Eagletrek

Quality control??????? Just flip over the knot and check out that little gold "Made in China" label. That says it all!!!!!!!! There is no quality control. OBTW, we're buying stuff from a country that refuses to recognize the World Scouting Movement!!!!! Ya gotta love it!!!!(This message has been edited by Eagletrek)

Since when does an individual need to become a professional naturalist to be competent in an area of study??? Anyone can become competent in the identification of the various facets of nature if they take the time to study and prepare and most of all use good resources. There is no need to become an "expert."

A good idea would be providing the new Eagle with the book "Legacy of Honor" by Alvin Townley. Might give him an idea where he fits in in the "big picture" and may prompt him to continue to contribute to his community and scouting.

Wow GaHB for someone so meticulous when it comes to "detailed identification" I'd call you an amateur if you identified all oaks as "oaks." A Red Oak and a Bur Oak sure don't look the same.

It sounds like the boys in your den seem to be aware of this young lad's challenge and are accepting of it. Sounds like you may be doing something right in the area of character development. What a great opportunity to address "diversity." Continue to foster your boy's acceptance of this scout and maybe they'll set the example for their parents to follow.(This message has been edited by Eagletrek)

We start early and begin our recruitment year in May by holding a Tiger Round-Up to attract new Tigers and their parents. This year we registered 11 new Tigers and parents in May so that they could start their scouting experience by participating in our National Summertime Award program. We just completed our Fall Round-Up and added another 21 scouts to our pack, to include another complete Tiger den. In total, we recruited 32 new scouts this year. Although, it is a slight drop in numbers from last year, its okay, since we had 132 "active" scouts last year and our number will now be 113 scouts this year. Frankly, 113 scouts is a more managable number when you're dealing with pack-level events. Our success can be attributed to: 1. Our school and local community have been extremely supportive of our pack. This has been great since our chartering organization has not really stepped up to assist us in any measurable way. 2. Our adults are extremely active and have always stepped up to support our various events. 3. Our boys sell the program to their friends by sharing stories about what they done and what they're going to do. 4. Our Den Leaders are superb and are full of great ideas to keep the boys motivated. 5. Our pack's superb Family Camping Program. 6. Our pack's active participation in Cub Day Camp, Cub Resident Camp and Webelos Resident Camp. The bottom line is, if you have an exciting and fun program, the boys in it will stay and others will want to join.

Ahhhhh Narraticong, you stole my thunder. My advise to the OP would have been and still is figure out the the details on the admin side and then settle down and watch "Follow Me Boys."

Wow, I filled out an on-line Staff Application on 2 SEP 08 and just recieved my "Letter of Appointment" today, 16 SEP 08. I'd consider that great when it comes to processing an application. Going to sign it tonight and get it back to National. I've been appointed as an archery safety officer/instructor for Southern Region. OBTW, that's what I asked to do and I have no "connections" at council. I bet if you can still get selected for a staff job if you "actively" seek one out and have the right qualifications.(This message has been edited by Eagletrek)

Oh yeah, one last thing!!!!! Put those folks with the beads around their necks to work. I'm not saying they don't work already but if you are the recipient of what scouting calls "their highest level of adult training" get out there and lead the way!!! Too many of those guys/gals like to hang out in the back and drink coffee.

I think all the posters so far have touched on some very good points. Can the announcements!!! If you have to put something out, get it out via email prior to or via flyer at the meeting. As an example, I had to listen to about 10 minutes worth of "Popcorn Info" at last night's roundtable. My Popcorn Kernal already had the info because she's been reading her emails. Overall, announcements can take up 15 to 20 minutes of time. As a member of my districts cub scout roundtable staff, I use the Roundtable Program Guide but I also make time to discuss cub-level issues similar to what Eagle 90 mentioned. Make the info presented relevant to the issues within your program/area and I bet attendance at the roundtables will go up. Lastly, figure out how to break up those "in-groups." They seem to have alot of knowledge but for some reason they aren't to quick to share it. It seems like the "dark priests" find it hard sometimes to realize that the new folks may have some good input. The district won't grow and the boys won't flourish if you always have to "draw" the info out of the "in-group/oldtimers."

Contrary to popular belief large isn't always good!!!! In large dens, the scouts don't always "get a good/meaningful chance" to do something if there is limited time available for the event/task during a den meeting. The same is true in large packs. At the pack level, too many scouts can turn a pleasurable event into an ordeal. I know from experience as my pack averages about 120 scouts in 13 dens. That said, there is an up-side. It appears we offer a quality program and the parents interested in having their sons in scouting have gravitated to our pack.

Wow!!!!! Hey honey, you're doing such a great job as the Advancement Chairperson for the pack I've got this new job which will earn you a neat totebag.

Ideally, 6-8 scouts is all you want in either a den or patrol. As a Tiger thru Bear Den Leader my den had 12 boys in it. The only way we were able to function at that size was to have a trained assistant and the assistance of numerous parents. In my case it wasn't too hard as most of my scouts started as Tigers and the parents just stayed involved as their sons progressed.

If they really want this position filled, maybe there should be a square knot.

First let me state I'm all for trained adult leaders. My 13 den leaders, most of their assistants, ACM, and all committee members are currently trained. I expect to pick-up at least 3-4 additional adult leaders on Thursday and plan to have them trained within the next two months. That said, frequency and quality of training are issues that I've had to deal with. For example, units are just getting started with their round-ups within the next week or two so what does our district do? They schedule adult leader training for this weekend; prior to the majority of the district's cub pack round-ups!!! What do they do when informed? Shrug their shoulders and state they'll have to schedule some additional training but don't state when. Based on the size of my pack, I've been fairly lucky in getting training conducted just for our guys and gals because when can generate enough of a crowd to bring out the instructors. The second issue I faced was quality of training. In order to solve this issue, pack leaders have attended TDC so we would be able to present classes to our own unit. We insure quality control and the pack's leaders are always able to contact an instructor to check up on an issue. Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands!!!