Committee of Local Councils with the Coalition of Abused Scouts for Justice, which represents a large majority of claimants in our Chapter 11 case, the Official Tort Claimants Committee (TCC), and the Future Claimants Representative (FCR). This agreement ensures that the BSA has the overwhelming support of survivors for our proposed Plan of Reorganization, which is a key step in the BSA’s path toward emerging from bankruptcy.

The national organization has agreed to contribute assets with up to $250 million in value to the Trust for survivors. Working through the Ad Hoc Committee of Local Councils, local councils have committed to making a substantial contribution in the form of $500 million of cash and properties. Local councils would also be credited with as much as $100 million to be paid from a Special Trust created under the BSA’s Plan of Reorganization that would be funded with excess payroll cash that would otherwise be contributed to the over-funded defined benefit pension plan, also known as the pension fund, so long as the pension fund is over-funded by at least $100 million at the time of payment. The establishment and operation of the Special Trust does not impact defined benefit pension plan payments to current or future retirees or the BSA’s current pension plan for current or former employees at the Mayflower Council or any other local council.

We are hopeful that this progress toward a global resolution benefits the entire Scouting community, as this agreement will help local councils like ours make contributions to the Trust without additional draw on their assets, allowing us to move forward with the national organization toward emergence as one Scouting Family.

The Mayflower Council continues to communicate with national leadership via the Ad Hoc Committee of Local Councils and is collaborating with all parties to the BSA’s Chapter 11 case to find a solution that will appropriately fund a Trust to compensate survivors while also ensuring the future of Scouting. The Mayflower Council has no plans to liquidate any of our three camping properties to fund our contribution to the Trust. We, also, understand from both the national organization and the Ad Hoc Committee that the proposed agreement will not impact any pension benefits provided to current or former employees of the Mayflower Council.

We remain as committed as ever to delivering Scouting’s unparalleled experiences to young people throughout our communities. We are providing an exciting summer of adventures and character-building activities, including Adventure Day Camp at Camp Resolute, Scouts BSA Summer Day Experience at Camp Resolute, Scouts BSA Resident Camp at Camp Squanto, and both tent and cabin camping at Nobscot Scout Reservation.

Yours in Scouting,

Ian Johnson
Council President

Josh Paulin
Council Commissioner

Bryan Feather
Scout Executive / CEO

To deliver the promise of Scouting, your unit needs a great program. And to deliver a great program, your unit must Be Prepared with a plan. With many units returning to in-person meetings and activities, it is a good time to review upcoming program plans and to plan for the upcoming year.

Your unit’s annual program plan also helps with:

• Developing the unit budget
• Setting goals for popcorn sales
• Recruiting youth – Families like to see what fun activities they can expect
• Recruiting help – When you know what events are coming up on your unit calendar, you have more opportunity to ask parents to help out with specific tasks

Program Planning Resources

Full-face snorkel masks are combinations of a built-in snorkel with a mask covering the entire face. Due to several unexplained fatalities involving the use of full-face snorkel masks, their use is prohibited in all BSA aquatic activities. BSA is closely following aquatics industry efforts to further investigate the safety of full-face snorkel masks.

Full-face snorkel masks are prohibited in all BSA aquatic activities; all participants should use traditional snorkel/dive masks and tubes.

The national annual membership fee is increasing by $6, about 50 cents per month effective August 1st, because the costs associated with Scouting, including the cost of liability insurance, continue to increase and the organization is not able to subsidize the increased costs as it had in the past.

Our council has begun transitioning to a new online event registration platform named Black Pug, which is used by almost half of all Boy Scout councils nationwide. The previous system, Doubleknot, was a major step forward when we adopted it nearly 16 years ago. After careful, thoughtful and detailed evaluation we believe the Black Pug platform will be an improvement, addressing multiple issues brought up by our members and volunteers and improving your experience when signing up for camps and other activities and accessing the council calendar.

The transition to Black Pug has already begun. Many of our recent events and summer camp sign-ups have been utilizing the new platform. Black Pug will soon become the new platform for the council calendar providing many of the most requested features including calendar subscription links and RSS feeds. We anticipate the full integration of Black Pug into the council website to be completed by June 1.

Individuals and units will have until July 31 to archive any data on the Doubleknot system they wish to retain and we will be sunsetting Doubleknot in Mayflower Council in early August. 

We are excited to be sharing this new event registration system with you and we thank you for your patience as we make this transition. We look forward to serving you better. If you have any questions or need assistance with Black Pug please contact Lisa Olson our Black Pug subject matter expert.

