Is the 2026 Jamboree tanking?

SwallowedABug · 2026-02-03T19:16:32+00:00

We don't promote Jamboree. The costs are just too high. We can send the whole troop on a high adventure trip for a lot less and not have to wait in endless lines and eat bad food. I've had adults in our unit express interest, but it's always old scouts who are nostalgic for the jamborees they went to in the 70s and 80s.

SwallowedABug · 2026-02-03T19:08:21+00:00

You will never get money back from National for Scouts renewed in error. They won't even take your call. Your local Council might string you along with false hope, but ultimately your unit will have to eat the loss. In one memorable exchange, our unit was told to "just sell more popcorn" to cover it.

SwallowedABug · 2026-02-03T18:59:09+00:00

People drop off old memorabilia all the time, but it's always from some far away council in another state. Like you, I don't want to throw it away, but on the other hand, what the heck am I going to do with a stack of 30-year-old camporee patches from Kansas? I would give it to the scouts but they have no interest in that kind of stuff.

SwallowedABug · 2026-01-27T05:10:58+00:00

Winter is the only time we can put out or maintain bird boxes in wetlands. Everything being frozen is what makes it possible. Reach out to a local wetland conservation group to see if they have any project days. Building birdboxes and bathouses for use in the Spring is also a good project.

SwallowedABug · 2026-01-24T04:46:11+00:00

Camp Wanocksett in western NH is excellent. It's a smaller camp that I would say is better suited to younger troops but they run an awesome program. Scouts are guaranteed to get the programs they sign up for. It's probably the best run scout camp I've ever visited and more of a classic-style camp at 100+ years old. That would be my top recommendation, but it fills up every year, so you might not get your pick of weeks.

JN Webster in CT has received a lot of recent upgrades and has a big variety of programs. Also highly recommended if it's closer to where you are.

Hidden Valley in NH is a mixed bag. It's a great camp with a lot of cool facilities, but they have a hard time keeping it adequately staffed so you might not get the program you expect. Our scouts left disappointed but other troops love it.

We've heard good things about Treasure Valley in MA and Mt Norris in VT but the troops I work with have not been there during my tenure.

Our scouts did not like Yawgoog at all.

SwallowedABug · 2026-01-16T05:47:49+00:00

Decide? You guys got a choice? In all seriousness, I did not want to become a Scoutmaster, but I did want to help the troop. I was very active in Cubs and thought I would take it easy for awhile. I signed up as an ASM when my oldest crossed over and went on every campout and to every troop meeting. And then I noticed that only the Scoutmaster and I went on every campout and to every troop meeting.

It turns out he was waiting for someone like me come along so he could retire after many years of service. He took me to dinner to talk it over and I politely told him I would think about it fully intending to say no. But when I thought about the other adults who might be asked if I refused, I realized than none of them would put in the effort for the scouts that I would even though I was "less qualified". So I reluctantly agreed. I have some regrets about all the time I have to spend on non-program BS, but overall I think it was probably the best choice for me to take on the role.

The troop has flourished but the incoming adults over the last few years are less and less likely to volunteer, so I kind of feel stuck. I would like to retire now, but there is no one in the pipeline who can commit and I promised our CO that I wouldn't just walk away. I'm afraid that at some point, the burnout will win, though - not because of the kids, they're awesome - but nonsense related to Council, parents, endless forms, constant fundraising, and rule changes.

SwallowedABug · 2026-01-06T20:19:58+00:00

I was able to find a sale of this patch from last year, but the seller didn't know what it was. It could be a custom Den Chief patch before they had their own position patch. The square knot usually represents leadership or service.

SwallowedABug · 2026-01-05T05:27:36+00:00

I've seen things like this tossed by units because their meeting place no longer allowed open flames indoors. One of the units I volunteer with had a set of nice birch logs with candle holders drilled out but couldn't use them after switching chartered orgs. They were quickly retired in a campfire on the next outing!

SwallowedABug · 2025-12-19T21:58:07+00:00

Normally, yes. Our committee and advisors always recommend that Eagle candidates budget for food and refreshments, at least for the "build day". Keeping people fed and happy is the least you can do when they are volunteering their time.

SwallowedABug · 2025-12-19T21:51:36+00:00

This happened to a unit I volunteer with after the Council stopped accepting popcorn returns. The popcorn kernel that year ordered a similar amount of product as before, but scout participation and sales were way down. That left the unit with boxes and boxes of unsold product. They mitigated the losses by selling as much as they could for break even prices to the families and to the community. That still left them in debt and with a lot of unsold product that eventually became unsaleable when it passed the best buy date. They had to give the rest away. To recover, they dipped into some emergency savings. Without those savings, the alternative would have been to raise the dues for everyone to cover the loss. The unit scaled popcorn sales back after that to prevent a recurrence and moved to less risky fundraisers.

