OneHour Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 We need suggestion on how to get our Pack recharged. Our CM handed the reign over to a new CM and moved on to boy scout. The new CM is very knowlegable and well trained. The Pack did not give a good united front of support for the new CM when only 40% (of 90 boys) of the kids showed up at his first Pack meeting. At our Spring Campout (which netted an average of 46 families in the last two years for Spring campout and 60 families for the Fall campout), only 15 families showed up. I got a feeling that he may be thinking that he is not doing his job, but on the contrary ... he is doing his job very well as a Cubmaster! I can't put my finger on it! Our Pack usually has an average attendance of about 70% (sport season dependent) at Pack meeting. Nothing has changed! As a matter of fact, he is a better MC for a CM than our previous CM. Any suggestion? Thanks in advance.(This message has been edited by OneHour) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsteele Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 Hop on the phone and tell this guy how you feel! He probably does feel like he's being punished by lack of attendance and could use some encouragement. It's been my experience that changes in leadership often result in a dip in attendance. The past CM is proably the only CM most of your 90 kids and their families ever knew. They may have felt loyalty to the past guy and have allowed his absence to be an excuse to miss outings and pack meetings. I would advise the new CM to keep up a great program and let it "take root." Even if the old families choose to skip out, new ones will come. DS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sctmom Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 Our pack was about 70 boys a couple of years ago, with no change in CM we have dropped to 35 boys. Talked to a neighboring CM last week who said they used to have 70, last year 35 and this year 15 boys! Do we blame it on the economy and politics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneHour Posted March 10, 2003 Author Share Posted March 10, 2003 Dsteele ... I did talk to him and reassured him that it was not he at all. I was the CM! I felt bad and responsible since I coaxed him into taking the job! When the previous two CMs took their positions, the Pack attendance went up ... that's what got me dumbfounded! I'm still there at the meeting to support him. sctmom ... it's not the signs of the hard economic time. I think that dsteele was right. The parents are taking advantage of the changing of the leadership and decided to take a break! Now how do I get the Pack rev up again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsteele Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 Onehour: Argue with me all you want, it still sounds like you did a great job as Cubmaster The previous sentence was meant to be complimentary. Here's the hard part in my advice to you -- stop showing up. Make sure the new Cubmaster knows that you're giving him room to grow. The example I'm about to provide applies to a Scout troop, not a Cub pack, but they're pretty similar. When my troop changed Scoutmasters from a much beloved one to a new one, the old one told us boys he was going to take a few months off. Then he did. He was gone (as far as we were concerened because we didn't see him) for at least 5 months. I'm pretty sure he kept in touch -- he still had a son in the troop -- but he was gone. When he came back, we were used to the new Scoutmaster. That's only one example. I'm not telling you to simply walk away from your pack -- but maybe the parents and kids will benefit from a clean break. In the meantime, I'm sure you would be a great benefit as a unit commissioner to smaller or struggling packs in your district. I know we could always use talented, trained and good volunteers as commissioners. DS Please don't take my advice personally. I mean only to say that the change in leadership needs to be clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sctmom Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 Could you ask some of the den leaders and involved parents if they know what is going on? Maybe they have a feel of why attendance is down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twocubdad Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 March and April are always poorly attended for us. First of all, we've just lost 20% of the Pack to crossover. Of course you know that logically, but it still makes for a much emptier room. Spring sports take a big bite out of attendance, as does the fact that many boys have already earned their rank for the year and feel as if they can take a break. Numbers are usually up for the picnic and campout in late May. But don't sweat the numbers, concentrate on the program. If you have a good program, they'll be back. If units, districts and councils were never allowed to know what their total numbers were, I think Scouting would be better for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbroganjr Posted March 10, 2003 Share Posted March 10, 2003 Yes, you have to stop showing up. When I stepped down, I thought about sticking around to "help out" but realized that every one is different and it would not be fair to the new CM. We are different, both good. And by not being there physically (only a phone call away) he puts his imprint on the program. " ... it's not the signs of the hard economic time. I think that dsteele was right. The parents are taking advantage of the changing of the leadership and decided to take a break! " I'm not sure...our pack went from 75 boys to 50 in one year. I think there may be financial reasons, national insecurity reasons, or more likely, the change in leadership effects recruitment of the new Tigers, etc. My suggestions: Ensure the program is fun. Two, address this issue at the next leaders meetings. Make phone calls. More people remember to show up when called, email is a poor communicator/reminder. A phone call is much, much more effective. Combine both ideas...make the program fun and get the parents to come make it happen by giving them a "job" for pack/den meetings. It takes time and this time of year is hard. Hopefully this is just a blip in the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneHour Posted March 10, 2003 Author Share Posted March 10, 2003 dsteele, thanks for the compliments! I can't stop coming to the Pack meeting, my second son is a wolf! My third one will be a tiger in 3 years. So I'm married to the Pack for the next 3 to 8 years. If my message came across as antigonizing ... I apoligize deeply. Also, I can't claim to be a great CM since my job was the easiest in the Pack ... having too much fun! YIS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsteele Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 Onehour: I was far more worried about antagonizing you than I was antagonized myself. Thank you for worrying about that, but don't. On a slightly different topic, I don't believe the economy and talk of war are really keeping kids out of Scouting. I think people will put their kids in Scouting as long as the program is good. Scouting is, and remains, one of the most inexpensive programs there is and (as far as I believe) one of the heartiest from a values standpoint. DS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneHour Posted March 11, 2003 Author Share Posted March 11, 2003 Agree fully! Best bang for the citizenship and moral buck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoscout Posted March 11, 2003 Share Posted March 11, 2003 I always wonder if we look at this in a backwards sense. The energy of the Cub Scout Program is most definitely in the Pack but the strength is in the Den. The Den is what meets with greater frequency. The Den is where the boys (and the parents), make lasting friendships. The Den is where the aims of scouting are brought to the boys in a personal sense. The Den is where they earn (not receive) their advancements and awards. I believe that it is what happens in the Den that keeps the boys excited about Scouting. It is very easy to focus on the CM because we all see what he does. But maybe you need to step back and look at your Den Leaders. Are they exciting the boys? Do they make the boys really want to attend Pack functions? Do the boys have FUN at their Den meetings? Are the Den Leaders trained? Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneHour Posted March 12, 2003 Author Share Posted March 12, 2003 fotoscout, of the 10 dens that we have, 8 of them are very strong, with great leaders and parents. Two are on the fence of being folded. We have always been equally focussed, at the den level and at the Pack level. I placed a call around to the various leaders. They didn't really know why 3-4 of their boys decided not to show up at the last Pack meeting. By the way, at the committee meeting there were only 4 dens represented, normally we have 8-9 out of the 13 (3 webelos den graduated). So ... I am stumped. Thanks for inputs thus far. 1hour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CubsRgr8 Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 OneHour, CM Transition: don't wear any uniform to pack meetings, refer pack questions to the pack leaders, support the CM's decisions 200%, make "I'm just a parent here" your mantra. Pack Transition: It's time for a spring recruitment drive. Encourage pack leadership to somehow reach every K-4 boy in your affiliated school(s) and neighborhood. Hand out the games CD to the K-2 boys. Invite the boys to the April pack meeting as special guests. Tie in attendance at summer camp with joining the pack this spring. Earn that summertime activity award! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sctmom Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 Cubsrgr8, What "games CD"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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