[You have received this massage because you are one of the Greater St. Louis Area Council’s Merit Badge Counselors. ]

3/17/2020

Hello GSLAC Merit Badge Counselors

The Greater St. Louis Area Council’s top priority is the health and safety of our Scouts, volunteers, staff, and all family members. In this spirit and given the unprecedented circumstances related to COVID-19, effective tomorrow today and remaining through April 5th are the following:

  • All UNITS are to discontinue in-person meetings, activities and camps.
  • All DISTRICT and COUNCIL in-person meetings, activities, and camps are cancelled. Instead, consider using technology apps such as Zoom, Skype, Facetime, Duo, or Google Hangouts.
  • All COUNCIL camps will be CLOSED.
  • All SERVICE CENTERS will be closed. Council staff will be working remotely per CDC social distancing recommendations. Minimal services will continue via remote functions.

To keep our youth Scouting, we have suggested they focus on merit badge requirements that can be completed at home.  Since face-to-face meetings are not permitted at this time, we have also suggested willing merit badge counselors use technology apps such as Zoom, Skype, Facetime, Duo, or Google Hangouts. These apps allow video and audio thus creating a virtual merit badge counselor meeting. As always our Youth Protection training does not allow one-on-one communication between youth and adult so parents or guardians would need to be present.

Can you help?

If you are willing, and have the knowledge and capability to conduct virtual meetings please let our Scout families know by posting a reply on the Greater St. Louis Area Council Facebook page. The page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/stlbsa/

Simply reply to the post titled, “GSLAC Merit Badge Counselors Go Virtual to help Scouts keep Scouting"
 
Leave a message similar to this,

I’m Mr./Mrs./Ms. ___________________. I am a ________________ merit badge counselor. I am happy to work with your Scout using virtual merit badge sessions. Parents, please contact me for details by replying to this post. A parent or guardian must be present at each virtual meeting. I have the knowledge of the following applications. [list the applications you are familiar with].

These are unprecidented times requiring unprecedented actions. It's our hope we can keep our Scouts Scouting!!