Cub Scout Pack 141

BRMC MEMBERSHIP FEE INCREASE DETAILS – 6/1/2024

Effective June 1st, 2024, the Blue Ridge Mountains Council will drop the Council New Member Fee and increase the Annual Council Fee by $5.00. The Council has decided to follow National’s lead on eliminating the New Member Fee. Effective April 1, 2024, the National eliminated the $25 one-time joining fee for new program participants in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting, or any volunteer who is joining scouting for the first time.

Additionaly, the Council will follow Nationals increase on registration for Youth and Adult members. The Annual Council Fee will be increased by $5.00, efffective June 1st, 2024.

The new annual membership fee will be $85 ($5 increase) a year for all registered youth in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouts participants and a Council Fee of $25. For all Adult Volunteers, the new annual membership fee will be $65 ($5 increase) and a Council Fee of $25. For Exploring participants, Youth and Adult, the new annual membership fee will be $50 with no Council Fee. For Merit Badge Counselors, the fee will be $25 with a Council fee of $25 and applies only to Merit Badge Counselors who are not already registered as leaders.

The unit charter/affiliation fee remains at $100. And the Scout Life magazine subscription remains at $15.

The national membership fee helps pay for the cost of essential services, including program resources, liability insurance for those participating in approved Scouting activities, youth protection and other local council resources.

National will also continue to develop and improve resources that support our volunteers and youth members through online registration, Scoutbook Plus Internet Advancement (formally Scoutbook), and national initiatives that bring us all together.

To find out more about this increase, please click HERE.

Please contact the Council Office at (540) 265-0656, if you have any questions.

BSA MEMBERSHIP FEE INCREASE DETAILS – 4/1/2024

Starting April 1, 2024, the Boy Scouts of America membership fees will increase for the 2024-2025 program year. The new annual membership fee will be $85 ($5 increase) a year for all registered youth in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouts participants and a Council Fee of $25. For all Adult Volunteers, the new annual membership fee will be $65 ($5 increase) and a Council Fee of $25. For Exploring participants, Youth and Adult, the new annual membership fee will be $50 with no Council Fee. For Merit Badge Counselors, the fee will be $25 with a Council fee of $25 and applies only to Merit Badge Counselors who are not already registered as leaders.

There is still the one-time joining fee of $25 for new program participants in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting which is not prorated and is not changing. The unit charter/affiliation fee remains at $100. And the Scout Life magazine subscription remains at $15.

The national membership fee helps pay for the cost of essential services, including program resources, liability insurance for those participating in approved Scouting activities, youth protection and other local council resources.

National BSA will also continue to develop and improve resources that support our volunteers and youth members through online registration, Scoutbook Plus Internet Advancement (formally Scoutbook), and national initiatives that bring us all together.

To find out more about this increase and to help answer some of your question, please click HERE.

National Member Renewal Tools - 3/1/2024

Beginning March 1 2024, all members renew using the new "Yearly Membership" process. Renewals open two months before your expiration date. You can find your pending renewal by clicking on the "My Applications" tab found under the "Menu" tab and then click "My Renewals."

Check with your unit before you renew, some units are choosing to process the renewal for the members.

Cub Scout Program Updates Announced - 9/9/2023

It’s official! The Cub Scout program will be updated for the 2024-25 program year. Over the past several years the National Cub Scouting Committee under the leadership of past chair Lisa Wylie and current chair Audrey Oakes has identified four areas to improve the Cub Scout program to ensure that it is fun, simple, and easy.

Over the past five years the National Cub Scouting has been working on these updates. These updates are based on feedback from over 23,000 parents and Cub Scout leaders through various surveys and data. Listening to and identify the key opportunities to improve the program the National Cub Scout committee is excited to finally reveal these improvements. Over the past year these improvements have been socialized to thousands of individuals with overwhelming support.

Cub Scout Adventures have been improved to make it easier to deliver the program to multi-rank dens or as a Pack. To earn each rank in Cub Scouting will require a Cub Scout to earn the six required Adventures and two elective Adventures. Required Adventures reflect the aims and focus areas of the BSA. The number of elective Adventures increases.

Webelos and Arrow of Light will be separated. Webelos becomes the 4th-grade program in Cub Scouting. Arrow of Light becomes a stand-alone badge of rank for 5th graders and will no longer be associated with Webelos. Arrow of Light will be the program that prepares Cub Scouts to join Scouts BSA.

