New Cub Requirements online!

[sctmom]

Go to www.cubmaster.org and check it out!

They have the new requirements for Wolf, Bear, Webelos and Arrow of Light online. They also give you a way to see exactly what changed!

 

Troop Scouters --- I think you need to pay attention to the changes, especially for Webelos and AOL. Today's Cubs are your future Boy Scouts!

 

[NJCubScouter]

Focusing only on Webelos here:

 

I see they have made Outdoorsman activity badge "required" for Arrow of Light, which seems like a good thing. And at the same time they have made clear that the outdoor activity for Outdoorsman does not count for the outdoor activity requirement for Arrow of Light. They also seem to have changed the Outdoorsman requirements, and if I am reading this correctly, one MUST spend at least one night camping (as opposed to an "outdoor activity" that could be a day hike) to get Arrow of Light, and more camping and other outdoor activities are encouraged. This is all good.

 

Citizen badge is now required for Webelos badge rather than Arrow of Light. I am not sure what the point is, though it can't hurt anything.

 

They have re-worded the requirements relating to the Scout Oath, Law, sign, parts of the First Class badge, etc. They also have re-worded the "faith" requirement and seem to have significantly expanded it. When I get the time to read these closely I may have more to say about them. They also have added the "character connection" for "honesty" which certainly seems like a good thing.

 

They have deleted an Arrow of Light requirement that experience had shown was VERY confusing. The requirement of visiting a Boy Scout troop meeting and having a conference with the Scoutmaster ended with the following sentence:

 

Complete and turn in a "Join Boy Scouting" application to the Scoutmaster during the conference.

 

They have now deleted this sentence, which is a good thing. As recognized in several different places I have read online, and in my own discussions with other leaders, this requirement could not be taken completely literally. Remember that this was a requirement for Arrow of Light. So let's say the boy turns 11 and then goes to a troop meeting and turns in the application. If the Scoutmaster actually sends the application in to Council, guess what? The boy is now a Boy Scout (because he meets the joining requirements by being 11) and no longer a Cub Scout. Which technically means he cannot earn the Arrow of Light, which was the point of turning in the application. It msy still be months from when the boy plans to cross over. Also, there was no reason to believe that the troop with whom you meet this requirement is necessarily the troop you decide to join -- but again, if the requirement was taken literally and the SM turned in the app to council, you've joined.

 

This had led some (like the editors of usscouts.org, where cubmaster.org is located) to suggest that the boy literally comply with the requirement by handing in the application to the SM -- and then having the SM hand it back to the boy. See the following:

http://usscouts.org/usscouts/advance/cubscout/old/arrowoflight.html

 

If this seems silly, it is, but it was one way to avoid having a problem. Fortunately, they have now eliminated this whole mess, by deleting that one sentence. I think the whole point was really the SM conference anyway, and now the emphasis is back on that instead of a paperwork nightmare.

[sctmom]

NJ, I think a boy can still get his Arrow of Light without camping. He has to do a day hike for the AOL and the in outdoorsman know how to pack for a campout and participate in campfire at an outdoor event.

To me, campouts would be the easier to get the requirements and more requirements can get accomplished at a campout.

 

 

[CubsRgr8]

Dropped in the neighboring council's Scout Shop on Thursday, paged through the Webelos handbook, and was so pleased with it that I immediately picked up copies for my den. The format changes are very parent-friendly (sign-off in front) and scout-friendly (activity badges in alphabetical order). I especially like Character Connections being integrated into requirements.

 

I think switching Citizen to a Webelos rank requirement is a good idea, and so is adding Outdoorsman as an AOL requirement. For scouts who do not earn their religious faith emblem, the Faith requirement for rank is clarified, and for all scouts it is strengthened by the addition of the Character Connection. All in all, changes for the better.