ScoutNut

Our council has it's calendar for the year out in July/Aug. It has all council and district events listed for the next 12+ months.

>>"I don't think I've ever seen an OA sash worn by a Cub Scout Leader, although quite a few CS leaders were OA members as youths I'm sure."

The MINIMUM needed to earn BOTH the Webelos Badge, and the AOL, is 6 months total as a Webelos. If the 5th grade Scout in your Arrow of Light Den (there is no such animal as a patrol in Cub Scouting), joined your den in September 2010, he met the 3 month requirement for the Webelos Badge in December 2010, and will meet the 6 month requirement for AOL this month (March 2011). Once the other requirements for either of the badges are completed he should be presented with the award he has earned.

Scoutfish, your council has not updated it's forms page. What you filled out is the old Local Tour Permit #34426. As of March 1, 2011, that form is no longer valid. The new form is the Tour Planning Worksheet #680-014, and can be found here - http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HealthandSafety/TourPlanFAQ.aspx If it was after March 1 when you sent in the Tour Permit, I suggest calling your council ASAP to find out if it will be accepted. You don't want to loose a week or two, when you find out it has been denied, and then have to send in a new one. Especially when the new forms require a 3 week notice. Hawkrod, talk to whomever it is at your council Service Center who approves Tour Plans. There is nothing "automatic" about these. They are not done online, or read by computer only. There is a human who is rejecting it. Find out who that is, and talk to them. Also, you are not limited to only taking BALOO in your home district. BALOO can be taken in any district, or even any council. You might have to travel a longer distance to reach the training, but then again, you might find one from another council that is being held at a location that is close by. Stop blaming the District Trainer, and start looking for other class offerings.

>>"It was clear to me someone in BSA popcorn fundraising had become completely clueless"

From BSA - "The purpose of the Guide to Safe Scouting is to prepare adult leaders to conduct Scouting activities in a safe and prudent manner. The policies and guidelines have been established because of the real need to protect members from known hazards that have been identified through 90-plus years of experience. Limitations on certain activities should not be viewed as stumbling blocks; rather, policies and guidelines are best described as stepping-stones toward safe and enjoyable adventures." "Bold type throughout the Guide to Safe Scouting denotes BSA rules and policies." Notice that BSA specifically separates what are guidelines, from what are rules and policies. As to YP violations in the OP's dormitory type accommodations - If the adult leader wing had the room divided by accordion walls, with male leaders on one side, and female leaders on the other, and if there were signs, locks, or some such, on the restroom facilities that insured that they would not be used by both males and females at the same time, I see no problem there. The problem would come in with the "overflow of parents and the younger youths" sleeping in the great room. This sounds like it was a mixed bag of male, and female, youth and adults. Even though these folks were not registered members of BSA, Youth Protection policies should have been followed for them as well. The division of male youth/male adults/all females, would have been a solution that would have worked within YP policies. I suggest that next time you look into using 2 lodges (one for males, one for females) instead of only one. That would give everyone plenty of room, and privacy.

Actually, it is called the Cub Scout 2010 Delivery Method. It officially started in September, 2010. JeromeK, the OP, stated that he had purchased, and was using, the Den and Pack Meeting Resource Guide for the new delivery method. He also stated that he did not find it was giving him everything he wanted/needed. As Tampa Turtle recommended, the How-To-Book is a great resource, and can be found at your local Scout Shop. Baloo's Bugle is also great - http://usscouts.org/bbugle.asp The old Cub Scout Program Helps had some great ideas, and although well hidden, can still be found on the BSA National site - Aug, 2007 seems to be the oldest - http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/2007-08.pdf if you change the year, and month, you will access others. There is also a page with 100 Anniversary Program Helps that goes from Sept, 2009 thru Sept, 2010 - http://ww2.scouting.org/100years/100years/CubScouts.aspx All are pdf files. I would suggest downloading and saving these Program Helps as I am sure BSA will clear them off of their server sooner, rather than later.

If you do not know the Scout personally, an Eagle congratulations card from your local Scout Shop should do nicely. If you do know the Scout, then a small gift would be appropriate. I would suggest talking to the parents.

As to what Boy Scout Troop this Scout and his family choose to go to - YES, you are being over sensitive, very over sensitive. What Troop a family decides to go to is a very PERSONAL choice, and one you would be very rude to criticize. This is why BSA recommends that Webelos dens visit different BS Troops. There is really no such thing as a one-size-fits-all Troop. What is not right is the parent "trash talking" the Troop the other Webelos are considering crossing to. That, also, is just rude, however, it might just be as a consequence of your behavior toward that family. Something to think about? I suggest, talking to this parent, and the den leader, and letting them know that their Scouts are supposed to be learning to live by the Scout Oath and Law in their everyday life, and that "trash talking" is against every point of the Scout Oath and Law, and is setting a very bad example for the Scouts. I would also suggest, that as CM, you make sure to let the Webelos families know - sincerely - that where they choose to continue their Scouting trail, is entirely up to them. You should also make sure they know that the Pack will invite leaders from any Troop they decide to join, to the Crossover Campout.

One last comment on when things "count", or "not count". Activities done while in one level of Cub Scouts, do NOT count toward requirements in another level. For instance - Playing Cleanup Treasure Hunt, and completing Tiger Elective #33, can not be used to complete Wolf Achievement, Your Living World #7d, to pick up litter in your neighborhood. Visiting a zoo with your family while a Wolf Cub Scout can not be used as the zoo visit to complete Bear Achievement #5d. The chess belt loop your Tigers earned can not be used to complete requirement #8 in the Scholar Webelos Activity Badge.

>>"ON a side note, interesting that you say focus on my den and leave the rest to someone else...That seems to be the problem.. No wonder there is such a lack of volunteers in the scouting program! When someone wants to, they are told don't bother."

