Get it Now

You can purchase a copy of the book through Lulu and through our Quartermaster store. The book costs $27.50 plus shipping. Printing fees are based on per page costs, which means this book is more expensive than our others because it is so much longer!

You can also download a copy here, as a PDF.

Printed copies of the book purchased through Lulu and the Quartermaster store are in black and white. This choice was made so that the book would be as economical as possible for our guides and leaders to purchase copies. The downloadable version has various details and badges in color. You can of course choose to print it in any way  you choose. To see what a badge actually looks like, the PDF of the whole book or the badge section can help.

You can still download the Pathfinder Badges here. This link has just the badges and awards section of the handbook, for any leaders who are trying to find those badge requirements from your phone, mid meeting.

Outdoor Service Guides would like to be sure that all registered pathfinders have access to this new handbook. If your group needs assistance providing copies of the Pathfinder Handbook for your pathfinders, a fund is being set up to assist you. Please reach out to Donathan Dedolph at treasurer@osg-us.org and let him know about your need. Be sure to mention your group, your address and how many pathfinders need a copy.

Thank you to our Volunteers

Outdoor Service Guides would like to thank everyone who contributed to this book especially the following Rovers, who’s tireless effort made this book possible:

• Donathan Dedolph
• Eric Giaccino
• Victoria Grimmes
• Chance Michaels
• Laura Sowdon
• Jeff Welch
• Sola Whitehead

We appreciate your hard work and dedication to OSG.

The post New Pathfinder Handbook Is Here! appeared first on Outdoor Service Guides.

As a reminder, we do not have any fund raisers for our national organization. We only ask for registrations.  As an all volunteer organization, we have found a way to fund our training, badges, background checks and more without asking our members to sell anything. All fund raisers are conducted at the local level by individual groups, or local groups who choose to work together on a project.  As such, every GSM should become familiar with this policy.

OSG Fundraising Policy: 

1. No national sales. This means you are not permitted to sell items like magazines, wrapping paper, etc with large national or international companies.
2. We encourage you to have your guides do the work to make what they sell, whether that is food or crafts. 
3. If you partner with a local business, make sure that your group is not exploited and that you are partnering with a place that shares our values as an organization. Businesses that discriminate against any group of people should not be considered as a fundraising partner. 
4. On-line sales of items your group designed or created are allowed. 
5. On-line or in person auctions or yard sales of things donated to your group are allowed. 
6. Do not send youth members door to door with items to sell, as this is unsafe. 
7. All in-person sales should be under the direct supervision of two scout leaders, per our two deep leadership policy.
8. Online fundraisers for a specific purpose, performed independently or with companies which do not conflict with our values as an organization, are permitted.
9. Private sponsorships, for example (but not limited to) equipment or a campsite, where the group or its members would benefit from the sponsorship while allowing the sponsor themselves to benefit while not in use by the group, are permitted. If there is any question about the suitability of such a relationship, those fall to the regional commissioner.
10. Legally purchased or donated third-party property of a group, region, or national organization, ie: gently used tents, sleeping bags, canoes, etc, may be rented or sold to outside parties to the benefit of the organization, without exclusion.

If you are unsure if your fundraising idea is okay, please check with your Regional Commissioner for guidance.

As some of this might be confusing, here is a list of some ways your group can fund raise:

• Host a meal, such as a spaghetti supper or pancake breakfast and charge for tickets or ask for donations.
• Accept donations through a website.
• Have guides make items such as soap, walking sticks, or cookies and sell those at a local event.
• Sell items with your group logo on them, that you create or that are made by a website.
• Rent out your group equipment.
• Accept donations from local businesses.
• Have a talent show, also accepting donations or selling tickets in advance.
• Have a car wash, or dog wash.

Providing high level scouting experiences can be expensive.  We hope that having a clear policy will help your group navigate fund raising so that you can have the best adventures possible.

The post Fund Raising Policy appeared first on Outdoor Service Guides.

BTC is short for Brownsea Training Camp. The first ever organized scouting event happened on Brownsea Island in Great Britain. At that event the basic principles of scouting were tested; the patrol method, and learning from the outdoors. We chose the name Brownsea because our training is like that camp event. A weekend full of activities and adventures, not just sitting in a classroom being told what to do. BTC3 has been carefully developed to be an expansive, immersive, and educational event. It has been fine tuned to meet physical needs as well as include as much content as possible without being grueling.

