CubsRgr8

Robert_ND, keep up the great work! Your pack is lucky to have you as its Cubmaster. I think your plan of earning the Summertime Pack Award is excellent! If you conduct your August activity early enough, and turn in the paperwork right away, you can have the Unit Commissioner or District Executive present the award (a certificate and a streamer for your pack flag) at school night recruitment. That ought to impress the parents, who want their sons involved in a winning organization. Make sure school night opens with a flag ceremony and the pledge by uniformed Scouts. When I became a Cubmaster, it wasn't under quite as dire circumstances as you, but I sure felt challenged. Training and the internet made it easy for my comfort level to rise and I truly enjoyed my two years as Cubmaster. A few more recommendations: Have the committee set very clear expectations about adult leadership: training, uniform, meetings (both den and leaders), following the monthly themes, etc. Make sure potential leaders are aware of these expectations up front and then, enforce them. Ask leaders to make a two year commitment to serve. Use the words "serving our community's youth" when recruiting. Hold a pack planning meetings now, or as soon as you feel is appropriate, and plan out the entire year through August 2006. Use the program helps to set the themes for each month. Be sure to go to Cub Summer Camp next summer, this August, if you can swing it. We're all rooting for you! Good Luck!

Hoomeye, to directly answer your questions: Your son's father living in another state will have no affect on him in scouting. When it comes time for your son to fullfill the (very simple) religious requirements at each level in Cub Scouting, they are easily completed by discussing them with his father over the phone. You are Akela, along with his father, teachers, etc. You are Akela, regardless of your convictions regarding the existence of God. Period. As Akela, Cub Scouting only expectation of you is that you participate with your son in various activities and sign off in his book when they are completed. There is no Pandora's box waiting in the future. As long as your son professes faith in God and carries out his religious duties, as taught to him by his parents, he is doing all that Scouting requires of him. Enjoy these next few years with your son. They will fly by so fast it'll make your head spin.

I heard that there might be two Jamborees in 2010, one at AP Hill and one out west. Can anybody out there confirm or deny this? (Sure do wish this forum had spellcheck - can't believe I typed Jamoborees as the thread title. At least I was able to fix it in the post with the edit feature.)(This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

I'm missing something here. Thumper, did your council impose a minimum age for a boy scout to sign up for a Jamboree troop? I know of several 12 and 13 year old scouts from Milwaukee who are attending (including my own son).

I strongly recommend that you take your Webelos to resident camp this summer. It was the best experience I had as a Webelos leader, and I think the boys had some fun, too! It's a good way to get them used to being away from the parents for a few nights. It also gives them an insight into what a week a Scout Camp will be like. Just type the phrase "Webelos Resident Camp" at Google and you're sure to find some great choices. Remember, you can go to any session at any camp, not just the one in your council.

This article is a piece of self-indulgent fluff by a couple of people who want pats on the back for being so PC their @#$%^ doesn't stink. It forgot to include the statement that BSA, like any other private association, has the right to discriminate against anyone who does not meet its membership requirements.

We had a similar discussion at our pack leaders meeting last night. It really has to do with setting up expectations (such as maximum den size) and then enforcing them. Ideally, these expectations will come from the charter organization. It then becomes the committee chair's job to communicate these expectations to adult leaders when they are recruited and to parents when they sign up their sons.

Our pack follows ranks as earned, which I fully support. Two years ago we separated B&G and crossover. B&G is a big dinner party in February with entertainment and crossover is in March. This allows the W2s to be the primary focus of the pack meeting. May is then an outdoor picnic followed by a campfire and graduation as the boys move up to the next level. Keeps them interested after spring FINALLY arrives and sports rev up.

