If you want a Great Big List of Places to Go and Things to Do Around Atlanta -- whether for Scouting activities or for you and your guests at the holidays -- see our page entitled "The Great Big List of Places to Go and Things to Do Around Atlanta".  This is collection of events and destinations could be attended by both Cub Scouts Families and Scouts BSA Troops, with Scouts BSA Troops doing more challenging activities. These are grouped into these topics:

• Events (including parades, service events, Native American events and local events),
• then Unique Activities (like trains),
• then Outdoor Destinations (Scout Camps, State Parks, and more),
• Biking / Wheels,
• Sports Events and Destinations, 
• Caving,
• Swimming/Water, including canoeing and rafting, 
• Boating, 
• Fishing, 
• Climbing, 
• Zip Lines, 
• Horses,
• Science, Museum and Nature Destinations, 
• Historic, Business, Political, Art and Religious Destinations,
• Distant Destinations (Overnighters, maybe “long weekends”),
• plus some Fun Activities to Do in Lots of Places and Links to Other Cub Scout Program Resources.

Got More Ideas?  Email the Webmaster at webmaster@southfultonscouting.com. 

The Guide to Cub Scout Family Recruiting found in the downloads of the Atlanta Area Council Recruiting Resources main page describes steps for successful recruiting -- spoiler alert: Successful and Sustainable Recruiting Does Not Begin and End at School Sign Up Night!  If families are fired up at a Sign Up Night but have no Pack to join and no leaders to deliver a program, where are the new youth going to do Cub Scouting?  And do Packs with a handful of Leaders have the capacity to lead 50, 60, 80 or more?  No.

To be successful, the best practice is to lay down the foundation with these Six Steps for Successful and Sustainable Recruiting and described in our Pack Run Recruiting Best Practices video, starting with:

(1) Make a Calendar of Fun Activities that families like -- activities they want to do -- if you plan those activities, you will be the Pack they want to join (you want families who want to "do" activities, not just "drop off" kids for you to mind). It's not too late! 

(2) Let People Know – Promote Your Fun Events! -- there are many ways, like Flyers (both Council Flyers and Do It Yourself Flyers), and you can make a "Pack Packet" Flyer (with your events, your pictures, and a QR code to have families contact you) --  share with your families (in hand, by email, text, social media), and encourage them to share with their friends (by hand, by email, text, social media) -- and use BeAScout and Online Registration, they can sign up right now,  You Can Do This Now!

(3) Recruit More Leaders and Helpers -- yes, you need to do this throughout your recruiting process.  We do "get it": recruiting is hard.  But that page has many ideas about ways to approach leader recruiting so that your Pack can become an "Every Parent Helps" Pack,  "Every Parent Helps" Should Be Your Message!

(4) Grow your School and Community Presence so that you're known beyond current Pack families and have strong school relations -- be sure to get in for Open House/Meet and Greet/Meet the Teacher events -- plus build positive Community and Church profile,

all of that leads to (5) Sign-Up Events: not just the "School Sign-Up Night" scheduled in tandem by your Pack Leaders and our District Executive (Isaiah Campbell) and run by both the District Professional and Pack Leaders, but also Fun Joining Events that you create for your own Pack and Dens!  Any Fun Den or Pack Activity can be a Welcoming Joining Event for New Families -- let them "test drive" Cub Scouting!  

(6)  Then ... the last step is more program that's fun for kids and families.  Sure, Cub Scout Adventures for Rank and all, but also just Fun, Simple, Easy Activities that you do just because you want fun, many of which you'll find on this Great Big List of Things to Do and Places to Go Around Atlanta.

Next time you log into your my.scouting.org account, you won't see "Youth Protection Training".  You'll see a link to "Safeguarding Youth" training.

This +/-90 minute training replaces Youth Protection Training.  Your existing YPT is valid through the earlier of (a) your YPT expiration date or (b) May of 2026 (one year after the launch of this new training course), but when you approach that date you'll need to take complete the new "Safeguarding Youth" training and pass the quiz.

Another new element: "Safeguarding Youth" training must be taken every year.   Or an announcement from Scouting America Commissioners on FB says that after taking "Safeguarding Youth" training a 15 minute refresher course and quiz must be successfully completed annually thereafter.

Three likely FAQ:

Q:  I'm registering to be an adult leader for the first time and they told me to "take YPT" ... but I can't find it.  What do I do?

A:  Take "Safeguarding Youth" training instead, through your my.scouting.org account.

Q:  I'm currently an adult leader and my YPT is good through December of 2025 - do I need to take "Safeguarding Youth" training now?

A:  No.  You'll need to take it by your expiration date in December of 2025. But you can take it early.

Q:  I just registered as an adult leader in April so my YPT showed it was good through April of 2027 - when do I need to take "Safeguarding Youth" training?

A:  By May of 2026, or one year after the launch of this new training course.

Highlights of the most recent District News were these (click links for information): Recruiting Step Three: Recruiting Adult Leaders ... Opt In, Opt Out ... and from the week before: Recruiting Step Two: Get The Word Out – Promote Your Pack Program With Media, Flyers and More ... Email webmaster@southfultonscouting.com if you need a reminder about the login.

Got a Calendar of Fun Activities for your Pack and Dens?  Good.  Sharing and Promoting Your Pack Program?  Great.  Also: be on the lookout for leaders.

Parents of Scouts over this last school year may have "watched" you lead -- now you should pull them into leadership roles.

You’ll need the essential roles of Den Leaders, Assistants and Committee Members of course, but you’ll also want many different roles and small jobs so that every parent has a path to helping.  The best Packs and Dens create a culture of collective leadership, one where Every Parent Helps and through this process you turn parents into helpers and helpers into leaders.

Do This Now.  Don't Wait Until The New School Year.

To help with this step, see www.atlantabsa.org/RecruitingLeaders.  There are many ideas there -- and many videos there -- about how to create a culture that leads parents to answer “yes” when asked to help, from planning a menu of jobs and setting expectations to ways to ask for help to succession planning and more.  No one tool works for all – but all tools work for some.  Pick ones you like. 

For more, see www.atlantabsa.org/RecruitingLeaders. 

If you're no longer involved or interested in Scouting and you want to "opt out" of these messages, email the Webmaster and we'll drop you from the list.  But If you want to be "all in" on Scouting, see our Leader Training page (good resources for parents too through the National On Line Training site at ScoutingU with the same login as at My.Scouting.Org), and if you want the login codes, just email the Webmaster ...