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eagle-pete

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Everything posted by eagle-pete

  1. John - "BTW, COR selecting leaders? Sounds like the Scouting system of leader selection to me!" Not quite sure what you mean. It was my understanding that in non-LDS units the Pack Committee has the responsibility of selecting the Cubmaster. Is this not true? This does not occur in an LDS unit. The Bishop(COR) will call a Cubmaster to the position. "Make sure, though, before you do, that you understand your local level vision and goals for Scouting! Active listening will save you agony!" Absolutely.. I completely agree. Eagle Pete
  2. Lisabob, I guess what I may have been thinking is Pack Trainer. However, that is really a position to promote training for the leaders. The current Cubmaster is female and our church (LDS) does not allow male-female CM and ACMs to hold those positions together unless they are married (which we are not). Also, in the LDS Church the Committee does not select a Cubmaster. This is done by the COR, so any changes there are up to him. John, I see what you mean. I certainly would not want to be construede as a spy. I do think that serving as a CC may be possible. There is currentl
  3. The "Super Den" topic reminded me of a common problem which I have seen - Combining Dens Actually, combining dens is more of a symptom of underlying problems. What I have observed is a series of issues and problems which lead up to combining dens. The problem actually begins with, of course, parents and leaders. A breakdown of communication between a Den Leader or the Cubmaster and the parents, or a combination of these key people in the pack, occurs. For example, in our pack, we had separate Wolf and Bear dens. The Bear Den Leader failed having regular weekly meetings and the
  4. One more issue. We had a Scout sign up who is 7 years old and in the 1st grade that was supposedly a Tiger in another Pack last year. Should he be a Tiger again this year or a Wolf? 8 year old boys should go in the Wolf Den. His parents may have signed him up as a Tiger by mistake. Also, just to clarify. I'm sure you are aware that he would be in the Wolf Den, but he still needs to earn the Wolf Rank (or Bobcat first, if he hasn't already). Eagle Pete(This message has been edited by eagle-pete)
  5. Pack212Scouter Welcome and Congratz! Of course, since you are familiar with Wood Badge you should know that you will be experiencing a week like no other you''ve ever been to. Ok, as far as what to expect... Don''t be too eager to prepare too much. You will receive a packet in the mail from your Course Director with some instructions, a list of items to bring, a few forms to fill out, etc. Just take care of all of that when it arrives. Beyond that, there isn''t really that much to do. You may receive a plethora of advise and information either from this fo
  6. What about the costs of NOT attending Wood Badge? I often hear about the complaints of those who have never attended a Wood Badge course. Inevitably, one of the first things people say is (1)the fee is too high and (2)I can''t afford to take that much time off work. Every year, somehow, hundreds of participants and staff seem to figure out ways to go to Wood Badge. There are many ways to help with costs. Personally, I used my vacation time this year for Wood Badge. It may seem unreasonable to some people, but my family understands how important it is. Often this is boils dow
  7. I just wanted to share a little bit of Wood Badge with y''all I was invited to serve on staff for a two-weekend course which just completed last weekend. I served as Troop Guide over the Antelope Patrol. It went so fast.. months of preparation only for 6 short days. I already miss it, like one of those vacations you come back from and want to go back. If you will permit me, here are a couple highlights that stand out: My friends that I pushed and prodded to go were there And they are now even better friends. This was a husband and wife attending together, and as you k
  8. We do Something to keep in mind. We have a person (a committee member over equipment, to be specific) who is in charge of the "uniform closet". We have found that if no one is designated to be in charge of it, uniforms and other materials tend to disappear or become forgotten. This defeats the purpose of the supply because parents and leaders pay little attention to it and it is no longer used for families who need it. When organized properly it is invaluable. I''d make sure there is a checkout list and an inventory maintained. Have parents sign out for any uniform or materials
  9. My $0.02 Well, our CO does not permit any overnight camping for Cub Scouts (exception: if it is a ''family'' camp when parents are with their boys, overnight camping is fine). I am, however, involved in our Boy Scout program. Something to consider is requirement 2b for Second Class is to "...sleep in a tent that you pitched." IMO, camping out of doors means sleeping in a tent. That having been said, depending on the age of a Cub Scout, he may or may not be ready to sleep in a tent without a parent. I would not push it if a Cub Scout feels apprehensive about it. In a couple y
  10. I have found that most older boys are not at first over enthusiastic about being a Den Chief. It is primarily a leadership skills building position. Many times it does take time for a boy scout to warm up to the idea. On occasion you get a boy who has natural leadership abilities and can catch on immediately. These are generally the exception, and it is a blessing to the Troop and to the Pack. It is normal for a boy to be apprehensive at first when faced with the duties of Den Chief. Remember, we are "[preparing] young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes
  11. awesome1_in_cc I''m not one to "blast" anyone so you won''t see that from me. I would like to point out some observations, however. My take on fund raising is that it should really be for a specific activity, like an outing or a fun summer activity that needs extra funds not normally available in the pack budget. Normal pack expenses should come from dues or from the Chartered Organization. I don''t like depending on fund raising just to run the program and there is something about the concept of each scout (or parent) paying their dues. Also, if your unit is having trouble s
  12. kb6jra I didn''t get the Mommy award. Must have missed that one. My patrol commented that they got several compliments on the gifts (they wore many of them around their necks). The Troop Guides on this course were not big on gifts at first. But after a couple days they got more into it. Of course I had mine all prepared, they had to make theirs on the fly. From what I could tell, all the gifts were much appreciated. I didn''t get any indication, either from participants or staff, that this was overboard. These were small gifts, hand made, and inexpensive. Before t
