The BSA is committed to streamlining basic operations by putting tools in the hands of volunteers. For several years now, individuals and unit key 3 have had access to print membership cards through my.Scouting. The functionality has now been added to my.Scouting to enable members of the unit key 3 to print their unit Charter Certificate.
This “self-service” functionality allows you to print membership cards and your unit charter certificate in a timely manner and enhances the onboarding experience for new youth and adults.
Invitation to the 2023 Sojadi District Dinner
Registration is now open for the annual Sojadi District Recognition Dinner! Top volunteer awards will be presented, including the District Award of Merit, which is the highest award a volunteer can receive in the district. In addition, the Class of 2022 Eagle Scouts will be specially recognized by the District. Please join us for us for dinner in order to recognize our volunteers and Eagle Scouts on Thursday, February 9th, 2023 at the First Christian Church in Emporia starting at 6:00 PM.
The Class of 2022 Eagle Scouts receive a free invitation to attend to the banquet. They may register online for free. Please note, if the Eagle Scout would like family members or other guests to attend, they should register online.
The following is important information about the dinner:
Date and Time
Thursday, February 9th, 2023
Gathering: 6:00 PM
Welcome and Dinner: 6:30 PM
Awards Presentation: 7:00 PM
2022 Recharter Renewal Due
Attention all Jayhawk Area Council units! All unit recharter renewals are due to the Council Office on Saturday, January 22nd. If you are experiencing difficulties, please contact your District Executive or Unit Commissioner.
The BSA issues charters to community organizations to enable them to use the Scouting program under their own leadership as a service to their children, youth, and families. Re-chartering is the process of renewing the charter agreement between the BSA and the organization, and renewing the registration of youth and adult members. Every unit must recharter annually.
Rechartering on time is critical. It is required for units to qualify for Journey to Excellence. It is required for units to continue registration without interruption. It is required to ensure Scouts are registered, critical for receiving rank advancement and other awards, and for insurance coverage.
For additional information about rechartering, please visit our Recharter Hub.
Online Transfers and Multiples Applications Now Available
In My.Scouting, users can now make transfers between units. Members can now transfer themselves or parent/guardian can transfer their child from one unit to another. Unit leaders also have the ability to transfer youth from their unit to another such as in Arrow of Lights transferring to a Scouts BSA troop. Unit leader transfers are done in the “Roster” tab of Member Manager or Organization Manager. Transfers or multiple registrations for members or youth can be done under Menu > “My Application” tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the unit I’m transferring to know I transferred? – Standard approval is still required. Youth transfers are approved by unit leaders and Adult transfers are approved by the COR or their designee. The approval is done just like all other approvals with online registrations, through “Application Manager”.
Can I transfer my youth who is Arrow of Light to a Troop not associated with my Pack? Yes, youth can be transferred to any active unit in your council.
Can I transfer people into my unit? – No, only Unit leaders or parent/guardians can transfer youth from their Scout Unit.
Can all adult leaders transfer out of the unit? – No, the Chartered Organization Reps cannot be transferred.
Can other adult leaders transfer an adult? No, adults can only be self-transferred using the “My Application” tab.
Don’t adults need to fill out the application form again? – No, but when an adult transfers, they will need to answer the basic Youth Protection questions again and cannot transfer if their Criminal Background check is not completed.
What are reasons I cannot transfer a youth?
Only youth in our database with a “parent relationship” can be transferred so a notification can be made. This relationship can be corrected in ScoutNet, contact your scout office to have them make this connection.
Youth that are too young to join a unit will not be able to transfer (such as a Cub Scout joining a Venture Crew).
For detailed instructions and visual aids please CLICK HERE.
2022 Pony Express District Nominating Committee and Annual Meeting Notice
The Pony Express District will hold its Annual Meeting on January 20th, 2022 beginning at 7:00 PM at the Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church located at 2590 Navajo Rd, Axtell, KS 66403. The purpose of the Annual Meeting is to review the district’s accomplishments this past year and vote on the slate of district members-at-large, chair and vice-chairs for the coming year. The annual meeting is open to all Scout volunteers within the Pony Express District service area. Voting members include current district members-at-large, chartering organization representatives of units within the district service area and any Council members-at-large residing within the district service area.
In preparation for the District Slate of Officers, District Chair Bruce Coleman has convened the Nominating Committee. The nominating committee will review the current district members-at-large, and seek additional candidates to join the district committee. They will present the final slate at the district annual for approval.
The District Committee is the operating body of the Pony Express District. They are charged with carrying out the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve youth in our service area. All district committee members are elected for one-year terms.
Anyone wishing to propose a person to serve on the district committee can submit that recommendation to District Executive Ian Lamb at [Click to send email] for consideration by the nominating committee. Please include some background on the individual as to why you feel they should be considered as well as your contact information for further follow-up should it be necessary. Please do not inform the prospective individual in advance. They will be contacted directly by a member of the nominating committee to ensure they understand what the role entails.
All nominations must be received by December 30th, 2021 to allow time for appropriate consideration. Any received after that date will be considered by the committee and proposed for approval at a later time.
Citizenship in Society Merit Badge
The Citizenship in Society merit badge has officially joined the over 100 merit badges Scouts can earn. Here is what you need to know!
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- This merit badge has 11 requirements that will include scenarios and definitions along with topics like Ethical Decision Making, Addressing Stereotypes, and Impacting Others.
- This merit badge will be a completely new format.
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- November 1, 2021 as an elective merit badge to begin with meaning it will not be Eagle required at this time.
- On July 1, 2022, it will become Eagle required. Currently, Scouts have to earn 21 merit badges with 13 from the list of required merit badges. After July 1, the requirement will be to earn 21 merit badges with 14 from the list of required merit badges. The number of merit badges needed will not change; just the number needed from the required list.
- Any Life Scout that does not complete their Eagle Board of Review by July 1, 2022 will have to earn Citizenship in Society. This is important to share as your Scouts get close to the July 1, 2022 date. It is not just getting the paperwork turned into the office (like the 18th Birthday deadline) but the Board of Review needs to be completed prior to July 1.
- No Merit Badge Handbook Citizenship in Society Scout Requirements
- Rather than prescriptive based, it will be conversational based
- Designed for each Scout to take their own unique journey towards completion of the merit badge
The Merit Badge Counselor process for this merit badge will be different from other merit badges. Rather than the counselor sharing their own expertise/skills/experiences, the intent of this merit badge is to focus on the Scout’s personal journey to understanding the concepts of the merit badge. Citizenship in Society Counselor Guidelines It is designed to be less influenced and more driven by the Scout readiness levels.
This Merit Badge Counselor training will be required to offer the Citizenship in Society merit badge in the Jayhawk Area Councils (Citizenship in Society Merit Badge Counselor Toolkit). Merit Badge Application will need to be summited to our council office for approval (Application).
It is NOT recommended to be a part of a council’s summer camp merit badge schedule as it is more appropriate to take place in the Scout’s local environment and not camp.
The Jayhawk Area Council looks forward to this new merit badge rollout as we add Citizenship in Society to the family of Citizenship merit badges our Scouts can earn.
Links and Documents form Nationals
Citizenship in Society Introduction
Citizenship in Society Scout Requirements
Citizenship in Society Counselor Guidelines
Citizenship in Society Merit Badge Councilor Guide 2021
Nationals Press Releases Article
