A Revised Fun and Flexible Fast Tracks Outline

[bbender]

Let me chime in on the commentaries over the last year about "Fast Tracks" and now Cub Scouts 2010, which (based on the Sneak Peak of the Resource Guide) will evidently install Fast Tracks meeting plans as the way to do Den Meetings. And forgive the cross posts, as I want to offer a constructive suggestion and a resource (found at http://atlanta631.mypack.us/node/1005) that many might be able to use.

 

Background: I became a Tiger DL in the 03-04 year for a startup Pack, and wrote a 1 or 2 page set of notes about what we were doing each meeting (for myself and to hand to other parents attending), including requirements we were going to work on. I'd put in fun ideas and activities (e.g. a "Treasure Hunt" instead of just "maps"), and I passed those down to my successors the next year. "Program Helps" was a resource, but we did not follow it: our Pack never tried to "all follow the same theme", and we always focused on doing some advancement in most Den Meetings. We used "Program Helps" like a Cookbook: flag the ones you could make that sound good, and use them when you can. Like most cookbooks, there's stuff I love, and stuff I can't make. With two sons, I became Cubmaster (and a "pinch hitting" Den Leader and Pack Trainer), and began to create a "Big Cub Activity Playbook" so that our Den Leaders could run those plays or hand off to other Parents. We moved to "2 Den Meetings a month" by 2005, and hit 80+ Cubs in the Pack a year later, with 95% or so advancing.

 

Further background: I got some peek into the Fast Tracks pilot drafting in early 2008, and thought "gee: looks familiar". When I saw the rough draft of Fast Tracks after the Central Region Pilot, I noted up the chain that it was a bit more observational (like a diary of what we did), and less planning oriented ("your Den might visit/build/play") than I expected of a "meeting plan" to guide Den Leaders.

 

Then when Fast Tracks morphed a year ago from a "closed Pilot" to an open portal, I was optimistic. Seemed simpler to follow (and get the Rank done) than "Program Helps", and thus a better guide if you needed "just one thing" to start your meeting plans, especially for a new Leader (who could supplement with "Program Helps" and other resources). The downside that I noted in my neck of the woods was that the Plans needed supplements in two main areas: how to make it more fun, plus creating "options" that might be as good or better for a Den.

 

So, I am here to agree with parts of both those yelling "Program Helps Rules" and the folks chanting "Fast Tracks is the Future", but more importantly I am posting to share with you a tool now provided to our Pack and District: a revised version of Fast Tracks, named, for the moment, "Fun n Flexible Fast Tracks". Tiger, Wolf and Bear versions are done; Webelos versions are still in review and will hopefully roll out in a few weeks. These are drafted (as the Resource Guide will be next year) for Den Leaders as the No. 1 thing (not the only thing) to get organized and plan Den Meetings for the year -- so if they have this Outline, and nothing more, they could have terrific meetings and be excellent Den Leaders. More about the theory behind the drafting, and how fun and flexibility can work, is found in "Notes about the Order and Content of Meetings" in the first section of each Rank Level Plan.

 

In service, and with invitation for comment and feedback.

 

Bert Bender

Pack Trainer/Assistant Cubmaster

Pack 631, South Fulton District, Atlanta Area Council

http://www.atlanta631.mypack.us

(Look for the "Den Meeting Playbook (and Fun Fast Tracks)" page on the left side)

 

[AlabamaDan]

I like it. I've always considered program helps and even the Fast Tracks as a cookbook. Good analogy. I like yours alot too. I was interested in what was in the Den Files, but alas access is denied. Looks like you've got a great pack there.

[rjscout]

This is AWESOME!!!! I am so impressed. Thank you for sharing this with the rest of us.

 

 

[bbender]

On the concept of "interested in what was in the Den Files, but alas access is denied", well, trust me: the good stuff is "out there" on the "Den Meeting Playbook (and Fun Fast Tracks)" page.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Been a fun 6 years -- though transition of leadership is for spin-off into another thread about our MJOKAC Program (pronounced "muh-jo-kak") that aims to distribute the "Many Jobs Once Known As Cubmaster"!

 

 

[cubdad4]

Thanks for the great info! I just posted a question on the open program forum before I saw this. Looks like others have been doing similar things. Thanks for the resources, by the way, my cubmaster showed me a site for the new cub scouts 2010, supposed to be linked to the national site but I had to find it in google as cub scouts 2010.

[mkarlinm]

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

[bbender]

Let me provide an update. We've put "beta" versions of the "Fun n Flexible Fast Tracks" outlines for Tiger, Wolf and Bear on our site at http://atlanta631.mypack.us/node/1005, with additional meeting options. With those additions, the ones required for the Bagdge are now called "Core" meetings, and the other couple dozen that you can pick and choose from are now called "Bonus" meetings. These updates contain some streamlining and additional ideas pulled from surfing the web in places like these Forums, plus McScouter, Insane Scouter, Bill Smith, various yahoo type lists, and others.

 

The outline's individual Meeting Plans are drafted for Den Leaders as the No. 1 thing (not the only thing) to get organized and plan Den Meetings for the year -- the concept is that if they have this Outline, and nothing more, they could have terrific meetings and be excellent Den Leaders. More about the theory behind the drafting, and how fun and flexibility can work, is found in "Notes about the Order and Content of Meetings" in the first section of each Rank Level Plan.

 

In service, and with invitation for comment and feedback.

 

Bert Bender

Pack Trainer/Assistant Cubmaster

Pack 631, South Fulton District, Atlanta Area Council

http://www.atlanta631.mypack.us

(Look for the "Den Meeting Playbook (and Fun Fast Tracks)" page on the left side)

[cubdad4]

Mr. B,

 

Have you sent these programs to national? They really should include them or work to update them with the new cub scout program- 2010, looks like it would provide more options. I called to see if there was more material beyond what is listed and they said a voluneer named Lucia from the midwest was working on the program with the scout executive from Pittsburg, but I couldn't figure out if it was just the resource book or if they were trying to add your "fun" items. Wondered if you knew more?

[bbender]

Thanks cubdad4.

 

I believe the Cub Scouts 2010 site (see http://www.scouting.org/CubScouts%202010.aspx) shows the Pittsburgh Scout Executive speaking about the new program. Suffice it to say that some believe that if, as he notes, the new Den and Pack Meeting Resource Guide would become the "one stop shop for the Den Leader" and "the go to tool for leaders", then putting some fun meat on the bones of the fast track plans would have value.

 

By the way, a Webelos version of Fun and Flexible Fast Tracks is now up at http://atlanta631.mypack.us/node/1005 for anyone's use.