deltascout

You are the CM and as such can involve anyone you want in your ceremony. I was CM for two years and I am in my 3rd year as DL. As CM I conducted many advancement ceremonies and my Pack gave me the freedom to do things my way. As CM there is no right or wrong way to conduct your ceremony. It may be different than what your pack is used to but that doesn't make it wrong.

You must split this group. Your CM and CC have failed the boys and you as the leader. Having run into this problem as a CM I can tell you that it is not always easy telling parents what must be done. But the 3 times I had to do this the DLs came back to me later and thanked me for making them split. It wont be easy at first but everyone will realize in the end that the program works much better with a den smaller in size. You have 16 boys and only one parent willing to take on a leadership role. This will be a problem in the future as well. That means you have 15 sets of parents unwilling to support not only the den but the pack as well. I think if the CM or the CC were unable to split them, as a den leader I would do the splitting myself and tell the other 8 sets of parents if they want to have there son in scouting they will need a leader. I know this sounds harsh but the way it is now is not fair to any of the scouts or you as the leader.

We do rank advancement at B&G and I think it is the best way to go. I think it sets a goal for cubs and leaders to get their requirements done and spend the rest of the year working on electives and other fun stuff. As a former CM I had the pleasure of running the program at B&G for 3 years. I would plan a skit that included every scout in the pack and followed a theme. At different points in the skit each scout would recieve his rank badge and the parent would recieve the parents pins. I tried to make things entertaining for the boys and kept things moving at a good pace. Our pack typically has 80-100 boys and the entire program usually took a little over an hour. We would also include a bridging ceremony. Definitly give activity badges, beads, belt loops and recognize the scouts for achievments at the pack meetings but save the big stuff for a big event like B&G. IMHO

Our pack uses Den Leader boxes. They have a wide variety of things in them. Cubscout leaders book, beltloop and sports/acedemic pins requirements, meeting dazzlers, boyscout handbook, knot tying guide, tour permits, complete set of cubscout handbooks, first-aid kit, American flag, etc. I have found the materials to be very helpful in planning my meetings. The den leader coordinator is in charge of the boxes. They are collected and inventoried every June. We get them back in August in time for the next scouting year. I would reccomend that they be used as they are a great resource for any leader.

Our Pack holds an advancement ceremony at Family camp in mid summer. Family Camp for our pack is a huge event. With 87 registered boys we have anywhere from 250-350 people at our Family Camp. Boys generally earn rank by B&G and work on electives until Family Camp. If a new boy joins after B&G he can still work on the appropriate rank but must earn it before camp, when the den advances to the next level. Once the den advances ther is no going back and all boys must work on the next rank.

I have never posted here before but felt I should put my 2 cents in on this subject. This year I chaired our PWD and let me say that overall it was a great experience. I did however have one sour note. In our pack a scout must be present to participate. Everyone knows this rule as it has been in place for years. There are exceptions to every rule and last year a scout whose grandmother passed away was allowed to have another scout race his car for him. This year one of the scouts had built a car and then made plans to go skiing with his father(mom and dad are divorced). Mom came to me a couple of weeks before and asked if I knew af any scout who did not have a car and would like to race her sons car(a violation of the rule that a scout must build and race his own car). At that point I said I did not know of anyone in that siutuation but would let her know if things changed. Days before the race she called and wanted to know if I would let her 4 year old wear a tiger uniform and race the car for his brother. I replied that he could not since he is not a registered scout. Now mom is getting upset. The day of the race in the middle of the competition she approaches me and wants me to let another scout whose car has been DQed run her sons car. This is after registration is closed and the DQed scouts den has long since raced. Well a heated discussion took place(outside no scouts present) and I did not change my position. All of this is made much worse by the fact that the mom has been with the pack more than 8 years and has been CC(While I was CM), Den Leader and many other committee positions. I could not make an exception to the rule for her sons car for appearance sake, nor did I want to. I think I made the right decision and have the full backing of the CM and the rest of the committee. I believe she was out of line although she may never admit it and has not spoken to me since. Bottom line is the scout must be present to race his car. Sorry for the long post I suppose I am just venting Former CM, Current WDL