Webelos transition is nuts

[mashmaster]

 

Please don't.

 

 

I'm joking.

 

But I'll offer up opportunities to get all 20 during the 18 months. My boys in the patrol decided they wanted to camp monthly from Sep-May, so we will probably do one activity pin per campout like we did Outdoorsman for our first campout. I like having a theme :-) so that is 8 right there, plus we will have Patrol meetings 3 weeks a month so I wouldn't be surprised if we are mostly done with all 20 by next June.

 

 

[King Ding Dong]

There you go again calling a Den a Patrol. However if they really do camp once a month I might look the other way. Like you I want to of for the opportunity to achieve all 20. Beyond the 7 for AOL will be at my convienence not theirs and when the requirement says "with your family". That means at home on your own not with your Scout family at den meetings.

[Old_OX_Eagle83]

Why do you think completing all twenty is so important? Oh, btw, get used to calling a 2nd year Webelo group a patrol, it is under the new AOL program

[mashmaster]

Why do you think completing all twenty is so important? Oh' date=' btw, get used to calling a 2nd year Webelo group a patrol, it is under the new AOL program [/quote']

 

 

Just the boys want to do the 20. I'm cool with it. I will give them the opportunity but they will need to put the effort in if they want it.

 

IMHO, they are at the right age to begin learning the patrol method. No if I can get the sports obsessed parents to realize that character is more important that winning I would love it.

[alaskaneric]

What is their "rank" in 5th grade? Is "Arrow of Light" now a rank? ... "Oh my son is an arrow of light" scout. Huh?.

 

Did anyone have an answer for this question? Will Webelos in their 5th grade year still be called Webelos? Or will they be called Arrow of Light Scouts? Arrow of LIght Webelos? The AOL rank name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Arrow of Lights - as in, "He's a Bear, he's a Webelos, and I'm an Arrow of Light?"

 

thanks

 

[chrisg478]

Current Webelos can continue in the new program until they cross to a troop so they don't need to buy a new book or repeat anything. They just continue with the program we have been using for years.

Kids that are Bears now should start the new program when they move up to Webelos at the end of the school year. They would already have to buy a new book so that is not an additional cost. They should not have started working on any achievements for Webelos yet so they won't be repeating anything.

The current program has a "citizenship" requirement for Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Webelos. Is "doing citizenship" one more time in the new program really a problem? Isn't Citizenship one of the Aims of Scouting?

[chrisg478]

If they are 2/3 of the way done I assume they are already Webelos and already have (or will soon have) their Webelos badge.

The program updates from national say boys that have completed their Webelos badge by June 1, 2015 can continue with the AOL requirements as written in the current book. That gives them until the end of the 2015-2016 school year to earn AOL with the current requirements.

[Sqyire21]

Alaskan: The answer to the question actually lies in the question itself...which is flawed.

 

Unlike Boy Scouts, who earn/hold a rank and are in patrols (often based on similar ages/activites)...Cub Scouts are placed in Den's, based on ages. Each age is working towards their specific Award. Many people call them ranks, (in fact the national BSA site does as well) but in reality, they really aren't ranks at all, but awards. This is one of the many differences from Boy Scouts.

 

So.. a boy in the 5th grade is still in the WEBELOS Den/Patrol...and working towards their Arrow of Light Award. (notice it's not called a rank...the Bobcat Badge is also not called a rank) The 'rank,' or 'badge' is only a symbol of the Cubs completion of the award for their year. This is one of the reasons a Cub can advance from one program to the other, without actually completing the award for their year. (which I have seen happen when I was a DL and Cubmaster)

 

I'm sure there will be some disagreement over the titles, but this is my understanding.

 

[fred johnson]

Sqyire21 ... I wrote the original question. It was based on their not needing to earn the Webelos rank ... and that so many people call them Webelos 1 & Webelos 2 ... which is wrong and drives me crazy ... but I understand because it communicates if they are in the first year or the second year of the program ... which is a key point and would always be asked next.

 

I've been looking at this presentation, slide "Directly to AOL" in the "Program Overview Powerpoint" on this site. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/programupdates.aspx

 

The only clear point is that I don't see a book for AOL, just Webelos. So that sort of answers that question.

 

It is interesting though. If a boy joining in 5th grade can go direct to AOL, then "I assume" an existing scout can be inactive and become active again and skip earning his Webelos rank.

 

 

[Eagle94-A1]

Fred,

 

If an existing Webelos doesn't get his Webelos Badge by May 31st, they have to use the new AOL requirements, doing the 7 adventures, to earn their AOL.

 

And from one of the myriad of forms I've seen, AOL adventures are in the Webelos book.