See some important updates below my signature, including registration info for our annual Volunteer Appreciation event, as well as summer day camps for scouts, and an update from our District Chair on the recent Scouting America/DoD MOU announcement (and a reminder that the in-person Roundtable to discuss this is tonight).
We also want to highlight a recent event that took place on 3/14, when 77 Sea Scouts from around the Bay Area and as far as Shasta gathered at South Beach Harbor to learn how to row on wooden whaleboats, coached by Sea Scout adult leaders and folks from BAWRA (the Bay Area Whaleboat Rowing Association). The scouts had a lot of fun and we're excited for more Bay Area-wide scouting events, like the Bike Rodeo, coming up soon.
Please forward this email (or this link) to anyone in your units who may find the information relevant and feel free to respond with any questions.
For March, we're looking forward to an in-person roundtable at 2515 Fillmore Street in the Gilchrist Room. The topic will be diversity in scouting and the impact of the DoD MOU.
All Scouts
Trash-the-Trash Day 2026 - Registration Now Open
May 2, 2026
Scouts Trash the Trash Day is an international Messengers of Peace project for Scouts around the world, where each Scout is challenged to bring a friend or family member along and pick up at least one Kilo (2.2 pounds) of trash each on the first Saturday in May. Scouts are asked to bring a non-scout with them on this day of service in order to double the impact of their trash cleaning effort. It's a day to show the world what Scouting is about, educate individuals about Scouting and recruit new boys, girls and adults into the Scouting movement. Register here to participate.
TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW: Golden State Valkyries Scout Night
May 31, 2026 vs Las Vegas Aces @ Chase Center
Our first Scout Night event with our Golden State Valkyries! Tip off is at 12:30pm and you can receive a scout-themed giveaway item if you buy your ticket using the special link below. See this flyer for more information.
May 9, 2026 @ Stonestown Back Parking Lot, 8:30am-1pm
One of our favorite events of the year -- the SF Bike Rodeo -- is now open! A fire truck, MUNI bus, adaptive cycles and a GREAT obstacle course to practice safe riding skills. We'll have helmet fit checks, bike safety checks and an escorted bike ride -- plus training on Hands-Only CPR and Stop The Bleed. Sessions are 90 minutes long and begin at 8:30am at this FREE event.
Must be in the top 3 winners of their Pack-level race
Racers, family, friends and fans are all welcome! Contact Yen Chen with any questions.
Cub Day Camp Yunakin - Early Bird Ends 3/1
June 15-19, 2026 @ SF Sea Scout Base
Enjoy adventures off and on the water at our SF Sea Scout Base with a Cub Scout age twist. Day Camp is open to all those aged 5 to 11. We are also looking for Counselors-in-Training (older scouts who want to volunteer for the week to help out at Day Camp).
The very best patrols exhibit enthusiasm, teamwork, and camaraderie—that special spark known as patrol spirit. The National Honor Patrol Award is given to patrols whose members make an extra effort to have the best patrol possible. Your patrol can earn the award by completing several requirements over a period of three months. More Information Here
Camporee 2026
September 25-27 @ Camp Royaneh
Plans are continuing to come together for this year's Camporee, which will be themed "Into The Elements". The first planning meeting was held February 9 and the next will be on March 1 at 7:30pm via Zoom. Troops that turn in their interest form + prepay for a minimum number of scouts get first choice of camping sites!
Den Chief Training: Now Online
Den Chiefs are a great way for scouts in Scouts BSA Troops to provide service to Packs -- and recruit potential future cross-overs! The training for Den Chiefs is now available online via the National Training site.
Curious what led this San Franciscan to go to one of our nation's top military academies? Come meet Jenna "JJ" Din at St Anne's, (enter through the parking lot entrance on Funston Ave); thank you to Troop 15 for hosting this gathering.
Scout Leader Training Roundup
See all of the Scout Leader training opportunities across nearby councils below:
Hopefully you have all received the National and Council emails discussing Scouting America's recent memorandum of understanding with the Department of Defense. One of the key lessons Scouting teaches us is the importance of being an "upstander," not just a bystander. In that spirit, I would like to share some comments (solely in my capacity as a volunteer District Chair...I am not a Scouting America employee or official representative).
First some history. Venture Crews have been co-ed since the inception of the Venturing program in the 1970s; Sea Scout Ships and Explorer Posts have been co-ed for over 50 years. Scouting published formal policies welcoming gay youth in 2013, gay adult leaders in 2015, transgender youth in 2017, female scouts to the Cub Scouts program in 2018 and to the Scouts BSA programs in 2019. National began piloting the Family Troop concept in 2024 and is working on a nonbinary inclusive policy. Today over 20% of the roughly 1 million scouts nationwide are female, with over 8,400 female Eagles, plus female Venturer Summit Rank and Sea Scout Quartermasters – including several hundred in our own Council.
Recent discussions with the Secretary of Defense have prompted questions around if Scouting will revisit these policies. The answer is a resounding no. Scouting America remains fully dedicated to a "Scouting for All" philosophy.
The actual MOU has not been shared publicly yet. One concession that was made was to sunset the Eagle-required Citizenship in Society Merit Badge. If your scout has already started on this badge please see National guidance here. Another agreement was to create a Military Service Merit Badge and to waive dues for scouts in certain units that are associated with military bases around the world. Ensuring units could still hold their weekly meetings on U.S. military bases worldwide provides continuity especially for frequently relocated military families. For a candid statement on what has and has not actually changed, see this post.
Some possible actions anyone can take to show support of inclusive scouting:
Adult leaders can signal their support and willingness to discuss inclusivity topics with Scouts by wearing this patch.
Your units' youth leadership can vote to make rainbow epaulets an acceptable alternative to standard epaulets in your unit. Unit leaders who are interested may request rainbow epaulets from your Unit Commissioners; thank you to Jon Gillespie for making these available.
Most Troops, Ships, and Posts have twice-annual elections for youth leadership, and newly elected senior youth leaders attend a leadership training course. If your unit would like to ensure that the virtues of inclusivity are emphasized in your unit's training (and if you have any questions in general about how to run an effective youth leadership training), please contact our District Training Chair.
Finally, the District organizes a monthly District Roundtable so that each of our 29 units can exchange best practices and dialogue on challenges and opportunities in San Francisco scouting. This month's discussion will focus on the above topics, so we encourage you to join with your questions and suggestions. This month's roundtable is this Tuesday March 17 at 7PM at Calvary Presbyterian Church at 2515 Fillmore Street.
Want to see your own unit's photos and adventures featured in the GGD social media? Send photos to ggd.communications@gmail.com and/or tag 'BSA Golden Gate District' in your unit's or your personal posts.
You are receiving this email because you are a registered member of GGAC or you subscribed to our list. If you elect to unsubscribe, you will not receive any emails from GGAC. You may make changes to your profile by following the 'Manage preferences' link below.
This message is compliant with YPT and AB506 guidelines.
