MAY 2024

INTRODUCING "SCOUTING AMERICA"

Earlier today, the Boy Scouts of America announced that it will be changing its name to Scouting America.

This change reflects the organization’s ongoing commitment to welcoming every youth in America to experience the benefits of Scouting. The name change will go into effect on February 8, 2025, the organization’s 115th birthday.

This announcement also comes as the organization celebrates the fifth anniversary of welcoming girls into Cub Scouting and Scouts BSA programs. Boy Scouts of America currently serves 176,234 girls and young women across all programs, including more than 6,000 who have earned Eagle Scout status.

BSA NATIONAL STATEMENT

LAST CALL! SIGN UP FOR SCOUTING ADVENTURE CON!

Scouting Adventure Con is a new event that’s aimed at helping units plan their next year of program. This event will be a one-stop-shop to learn about all of the programing that will be happening in the Washington Crossing Council in the year ahead. Every unit will want to send at least one adult leader.

Scouting Adventure Con will be held at Bucks County Community College on Tuesday, May 21. Booths will be open from 6pm until 8:30pm, but participants are free to come and go at any time during the evening.

This event is being designed to make it as easy as possible for participants to attend, feel informed on upcoming activities, and come away with a ton of great ideas for their next year of program.

All participants are asked to register in advance. Click the button in this article to sign up.

There will be over 40 informational booths available at Scouting Adventure Con ranging from WCC & BSA related items to community organizations that are excited for Scouts to visit them. A listing of most of the booths are is available at the button in this article, but know that it's still being finalized.

CHECK OUT THE BOOTH LIST

DISCOUNT OPPORTUNITIES AT ADVENTURE CON

The WCC Scout Shop is offering a special promotion for troops attending Scouting Adventure Con! Participating troops will earn a coupon for 10% off of a future advancement order!

Be sure to have a member of the troop key three visit the Scout Shop booth to pick up their coupon. The intention of this promotion is to offer a large savings by using the coupon for either an end-of-year or post-summer camp court of honor!

Scoutmasters and troop committee chairs should check their email for more details

CLICK HERE TO RSVP!

New Cub Scout handbooks are being published this spring to support the program revisions! These will arrive in Scout Shops nationwide in late spring.

A special, one-time deal on handbooks will be available to packs who purchase the new books for their members at Scouting Adventure Con! Packs can purchase handbooks at the Adventure Con Scout Shop booth for 25% off the retail price.

This special price is only available for purchases made in-person at Scouting Adventure Con. Books will be on-hand to carry out.

REMINDER: YPT & PA ACT 15 REQUIREMENTS

For an adult to remain as an active leader in their unit, youth protection training (YPT) and PA Act 15 background clearances (for PA residents) must be current. In addition to the YPT reminders from the national council, WCC is also sending an additional reminder to registered adults prior to the expiration of youth protection training or PA Act 15 background clearance. Scouters with lapsed YPT or PA 15 will be suspended, meaning that they cannot participate in Scouting. Contact Anna Marie Pepper with questions about YPT and background clearance status.

START USING ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR ADULTS

Units can now accept and approve adult applications online. An adult volunteer can start with the same BeAScout.org website that a family uses to locate units within their community. Once a unit is selected from the search, the system will provide options to register a youth or an adult volunteer. The applicant will be prompted to sign into their my.scouting account - or, if they don’t have an account yet, they can create one. Once the application is submitted, a notification will be sent to the unit’s key 3 leadership. Note that only the unit’s charter organization representative (COR) or COR delegate can approve an adult application.

Some key points:

The applicant’s youth protection training must be current before the application can be approved.
For Pennsylvania residents, the PA Act 15 clearances must be submitted to the council office. Failure to submit will result in the membership being suspended. Information on the PA Act 15 clearance and how to submit can be found at: www.washingtoncrossingbsa.org/pa-act-15.
The unit no longer has to collect and remit the application fees to the council office.
Once the application is approved, the COR or delegate can assign the volunteer a position.
Video instructions on setting up a COR delegate are available here.

Any questions on the registration process, please reach out to Council Registrar Anna Marie Pepper.

Remember the big news from last fall that the popcorn sale grew by 38 percent? The sale allowed for a lot of great Scouting adventures, and now is the time to plan for this fall! Every unit is encouraged to consider getting involved in the 2024 sale! The first step is to "enroll" which can be done by clicking the button in this article.

Another critical step will be to recruit an adult to be the "unit popcorn kernel" (the person who will run point on the sale for the unit). The council offers a robust training program and there are great tools from Trail's End to manage the sale.