Cub Scouts Awards will be reimagined as Cub Scout Adventures. Topics like camping, STEM, and range and target sports will remain and are reimagined into elective Adventures that can be used towards earning a badge of rank.

The changes will take effect officially on June 1, 2024.

BSA MEMBERSHIP CYCLE CHANGES – UPDATED 6/27/2023

Starting August 1, 2023, the Boy Scouts of America will no longer prorate fees for new members. All new youth and adult members who join Scouting will be enrolled in a 12-month membership cycle and BSA will cease prorating fees. Both youth and adults will pay the full annual membership fee and will renew their membership on the anniversary date of joining Scouting. All proration of membership fees will be eliminated. Each registered member of the BSA will receive an email notice with a registration renewal link beginning 60 days before the anniversary date they joined Scouting. Unit leaders will receive a copy of the email and should stay engaged in the membership renewal process just like rechartering.

It is important to note, existing members will renew their membership during their normal registration/recharter cycle through March 2024. Moving forward all members will renew on their anniversary date.

Existing members' Anniversary date will be their unit recharter month.
New members' Anniversary date will be the month they joined.

This new process will help streamline the rechartering and membership renewal process for units and councils. Additional information on this membership renewal process will be forthcoming in the very near future.

BSA MEMBERSHIP FEE INCREASE DETAILS – UPDATED 6/27/2023

Starting August 1, 2023, the Boy Scouts of America membership fees will increase for the 2023-2024 program year. The new annual membership fee will be $80 ($5 increase) a year for all registered youth in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouts participants. For all Adult Volunteers, the new annual membership fee will be $60 ($15 increase), which includes general liability insurance and enhanced background checks. For Exploring participants Youth and Adult, the new annual membership fee will be $50 ($5 increase). For Merit Badge Counselors, the new fee will be $25 and applies only for Merit Badge Counselors not already registered as leaders.

There is still the one-time joining fee of $25 for new program participants in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouting which is not prorated and is not changing. The unit charter/affiliation fee remains at $100. And the Scout Life magazine subscription remains at $15.

The national membership fee helps pay for the cost of essential services, including program resources, liability insurance for those participating in approved Scouting activities, youth protection and other local council resources.

National BSA will also continue to develop and improve resources that support our volunteers and youth members through online registration, Scoutbook, and national initiatives that bring us all together.

DIRECT CONTACT LEADER TRAINING UPDATED - April 3, 2018

Effective April 30, 2018, Hazardous Weather Training is now required for all new direct contact leaders to be considered “A Trained Direct Contact Leader.” The training is available via the BSA Learn Center. You can access the Learn Center via your MyScouting account, and then adding the updated Hazardous Weather Training course (SCO_800) to your Training Plan, so that you have the most current content. For current registered leaders, you will be grandfathered until your Hazardous Weather Training expires, which is every two (2) years. If you haven’t taken Hazardous Weather Training within the past 2 years, it is now expired.

The BSA Expands Programs to Welcome Girls from Cub Scouts to Highest Rank of Eagle Scout - October 11, 2017

The Boy Scouts of America Board of Directors unanimously approved to welcome girls into its iconic Cub Scout program and to deliver a Scouting program for older girls that will enable them to advance and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout. The historic decision comes after years of receiving requests from families and girls, the organization evaluated the results of numerous research efforts, gaining input from current members and leaders, as well as parents and girls who’ve never been involved in Scouting – to understand how to offer families an important additional choice in meeting the character development needs of all their children.

Starting in 2018, families can choose to sign up their sons and daughters for Cub Scouts. Existing packs may choose to establish a new girl pack, establish a pack that consists of girl dens and boy dens or remain an all-boy pack. Cub Scout dens will be single-gender — all boys or all girls. Using the same curriculum as the Boy Scouts program, the organization will also deliver a program for older girls, which will be announced in 2018 and projected to be available in 2019, that will enable them to earn the Eagle Scout rank. This unique approach allows the organization to maintain the integrity of the single gender model while also meeting the needs of today’s families.

This decision expands the programs that the Boy Scouts of America offers for both boys and girls. Although known for its iconic programs for boys, the BSA has offered co-ed programs since 1971 through Exploring and the Venturing program, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2018. The STEM Scout pilot program is also available for both boys and girls.

For more information about this expanded opportunity for girls and their families, please visit the BSA Blog page.

Blue Ridge Mountains Council