CubsRgr8

Members of the thread, let's stick to the facts here. According to the newspaper article: In 1928, City Council passed a resolution allowing the Boy Scouts free use of land at 22d and Winter Streets near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Boy Scouts was allowed to build a headquarters there at its own expense, with the proviso that the building would immediately become the property of the city and must be turned over to the city with a year's notice, should the city want it. So, the issue is not access to public facilties nor the council getting free use of city office space. The issue is the free use of city owned land by the council. Maybe the best thing would be for the council to purchase the property outright, but I don't know Philadelphia. From the council website, it looks like it might be a pricey location. NJ, can you comment on the location and probable value of the property in question? (This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

Bob White, thanks for the prompt response and clarification. As a troop committee member, I feel it is one of my responsibilities to make sure the adult leadership lives up to the policies as articulated in these publications. I've got a copy of everything you mentioned, except the Shared Responsbilities Agreement (SRA). Is a new SRA (with the most current BSA verbage) processed with every charter renewal or does the charter renewal paperwork refer to the (original?) SRA? In the 80 years the troop I serve has existed, I must imagine the wording has changed. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

Don't be disappointed, especially since it appears the results represent an improvement over last year. Most important of all - make sure you have a program plan the includes fun stuff boys like to do. Pinewood derby, hiking, camping, etc. Summer camp needs to be part of the plan, even if only a one day visit. No one willing to commit to a specific day camp session? Then list it under "activities being considered". If that's all in place, then it's time to make sure the boys know about it. Schedule a day to visit the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms and do "boy talks", maybe two days before your next roundup. It's best for the Cubmaster and another adult, in uniform, to bring along a few props (cub uniform shirt, PWD car, handbooks). Talk about activities, especially summer camp (archery! bbguns! swimming!) Encourage your scouts to wear their uniform shirts to school that day. Check with the DE for other "boy talk" tips. Make sure all the current scouts, leaders, and parents know it's recruiting time and that they are an important part of the plan. For scouts, provide incentives to recruit their friends. For leaders and parents, remind them that the more scouts in the pack, the more adults to help deliver the program! Word of mouth is the best recruiting technique. I don't see any mention of the pack committee or it's chairman. If they're MIA, that might explain why the Cubmaster was unprepared. His job is to be the Pack Mtg MC, not to run the recruiting drive or administer the pack. And it's the committee that is responsible for keeping the roster current - if it's missing, you can easily get one from your council office. Finally, recruiting isn't just a fall thing - it's a year round opportunity. Make sure your pack is visible in the community (service projects, pictures in the local press). Make sure your scouts know their friends can join anytime. So, don't be disappointed, the first round went okay, now it's time for round two!

If a PLC wants to offer a 30 minute MB session as a part of a troop meeting, I think that's OK, IF the PLC also provides an alternate activity for scouts who aren't interested AND the PLC publicizes the offerings well in advance of the particular meeting. Bob White, you said: the district and council committees and professionals have no authority within units until a violation of policy or regulations occur. Just how astray from the BSA program does a unit have to wander before it is considered a violation of policy? Every year, for every unit, the council renews a unit's charter. Unfortunately, I don't get the impression that charter renewal ever involves a review of the unit's conformance to the BSA program. Maybe it should.

There are plenty of 4th and 5th grade boys out there interested in being Webelos, but you have to let them know you exist! Have a fun program planned in advance, visit the classrooms, send home flyers, encourage your scouts wear their uniforms to school, make sure your scouts know they can and should invite their friends to join, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. We had nine 4th and 5th grade boys join our pack last fall and anticipate the same results this week.

Right with only one exception: I mouse left-handed.

I'm pretty sure a JASM must be an Eagle Scout who has not yet turned 18. Is that the case in your troop, SM406?

Boy scout camping is for boy scouts, not 6 year olds! Do not let this child attend. Any parent is always welcome, with advance notice, as long as they know and agree to follow the adult rules.