WCC will kickoff the sale in July with some training events. Details will be announced at Scouting Adventure Con.

ENROLL IN 2024 POPCORN SALE

ONLY WEEKS AWAY: CUB SCOUT PROGRAM UPDATES

The BSA National Council has studied and prepared a comprehensive update to the Cub Scout program, and the Washington Crossing Council recently published a summary of these program updates. These changes are being made to make the program more fun for Scouts, simple to explain, and easy to administer.

CHECK OUT THE PROGRAM UPDATES!

SCOUTS BSA SUMMER CAMP AT OCKANICKON

Discount Deadlines Approaching

May 15 is the deadline to take advantage of the tier 2 pricing of $545 and the Arrow of Light (AOL) crossover rate of $520. Payments can be made online via the unit’s Tentaroo account at www.ockanickon.org. After May 15, the regular rate of $575 applies. For questions on payments, reach out to Michelle Cathers.

Individual Camper Program

Ockanickon’s Individual Camper Program provides an opportunity for:

Scouts who can't attend camp with their troop
Scouts who want to attend a second week of camp

Individual campers will be hosted by another troop and can participate in all regular fun of summer camp! This is a great opportunity to get ahead in merit badges.

For information and sign up, click on button in this article.

INFORMATION & SIGN UP

CUB SCOUT OVERNIGHT CAMP AT OCKANICKON

There is still time for packs to make plans to attend this year’s Cub Scout Adventure Camp at Ockanickon Scout Reservation!

Cub Scout Adventure Camp is an easy way to introduce youth (and their parents) to overnight camping without traveling far from home. The camp provides the tents, cots, indoor dining, and all the programs. Campers just need to bring personal gear.

Tons of Fun for Cub Scouts at Adventure Camp!

Adventure camp is great opportunity to experience many different program areas and work on some of the new rank adventures. Packs will spend two days traveling around camp visiting 10 different program areas and interacting with the summer camp staff. Programs include archery, arts, BB guns, boating, climbing tower, ecology, fishing, swimming, outdoor skills, and slingshots. Cub Scouts will be able to work on the requirements for several adventures for their grade level. Other activities include an opening campfire and an evening of camp-wide games.

Camp Sessions

There are two sessions, each running three days and two nights:

July 28-30
July 31-August 2

CAMP INFORMATION & SIGN UP

FUN AT CUB SCOUT DAY CAMP

Summer is just around the corner, and it's time for Cub Scout Day Camp! This year's theme is “Space: Out of this World”! So, jump on board and blast off for some excitement!

The fun of day camp is being outdoors, catching fish, shooting a bow and arrow, throwing a “kid friendly” tomahawk, making new friends, cooking Cub grub, hiking, water-sliding, meeting an astronaut, playing sports, knot-tying, playing gaga, singing songs, performing skits, earning NOVA awards, and making memories to last a lifetime! Cub Scout day camp provides age-appropriate activities for youth going into first through fifth grade.

CUB SCOUT DAY CAMP INFO

Day camps run throughout the council all summer. Here is the list of dates and locations, each session runs from 9am until 4pm:

June 24-28; Core Creek Park
June 24-28; Mercer County Park

July 8-12; Rosedale Park
August 5-9; Ockanickon Scout Reservation

Scouts may attend day camp with a family member or with their pack. If the pack is not going, the council can help interested families join up with another group for the week.

How to Register for Day Camp

It's easy to sign up for day camp! Follow these steps:

Go to the day camp website to see all the day camp offerings.
Click the “Register Today” button for the appropriate week of camp.
When prompted, create a Tentaroo account (or login using an existing account).

Please be aware that registration closes 2 weeks prior to the start of the camp week. For any questions or support, please contact Janet Boris.

Notes About Age/Rank

Day camp is for Cub Scouts who will be in first grade through fifth grade, using the grade that the Scout will be starting in the fall. Please be aware that Tigers (youth entering first grade in the fall) are required to have an adult partner. However, there is a special discounted registration fee for this age group.

Volunteers Needed!

Adult volunteers are needed at each camp. This is a fun filled opportunity to help make camp possible for everyone and have a blast! There are no fees for full-week adult volunteers, but they get a free shirt and a special discount for their children to attend camp. There are also opportunities for youth volunteers to be den chiefs. To learn more, please reach out to Janet Boris.

THANK A VOLUNTEER: SILVER BEAVER AWARD

The Silver Beaver is Scouting's award for distinguished service. Recipients of this award must be a registered Scouters who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given at the council level. All Scouters are encouraged to think of someone deserving of this honor. There will be an announcement and call for nominations this summer.