Why it is BTC3?

The three is because this is the third version of the training we have developed as an organization. Brownsea training began at the very start of our organization and we have been working to continuously improve it.The original training was shorter, but it didn’t cover essential information like what to do as an otter or timberwolf leader. It was very bare bones and left most leaders who went through it with more questions than answers.

This third version is very special for several reasons. First of all, you get the chance to dive into every age level. This means that no matter which age level you will be leading, you are going to have a chance to get into the mindset and activities for that age level. You will feel what it is like to age up through our program and see how we approach each age level with regard for the differences in child development that occur naturally.

Why does it last all weekend?

Unfortunately, immersing everyone in the program takes some time. This is why BTC3 requires 2 nights of camping with us. Spending a half day on the otter program, a half day on the timberwolf program, and then time for pathfinders and rovers just adds up.

Beyond the obvious benefits of learning the program, many scout leaders find that the weekend also builds their confidence to lead a group in a wide variety of ways. If you aren’t experienced at camping, our trainers will help you learn to set up your tent and use your gear. All you need to do is ask for some help!

We also provide a full camp kitchen and a variety of foods to cook at camp for the weekend. This means you will leave knowing several recipes you can try with your own group! Not only that, but the dietary needs of every participant are taken into account, so even if you are allergic to gluten or dairy or something else, you will still get the experience of cooking and eating at camp.

Getting to Know Us

The other amazing thing that you get from this weekend of learning and scouting with us, is that you will make friends with some amazing people. We do our best to make sure each training has a minimum number of participants and trainers. So, at the end of the weekend, you not only know how to lead an OSG group, but you have friends you can call and ask for help.

Over the years, I have convinced many folks to attend a BTC3, and I can honestly say that I have never had someone say they regretted it. Many leaders choose to attend more than once because they are moving to a new age level and want to review the material or they want to experience the camaraderie and inclusion the weekend provides.

When You Love it….

Occasionally, we have leaders who love our BTC3 program so much, they choose to become trainers so they can provide this experience for others. As an all volunteer organization, that means that people REALLY love this program! They agree to put together the plan, the equipment and the food and show up over and over to do this for free.

Okay, so, you DO get a very nice badge to wear from attending. So technically, it isn’t without a reward… and if you become a trainer you can qualify for our coveted BTC sparkle patch. But honestly, our trainers do this because they love it. And they love it, because it really is an amazing way to spend a weekend.

If you would like to attend an upcoming BTC3 leader weekend, please check out the Training Page for upcoming events and/or contact your Regional Commissioner for details.

The post BTC3 What is it and why do we do it?  appeared first on Outdoor Service Guides.

Our quarterly campfire falls right in the middle of the holiday season. And while I am developing a resemblance to Santa Claus in a red necker, you all have more festive things to do than be on a zoom with me. I give you all the gift of time and we will skip straight to blog version of the Campfire. If anyone has any questions you would like to chat about I am always available at HQ@OSG-US.org.

Updates

Rover Proficiency Badges

Last Campfire we announced we were looking at ways to improve the Rover Program to provide more options for young Rovers. Through the process we learned surprisingly that young Rovers are not that different than old Rovers. The young Rovers that participated in the process conveyed they wanted to be fully included in the bigger Rover community. Their ask was for there to be special proficiencies similar to Pathfinders to give them some more structured goals to work on and develop their skills while they ponder what quests they may want to take and their path to becoming a Rover Knight. It turns out this idea sounded really good to a lot to older Rovers as well. You can find the badges and requirements on the website. QM has the newest purple Rover badges, and they should be available at the QM store soon. The ones that are shared with the Pathfinder program are already available as Senior Pathfinder Badges. We are open to adding more badges in the future that align with our program.

These badges are intended to supplement the existing Rover program; not replace any aspect of the current Handbook. Also as previously announced, Sue is working on a more holistic review of the Rover program to among other thing ensure the program is as inclusive as possible.

Policies

Unfortunately, you all voted to have a professional bureaucrat as Chief. One of the goals I have asked HQ to work on is distilling our core beliefs in to written policies. This does two important things: One, it helps keep as all on the same page as an organization and gives new groups with less tribal knowledge more framework to establish their groups, and two, it communicates to the outside world want we believe and hold ourselves to. While our beliefs may appear clear, we get a good amount of questions and concerns. Recently the Board approved the Scouting Accommodations Policy which formalizes our long-standing practices and promulgates the OSG Guide for Accessibility and Adaptive Scouting.

