The Why of a Virtual Crossover 

· Having reached the highest rank in Cub Scouts, Arrow of Light Scouts deserve the opportunity to become Scouts BSA.

· Delaying crossover until face to face meetings are possible, or until fall, may cause these Scouts to drift away.

· Scouts who attend summer camp with their troop (or other summer activities) are much more likely to stay in Scouting.

· A virtual crossover using Zoom, Skype, Facebook or Google will give AOL Scouts the satisfaction of seeing their friends and being united in crossing over.

· Arrow of Light Scouts who have been stuck at home for weeks will be excited at the prospect of Scouting activities.

· As the troop receives the new Scouts, the senior patrol leader and patrol leaders can begin leading them right away toward earning Scout rank and Tenderfoot.

The How

· Run the ceremony as usual, just without walking over a bridge.

· Invite the troop(s) to attend virtually.  And invite your whole pack to log in to recognize the AOL achievement.

· Since AOLs are registered through December, there is no fee to transfer into the troop.  Simply give the troop a new member application for them to submit to council.

After Crossover

· The Scouts attend virtual meetings with their new troop.

· The virtual meetings can breakout to a New Scout Patrol to focus on earning Scout rank and Tenderfoot.

· The troop can inform families about summer camp plans. Early bird deadline for AOLs crossing over into the Scouts BSA program is June 1.