AOL Requirement - "Boy Scout Oriented outdoor activity"

[bchan]

Looking for clarification for AOL Requirement - Boy Scout oriented outdoor activity.

 

When it says "boy scout oriented", I think of Klondike, Troop campouts, etc. I assume cub scout day camp and Webelos day camps or even Webelos overnighter may not count.

 

When I read it in the spirit, it is those outdoor activities that expose the Webelo to what boy scouts do.

 

Thoughts?

[Twocubdad]

Not Klondike. Webelos may not attend Boy Scout camporees. They camp only with individual troops. It's a programming thing. The point is to make sure the activities are age appropriate.

 

Between our troop and pack, it has always meant a joint campout. The Boy Scouts run a round robin of scout skill demonstrations for the Webelos. We push the boys to stretch and show off for the Webelos. The focus isn't instruction, but showing the Webelos what they will be doing in the troop. We also take the time to do an indepth orientation with the Webelos parents.

 

This is a big part of our Webelos-to-Scouts transition and we really push the campout. Both the troop and pack leave it unsaid that the Webelos need to go on the campout to meet the requirement. Invariably, some Webelos will have a conflict the weekend of the campout. They're welcome to camp with us the following month. After that we'll call uncle have them attend any outdoor activity which fits their schedule.

[infoscouter]

Webelos Scouts are allowed to **visit** Klondikes and camporees - that is go and see what the Boy Scouts are doing. And the Arrow of Light requirement is to visit a Boy Scout oriented outdoor activity. So bchan has the right idea.

 

However, Twocubdad has the camping part right. Webelos Scouts can't _camp_ at those Boy Scout oriented outdoor activities. They could do requirement 5 as part of a joint Webelos/troop campout.

[Beavah]

Don't sweat the small stuff, bchan.

 

Just take the lads on somethin' with the Boy Scouts where they get to have fun, be successful, and all that. Somethin' that lights their fire.

 

Beavah

 

[ScoutNut]

The specific requirement for #4 is - With your Webelos den, VISIT at least one Boy Scout-oriented outdoor activity.

 

Note my emphasis on the word VISIT. It does NOT say "participate in" because it is a "Boy Scout" oriented activity, NOT a Webelos oriented one.

 

Visiting a Klondike, District Camporee, or even a Troop campout, during the day, to see what goes on, and what to look forward to next year as a Boy Scout, are all good possibilities.

 

Anything CUB Scout oriented (day camp, Webelos overnighter, etc) would not meet the requirement.

[Pack212Scouter]

Most any outdoor activity with a Troop counts for this. For our Troop it has always been one specific campout. The whole point of it is to let the Webelos see what Boy Scouts do and get them interested in it. Additionally, if the Troop is smart they use it to promo their program to the Webelos.

[evmori]

You are on the right track, bchan. A Klondike or Camporee would be a great way for the WEBELOS to get a little taste of Boy Scouts.

[Stosh]

One must also emphasize that the activity does not mean one has to do it overnight. A bike hike, hike, canoe day, fishing derby, etc. all qualify for outdoor activities. And as one has pointed out, visiting and participating are two different things. I have always assumed that if the Boy Scouts are not at their regular meeting indoors, the activity qualifies for an outdoor Boy Scout activity which the Webelos boys could come and see what's going on and get an idea of what Scouts do when they are not at a regular meeting.

 

Stosh

[Buffalo Skipper]

We recently had a patrol organize a day hike (3 miles). The invited both the other patrols and 2 Webelos dens to attend. This was certainly an outdoor activity. We also host a Saturday morning "Webelos Fun Day" for area Webelos dens. It is a morning of event competition with events like chariot race, scout law race, tent pitching, obstacle course and other simple eventtent pitching. It is usually held in January to accommodate any Webelos scouts (whether they are crossing to our troop or not) to have an outdoor experience with a troop, if they have not had the opportunity to fill this requirement earlier.

 

But any outdoor activity with a troop should count. Though the definition of "attending" is in the wording, the opportunity to "participate" is a real to recruit. Having Webelos watch isn't going to win many of them over.

 

The other key wording in this is: "as a den." Our Webelos Fun Day is a den-oriented activity, and the recent hike invited whole dens (not individuals) to participate.

[bchan]

Thanks for your replies!

 

I too expected this to be in the spirit of exposing the boys to what boy scouts do and so it would be either to participate or attend a boy scout activity. Many troops in our area did invite Webelos 2 to campouts and other outdoor activities like hikes, etc. which many of our boys participated.

 

As I read the requirement, I did not think Webelos oriented activities like Webelos overnighter or day camps would be in the spirit. Our district invites Webelos to attend the day portion of the Klondike derby and it hooked many of my boys.

 

I asked because I have a parent pushing for his son's AOL who only participated in Webelos day camp and overnighter. I have encouraged all of my boys to participate in as many of the boy scout troop invitations as possible so they get a more realistic view of the troop as well as what boy scouting is all about.