Susquehanna, Mayflower, Juniata Valley, Washington Crossing, Five Rivers, Westmoreland Fayette and Baden Powell Councils are excited to offer for the 2nd year, an alternative summer camping experience in 2021 – Camp in a Box 2021.

Camp-in-a-Box 2021 provides the opportunity to select from 45 merit badge offerings (tentatively) and/or participation in the New Scout Program.

The Scout will have the opportunity to complete all or most of the requirements for each merit badge offered. Seventeen of the merit badge offerings provide the Scout the opportunity to complete all of the requirements to earn the merit badge. Twenty-eight of the merit badge offerings provide the Scout the opportunity to complete most of the requirements to earn the merit badge but will require completion of selected requirements after Camp-in-a-Box. After Camp-in-a-Box, some councils may provide in-person opportunities to complete some of the remaining requirements, but not all. Thus, the Scout will likely have to coordinate with a local counselor to complete many or all of the remaining requirements.

Scouts will have the opportunity to enroll in up to five offerings in a week – all merit badges or a combination of New Scout Program classes and merit badges.

List of Tentative Merit Badges

Tentative Schedule

Planned class size limit

The maximum size limit for any class will be 15 Scouts, with a few classes limited to 10 Scouts.

Cost

The all-inclusive fee for a Scout participant will be $135.

The all-new Resolute Base Camp kicked off on Saturday, May 8 with a weekend program called Outdoor Experience. Participants were excited to be the first ones to climb the monkey bridge, shoot BB guns or throw tomahawks.

With eight activity areas to visit, over 40 Scouts and their families had a fun-filled day at Resolute Base Camp in Bolton, MA. From cooking, pioneering and camping to first aid and navigation, there was plenty to do and outdoor skills to learn under the guidance of a knowledgeable staff.

Following a strict Covid-19 check-in protocol, participants were formed into groups and rotated to each of the activity areas throughout the day. This assured that Covid-19 restrictions were being adhered to, but also allowed each group to visit all areas.

A special shout out to Troop 126 Franklin and Pack 39 Stow for joining us and thanks to all our volunteers for helping to kick off programs at Resolute Base Camp!

Outdoor Experience is an exciting new program offered on most weekends throughout the year. Units can work towards specific advancements and awards while non-Scouts can participate in fun outdoor activities and skills development. Registration for our next Outdoor Experience on June 5th is opening soon.

Scouts BSA Summer Experience is a re-imagining of the traditional week-long “residential” summer camp feel in a daytime-only format. The Summer Experience takes advantage of new Resolute Base Camp facilities while building on the legendary history and traditions of Camp Resolute.

Adventure Day Camp is back this summer! Get set for fun, adventure and a whole lot of new experiences at our week-long camps! Located just across Little Pond from Resolute, we offer weeklong day programs developed especially for boys and girls entering grades 2-5 in the fall of 2021.

Every year Cub Scout Adventures are reviewed to identify trends and determine interests of our youth, den leaders and Cub Scout families. In our ongoing efforts to keep the Cub Scouting Adventure program relevant to today’s families, Cub Scout elective Adventures are reviewed for both content and popularity. The most recent review has identified 19 elective Adventures that do not meet the standards of youth and den leader engagement, with the lowermost being earned by less than 3% of eligible youth. They will be retired effective May 31, 2022. The retiring of these adventures allows Cub Scouting to be more agile as we make continuous improvements to the program.

We know that some families may want one last chance to earn these Adventures. Some den leaders may have already made plans for the upcoming program year. To help with transition, these Adventures will be available until the end of 2021-2022 program year.

• Lions – current electives will remain
• Tigers – Family Stories, Earning Your Stripes, Tiger Tales, and Tiger Theater
• Wolf – Collections and Hobbies, Grow Something, Hometown Heroes, Motor Away
• Bear – Beat of the Drum, World of Sound, Make it Move, Robotics
• Webelos & Arrow of Light – Looking Back Looking Forward, Maestro, Project Family, Build My Hero, Adventures in Science, Fit It, Movie Making

The listed elective Adventures are still part of the Cub Scouting program until May 31, 2022. After that date, these Adventures will be retired and the Adventure loops and pins will no longer be available. Earned Adventures will be archived in Scoutbook and Internet Advancement. The Adventure will appear as earned but will no longer be able to be marked as completed after May 31, 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are these Elective Adventures being retired?

