Denner?

[ABCDE]

Could someone please tell me what a Denner is and What the Denner Does?

 

I have heard and read some references to it but I am still confused. Is it a boy in the cub scout den? is it an adult? what exactly does the denner do?

[EagleInKY]

The Denner is a position assigned to a boy in the den. It's usually rotated every month. The Denner has whatever responsibility you wish to give him. He could be responsible for leading the pledge, setting up the meeting room, helping you hand out items, etc. It's a way of starting to teach boys responsibility at the younger ages.

[molscouter]

A denner is a leadership position in Cub Scouts. The Cub is elected by the den; his main duties are to assist the den leader (and den chief, if you have one). He might help set up games, for example, or lead a song. He might be asked to help set up the meeting room or clean up. His duties are pretty much determined by the den leader and den chief. The duties should grow as the Scout grows, so what may be asked of the denner as a Wolf is much less than that asked of a Webelos. His term of office is usually short. I would recommend changing every month, to give each den member a chance. There is usually an assistant denner as well; often the assistant becomes the denner for the next month.

[ABCDE]

Thank you very much for explaining the Denner to me. I appreciate it. I asked everyone in the Pack we belong to and no one knew anything about it. It sounds like it would be a great thing to teach the boys some responsibility. I am going to give it a try at the next den meeting.

[LongHaul]

ABCDE,

I don't know how far you want to go with this but there is also an assistant denner position. Each has a shoulder cord device to identify the position. The Denner Cord is a double yellow braid and the Assistant Denner Cord is a single yellow braid. They are about $2 and are worn on the left shoulder. I recommend rotating the positions so each boy gets a chance to do both if that is possible. Check you Scout Shop or ScoutStuff at the National Site. Denner cord is #00368 and Asistant Denner is #00385

LongHaul

[ABCDE]

Wow, the cord sounds really cool! I think the boys might actually go nuts over that. Thanks!

[fgoodwin]

As a former Tiger DL, Committee Chair, Webelos DL and district training chairman, it pains me greatly to hear that not a single adult leader in your entire pack knows what a denner is.

 

As a trainer, I made sure to mention den chiefs and denners whenever I taught the Tiger, Cub or Webelos den leader sessions. Its right there in the training syllabus. So either your leaders haven't been trained, or they went to training and the trainer failed to mention it, or it was mentioned but your leaders didn't hear it. Either way, its unfortunate.

 

Still, the idea of a denner is mentioned in the Cub Scout Leader Book, so maybe your pack should invest in a copy and read it.

[ABCDE]

I actually just ordered the Leader book, the How to book and the Ceremony book from the scout shop, I am sure those will definetly help me!

 

[AnaMaria]

This is my 4th year with a Cub Scout, and I'm using a Denner this year. I haven't seen anyone else use one, and the other leaders who have asked about the cord don't seem to know anything about it. As a mom of a Boy Scout as well, I think it's an important component in developing leadership.

 

I'm having my Wolf denner lead the flag ceremony and the opening game for the den meeting. We'll be rotating each month. No assistant denner. We have 6 boys so they'll all get a chance and we typically have about 4 boys at a den meeting.

 

After the boy has served as denner, there's a tab without cords that he wears to show he's served.

[eagle-pete]

ABCDE

 

Sounds like you are excited to get your denner started. That's great!

 

Just a few comments

 

The Denner accomplishes a few objectives in your den. First, as has already been mentioned, it introduces Cub Scouts to leadership: a concept that will be much more important as they go on into Boy Scouting. Additionally, having a Denner can really help in your den (if used properly) as a way to keep the boys focused in the den meeting. Sometimes boys respond differently to another boy than to an adult. Have the Denner show the Cub Scout Sign when you want everyone's attention or when you think things need to get calmed down a bit. Just whisper to the Denner to show the Cub Scout sign. This allows your Denner to lead and show.

 

The Denner also provides a role model or someone the other boys can look up to. They will want to be selected to be the next Denner. You can let them know that to become a Denner they must do certain things, such as behave, bring their books, be in uniform, etc.

 

And now my plug for Training

I would highly recommend that all the Pack Leaders in your pack take some time and attend trainings. The minimum recommended trainings are Fast Start, Leader Essentials, and Leader Basics which go over the specific position you are serving in. These trainings address things like the Denner and other very useful concepts are covered. Your local Council should have information on those trainings.

 

Another great way to find out new ways to do things in your den and pack is a Pow Wow. These are typically held annually, though they are not held in every council. Pow Wows are a day of many classes on many topics. They mainly have Cub Scout related topics. You select the classes you wish to attend. I find these very helpful. I have been attending Pow Wow for the last 10 years without fail and I always learn something new.

 

And don't forget Roundtable. This is held monthly. It is a district level training, but it is typically less formal (and more fun) than formal training classes. You will get information each month on what you can do in your den. Also, there is usually many other very knowledgeable Scouters who attend and who can answer many questions such as, "What is a Denner?"

 

Eagle Pete