ScoutNut

A Webelos program that dispenses with the earning of awards, and just does games, camping, hiking, and other fun stuff, is fine if that is what the boys, not the leaders, want. However, the Scouts should be made aware that they will have to wait until they turn 11, or reach the end of 5th grade before they will be able to join a Boy Scout Troop. If your Bear den leader can't communicate with his den parents, and can't ask for help when needed, that is not the fault of the program. Recruiting den leaders and assistant den leaders is the job of the Committee Chair, the Committee, and t

The BSA Webelos program is not all that complicated, nor should it involve one person standing in front of the room "teaching". The Webelos Activity badges are a stepping stone to Boy Scout Merit Badges. As such, if you ignore requirements, and just hand out badges that have not actually been completed, what are you leading the Scouts to expect when they get to Boy Scouts? Is it any wonder then when they expect the same treatment on Merit Badges? As with Merit Badges, the Webelos den leader should use a variety of adult Activity Badge Counselors to work with the boys. These cou

This thread is over 3 years old. The information on the Boy Scout Trail site is outdated, and incorrect. As of August 2010, BSA has a new National Outdoor award program that is ONLY for Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts. The link 5year provided, at the National BSA site, - http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/Youth/Awards/NOA.aspx is the correct one. gpronger - As only 5 nights of resident camping are allowed, I would count either 5 nights as counselor, or CIT, at summer camp, or 5 nights as a camper with the Troop at summer camp, not both, and not for the entire summ

>>"I do plan on working with the Minneapolis Parks Dept (I have political connections with the Park Board)">"The local "Park Service" is a monolithic public entity, I have no idea whom to contact and where about helping with trail maintenance/signage."

This is BSA's "New Unit Retention Guide" for "starting and sustaining high-preforming quality units" - http://www.scouting.org/filestore/membership/pdf/522-025_WB.pdf They recommend having a COR, CC, unit leader, and unit committee (can be members from the "organizing" committee which is appointed by the CO at the get go), in place before recruiting youth or additional leaders. They also recommend having a dedicated, experienced, "New Unit" Commissioner, who is responsible for only one unit at a time, is involved from the very beginning, with the sales call on the prospective charte

These thistles are located on State Highway property. Without proper permission you could be considered to be trespassing. There is also the problem that it is on a hillside. Do you want your Cubs rolling down it? What about the disturbance your Cubs will do to the other plants put there to prevent erosion of the hillside? There are plenty of ways to volunteer for Minneapolis Parks. Big cities are not nearly as "monolithic" as you think. Check out some of the information from your Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board - http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?Page

As others have said, it can be either way, and there are good reasons for both. Just a note, holding him back in Cubs will not affect his transfer to Boy Scouts. What to do depends on the boy himself. Your best bet is to meet with the parents and the Scout, and talk about their options, and their reasons for wanting their son to repeat the last year of Cubs. Then come to an agreement on what is best for the boy.

Welcome Noname! What is your Charter Organization? Who is the Charter Organization Representative? What is your position with the Pack? How long have you been a member? How old is this Pack? The Pack was doing pretty good, prior to B&G where you lost two thirds of your Scouts, with about 33 Scouts. What happened? Why did so many leave? You need to find out why your Pack fell apart before you can put it back together again. Those problems have to be corrected. The Charter Organization Representative(COR), Committee Chair(CC), Cubmaster(CM), and the Pack's Unit

I guess it depends on how long ago you took your basic Scoutmaster training, and who is asking you to repeat it. Per BSA the basic training does not expire - ever. However you are expected to keep up to date. If it is your charter organization that is asking you to renew your basic training, they are within their rights to request you to do so. Especially if your training was quite a while ago. I would ask the person that is asking you to retake basic training their reasons behind the request. FYI - From the BSA National Training Updates for Spring 2011 - http://scou

Not saying that what they are doing is somehow wrong at all. If it is helping these youth then more power to them. Just saying that there should be no worries about BSA suddenly changing it's national membership requirements for Cub Scouts based on this group.