I hope to have more polices to announce soon because I like using the word promulgate.

Board News

To better reflect the membership and try to ensure a diversity of thought the Board voted to create two new Board seats, for a total of five, per the process laid out in the updated bylaws. The Board requested that Jillian Tate serve in one of the new positions and she has accepted. Jillian is well known, well respected, and fierce in her support of our mission. The Board wanted to move quickly to add a person to help ensure we could achieve the organizational stability that was one of the goals of the bylaws updated.

As a reminder on how the new bylaws work:

• All Board seats are elected by membership, excepting the provision that allows the Board to fill a vacant seat
• Board seats are three-year terms, divided into three groups to attempt to avoid complete turnover in Board membership
• Cycle A, Term ends 2023:  Mathias and the vacant fifth seat
• Cycle B, Term ends 2024:  Richard
• Cycle C, Term ends 2025: Aislinn and Jillian

The Board’s thinking was to add the fourth seat (Jillian) to “C” for stability and add the fifth to “A” so it would be voted on in the next election cycle to ensure the Board is accountable to membership. If the Board expands in the future the next seat will be assigned to “B”. The Chief, Secretary, Treasurer, and any other officers the Board may see the need to create in the future are no longer elected positions. Officers are appointed by the Board and may be dismissed by the Board at any time. Additionally, officers may be, but are not required to be elected Board members.

All that said, you may have noted we are due to have an election soon. The plan is to have the election in February as is traditional. Please start considering anyone you would like to nominate to be on the ballot (any member may make a nomination, per by-laws). More to come on the process when we start the official nominations.

A Scout is Courteous

This has been a busy year of coming out of Covid hibernation. I want to thank everyone that is still with us for persevering. We also have had many new people volunteer to help the headquarters team, which I am very grateful for. One of my goals is spread out the work of running the organization to more folks doing smaller more manageable jobs. Overall, I think this is going well. The downside to this approach is it puts a high demand on communication which as we all know is and has been a challenge for the organization.

I believe the communication challenge comes down to we are all volunteers doing our best to give what we can give to OSG. We all have families, home Groups, and life in general competing for our attention. It is okay to not be able to be all things for OSG at all times. I know I cannot be. My ask is for us to be purposeful in our commitments and communications; think of it as New Year’s resolution. If you are committed to attending a meeting, please put it on your calendar, set an alarm on you phone, do what whatever you do to keep up with things. If a conflict comes up, please send a quick note to the organizer to let them know. To be clear, this is also a growth opportunity for me too.

I titled this section a” Scout is Courteous”. As well-meaning as we are having aspirational goals of getting to everything, when a Rover hosts a meeting and folks don’t attend it is very demoralizing. If you cannot take something on, it is okay and courteous to say no. Please be courteous to your fellow Rovers by letting them know what to expect from you. If something comes up, just let folks know; we all understand life happens.

Happy Holidays to all of you!

~ Richard Sowdon, Chief Commissioner, OSG

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The goal of this guide is to make it clear how and when you should accommodate scouts. While some leaders in our program may feel this is easily accomplished, not everyone has a background that makes figuring out accommodations intuitive.  To help you follow these guidelines, we offer an entire 35 page book written by our leaders that expands on how to make these accommodations.  Having this policy helps us to all follow our motto of “Scouting for Everybody.”

Scouting Accommodations Policy for Outdoor Service Guides

Outdoor Service Guides strives to be inclusive of everyone who wants to participate in scouting with us. As such, our Group Scoutmasters are required to welcome youth with disabilities to participate in their groups. Each Group Scoutmaster (GSM) is responsible for working with parents and leaders to make reasonable accommodations for the guides who need them. 

Support Materials: 

All GSMs and youth leaders working with guides with disabilities, whether mental, emotional or physical, should read our OSG Guide for Accessibility and Adaptive Scouting. Which is a 35 page document written by OSG leaders who are therapists and teachers. It is designed to provide insight and both general and specific information on how to include and accommodate atypical individuals. It can be found on the Resource page for Accessible and Adaptive Scouting.

Accommodations: 

The following changes should be made to the program to meet the needs of individual participants as needed. 

