DannyG

This is what I was looking for. Thinking of Committee and COR training... Positions held by older folks who don't have access to the technology as easily. Try to find some way to offer YPT and position specific training in a low-tech way. Otherwise, I'll just set up a computer lab and help them click through all the online modules. IOLS/BALOO is offered by district twice a year in fall/spring. So those folks just have to wait until it comes around again.

I have seen it offered as classroom training. Does anybody know what it takes to become a trainer? I'd like to offer training to the unit at a committee meeting.

Unless your Pack had some agreement to send money with crossovers, then no. My Pack has never contributed any money to a Troop. Registered Cub Scouts can be transferred over to the Troop charter for the remainder of the year, so there is no additional charter fee. If the Troop needs funds to cover their own expenses, then they should be collecting dues from those scouts. When my Cub Scout transferred, he was assessed prorated dues we had to pay to the Troop. We never assumed the Pack was going to pay this.

After you consider the bankruptcy and what transpired in the past to bring BSA to that point, you can understand why units don't want unknown adults around their scouts. I'd think you were sketchy if you walked in the door asking to help. But with your experience you would be a great asset to teach adults to become new leaders and help their units. Talk to the council and district. Our council always has a need for commissioners. See if you can volunteer at the local BSA camp. You need to find a way in, build your network, meet other scout leaders in your area to earn their trust. Since you are a merit badge counselor, pick one badge and hold a seminar. Book a place and a time to meet. Promote it through the council/district. Let them come to you.

Actually, the rule for Cub Scouts is council "approved" camps. They don't have to be council owned. My council has approved the state park our unit camps in, and some privately owned (church groups) camps. Check with your unit commissioner. They may be able to help get your camp approved.

Too bad. I know our Cubs can only shoot during Summer Day camp, or every once in a while when they schedule a special event.

Meaning your Cubs must camp at a council staffed camp in order to stay more than one night. It doesn't apply if you find your own campsite outside BSA. So the council adds some honey to attract the Cubs into the local camp... Win-win? Unintended consequences? Better than nothing I suppose.

The existence of God is a belief. All you must have to complete the requirements is a belief in something. It does not matter if you pray to God, Yahweh, Allah... Buddhists do not believe in a singular god, yet Buddhist scouts have been recognized for decades and can earn a religious emblem. The emblems are off-limits unless you belong to an established faith, but there other activities that can be done to complete the requirements . I had a conversation with a Cub Scout parent who does not follow any established religion. I wondered how they were able to complete the Duty to God requirements. He confided his sole belief is humanity has a innate desire to do good for each other. He has no belief in a God, nor a creator, nor Heaven and angels, etc... Yet he loved doing the activities with his children since it required doing a community service and explaining how it fits the family's belief. It opened up conversations about why they need to do good, since they didn't have any regular service to attend or anything else to do to bring it to mind. He said it was his favorite activity to complete every year. Isn't this the whole purpose of Duty to God? To do good and bring scouts closer to their belief? Scouts organizations need to decide if they want to have these children, or shut them out completely because it does not fit some standard definition of what God is.

Congratulations. I have felt the Cubmaster position is like the cheerleader of the Pack. Bring a lot of energy and make it fun! You set the example for the Pack, for better or worse. I found Roundtables to be informative, at least for networking with other leaders. Share ideas, find out what works, what doesn't, etc. Our Pack committee is active. Our unit rebuilt it specifically after COVID so that workload could be shared amongst many; so not all of the jobs fall under Cubmaster and Committee Chair. I find we get better attendance at virtual meetings, but in-person meetings are more engaging. So we started doing our Pack planning meetings in-person again (Cubmaster, Committee Chair, and enough den leaders and committee agreed it was the better approach). But we will still use virtual meetings for break-out committees like Blue and Gold. Most of all, don't be afraid to ask for help. There are plenty of parents that are waiting for an opportunity to chip in. All you have to do is ask. Good luck.

It seems to me a Western-style religious practice to gather for worship, share stories, songs, and prayers. Scouters accustomed to this type of service may use the time to meditate or prayer. It is about being a part of community devoting time for god. I think it is part diversity -- by incorporating stories, songs, and prayers from different faiths. But to be truly honest, most of my scouts look bored during the Scouts' Own service, wondering when they can go back out in the woods and play! Practicing patience is certainly part of it too! It is what you make of it. As an adult leader I would encourage scouts to attend Scouts Own, at least to see how others practice faith even if it doesn't fit their own beliefs. Or if they choose not to attend, to use the time for duty to God as they see fit. It will never be mandatory to attend the service.

