Gifts for Webelo 1 crossing over to Webelo 2

[NJCubScouter]

I have never heard of gifts being given to boys for going into their second year of Webelos, but then again its been a few (actually more than a few) years since I have had a son in Cub Scouts, so things may have changed. If it is already a tradition in your pack, that's fine, if not, there's nothing really wrong with it but I personally wouldn't start doing it.

 

Basementdweller, you have made a couple of statements I do not understand, one was "We bridge cross or graduate our webelos to the troop in roughly nine months" and "The webelos program can be completed in less than a year and the boy can advance into Boy Scouts once he earns the AOL". Nine months or a year from when? If you mean nine months or a year after becoming Webelos, which they do at the end of third grade, I don't see how that works. As ScoutNut said, to earn Arrow of Light they need at least six months in the den after completing fourth grade, or they need to be 10 and a half. Where I'm from, most boys are not 10 and a half when completing fourth grade, so I don't see how most boys could earn Arrow of Light if they are only in Webelos until the end of fourth grade.

 

Scoutnut, I agree with what you say about "maturity." The fact is that some boys who cross over are "ready" to be Boy Scouts, and some really aren't, but they have have fulfilled the requirements and there they are. They will be "ready" soon enough. (In our troop the main concern is that the new Scouts get the proper equipment to go camping, first and foremost good boots and a good sleeping bag, if they don't have them already.) Maturity doesn't always go by age anyway. I do want to point out one thing, and that is about your statement: "If you look at the Webelos Leader Guide, it has a Webelos program that will get the Webelos to Boy Scouts in 12 months." As I recall, that was primarily meant for LDS packs. My understanding (mostly from this forum) is that LDS boys join a Webelos den on their 10th birthday, and leave the den (and the pack) on their 11th birthday, regardless of grade in school. So LDS WDL's need a program that will get the boys through the Webelos badge and then (after reaching their "half-birthday") the AoL, all in 12 months. A boy in a non-LDS pack who is not 10 and a half at the end of 4th grade (and most aren't) could complete all the other AoL requirements in less than a year (assuming they are becoming a Webelos at the end of 3rd grade) but they would have to wait out the time requirements before earning the rank.

 

Am I wrong?

[Basementdweller]

NJ it is pretty simple......

 

They join in June......We go to webelos resident camp in July.....We camp with the troop in august.....we go to a webelos advancement weekend out of council.....We will have all of the activity pins, camp outs, camp visits and troop visits done by January of their first webelos year........So why should we hold them back???????? Ultimately it is up to the Parents and the boy.

 

We do run into age issues.......

[SSScout]

"Age issues". There you go. It is not so much Webelos 1 or Webelos 2. Those appelations are for the adults more than for the boys. They are not (as has been mentioned) official BSA nominclature.

If a boy gets the Scout bug and joins at age 10, in late fourth grade (doesn't have to be in September!), depending on his Webelos Den Leader and his parents support and his gumption, he can easily earn the AoL and move on to Boy Scouting in less than a year's time.

AND... There is nothing a first year Webelos can't do that a second year Webelos wouldn't want to do. It all depends on the "comfort level" of the Den Leader. Can they earn any and all the pins? Absolutely, no restriction. Can they both go Web Den camping? Absolutely, follow the guidelines. Can they each be invited to accompany a Scout Troop to a Webelos Weekend? Go for it.

It all boils down to the competance and comfort level of the Den Leader. If he/she wants the boys to go out and get dirty, they will. If the pin earning is moving along (class in Boyle's law? Scientist! Run and do sit ups? Fitness!), they will use that opportunity. In Webelos, it is no longer ONLY up to the parent and Cub. It MUST be up to the Den Leader. If the Den Leader is not comfortable in hike leading, hey, find a Assistant DL to help!

We go from a Scout program that is Parent orriented ("here Stanislaus, let me help you have fun"), to adult oriented

("Here's how you tie that knot. Now you do it"), to Boy oriented ("Mr. Olafsky? Is this Poison Ivy?"), to Boy Led ("Hey guys, we have to plan this trail trek. Bill, will you be Grubmaster?").

 

So where do the W1s and the W2s stand?

[perdidochas]

@Basementdweller:

 

Our pack had an end of the year ceremony, and got a change of neckerchief (and in the case of the Webelos got an arrowhead). The scouts from that pack have no problem in the troop (which of course doesn't have that stuff).

 

In terms of Webelos being a two year program, it isn't. It's a year and a half program. We got our crossovers from the Pack in February.