Roundtable

[sctmom]

My two cents worth:

 

I've been a Cub Scout leader for over 2 years. I have been to RT twice and then planning meeting (we wanted that extra popcorn commission). One reason is a personal issue with the timing of the meeting.

 

First RT, I walk in looking lost as can be. Didn't know anyone. Felt like I walked in on somebody else's party. No one introduced themselves to me. I didn't know the routine, didn't know where to sit (it wasn't a regular meeting room), didn't know the agenda (okay, everybody get out your calendar - what calendar?). Finally got up nerve to go back. Another leader from our group went. Again, no one talked to us, even when I was standing there alone waiting for the meeting room to clear.

Planning meeting I went to with someone else. We weren't sure what room to go to, walked in on the Boy Scouters -- got nasty looks and a nasty response about us being in the wrong place.

 

The good thing I saw. I did like it when the RT guy did a ceremony and used some of us to act it out. Then explained -- here is why and how you can use this. I liked playing the game so we could see how it looked easy but wasn't (and how you couldn't help but giggle as you blow through a straw to push a penny across a yard stick).

 

I'm an adult, you don't have to play the whole game with me to get me to understand it. Don't just go through the song/game/ceremony but talk to me as an adult about when I would want to do this and WHY! How does it relate to each level of Cub Scouting. How does it relate to the purposes of Cub Scouting and how does it tie into Character Connections.

 

During the breakout sessions for Webelos leaders we were told WRONG information. Make sure your RT staff is giving out the correct info. We were told that Webelos MUST camp with a troop. We were also told things about the Boy Scout way that is WRONG -- it just happened to be the way some of the local troops are doing it (basically adults treating scouts like servants).

 

[Bob White]

jbroganjr,

I agree with everything you said. I would add a better reason for keeping things to 5 or 10 minutes. That is the attention span of cubs. Den leaders and cubmasters need to learn to set their internal scout clock to that pace. They need RT to be a meeting metronome, so that when they are in a cub meeting they feel the pace.

 

Scoutmom, You are right to feel upset about the way were were treated. your comfort and recogniton is a primary obligation of that staff and they dropped the ball.

 

Giving you accurate information is another prime responsibility of Roundtable, they dropped the ball again.

 

Sorry that happened to you.

 

Anybody want to try to name the two goals of Roundtable?

 

Bob White