non-committal Committee

[AnnLaurelB]

No, the new youth guy DOES want to be involved, but he's not even registered with BSA, yet (*mental note to drop off that app!*) He's agreed to slowly get his feet wet, but we can't just name him CC; he has no clue what he's doing.

 

This is his first job post-seminary, he's getting married in 5 weeks, he just bought a house, etc... That he's willing to throw in with us at all is a good thing; I don't want to scare him off! :0)

 

No, it's the current CO Rep who keeps ducking and running from any actual helpful involvement.

 

And I'm not sure what kind of Exec this Scout guy is. I was just given his number and email, and have peppered him with questions for a year. To his credit, he's pretty patient, although I get more and better INFORMATION and ADVICE from my UC. (Who probably has to go pour a stiff drink before he opens my emails, but hey, that's the job!)

 

Maybe my "Exec" is just the District dude; I've never been sure of his exact title. He is the one who ran our recharter paperwork with the exiting CC. That was recently done in Jan of this year, and evidently takes us through Dec 2012 (?).

 

He's coming to the meeting because he sees it as a restructuring. Which is not far off base, I guess. We some structuring, period!

[AnnLaurelB]

OH! And the email this morning was from ANOTHER "ghost" Committee member. He's come to about 1/2 the monthly meetings for the past 2 years, says nothing, and leaves. He's right that we should probably replace him...

 

... but so far, if I bring up helping on the Committee to the parents, they blanch and stammer, and say, "Oh... uh... n-n-no I can't do that..."

 

But look. I have a fun summer planned. I even have the next YEAR's calendar basically charted out. I will do my darnedest to recruit in May and retain over the summer.

 

I will recruit AGAIN at the end of August. Then at September's Pack meeting I will have a big poster board on an easel with blank Committee positions.

 

I will point out that I'm ALREADY leading a FULL Den AND being a pretty kick-ass Cubmaster, thank you very much, but that the boat needs to be steered by people whose kids are hanging from the rigging. (God bless metaphors!)

 

I will take a big fat magic marker and ask for names of the parents who will take those positions. IF NO ONE ANSWERS, then I will silently hand out BSA Youth Applications and a list of other Packs in the area.

 

"What's this?"

 

"This is for you to transfer Packs. Without THOSE positions being filled, we don't exist. Everyone here will have to call one of these Packs and ask if they have room for you to transfer."

 

I am LITERALLY TAKIN' NAMES!!!

[SeattlePioneer]

My pack recruiting night is May 9th. My campaign to get new parents to start contributing to the pack begins that night.

 

Parents will be expected to fill out a brief questionnaire in which they identify the kinds of tasks they would either LIKE to do for the pack or the things they are GOOD at doing.

 

New boys and parents will be forming the Bobcat Den at the next den meeting May 16th. I will be asking parents to do various tasks, such as helping with our Bobcat den hike and hotdog roast May 21st, leading Bobcat den activities and requirements, and leadin activities or activities at our June overnight camp.

 

I'll be keeping an eye on how parents do those activities and choosing den leaders and assistant den leaders from among some of those folks. They will be awarded their Den Leader badge and pack neckerchief at the June campout as well, along with the new Scouts mostly receiving their Bobcat awards.

 

I'll also be calling people and asking them to help with activities if need be.

 

 

If they aren't willing to help, I'd expect to drop them from the pack at the end of the year unless there is good reason.

 

Generally speaking, people can come up with an excuse once or twice, but find it hard to do so the third or fourth time they are asked. Once people have a good experience with helping they are a LOT more likely to agree to help again.

[AnnLaurelB]

Okay, my recruiting night is the 12th. Our last Pack meeting of the season is May 23rd, with a campout that next weekend, June 3-5.

 

If I form a Bobcat Den, but we're basically taking the summer off (except for fun gathering activities about every 2 weeks), when would I award Bobcat? I'm assuming kick-off Pack meeting in August, right?

 

And THEN would that Bobcat Den disperse into their age ranks when the Dens begin meeting again? Am I understanding how that might work?

[Oak Tree]

That sounds like a reasonable way to run things.

 

Our pack never did spring recruiting just because the timing was so odd.

 

There is not normally an official "Bobcat den", but it could make sense for the new people to be together until they earn Bobcat by the kick-off meeting. If you had more functioning dens and den leaders, you could just put the new Cub Scouts into their age-appropriate den. That's what our pack would have done. Either way could work.

[AnnLaurelB]

The former CM-who-had-to-be-removed showed up tonight with his son for our "joint Den" meeting.

 

He was clearly intoxicated. *sigh*

 

3/4 of my parents were there, too. And they noticed. And they mentioned it to me. *double sigh*

 

So I had to call my Dist Exec and the CO Rep. They're going to ask him to not be in Cub Scouts anymore.

 

This is very sad. Appropriate, but sad.

 

[jrdalys]

That's your CC removed then, right?

 

Wow...hope you get some adult help soon! Have you decided on a cutoff point on moving down the road or staying on?

 

I can't for a minute imagine taking on effectively all of the adult leadership positions at once. I think my head would pop!

 

Thinking good thoughts for you here in Oregon

 

Sean

[AnnLaurelB]

Chyup. We're having a hairy scary Committee meeting tomorrow night with the UC and the DC in attendance.

 

We'll also have a visiting CC from another Pack who's a friend of mine, and who might be willing to come pinch-hit for us. Her son has bridged, and so her hubby is sort of taking on the Scout role for their son, now.

 

And I think the pastor has gotten across to the CO Rep that the job requires more than a name on a piece of paper, if they "want" to keep a Pack going.

 

This meeting tomorrow night will make or break a lot of questions. Stay tuned, sports fans! :0)