The year 2020 brought seismic changes to Scouting in Utah. Three large Boy Scout councils were combined into one new council, covering the entire state plus portions of Wyoming and Idaho. Many hundreds of Church ward troops and packs were disbanded and replaced by far fewer non-Church affiliated units. Ward sponsored units, re-chartered and funded […]

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the wizard Gandalf is getting ready to take his leave from Bilbo Baggins and the other dwarves on the edge of Mirkwood. As he does so he starts to leave, then turns to Bilbo and says, “Be good, take care of yourselves and don’t leave the path.” I will take […]

My name is Sam Gray. I want to share a little about my scouting experience as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and how my life has been blessed by Scouting even after the Church ceased chartering Scouting for its Young Men’s program. Like most Latter Day Saint boys, I […]

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, we have observed that it has become increasingly difficult for youth to connect with non-profit organizations to provide service, such as for an Eagle Project or to complete Religious Award requirements. Some youth have contacted multiple organizations, churches, non-profits, community centers, trying to find an individual to assist in coordinating an […]

The president of BYU traditionally speaks at the first weekly devotional each fall semester as a kick-off for the year and a motivator for the students. I recently read again one of these talks by President Kevin J. Worthen and thought it may be even more applicable today than when he gave it in September […]

During the past year I have had the pleasure of serving as the Scout Executive of the Far East Council, with headquarters in Okinawa, Japan. Our council services American military and Ex Patriot families in many Asian countries. My daily work involves interaction with good Scouters from Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, […]

By Wayne and Roma Bishop—Chairmen, Vanguard Religious Awards Committee Over the years, we have been involved in a myriad of Scouting activities on the local, regional, national and international levels. Some of our richest and most rewarding experiences have come as we have served in different capacities at many National and World Scout Jamborees. A […]

Greetings! We are the Barrus Family from Okinawa, Japan. We are all involved in Scouting (two parents, one Scout, and two Cub Scouts) and continued because of our rich Scouting heritage. I (Makenna) was a little sister Scout tag-along, assisting my three brothers earn their Eagle Scout awards. Clay is an Eagle Scout with a […]

Welcome to the first edition of The Vanguard Beacon – a regularly published web-based newsletter of the Vanguard International Scouting Association – designed to support Latter-day Scouts, Scouting families and adult leaders throughout the world.  This is the successor publication to “The Bridge” – which was first published in time for the 2019 “Vision 2020” […]