Webelos to Scout Transition revisited

[LongHaul]

Back in April of last year I started a thread about when Webelos to Scout Transition should start. The thread dissolved into a discussion of Webelos Camping and rules surrounding it. Id like to return to Webelos to Scout Transition. In another thread a forum member said that it was his observation that transition programs, with the scheduling of den/ troop activities and such, dont really work. As Webelos to Scout Transition Chair Id like to ask for insights into how Webelos to Scout Transition is handled in your area. How is it approached? How well does it function in terms of preparing Webelos to become Boy Scouts? Is it a Roundtable topic for Boy Scouts or just Cub Scouts?

LongHaul

 

[Beavah]

Yah, in our area, webelos to scouts is not well coordinated by the district, eh? I've never figured it out, but it seems like even gettin' contact information is a problem. Most of what happens is ad hoc between individual packs and troops. W to S as a roundtable topic typically doesn't come up until the spring.

 

So I'd say "completely unit-based." The best relationships are between same-CO packs and troops, where den chiefs and some dual parents make for good coordination.

 

Best of the best is a pack and a troop at a Catholic CO, where Boy Scouts run/judge Pinewood Derby, Raingutter Regatta and all that, and the Boy Scout PLC runs 4 Webelos 1&2 campouts per year (as a service project, not as part of a troop outin'), and integrates W2's steadily into other things. Their transition is seamless. They get some kids from other packs, too, but dat's much rougher communication/scheduling-wise.

 

(Yah, yah, they may be afoul of some webelos campin' guideline or another, but it works well for 'em. And we should keep da thread on topic as LongHaul requests, eh? )

(This message has been edited by Beavah)

[Its Me]

 

Is your question in regards to before they cross or after? The transition from Webelos to scout could be considered a two minute ordeal just replace his epoletts(sp), new kerchief and a hand shake.

 

When does the transition begin? If we say it occurs during Webelos II then as a Webelos II den leader I am just a prep school for boy scouts. I don't think so. I think the "transition" should occur after the cross and in the Boy Scout troop. Attention should be given to make the boy feel accpted amoung his new peers.

 

I will say that our attendance at a council organized Webelos mini-camp was beneficial. There was a lot of interaction between Boy Scouts and cubs and the parents got to see what was essentially a summer camp program.

 

Just to add to some background our C/O sponsors a pack and a troop. The C/O is completely removed from all involvement in the pack. The pack and the troop meet at seperate places on seperate nights and never interact. We sent no webelos to the troop last year and will likely not send any this year. I am sure there are other situations but our cubs have little interaction with boy scouts. Add, that middle school typically begins at sixth grade and the cub looks at a 13 year old as a near grown-up.

 

 

 

 

[AntelopeDud]

My district doesn't really do a very good job with this either IMHO. I mean, they put on Day Camps and Webelos Woods and a recruiting event or two - which is great. The problem is, they don't tell units how to use them.

 

Now, some of this should fall pretty square on the shoulders of the Boy Scout Troops. If you don't understand that these events are there for your recruiting benefit and choose not to staff them, then they deserve your low numbers. Problem with that attitude is that you aren't giving Webelos a good look into Scouting and may cause them not to cross-over at all. My troop always includes these events in our year-planning. We get most of our cross-overs from said events.

 

The questions here, however, is when to begin. Well, it only makes sense to begin in the Spring for the class crossing over into the following February. The reason is that many Packs aren't always all that active in the Summer so arrangement for future campouts could be made. If you wait until September or October, you might not find an argeeable date and it's often hard to get Cub parents to agree camping in cold weather. Get with them in the spring and that gives them an opportunity to visit or camp with other Troops later so that they can make an informed decision about where to cross-over.

 

In my district, most Packs have cross-over in February, but there are many who do it in March, April, May or even August. Unit commissioners need to be visiting with Packs and encouraging them to cross-over in February. That way, the kids get to enjoy Boy Scout Summer Camp and be a part of that first year program that is so important in Boy Scouts. Kids get disinterested if they have missed certain things and all of their peers begin to advance ahead of them. While this is inevitably going to happen, it would help and be much more controllable if all your Webelos crossed-over at the sme general time.