1. Uniforms may be altered to accommodate the needs of the individual guide. This may include wearing badges on a vest or jacket instead of the shirt, or wearing a different shirt that meets the needs of the guide. To encourage inclusion, the entire raft, patrol, or six may also choose to wear this alternative uniform option.
2. Badge requirements may be adjusted to be attainable by the guide. When adjusting a requirement, it is required that the badge otherwise be reasonable for other guides the same age and experience level to earn. For example, it is not appropriate to alter the requirements of a senior level pathfinder badge to meet the needs of a 12 year old pathfinder, as those badges are all designed for guides over the age of 14. When adjusting a badge requirement, it is important to adjust it in a way that is in line with the purpose of the badge. This may mean substituting another task or reducing the distance or repetitions needed to accomplish the task. 
3. Regular meeting spaces must be accessible to all members of the group.
4. Parents or guardians may be required to attend meetings, camping trips or other events for the purpose of helping their child be included in a safe manner and so that leaders can maintain two deep leadership. Groups may require these adults to become registered with OSG and maintain a current background check.
5. Groups may have events that are not accessible for every guide in their group, provided these represent no more than 20% of their annual activities. This means that 80% of meetings and events should be accessible to all, with up to 20% designed to be too dangerous or challenging for some members in the same level of the program.
6. This is specific to age level programing, as it is expected that pathfinders will have programming that is too dangerous for younger guides, and that is not problematic for inclusion and necessary for safety and appropriate scouting skill development. This applies to all situations when discussing older vs. younger age groups. 
7. It is at the discretion of the individual groups if they will use the Individualized Scouting Plan forms developed for OSG, or create other documentation to help meet the needs of their guides. These forms, when used, should be used to facilitate communication between leaders, guardians, and guides so that youth can participate as fully as possible in the program. 
8. Guides may participate in a younger age level of the OSG program than their biological age indicates if it is agreed upon by the guide, guardians and leadership team that that is the best way to include a guide in the program. For example, a child of 11 or 12 may continue to participate as a Timberwolf instead of moving up to Pathfinders. This should also be done with the consent of the guide and with consideration for the friend group that that guide currently has. Staying with a cohort and working on adapted badges may serve some guides better, while spending extra time in a younger section will work best for others. 
9. GSMs may create specific policies for their group to meet the needs of their guides and leaders, as long as those policies do not contradict anything in this policy or other OSG policies especially those of inclusion and youth safety.  
10. GSMs must ensure that materials and communications are provided in a manner that best meets guide’s and their guardian’s needs. GSMs will endeavor to support interpreters, but groups are not responsible for scheduling or paying them. Examples: Written materials for the deaf or people who are hard of hearing, or audio/verbal instruction for people with visual impairments. 

This policy was written by Laura Sowdon OTR/L and Carrie Davis, SLP who both have experience working with youth with a variety of needs both in scouting and in their professional work. If you have feedback, you can reach out to either of them, or to HQ@osg-us.org to let us know what  you think of this policy.

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Similar to Pathfinders

Many of these new badges mirror the badges for Senior Level Pathfinders from the new Pathfinder Handbook. As a result, Rovers and Pathfinders can earn the same badges! However, as a Rover it is important to look up the requirements for adults, as the language has been changed to incorporate prerequisite  requirements. The language for Rovers is also updated to account for adults learning instead of youth who need supervision. Finally, please remember that these badges are designed to appeal to Rovers age 18-108, which is nearly impossible. You may find that some badges do not appeal to you, and that’s okay.

The OSG Rover program still has all the self directed options of going on a quest as a Knight. These additional new badges are for those who would like more direction and specific requirements than a quest provides. They can also be earned before a Rover chooses to be Knighted, as part of their scouting journey with us. Earning badges is a foundational part of scouting and we hope that these new badges will bring our members joy and encourage them to take on new challenges.

Purple Badges

There are 5 new badges just for Rovers who want to use their skills in the arts to render service! These newest badges are outlined in purple, so that they stand out from the Pathfinder badges.  Some of these badges require service to your community and others encourage service to OSG, to help us complete our mission of “Scouting for Everybody.”

Wilderness First Aid

There is also a new badge for those who have completed a Wilderness First Aid Course. The WFA badge is to be worn on the front of the uniform, so that we all know who has this training in an emergency! Wilderness First Aid training is quite the achievement, so we are excited to acknowledge it with a badge.

Where to Wear

These badges may be worn on the sleeves of your Rover uniform. Badges with red, yellow or purple outlines are to be worn on the right sleeve. Badges with green or blue outlines go on the left sleeve. You may also choose to earn badges and not wear all that you earn. It is up to you.

