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#ARtour - Rimini, Indaba Federscout

Un meraviglioso connotato della storia delle Aquile Randagie è la sua “ecumenicità”. Fa parte dello scautismo italiano tutto, a prescindere delle etichette associative.

Nell'ultimo mese, in giro per l'Italia, ho incontrato tanti scout FSE, tanti scout AGESCI, diversi scout MASCI, un piccolo gruppo di CNGEI (a Molfetta).

Ieri sera, a Rimini, ho partecipato all'Indaba per capi della FEDERSCOUT, federazione che raccoglie diverse Associazioni scout italiane e che fa capo alla WFIS europea. Nata nel 1986, quest'anno festeggia i 40 anni.

In Italia, c'è un sottobosco di associazioni scout, più o meno piccole, ciascuna con le proprie peculiarità. Alcune sorte in seno ad un particolare contesto territoriale, altre emerse da dissidi interni in altre associazioni, altre frutto di iniziative personali di capi che volevano più “indipendenza”… tante storie diverse. Alcune con oltre 600 iscritti, altre con trenta iscritti. Alcune cattoliche, altre aconfessionali. Ciascuna con la sua uniforme, le sue tradizioni, le sue applicazioni metodologiche. Mi stupisco quando mi dicono che quasi tutte, in ambito EG, utilizzano - con successo! - le pattuglie miste.

- …Ma i fondamenti sono gli stessi per tutti - mi dicono
- Cioè?
- I quattro punti Baden-Powell, “Scautismo per ragazzi”, la Legge e la Promessa scout.
- Hai detto niente! A trovarli, oggi, giovani capi che leggono Baden Powell.

É stato un privilegio raccontare le AR ad un centinaio di capi provenienti da tutta Italia, in gran parte giovani e anche giovanissimi (18 anni). E ricordare come anche le AR, nel loro isolamento clandestino, curassero moltissimo la dimensione internazionale, partecipando ai Jamboree, coltivando le relazioni con amici scout di altri Paesi, incontrandoli quando si trovavano a passare da Milano.

É stata una bella manifestazione di fraternità scout, nello spirito del 4° articolo della Legge. (Una ciliegina sulla torta sarebbe stato un saluto da parte di un rappresentante dei gruppi Agesci locali).

Grazie in primis a Nicola di Villacidro (in Sardegna), che ho incontrato lo scorso maggio e che ha promosso la cosa agli altri della pattuglia organizzativa, Federica e Rosanna.

Bellissimo il ricordino proposto per l'occasione, realizzato con la stampante 3d: un fischietto bitonale interamente progettato da Andrea (uno dei partecipanti), con il logo dell'evento (ho scoperto che l'elefante è un animale simbolo di Rimini). E grazie anche per la spilla! Viva gli scout.

Buona strada!
💙🦅⚜️

14.03.2026

Sfida accolta! 💪🏻

Scout’s Honor

In the shattered remains of the United States, the Ranger Scouts have risen up. With their Ranger Scout manual as their Bible, they train young men in the highest commands of their founder, Doctor Jefferson Hancock. A young Ranger Scout named Kit has recently risen in the estimation of the organization, but there are secrets out there about the Rangers’ founding… and they are about to come unearthed. And Kit is hiding a secret of her own as well.

Boy Scouts is something interesting for me. For many, it was a place of desecration, of fear, of abuse and bullying. For me, it was a cocoon where I made strong friendships and learned to be a better person. From two years in Cub Scouts as a Webelos to seven years in Boy Scouts all the way to the day I turned 18, every Monday evening, one weekend a month and seven days a year it was my life.

But now as I’ve gotten older, and I’ve come to reflect both on my beliefs at the time, and what Boy Scouts (now Scouting) has turned into, I come to realize it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The hero worship of Lord Baden-Powell, the oaths spoken in unison, the unrelenting patriotism, all of it basically a cult of America. There were a lot of skills I learned there, not least leadership, camping and hard work, but there were also things I had to unlearn and leave behind when I became an adult.

Even still, Scouting America fascinates me. In lieu of becoming an atheist, it’s the next best thing to the church I left behind. But it’s a rare book that understands how a simple creed, code and rule book, individually all good advice, can be abused to form an unthinking organization of fundamentalism and hardship. How people can both follow it to the betterment of their fellow man, and abuse it for their own gain.

