#scouts bsa

[eldritchcatthing776]

I joined a venture crew now that I've eagled out of scouts, rahhhhhhhhhh

(I'm excited to possibly have a pretty green uniform instead of the ugly beige)

OOOOOOH YAYYYYYYY

My venturing crew is just getting started again!

And yeah, the green is so so so much better!!!

[iguanostalgia]

Paleoart in the Wild: Prehistoric Council Patches (Boy Scouts of America)

While cleaning my basement, I came across something I ordered online years ago and forgot about: a full set of 2017 National Jamboree patches from EBay! For those who haven’t been in the BSA, the National Jamboree is a nationwide gathering of Scouts in the U.S. that takes place every four years.

In Scouting, it’s a pretty big deal, and it’s an opportunity for Councils (regional scout groups) to show off their latest patch designs. The Utah National Parks Council is no slouch and, looking at their items on EBay, has a tradition of creating paleo-themed patches; the ones I show here is but the tip of the iceberg!

The above patch is absolutely wonderful, a Smilodon with its iconic “pouncing with mouth-open” look is sure to spice up any uniform; this patch, shaped different from the rest, is a lodge flap - so unlike the others it can be worn on a scout’s uniform chest pocket.

The centerpiece is very nice, though the poor Altmuehlopterus seems a bit lost flying over an arid desert rather than a coastline. This pterosaur is actually a piece by Dmitry Bogandov, though I suppose it’s under Creative Commons license.

A Pteranodon, one that almost anyone has seen at least once, originally illustrated by Joe Tucciarone - whose artwork seemed to be everywhere online before the stock imagery of the PAPO T. rex or AI generated monsters.

A diving rhamphorynchoid pterosaur that I vaguely remember seeing in a book somewhere (a possible John Sibbick piece?) and an azdarchid similar to the “Titanopteryx” I remember seeing in a Luis V. Rey book as a kid.

Hard to make out the exact species, but I’m in love with this feathered raptor. The anatomy is pretty on-point, and I enjoy the thought of a pack of these banana-colored oversized canaries tackling large prey.

One of my favorites of the set is this Cearadactylus (seemingly another Tucciarone piece, but recolored). The curvature of the pterosaur’s wings with the Council’s title is satisfying and dark stormy colors are a perfect backdrop (reminiscent of John Conway’s pterosaurs). Very nice stuff. The same can’t be said for…

This. A keuhneosaurid (a type of flying lizard-like reptile), which was the Triassic equivalent of Draco volans. So much to unpack here between the flailing dislocated limbs, the crazy muppet-like maw, and posed as if were falling out of the sky. Understandably, patch embroidery doesn’t allow for exact detail but it isn’t really an excuse for the result of this.

Glorious.

[k-is-for-potassium]

PAAATCH HAAAUUULLLLLLL

all of these were traded for :3

i started with 8 from a grab bag i think

the ducks were being handed out by another troop, i traded a patch for the neckerchief slides (yes, the cauldron is one), and the fork thing was traded for a duck :3

there were also canadian scouts at the camp out, it was right by the u.s./canadian border!

[theworstcreature]

Being a patrol leader in scouting is like being the ringmaster of a circus when I too am just a lowly clown

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Boy Scouts of America changing name to more inclusive Scouting America after years of woes

The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history.

Jamie Stengle at AP:

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It’s a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion. The organization steeped in tradition has made seismic changes after decades of turmoil, from finally allowing gay youth to welcoming girls throughout its ranks. With an eye on increasing flagging membership numbers, the Irving, Texas-based organization announced the name change Tuesday at its annual meeting in Florida.

“In the next 100 years we want any youth in America to feel very, very welcome to come into our programs,” Roger Krone, who took over last fall as president and chief executive officer, said in an interview before the announcement. The organization began allowing gay youth in 2013 and ended a blanket ban on gay adult leaders in 2015. In 2017, it made the historic announcement that girls would be accepted as Cub Scouts as of 2018 and into the flagship Boy Scout program — renamed Scouts BSA — in 2019. There were nearly 1,000 young women in the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts in 2021, including Selby Chipman. The all-girls troop she was a founding member of in her hometown of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, has grown from five girls to nearly 50, and she thinks the name change will encourage even more girls to realize they can join.

For the first time in the 114-year history of the Boy Scouts of America's history, the name will become Scouting America. This comes on the heels of a decade-plus worth of changes to inclusion in the BSA.

[ddienw]

"We should really do something to distance ourselves from the sexual assault scandals...let's change our organization's official initials to just 'SA'"!

[ericbesty]

No one asked but Boy Scouts of America get exploited for cheap labor to fund camping trips btw. They also get bullied, harassed, and assaulted by their peers and sometimes by other kid's parents. They also get pressured into being Christian or not being atheist or non religious, and pressured into being nationalist, and pressured into doing pointless rank requirements that no scout actually wants to do. And since it's boys only they can end up in sexist echo chambers with boys who don't know any better and adults who perpetuate or enable it.

Just invest in some camping gear (if you can afford it) and take your kids camping instead of subjecting them to all that pressure and exploitation. Plus no membership fees. At least girls will be able to go too without being in danger or having to do girls only trips in girls only troops which are comparatively underfunded with less members.

[goingnearlyinsane]

Me pulling up to the scout event as if I'm not going to attempt to teach all my friends to play pool and poker like some 1920s cartoon devil

Art by @/phykoha