robhuddles

The Cub Scout new program transition document (http://www.scouting.org/filestore/program_update/pdf/CS%20Program%20Transition.pdf) states that boys who begin Webelos I this year (which includes my son, so this is not just an academic issue for me) will have the option of either continuing through to AOL under the old program or transitioning to the new program next year. While I think that the new program is probably better overall and I'm certainly leaning that direction, I want to have a discussion with my den's parents and the other Webelos I den so that we can try to all be on the same page. So my question is this: they say that the Academic and Sports program is going away as of June 1, but then they say that we can stay on the old program for another year. Since a huge proportion of the Webelos Activity Badges that they boys would need to earn through that second year require AS belt loops, would they not logically have to continue to make those available for sale through to 2016 so that those boys can in fact stay on the old program?

Our pack is concerned about the cost issue of the new program as well. As the advancement chair, I went back through our records and have determined that on average, our Scouts earn 7 belt loops in their time with the Pack - the five years from Tiger to AOL. Under the new program, a boy who starts as a Tiger will earn a *minimum* of 21 belt loops. So yeah, it's going to cost more. However, I have heard from unconfirmed sources that the BSA is aware of this and is hoping to get the new loops closer to the $1 mark, so that will help somewhat. I guess we'll have to wait and see... On another note: I also won't be disappointed to see those beads go away...

The Outdoor Activity Award requires that Bears earn the Leave No Trace award, but from what I can see online the LNT has been discontinued. How then do Bears earn the OAA? Can we simply replace the LNT with the new Outdoor Ethics Award, or is there somewhere that I can find updated requirements?

Can you provide a source for this? I can't find anything online that says the belt loops are going away. It would have quite a big impact on the program - it would require rewriting a lot of the Webelos requirements and a huge chunk of the NOVA program, both of which require the earning of specific belt loops. As for whether or not it'd be a good idea - I'm on the side with others that say they should be kept. It seems that most of the arguments against them have to do with specific Pack decisions about whether or not to focus on them or how they are presented, which don't really strike me as reasons to dump the program. I will say that they do make the belt kind of a hassle to get on, and smaller kids (like mine) will surely run out of space on the belt if they earn enough, but I say that's a good problem to have. We had a new scout join our Bear den recently. His mom decided that Scouts would be a good way for her son to bond with her new fiance, so the boy wasn't completely sold on the notion, either. At our first meeting, I picked up immediately that he was very shy and didn't feel he fit in. Therefore, I changed my meeting plan at the last minute and had the boys earn the Music belt loop, since it was something I could do with materials I had on hand. His attitude towards Scouts changed 100% the following week at the Pack meeting when he got to stand up in front of everyone and get an award.

Our Pack did six events this summer: District Twilight Camp and a regular June Pack meeting, resident camp and a bike rodeo (in lieu of a July meeting), and family camp and a space derby (instead of an August meeting.) It's clear that we qualify at a pack level for the Summertime Award, but we do have a question at the individual Scout level: do boys have to have attended three specific events to qualify, or can they earn the pin so long as they showed up at any one event per month? In other words, if Boy A attended Twilight Camp in June, Resident Camp in July, and the Space Derby in August, but Boy B attended Twilight Camp, the Bike Rodeo, and Family Camp, can they both be awarded the pin? Both attended one pack event per month during the summer, but they didn't attend the *same* events. Recommendations?