Scouterclaude

I am working with a new Pack that has 4 Tigers, 2 Bears and 1 WEBLOS. The Cubmaster wants the pack to succeed and so does the Charter Organization. The boys come from an economically disadvantaged area (no uniforms) but seem to enjoy what has been done so far. They do not have dens set up they just meet as one group every week on Sunday afternoon (working on their Bob Cat rank right now). Beside an interested Charter Organization, committed Cub master and his wife they dont have any other actual leaders working with the scouts. The Cub Master has taken all the on-line training he can so that isnt a problem. Members of the church are listed on the committee and as Committee Chair and the Cub Masters wife is listed as the den leader so they have enough for a valid charter. I am looking for ideas which I can use to get this pack off on the right foot. Though I am not new to Commissioners work and the Cub Scouting program I really dont know where to start to help. I have tried to have a parent/committee meeting but have had little success in that area. We have tried to recruit more scouts through the school with some interest but no follow through. Any ideas you have would be valuable at this time, I am willing to try anything to get them off on the right foot.

To answer a few questions that have been raised, yes it is the Commissioner Staff that is working on this problem. Also we don't have a course at our University of Scouting that pertains to running a good Pack Meeting. What we are finding out is that the Cub Masters and others within the Pack leadership only know how the Pack Meeting have been run in the past and continue making the same mistakes year after year. Most will not go to any supplemental training to learn how to do it better because they don't know it can be better. What we have in mind is making a DVD of a "staged" Pack Meeting, showing how to keep the audience engaged in the meeting and keep things moving at a good pace with everyone having fun. Also we want to show how to have memorable award ceremonies for the scouts, not the usual here is your patch now go sit down. We are making baby steps but hope to have great results soon. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

our district's staff. We have noticed that a lot of unit (Cub) don't know how to do a good Pack Meeting which then leads to es not showing up and eventual the units dropping scouts. We are trying to come up with solutions to what seems to be a common problem.

I am looking for help in developing a program for cub scout units in trouble. What do you consider an important part of a "good" Pack meeting? How do you keep the pack meetings moving along and keep everyone involved? We are looking to set up a Pilot Training Program for running an effective Pack Meeting and I want to use all the ideas I can.

Also check out our website (http://www.danbeard.org/) for more info on the camps and program. Have fun!!!

just sit back and enjoy. Cub world is a great camp and the camp staff is just great. Camp is pretty open as far as the layout. Just above Cub World is Upper Craig and Friedlander which is a full service Boy Scout Summer Camp. You might want to stop by Loveland Castle which is close by on you way home. It is a castle built from stone that was removed from the Little Miami River which flow by the castle. On Saturdays they have tours thru the castle. You could also stop by our Scout Service Center, you have to see it to believe it, just great. Welcome to Cincinnati, we are glad to have you.

As with anything you have been involved with for many years there will be embarrassing moment and events, sowhat was your most embarrassing thing in scouting. Mine was back in the mid 90s, I was scoutmaster of a troop of about 40 scouts. I had very good help and support from my five assistant scoutmasters, one of which really liked to work with the new scouts to earn their Toten Chip. On this particular campout we had probably six or seven scout that had just crossed over from cubs and he wanted to get them off on the right foot. He set up an axe yard and then instructed the scouts to find some wood so they could learn to use a bow saw. At the same camp there was a Cub Scout Pack having a family/Pack picnic, they were going to be joined by a scout troop later in the day for their crossing over ceremony. The scouts found some really nice, straight, timber about 4 in diameter and about twelve feet long. They worked all afternoon cutting up the wood and had made a great stack of fire wood. While all of this was going on I was making my rounds observing all the scouts in my troop and their activities, some were fishing, some were hiking, some stayed in camp to cook, or just hang out and of course the group working hard on their Toten Chip. I felt content knowing all was well in Camelot. About 6:00 in the evening the scoutmaster of the other troop walked up to us (myself and my assistants) and asked if they could have back the poles for their Monkey bridge back so they could do their crossing over ceremony, I looked at the pile of firewood as all my assistants kind of wandered away. Realizing what had happened I got all the scouts together(both troops) and instructed them to head out into the woods and without cutting down trees find anything we could use to make them a bridge. Two hours later between the two troops working together there was a wonderful bridge, they did a cross over ceremony and then joined us for a great campfire. What started out to be an embarrassing situation turned into a learning opportunity, great fellowship, and a story worth telling over and over.

The problem today is that so many "trained" leaders have to move away or leave the unit each year. No sooner do you get everyone trained, one leaves. It is an ongoing battle that the new requirements should hopefully resolve. We now insist that all den leaders have at least one "trained" assistant in each den not just parents helping out. It makes the parents take ownership of the dens and pack, not just sit back and help from the sidelines.

Thank you Eagle92 the for forms. I also remembered it is in the back of the Cub Scout Leaders Book. The way I read the 100% requirement is that you have to "3. Attain 100% trained leadership within the pack for the committee chairman, Cubmaster and all the den leaders." It doesn't say that the duration is two years, just that you attain the 100% at some point during your two year tenure. Am I reading it right or am I mistaken in my assumption.

Does anyone know if there is a form (like the Den Leader Award Form) for the Pack Trainer Award? I have looked at National's web site and my local Council's web site to no avail. Help!!!!

The only place I know where names are listed is under the transpotation section where you list who is driving and all the required information on the car and so on. Maybe only 10 scouts were listed on the permit and more showed up making the permit incorrect. I don't know the exact details of the incident. My point has always been insurance companies will try and find a way to deny the claim if the can so make sure all your ducks are in a row. It might also be that the car the scout and parent that were injured wasn't listed on the permit. Don't know.

When I fill out a permit I aways add extra scouts to cover those who decide to go afterall. As far as drivers, we have all new scout parents fill out a form which includes all their cars, driver licence info. and insurance info., which is then included in our master list. I attach the master list to the permit when I turn it in and I also have a copy of that list stamped as received and staple it to the botton half of the permit. Cover all the bases!!!!

My main concern isn't my unit because we do pull a permit but is the misinformation that may be delivered at training. All the information I have seen on BSA insurace states it is a policy thru an insurance company and not directly funded by the BSA. That being said I sure would hate to be the poor individual or CO that thought they were doing right by not filling a permit, have a serious accident and be sued only to find out the insurace company found a loop hole to deny the claim because the GTSS says you have to do so.

Sorry Scoutnut, my last post should have been addressed to AlFansome. I will be the first to admit my screw up many as they are.

Scoutnut, not to argumenative but it is requires, BSA Rules and Policies: Bold type throughout the Guide to Safe Scouting denotes BSA rules and policies. If you look at the GTSS Tour Permits and the launguage I quoted is in bold print thus making it a rule and policy. If in fact it was only a tool to prepair a safe outing then why has National gone to the trouble of putting it in bold print in the GTSS? Words do have meenings and legal interpritations also have an impact on insurance claims. I deal everyday with contracts, and specifications and know quite well the meening of the written word and its impact on litigation. If it is spelled out in the specs it doesn't matter what your interpritation might be. It is what it is. The "but I thought" defence doesn't quite hold water in court, if it says a nut is a nut then guess what it's a nut.