scoutdad

Ed- In our council we have discovered that we need to promote summer camp early before parents make summer plans. That means we make the pitch in February and the early payment is due Feb. 28. We also have found that if the scout does not go to camp in the first year then he will not likely continue on in scouting. Working with the two Packs in our town we bridged the Webelos at the December Pack meeting and they joined the troop in January. Most of the boys were AOL and some were 11yrs old. By joining the troop together as a group they come together as a Patrol and everyone is in on the selection the name and the patrol yell. This is the Patrol method at it's best. While the non-Aol scouts could stay in the Pack (assuming the WDL would work with them) and continue work on their AOL, the reality is these boys for whatever reason do not have the motivation for the webelos program. If they are interested in the Boy Scout we will likely retain them in the program by bridging them with the rest of the den. In our area and in our experience, January to March is the entry window to Boy Scouts. Any other time results in the new scout not attending summer camp and poor integration into the Patrol. For the 5th grade boys in the Webelos den, Aol or not, the sun has set on cub scouting and it is time to move on to greater scouting adventure. Scoutdad

We cross all of the boys at the same time. This way the new patrol can start out together selecting a name and yell. The AOL is the highest honor in cub scouting, but if the boys who haven't earned it are to remain in scouting and go to summer camp, they need to enter scouting in March. Many times the non-AOL boys are bored with activity pins but would love the outdoor skills of Boy Scouts. Our Council backs us on this. Our troop goes to summer camp two weeks after school is out. No kid is going to join one week, pay the fees, buy a uniform and cough up $140 and go to camp the next week. We are careful to wait until after school is out to sign off on any advancements for the non-Aol scouts. Scoutdad