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Re: when to give advancements
Ted Mahler (ted@SH-GPL.TI.COM)
Wed, 2 Dec 1998 12:43:54 -0600
> Hi Ted!
>
> Sounds like a very cool ceremony! Ceremonies like this always make a huge
> impression on boys. Good work!
>
> But I sure urge you to re-think the idea of not giving boys an IMMEDIATE
> and tangible symbol of their efforts! Frankly, that is the primary reason
> to hold pack meetings! I have to chime in and say that all of my experience
> and observations tell me that the sooner that boy has that badge in his
> hand and on his shirt the more involved he is and the harder he works.
>
> BLUE SKIES!, Any day above ground is a good day!
I have seen it done both ways and I have to say I REALLY like the once
a year BIG ceremony. Doing it once makes it very special and we can put
a lot of effort into it. It almost becomes a rite of passage (which
is the story we put with it). I have been a leader in each rank, TC through
Web II, twice, and served as both asst and Cubmaster. I only say that
to show I have seen and worked with the boys at each level and I just don't
see where the once a year award ceremony makes the boys less involved or
less hardworking.
Actually, advancement naturally works out this way. All through the first
half of the Scout year (goes pretty much with school year) the boys work
on the requirements. When March rolls around it lines up nicely to when
the requirements are being finished up. It just flows. Our Webelos II
scouts begin their move over into the Troop. Which is concluded with
a special outdoor AOL ceremony (fire, smoke, indians, special arrow, etc)
in April. This gives them time to attend some campouts as Boy Scouts
and get used to the troop before summer camp. Our Webelos I boys get
a taste of being the "big boys in the pack" a couple of months before
the year is out.
Our pack meetings are filled with activities such as skits, songs, special
speakers, a short talk by each den on what they have been doing, etc. We
award Progress beads at them so that everyone sees their progress.
With all due respect to the book, this once a year method adds a lot to
special feel of earning a badge which is the first "worked at" accomplishment
in many of these young boys life. At the first of the year all the Dens know
the target month and plan around it. Latecomers work hard and if they can't
make it by March we give it to them in April or May. But that happens rarely.
Our boys seem to like (no,,, love) the big ceremony. It is a well attended,
photographed, and special once in a lifetime (I'm serious) event. The fact
that it comes only once a year gives it some buildup and underscores its
importance for both the boys and the parents. It works and I am totally
sold on it.
Ted Mahler
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