Download the Rover Badge Supplement here: https://docs.guides4guides.org/Rovers/Rover+Badge+Supplement.pdf 

Changes or Recommendations

If you try out a badge and have feedback for that badge, you can send your feedback to RoverBadges@osg-us.org where we will be collecting information on how well these badges work out for our membership.  Please keep in mind, that badge requirements can be altered to meet your own special set of circumstances including access or disability issues. You can read more about altering badge requirements for special needs situation in our Accessible and Adaptive Scouting Guide. We do welcome feedback that will make these badges better for our community of Rovers.

Updating the Rover Program

There is a new committee forming to work on updating our Rover handbook. The youth program books have all been updated and we want to update the Rover program now. We are seeking committed members from every region with a variety of experiences to contribute to updating the Rover materials.  If you are interested, please email susanpz@clackamas.edu with your information including your scouting experience and relevant information.

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New Board Member

In a step towards creating a larger and healthier board to do the work of running OSG, Jillian Tate was added as a new Board Member.  Jillian is a long time member of OSG, she has been the New York City Commissioner for several years and also served on a variety of committees during her time with OSG.  Jillian is being asked to serve a multi-year term and then her seat will be up for re-election per our new by-laws. 

By-Laws

The new bylaws were officially adopted after the revisions discussed at our previous Chat with the Chief were made. You can read those new bylaws here: https://docs.guides4guides.org/policies/OSG+Bylaws+-+signed.pdf

Of note, these new bylaws are specifically related to the board and running the organization. Separately, the board and national staff will be working to publish a comprehensive set of policies which will be announced when they are ready.

Bronze Arrow Training 

The East Coast hosted a Bronze Arrow Training this past weekend. It had 11 new participants and 3 BAT graduates who returned to work as trainers. BAT, or Bronze Arrow Training is a program for Pathfinders to learn leadership skills, teamwork and experience the patrol method with pathfinders from other groups.  Pathfinders camp together and work through challenges all weekend. Once completed, those pathfinders are awarded badges that they can wear on their shoulder, in the same place where our Rovers wear their BTC badges. 

Now that they have completed their BAT training, each pathfinder who attended may work towards earring the Silver Arrow Award, which requires they use their BAT leadership skills in their own pathfinder troop. 

The BAT program was developed by Sue Peszerneck and Andy Bicking as a Rover project and is an excellent addition to our programing. 

Pathfinder Handbook Update

The Pathfinder Handbook is still in the editing process and currently being reviewed by a professional editor. It will then need to be type set and turned into the PDF format necessary for use as a book. At that stage we will be adding art and working to make a visually interesting book for our pathfinders before it will be ready to share.  If you are an artist willing to create art on demand for the book please sign up at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWceylzGESxCv4tlYvEw8wqA7OAfGnCCS7NGpDIkAxn71nlA/viewform to volunteer. 

Young Rover Committee Update

As our organization has matured we are having more Pathfinders age up to Rovers.  Over the summer, we created a short term committee that focused on getting information from some of our youngest rovers ages almost 18 to 20 about what they want from scouting with us. This group was composed of younger members from across the country who met and laid out what they wanted. After much discussion, it was decided that what they felt was missing from our program was badges for Rover Squires to earn. 

Our young rovers all recognized that while knighting is an option, they did not yet feel ready for that step, and wanted more in our rover program for them to do before knighting. As a result, they worked with Melanie Willett and Laura Sowdon to create a set of badges that ALL rover squires will be able to earn. The majority of these badges are based on the Pathfinder Senior Proficiency badges, with adjustments for adult use.  Adults earning these badges will be able to wear them on the sleeves of their uniform, just like pathfinders.  These badges have now been approved by the board, and will be turned into a booklet to share with all of our rovers. 

This set of badges will be created and shared similarly to how the pathfinder pre-release badges have been shared.  This will be the first step towards creating a new rover handbook, which will be overseen by a different committee that is still forming. 

Years of Service Awards

The board has approved the Years of Service Awards badges that can be worn by guides of all ages to reflect how many years they have participated in OSG. Badges are color coded to reflect the years participated in at each age level. You can read more about them here.

