The council is looking for pictures to include in the annual report. Send any great Scouting photos that you have taken this year to shane.burks@scouting.org and they might just end up in the annual report or in promotional materials.

Many units and families are discovering creative ways to have fun Scouting at home. When using digital and online resources, there are some important guidelines from the National Council about youth protection, safeguarding personal information and recording online meetings.

Across the nation, Scouters are finding ways to help keep their youth members engaged and Scouting. These out-of-the-box, in-home activities are centered around providing advancement-related content to help keep kids safe, engaged and to help them make the best of home time.

Digital Safety       Scouting at Home       COVID-19 Updates       Advancement Update

December 5, 2020, Saturday  |  Online Classes

The College of Commissioner Science (CCS) is a full day of training for commissioners covering the basics through advanced learning experiences in unit service. The College of Commissioner Science is held annually on the first Saturday in December.    Participants do not have to be a commissioner; any adult leader that is interested in the numerous resources available in the Scouting movement is also invited to attend CCS. 

CCS helps commissioners stay current in policy, techniques, and application of commissioner service to units.  The objectives are to help commissioners expand their skills and unit service philosophy. This ongoing training opportunity will benefit both new commissioners and experienced unit commissioners.  In order to comply with local and state safety regulations regarding large gatherings, the 2020 CCS will be held as a virtual event using the Zoom meeting platform. As such, there is no commute required; participants may be located anywhere…locally, nationally or globally. 

Class sizes will be limited in order to allow course instructors to interact with participants, so don’t wait to register. Classes are expected to fill quickly. Registration closes 12/1/20. The registration fee is $10 per person. 

Register    Course Schedule    Course Descriptions

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. Learn the steps your unit can take to help return to Scouting activities. 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.

Learn More

Help promote Scouting on social media by adding a photo frame around your profile picture. Encourage families to Text Cub Scout, Scouts BSA or crew to 31996. They will be sent to www.shac.org/join, a website with all packs listed by school district and links to register online.

To find the frame, click on edit/update your profile picture (or go to www.facebook.com/profilepicframes), search for a frame by entering Sam Houston Area Council, then choose one of our four frames.

Recruiting Website

The leadership of the Sam Houston Area Council would like to present this, our twelfth update, on our response to the COVID-19 outbreak and protocols for Scouting operations going forward. We appreciate your continued patience as we navigate this situation as best we can.

Any units wishing to conduct small-scale meetings or activities should do so only if able to meet specific preventative guidance from the State of Texas and the Center for Disease Control and upon consultation with and approval from their chartered organization.

• All in-person council meetings through December 31^st are cancelled or postponed unless conducted over teleconference or online.
• District meetings (ex: Roundtables, District Committee Meetings, Commissioner Staff Meetings) may be conducted in person only if standards from the State of Texas and CDC can be met. Otherwise, these meetings should be conducted over teleconference or online.
• Beginning November 1^st, overnight district and council activities and trainings are allowed for Scouts BSA, Venturing, Sea Scouts, and Adult Leaders. These events still must submit a plan to ERM in advance to ensure compliance with all relevant guidelines. Cub Scouts, including Webelos Scouts, are not permitted to attend overnight district and council activities through December 31st. Webelos Scouts may attend district or council activities, such as Webelos Woods, as day-only participants. Adult-only overnight trainings, such as BALOO and IOLS are allowed beginning November 1^st.
  • Merit Badge Days will continue to be held at Camp Strake through the fall. More information, including how to register, may be found here and will updated as more days are added.
• Weekend camping for Cub Scouts at Bovay Scout Ranch is cancelled through December 31st.
  • Additional "Outdoor Sports Days” will be conducted at Bovay Scout Ranch during the fall as a replacement for Adventure Camp overnight programs. 
• Weekend camping for Scouts BSA at Tellepsen Scout Camp is available; Camp Strake reservations open soon. Participating troops must follow council policies regarding social distancing and COVID-19 prevention measures, along with State of Texas protocols for camps.
• The Cockrell Scout Center remains open for drop off only with hours of 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
  • Any interaction needed with staff members must be conducted through phone and email. If you need assistance determining the appropriate person to contact, please refer to our updated “who to call directory,” or contact the receptionist at (713) 659-8111 during our office hours to be directed to the appropriate person.
  • Field-based staff (District Executives) will be working remotely during this time and are available by phone and email.
• The 5 Scout Shop locations are open to limited retail traffic (store hours)
• University of Scouting will be conducted in both online and in-person formats during the week of November 9-14^th. 
• Colonneh Lodge has established plans to conduct Order of the Arrow Ordeals during COVID-19. 
• Scout Fair 2021 has been cancelled.
• Our council program team is currently looking at planning and potential alternate planning for other upcoming major events.