The deconstruction starts by having the protagonist be a girl. Boy Scouts, for many years, was unfriendly to the idea that girls would want to participate (and there was a lot of sexism towards Venturing crews that had girls in them) and as such the spaces tended to be pretty misogynistic. Kit is unabashedly a Ranger Scout through-and-through, displaying as much valor as any other and then some, and the moment she’s outed to everyone else that goes into the trash.

Second, in issue #2, Kit’s best friend Dez reveals he’s gay. On a related subject, Scouting America was resistant to allowing openly-gay scouts for years, and the decision to allow them in 2013 caused the Trail Life organization to be founded, an inferior version of a sub-par product. Dez is likewise a Ranger Scout who commits to the creed with zeal, but he must be the version of himself that can fit in and be the man his father wants him to be if he is to live at all.

Finally, the creed. Laws and guides are almost always suggestive; when prescribing actions, there’s always exceptions to those actions that would be better-solved by breaking the creed. But creed turns to dogma and dogma begets control, and the ceremonies the Ranger Scouts perform are to remind everyone of their strength… but also give a warning to the civilians to stay in line.

The cult of the Scouts starts to crumble once the structures behind it are revealed, of course, and there’s other sci-fi stuff going on here, but I’m not sure I can adequately critique it. I can point out the artist is never quite sure if Kit needs lips or not, and the covers tend to draw her more feminine even when she’s in disguise, and maybe a dozen other little nitpicks, but it’s rare when I see something laid out that feels so deeply personal to what I went through. Over a decade since I earned my Eagle rank, and this comic brought me back to my younger days, when we recited the oath and law before every Troop meeting.

The book is intimate to my experience. I was deeply surprised to see the boy I was laid out in these pages, and profoundly changed by the experience. I can’t say whether or not it’s good, merely that I was understood. And if you read it, maybe you would understand, too.

We got divided in the groups we are going to work with today and tomorrow and I was lucky enough to end up with my friend from my previous scout group the one who got me into scouts in the first place. I kinda miss working with him. I love my new team, but it’s not the same thing… 🥹😭❤️

Boy Scout Camp

Here we were all lined up for a tent inspection at camp. In this tent group we were 11-12 years old, though I looked like a 6 year old (second from left). My growth was significantly delayed during those years so I always appeared to be out of place among my peers.

The Scout leader had four sons spread among the Beaver, Cub and Scout groups. He took on the job of Scout troop leader while each of his sons aged through the Scouting sections. One of his sons was my best friend whom I’ve remained in contact with to this day. My troop leader regularly took photos during our camps and events so every once in a while my friend will come across one and email it to me - always a nice surprise as it’s fun to be reminded of those days (J., if you see this, thanks again for the pics).

It has been interesting to hear my leader’s perspective of the troop. His recollections are often quite different than my own. Boy Scouts was all fun and games to me but he remembers a lot of hard work and the limits of his patience tested too. I was apparently “quite a handful” in the troop and kept the leaders on their toes. I’m told that some of the time I behaved like a mature and responsible 12 year old but without warning would often start acting the age I looked.

At that time I didn’t have an official Scout uniform as they didn’t make one in my size. Instead I always wore my Beaver Scout or Cub Scout uniform to Scout meetings and camps. It wasn’t until my last year in Boy Scouts that I finally wore an official uniform shirt at Scouts for the first time. The troop leader found the smallest shirt and sash in the Scout Shop and had me come over to his house to try it on so his wife could take measurements and shorten the sleeves and sash down to my size. Once the uniform was adjusted he sent me home with it and told me I could wear it at the next meeting if I felt like it. I couldn’t wait for that next meeting to show up in uniform like the rest of the boys. They were astonished to see me looking like a miniature Boy Scout in the official dark green uniform shirt with red sash. They were genuinely pleased to see that I was finally becoming more like them.

Since I had spent so many years showing up for Boy Scouts in a Beaver Scout or Cub Scout uniform the bigger boys tended to see me as the annoying baby brother in the group. I played that part to an extreme. When an impulse for mischief rose up it caused a lot of chaos for my patrol and the leaders. Even in this photo I get the feeling I was becoming fidgety and the boys were growing concerned that at any moment I’d do something annoying.

