CHANGES to the Community Service Organization Award (10 Aug 11)

Hey Scouters!!

The Boy Scouts of America announced on 1 August 2011, the first of several changes to how some awards previously “maintained and restricted with appropriate national office approval before awarding” will now be managed soley through their local Councils.  There will be additional announcements coming through your local Councils within the next few weeks about other awards and program changes. We at the USSSP encourage you to attend your Council or District’s fall kickoff meeting or rally, as this will be a good way to hear firsthand how the BSA will continue to meet the needs of young people and their adult mentors and supporters as we move forward in the next “Century of Service” — and the new innovative programs developed!!

With encouragement from several national partner organizations, the BSA created an award called the “Community Service Organization Award” back in 1998. The intent of this award (a cerificate and square knot insignia piece) was to officially recognize Scouts and Scouters who have received special service awards from national partners — most of which could NOT be worn informally on the BSA field uniform. 

One award in particular — the Department of Defense’s Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Award — cannot be worn on any BSA uniform, even during formal occasions or events. BSA national policy prohibits military insignia, medals or devices to be worn in connection with any BSA field uniform; Department of Defense policy prohibits Scouting insignia or medals to be worn on dress or field uniforms with the exception of situations whereby the Scouting award — the Eagle or Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, for instance — is being awarded to a member of the active, Guard, or Reserve military.

When the award was approved by the BSA’s National Executive Board in 1998, the ability for youth members of the BSA to receive/wear this item was removed. Part of the justification for the award’s creation was to officially recognize Scouts and Venturers who have received service awards from the American Legion, the Veterans of Foriegn Wars, the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution, or the Masons.  There was no reason given for the removal of youth members from obtaining this award.

Adults (both volunteers and professionals) who have received one (or several) of the following national organizational service awards could apply for and receive the BSA’s Community Organization Award:

(A note about the George Meany Award: originally the Meany Award was awarded by the BSA with a medallion, a

distinctive certificate and a distinctive square knot insignia piece. Future awards will be still have the medallion and certificate but holders will receive the square knot displayed above.)

The changes will come in the way one applies and receives the distinctive square knot emblem representing one or more of these special awards.  In the past, holders of any of the above awards had to send documentation attesting to their award to the BSA’s Relationships Division via their local Council.  The Scout Executive certified that the Scouter is a currently registered member of the BSA. The Council sends the application and supporting materials to the Relationships Division and the local Council receives the signed certificate and set of two square knot insignia pieces back from the National Office in the next “Council pouch”. Additional square knot insignia pieces could only be obtained through written request to the National Office with a limit of five pieces every five years.

As of 1 August, documentation attesting to the awarding of one of those above awards need only go to the local Council for approval.  Presently the local Councils only have the square knot insignia but the insignia is NO LONGER RESTRICTED; rather, they will be controlled through the local Council.  I have a request to the Relationships Division asking if they will continue to provide the certificates or if the certificates will now be like the Silver Beaver certificates, in which only the signatures of the Scout Executive and Council President will be required.  I will followup and let you know how that will be accomphished. 

I have also asked if the restriction to only provide this square knot and certificate to Scouters will be lifted. This would permit qualified youth members to wear it representing those service or achievement medals or medallions awarded through those same national partner organizations listed above. I will let you know what I find out via a followup.

My apologies for not posting this sooner; I have been having computer issues and as many of you know, I have secured a new job in Tennessee, many hundreds of miles from my fax machine up in Minnesota.  My deep thanks to those Scouters who authenticated the sent field message and who helped me to understand the impact of this important revision.  My Badge and Uniform Site page (http://www.scoutinsignia.com/servknot.htm ) will be updated in a few hours to provide this same information; and a copy of this posting will go over to my blog at http://settummanque.posterous.com/ also later this evening. 

We at the U.S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. again encourages you to participate in your Council’s Fall preview, rally, or Program Kickoff event in order to get more, localized details on this and other great changes to the BSA’s programming!

Settummanque!