Please join us as we congratulate Katherine Benson, who will serve as Scout executive of the Piedmont Council in Piedmont, California, effective November 1, 2020.

Katherine began her Scouting career in 2003 as a district executive at the Cascade Pacific Council in Portland, Oregon. She was later promoted to senior district executive and then district director at the council before moving on to become the development director at the Inland Northwest Council in Spokane, Washington, and then development director at the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council in San Jose, California.

Katherine enjoys hiking, reading, and making music.

Katherine and her husband, Neil, have two children: Anna, a Bear Cub, and Kajsa, in Scouts BSA.

Please help us send Katherine our well wishes in the comments below as she joins in partnership with the volunteers and staff of the Piedmont Council to deliver quality Scouting experiences to the young people of the communities they serve.

Congratulations to Wendy Shaw, who will serve as Scout executive of the Longhorn Council in Fort Worth, Texas, effective November 2, 2020.

Wendy began her Scouting career in 2000 as a district executive at the Pikes Peak Council in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She held a variety of positions with the council including senior district executive, district director, field director, and assistant Scout executive prior to her departure. In 2010, she was promoted to director of field service at the Three Fires Council in St. Charles, Illinois, and in 2014, was selected as Scout executive of the Coronado Area Council in Salina, Kansas. In 2018, Wendy joined the National Service Center staff as the membership growth group director. The scope of her role changed and she most recently served as vice president of council services.

Wendy is a fellow Wood Badger and proud member of the Fox patrol. She is also a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow.

Wendy and her husband, Jeff, have three dogs and enjoy traveling, gardening, and being outdoors.

Please join us in congratulating Wendy in the comments below as she joins in partnership with the volunteers and staff of the Longhorn Council to deliver quality Scouting experiences to the young people of the communities they serve.

While many Scout units have a desire to return to Scouting activities, they have questions about how to do so safely during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During the recent webinar on how to hold meetings safely during COVID-19, attendees received tips on the key steps they can be taking right now to find a safe way to return to their meeting activities.

Step 1: Check your local requirements to see if you can meet. The safety requirements vary greatly around the nation, so it’s vital to check on what your local government requires and abide by those regulations. The BSA SAFE Restart Scouting Checklist has been specifically created to help you guide you through this as you build a framework for getting back to your Scouting activities. 

Step 2: Call the families in your Scout unit to see how they’re doing. Check in by phone to connect personally with these families. Listen to their responses and gauge their readiness to return to Scouting activities. If laws in your community permit meeting, and you’ve met the other requirements of the SAFE Restart Scouting Checklist, spend some time talking about your process and the intention to return to Scouting activities safely. 

Step 3: Connect with other leaders and families to find solutions for ways the unit can meet safely. Currently, some traditional meeting places for Scout units are not available because of the pandemic, but there may be other viable, safe options for meeting that can be discussed. Some of these options may be outdoors using social distancing. Other options may be virtual. Be sure to use the guidance for Digital Safety and Online Scouting Activities when meeting virtually.  

Step 4: Engage your chartered organization. Especially if you’re having difficulty finding a meeting place, talk with your chartered organization to see what other options they might be able to provide. While a meeting room might not be available, perhaps the parking lot, a field, or a park could be a safe alternative. Whatever the proposed location, the chartered organization should be made aware of the issue and brought into the discussion.

Step 5: Reach out to the school in your community. If you’re used to working with your local school for a recruiting night, meeting space or otherwise, connect with them to talk about ways your Scout unit could be of service and assist them during this time. 

Step 6: Make sure you’ve updated your BeAScout pin and are using all of the available easy-to-use online registration tools. As you get back to Scouting, help new families find and join your unit without ever needing any paper to change hands. 

Though the times remain uncertain, Scouts and Scouters are resilient, and following the above steps can help you to Be Prepared and ease the process of getting back to Scouting quickly and safely whenever local requirements allow it. 

Article submitted by Carlos Cortez, Scout Executive of Los Padres Council, and Juan Osorio, Scout Executive of Chattahoochee Council. 

In 1968, Hispanic Heritage started as a weeklong recognition of the contributions made to the United States by members of the Hispanic/LatinX community. In 1988 Hispanic Heritage Month was expanded to cover 30 days, September 15 to October 15.

This year’s theme is “Be Proud of Your Past, Embrace the Future.” It invites members of the Hispanic/LatinX community to embrace their backgrounds, to be proud of who they are and where they came from, to take pride in the accomplishments and achievements of mentors and ancestors. This brings into focus the endless possibilities available to us today, and boosts our capacity for embracing the future. As we look into the future of our Nation, we realize and understand that the members of the LatinX community will play an integral role in the prosperity of our country as they will be taking on more leadership roles and making vital improvements that will resonate for years to come.

In all LatinX cultures, family, or “familia,” is the most important thing, and loyalty to family is something that resonates with all LatinX people, just like Scouters. A young girl being interviewed about Hispanic Heritage Month said it best: “If I have family, then I am rich.” 

If we, the BSA, want to make an impact in all of our communities, we must adapt to the needs and traditions of the cultures in our communities. Our values align perfectly, and the Scout Oath and Law fits well with LatinX families. Now that the BSA is a full family program, we must reach out to these communities in their area of comfort and participate in activities directed, organized, and tailored for the families we want to invite.

As an unknown entity that could be intimidating to some communities, BSA can’t expect LatinX families to just come to us. However, if we visit their homes and participate in local activities and “fiestas,” we can slowly build a reputation for caring and being local, and we can become part of their familia.

Here are a few helpful tips to celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in your area:

• Share the connections your camp or local parks, trails, or monuments have to Hispanic and LatinX heritage and history.
• Connect Hispanic heritage with other themes in September and October – like recruitment.
• Showcase objects or artifacts in your council collection important to the Hispanic or LatinX experience throughout history or today.
• Highlight the work that staff do in telling the story and sharing the experience of Hispanic or LatinX heritage, or ask them to share how these histories inspired them.
• Share the projects that partners do in preserving and sharing Hispanic and LatinX heritage, including through grants and programs.
• Create and share activities, lesson plans, and Scout programs related to Hispanic or LatinX history.
• Plan an itinerary that Scouts can use to learn about Hispanic and LatinX history within parks or communities.
• Identify Hispanic and LatinX landmarks or centers that can be helped with Eagle Projects.

Collectively we can continue to move our organization forward in local communities and in our nation, because Scouting, Vale La Pena.

!Viva BSA!

Scouting Wire would like to thank Carlos and Juan for submitting this article.