 

-AD

[WDL Mom]

Hi,

 

In our District, we finally put together a listing of all troops in the area and have mailed it to all Webelos II boys and their den leaders. The flyer also includes a checklist of the types of activities that the Troop has done in the past. Roundtable allows Webelos leaders to choose which session to attend... either the cub or the boy scout discussion, depending on what is of interest. Otherwise not much is done.

 

Haven't seen much done consistently on the Cub side or the Boy Scout side. It is pretty much hope they all finish Cubs, hope they bridge, hope they stay in Boy Scouts. My older son lasted 8 months before he quit. Mainly due to sports, but, also, I feel because he didn't have an "identity" with the Troop.

 

I think that the transistioning MUST be on both sides, starting with Webelos I. I am the Webelos I leader for my younger son's den. Things I am trying include:

 

Picking a den name and patch and yell.

Building a den flag.

Having the boys select the pin that they want to complete in den.

Using denners.

Having a den chief.

Going winter cabin camping and using a duty roster and the boys. doing the meal and activity planning.

Having the boys pick and plan a service project.

 

I am toying with...

 

Having the denners present the awards to their den mates at pack meetings.

Using jigsaw method and let the boys teach some of the items for various pins.

Trying to set up joint activities with a Troop.

 

IMHO Troops need to:

 

Provide an ADULT for the new adults to contact/explain things!

Have a PLAN to help the new boys connect and establish an identity in the patrol. Not just hope it happens.

Make the initial meetings the new scouts attend upbeat and fun. This should be followed by a great campout for them to get their feet wet.

Offer joint trips/activities for Webelos II dens.

 

I am really trying to avoid what happened with my older boy.

[jr56]

When I was a scoutmaster, I would make contact with the Weblos 2 den leaders as soon as school started. I would inform them of troop meetings and outings and special events we had planned for them throughout the fall and winter, leading up to bridging in Feb- March.

[LongHaul]

Id like to comment on the notion that the Webelos program is not a prep school for Boy Scouts and that transition should occur after the boy has crossed over. We dont wait until a 17-18 year old child has actually enters college to begin preparing them for it why would we do this with a 10-11 year old making as big a jump in program? Is the only function of High School to prepare a child for college? Why would the fact that the Webelos program was designed to be a bridge between Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts be objectionable? Being that the Webelos program was designed as a bridge between Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, the new Webelos Den leader training should stress that and make the comparison between the difference in how the Webelos program is approached from that of the Cub Scout program and how it dovetails with the Boy Scouting program. If the focus of the Webelos Program is not to adapt them to Boy Scout ways of thinking just what is the purpose or goal of the Webelos Program?

LongHaul

 

[LongHaul]

The instant I hit the send key on my last post I realized how big of a mistake I had made. I don't want this thread hijacked particularly by me! If my question as to the purpose of the Webelos program seems as if it will take us down a new road please start a new thread and let's keep this about transition. MY BAD

LongHaul

[frank10]

L.H.,

Don't feel too bad about getting off track, If you didn't post it, I'd have had to.

 

Back to the topic: The key is contact between the Webelos and boy scouts... early and often. We invite them to work with us on our Scout for Food blitz ($8,000 worth of food collected this year)and a few camp outs. We privide helpers to the PWD. We provide den Cheifs. By the time they cross over they are comfortable around the troop so they fit right in. (ok, maybe I'm pushing it a bit you get the idea.)

 

 

[pargolf44067]

Two things in regards to WTS transition. First, from an individual troop standpoint, I have gone out of my way since being SM of our troop to make contacts with the Web II den leaders of our two "sister" packs in the late spring regarding campouts (including one specifically designed for the Webelos to come to) and meetings. It helped that my younger son was in one of the packs and I was on the committee for that pack. The other pack shares the same CO that we do and I did a better job this year regarding that DL. In addition, this May our council is having a council wide get together, at which Webelos are allowed to be invited to camp with a troop. We have invited our "sister" packs to that as well.

