We are excited to be opening both camps this summer after a very difficult year and a couple months of limited opportunities for our Scouting families as we’ve continued to work through this pandemic. Unfortunately, the pandemic has created an environment where the summer camp staff member pool is more limited than usual, leaving us with a handful of vacancies. 

In both Resolute and Squanto, we could use a handful of additional program staff, especially in aquatics, but also in sports, Scoutcraft, handicraft, COPE/climbing, and ecology. At Resolute’s Adventure Day Camp, we are also in need of den leaders. Additionally, Resolute also has a couple of key vacancies we are continuing to work toward filling, including program director (at Adventure Day Camp), climbing director, and shooting sports director.

Please consider working at one of our camps if your schedule allows it. Otherwise, please share this with others whom you are in contact with regularly and whom you believe has the capacity to serve in this role.

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.

Mayflower Council is excited to offer Scouts BSA Summer Experience, a re-imagining of the traditional Camp Resolute summer camp program in a daytime-only format. Open to all youth 10 1/2 to 17, Summer Experience delivers a fresh take on the camp we all love using the new Resolute Base Camp. There will be plenty of activities; all of your summer camp favorites are here including waterfront, shooting sports and COPE climbing!

Resolute Base Camp is an outdoor adventure space designed for children and adults of all ages to build character, explore nature, and create lifelong memories through seasonal and year-round programs.

Registration for Summer Experience is open NOW.

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.

International Water Safety Day, May 15, aims to spread water safety education and drowning awareness.

Suggested ways to observe the day include:

• Adults: Update your Safe Swim Defense and/or Safety Afloat training.
• Units: Present the “Aquatics Safety” Safety Moment at a unit meeting.
• Cub Scouts: Work on an aquatic-related adventure, such as Floats and Boats (Tigers), Spirit of the Water (Wolves), Salmon Run (Bears), or Aquanaut (Webelos/Arrow of Light).
• Scouts BSA: Work on an aquatic-related merit badge, such as Lifesaving or Swimming.
• Sea Scouts: Review a Sea Scout Safety Moment video, such as Life Jackets or 10 Boating Essentials.
• Venturers & Explorers: Review Safe Swim Defense principles and plan a safe aquatic activity for the summer.

Find more tools on the BSA Aquatics Resources webpage.

Thank you for your interest in attending Camp Squanto for the 2021 summer season. We continue to work diligently with the Town of Plymouth Department of Public Health and in accordance with the changing reopening guidance from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with respect to the camping and youth services sector to determine how we can offer a safe and exciting program while doing everything we can to keep our Scouts, leaders, and staff healthy and safe.

We are excited to share with you that we have, with the approval of the Town of Plymouth, crafted a program schedule and a list of merit badge offerings. We will be offering the following merit badges for which cohorts can register over four different 50-minute blocks during the day: Sailing, Rowing, Kayaking, Canoeing, Swimming, Lifesaving, Archery, Rifle Shooting, Shotgun Shooting, Fly Fishing, Cooking, Camping, Pioneering, Emergency Preparedness, Orienteering, Wood Carving, Leatherwork, Metalwork, Mammal Study, Reptile and Amphibian Study, Bird Study, Sustainability, Environmental Science, and Climbing. An entire cohort will have to register for one badge and travel to the area of camp where that badge is offered, per current state guidelines. However, for Scouts that do not want to work on the badge, there will be a program area-related opportunity for Scouts to work on. For example, if a cohort registers for Cooking merit badge, but only 8 Scouts want to work on the requirements, the other 4 Scouts will have the option to work on another Scoutcraft related-skill.

We understand that current Commonwealth of Massachusetts guidance places many limitations on traditional flexibility. However, this does afford us some flexibility at camp this summer with our merit badge offerings. This year, rather than offering set merit badges at certain times, all merit badges will be available at all program areas, limited only by the number of cohorts that a program area can accommodate at one time. This means that, in a normal year, Ecology may offer one section each of Reptile and Amphibian Study, Mammal Study and Bird Study during the day and Scouts would have to find a way to work their schedules to get in to these badges if this is what they wanted to take. This year, if Ecology can accommodate 3 cohorts while maintaining the required social distancing, all three could work on the same badge in individual cohorts, if they all wanted to take the same badge. As part of the registration process, cohorts will select their program area, time slot (9:00-9:50, 10:00-10:50, 11:00-11:50, and 2:00-2:50), and then the badge that they would like to take.

We will be offering afternoon program offerings in shooting sports, boating, swimming, Scoutcraft, handicraft, and ecology in one hour blocks that cohorts will be able to sign up for prior to arriving at camp. In many ways, the afternoon will look similar to a normal week of summer camp. To go over this schedule in greater detail and to answer questions that you may have about summer at Camp Squanto in 2021, we will be holding another summer camp leaders meeting virtually using the same YouTube platform as our April meeting. Please join us on Monday, May 24 at 7:00pm.

Please keep in mind these important deadlines fast approaching:

NEW Unit Commitment Deadline: Friday, May 14
Please let us know your intentions by completing this form RICK – please add link

Early Bird Registration Deadline: Friday, May 28

We are working diligently to offer the greatest flexibility that current Commonwealth of Massachusetts guidance will allow and that is in keeping with the intent of the guidance – to keep everyone safe and healthy at camp this summer. Thank you for being part of the Camp Squanto family. We look forward to seeing you in just over two months for an exciting, fun-filled, and safe program at Camp Squanto!

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