My troop leader felt I might be better suited to spending some time with the younger Scouting sections so I got assigned to help with the Beaver Colony and Cub Scout Packs. This seemed like a great privilege as I was able to participate in Scouting most evenings during the week with all the different groups. I was welcome to attend all the Beaver events and Cub Scout camps too while also keeping up with the Boy Scout camps and events. I loved being so immersed in Scouting and felt like the luckiest boy in the troop to have so much bonus time to play and attend camps. I fit in well with the Beavers and Cubs as I looked like one of them but I didn’t cause nearly as much mischief in those groups as I could summon the sense of a 12 year old when needed.

Looking back on what I put my leaders and the other Scouts through I wish I had reserved some maturity for Scout meetings too. The Beaver and Cub leaders loved having me as a helper as I took the job seriously, acted responsibly and didn’t make trouble for them, but when I was with my Boy Scout group I turned into a little maniac. I figured in Scouts I wasn’t expected to be responsible or mature. It was my time to go wild and have fun so I relentlessly got up to mischief and pranks. I can now appreciate how lucky I was that the leaders were as patient as they were.

I’m also lucky that the boys never managed to succeed in their plots to ditch me with other Scouting groups. At many of the Scout camp properties we attended we’d meet other groups of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts at neighbouring campsites. One of the favourite pranks the boys like to play on me was to introduce me to a neighbouring group of Beavers or Cubs, get me distracted into playing along with them, then my friends would run off back to our own campsite leaving me stranded with a new group. Kind of like what some people do when they want to rehome an unwanted pet. By the time anyone noticed I didn’t belong with their group of Beavers or Cubs my friends were long gone. They thought it was hilarious.

Whenever the boys ditched me with another group my leaders never came looking for me. They knew exactly what was going on and just let it all play out. It typically ended with a leader from another group walking with me from campsite to campsite trying to figure out where I came from. I think my leader kind of liked it too as it kept me out of his hair for a few hours and would end with him making friends with leaders from other groups. Sometimes the result of all this was that our groups would agree to merge for a big campfire so we could all get to know each other more.

The Scouting activities were the best fun I had at that age and more than made up for what I went through at school. Scouting sadly no longer resembles anything I experienced or I’d have my boys in it now, but I feel lucky to have been in such a good group, with the most patient leaders, and during the era when Scouting was designed for boys to be boys and when so much fun, adventure and chaos was built into the program.

making a fire at explorers!

Fuck you, Hegseth!

Transgender youths are targeted in Scouting America changes pushed by the Pentagon

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scouting America will alter several policies at the urging of the Pentagon, including one targeting transgender youths, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday as he pushes a campaign against military support for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
READ MORE: New Pentagon policy undercuts transgender troops’ ability to fight military ban, AP reports
Some of the changes…

Transgender youths are targeted in Scouting America changes pushed by the Pentagon

Scouts and The Department of War

As a Scout Leader and Volunteer, I just received an e-mail from Scouting America (previously known as Boy Scouts) with the heading “Scouting America and the Department of War”. I am not naive to the the parallels between the military and scouting in the USA - wearing of uniforms, focus on obedience, patrol structure, saluting, ranks and insignia… but I was taken aback by the overt tone of this recent message.

The gist of the message was, Scouting America and the Department of War (which has also had a recent name change, from the Department of Defense) are renewing their relationship. (You can read the e-mail in entirety as a screenshot here and see a deeper look at the decisions here.) In brief, this means:
- Scouting events can continue to be hosted on military installations.
- Military support will continue for Jamborees.
- Youth of military families will have membership fees waived.
- A new merit badge is being created, “Military Service”.
- A previous merit badge is being discontinued, “Citizenship in Society”.
- “Memorializing our existing practices for membership registration and safeguarding youth.”

Some of the renegotiated relationship is a continuation of support which already existed, especially the use of military installations (most Jamborees are hosted on military bases because they have the space and resources to hold many people. The different treatment of military families and merit badges changes are new, and the last bullet point is a bit confusing to me.

I have some issues with these changes. Scouting is one of the foundations of my ethics, morality and leadership. I grew up in the scouting program, earned the rank of Eagle and continued to volunteer as an adult both before children and with my children. (Here are some previous posts about scouting.) My issues are that this great organization is being strong-armed by those in power who are more concerned with nationalism, comfortable privilege and Christianity than they are with the benefit the scouting program beings to its members.