 

From a district/council perspective, our council sends to SMs all the CM and DL names, addresses and phone numbers as well as the Webelos II scouts in the district, so that we can contact if we wish to. In addition, they send the SM information to the packs in the council. Our distrcit did a WTS event in November this year which was very successful. We didn't have a large turnout, but the scouts that came had fun. We had a lot of Webelos I dens and leaders that came, so hopefully next year's event will be better attended.

 

In short, I believe that you need to be in contact with the Webelos I groups in the late spring (right before they become Web IIs).

 

Bill(This message has been edited by pargolf44067)

[LongHaul]

pargolf44067,

I've got family in Cleveland I think I'll move in with them! I've been fighting for years to get even the basic lists of Pack numbers and locations. Actually geting CM, DL and Webelos Scout info would be like I'd died and gone to Transition Coordinator heaven.

LongHaul

[John-in-KC]

HOPEFULLY, the transition of Cubs to Boy Scouts starts no later than the beginning of Bear year.

 

Den Chiefs help set examples of mature behavior, getting the task accomplished, and having fun.

 

Den Chiefs communicate support requirements back to whichever ASM does program liaison Troop to Pack, so that if more is needed, it may be obtained.

 

CMs and SMs talk to each other to see where needs and fits happen.

 

It's not a marketing campaign; it's an ongoing process. The Troop that provides the best and most cheerful support should garner the young men, if all works right.

[Lisabob]

This is an interesting thread. I'm in the midst of putting together a draft plan for webelos-scout transition for our district. Like others have said, our district isn't known for providing a whole lot of support beyond the "hopeful" stage. (Let us "hope" that all the boys cross into a troop and then "hope" that they stay for at least a couple of years!)

 

Part of what I'm running up against is that we can designate roles for different actors to play, but that doesn't mean things will occur in reality. John's comment about DCs is a good example. It is practically impossible to get boys (parents?) to commit to being a DC around here. We tried for the whole time my son was in cubs - contacted THREE troops, numerous times. No luck. Another example is UCs. I can see several things they might do in support of a good district transition program (like help packs and troops connect). But as they are mainly non-existent or on-paper only, it isn't highly likely. Then too we start straying from membership to program. I can advocate that the district start running a webelos woods or "webelos-ree" (ugh, awkwardness!) but as a district membership person (for now anyway) that's all I can do - advocate.

 

I can write a great plan but I'm not in charge of the players so I don't even know if the plan will be communicated to them, let alone put into action.

 

One other thing I've noticed is that the discussion tends to focus more on the cub end of things than on the boy scout end. I know that has been our focus as a district in the past (hound the webelos DLs). I tend to think this is a bit misguided, as the majority of the webelos DLs I know have little or no experience with boy scout troops. We can hound them all day but it would be better if we pushed troops to go out and make those connections because most troop leaders at least have some experience with cub scouts too.

 

Oh, and a last thought or question. Do any of your districts actually do some kind of formal webelos-scout transition training? In the past ours has consisted of talking about it a little at round table, usually in January (with most cross overs occurring in February) but that's it.

[Eagledad]

I was in charge of developing a Webelos to Scouts program for our distirct. We tried a lot of ideas, but the one biggest hurdle I found for both the Webelos and Troop leaders was meeting each other. If nothing else, have a district coffee, or lunch or snack or what ever you want to call it, but creat an opportunity for all the leaders to casually meet each other and put a face with a name. Invite the SPLs as well if possible, but a minimum, get the SMs and Webelos leaders together. It makes a huge difference for the Webelos leaders looking to hookup for meetings and outdoor activities. Huge!

 

Barry

[eagle97_78]

I am my districts Webelos to Scout Transition Chairman. Our Process usually starts in August getting everything together. In October we get out Webelos information to our Troops and Packs. Then in November we do a Webelos to Scout training at our monthly roundtable. In March we do weekend event with our troops and all of our webelos. The troops signup to host different events and the webelos go around to each event with 2 boys scouts from the troop that they are spending the weekend with. This event gives the webelos an opportunity to get hands on with different scouting skills and time to meet more boy scout troops. After this event almost every one of our packs do there crossovers. We do find that this does work with our webelos to scout transition.