  13. UPDATE: Well, the (practical) course is complete and I must say I was sad to leave. It was a great Wood Badge course. Here''s what I gave as gifts to my patrol (each participant got one of each): SMART keyring - handmade with letter beads which spelled SMART strung on a small leather string "I Can" cans - small (6 oz) cans with a short poem inside. Outside lable printed with "My ''I Can''" and beads clipart. Meant to remind them they CAN finish their tickets and earn the beads. Seizing Bend knot - made with two ropes tied in a Seizing Bend http://books.google.com/books?id=Hp
  14. At my ceremony I had 2 of my patrol show up. I felt that was a pretty decent show. Some patrols end up being closer than others. Or it may be your timing just isn''t right for them. Whatever the reason for them not being able to show, I would not harbor any bad feelings. If you are invited to attend one of their ceremonies, make your best effort to attend and don''t mention this at their ceremony. Be as courteous as you can. My patrol did try to stay in touch for a while, but I have not heard from any of them for a couple years. I am not even certain whether they all receiv
  15. I went to a PowWow one year as a Cub Leader. One of the classes I happened to take was an introduction to Order of the Arrow. The focus of the class was to inform Scout leaders what the purposes of OA are and the opertunities of service which OA provides to the troops, communities, and units within their chapter. The person that led the discussion was a very bright, intelligent, and knowledgable young man. He was a Boy Scout in every sense of the word. He was very confident. He projected a sense of honor and quality which the OA and the Boy Scouts of America embodies. I was so impre
  16. I will soon be headed up to The Hill. I am a Troop Guide on this course. I am trying to think of good ideas for other staff members. What have you given? What are some good ideas? We do have some guidelines like no gifts over $5. Gifts are not mandatory. Gifts can be given in private or in front of the whole staff, giver's preference. I understand a big "staff" gift to the Course Director is already being arranged. I am talking about gifts from individual staff members to other staff members. Before you start saying, "It depends on the individual. We don't have any i
  17. As stated on the Boy Scouts of America Youth Application, parents sign and agree to the following when their son joins the BSA - "Parent Agreement I have read the Cub Scout Promise and I want my son to join the pack. I will assist him in observing the policies of the Boy Scouts of America and of his packs chartered organization. I will While he is a Tiger Cub, serve as his adult partner and participate in all meetings and activities and approve his advancement.* While he is a Cub Scout, help him grow as a Cub Scout and approve his Cub Scout advancement. While he is a Tiger Cu
  18. FYI - http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle/yearpins.htm http://www.geocities.com/~pack215/cubinsignia.html Eagle Pete
  19. alexsma In 2 weeks I will be headed up to (what we affectionately call) The Hill. But this time I will be there as a Troop Guide. 4 years and 3 months ago I was right where you are now; a Wood Badge participant. I too am in the Eagle Patrol. Like you, I was on a 2-weekend course. And much like you, between weekends, I felt some of the same anxieties trying to take everything in, struggling with writing ticket items, working to get the project finished, working on my part in the Campfire Program, filling out my 360 evaluations, and overall just trying to get everything accomplishe
  20. Ok They're not really going to oust the CM and ACM. That was just me blowing off some steam. Still, I am disappointed in the Cubmaster. Having served in that position before, I know what it takes, how the boys look up to her/him, and the example the CM is (should be) for the boys. IMHO, the Cubmaster should be present at EVERY event, meeting, activity, and get-together which the boys are involved with. The Cubmaster should also be aware that the boys are observant, smart, and are very much aware of the attitudes and level of care their leaders have for them. Addition
  21. Sorry, I left out this detail - They had a pack meeting the night before the Service Project. This seemed like a great time to make the final announcement for the activity and make sure everyone knows where, what time, and who should be there. My wife did confirm with the ACM that she would be there. The CM bailed early from the pack meeting as usual so we could not talk with her. We thought this was sufficient follow up. I guess not. Eagle Pete
  22. This is in behalf of my wife, who is currently serving as a Den Leader. The other day our pack did a service project picking up trash at a local city park. This was a fairly well planned activity. My wife attended all the planning meetings and it was her impression that everyone understood all the vital details (when, where, who, what, how, etc...). My wife (being 7 months pregnant) had a special request that the ACM make sure to assist her with her den. There are a couple more active boys in her den and she felt she needed another leader to run after boys or whatever came up. The AC
  23. Tami Where's the AWESOME! part? Did I miss it? "...two crazy weeks!"? Sounds more like two weeks of ... well, you know where I'm going. Remind me not to volunteer for Camp Director. Eagle Pete
  24. My $0.02 - First of all, I have never run a CS Day Camp so I have no grounds to stand on as far as what should be done about a poorly run Day Camp. But I have been a volunteer Scouter for all of my adult leader years and I can say this... Anything in Scouting run by volunteers has room for improvement. This goes for the poorest run pack to the most efficiently organized trainings and events in Scouting. Yes, there are councils, districts, packs, and dens run by leaders who have motives and agendas which are not in the best interest of parents, leaders, and boys. It is a sad t
  25. "It's Me" I had been following your posts from the beginning and I did offer a few words of advise along the way. It doesn't surprise me that there are problems at home for this boy. It saddens me, but doesn't surprise me. I think a very important point to bring out with this experience is that Scouting can be beneficial to any boy. We are probably not going to solve marital issues or stop parents from making poor decisions which adversely affect their children, but we can make a difference in the life of a boy. On a personal note, my parents were separated when I was quite y
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