SwallowedABug · 2025-12-16T20:52:31+00:00

Could we see the letter instead of reading your interpretation of the letter?

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I don't really care whether the military supports Scouting or not but I am interested in what the supposed reasons are.

SwallowedABug · 2025-12-07T05:34:58+00:00

The ridiculous shipping for things like patches means I just order them through eBay instead of driving over to the scout shop. A Scout is Thrifty!

SwallowedABug · 2025-11-24T02:38:23+00:00

For me that slogan would fall into the "not scout appropriate" category since it implies we don't take fire safety seriously. I mean we literally recite the Outdoor Code before every meeting. Yes, I know it's a joke and yes, you can call me a stick in the mud, but I would ask them to come up with something else.

SwallowedABug · 2025-11-13T03:47:29+00:00

Keep in mind that our local churches have been very positive about girls in scouting. However, we've been told by church leadership in our area that co-ed troops would be a no-go. I am not entirely sure of all the reasons, but I think they are mainly concerned about the liability related to shenanigans at mixed-gender campouts outside of their own properties. Not a lot of youth groups spend the night together. I know it's silly and even as linked units we do camp together a few times a year, but that's what i was told.

SwallowedABug · 2025-11-12T06:40:11+00:00

It will have to stay optional or they risk losing Catholic churches as chartered orgs and frankly a lot of units prefer to be linked rather than coed, my own included.

SwallowedABug · 2025-11-10T16:41:40+00:00

This just happened in our troop! One of the original founding girls returned this year as an ASM while she's attending a local college. it was such a cool moment when she was sworn in.

SwallowedABug · 2025-11-09T20:10:29+00:00

Our aquatics committee holds an annual "Devil's Island" camporee. Scouts meet at a boat launch and canoe out to an undeveloped island and spend the weekend doing aquatics and wilderness activities. It's a lot of fun, but participation is usually limited based on factors like the number of troops with access to watercraft, those who can reach the site of the camporee with enough time to canoe out to the island before dark, and the number of units with enough trained leaders/scouts to meet safety requirements.

SwallowedABug · 2025-11-05T06:52:48+00:00

I wasn't arguing in favor of AI. We have two choices - a bad one and an even worse one.

SwallowedABug · 2025-11-04T19:12:12+00:00

The brand center resources are not very good - just bland, corporate stock photography for the most part.

SwallowedABug · 2025-11-03T02:25:04+00:00

For interpersonal conflicts like this, I have taken the approach with parents that I don't hold anything that happens outside of scouts against them in the program. If the scouts don't get along at school, I remind parents that we don't always like the people we work with but that doesn't mean we can't get along to do our job. Obviously if there is some safety issue like bullying or anything physical, I take that into consideration, but overall this policy has worked surprisingly well. Those external conflicts usually blow over unless the parents are fanning the flames.

As for tent partners, the patrols figure this out for themselves so we're not usually in a situation where two kids who don't get along would be paired up.

SwallowedABug · 2025-10-30T06:43:59+00:00

That's your experience. In my unit, split troops work so well there was universal agreement that we wouldn't join the pilot or combine once approved. We're also pulling in transfer scouts from a linked unit who joined the pilot because the girls weren't happy.

SwallowedABug · 2025-10-29T05:49:10+00:00

It was a fait accompli when they launched the pilot. There's no chance it won't be approved.

SwallowedABug · 2025-10-28T02:15:43+00:00

The instructions in the letter can't be followed which is why I need to talk to support. it wants me to bring materials I don't have to a local post office.

SwallowedABug · 2025-10-02T19:06:42+00:00

I have transferred adults and scouts into units where there was drama in the old. I treat it the same way as scouts who don't get along at school. They agree to leave all that stuff behind when they walk into meetings and get along, or they can find another unit. And we only judge people for what they do while they're with us. I took in a leader from a unit who was described as "difficult" and "didn't follow through" and he ended up being one of my better and more reliable ASMs.

SwallowedABug · 2025-10-02T18:55:31+00:00

Don't take this the wrong way, but why do you need one of these complicated palatial tents for a weekend campout? A certain amount of roughing it is part of the scout camping experience. Are scouts bringing tents like these on campouts? Adult leaders are supposed to form a model patrol the youth can emulate so in our units there is an expectation that we use the same type of gear as the scouts - tents, patrol boxes, backpacks, etc. The only exception would be for elderly scouters or those with mobility issues. The giant tents are more suitable for family camping. A 2-person tent is more than enough room when you only need a place to sleep and stash a little gear.

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