National Summertime Award Pins

[Scouting4Ever]

After doing some reading on boyscouttrail.com and meritbadge.org, I am now convinced that we messed up last year when we awarded the National Summertime Award Pins.

 

We awarded the pins at the rank they were working toward, instead of earned. The explanation that comes from meritbadge.org is "boys who have attained the rank of Tiger will receive the Tiger pin even though they are in a Wolf Den and working towards the Wolf rank."

 

With this new infomration, we can easily switch with the Scouts who were awarded incorrectly and explain to the parents what we did.

 

The one that I do not know what to do with and want to ask your thoughts about is for the Scout who joined us June 1 and we awarded him the Tiger. Since there is no pre-Tiger rank, what should we award him? He will probably earn it again so we can't award the Tiger award twice, or maybe that is the answer?

 

Thank you in advance for your discussion and help.

[Eagle92]

I believe both websites you cite are volunteer run, and sometime inaccurate information can be presented.

 

 

Here's the website I am using.

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Leaders/Awards/UnitAwards.aspx

 

Boys who participate in all three pack events are eligible to receive the National Summertime Pack Award pin, which they can wear on the right pocket flap of their uniform.

 

Now the site does leave something to be desired. The national website just shows that the pins match the neckerchief and slide the Cub Scout is wearing. SO if someone just joined Cub Scouts as a Tiger june first, why wouldn't he be eligible for the Wolf pin until AFTER he got his Tiger badge?

 

Ditto the other ranks, Why would a Wolf be given a Tiger pin in Sept, when he became a Wolf June 1, Bear a Wolf pin, or a Webelos a Bear Pin?

 

So using the rationale above, you did issue the correct pin.

 

I'll give you an example. My oldest joined June 1, attended a council family campout, pack activities, and CSDC as a Tiger. He met the requirements for the award before earning his Tiger badge. SO why must he wait until the next year to recive something he already earned?

Another reason why I wish it was ocne again 1 pin for all levels.(This message has been edited by eagle92)

[Scouting4Ever]

"SO why must he wait until the next year to receive something he already earned?" - I agree 100% with that. They should never wait to receive something that they earned.

 

With the rank earned approach, the new, just joined June 1 Tiger, has nothing that he can be awarded yet we should be trying to recruit Scouts to join us during the summer months so that they can get in on the fun and hopefully hook them into Scouting.

 

With the rank working towards approach, a Webelos would be awarded the Webelos pin twice, which does not make sense either. Also, the majority of Scouts would never have the opportunity to earn the Tiger summertime pin.

 

Either you award the pins at the rank that they earned or the rank they are working toward, but which one is correct?

 

Rank they earned...

1st grade - earn Tiger rank, summer - earn Tiger summertime pin

2nd grade - earn Wolf rank, summer - earn Wolf summertime pin

3rd grade - earn Bear rank, summer - earn Bear summertime pin

4th grade - earn Webelos rank, summer - earn Webelos summertime pin

5th grade - earn Arrow of Light, move on to Boy Scouts

 

or

 

Rank working towards...

Join Scouts June 1, earn Tiger summertime pin

1st grade - earn Tiger rank, summer after - earn Wolf summertime pin

2nd grade - earn Wolf rank, summer after - earn Bear summertime pin

3rd grade - earn Bear rank, summer after - earn Webelos summertime pin

4th grade - earn Webelos rank, summer after - earn Webelos summertime pin again?

5th grade - earn Arrow of Light, move on to Boy Scouts

 

"Another reason why I wish it was ocne again 1 pin for all levels." - I agree as well.

 

So the question becomes two part and do you award based on scenario A or B, giving two Tiger Pins or two Webelos pins? Or do you do scenario A and give something special to the enthusiastic Scout who joined June 1?

[ScoutNut]

Here we go again - rank award, whether working toward or earned, has NOTHING to do with the LEVEL the Scout is in. That is determined solely by his age/grade.

 

BSA moves all Cub Scouts up to their next Cub LEVEL on June 1. This is why new Tigers can register with a Pack after June 1, they are then considered to be first graders.

 

The Cub Scout Summertime Award is LEVEL specific.

 

The Outdoor Activity Award is similar. The very first requirement is - "Attend Cub Scout day camp or Cub Scout/Webelos Scout resident camp".

 

Unless your council is one of the few that holds a resident camp during the program year, the only Tigers that can earn this award are the ones who join on June 1.

 

Using your thinking, a Tiger that joins on June 1, and attends three Pack Summertime events his first summer, gets no recognition at all. He would have to wait until the next summer, when he is officially a Wolf, to earn his Tiger Summertime Award pin.

 

Awarding the Summertime Pin to the Scouts for the level they are in when they earn it means that you will have very few, if any, Tigers earning their Summertime pin. A Webelos can get two Webelos Summertime pins because, unlike the rest of the Scouts, he will have been a Webelos for two summers.

[ADCinNC]

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33748.pdf

 

There is nothing in the requirements that I can see that states a Cub must first complete their rank before they can begin on the award.

 

Boys should be working on their new rank as soon as school is out (or June 1st), so why wouldn't they work on this award at the same level as well.

 

If a lad is still finishing his rank until school starts, then he can earn the award for the rank he is finishing, as he has not officially started working at the next level.

 

Now, as far as awarding it twice (ie Webelos) that is up to the Pack, but I would give it to them. If the Pack is buying the awards, then maybe have the parent purchase the second one (just like most Packs do with beltloops that have been earned more than once).

[Eagle92]

JZ,

 

Once upon a time, there was only 1 type of Summertime Pin, so if you earned it multiple times, you got the same pin over and over.

 

The separate level pins didn't exist until BSA decided to make level specific hats and neckerchief slides.

 

As for Webelos earning the pin twice, they already have to earn certain belp loops a second time if they have already earned them, so what't the big deal?

[5yearscouter]

Be consistent.

 

IMHO it makes sense to give the tiger pin to the FEW tigers who earn the summertime award their first summer after joining June 1.

and it makes no sense to award a boy who became a wolf on june 1 the tiger pin just because that's his first year doing summer activities.

 

so like my youngest who joined as a tiger june 1st, he was able to earn the award thru 5 summers in the pack, and has one of every color, and then for the 5th one we gave him an old plain gold one we had in the pack inventory of awards. we usually have only a couple boys who earn the summertime award every year for 5 years, so I wouldn't overthink it too much.

 

Be consistent in your pack. It will be ok. This is not a rank badge, it's not rocket science.

 

I will suggest that national made different colored pins for each rank because some packs were giving the summertime pin out once and then not giving it out multiple times cause you already have one you don't need 4 or 5 of the SAME pin. So to get you to buy more pins, they change the color for different ranks, so now you have to make that work in your unit in a way that you and the leaders and the BOYS AND PARENTS can understand.

[Oak Tree]

The separate level pins didn't exist until BSA decided to make level specific hats and neckerchief slides.

 

Nah, the separate hats and neckerchief slides existed long before the separate summertime pins.

[Jeffrey H]

I will be awarding pins to the boys based on the den/age group (Tiger, Wolf, Bear, etc.) they were promoted to after June 1st. Yes, if a Webelo has earned it once then it is possible to earn it again as a Webelo.

 

While their is room for interpretation, I believe awarding based on their current Den is the way to go.