Too big for our britches

[ladyleader]

Hello all,

 

Our Pack will be holding signup night next week and we are already a moderately large pack for our area. We''ve got 60+ scouts and leaders for 1/2 of the dens, at this point. We anticipate another influx of 25+ scouts joining us next week with all the great promo events in our locality. My question: We''re already too large for our meeting place (a large church with many meeting rooms)and our Scout Executive says that we cannot limit the amount of boys we take in.

 

There are 2 other packs in our town that aren''t as strong as ours and parents know it, so they sign their kids up with our Pack. We also have trouble getting committed parents to be DLs. Is it in the National Bylaws that you can''t recommend scouts to a nearby pack that is needing more membership?

 

Thanks

[scoutldr]

No, there is no rule. Your scout executive does not run the pack, you do...or rather your Chartering Organization does, and he is off base. Your District Executive should be looking for a way to form a new unit to accomodate these new recruits. They get credit for forming new units as well as increasing membership numbers. The ideal thing would be to register the new cubs in your pack, then split down the middle, like cell division. That way, each unit gets an equal share of genetic material...leaders and age groups.

 

If you are at the max for your meeting space, there might also be Fire Marshall concerns with maximum occupancy limits. I once was CM for a pack that grew to over 150 boys. Pack meetings were 2 and a half hour boring arrow point marathons. We split the pack twice, and now there are three packs and two troops that grew out of that one. That''s how Scouting grows.

[insanescouter]

I am always a beliver that if a Scouts come to you and wants to join you shouldn''t turn them away... however that also does not mean you have to actively recruit, and shouldn''t if you are bigger then you can handle, some times it takes an extra year to adjust especially if you have a large growth spurt. Also you can explain to the parents the problem, we are so large we just can''t handle right now, we suggest you join the pack that meets at x place. You may even want to get fliers for those other packs.

 

Again if they want to join your pack. As I believe it was Baden Powell once said "The greatest disservice we can do is not involve a boy in Scouting" (ok I adlib a bit I think its actually ask them to join scouting...) you get the point ...

 

Hope my 2 cents helps ...

 

Scott Robertson

http://insanescouter.org

[Beavah]

Hiya ladyleader.

 

Your SE is off base. Yeh can certainly limit the number of boys you take in. The form is a membership application.

 

IMO you also should limit the number you take in to the number that you can provide a strong program for. Nuthin'' worse than admitting everybody and losing a bunch because your leaders were overwhelmed and things got chaotic. Usually, when we lose a kid, we lose him forever. A waiting list or being directed to another pack is not the same as losing a kid.

 

By keepin'' your size under control, you also make Scoutin'' stronger in your area. Lots of times, one strong Cubmaster or a strong group of parents provide a really positive program for some years. During those years, their recruiting can wipe out neighboring packs. Then when that CM or parent group moves on, the pack can''t keep up the pace and their membership falls. Because they''ve killed off other packs, though, the total scout membership in the area is now smaller than it was to begin with.

 

Better to help build three fair-sized programs IMHO.

 

Beavah

 

[Oak Tree]

Of course you can limit your size. That''s a completely wrong answer from your SE.

 

Our pack did define a limit to its size, although we never quite hit that limit. We did decide that a couple of our dens were full, and we would refer additional recruits to other packs. What''s the SE going to do? Close down your pack? I don''t think so.

[ladyleader]

Thanks so much for all the good responses. I especially like scoutldr''s response in that we take them all in and split the recruits down the middle. Our Pack commitee has already discussed holding den meetings on alternating nights. I''m on the district committee and will pull support from the Dist. Commissioner as well.

 

Another good point that by allowing the boys to enter, we sqwelch the growth of other packs that could feed this area going forward.

 

I''ll definately bring these issues to our CM and hopefully we''ll all be on the same page with the situation and how to make a positive resolution for it.

 

Thanks

[scoutldr]

Just to clarify, I meant to split the whole pack ... not just the new recruits. The challenge is to find a new CO, CM and CC. But you want each pack to end up with Tigers, Wolves, Bears and Webs...if possible. Bigger is not better, believe me. Been there.

[mtm25653]

I am in a pack that split off last year from an established pack. A third pack has started up in this area this year. We do recruiting together at 3 area schools and at a Saturday event.

 

The point is to get boys into scouting, and to make all the scouting units successful - I don''t care if they are in my pack or someone else''s.

 

So by all means, work with the struggling packs - is there a whole den in your pack that could move to one of those packs? That way you would be providing the pack with a functioning group with leaders, not just a bunch of new boys that require time and resources to organize into a den.

 

 

[ladyleader]

I''m all for working together with the other 2 packs in our locality. However, the one pack has had leadership problems in the past and the other just doesn''t promote itself. Parents pick our pack because 1. they know our pack is strong compared to the others 2. scout friends want to stay connected with the same pack. and 3. families would rather sign their scout up with a Pack that has some structure.

 

I think if we decided to split the pack right down the middle, we''d lose families totally b/c they''d rather not be a part of the weaker units in the area. I already know that by adding stronger families to these units, it may strengthen the pack they join. But try and tell them that.

 

 

[mtm25653]

But could you ask 1 den to move, particularly if the other pack''s meeting place or time is more convenient? (I''m in a rural county, so our packs are a 15 minute drive apart.)