That Scouting Guy

When I was young I did three years of Cub Scouts and four years of Explorers so I wasn't exposed to the youth leadership or Wood Badge programs. I hadn't heard of Gilwell Park before but it looks amazing. Unfortunately, it looks like they're having a big event the week after we'll be in London. I'm assuming their activities are for groups only and not individuals but I'll try contacting them to see if the two of us would be able to do something there or join up with a larger group.

I think my main goal would be to show my son that Scouting is an international movement. It's natural to only think about things on the Pack/District/BSA level, but it could be interesting to meet some boys around his age (10) from a different part of the world and see how their Scouting experiences are similar and different.

I think my main goal would be to show my son that Scouting is an international movement. It's natural to only think about things on the Pack/District/BSA level, but it could be interesting to meet some boys around his age (10) from a different part of the world and see how their Scouting experiences are similar and different.

My son and I will be vacationing in the UK this summer. He is a Webelos II and I am his den leader and I thought that we should do something related to Scouting since we'll be in the country of its origin. While in England we will spend four days in London and four days in Grantham, while in Scotland we will spend three days in Edinburgh. Is the Baden Powell house worth visiting? Would he find anything on interest or be able to buy any unique Scouting souvenirs there? http://www.towntocountry.co.uk/bpHouse/ Would it be worth reaching out to a UK Cub Scout den to see if they're doing anything or would like to meet? Are there any patches or awards related to International Scouting that he could work on? (He already has the Traveller Webelos Activity Badge) Do you have any other suggestions?

Citizen Webelos Activity Badge Do 1-8 and two of 9-17: 8. Earn the Citizenship belt loop while a Webelos. At a Webelos den meeting, talk about the service project Good Turn that you did.

Maybe in YOUR pack, but belt loops and pins are huge in mine! The boys love earning them and compare and brag about the numbers they have. Half of my den hasn't bothered to attach the arrow points to their uniform because they don't really mean anything to the kids. Belt loops are quick recognition for specific things the boys have done but arrow points are abstract. I don't expect the boys to think back to all the things we did that year, remember which were required and which were electives, and count the number that were electives and connect that to the arrow points.

I think it's vague because the group doesn't exist yet. It looks like website is just a placeholder announcing that they're going to have their own group in the fall and are just making it up now.

I was hoping to get some wisdom from those of you that are more experienced than myself on an issue I'm about to face... This is my second year as Den Leader and my boys are about to become Webelos. Well, most of them are. There are eight boys in my den, seven of them have been with us since Tigers and a new boy joined last year as a Wolf. Last year the new boy came to a total of one pack meeting and two den meetings the entire year. As you can imagine he didn't come close to completing any requirements and did not earn his Wolf badge. I e-mailed his mother several times during the year asking about his participation but never heard back from her. Our Cubmaster (whose son is in my den) reached out to his family multiple times saying that she would carpool and drive the boy to and from meetings, but the mother never took her up on the offer. I figured that they were just too busy (they have 5 children) or that he just wasn't into Scouting. I know that Scouting isn't for everyone so I didn't lose any sleep over losing one boy and I moved on. Much to my surprise, this boy attended Resident Camp with us! I hadn't seen him in months but I was happy that he attended Resident Camp with the Den. He had a great time at camp and I figured that this would get him hooked on Scouting and he would begin to participate with our Den this year. That didn't happen. He has not attended a single Den or Pack meeting or event the entire Bear year. He is still on the roster of my Den but I figured that was just a formality or a record keeping issue since we thought he would be participating. Despite my hopes, I have not seen him or heard a word from him or his family since last summer. This leads me to my problem: At our last Pack Leader Committee Meeting my Cubmaster told me that this boy is planning on attending Resident Camp again this summer! I was completely shocked and, frankly, rather mad. I don't believe that Cub Scouts just is a summer camp program. If someone wants to just go to camp and not make a year-long commitment then they should join the YMCA or some other organization. I think Cub Scout Resident Camp should be a fun reward for a year of hard work and a leg-up on the requirements for their next rank badge (that they actually plan on earning!) I told the Cubmaster that I had a problem with him going to Resident Camp with us and she said that we would talk about it later. I asked if the boy had even paid his dues this year and she said that she wasn't sure and we would talk about it later. I'm not sure when "later" will be, but the more I think about it the more annoyed I become. One additional issue to complicate the matter: The boy is the only African American in our Pack. I assumed this was one reason he was kept on my roster this year despite his complete lack of participation. I don't know the specific details but I know that he has received financial assistance from the Pack in the form of a free uniform (which he has never worn) and the Pack and/or District significantly offset the cost of resident camp for him last year. What do the rest of you think? Am I being too exclusionary? Should I be completely open-armed and just happy if the boy participates in anything at all?

I've been a long time lurker but finally registered so I could post an issue I'm having and get some feedback from everyone. It said I don't have permission to post. I'm really disappointed. I guess this is the reason these message boards have really died since the upgrade.