Upcoming Events

The West Coast is working towards hosting a BAT event for pathfinders in the  spring. For more information contact traingingwest@osg-us.org 

There will be a West Coast BTC October 1-3, 2022 at Battle Ground Lake State Park, WA. For more information contact trainingwest@osg-us.org 

The  Fall 2022 Northeast Brownsea Training Camp (BTC) will be at Fahnestock State Park, October 8-10, 2022.  For more information contact training@osg-us.org 

BTC’s are our leader training events and a wonderful way to learn about leading guides of all ages in our programs. If you enjoy attending BTC, please consider becoming a trainer yourself!  If interested, please contact training@osg-us.org to learn more about how to you can teach a session at one of these BTCs.  We also offer sparkly BTC patches for those who become trainers who can run a BTC start to finish.  We are always looking for those who would like to help train at these events. Many hands make light work! 

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Years of Service Awards

Years of Service Awards are cloth patches that, after the first year of membership, display numerical figures on the patches that correspond to the number of years of service that a scout has completed.  The Service Square Knots are made with a red, yellow, green, or khaki cloth background to indicate Otter/Chipmunk, Timberwolf, Pathfinder, or Rover service, respectively.

All scouts, including adult leaders, may instead choose to wear a single Service Square Knot with a khaki background and a number representing their total overall number of years of service in Outdoor Service Guides.   Service Square Knots are worn above the right breast pocket or, with jerseys, in a similar position. On the rover or pathfinder uniforms they should be placed above the organization name strip. Otters and Timberwolves wear them just above their WFIS patch. 

Members

OSG members may wear a single Service Square Knot to indicate their length of service in the Section (Chipmunk/Otter,Timberwolf, Pathfinder, or Rover) in which they are currently serving.  It must have a background of the appropriate section-specific color and must be changed on the completion of each year’s service to reflect the newly updated number of years of service. Members may also wear badges that reflect years of service in previous years from other sections.

Otters and Chipmunks

Otters and Chipmunks will wear a knot on a red background with a number reflecting their total years of service as an otter/chipmunk. These red patches can also be used to reflect years as a chipmunk, or years as a chipmunk and otter combined. 

Timberwolve

Timberwolves will wear a knot on a yellow background with a number reflecting their total years of service as a timberwolf. They may continue to wear a red knot that reflects the total number of years they served as an otter. 

Pathfinders

Pathfinders will wear a knot on a green background with a number reflecting their total years of service as a pathfinder. They may continue to wear a red knot that reflects the total number of years they served as an otter and a yellow one with the number of years as a timberwolf. 

Rovers

Rovers will wear a knot on a khaki background with a number reflecting their total years of service as a Rover. The  Rover will continue to wear a square knot with red background showing the total of any Otter and a  knot with yellow background showing the total Timberwolf  years of service, and a green knot reflecting total years as a Pathfinder in addition to the  knot with a khaki background showing the total of any Rover years of service.

 Adult leaders

Adult leaders may wear the khaki service badge reflecting the total number of years served as a leader. This Service Knot must be changed each year to show the updated total number of years of service. 

All Members

Any member may choose to wear only the khaki badge reflecting their total years of service in OSG for all levels of service. 

Method of recognition

Service of more than one kind, performed at the same time, may only be counted for one Service Square Knot.  Service for members is measured from the date of investiture in each section; in the case of adult leaders wishing to wear khaki Service Square Knot, from the date of their earliest investment in any section.

Where a year’s service is composed of different kinds of section membership, not performed at the same time, but for different periods (such as spending part of a year in each of two sections), that service which is performed for the longest period shall be recognized as a complete year of service for the purpose of Service Square Knots.

The recognition of service for the purpose of Service Square Knots and the application of the above rules are generally not affected by any transfer between units.

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New Commissioners

Casey Hensley, is the new SouthWest Commissioner. Casey is a member of the 100th Sun Mountain and a member of the DEI Committee. 

Colorado just had their first ever BTC, and Casey was instrumental in making that happen and attended. We are excited to see what Casey will plan next for the SouthWest. You can contact Casey at CommissionerSouthwest@osg-us.org

Donathan Dedolph will be stepping up to fill the role of NorthEast Commissioner. He has agreed to fill the role temporarily and will be answering the Northeast emails at CommissionerNorthEast@osg-us.org for anyone who needs help in that region. Donathan has filled many roles for OSG and we appreciate his help with this. 

Openings

OSG is seeking a new Registrar to assist the Secretary with managing registrations and background checks. If you  time to help, please contact Mathias at secretary@osg-us.org and he will tell you more about the role. This work is extremely important and we would be very grateful to those willing help with this. 

