Issues with neckerchief sentimentality

[dedkad]

Our pack supplies the neckerchiefs for the boys in our pack. At $7 a pop and 50 boys, it's a pretty big expense each year, so we try to collect as many back at the end of the year as we can. At this year's end-of-year Advancement Ceremony, we had a few boys who refused to part with their neckerchief. Does anyone have any good ideas on what we can say at the beginning of the year when we present new boys with their neckerchiefs to try to make it clear that these are merely loaners? Maybe something cool like talking about how the neckerchiefs join the boys to the pack and carry the memories of all the boys who have been through scouting before them, or something like that.

[RememberSchiff]

we had a few boys who refused to part with their neckerchief

So they do not want to "obey the Law of the Pack"? Was this tradition clearly explained and understood from the beginning? Time for a conference with scout and his family where they are charged $7 so the pack tradition can continue or where their scout can be dismissed.

 

If this problem becomes pervasive, drop the loaner tradition.

 

My $0.02,

[Scouter99]

If it wasn't made perfectly, crystal clear that they're loaners at the beginning of the year, lesson learned, and next year you'll make sure you do. If it was, as Schiff said, it's time for a call to the parents to the effect that you're very glad the boys had such a great time that they want to keep their neckerchiefs, but you need $7 to replace them.

[Khaliela]

I had a skit where the boys put their old neckerchiefs into a paper bag and I "magically" turned them into the new neckerchief. (I gave the old ones back to the parents when the boys were busy elsewhere because we didn't pay for neckerchiefs, but this would be a handy way for you to collect all of them.)

[mashmaster]

I had a skit where the boys put their old neckerchiefs into a paper bag and I "magically" turned them into the new neckerchief. (I gave the old ones back to the parents when the boys were busy elsewhere because we didn't pay for neckerchiefs' date=' but this would be a handy way for you to collect all of them.)[/quote']

 

Love it, we are totally stealing that next year!

[Kristian]

asking someone to give up a part of their uniform that they have spent the year with is just plan wrong. of course they will be sentimental about their necker. i think the best solution would simply be to raise the dues or fundraising in order to afford each boy to keep his neckerchief. $7 is not a big expense to ask all the families to pay.

[mikejlilly]

What we do in our pack is to swap out the necker and slide at the last pack meeting of the year. We are upfront about this when boys register that we provide the initial necker and slide, and then at the end of the year we will do a necker and slide swap if they have one. No wolf slide, then they get no bear slide, no wolf necker then no bear necker. This way we are only, as a pack, spending funds once per boy. We have the amount for the first necker and slide built into our initial registration fee for new boys.

[Twocubdad]

Does anyone have any good ideas on what we can say at the beginning of the year......

 

You must be new. There's nothing you can say at the beginning of the MEETING that won't be ignored or forgotten by half the group.

 

 

[Faith]

I definitely show my newbie status when reading this as I had no idea some packs actually issued these and let the scouts swap them out yearly vs. purchasing them. All of our scouts are to acquire their uniform on their time at the local scout shop (a little over an hour or so away), online, etc.I was told they would help donate to those who could not afford them but not the entire group. I plan on making a shadow box later on (well, that's the idea anyways) so I have no problem purchasing the items each year. I definitely agree to point it out in detail at the beginning (even if some forget, at least you put it out there.) I'd hope clarifying would either persuade them to purchase their own if they wanted to keep it or know early on about turning it over (if not, ask them to cover the cost when it comes time.)

[Khaliela]

I definitely show my newbie status when reading this as I had no idea some packs actually issued these and let the scouts swap them out yearly vs. purchasing them. All of our scouts are to acquire their uniform on their time at the local scout shop (a little over an hour or so away), online, etc.I was told they would help donate to those who could not afford them but not the entire group. I plan on making a shadow box later on (well, that's the idea anyways) so I have no problem purchasing the items each year. I definitely agree to point it out in detail at the beginning (even if some forget, at least you put it out there.) I'd hope clarifying would either persuade them to purchase their own if they wanted to keep it or know early on about turning it over (if not, ask them to cover the cost when it comes time.)

We do a radio spot and ask for donations of old Scout uniforms we we do Scouting for food. You'd be surprised how many bits and pieces of Uniforms turn up in the Scouting for food bags. By doing that we are able to keep a uniform bank in the Scout Closet for boys in need. It also comes in handy in a pinch when a boy has forgotten part of his uniform for an event or troop meeting; we just seend them into the closet for a "loaner" so everyone is properly uniformed for whatever we happen to be doing.

[dedkad]

Does anyone have any good ideas on what we can say at the beginning of the year......

 

You must be new. There's nothing you can say at the beginning of the MEETING that won't be ignored or forgotten by half the group.

 

Tell me about it. That goes for emails too.

[jasper18]

At the end of the year, the boys line up from Webelos down to Tigers and remove their neckerchiefs and slides then place them on the boy in front of them. We make a big deal about it and the boys are so excited to get their new neckerchief that nobody would be thinking about the old ones. We are sure to have a few extra just in case a boy is absent or lost theirs, but this has kept ours going without too much of a problem. I have never seen anyone get sentimental about it and want to keep it.

[Faith]

We do a radio spot and ask for donations of old Scout uniforms we we do Scouting for food. You'd be surprised how many bits and pieces of Uniforms turn up in the Scouting for food bags. By doing that we are able to keep a uniform bank in the Scout Closet for boys in need. It also comes in handy in a pinch when a boy has forgotten part of his uniform for an event or troop meeting; we just seend them into the closet for a "loaner" so everyone is properly uniformed for whatever we happen to be doing.

 

That is an awesome idea and sounds like it works out quite well.

[dedkad]

I've just changed our uniform handout that we give to new scouts to VERY CLEARLY state that the neckerchiefs are presented to the scouts as loaners, and they can keep them at the end of the year if they pay $7. We'll see if that helps. Seems like every year there is some kind of new problem that causes us to rethink how we do certain things. Different boys, different parents, different problems. Can't make everybody happy, but we do our best.

[Faith]

All you can do, hope that helps y'all out in the long run!