My sons' troop does almost the same thing. Anywhere from 50 - 80 scouts plus adult leaders, for over 20 years. It's known up front when you join the troop that this is the official summer camp experience - it happens every year. In the mornings, teams of Asst. Scoutmasters and Troop Guides work with scouts who aren't First Class on advancement. First Class and higher work on merit badges. Many of the adult leaders are registered merit badge counselors, so we offer many (15-20) merit badge choices to the scouts. Afternoons traditionally are free time spent at the waterfront. There's a three day/two night canoe trip for older scouts. There's the Thursday 5 mile hike into town for everyone else (pay phones and ice cream being the reward for making it). Friday is the Camp Olympics (various scout skills competitions) and Friday night is the all troop campfire. One really fun feature is that we always have enough Troop Committee members at camp so we have BORs Monday - Thursday. There's a bell mounted on a post and when a scout passes his BOR, he gets to ring the bell as loudly and as long as he wants. This only happens at summer camp and serves as a great incentive. A second fun feature is Honor Patrol. Each patrol earns points on a daily basis. The top point earning patrol is recognized the next morning at assembly with a totem that confers a few minor privileges on that patrol. It's mostly about the prestige, especially when a NSP patrol is recognized. I really like your troop's emphasis on outdoor skills and activities. After all, a scout can earn Citizenship in the Nation anytime and anywhere, why not earn canoeing instead at summer camp? Having a raft to swim to also is a great idea. It's probably too late for this summer, as we're going in June instead of August due to Jamboree. Brrr! I just know the lake is going to be cold! I can hardly wait - only 40 days till we leave!

Merlyn! What's your advice to EL? Quit or stay?

Star and Life service projects may be approved for Scouts assisting on Eagle service projects. The key word is "may", which clearly gives the scoutmaster the option to not ok hours spent working on an Eagle service project as counting towards your Star or Life service hour requirements. Why would a scoutmaster do this? Perhaps 1C and Star scouts in your troop tend to ignore troop service projects. Perhaps the scoutmaster has run into sloppy record keeping on Eagle service projects. Perhaps the scoutmaster is a curmudgeon. Who knows? But don't accuse him of changing the rules when the rules allow him to do this.

Rising_Scout, Was I the only reader who got a queasy stomach reading your post? You were told to ask your fellow scouts whether or not they subscribed to a faith or doctrine? It's just plain wrong to put you, the SPL, in that position. Frankly, I think it's just plain wrong for the troop to even ask the question (unless it's a church sponsered troop and membership in the church is a troop requirement - rare, but allowed by BSA). Please put my tender stomach at ease and tell me I misread your post.

Frank does not qualify to join BSA (not a theist). That's not to say Frank is a bad person, just a person who cannot join BSA and be true to himself. I, for instance, do not qualify to join the local RC parish (not a Roman Catholic), nor Curves Health Club (not a woman), nor the VFW (not a veteran). That's not to say I'm a bad person, I just don't qualify. I could pretend to qualify, but then I would be joining these fine organizations under false pretenses.

Piedmont, Your post really hit home with me! Twice I was a Webelos 2 den leader and both times I, too, dealt with scouts not earning their AOL due to parental non-involvement. It hurts to see scouts you care about miss out on this special recognition. So, what to do at crossover? You absolutely must separate the AOL presentation from the crossover ceremony. AOL is an award based on personal achievement. Crossover is akin to a graduation ceremony or a rite of passage. They are not one and the same, they do not go hand-in-hand. In fact, they should not even be conducted by the same adult leader. Awarding the AOL is the Cubmaster's role. Conducting the crossover ceremony is the role of the Scoutmaster and the SPL. Try to place AOL at the beginning of the pack meeting and crossover at the end. Bottom line, you did your best for this scout. Encourage him to continue in scouting and let him know how proud you are of what he was able to accomplish. In fact, tell him you plan to come to his Eagle COH!

I suggest you consider choosing between serving the pack as an adult leader (in whatever role that may be) and being a unit commissioner. Either position will greatly benefit the scouting program in your area, and I commend you for being involved. I just would hate to see you experience burnout from over-commitment. Good luck in whatever you decide!(This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

As far as I know, a CO may only sponser one of each type of BSA unit: pack, troop, crew. There are many kinds of COs: churches, fraternal/service clubs (Eagles, Lions, American Legion, etc.), private schools, PTAs, and (as is the case in my local pack) nonprofit corporations organized just to sponser a BSA unit. In other words, you have lots of options. Work with your District Executive and I predict success.(This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