Yes, and you should feel comfortable doing that. I hope that you are in a unit that supports your belief system. To me, that is what it means "A scout is reverent." But it is really up to you and your faith how you want to practice. I know we have scouts that bring prayer rugs and other religious items on outings in order to practice their faith. A few leave the group at certain times to fulfill their duty to God, then rejoin us later. Never once was a problem.

When my child started as a Cub Scout, the Pack was one of the few units in the area NOT chartered at a church. So it attracted a secular group of families and scouts. Unfortunately a few years after we joined the charter organization folded. But the Pack remained and we found a new charter org. at a local church that didn't have scouts. We lost a few families uncomfortable with the arrangement but it remains an overall secular group. Duty to God is mostly done at home with families, under each families' belief system. The church pastor occasionally joins us for a prayer, like saying grace at the Blue and Gold banquet. But she usually stays to herself in her office or isn't even there when we meet. And we have a place to participate on Scout Sunday. Families of all faiths participate, although it is never mandatory. Reverence is also respect for others beliefs. Participating with the charter org. is part of the scouting relationship. District events are a little different. It does depend on the group organizing, however... They call the service "Scouts' Own", but it is always led by a Christian pastor following the format of a church service, particularly Protestant. And they try to incorporate different faiths with different prayers and stories from other beliefs. But it always feels like a Protestant worship service. The only other option is to stay back at camp by yourself while the rest of camp goes to the service. Really there is no way to avoid it because scouts and adults feel free to practice their religion out in the open at Scouting events. It only takes one hour out of a weekend long trip? NBD to me. Be reverent, respect others' beliefs, and be true to yourself.

I come from a similar Pack where the focus was awarding scouts for their own achievements. Adult awards were not really considered. Many of the leaders I know wear knots for awards they completed as youth: Arrow of Light, Eagle, Youth Religious emblem, etc. A few years ago some of the square knot awards were combined. For instance, in the past you could earn different knots for Tiger, Cub Scouts, and Webelos den leader. Today it is combined into one den leader award, even if you are awarded it each year for each den. There are old-timers in my unit covered in square knots that no longer exist. Some of them have more than the 9 knots max you can wear on the uniform. I feel like newer adult leaders won't have as many chances to earn 9 knots.

Our unit is attached to food pantry who collects our Scouting for Food donations. Short answer: They always need food. It doesn't matter when. Long answer: They conduct their own drive in November-December to stock up for the holidays/winter. Our council runs Scouting for Food in March, so it helps them restock. They are happy if we do it whenever!

The majority of our Cub Scouts skip the first night and campout on the 2nd night. If they get hurt on the Pack's 2nd night, does it go into the 2nd night column or 1st, since it's their official first night?

If I can elaborate: About 80% of the cub scouts on our camping trips stay one night; or only come for the day program anyway. It is essentially the Cubmaster, Den Leaders, and other adults setting up camp and the day program who campout on Friday night, and their families. Most of the families stay Saturday night after campfire. Some will opt for Friday night instead because of sports or rehearsals, etc. It helps us to have 2-night options because our cub scouts are in other programs like sports, dancing, karate, etc. It seems arbitrary to have BSA take options away from us.

I have been with the same Cub Pack for 6 years. It was always a 2-night camping trip, Friday and Saturday (with options of spending one night or the other; or coming only for the day program). 2-night prohibition seems arbitrary.

Our Pack does not meet regularly during the summer. It is too difficult to schedule regular meetings with family vacations and other summer plans. But we do plan a monthly activity to keep kids engaged: a hike, swimming, something. We are thinking of holding our yearly planning meeting at a park, to boost attendance and have something to keep kids engaged.

There is a subtle difference between AOL, Scout, and Tenderfoot knot requirements. AOL is ultimately "Do Your Best". Scout rank is "show" and "explain". Tenderfoot is "demonstrate" a practical use. Each step is a little harder and adds a proficiency. I think it makes sense for scouts to show the skill several times because it is something they are going to have to practice. Also once they bridge into a troop it shows them they need to work with other scouts to earn the rank. They aren't showing the skill to an adult den leader. If a scout earns AOL and is proficient with their skills, they can earn Scout rank right away. I have seen AOL scouts bridge into a troop and earn it in one or two meetings. Most take a little longer because they have to work on some things. I'd rather younger scouts take their time, learn the skills, and not rush through ranks.