Thanks for all of your posts. While I am on the troop committee, my primary scouting role is in my other son's pack, so I truly value your collective advice. Anne - We had three NSPs when my son joined and there were problems, not having enough ASMs and troop guides. We currently have two NSPs, and things are working much better. I suspect the scoutmaster, and most current adult leaders, would prefer to set a limit of two NSPs. Paul - I really like the parent sign-up idea. Does it work for your son's troop? Bob - We're in a suburb, so there are five troops within half a mile. They range in size from tiny to small. They probably would all love to share in the wealth, so to speak. What they don't have that we do is the well-oiled advancement machine, which seems to be very popular with webelos leaders and parents. Saltheart - Are you suggesting that we invite the DE to a troop committee meeting? Hmmm. Well, he's pretty tough, I suppose he'd survive. Fat Old Guy - Do you have enough experienced and willing youth to provide leadership? That's definitely the $64K question. I don't think we do. The troop is aging out, with a bunch of juniors and seniors at the exit door, and not many in the way of 8-10th grade scouts. Barry - The link is great! I'm going to email it to every adult leader today. I strongly encourage everyone to take a look at it. DS, there are four of five current members of the troop I'll be sending your way - just as soon as they get back from juvie! The troop committee meets the 30th so I'll bring these comments, and any more that appear, to that forum for discussion. Thanks again for your help.

I think parents who choose to pull their sons out of Cub Scouting just are unaware of what their son is going to miss. That's why it's so important for all new parents to attend School Night For Scouting. While the ACM leads the boys in a game or two, the parents need to hear the following from the pack leadership. 1) Cub Scouting reinforces values - general values as found in the Cub Scout Promise and Law of the Pack; specific values as laid in in Character Connections. 2) Cub Scouting strengthens family bonds - it's a program where boys and their parents work together on projects and advancement requirements. 3) Cub Scouting offers a place where neither brains nor brawn are necessary for success - only the will to do your best. 4) Cub Scouting provides boys a fun forum where it's okay to be boys - loud, enthusiastic, running-around, groaner-joke-telling boys! Can you tell we talked about just this topic last night at our leaders' meeting? People (and parents are people, too!) make time for what they consider important. Make sure the parents in your community know why Cub Scouting is important.

My son's troop has 72 registered scouts, top heavy in 6th and 7th grade. The scoutmaster has already been contacted by four packs about joining the troop at crossover next spring, and he expects to hear from another two packs. There are over 50 webelos shared between these packs! Question #1: should we limit the number of webelos we accept? and if yes, how should we do it? Question #2: who actually should make this decision? The PLC? The committee? The registered adult leadership? I took troop committee training, but can't find any guidance on this.

Regarding all that boxed up scouting memorabilia in our collective attics (including dust gathering hunks of crystal) - why not donate it to your council for their fund-raising auction?

There's a Pow Wow every fall which features courses for pack and troop leaders (including an offering of NLE). Den chiefs are also invited to attend. Along with four other councils, my council co-hosts a University of Scouting every January.

Does Bobby want to tent with the other scouts? Maybe this is just his way of letting you know he would prefer a single tent or have a parent come along. Finding out what Bobby wants has to be part and parcel of letting the scouts resolve this issue for themselves. Otherwise, it will be four scouts deciding and Bobby sitting off by himself, again.

The high school youth ministry program at my congregation is pretty pathetic. There's a low participation rate that is lower the older the youth. There's a high turnover rate in the staff people we hire. I'm thinking a youth ministry Venture Crew with a outdoor/service program emphasis just might be the ticket. Has anybody done this? Please don't tell me to talk to my DE, I really want to hear from forum members first, digest what I hear, and then decide if I want to proceed. Thanks in advance!

Meetings that don't start on time.

Cub scouts are great, don't you agree?

Q1) What would you do if you saw older scouts: behaving in an unsafe manner; harrassing younger scouts; avoiding their work? Yes, we're a troop with a younger demographic - fully half the members are entering 6th, 7th or 8th grade this fall, with a big bulge at 7th grade. Q2) How would you handle a scout in a troop leadership POR who wasn't doing their job? Oh, delicious irony! One of the candidates was removed from his POR last spring (Troop Guide) because he wasn't showing up to meet with his assigned NSP. Q3) Why are you the best scout for the job? Surprisingly, the scout with the best answer to this question (Mr. Former TG) was not elected SPL. Hmmm, those younger scouts must have built-in BS detectors! NJ - Who does your son think would make a good SPL? Encourage him to talk up that scout with his friends and then, as a group, ask that scout to run. We have a 15 year old Eagle in the troop and some of the NSP scouts wanted him to run for SPL, but none of them approached him, so he didn't run.