The article states that the Feldmans, who started this unit, purchased the uniforms for the youth. From the pictures they seem to have simply purchased whatever fit, or was in stock/on sale at the time. No matter what the council Field Director states, there is no way for the BSA computer system to register a 13 year old, seventh grade girl, as a member of a BSA Cub Scout Pack. This Pack is not on the "beascout" web site as a chartered Cub Scout Pack. The only way that this group could work would be if it was registered under Learning For Life, and possibly also ScoutReach. Once

What Ann, and Snow said. The criteria in Cub Scouts is "Do Your Best". From the BSA National Web site - "To do my best Giving your best effort is right and honest. Always remember that your best is not the same as someone else's best. Doing the best you can is more important than trying to be better than someone else." However that does not mean that you get a pass if you do nothing at all. Not even trying to do something is no one's "best". One of the purposes of Cub Scouting is Character Development. How are you developing good character in a boy when you give

Seems a bit iffy to me. The pictures show a boy with a Bear Cub Scout necker in a tan shirt. The story mentions 13 year olds in a Cub Scout Pack. Not possible. The 13 year old boys and girls can be in a Venturing Crew, but not registered as Cub Scouts. It sounds more like this is some sort of Learning For Life group doing their own thing program-wise. Also, the article stated that there is no Scouting in Africa, however that is not true. There are Sea Scout, Boy Scout, and Girl Guide organizations throughout Africa.

The BSA Insignia Guide does not state that Webelos Activity badges can only be put on specific color ribbons. It simply states the Activity badges are to be worn on the front panel of the Webelos cap, or on the Webelos colors

>>"He was mainly upset that it appeared they were doing MB work in a meeting"

Family Promise?

Encourage him to visit as many Troops as possible, and ask as many questions there as possible. Every Troop is different. However, you might also remind him that very few Troops follow the "ideal", or published, meeting outline. He should not go into this expecting to find a Troop that meets, or exceeds, everything he has read about on the 'net. He should go with an open mind, and look at the whole Troop, and it's entire program.

Have you seen the BSA Cub Scout Parent Information Guide? http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/520-259.pdf

PTA's are generally very hands-off Charter Organizations(CO), and the National PTA organization has also actively discouraged it's member units from becoming a CO for the BSA. The unfortunate upshot is that it is very unlikely your Pack will get any help from it's CO. Scouting, whether at the den, or Pack level, is not a one man show. With 45 Scouts in your Pack, there are approximately from 45-80 adults associated with those Scouts. That is quite a lot of potential volunteers. At your Pack's next Pack Leader/Committee meeting you should discuss which adults among all of the familie

How many Scouts are in your Pack? What is your Charter Organization?

You can not be REGISTERED as both a CM, and a DL. You register in your main position (usually the one the unit needs you registered in for recharter), and then do whatever other jobs you feel you can manage, and the Pack Committee, and the Charter Organization, agree to letting you do. Has your Committee Chair(CC), or Charter Organization Representative(COR), actually asked you to take on the position of Cubmaster(CM)? Or, are you just assuming that you will become CM because no one else has offered? It is up to the CC, and the Charter Organization, by way of the COR, to find a

>>"but the kids are way behinde in advancment."

Yep, I understand doing a lot with limited time. I was a Cub Scout den leader, Girl Scout Troop leader, Popcorn Kernal, Cookie Chair, Pack Advancement Chair, PTO volunteer and board member, and more, all at the same time, and while working full time. There are not actually all that many rules. BSA training gives you a good overview. The Guide to Safe Scouting, and your Tiger/Wolf/Bear/Webelos Handbooks, pretty much covers the basics for Cubs. If you want to learn more, there is the Cub Scout Leader Book which goes into more detail. You do not have to memorize everything, just know wh

Cooking, as with just about everything in Scouts, is progressive. Tigers help to make a snack. Wolf Cubs help cook a few meals. Bear Cubs have the opportunity to do a bit more hands-on cooking with adult help. Webelos get more into outdoor, camp cooking. Boy Scouts plan, purchase, prepare, and clean-up all meals themselves. As a Pack leader, you should be attending the monthly Pack Leaders/Committee meetings. When the subject of the next Pack campout comes up, ask the BALOO trained person in charge of the campout what the thinking is behind not letting Scouts help with the meals at all. S

As others have said the biggest problem I would have with a patch is that the training expires. What are the odds that the patch will then be taken off the uniform? Keeping the certification card in the wallet (no need to wear it around your neck) works fine. You can also acknowledge them all at your next Pack meeting.