Webelos DL, Tiger Cub Coordinator, & Pack Trainer checking in!

[Mush]

Hi everyone!

 

The name's Mush, and my older son just finished his Bear year and is starting the Webelos experience. I also have a younger son beginning the Wolf year, so I'll likely be involved for quite a while!

 

I got involved more by accident than anything...along with another parent, I signed up as an assistant Tiger DL under a pretty experienced Leader. Because of a number of issues, the other parent and his son did not continue scouting past the first month. 3 months later, our DL took a new job in another state. Guess who that left as the new DL for a group of 8 first-graders...yep!

 

Our pack typically has the parent continue with his/her son through the ranks, so I went through the Wolf and Bear ranks as DL. My own scouting experience only had me going about half-way through the Bear rank before dropping out of scouting (I think our Den Mother's family moved away, and the den simply dissolved), so I'm in completely new territory with the Webelos/AOL rank.

 

To help out with the Committee, I decided to sign on as coordinator for recruiting new Tiger Cubs into the pack as it was an unfilled position. While it has been a learning experience, I think we've had decent success; this year, we had a total of 30 first-grade boys in our school district; 18 of them expressed interest in scouting, with 17 signing up and 16 earning the Tiger Cub badge. We're trying our first spring recruitment this week to try getting the boys who will be entering first grade next fall (fingers are crossed).

 

Last year's Webe IIs crossed over in February, and the Webe I den dissolved at the beginning of the school year last fall, leaving my Bear den of 8 (6 active) as the senior den in the pack. Since Webelos is completely unknown to me, I started prepping for the next 18-20 months a little early by getting a copy of the handbook, researching online (that's how I found this place!), etc. I have to admit that I'm a little excited about the next year or so. We already have a den overnighter planned mid-June, with at least one more campout in the planning stages for August/September. We'll be implementing the denner/assistant denner positions starting this week...I toyed around with it in the Bear rank, but there just didn't seem to be much for them to do. We're also finalizing plans for a den chief from our local troop. We're going with a Den emblem as well as a Den name/yell - I don't think this has been done with Webelos in the past in our pack, so again, it's uncharted territory for us. Our CM's sons are in the same dens as my sons, so we're getting a good working relationship together. The assistant CM is also an ASM in our local troop and likely the presumptive SM in-waiting. Throw in 2 Eagle scouts as den leaders (one of the Wolf dens and the Bear den), and I think the potential's there for a pack with a lot of potential.

 

The biggest issue for us is filling committee positions. We have an outgoing chair with no names for a replacement yet, a new incoming communications/web position, a new treasurer, and several other positions that are currently vacant. One of the DLs (an Eagle) and I are unofficially taking on the shared role of Pack Trainer, as we feel that this is one of the areas that really needs improvement. Our first goal is to ensure that the training is up-to-date for all of the leaders (not easy with problems getting adult applications processed through district/council/national channels - not sure where the problems are yet). Second, our plans are to publicize the training opportunities for leaders to allow them as many opportunities as possible (e.g. Powwows, Wood Badge, Roundtable, etc).

 

 

I'll probably be fairly quiet on the boards, being more of a lurker for a while as I absorb all the information (that, and I have about 60 other hours of things to do every week). This site has helped me out a ton already...I'm looking forward to learning more!

[jonathanrbaker]

Welcome to the forum, sir.

 

I lived in Decatur, IL for about 4 years and graduated from high school there.

 

Still consider myself an Illinois boy, if anyone asks.(This message has been edited by jonathanrbaker)