Webelos Camping Question

[BigEagle38]

I was told yesterday by our brother pack's cubmaster that a Webelos den can only go camping with a troop one time and for the express purpose of fulfilling the requirement to participate with a troop. I cannot find this in any of my online research today. Can someone validate/clarify/point me in the direction of the source?

Thanks.

[GKlose]

How can you possibly find a "rule" that doesn't exist?

 

Toss it back...ask for proof of "only allowed to go out once with a troop".

 

I don't have the requirements in front of me, but I'm pretty sure that one of the options of Outdoorsman is to camp overnight with a troop, and then there is one overnight part of AoL (which must be distinct from the Outdoorsman overnight)...so that's two right there.

[OldGreyEagle]

It would be fun to ask where does it say that, meanwhile, in the Guide to SAfe Scouting it says:

 

A Webelos Scout may participate in overnight den camping when supervised by an adult. In most cases, the Webelos Scout will be under the supervision of his parent or guardian. It is essential that each Webelos Scout be under the supervision of a parent-approved adult. Joint Webelos den-troop campouts including the parents of the Webelos Scouts are encouraged to strengthen ties between the pack and troop. Den leaders, pack leaders, and parents are expected to accompany the boys on approved trips

 

http://www.scouting.org/healthandsafety/gss/gss03.aspx#aa

 

Note that part about Webelos den-Troop Campouts, it doesnt say Campout singular, its plural. Plus, how do you strengthem ties between pack and troop by a campout once a year?

 

 

[Lisabob]

Total baloney. Can we add this to our list of urban legends?

 

One of several things may be going on here. First, the troop person who asserted this may mean well and just got it wrong. Second, he or she really may not like having webelos camp with the troop (it can be a challenge sometimes to have lots of new people and younger kids in tow) and so made this up to discourage joint activities. Third, they may have heard something like this somewhere else and believe it to be true, although it is not.

 

Of course this troop is not required to invite webelos to camp with them (ever, let alone more than once). In that case though, I think I'd be looking at some other troops to join.

 

 

[dcopel01]

The Cubmaster that told you this certainly does not know what he is talking about. Your Webelos can camp as often as you have time with Troops. This is a great way to build relationships and let them see the exciting world of Boy Scouts. The key is just making sure the planned activity and location is a fit. See if the Troop has some guidelines for Webelos camping.

[infoscouter]

In my study of Cub Scout history and old Cub literature, I have found that this *was* once the standard for Webelos camping. Thirty years go or so I believe. Seems to have hung around.

 

Webelos are now encouraged to camp. It's one way we fulfill both our promise of fun and adventure, and the 10th purpose of Cub Scouting - to prepare them to be Boy Scouts.

[BigEagle38]

Thanks for everyone's great input. LisaBob referred to this statement coming from the troop's person. I just want to clarify that it came from the Pack's people. I am the Scoutmaster of the troop and completely baffled. I was also told that this was a council rule as council can make rules more stringent than National (I realize that). I passed the question on to our DE in an e-mail this evening.

[John-in-KC]

Welcome to the Forums, BigEagle.

 

Somehow, I suspect your DE is going to come back with some variant, perhaps even profane, of "SAY WHAT???!!!???" or "HUH??!!??!!??!!"

 

Lisa... definitely for the Urban Legend thread.

[Lisabob]

Sorry about that! I really can read but apparently didn't read too closely the first time around.

 

If in fact this actually IS a council rule (which I seriously doubt), then it is one worth changing ASAP because it is totally against the point of the current webelos program. I think this individual was just blowing smoke at you.

[FScouter]

I'd feel embarrassed posing a silly question to the DE. Rather, ask the pack person doing the telling to have the DE call you if he's so concerned about it.

[John-in-KC]

Never such a thing as a silly or stupid question.

 

DE may want to know he has a unit serving leader spreading arcane knowledge, Indian Lore, and sunshine where it doesn't! DE's can fix that through the District Committee, RT, and Commissioner's Service.

[BigEagle38]

My thanks to everyone for their input. This happens to be the first time I have used a Forum for a question. The DE replied to my e-mail early this morning with "Where did this kind of statement come from?". Of course, everyone who posted is correct (even me). I haven't uncovered the reason for the original statement from the Pack but it could be confusion between Pack campouts and Webelos campouts OR someone wanting to make things easier by minimizing campouts. I don't know and it is of no relevance. All appropriate pack people have been diplomatically informed of the policy. Good Scouting!

[FScouter]

Right, there are no silly questions. Most questions can be answered by looking in the book. I'd feel silly asking a question where the answer is right where I should have looked in the first place.

 

In this case there wasn't even a question; just a silly statement from a third party that wanted someone else to validate him. That is silly.

[Lisabob]

Fscouter, I disagree and am sorry to see you post statements to that effect, which only serve to discourage posters from free-flowing discussion - especially cub leaders and new posters, who often have the most questions and would benefit most from the expertise of many long-time posters on this board.

 

Let's keep in mind that many cub leaders (and I was among this group when I started as a cub leader) don't have the depth of knowledge or experience with scouting that some on this board have. Nor are newer leaders always certain about where the "final word" comes from. It is one thing to have a book, another to know whether that book is really the definitive source, especially given the plethora of (sometimes confusing/conflicting) BSA sources out there. Training isn't always what it should be either, even for those who attend faithfully and try to learn to locate scouting's "true north." Just take a look at some of the whoppers people "learn" in training, over in the urban legends thread!

 

As a leader with less than several decades of scouting under my belt, I am certain that I have asked what seemed like some fairly basic questions at times. I know that I always appreciated a friendly, courteous, and kind answer, as opposed to people who were snooty enough to call my queries "silly." I think we can do better than that here.

 

 

[BigEagle38]

Again, thanks for all input. Hopefully, this will be my last post on this issue. The bottom line: this Cubmaster's statement has been the basis under which the Pack has been operating regards camping for some time. It did not matter what was in the Guide to Safe Scouting. My mistake may have been posting the question in a forum rather than address it with the DE who could have contacted the Cubmaster and chatted with him. Enough.