Totally agree. The biggest difference is in Cubs is the requirement for achievement is "Do Your Best". It doesn't mean you can actually tie a taut-line hitch; it means your tried and gave it your best shot. In order to fulfill the requirement for Scout rank, you have to show you have the ability to tie the knot. There is value in redundancy as these are basic skills every scout should practice over again and need to know. Also Scouts can wear the AOL patch on their uniform with the Scout rank. If a scout who earns AOL is automatically Scout rank, wouldn't that mean the patches are redundant?

Our Pack's Lions are usually the younger sibling of an older Cub Scout. We recruit at Elementary schools in the beginning of the year. It's a tougher sell to Kindergarten parents, who are still figuring out the school stuff. They don't want another obligation. One tip I found out the hard way: Make sure you have an already trained leader to start the Lions. Once they begin meeting, then you can hit them that parents have to help deliver the program. If you start out with: We have a Lions program but we also need adult leaders to run it... They are not going to be as receptive to your program. Our Lions meet at the same time as our other dens. Because the older sibling is already there, Lions will be around too. It doesn't hurt to repeat or stretch out Lions achievements. Just make it fun and active.

Our Pack took a big hit from 2020-2021. We lost Cubs due to transition to Scouts, and we were not able to recruit new scouts to replace them. Some families lost interest. They didn't like Zoom meets for the kids with short attention spans. Or they didn't want to meet in groups, even if we were only holding meetings outside. The Pack went from about 40 kids to 20. Then in Fall 2021 they all started coming back. All of our Lions, Tigers, and Wolves dens were new scouts. The Pack is still growing. Our Pack Committee puts real importance on having at least one monthly outing all 12-months of the year: Camp, hike, fish, community clean-up, food drives, skating, go-karts, baseball/soccer games....Families that want active kids will find you when you are out in the community. We recruit kids when they see us doing things.

1. Not enough adult help. Our pack stresses this from the beginning of Lions/Tigers, when the adult is required to join with the scout: Cub Scouts is not a drop your kid off and pick them up later activity. It requires family involvement. We have parents active in den activities from the start. And we welcome entire families into Pack activities. Bring the older kids, bring babies. It's kind of a zoo, but it works for us. I think it takes 2 or 3 years to fully acclimate a new parent into Pack. Roughly 50% of parents in the den will step up, lead activities, join committee, and the other 50% will sit back and watch it all happen. Accept all the help you can get. Instead of waiting for them to ask, it's amazing how many parents will respond if you give them an assignment. 2. No venue. We dropped our charter org. and found a new one. 3. No council. I can't offer much advice here... Rely on your own abilities. 4. Cost. Fundraise. And don't just sell popcorn. Can you organize a bake sale? Does a local restaurant have fundraiser nights? Be creative. 5. Too wide an age range. I disagree. Of course our den meetings are structured separately with age appropriate activities. We use the Pack meetings and outdoor activities/campouts to let the kids mingle together. We've done a "Scout Olympics" where we split the Pack into evenly aged groups. Webelos lead and the others follow. It's amazing to watch how much the older kids want to teach and help, and the younger scouts want to follow and learn from them. 6. Outdoor vs. indoor. This depends on your venue... But I believe you can accomplish more outside than you think 7. Religion. I assigned Duty to God as a "homework" assignment during the first meeting, checked on progress throughout the year, and relied on families to conduct it at home.

I was Webelos den leader during COVID years and it messed us up big time. We had no opportunity at all to camp from 2020 into 2021. There are only so many outdoor skills you can teach on a laptop. Then an abbreviated year from 2021-2022 so scouts would be ready to join their troops in the spring before summer camp. I was surprised the lack of skills required in the Webelos/AoL program, like there is no requirement to use a compass. I incorporated compass skills anyway. We did our best! And no, I recall there was no separate Webelos den leader training. Neither does our Pack have a link to a Troop. Our scouts have to look outside our unit to bridge up. If your Scouts require certain skills, it isn't up to the Cub Scouts to assume what they are and make it happen. Cubs are trying to run a program attractive to elementary school-aged kids. It is not basic training for Scouts. But they may start to learn skills in Cubs that will carry over... IMO, that is what the spring before summer camp is for, to get new scouts acclimated into the troop.

I had a similar situation when I was the AOL den leader. A brand new scout joined in 5th grade, while the rest of the den had been together since Tigers. He worked really hard to catch up, earning Bobcat, Whittle Chip, etc. But when the rest of the den was ready to bridge up, he wasn't. He wanted to stay in the Pack. So I made an agreement with his parents and the 4th grade Webelos den leader, that he could join their den for a month to finish AOL requirements and elective. I think it worked out for everybody. You just have to be flexible and do what's best for the scout.