Re: Blue and Gold Continued(Back the truck up)
ETSLINTAK@AOL.COM
Tue, 7 Sep 1999 02:10:41 EDT
In a message dated 99-09-07 00:08:23 EDT, you write:
<< My pack uses the Blue and Gold dinner to graduate 2nd year Webelos and the
Tiger Cubs.. the problem with doing this is that since Blue and Gold is held
in February, it makes for some very unsettled times as Scouts rush to
complete requirements before February and then have a lull in activities for
March thru May... Further.. graduating Tiger Cubs in Feb really confuses the
Tigers since they cannot move on to Wolf until they meet the age
requirements, etc.... >>
Hold the phone, James I am confused,
First lets look at the 2nd year Webelos: To graduate the Webelos 2 den(s) in
February is a fine idea. They often have run out of enthusiasm for the CUb
stuff and are ready for a new challenge. In my mind "graduation" means that
they have left Cub Scouting and JOINED a Boy Scout troop. The troop should
be welcoming these new scouts into the troop, they have time to go on outings
and get some experience under their belt before the summer when the troop
should be ENCOURAGING these boys to go to Summer Camp. So if they are truly
graduating (perhaps by using a bridging ceremony) they should have a whole
world of new Boy Scout activities ready to keep their interest up.
IF, the issue is that the troop is not taking the boys in or doesn't know how
to handle program for the new Scouts, then I think that the troop may need to
reevaluate the way they do business (Broad statement from far away). Most
troops prefer to get the new scouts in the early spring so that the boys
become comfortable with the troop, the parents have (hopefully) learned to
let go and let the boys go on an outing without them, the youth leadership
gets a chance to know the boys, the adult leadership gets to know the boys
and their strengths and weaknesses, and the boys gain the confidence to go to
camp for a week with this new group of people.
Secondly, you also graduate the Tigers in February? WHY??
For the reasons you state why not let the Tigers run unto May or June and
then have a meaningful graduation where they can launch into doing Wolf
activities? To cut them short seems to serve no useful purpose for fostering
enthusiasm and retention.
The Blue & Gold can be held just as a celebration of the birthday of Scouting
without adding graduations into it also. In fact, in my old Cub Pack we
stayed away from adding things the B&G evening because it got too long. Our
schedule of monthly pack activities was similar to: Jan. - Raingutter or
Space Derby, Feb. - Blue & Gold banquet, March - Webelos bridging to Boy
Scouts, April - Pinewood Derby, May - Graduation (for all but 2nd yr. Webelos
who were already Boy Scouts).
I didn't intend for this to sound harsh, perhaps your pack has always done
things a certain way and no one is sure about the "why" of doing it that way.
YIS
Ed S
