CubsRgr8

From my son's troop: Legion of Doom Phishstix Mossy Moose

While neither Reading PA nor Tonto Village AZ are exactly close to Milwaukee, they sure are a lot closer than Camp Freedom!

lynncc, In eight years of cub scouting, I have found that boys most enjoy outdoor activities. Plan on going to every single one you possibly can, especially summer, even if it means having fewer den meetings. After all, at the Wolf and Bear level, the purpose of den meetings isn't doing the requirements, it's having fun. Your council's website lists several coming up this spring. Check it out at: http://www.etexscouts.com/activities.html Oh, and keep the den meetings going through the summer, to avoid dropoff when fall (and sports) start up with the new school year. You mention in your most recent post that the dean of the school at church is interested. I strongly urge you to work with your DE and sell him on becoming a co-charter organization for your pack. The pack will have the recruiting base it needs to succeed (and be able to keep its number and history), the Rotarty won't feel guilty for not living up to their obligations as the CO, and the school will have added a fantastic extracurricular activity to their programming, one that can be specifically tailored to tie in with the school curriculum.

Positively yes.

tmillerfamily, as you've presented the information, the situation seems to have been handled very poorly by the JTroop leadership. Perhaps your sons and their friend will need to switch to another JTroop. Perhaps the leader(s) need to step down if they cannot overcome their (apparent) prejudices against your son. Perhaps your son is indeed unable to attend jamboree due to his limitations. In the meantime, I offer the following suggestions. Immediately (as soon as you read this message!) contact council and inform them that you disagree with the JTroop leaders' decision to exclude your son and that you plan to meet with the leaders ASAP to review their decision. This is to make sure council doesn't give away your son's slot to another scout on the waiting list. Then, meet with the JTroop Scoutmaster and the other troop leaders, including the SPL, ASAP. Bring along documentation you have which supports your case that your son has proven he is able to handle this trip. Ask them to confirm the reasons you heard they don't feel your son should attend and then (calmly) present your materials. If they remain unpersuaded, politely thank them for their time, let them know you disagree, and inform them that you will ask council to intervene. Then do so promptly. Let the forum know how it turns out. As shown earlier in the thread, we will all benefit if you share your experience with us.

Merlyn, is Hunt incorrect when he states: Actually, the San Diego case is about two leases. One, for a camp in Balboa Park, was originally negotiated in 1957 for a term of 50 years, and renewed in 2001 for a period of 25 years. The second, for an aquatic center, was negotiated in 1987 for a period of 25 years. The plaintiffs wanted both leases broken because of the Boy Scouts' religious requirement...? If Hunt is correct that there are two separate leases, isn't the aim of the lawsuit to get the city to "break its lease" for the aquatic center?

It's not free, but my pack is very happy with Scout Track, an internet based tracking software. You will find it at www.scouttrack.com.

My council offers to come to the unit and run the training course there, if enough people attend. That should should work pretty well for Troop Committee Challenge training, after your trainers return. I found the course was a real eye-opener and highly recommend it to every troop committee member.

Camp Freedom sounds great, 3947. Does the Transatlantic Council offer reduced air fares? Really, I'd consider attending if the airfare is reasonable. EIK, thanks for the link, I found it to be very helpful. I'm hoping it's not a total listing, since I thought every council offered Wood Badge every year, and there aren't that many listed. Therefore, I renew my inquiry. Anyone who knows of a weeklong Woodbadge session this year, please post it here. Thanks!

I'm looking for a week long Wood Badge Course to attend this year, anytime, anyplace. I just think it would be more fun than two long weekends. What do you think?

Top four reasons I like having different hats/scarves for Tiger/Wolf/Bear. 4) It helps reinforce the sense of den identity. 3) It make is easier to keep track of who is with which leader on outings or other group settings, as long as they're wearing them, that is! 2) It's a signal to scout leaders and parents how old the scout is. 1) They're just plain cool!

I loved being a cubmaster! I got to bust my buttons with pride whenever any scout in my pack did something note-worthy. I got to ham it up in front of an enthusiastic audience every month. I got to go to Cub Scout Camp in the summer. I got to sing songs around a campfire. I got to be a kid again - at least for a few hours every month. That said, here's today's "must do" list to be a happy, productive Cubmaster. 1) Attend the training, it increased my confidence level 100%, and attend a couple of pack meetings yet this year at other packs besides your own. No better way to figure out what you like/don't AND what your pack does/doesn't do well. 2) Since it sounds like you'll be starting in the fall, go with the pack to cub scout summer camp, even if it's just for a day. This will be a bonding experience that will make your job so much easier come fall. 3) The pack meeting is about the scouts, not about the CM. Try and have the boys up front as much as possible. One thing I did that worked was having "Cubs On Display" every meeting, where each den had a couple minutes to do a skit, sing a song, or tell about what they were doing. 4) Make sure the committee chair clear on understanding that while you are Ms. Cubscouting in the eyes of the scouts and their parents, the CC is the paperwork, organizer, in-the-background, get the stuff done person - not you! 3) Recruit two assistant cubmasters, people who can promise to attend the leader and pack meetings, keep the crowd under control, and serve as occasional backups to you. Please feel free to contact me, or anyone else in the forum, via private message (use the PM icon at the top of our individual posts). We're happy to have you aboard! Congratulations!