My biggest issues are around the values being taught and way youth are going to be treated going forward. The rationale for the decisions is to keep in line with Executive Order 14173 (full text), especially the charge to remove all references to diversity, equity, or DEI principles. Until yesterday, the merit badge “Citizenship in Society” was required for earning the rank of Eagle - which means Scouting American decided that the skills and experiences taught were important enough that every singe Eagle scout had to earn it. This merit badge has been removed completely because it taught “the benefits of diversity, equity, inclusion, and ethical leadership” (the full list of requirements can be found here).

Sadly, the webpage on diversity in Scouting America was also (quietly) removed. Here is a capture from earlier in February and a now non-existent statement:

Scouting America’s Diversity Statement
Scouting America promotes a culture where each youth, volunteer, and employee feels a sense of belonging and builds communities where every person feels respected and valued. Leading by example and encouraging each other to live by the values expressed by the Scout Oath and Scout Law, we welcome families of all backgrounds to help prepare young people to serve as successful members and leaders of our nation’s increasingly diverse communities.

To be truthful, scouting was probably the most diverse community I had in my young life and it helped shape me as a caring and open person. I value diversity and I think removing this merit badge is an act of people in privilege who feel threatened by anything not promoting or supporting that privilege.

Added is the odd language around membership, does “memorializing” existing practices and safeguards mean making the practices into a memorial… or does it mean to keep the practices the same, or does it mean something else entirely? I am not sure. But it concerns me that participation of youth who are female and transgender is being pushed back against.

My hope comes in the fact that each scout troop has a great flexibility in how their program is run. The troop and pack I volunteer with and which my children have been involved in is a place of inclusion and acceptance. I will continue to be a public and vocal face of diversity, equity and inclusion.

I will continue to be a safe person to come to and I will continue to promote a safe space at our scout troop. In the past I have written about wearing an “award” which shows my dedication to inclusive scouting. When membership policies opened up for scouts and leaders I stopped wearing my ribbon. I am going to sew it back on and will promote this small action to others.

I’m not sure what the future of scouting holds for me or my family. There may be a time when it becomes too much against my deeply held values. But for now, I am still a proud Eagle Scout, a proud Chaplain, a proud Scouting parent - who will continue to stand against the tide of xenophobia and divisiveness.

Pentagon shifts toward maintaining ties to Scouting

An Eagle Scout Award is seen pinned to a uniform. The Pentagon, which has considered cutting ties to Scouting America, is moving toward maintaining the relationship.

David Ryder/Getty Images

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David Ryder/Getty Images

An Eagle Scout Award is seen pinned to a uniform. The Pentagon, which has considered cutting ties to Scouting America, is moving toward maintaining the…

Pentagon shifts toward maintaining ties to Scouting

Unlocking 2026: Scouting College Football’s Future Impact Players

Feb 27, 2026, 07:10 AM ET
The elite prospects of the 2026 recruitment cycle have secured placements at their new institutions, with some individuals slated to commence spring football activities shortly.
An ideal alignment between individual talent and the team’s strategic approach often yields favorable outcomes and victories on the field. Below, we examine how the premier incoming players of…

Unlocking 2026: Scouting College Football’s Future Impact Players

Lee Hunter’s 2026 NFL Scouting Combine workout

Lee Hunter Highlights – DL Texas Tech – 2026 Panini Senior BowlLee Hunter is a defensive tackle prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft who played his college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and UCF Knights before that. He had 41 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks in 2025 for the Red Raiders. He was invited to participate in the Panini Senior Bowl, where he was one of the top…

Lee Hunter’s 2026 NFL Scouting Combine workout

Boy Scouts Founder’s Day Parade

February 22 is “Founder’s Day” in Canada (and was sometimes just called “Scouts Day”). The date was chosen as it’s the birthday of Scouting’s Founder Baden-Powell, and coincidentally his wife’s birthday too. Scouts in Canada extended the celebration for a full week, “Scout Week”, the Sunday to Sunday in which February 22 falls.

When I was growing up teachers reminded students of Scout Day and encouraged us to wear our uniforms to school for the day. Scouting was extremely popular back then so the classrooms and hallways were always filled with kids in uniform on those special days. I was very enthusiastic about Scouting when I was growing up and loved getting a chance to wear my uniform to school. I ended up participating in every section from Beaver Scouts all the way to Rovers, and went on to become a leader in Beavers, Cubs and Scouts too.

