As you spend time in Scouting, you come to understand something simple but important: The experience a young person has in this program is shaped, in large part, by the volunteer adult leaders who guide it.
I can never give enough thanks to the dedicated volunteers who care enough to show up every week.
When adult leaders feel prepared, the program is stronger. When the program is stronger, Scouts stay engaged. And when Scouts stay engaged, lives are changed.
Across our council today, however, fewer than 40 percent of our direct contact leaders, including den leaders, Cubmasters, assistant Scoutmasters and Scoutmasters, are fully trained. It reflects the reality of busy lives, competing priorities, and at times, the cost and accessibility of training itself.
For years, units have carried the burden of deciding who could attend training and who could not. Costs for Wood Badge, Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO), Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS), Wilderness First Aid, OKPIK (cold-weather camping training), Scouting University and other courses add up quickly, often falling on units or individual volunteers to pay.
The new $65 council adult volunteer fee, announced in January and taking effect April 1, is intended to change that.
Approved by the Executive Board as part of the 2026 budget, this approach shifts how the Northeast Illinois Council invests in its volunteers. It allows the council to support leader development more directly, shifting the focus from cost to access.
This is about making it easier to get the tools to run a fun and enriching Scouting program.
It is about giving experienced leaders the opportunity to grow without asking more of their unit.
And it is about ensuring that every Scout has the benefit of a well-prepared, confident leader.
You may already be fully trained, and if so, thank you. This change is not about asking more of you. It is about making sure the leaders around you are just as prepared. When more adults are trained, the workload is shared, expectations are clearer, and the experience for Scouts improves. Even the most experienced leaders benefit from not having to carry the program alone.
I know many of you already give a great deal to Scouting. Your time, your energy, your resources. That commitment does not go unnoticed, and it is deeply appreciated.
I have also heard questions about how this relates to Friends of Scouting. Support through FOS remains vital to the health of this council. It sustains the camps, programs, and services that units depend on throughout the year. This new fee serves a different purpose: It strengthens leader training and the foundation that supports it. Both matter, and both play a role in delivering the promise of Scouting.
This is not about asking more for the sake of asking.
It is about investing wisely in the people who make Scouting possible.
When leaders are trained, the burden is shared. When the burden is shared, more adults stay involved. And when that happens, the program becomes stronger for every Scout we serve.
That is the goal.
And it is one worth working toward, together.
If you have questions about how this applies to your unit, please reach out to your unit commissioner or district executive . For questions related to registration or payment, our council registrar can help. The council remains committed to ensuring that cost is never a barrier to service or membership. Adults who need assistance covering the council registration fee are encouraged to apply for financial support through NEIC’s scholarship program here.
To learn more about the training opportunities we provide, visit adult training opportunities on our website.