45-60 Scouts and the Pack can not get any parents to step up to volunteer as leaders? That is not good. With a retention rate under 80%, your Pack is having problems keeping Scouts in it's program. Do you know why is it losing boys/families? Why do you want a Pack bigger than 60 boys? Is it to give you a better buffer for when you loose Scouts? What does your being a woman have to do with camping with the Pack, with, or without your son being present? How often does the Pack camp? What happens to your current den next year if you become Cubmaster(CM), or Committee Chair(CC)? With parents not willing to take on leadership positions, and a CC in name only, are you going to be forced to do the jobs of CC, CM, Den Leader, and various Committee Member positions, all at the same time? If so, I would recommend you stay with, and concentrate on your den and making sure those boys get the best program you can give them, and leave the rest of the jobs to someone else.

How can you get credit from BSA for something you did when you were not a member of BSA. Does the book read in 1st grade count toward an English class in high school? Anything done while a registered BSA Tiger Cub Scout counts toward requirements in the Tiger Cub Scout program. Anything done before that time does not. A Scout can work on, and get credit for, Electives starting with the first day he is a registered Tiger Cub Scout. Tigers can not receive their Tiger Trax elective beads until AFTER they have earned their Tiger Rank award. That is why many Tigers receive a handful of elective beads along with their Tiger rank award. They can keep completing Tiger electives, and receiving Tiger elective beads, until they graduate to Wolf Cub Scouts at the end of the 1st grade school year. Wolf, and Bear electives work the same way. Scouts can start completing electives as soon as they graduate to the Wolf, or Bear Cub level at the end of the school year. However, they can not actually receive any arrow points until after they earn their Wolf, or Bear, rank award.

This is NOT the GSUSA National Organization doing this. This is a few individual Troops in San Diego. I am sure that if you had an iPhone, equipped with the right apps, you could accept credit card payments for popcorn too. Knowing nothing about the "mophie marketplace", or "GoPayment", I have no idea how safe it would be to use them. Personally, if someone told me to enter my credit card info onto their phone, I would turn and leave, quickly.

The Webelos get their Boy Scout Handbook when they are crossing into a Boy Scout Troop. At end of year graduation ceremonies they generally get a vittle kit, compass, or mess kit. The ceremony itself depends on what theme we are using. I usually put something together that can be used for all levels. I remember one year when we used the Cub-O-Matic to "change" the Scouts into their new level, with new neckers, slides, and handbooks, the upcoming 5th graders came out of the machine with their hand carved slides showing the AOL symbol, and a fake arrow thru their head. The boys loved it!

How can you decide if there is a Merit Badge you want to counsel without knowing what the Merit Badges, and their requirements, are? Here are the 124 Merit Badges, and their requirements - http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges.aspx Here is some information on being a Merit Badge Counselor - http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/BoyScouts/GuideforMeritBadgeCounselors.aspx http://www.scouting.org/Training/Adult/Supplemental/MeritBadgeCounselorInstructorsGuide.aspx http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34405.pdf Read thru all of the above, then decide.

A bit late in the day for this weekend, but your SM is not REQUIRED to camp with the Troop. As long as there are at least 2 adults, one of whom is registered, the SM can do the day thing on his own, and let the rest of you camp. It is a shame to waste all of those camping fees, and deprive the Scouts of the opportunities for advancement. Talk to the other leaders, and parents, and get support for camping. Go to the next Committee meeting and let the committee know the SM does not have to do it all on his own, and give them a list of specific adults who are willing to camp in various weathers. YES, ask about getting trained, and registered as a Troop ASM, or Committee Member. BTW - from the look of this weekends weather in PA, it is not dangerous, or even going to last all weekend. It looks like scattered showers tonight, and possibly snow showers Sunday. If campers are prepared for wet weather these should not be a deal breaker.

>>"Oh we had the pleasure of his attendance at a troop boy's Eagle CofH on Sunday."

>>"the boys haven't had a single overnight trip in the past 7 months."

Were you in the Troop the last time the SPL/ASPL changed? Is this a brand new procedure, or is this the way it has always been done? If this is the way the Troop has always been run, you, and the new SM, are going to have an uphill battle to change anything.

The Charter Organization OWNS the Pack. It is up to the head of the Charter Organization (NOT the Cubmaster) to approve all Pack volunteers (see the BSA Adult application). The head of the Charter Organization (not the Cubmaster) has the ability to "hire", and "fire", all volunteers. You should know who the Charter Organization for your Pack is. If not, call your local council. They can tell you. Contact the head of your Charter Organization directly, and do it NOW. No one should be "scared" of ANY Pack leader.

If it is your job as Scoutmaster to make sure that Webelos Cub Scouts complete their requirements for AOL, what the heck is the Webelos den leaders job? If these two boys wanted to earn their AOL so badly, and were so close to earning AOL that all requirements could be completed in a few weeks time, and before their Pack's Blue And Gold Crossover, why were they not working toward that goal in their dens? Why did they leave their dens to "join" your Troop, finish their AOL there, and then return to "crossover" with the den they quit? Why were their den leaders not working with them? Why were their parents not working with them? Why are these Packs "crossing" Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts when they have not met the Boy Scout joining requirements?

Here is the 2007 version of the Cub Scout Leader How-To Book from the BSA National Web site - http://www.scouting.org/filestore/hispanic/english/33832_WEB.pdf See the picture on page 6-36. It also gives you specs for the track and how to run a Cubmobile Derby.

Yep, you have it right.

I live in the Chicago area, and most of the nature centers around have animal pelts as part of their exhibits. But then, there are many folks that refuse to get even that close to the "outdoors" with, or without, their kids. That is why Scouting is often the only hope of ever getting some kids out interacting with nature!