GreyingWolf

Hey, it's "do your best", isn't it? If a boy is making a college-try to meet the requirement, and can't because of circumstances beyond his control...

One of the easiest, most effective ways a Cub leader can correctly teach knot-tying is to have a Boy Scout do it. (grin) Seriously, don't overlook this avenue, and it's *so* consistent with the Aims & Methods (more later.) Knots themselves are intrinsically interesting to only a very few, so put effort into giving the boys a reason to learn them, opportunity to practice them, and plenty of opportunity to be recognized for success. Tie-in (no pun) to skills-demonstrations to your pack, or competition w/other dens or w/in the den. Do a "knot relay" - two teams, members of each team tie

A public plea for volunteers at a pack meeting or via a newsletter *can* turn-up the occassional volunteer, but IMHO that's the exception rather than the rule. Recognize that parents otherwise involved in the program: - don't always see the linkage between the activities and their son's growth/development; - have a natural fear of failure; - are probably already feeling over-committed; - don't necessarily understand what each role takes; - believe that someone knows what's needed better than they do; - don't see how fun it can be. If you have 'em, start with your unit's p

The patch is worn to reflect the UNIT's achievement, not the individual's. Issue it to everyone, get 'em all thinking that quality unit is a big deal and it's their job to get it again! Our pack just gives 'em out - but I think a little more ceremony is appropriate. And individual efforts can be recognized too - like den leaders who go to training. Sure, they should be recognized for attending training for its own sake - but you can reinforce the association between training and a Quality program by making the association to Quality Unit.

Our pack makes red-felt sashes on which the boys can put their patches. It works out to about $1.50 of material per boy. Of course, the sashes aren't official uniform items, so the uniform police would probably grimace - but we allow/encourage the boys to use them to show-off their work. Now, having said that - only about 20% of the scouts use 'em. Unfortunately sashes and active boys don't mix. They slip off shoulders; they get forgotten; they're HOT (not as hot as the vests, admittedly.) A favorite windbreaker would probably be more practical as a place to display patches.

Parental non-involvement can be attributed to a variety of things - they too may be overbooked, or disinterested, or may just not understand how important their involvement is. As opposed to at the outset laying-on the "there's no Pack without you" or "your son's not in Tigers without you" lines (though those should be in your hip pocket), you should take the time to educate the families. So a training session, assisted by the chartering organization, is in order. Don't try to do all this yourselves - Know And Use Your Resources. See if your unit commissioner can't bring-in an exper

In our troop, the PLC - the boys - established who signs-off handbooks. Adults are allowed to, when need arises, but all skills-related stuff is more often signed-off by scouts who are 1st-Class and above. Believe me, that motivates the younger scouts - they want that authority. And the older scouts, w/o being a lynch mob, police the newer 1st-class scouts to make sure they're holding applicants to the letter of the requirement. With respect to SPL, our troop's policy - established by the PLC - is Life. The exact rank isn't so important as that the boys made the decision. For patrol

The following are just my own observations - 1) I too thought about den-specific neckerchiefs, but then recalled that custom neckerchiefs are reserved for Boy Scouting. And the neckerchiefs, like other parts of the uniform, promote group identity. IMHO we want these kids to identify with those in their age group, not set 'em apart. Teamwork. 2) I trust that profits or license fees on BSA-official merchandise further the program generally. (If I weren't willing to concede that, well, there are more important questions to consider.) I wish our family's other clothing held-up like our s

As in all things, whether your Tigers should/must work on the Bobcat requirements is a matter of that in which they're interested as well as that of which they're capable. There's no ironclad rule that they should complete Bobcat before their Tiger year is up, and there's no rule that they can't. If you believe that they'll be unsuccessful at it because as kids they're simply not ready, why set them up for failure? And conversely, why hold them back if they're ready? I'm now on my 3rd time thru, and just finished w/our Tigers (including my 3rd son.) Those boys could scarcely hold still fo

People are naturally hesitant - bashful, don't understand the importance, risk-averse, etc. The easiest way we've found to get past all that is for parents to understudy with someone who already does it - ask them to *help* that person, not immediately take over for them. (We've enjoyed lots of volunteerism, but this fall our pack is going to strive for a high percentage of new parents teaming-up with someone handling a task.) The best place to ask, BTW, is one-on-one. "We need help" from the front of the room or in a newsletter rarely gets a response. You can tell them how boys get

An organization uses numbers to measure things - hopefully progress. Sometimes the numbers, and the behavior they generate, can seem somewhat mercenary. Sometimes you have to think through the reasons for or impact of the numbers. Professionals are encouraged to charter new units. To do that, they have to be in touch with the community. They grow a network of contacts, and generally promote Scouting. Not a bad thing. Professionals are encouraged to increase membership. To do that, they resort to things like Tiger rallies - we just went thru that last week. If your pack is winding-dow

1) Draw on the ideas, skills, and enthusiasm of others. Doing it all yourself is unfair to you, and unfair to the boys whose adults might otherwise be involved. 2) Plan ahead - far ahead. 3) Bring enthusiasm, energy, and high standards to the job. You're not just filling a position, you're stepping into what should be a Role Model for the boys. 4) As someone else said, remember that it's for the boys. Evaluate everything anyone says you should do, any deeply-held traditions - and ask whether age 7-to-11 boys would find it fun or entertaining or inspiring. 5) Involve the fam