Last night my son's troop elected a new SPL. Eight scouts were nominated and four accepted. The PLC determined that a summary sheet would be posted for each candidate: rank, leadership position history, training history, nights camping and service projects attended in the last 12 months. Then three pre-determined questions were to be asked of each candidate, one at a time, in front of the entire troop. Finally, the PLC determined that it would require 50% +1 vote to be elected. Each ballot, the candidate with the least number of votes was dropped. On the third ballot, they settled on a personable Life scout, the one with the more extensive POR history, attendance record, and training. Wow! Too bad California can't use this same method! (This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

Never heard of this script before, but here's a few items to consider adding. A derby vehicle (pinewood, space, or raingutter) - because cub scouts love to race something they made themselves. A uniform - because cub scouts are members of a team. A small US flag - because cub scouts are patriotic. A tent - because cub scouts go camping. I might have to use this idea during next month's classroom visits. Thanks for posting it!

Dropped in the neighboring council's Scout Shop on Thursday, paged through the Webelos handbook, and was so pleased with it that I immediately picked up copies for my den. The format changes are very parent-friendly (sign-off in front) and scout-friendly (activity badges in alphabetical order). I especially like Character Connections being integrated into requirements. I think switching Citizen to a Webelos rank requirement is a good idea, and so is adding Outdoorsman as an AOL requirement. For scouts who do not earn their religious faith emblem, the Faith requirement for rank is clarified, and for all scouts it is strengthened by the addition of the Character Connection. All in all, changes for the better.

I like that requirement for Webelos rank because it allows me to be upfront with parents regarding the level of participation I expect from their sons - with their help. After all, the attendance rate for fourth/fifth graders is highly dependant on their parents' level of awareness and involvement. A Special Note To acco40: LOL! I suggest a prostrate confession, complete with sackcloth and ashes, on the floor of your local council office, complete with loud, bitter, anguished cries of "mea culpa! mea culpa! mea culpa maximus!" This would be most effective just prior to your next District Advancement Committee meeting and ought to liven things up a bit, eh?

Dropped in the neighboring council's Scout Shop on Thursday, paged through the Webelos handbook, and was so pleased with it that I immediately picked up copies for my den. The format changes are very parent-friendly (sign-off in front) and scout-friendly (activity badges in alphabetical order). I especially like Character Connections being integrated into requirements. I think switching Citizen to a Webelos rank requirement is a good idea, and so is adding Outdoorsman as an AOL requirement. For scouts who do not earn their religious faith emblem, the Faith requirement for rank is clarified, and for all scouts it is strengthened by the addition of the Character Connection. All in all, changes for the better.

Yes, the CO owns all assets of the troop, there's just no way around that. Remember also that you (and all other registered leader) serve at the pleasure of the COR. Stronger ties between the CO and your troop could possibly repair the damaged relationship. How about a real focused recruiting effort aimed at CO youth and families. What type of service projects does the troop do for the CO? My son's troop hosts an annual pancake breakfast for the entire church membership; the scouts usher and attend services on Scout Sunday; it donates all the Christmas wreaths for the church; and it encourages Eagle projects which benefit the CO (ie refurbishing the fellowship hall). Why the apparent emphasis on troop assets? Are they considerable? Does the COR want them for another purpose like the religious youth group? If so, perhaps they would charter a venture crew, as youth ministry is an available venture crew focus. Hopefully your committee bylaws allow individuals scout account funds to follow a scout to a new troop. Bottom line though, if you feel there is no hope, run! - don't walk - to a new CO NOW! It's not too late to charter a new troop in time to take advantage of this fall's recruiting effort. Pick the CO which best understands the Mission, Aims and Methods of scouting and is willing to charter a troop as a service to the youth of the community. Don't let your enthusiasm for scouting, and that of your scouts and the other leaders, whither away.

Just to be a stick in the mud, I'd like to point out that Monty Python & THG, set in medieval history, is most certainly NOT appropriate for a Renaissance theme! The Renaissance was the intellectual and artistic movement that began in 14th century Florence and spead throughout Europe over the next several centuries. When you say "Renaissance", think knowledge! Think invention! Think catapults and flying machines (nice tie-in with the Wright brothers)! Think engineering! Think Renaissance Man NOT King Bumpus the Dim-witted! Let's not contribute to the decline of western civilization by painting history in such broad strokes as to render it meaningless! Ahem. You'd think I was a European history major. I'll just step down from my soapbox now, if you don't mind.