Rumors

[yaworski]

"Oops, I meant 2nd & 3rd grade Cubs. Just read later last night that Akela is the leader for Wolves and Baloo is the leader for Bears.

 

That's news to me. How's that fit in with "A Cub Scout follows Akela"? Also, wolves have leaders but bears don't so really makes little sense but it is cute and BSA is working really hard on being cute.

 

"A lot of the new literature refers to Cubs as 2nd & 3rd graders ONLY and Webelos as a different "thing". "

 

BSA and parents are working very hard to divorce the Webelos phase of the program from the term "Cub Scout." Different uniform, different rank patch, plaid cap.

 

[Bob White]

Inthe early days of cubbing most dens were lead by women. At 10 1/2 years old, for the last six months of cubbing, the boys moved to a Webeolos Den lead by an adult male. At that time you could not join Boy scouts until age 11. You will find the Webelos requirements at the back of the Lion Book. In the late 60s (67 I believe) the Webelos program was expanded when the Lion rank was dropped. But the Webelos den had already been established for over 10 years by that time.

 

Bob White

 

PS,

According to the the Cub Scout Leader Handbook and other training resources WLOT is a required course to take Webelos camping.

 

Other than Webelos camping there is only pack family camping allowed in Cub Scouts. To do that you must have a BALOO trained leader.(This message has been edited by Bob White)(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[sctmom]

Yaworski writes:

BSA and parents are working very hard to divorce the Webelos phase of the program from the term "Cub Scout." Different uniform, different rank patch, plaid cap.

 

 

Yep, that is what seems to be happening. I can't really figure out why. If you make Webelos part of Boy Scouting, not Cub Scouting, you are just gonna have boys dropping out at an early age. Just my opinion.

 

 

"but it is cute and BSA is working really hard on being cute. "

Yep, nodding my head on that one. Our pack seldom talks about Akela and Baloo. That's right, we don't say the Law of the Pack. Right now I'm trying to get everyone to say the Cub Scout promise!

 

 

[sctmom]

Bob White,

I cannot find in my Cub Scout leader book anything that says Outdoor Training is REQUIRED. No mention of it in the Guide to Safe Scouting.

 

 

[SR540Beaver]

Bob White,

 

Not to split hairs, but we are both right in a sense. Webelos made their debut in 1941. The program was expanded 35 years ago in 1967 when I became a Webelo Scout into what it is today. Before 1967 Bear Cubs moved to Lion and then in the last few months of their Lion rank they worked towards the Webelo rank which was the equivalent of the Arrow of Light award. It was in 1967 that the Lion rank and handbook was dropped and the Webelo rank was expanded into a more formalized program complete with a handbook and uniform enhancements such as the plaid neckerchief, slide, belt buckle, etc.

 

http://www.troop97.net/bsahist2.htm

 

History of Webelos. Created in 1941, the original Webelos program consisted simply of a new Webelos rank which boys could earn during their last few months in Cub Scouting. To earn the new rank, Cub Scouts first had to earn Lion, and they had to learn the skills required for the Boy Scout Tenderfoot badge. The Cub Scouts who worked on the Webelos rank were not yet called Webelos, and they remained in a regular Cub Scout den. In 1954, 10-1/2 year olds were organized into special Webelos dens, although they still had to earn Lion to qualify for the Webelos rank. In 1967, Cub Scouting dropped the Lion rank, extended the Webelos program from six months to the last year of Cub Scouting, and created the first 15 Webelos activity badges. In 1977, they added a new Webelos rank (the old Webelos rank was now called the Arrow of Light rank). In 1987, the Webelos program added five more activity badges (for a total of 20), and realigned the requirements of several activity badges to more closely match the requirements for the Boy Scout Tenderfoot rank. In 1988-89, the Webelos program was expanded to cover the last two years of Cub Scouting, though the BSA soon after began encouraging packs to graduate Webelos in February instead of May or June (so they could get started with a Scout troop before summer, and thus be less likely to drop out over the summer).

 

[mschwartz]

Our local office gave out a new CD with games on it this year - our Pack decided only to give it to the new Tigers (we test-ran it on some older kids and they thought it was too "babyish" but the Tigers loved it). It has three animated characters. You click on the Tiger (whose name is "T.C.") and you do Tiger Cub stuff. Click on Akela the Wolf, you do Wolf stuff. Click on Baloo the Bear, you do Bear stuff.

 

So it appears that while all Cub Scouts still do "Follow Akela" (and the Bear book, for instance, still has Akela signing off on stuff), at least on this CD they've got a different identification scheme going.

 

My observation, FWIW...

[KoreaScouter]

sctmom;

 

In an earlier post on this thread, you asked if New Leader Essentials was different from the old basic training.

 

It is, as part of the revamped leader training. NLE is for Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturing leaders -- everybody together just like in WB21. The old Basic Training courses were program specific. Now, you get the program specific stuff after NLE.

 

I just finished teaching it here recently, and I also think it takes longer than the 90 minutes in the schedule if you do it justice, and allow for questions and feedback where the lesson plan calls for it.

 

For a pretty good graphic depiction of how the training continuum works, check out the latest Scouting magazine...frankly, I think that graphic should be part of NLE...

 

KS