Consolidating packs

[mpaull]

Many years ago, as the story has it, a rift between parents caused one Cub Pack to split into two. All people concerned have since long gone, and the general feeling is that our smaller community cannot support two separate Cub Packs. It would also make sense from a leadership point of view to consolidate the two packs back into one. Is there a particular protocol we need to follow to blend the two packs together? Do we need permission from anywhere, ie., do we ask District Council beforehand or inform them afterwards? How about the Chartering Organizations? Both packs tried the intensive recruiting drive thing last year, but the numbers just don't seem to be there for two packs. Has anyone else gone through this?

[SSScout]

Can't please everybody.

One CO will lose it's Scout unit.

The DE loses a unit (looks bad on his record).

Somebody has to pull the number off their uni and sew/glue/velcro on a new number.

It may indeed seem like the right thing to do from a community viewpoint, but you will get some negative vibes along the way.

Considerations: where is/are the Boy Scout units(s)? Where are the supportive parents? Make sure all sensitive toes are taken into consideration. Yoour "good idea" may not, at first blush, seem too good to others.

It is not a District or Council concern, except as noted above. It only really concerns the involved COs and parents and Scouts.

Good Luck.

[Basementdweller]

Seems like a pretty simple thing to me.

 

 

Decide which Pack number will used or get a new one.

 

Decide on Leader positions. Decide on which CO. Your DE will cry the blues, but if it makes the program better for the boys who cares what council or district thinks or wants.

[Eagle92]

My troop merged twice in its history. The first time, a troop was folding, and they sold the gear to use and just became a patrol within us. Their CO didn't want them so it was no biggie.

 

Second time was more interesting. We had a new troop that was working with us until they culd branch out on their own. They were basically their own patrol within out troop, but they had their own CO, unit numbers on their sleeves, and necker. However we were having problems with our CO, and merger discussions were discussed and approved. The decision was to keep my units numbers as they had the tenure behind them (#1 reason I was told). It probably helped that we were an established troop with older scouts in place and were using the PM.

[jhankins]

The COs own your unit assets and gear and number, so it's up to them if they want to merge.

 

If you can't permission for the merger, just meet together and do things together as two different packs, one vision and mission. Either that, or just leave the current unit.