I wanted to include one of my old Boy Scout photos with this post so rummaged in an album to find this picture of a parade held on a Boy Scouts Day many years ago. In this photo I’m in the front row marching with my Boy Scout troop. Those of us with flags were all 11-12 years old. I was the smallest Boy Scout, looked like a 6 year old, not wearing a hat, and marching with a Canadian flag.

I had a lot of fun in Scouts back when Scouting was a movement for kids supported by volunteer adults. Unfortunately Scouts Canada decided to turn itself into a for-profit business for adults supported by children. That foolish move wiped out Scouting in Canada. During Scouting’s peak years about 15% of boys in Canada were members. Today that number is well under 1%.

These days the only Scouting I support is traditional, independent, 100% volunteer-run Scouting as that is the closest thing to the sort of Scouting I experienced and enjoyed. Those sorts of groups can be challenging to find, but where none exists it’s not too difficult to start one. That is after all exactly how Scouting grew in the first place.

Happy world thinking day/founder’s day 2026 #thinkingday #foundersday #scouting #guiding

Flashback to about 1½ years ago when I was at scouts, and we were discussing fire lighting. The leader was talking about tree bark to my patrol and I highkey wasn’t listening cuz I was thinking of some fanfic i read and all I caught from what he said was the word “impregnate” and i spent 15 minutes cackling hysterically to the point where I had to walk away

Hello what was i on 💔

The Prince of Jersey: Dylan Harper and the Blueprint for Patience at Rutgers

This prospect profile examines Dylan Harper’s development path at Rutgers, focusing on the patience required to mold a high-level NBA guard. The summary discusses the pressure of being a top recruit staying home to play for a program not traditionally known for producing lottery picks. It analyzes Harper’s smooth, lefty scoring game, highlighting his ability to change speeds and finish through contact in the paint.

The analysis evaluates his decision-making as a lead guard, looking at how he balances his own scoring instincts with facilitating for teammates like Ace Bailey. It discusses the “Rutgers Blueprint,” which emphasizes defensive toughness and half-court execution, and how that prepares him for the next level. The piece also touches on the mentorship of his father, NBA champion Ron Harper.

The piece concludes by projecting his NBA draft stock. It suggests that Harper’s cerebral approach and size for the position make him a high-floor prospect, and that his time at Rutgers is refining the nuances of his game that will allow him to contribute immediately as a rookie.

Dylan Harper Blueprint: How Patience is Rutgers’ New Superpower

The Flagg Effect: How Cooper Flagg is Reshaping the 2026 NBA Draft Landscape at Duke

This scouting and strategy feature analyzes Cooper Flagg’s impact on the college basketball season and his projection as the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The summary discusses Flagg’s generational talent as a two-way forward, highlighting his elite rim protection, passing vision, and scoring versatility. It examines how his presence has revitalized Duke as a national title favorite and must-watch television.

The analysis looks at the tanking race in the NBA, identifying the teams that have positioned themselves specifically to land him. It compares his skillset to current NBA superstars, noting a shift in what scouts value in a franchise cornerstone. The piece also touches on the pressure he faces to live up to the massive hype.

The piece concludes by assessing his long-term potential. It argues that Flagg represents the perfect modern NBA archetype—a player who impacts winning in every phase of the game without needing to dominate the ball.

Cooper Flagg Is the Projected #1 Pick for Good Reason: Inside the Duke Superstar’s Rise

The Flagg Effect: How Cooper Flagg Transformed the 2026 NBA Draft Landscape

This scouting and strategy feature analyzes the “Flagg Effect” on the NBA, specifically looking at how Cooper Flagg’s arrival has influenced the league’s draft philosophy. The summary discusses Flagg as a generational two-way prospect, highlighting how his unique blend of elite rim protection and perimeter playmaking has set a new standard for what teams look for in a franchise cornerstone. It examines the tanking races that defined the seasons leading up to his draft eligibility.

The analysis looks at how Flagg’s skillset compares to the other top prospects in the 2026 cycle, noting a shift toward versatile, high-motor forwards. It profiles the teams that positioned themselves specifically to land him and the fallout for those that missed. The piece also touches on the pressure he faces to live up to the hype.

The piece concludes by assessing his long-term projection. It argues that Flagg represents the perfect modern NBA player, a “do-it-all” engine who doesn’t need to dominate the ball to dominate the game, influencing how scouts evaluate every prospect in his wake.

The Flagg Effect: How a Freshman Rewired the 2026 NBA Draft