New Committee Forming

Are you a younger Rover age 18-24? Would you like to be part of creating an updated Rover program?  If so, we’d like for you to join us in exploring what that program could be. We are looking for those willing to join a short term committee, that would meet this summer to explore how to create a better program for younger Rovers.  If interested, please contact Laura at Laura.Sowdon@osg-us.org as she has agreed to help this committee get started. 

Pathfinder Handbook

The new Prerelease of the Pathfinder Handbook is here! The first 101 new badges and other upper level Pathfinder Awards can all be downloaded now from the website. This 3 chapter selection is just a preview of the new program. If you have feedback on any part of the prerelease, please contact contact the committee at pathfinder@osg-us.org and let them know what you think. 

The full version of the new Handbook is being reviewed by an editor. It will then be reviewed again by members of OSG for continuity. It is a long document, but we hope it will be ready for scouting in the fall. 

Youth Protection

During the call, Richard Sowdon reviewed the importance of reviewing our current Youth Protection polices every year with your group. GSMs should download from the website the newest version, as these policies are updated periodically. Review with your entire group two deep leadership and make sure everyone knows about it, including non-leader parents. 

Every OSG leader has a moral responsibility to report it if you suspect a child is being abused. Is many states you are mandated, legally required, to report suspected abuse.  During the call, Jillian Tate, the NYC Commissioner pointed out that New York offers free training for teachers and other mandated reporters. This may be available in many states. 

All OSG policies are on the website. If you are looking for them, they can be found under the drop down tab for Resources. 

By Laws

There was a discussion of the new, proposed bylaws. There are several big changes from the old bylaws that were discussed.  

Chief Commissioner Richard shared that our original bylaws were created for a small organization that had a kitchen table style leadership. Kitchen table style, meaning that our original leadership could all gather around a kitchen table to make decisions. These new bylaws lay out a path forward for our organization to grow and function like a modern non-profit. These bylaws also help protect the organization from frivolous lawsuits that could bankrupt us. They also allow us to continue to function with a small leadership team, until or unless that team needs to grow. 

The old bylaws contained many policies about how OSG functions. The new bylaws will be simply a legal document that is designed to protect the organization legally and lays out the basic structure and function of the board. If anyone would like to be on a committee to write up policies that were in the old bylaws that we want to keep, please contact HQ@osg-us.org and let Richard know. 

Board Changes

There are a few big changes to how the board will function that are proposed in these bylaws. One change is that we will elect a board member every year. So we will switch to having an election each year. Board members will each have a 3 year term. This means that instead of changing over the entire board every 2 years, we will have more continuity of the board. Hopefully, this means that old members can leave and new ones join without loosing traction the way former boards have done. 

These elected board members will not be predetermined to serve in the role of secretary, chief and treasurer. Instead, the board members will decide amongst themselves who will fulfill each role. It is possible under the new bylaws for the board to choose to expand. By a simple vote, they can agree to add members to the board. Any new board member would be able to serve a partial term until they could be officially elected by the membership. How long that term would be, is determined by the board when the seat is created, and the seat assigned to an election year like any other seat. 

The new bylaws provide for having 1-2 youth members on the board. This means that a pathfinder can have a direct say in how the organization is run and allows us to be more scout led. Those seats will be appointed by the board. Regional Commissioners and GSMs can contact the board to nominate youth to fill those seats. 

Membership Requirement to be Added

It was discussed that the new bylaws create the opportunity to have board members who are not Rovers in OSG. Chief Richard stated that this was to create an opportunity for diversity on the board. Casey Hensley, stated that she saw the potential for that to be a good thing, has her local school board has outside members. Donathan Dedolph and Jillian Tate both stated they were uncomfortable with having board members who are not OSG members. It was then agreed that the bylaws will be amended to require that board members be OSG members. 

Size and Workload

The new board could eventually expand to have as many as 15 members and there are provisions that that 15 member, elected board, could form sub committees to accomplish the work of the organization. It is also clarified that the board can appoint members to do the work necessary to support the organization, and if we someday have money, they could hire help. At our current size this is not an issue, however, if we continue to grow, the board could for example, hire an accountant to help with the work of treasurer. 