Uh oh, I've got me the double-posting bug!(This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

Bump to cm3947. Have you approached your COR yet? It is her/his responsibility to recruit the best available volunteer to serve as CM, or any other position. If your COR is non-existant (like my son's pack), then meet with the SM and CC for the troop you mentioned. Lay it on the line that the pack's survival - and ultimately the troop's! - depends on a qualified, enthusiastic CM. Here's where I disagree with Semper. If things don't turn around soon, I say take your den to another pack in March, right after your current pack's Blue & Gold. Your primary responsibility as a WDL is to deliver a quality program to your den and that includes an active pack program. That's how I see it. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.(This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

My son's troop hosts a pancake breakfast and participates in the service at the congregation which is it charter org. All scouts are encouraged to attend in uniform. My own congregation incorporates into the service a presentation of religious emblems earned in the previous year. We average a presentation 3/4 years. Once again, all scouts are encouraged to attend.

Q1 - Ok question, it depends on the scout. Q2 - Only ok if the unit is sponsered by a church. I'd recommend a question about Duty to God instead. Q3 - Excellent question! I'm adding it to my list.

jens3sons - I meant my comments to be specific as to whether or not parents know what it is their sons are ordering, not about the inevitability of boys and accidents. I also think your correspondence with Trail's End had a very good outcome - whittling chips required to order pocket knives. It's Me - I like your idea about a Pack Activity Night to earn the whittling chip. We used the same approach for a PWD clinic recently with good results.

Just a minute! If a cub scout's parents are so unengaged in what he's doing as to not know that he ordered a knife, or if they are not sharp enough (pun intended!) to know if he can handle a knife, don't be blaming Trails End - hold up a mirror!

Very cool! My council's service center always has a few extra copies on display at the counter. I'd think the council would have ways to get its hands on a few extra copies. In fact, given the positive PR, I'd suggest your council get out some press releases out to the local media. Are you ready to be interviewed by Action News? Or is it Channel 4 LIVE (as opposed to ???)?

3scoutsmom, why does the program end in March? A boy is a Tiger until he's promoted to 2nd grade, so there's plenty of time to earn their Tiger ranks. If there are no pack meetings again until next fall, that's okay. Recognition can occur at summer camp, a pack picnic before school starts, or the first fall pack meeting.

I continually observed, both as a counselor and a parent, that many scouts seem to think the role of a counselor is to sign off on blue cards - certainly not to teach or mentor the skill. IMHO, it has a lot to do with how, over that past ten years, American society has over-emphasized self esteem at the expense of self motiviation. The question for BSA is: should it change how merit badges are incorporated into the program? What do you think?

Former Pack CO - Catholic parish - 4 - very liberal parish board had trouble with membership standards COR - paper tiger - 0 Current Pack CO & COR - 2; one of the "Friends of" groups, this group exists on paper only, but the paperwork does get signed Current Troop CO - Methodist congregation - 5 - provides meeting space and a dedicated troop room, enjoys an annual pancake breakfast provided by the troop, limited interaction COR - 5 - former SM, great scouter, but elderly and increasingly infirm, so ineffective

I checked out the S4A link Merlyn posted and found it isn't accurate. For example, University School of Milwaukee is not a public school, it is a very private school (http://www.usm.k12.wi.us/). This type of sloppy record keeping by S4A certainly causes me to question the accuracy of what they post, and the integrity of their motives. Looking around a bit, here's a direct quote from their website I find highly informative. On the use of school facilities: Ask the Scout units themselves where they stand on discrimination; urge them to adopt a statement on inclusiveness. Accept the Scout unit's declaration at face value. Do not assume they believe or follow the BSA practice. If the individual Scout unit does discriminate, or if the Scout unit will not adopt a nondiscriminatory policy, or if the facility will be used by the local Scout Council's which does discriminate, then you are justified in denying use of the facilities. This statement is, of course, completely wrong. A school district cannot deny use of facilities to BSA for practicing constitutionally protected (and therefore 110% LEGAL) discrimination. I urge Merlyn to avoid associating with S4A, it only weakens his argument.

There are lots of high adventure programs out there. Check out: http://www.bsacamps.org/ I've found this website to be a veritable fount of information.

13 wolf scouts?!?!?! It won't get any easier when they're bears or webelos! This really needs to be two dens and it's not your role to make it happen. Go to the Cubmaster and Committee Chair and and ask them to recruit another den leader. Since you've been working with these families, you can recommend which parents they should approach. Sorry to be doom and gloom, but you risk burning yourself out if you continue down this path.