Parents, we need volunteers to plan and lead our spring campouts.  Do you have a hobby, passion, or expertise to build a campout around?

Leading a campout themed around your hobby is a great opportunity to mentor our scouts while spending the weekend doing something you enjoy.  There are plenty of youth campgrounds in the area that support activities like fishing, biking, hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, geocaching, history, or aviation.  Let’s connect you to one of them.

Beat the heat and think cold weather. Registration for OKPIK is now open.

OKPIK Cold Weather Camping Training Course is a “High Adventure” training program that expands Scouts and adult Scouters knowledge of how to prepare themselves and plan for the proper nutrition and equipment when the high temperature of the day is 50 degrees or below with inclement weather.

For more information and to register go to https://scoutingevent.com/129-OKPIK2627

SCOUTING UNIVERSITY: LEADER TRAINING DAY

Sharpen your Scouting skills. Learn something new. Connect with other Scouts and leaders.  Take a Merit Badge.  So much fun!

Nuclear Science Merit Badge (3.5 hrs):  Nuclear science gives us a simple explanation of the natural world. The ultimate goal of nuclear science is to find out if there is one fundamental rule that explains how matter and forces interact. Earning the Nuclear Science merit badge is a chance for Scouts to learn about this exciting field at the cutting edge of science today.

Public Health Merit Badge (3.5 hrs): The field of public health deals with maintaining and monitoring the health of communities, and with the detection, cure, and prevention of health risks and diseases. Although public health is generally seen as a community-oriented service, it actually starts with the individual. From a single individual to the family unit to the smallest isolated rural town to the worldwide global community, one person can influence the health of many.

Sign up here: https://scoutingevent.com/129-2026ScoutingUniversity

Come and sharpen your Scouting Skills! More than 30 Courses will be offered. They are open to both Scouts and Adults at little or no cost. Interests include: CPR & AED (+$65), Merit Badges, Position Specific Leadership Training, Den Chief Training, Knot Tying, Outdoor Cooking, Lashings, and so much more. See the attached booklet for the full set of courses and times.

     Location: Wildwood Presbyterian Church, 18630 W. Old Gages Lake Rd., Grayslake, IL starting at 8 am.

Sign up here: link to Registration

My name is Carson Vaughn. I am an undergraduate Nuclear Engineering student at UW Madison and am serving as the UW-Madison American Nuclear Society Youth Workshop Coordinator this year. I am pleased to announce that we are opening our registration for the Fall 2025 Nuclear Science Merit Badge workshop. The two dates we are offering the Nuclear Science Merit Badge workshop this fall can be found below. 

• Saturday, November 14th, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Saturday, December 5th, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

The Nuclear Science Merit Badge workshop that we offer here at Madison is a full day event, full of different stations where scouts will learn about radiation, radiation safety, and careers in nuclear energy. A tour of the UW Nuclear Reactor Lab will also be included for all participants. Please refer to the sign up form (found below) for more information.

If your troop is interested in attending, please Fill out this form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewqDB_tK2EDZ6VXejAUmJvS98R2_Iqtzc8JmwQp7bjKWR7BQ/viewform). Each workshop date has a capacity of 65 scouts, so they will fill up quickly. If these dates do not work for your troop, don't be alarmed, we offer at least two weekend workshops per semester, so we will have more opportunities in the fall!

We also have a new website at (UWANS new website).

• Choose a subject: Pick a badge you want to earn from the official Scouting America Merit Badges directory.
• Get a blue card: Speak with your Scoutmaster or assigned unit leader, who will give you a signed Application for Merit Badge (known as a "blue card") and the contact details for a qualified counselor.  List of MB Counselors may be found in Scoutbook.
• Use the buddy system: Always bring a buddy (another Scout, a parent, a relative, or a friend) with you when meeting with a merit badge counselor.  Meet in a public place.
• Contact the counselor: Call or message your counselor to set up meeting times, review any prior work, and go over expectations.
• Complete the requirements: Read the merit badge pamphlet, work through the steps, and show your progress to the counselor.
• Get your card signed: Once the counselor is satisfied that you finished all requirements, they will sign your blue card.
• Turn it in: Return the signed blue card to your Scoutmaster or advancement chair, who will order and present your physical badge.