[BadenP]

Two cub

In my districts as a DE and WL webelos were always invited to the spring camporee at the troops request. It was a great way for them to scope out the troops available, and each troop included the boys in at least one activity during the weekend. The gist is we had over 98% of these webelos cross over to boy scouts every year mainly due to this experience.

[trainerlady]

BP

 

You may want to check the newest version of the G2SS. Cubs can visit a camporee but can't camp at one with a troop. This is what our council said went through last year. Being on the campping committee for one of the largest councils in the country I think they have it right. Yes you can get around the statement, but if you're caught do you really want to explain it and defend it.

 

Camporees are not a good events for cubs and their parents to get to know a troop in a camp setting. The troop does very little of its own planning for the event. The purpose behind the visit is to get to know your potential new unit and for the parents to get a sense of comfort in letting Junior go away with these "new" people in a couple of months. As a parent I want to see how meals, chores,activities and discipline are handled by the potential troop we'll join. Their actions at a camporee aren't necessarily those they'd have at a troop campout. At a highly structured event like a camporee there is very little time for scout/webelos interaction. The scouts are busy earning points in their events towads the overall championsi of the event.

 

Camporees make a great carrot to dangle in front of cubs to join scouts. Hey when you're a scout this is what you get to do. But they are not in most cases age appropriate for cubs or webelos. It isn't much fun to stand around and watch others have fun.

 

Go on a troop campout of 2. Invite a troop o 2 to come on your pack campout. But don't rely on a camporee for your troop activity. It just isn't a realistic view of the troop.

[BadenP]

trainerlady

First of all this was years ago when no such rule exsisted, second the cubs camped in their own area away from the troops with their folks, and third most of the time the webelos had their own activities, when the boy scout events were not taking place there were some joint activities run by the boy scouts that were indeed age appropriate for the webelos.

 

As far as that so called guideline is concerned if the event is organized well there is no conflict or problem with letting the two groups interact on a limited basis, in spite of what those pencil pushers at National might think. With a national average of about only 30% percent of the webelos crossing over into boy scouts and with the continuing losses of boy scouts and troops each year if something radical is not done in the next few years as far as retention goes the BSA will shrink to a small, unimportant, and irrelevent organization.

 

Lastly you are so WRONG about camporees not being good events to see a troop in action, maybe the ones you have been to have been disorganized and poorly run but a well run camporee will highlight what it means to be a boy scout. Those two former districts of mine are still integrating the webelos into the camporees all these years later, and still are maintaining a high 90's percentile crossover rate, the highest in the council. SO YOU SEE IT CAN AND DOES WORK ! It takes leaders and trainers who can think outside the box to make scouting successful, not just sticking your nose in a book and stating why it can't be done.

[Eagle92]

Trainer,

BP is correct in that once upon a time, Webelos could camp with a troop at camporee. I did just that back in the day. Also it was an eye opener and great recruiting tool. Out of the 3 Webelos dens in my pack, mine had the Den Chief, who in turn invited us to join his troop at camporee. Guess how many dens had Cubs join a troop...one.

 

As an aside, the troop chartered with my pack wouldn't provide DCs, nor did they do anything with the pack. DC was from a nearby troop, and guess which troop we joined... you guessed it the troop NOT chartered with the pack. Moral of the story is to provide DCs and get involved with your feeder pack.

 

Back on topic. Yep it is against the guidelines to have Cubs at a camporee. And I second BP's sentiments; it is a waste of a great recuriting opportunity, and I hope that policy changes. I am glad that my council is holding a "regional jamboree and CS family campout" to celebrate the 100th anniversary with all programs invited to attend and with their own areas and programing, with minor overlap, specifically the aquatics.

[trainerlady]

BP

 

You are right our camporees are poorly run and poorly thought out. The ideas of what the activities will be are pie in the sky and the publicity is the same the execution however is less than adequate. You are/were lucky to have a great committee to plan and execute the events. Not all of us are that lucky. In fact in our area it is a case of lets play chicken and see how long we can wait to plan it, "maybe I can get out of planning this if I wait long enough" is the usual game plan here.

 

I agree we miss out on a possible recruiting oppotunity. But I still feel that it is up to a unit to sell itself to a potential scout, not the responsibility of a district/council to do it for them. The webelos will spend time in a troop not in a distict.

 

When a webelos or more importantly their parents see mass confusion and sometimes marginal safety they re-think their involvement at the next level. Camporees in this area are highly competitve events or offer very specialized activities when they fly. At no point are there any webelos activities or a chance for webelos and scouts to meet.

 

A well run, well thought out troop outing where parents can interact with troop leadership and kids can interact with each other beats the crap out of a poor camporee. The problem I see here is troops EXPECT webelos to come to them. They do very little to make themselves known to the webelos, parents and leaders in the cub world. Troops don't send kids to staff cub events or daycamps. Denchief is seen as a job for kids that can't a "real" troop.

position.

 

As a parent of a webelos and a webelos leader, its more important to me to see what the kids will do week to week, month to month, not what they're going to do once or twice a year.