Our Enterprise Risk Management Team is working regularly and diligently to determine our plans going forward. If you have any questions regarding the COVID-19 response for the Sam Houston Area Council, please contact Thomas Franklin, Deputy Scout Executive, at thomas.franklin@scouting.org. The council remains committed to keeping our constituents updated regularly with new information as we have it. We will continue to communicate through three main mechanisms – Facebook, Email, and Council Website. Please consult these regularly for updates.

Learn More

The Scouting Trail is a monthly handout provided to units at roundtable describing upcoming council events for the next quarter. This is a great resource for Scouters and parents.

The Scouting Trail: October 2020

Cub Scouting / Scouts BSA / Venturing / Sea Scouting Rank Advancement and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Questions regarding advancement have arisen as we deal with closures, cancellations, or other issues caused by the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Although there are difficulties and constraints, advancement can continue. Youth, parents, and leaders should work together to implement creative, common sense ways to facilitate advancement while adhering to the Guide to Safe Scouting and following the rules of youth protection.

Learn More (link update frequently)

Now you can support Scouting without lifting a finger — or at least not more than one. AmazonSmile, the simple and no-cost way to donate to the Sam Houston Area Council, now works on the Amazon Shopping app for iPhone and Android.

That means it’s easier than ever to support Scouting anytime, anywhere. Through its AmazonSmile program, Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to the charity of your choice — at no cost to you. You’ll get the same prices, selection and service found on Amazon.com, but now Amazon gives 0.5% of its cut to a good cause.

The Sam Houston Area Council is an eligible AmazonSmile charity. Individual packs, troops, posts, ships and crews are not eligible.

Previously, AmazonSmile required the user to shop using their browser — either on a desktop computer or through the mobile browser on a smartphone. That meant that when you shopped in the official Amazon app, you weren’t contributing to your chosen charity — even if you had already activated AmazonSmile. By adding AmazonSmile to its official app, Amazon is making the program available anytime, anywhere. So now when you buy a blender from the back seat or a printer from the patio — our council still gets that 0.5%.

If you aren’t yet an AmazonSmile member, sign up at smile.amazon.com using a web browser (mobile or desktop). You’ll sign in with your Amazon credentials, and the site will walk you through the process. Amazon will ask you to choose your favorite charity. This is where you search for “Sam Houston Area Council.”

Learn More

As the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) welcomes girls into Cub Scouts and older girls into the Scouts BSA program starting on February 1, it is important that families understand the program or organization they are joining.

There have been some instances where our volunteers may have inadvertently used the name or trademarks of the Girl Scout of the USA (GSUSA) brand in spreading the word that girls are or will soon be part of all BSA programs. GSUSA recently have filed a lawsuit asserting that these instances have caused confusion. While we don’t believe there has been any such confusion, we respect and support the GSUSA and their rights to their brand.

To ensure that we promote our programs in a clear and Scout-like manner, we have developed resources to make sure our leaders are aware of the do’s and don’ts in promoting BSA programs.

The Scouts BSA Brand Guidance Training is one of the efforts underway to be sure Scouters have a clear understanding of what they can do. This builds on the infographic, and the guidance provided to councils in April.

Scouts BSA Brand Guidance Training     Infographic 

This training should be shared with all volunteers to bring this understanding to all parts of our community. While our goal is to encourage youth to join our program, we must always be clear in our communications about the program they are joining.

• We are The Boy Scouts of America.
• The Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA are different organizations.
• We support all other youth organizations and do not disparage them.
• We encourage parents to enroll all youth in a character development program that meets their needs – and the BSA is certainly ready to welcome them.

To aid you in this effort, councils and volunteers are encouraged to use these intro talking points as you host info sessions and launch efforts for Scouts BSA. Additionally, please use this resource to help address any questions you might get in the community about this matter.

Learn More