I have been involved in Scouting most of my life – but had little experience as a youth. My dad was mostly an absentee dad. We moved around the country every few months following the construction projects that he was involved with. I remember wanting to spend more time with him, but there never seemed […]
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Welcome to Part 2 of LDS Den Leader Training – This series of post is designed for Wolf, Bear and Webelos den leaders who have been called to serve in Cub Scout packs chartered to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We hope to give den leaders the basic information they need to conduct a […]
Every Eagle Scout has a story. Some people became interested because of a friend; others drew interest from Scout leaders. For me, my journey to become an Eagle Scout began because of my dad’s influence. Kent Vaughn was 12 years old when he was introduced to Scouting by his dad, Ray Vaughn. It was there […]
This has been the greatest year adapting, developing and testing a Come, Follow Me style National Youth Leader Training (NYLT) syllabus. This series was adapted from NYLT to help leaders teach LDS youth leadership skills so that those leaders can confidently “Let Them Lead.” NYLT is filled with activities, presentations, challenges, discussions, and camping in a team environment. […]
Years ago I was a Cubmaster for an LDS unit in Salt Lake City, that had a large number of Cub Scout age youth. It was fun and I learned a lot —not the least of which was to get comfortable in group settings doing silly (but fun) things. The boys love it when their […]
Welcome to Part 1 of the LDS Den Leader Training. – This series of post is designed for Wolf, Bear and Webelos den leaders who have been called to serve in Cub Scout packs chartered to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We hope to give den leaders the basic information they need to conduct […]
Over the past weekend I got to attend Little Philmont at Tifie Scout Camp in Mount Pleasant, Utah. Overall, it was an amazing experience. At Little Philmont, local Stake Presidents are able to connect with each other as they receive instruction on Scouting and leadership skills. Speakers like Elder Dale H. Munk of the Seventy, […]
In order to reach your eternal potential and do the work the Lord has for you, you need to know how to communicate and listen well. “Many articles in Church literature have dealt with the important art of listening. They support a proverb that teaches this vital lesson: ‘Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou […]
Ethan Rodriguez never got the memo that being an Eagle Scout was a requirement for dating BYU girls. “I’d be talking to a girl about what she would want in a future spouse and she’d say, ‘He has to be a returned missionary and he has to be, you know, an Eagle Scout.’” said Rodriguez. […]
The phone rang. It was for Elder Zachary Sparks. That wasn’t unusual. Plenty of missionaries got assigned new companions right before transfers. However, this transfer call was directly from the mission president. That was unusual. “We felt inspired to put you with Elder Saunders,” he told Elder Sparks, who was just months away from finishing […]
Saturday Sept. 16th, 2017 More information and registration can be found at utahscouts.org If you can’t make it to St. George be sure to plan to make it to the next college which sill be Saturday October 14th in Spanish Fork.Don’t know what commissioner college is or why you might want to attend? You can […]
In order to reach your eternal potential and do the work the Lord has for you, you need to have a vision of your eternal destiny and what success truly looks like in the eyes of the Lord. Elder M. Russell Ballard explains: “God expresses His love for us by providing the guidance we need to progress […]
Before I start this article, please know that this is my opinion. Pray about what is right for the needs of your sons and daughters regarding the topics of sexual intimacy. Remember, it is never appropriate for Scouting leaders to discuss sexual conduct with youth. While this is a Scouting blog, we like to offer resources […]
The Utah National Parks Council under the direction of priesthood leadership will conduct Little Philmont conferences for stake and ward leadership in 2017. We have heard from our stake presidents that the Little Philmont messages have been very helpful in improving their older-boy programs. These messages will continue to be important, especially with the changes […]
Everyone around us has unique talents, goals, interests, and skills. At the same time, we are all children of God. Understanding and embracing the things that make us different while recognizing how we are all the same will help us relate better to others. In a talk about the differences between people in the Church, President Dieter […]
Ever wonder where Friends of Scouting dollars go? How is the money used? What does the Council really do for local Scouting? Explore these questions with John, a new Scoutmaster, as he discusses these questions with his bishop. John is a new Scoutmaster feeling a little overwhelmed. He has lots of questions about his new […]
In 3rd Nephi 12:28, the Lord says, “Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your father who is in heaven is perfect.” Though perfection may seem out of reach for us, we know that with Heavenly Father’s help and the power of Jesus Christ’s atonement, we can become better and […]
During a a recent court of honor, I felt impressed to speak about the continuing relationship that the Church will have with the Boy Scouts of America. Here are a few of my thoughts that I shared with these boys, leaders and parents. We all know that our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, loves Scouting. The […]
Thank you for your kind support of Scouting and the young men it serves. Over 56,000 families contributed to the Church’s 2016 “Friends of Scouting Drive” for the Utah National Parks Council. A year has passed, and families may again respond to the First Presidency’s invitation to participate in the annual Friends of Scouting drive […]
It’s always a bit of surprise to me where discussions of Scouting pop up. Last week it was in the gym. My new workout partner didn’t quite get what we were doing in class, so I asked Melanie, our yoga teacher, to stay after and help him. I mentioned that we both work for BSA, […]