No one forces a scout or leader to practice, belong to, or profess any religion. It only requires its members to acknowledge God, a supreme being, a higher force; whichever word or phrase best describes the member's understanding of our creator. If you don't see that in the world around you; in the vastness of the universe as it extends out to infinity; in the fantastic constructs of the atom; in the miracle that is life; then, yes, it's time for you to step down as a leader. Why should you? After all, "Cub Scouts is a terrific program, and our pack is well-run." Why should you step down as a leader? Because as a leader, you are required to encourage the scouts in your den (including your sons) to live the ideals of scouting, which includes duty to God. I recite the Cub Scout Promise with them, and the Pledge of Allegiance. All of these make reference to God. Does this now make me a hypocrite, to BSA and our country? You say you recite the words of the Cub Scout Promise, but it seems you don't listen to them. Let me refresh you memory. I promise to do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people, and to obey the law of the pack. Do you wink at your sons when you're all standing up and reciting the Promise at the Pack meeting? Perhaps you skip the phrase "to God" and hope no one notices? Do you realize your sons are watching you? That the lesson they're learning from you is that it's all right to not be honest with themselves and others about their beliefs? Yes, your actions do make you a hypocrite. It's time for you to step down.

Webelos are Webelos, regardless of age or grade level. So, you have two choices: Recruit new 4th graders now OR combine into one den. My vote? Recruit like crazy NOW! Resident summer camp* for Webelos between 4th and 5th grade is the best!!!! AND it's the best recruiting aide I've ever come across. Go for it and he'll have classmates for a year of fun, fun, fun! OK, I'm a little over the top, but (to paraphrase Barry's line) I love this Webelos stuff! *Your profile doesn't say where you are, but even if your council doesn't have resident camp for Webelos, I'll wager two or three council patches that a neighboring council does.

Since many adults go to summer camp, even in uniform, who haven't had the chance to get trained, how about a couple of classes? How about the classroom components of SM fundamentals, spread out over four or five days, an hour or two each? How about a two hour class that reviews the Aims and Methods and let the leaders provide feedback? How about any class you've ever seen offered at a PowWow (walking sticks, leatherwork, etc.)? Sounds like it's going to be a great summer at Camp Frontier.

My Big Deal radar is most finely attuned to personal behavior by the scouts. I'm not too concerned about, say, correct placement of badges. Here are my flexible guidelines. DEFCON 1 = inappropriate behavior that affects only himself (smoking) - mention it to the scout and let it go. DEFCON 2 = inappropriate behavior that affects others (pennyante poker) - mention it to the unit leader and let it go. DEFCON 3 = inappropriate behavior that contradicts the Scout Oath or Law (cheating in a klondike competition) - mention it to the appropriate leader and follow up. DEFCON 4 = danger to self or others (hazing or poor axemanship) - immediate intervention and followup. Thanks for posting, this got me thinking, which is always a good thing.(This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

Its Me, IMHO, you're way off base, so if you were in my pack, I'd be helping you lace up those hiking boots. The Pack Committee recruits the den leaders, who are then approved by the COR or IH. If the Pack Committee decides that den leaders must follow the monthly themes, even to the point of following the Program helps explicitly, what's to discuss? I see it as no different than requiring den leaders to get trained, or hold weekly den meetings, or to attend pack meetings, or attend summer camp, etc. The Pack Committee needs to determine den leader qualifications and responsibilities, recruit den leaders who agree to meet them, and then support them so they can do their jobs. If the Pack Committee wants to let the den leaders do it anyway they want, that's fine, too. But den leaders MUST be willing to follow the Pack Committee's lead.

My son's elementary school principal decided last fall that room visits, just like acco40 described, were no longer acceptable. He also prohibited the pack from sending flyers home in the weekly folders. Instead, he offered the cubmaster the opportunity to address the kids during their lunchhour. Seems to me that the flyers would be preferrable to the lunchhour chats. My son brings home flyers from all sorts of organizations (club soccer, football, baseball, fee-based art classes, etc.), so why not scouts? Merlyn, what are your thoughts about flyers?

Aw, cheffy, be a sport and share your comments with the rest of us.

I respectfully disagree with Nlscouter because that's the route I took three years ago with no success. I joined the committee, immediately took MC training, attended all committee meetings, and slowly began to raise my concerns about best practice for implementing the Aims & Methods. To date, my concerns have been pretty much ignored. The undercurrent I sense is "you're not a trained ASM, so how can you possibly know how to run a troop?" So, I have decided that I need to become a trained ASM and take Woodbadge this summer so that I can speak with some authority at the committee meetings. I think CNYScouter has the right idea.

I recommend Reagan! If you're lucky, your plane will approach from upstream on the Potomac, banking left to right with the course of the river, providing magnificent views of DC (be sure to get a left side window seat). Plus, depending on how much time you have, it's on the metro, so for a small fare and after a short subway ride, you can easily find yourself wandering around our national monuments.