W2 Troop/SM visits

[Eamonn]

I really think we are thinking as Scouter's not as your normal everyday run of the mill parent.

Parents don't see their son joining a Boy Scout Troop as being that much different than him joining a sports team.

For the parent all this talk about Patrols, Youth led and all that good stuff is something that they know nothing about.

In my area, most times if a Troop and a Pack share the same CO (Same number) Parents see the Pack and the Troop as being one and the same. Kinda like moving from Elementary school too Junior High and Junior High too High School.

There are times when things get in the way.

Maybe a parent has a history with the SM?

Sometimes the Webelos Scout Den Leader has a history with the SM and they just don't get on! (Been there! Had an entire Den join a Troop down the road because the WSDL didn't get on with the SM.)

Parents will ask about things that they know about and think they understand -Mainly Eagle Scout Rank!

They sometimes look or ask about the cost of being a member.

That great trip to Philmont or Sea Base can at times scare them away!

I'll bet that a parent visiting a Troop where all the Scouts are sitting down involved in that weeks Merit Badge Class, looks wonderful to a parent!

 

The big problem I see about these young Lads crossing over is not where they go, but how long they stay.

Many years back Cub Scout Camping hit the UK in a big way.

The Pack that was part of our Scout Group, seen this new Cub Camping as being great.

On a Thursday night the Troop would go and put all the tents up for the little guys. On Friday the Cub Scouts would arrive, along with an army of parents and leaders who cooked and took care of their every need.

The little guys had a wonderful time.

Sadly when they joined the Troop, they found that their P/L wasn't going to take care of their every need. Fetching wood and water, cooking and washing up, just wasn't as much fun as being free to play all day.

Also the real excitement of being able to go to camp was gone!

Parents who had attended these Cub Scout camps had a hard time adjusting to the way the Troop went about getting things done.

While many seemed to think that this "Good for them!". Some just couldn't understand why things were so very different.

I have noticed that Cub Scouts (Webelos Scouts) seem to have less of a problem joining a Troop, where a Troop member has got to know them at Cub Scout Resident Camp. The little guys see this older Scout as being some sort of a hero!

Much the same can be said about Den Chiefs, but as a rule the Den Chiefs are from the same CO as the pack.

Eamonn.