Recalling of Board Members

Another big change in these bylaws, is that any member of the board can be recalled and removed by the membership. Under Missouri law, where we are incorporated, that is  part of any organization. After discussion, it was agreed that the process for removing a board member will be clarified in the bylaws. This process will include that GSMs can request a recall election to remove board members who are not serving the best interest of the organization.  It will outline how to call for this election and how it will take place. 

If you have further thoughts or concerns about the bylaws please contact HQ@osg-us.org and Chief Commissioner Richard will make note. If enough members reach out, we can schedule another Zoom call  to discuss the bylaws further. 

Call to Action

The Secretary requests that you all make sure your membership and your group charter are up to date. Please renew if you need to. Make sure your new members are registered and that they are doing their part to get their background checks run. That is essential to youth safety. If your group was on “pause” for covid and you have resumed scouting, please update your group in Dashboard. Mathias is happy to help if you have any questions. 

Upcoming Events

Hullaballoo  June 24-26, 2022 in Oregon for our West Coast members.

Pathfinder Paddelpalooza is June 30 to July 3, 2022 in Oregon. Contact Ethan Jewett for more information.

The East coast is planning a BAT, Bronze Aroow Training for Pathfinders for September in Maryland. Contact your regional commission for more information or to sign up.

The West coast is exploring interest and dates for a BAT. 

Jillian Tate shared that there is a BTC in the works for the New York area (location TBD) for the weekend of Indigenous People’s Day in October. 

Chun-Yin our Midwest Commissioner shared that the Midwest is working on planning a BTC for spring 2023.

The post Chat with the Chief, June 2022 appeared first on Outdoor Service Guides.

The new Pathfinder Badges are READY! The Pathfinder Handbook Committee is still hard at work completing the final version of the updated handbook. However, they have 3 chapters ready to share!  These chapters represent an entirely revised program for special proficiency badges and advanced awards.

More Badges

This pre-release version of the new Pathfinder Handbook Pre-Release includes all 101  NEW amazing badges and updated versions of older badges. Every badge has been renamed to be inclusive. This means that every time it said “man” at the end of the badge name, like Handyman or Healthy Man, those badges all have new names!  The requirements have also been updated to improve the program for our pathfinders and leaders. This includes a modernized and updated First Aid badge to reflect modern best practices.

Every badge has been redesigned to still have our classic style but they now include a ring of color that lets you know what category the badge is in. Some of the 101 badges are regular proficiency badges designed for all Pathfinders who have earned Tenderfoot and some are Senior level Proficiency badges. Senior level badges can be earned by scouts over age 14  who have earned Second Class and those who are younger than 14 who have earned First Class.

Green indicates badges that focus on the Outdoors.

Blue is for badges that are Life Skills.

Red badges focus on Civic and Community Service.

Tan badges are for badges in Arts and Crafts.

There are also special interest pins to for pathfinders who work to earn badges in a specific area of interest. For example, of you earn all 3 fishing badges, you can wear the fishing pin!

Updates

During this update, the redesign of several badges took place, include the Tenderfoot, First Class and Second Class badges. The Second Class badge is now an oval with a gold fleur-de-lis on it and it says “Be Prepared” on a ribbon at the bottom. The new First Class badge is a ring of laurel leaves worn around the Second Class badge.

The requirements for First Class have had some minor updates.The program also introduces three other, parallel, Pillar Awards for pathfinders to earn. Each Pillar represents an area of badge work, and earning a Pillar requires a significant investment of time and effort by the pathfinder. Aside from First Class, each Pillar requires that scouts earn about 10 special proficiency badges with some of them specified in the requirements, and to give a presentation to their group.

Polaris Award

OSG has created a new pinnacle award called the Polaris Award. The Polaris Award is  earned by pathfinders who earn 3 Pillar awards!  The Polaris Award is the name of the North Star.  We hope our Polaris winners become shining stars of their communities. They will have learned the guiding principles of OSG and be ready to be leaders in their communities. We believe this award will be one worth bragging about!

Medals and More

This new section of the handbook also includes adding a few medals for special situations. These awards are given at the discretion of the Scout Leader or GSM, and they are all updated versions of awards from the history of scouting.  Leaders should make themselves aware of these awards and the requirements for awarding them.

You can download these new chapters with a letter written to the Pathfinders HERE.  If you have questions or concerns about the pathfinder handbook you can email the committee at pathfinder@osg-us.org and let them know what you think.

While the fully updated book is in process, please keep your older Pathfinder manuals handy! Use them as references and to check on Second Class and Tenderfoot requirements.

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