RT Breakout Attendance

[SWScouter]

Hi,

 

This is a bit of a vent of frustration, so I apologize at the onset. I'm a member of my district's cub round table staff and run the Webelos leader breakout. At January's RT, the breakout had two scouters attend. I thought the session went fairly well especially considering that there was only three of us. Last night was February's RT. No Webelos leaders showed up for the breakout. I saw one scouter with an Asst. WL patch, he attended the Cubmaster breakout. For the December RT we didn't breakout and I was out of town for the Nov. RT.

 

I actually prepared for breakouts for all the RTs and it's starting to get frustrating to spend the time getting ready and then the breakout either doesn't happen or there is such low attendance.

 

Does anyone have some ideas on what I may do to help boost attendance? It seems there are two angles to work on. First to get more Webelos leaders to attend RT and secondly, to get them to continue to attend RT.

 

Thanks,

SWScouter

[fotoscout]

Dont be discouraged, we only had three at the Webelos breakout this month. Like you, I know that some of people at the other breakouts were also Webelos Den Leaders. Maybe being a Webelos leader is the time when wearing too many hats comes home to roost and tough decisions have to be made.

 

I would think that it also didnt help that you didnt have the Nov. and Dec. breakouts. Continuity is important. Next time youre unavailable for RT, you might try finding a replacement.

 

[FScouter]

Two ideas:

-Publish the topic for the next RT in advance. Newsletter, web site, e-mail, flyer, or whatever. Announce at RT too.

- Get a list of WDL's from the district and give each a personal phone call and invite them to come.

[anarchist]

SWScouter,

don't know your program so I don't know what you offer but I can offer some observations (being in Boys Scouts noe and five years out from my last Webelos 'patrol'.

First...many Cubbie leaders have not previous scouting back ground and it appears that because of this cub scouters seem to have a lower % of truely 'dedicated' (wrong word, i know!?) SCOUTERs. No offence is intended here, it is just an observation that the longer you are in the more you seem to 'get with the program' ...it seems to grow on you...(like a fungus).

 

Wanting to do it right I started with the council WLOT training when I was a Bear DL...(my older son had a great Webelos experience and I wanted to try to match that for my younger son...) IT WAS WITHOUT ANY RESERVATION THE BEST BSA TRAING CLASS I HAVE EXPERIENCED...it seemed that for the first (and only) time 100% of the material was usable, and pertinent as well as fun! I was an 'outdoors guy' and ended up teaching more than learning but the material was what a WEBELOS DL needed...( I was invite to staff the next class)

Then I went to round table...what a drag...only one or two DLs per meeting! The breakout leaders were un-interesting, only half prepared, and the best discription I could use would be 'office drones'.

One woman teaching oudoors skills camped at the Webelos weekends in a camper...with heat! What a sport! What an example!

 

Material was mostly what we could not do and not what we could do! oh yes, and handing out copies of program helps.

 

Knowing that sometimes larger groups generate excitement, I suggested our breakout leader make an effort to sell the program to the Packs in the District. She told me that the people who needed to come... would come...and she didn't have time to spend chasing the rest of us around...

 

Each meeting seemed like a TV soap opera, not he steamy part... the part where each month seems to be the same as last month and if you missed three months...you didn't seem to miss anything...

Month five I stayed home for important stuff, I think I waxed my canoe! Never went back...

 

Now that my mini rant is over (forgive me)

 

FScouter and foto scout offer good suggestions:

 

1). Get District RT leaders to really PUSH webelos leader training and your breakout sessions to the Cub Mastes and the Assistant Cub Masters

2). Get your program listed and detailed on the district web site.

3). Get a list of the Webelos DL AND THE BEAR DEN LEADERS and/or their email addresses (you might have to hit the Pack leaders for this)...then start email conversations with them.

4) Try to rope in a partner to team teach at each breakout...if you have a lot of folks show up you might need to break the group in two sections ...so be prepared...but more to the point if you have to miss a night, you have a back up to keep the program going!

 

It might even be a neat idea to put a copy of your 'lesson' in the Round table month pack mail package as long as it doesn't break the bank. (does your district use this info distribution system at RT?) Then at least, the information gets out to the Cub Master...

If you are really pyschotic you might want to start attending some Den Meetings to get the word out...

Give the Bear DLs update and get them into training at the end of the bear year...

 

just some thoughts..

thank you for what you do to help.

[SWScouter]

There's some good ideas here. Thanks for the suggestions and the support!

 

SWScouter

[dsteele]

Here's an idea I saw once work. It was done by a gutsy Roundtable staffer who was not afraid to push.

 

She phoned the leaders prior to the roundtable and informed them of the topic. This didn't do much for us.

 

Then she got mad. She took the handouts and a sample craft. She cut them in half and mailed the halfs to the leaders who were not represented -- not necessarily absent, just no representative from the pack at that session. There was just enough information to make it intriguing. She promised them they would get whole copies when someone from the pack attended their particular session at the next Roundtable.

 

Within a few months, attendance had skyrocketed. I have no idea how many complaints the district commissioner, roundtable commissioner, or DE took over this, but it sure worked.

 

Scary, huh?

 

Unc.

[SWScouter]

Hi again,

 

Just a quick update. Last Thursday was March roundtable. What a difference it made. Right when I walked in, I got ambushed and introduced to a couple of men who were about 99% sure they were going to be Webelos Den Leaders after their pack's May crossover. Then there were a couple other new leaders at the breakout too. We had a good group, and a good discussion. Everyone seemed enthusiastic and pleased with the breakout. I really hope things go the same next month.

 

At the end of the breakout, I asked if they thought the session was helpful for them and was given what appeared to be very sincere yeses. I thanked them for coming and invited them back.

 

Again, thanks for the suggestions,

SWScouter.