Scouting at Home

Thank you for your interest in keeping the Scouting Program active during this time where face-to-face interaction is not recommended.  These resources are meant to be used so that we may safeguard the health of our youth and adult leadership.

With the concerns of COVID-19 spreading, campouts and in-person meetings are being cancelled, but that doesn’t mean Scouting stops.

As Scouters, we are never ones to shrink from a challenge. As long as you can provide two-deep digital leadership the program can continue!

For the next several weeks, we’re all going to be hunkered down while we wait out the COVID-19 wave. During this time, it’s important to think about how we can mitigate how our youth members are disrupted.   More than thinking about it, we need to act!  There are ways that we can deliver positive adult associations, even with the lockdown.

Resources

Scouting’s official web resources are regularly publishing new ideas on how to provide programs that are socially-distanced.

General Info

  1. Boy Scouts of America | Prepared. For Life.™
    The official website of the Boy Scouts of America, serving youth in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing, Exploring, and Sea Scouts.
  2. San Diego-Imperial Council
    The official website of the San Diego-Imperial Council.
  3. https://www.sdicbsa.org/scoutingathome/ Comprehensive list of guides and resources.

Finding a Unit or Marketing your Unit

  1. Scout Me In
    Find a Unit to join, or make sure your unit can be found by others.

Health and Safety

  1. Guide to Safe Scouting
    The who, what, where, and how of keeping Scouts safe in age-appropriate activities.
  2. Official BSA COVID-19 Page
    The Boy Scouts of America’s office response to our current crisis.

Shopping

  1. The Scout Shop Official BSA Store | Uniforms, Badges, & Gear
    Stock up now!  Don’t forget that proceeds from these sales help support the Scouting Program.

 

Program at Home

Time at-home provides unique opportunities to pursue certain types of advancement, like parent-cub activities and merit badges that are well-suited to work at home.  See the section on Merit Badges for information on this.  Advancement isn’t the only part of Scouting.

Online Patrol and Den Meetings

Official BSA Resources

Games & Fun Stuff

Hosting Meetings

Online Learning

Virtual Museums and other Enrichment

Scouting Specific Activities and Challenges

Make the time matter–work on Rank Advancement at home!

Jamboree on the Internet

What is JOTI?

This special edition of our largest digital jamboree will allow you to connect to others, learn new skills, bring Scouting online, and build new friendships during this challenging time. We’ll foster teamwork and intercultural interaction while enhancing safe social engagement and wellbeing.

Dates and Links

Website: https://www.jotajoti.info/

Dates: April 3-5 2020

Advancement

The rules of Scouting work very similarly online as they do live. If you have a question about how to make online activities work well, the literature below can provide official guidance. For example, under these circumstances, there’s not really any reason why we shouldn’t be doing boards of review by videoconference.

Merit Badges Online

  1. Find a registered merit badge counselor: Scouts should work with their Scoutmaster to identify a merit badge counselor for the badge or badges they want to earn. (Merit badge counselors — either current or future — should read our guide to being a merit badge counselor for some helpful tips.)
  2. Use the official requirements: You’ll find a lot of outdated merit badge requirements online. For the most current and up-to-date requirements, go to the BSA’s official merit badges page.
  3. Understand what made the cut: All 137 merit badges have certain requirements Scouts could complete at home.
  4. Have fun: Earning merit badges is one of my favorite parts about Scouting. Other than the merit badges required for Eagle, young people get to pick any merit badge that interests them. That decision should be 100% theirs. If earning a merit badge ever feels like schoolwork … well, you’re doing it wrong.

Merit Badge Listing: https://www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/advancement-and-awards/merit-badges/

Other Online Merit Badge Resources:

Special Extensions for Earning Eagle Scout Rank

In the National Guidance on COVID-19 – Advancement there is a provision for a special extension for scouts of Life rank whose 18th birthday is a short distance away and their advancement has been interrupted by the COVID-19 virus. If a scout meets the criteria for the special extension:

  • Use the standard form for Request for Extension of Time to Earn Eagle Scout Rank
  • Submit to the District Advancement Chair the form with scout (or family) statement on the interruption in advancement and a scoutmaster statement endorsing the extension and describing the scout’s progress towards Eagle rank. Include an Advancement Summary report if available.
  • The District Advancement Chair will review and forward to the Council Advancement Committee for final review before approval by the Scout Executive

Online Boards of Review

Training

Lots of BSA training is available through the online learning center. Now is an ideal time to complete your position-specific training if you haven’t already.

For Adults: YPT, Position, and Program

For Youth: Cyber Chip, Den Chief

  • Cyber Chip
    Maybe this is an ideal time to renew that cyber chip with all the screen time in front of our youth?
  • Den Chief Training
    Den Chief Training gives our youth valuable leadership skills

 

Walkthroughs and Resources

my.scouting.org

www.scoutbook.com

 

Video Conferencing

Best Practices

When conducting meetings over videoconference, here are some tips to follow for a successful meeting:

  • Ask everyone to mute themselves while the meeting chair is talking. If needed, use the mute function if the system has moderator capabilities.
  • Remember to follow YPT rules if meeting with youth on a videoconference
  • Try not starting the meeting on the hour/half hour to avoid system overload.

Video Conferencing Systems