• In our ongoing efforts to keep the Cub Scouting adventure program relevant to today’s families, Cub Scout elective adventures are reviewed for content and popularity. These 19 adventures are the least popular among Cub Scouts based on sales and advancement data. The retiring of these adventures allows Cub Scouting to be more agile as we make continuous improvements to the program.

Why May 31, 2022?

• We understand that some families may want one last chance to earn these adventures and some Den Leaders may have already made plans for the next program year, so we are giving a full program year to allow for this transition. June 1st is when the vast majority of Cub Scouts have transitioned to the next rank.

Can Cub Scouts still earn these Adventures in the 2021-22 program year?

• Yes! These elective adventures can still be earned during the 2021-22 program year. These 19 Adventures will remain part of the program until May 31, 2022.

What happens on May 31, 2022?

• Effective May 31, 2022 these Elective Adventures will no longer be considered part of the Cub Scouting program and the Adventure Loops and Pins for these Cub Scout Adventures will no longer be available for purchase. Earned adventures will be archived in Scoutbook and Internet Advancement and will appear as earned but will no longer be able to be marked as completed after May 31, 2022.

Can Cub Scouts still wear the Adventure Loops and Pins after they retire?

• Absolutely! In Scouting once an adventure is earned it is never taken away. These adventures are still considered official program and may continue to be worn after they retire on May 31, 2022.

Over the past several years, the Mayflower Council has struggled to achieve measurable gains in many of the initiatives stated in our Long-Range Strategic Plan, which mirrors the four functions of Scouting: Membership; Program; Fundraising; and Unit Service. While some of the obstacles we faced were beyond our control, there were challenges that kept coming up that deserved more analysis.

After much consideration and input from staff members, our district and council leadership, best practices from other councils, and an honest assessment of where the Mayflower Council is today, I am pleased to share some changes to our staff structure that I am convinced will yield greater success in all areas of our council operations, the most significant of which is serving more young people with a high quality Scouting program.

As you all know, membership and units have been falling for many years. We have also struggled to raise the funds necessary to sustain our program and keep our camp properties in top condition. We have continued doing the same thing and expecting a different result. We all know that this isn’t a winning strategy and we are not alone in these struggles. Most councils across the country have had similar experiences, although there are some who have taken a new approach and are seeing some positive movement as a result.

I have compared best practices to the needs of the Mayflower Council and will incorporate some of these methods into a plan specifically designed to take advantage of our resources and strengthen our focus on the areas where we must improve.

While some councils have shifted completely to what they call a “Specialized” model, with staff focused on one function like: Membership development, New Unit development, Unit Service, Program, or Fundraising, I believe a hybrid model seems better suited to our needs where we have some staff focused on one specific function, while others oversee two functions.

We have established four teams and subject matter primary contacts to address specific Council needs: Membership and Unit Service will be one team; Development will be a team; another team will focus on Program; and the final team will handle the Administration process.

Our Membership and Unit Service team will be led by Rick Riopelle and there will be three District Executives assigned to work with our district committees and commissioner corps to focus specifically on membership and unit growth and serving our existing units. Marcella will serve as the support staff for this team, processing all membership and unit service requests. Jack Colamaria, Rob Hillman, and Ian Furst will provide the service in the field to our teams of volunteers.

Our Development team will be led by Jim Corcoran and we will have one Fundraising Executive assigned to this function. In addition, Carlene Covino will be supporting the Development team as they work on Friends of Scouting, Popcorn Sales, Special events, Foundations and Trusts, and seeking new opportunities to increase our direct support funding for Operating, Capital, and Endowment.

The Program team will be led by Hunter McCormick who joined our team on April 1st. He brings a wealth of experience, and a sales mentality to our council and district programs. Hunter will serve as our professional staff member with both Camp Rangers and Nora Scott providing support functions. Their focus will be increasing participation in our camp programs as well as our council and district activities.

I will lead the Administration team and will have Mary, Tyler Ericson, and Lisa supporting fiscal management and the systems and processes of council operations.

While each team will be focused on their specific assignments, they will not operate without interaction and cooperation with each of the other teams. To help volunteers and district leadership know who to contact when they need help, we have created a staff responsibility list with primary contacts available here.

I am looking forward to improved efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability with our new roles and am excited about this new opportunity and the teams we have in place to accomplish growth in each of these areas in the coming months and years.

Yours in Scouting,

Bryan Feather
Scout Executive / CEO

To sort list scroll to the bottom and select by responsibility, by team or by primary contact.