infoscouter

How did he do at the achievements for his current rank? Did he struggle to complete them? Has he earned his rank badge? Is he a Tiger, a Wolf or a Bear?

If completing the requirements was difficult physically or intellectually, repeating isn't a bad idea, particularly if he hasn't completed his rank requirements.

Tigers and Bears have more flexibility - Tiger Go and See its can be to a variety of places, so he's not repeating too much stuff. In Bears, he could do the achievements he didn't do the year before. With Wolves he would be stuck repeating the same 12 achievements he did the previous year, and unless he doesn't/can't remember what he's done before (like my son who has autism), its likely he'd be bored.

In addition, there's the social aspect. He's going to feel badly about being held back in school. Staying with his current den *may* help soften the blow. On the other hand, being with boys every week who are doing things in school which he is not, might empahsize the difference.

This is someplace where you have to have a parent/leader conference (and not just 5 minutes after a den meeting). The leader and parents (and maybe the Committee Chair) need to sit down and figure out what's best for the Scout intellectually and socially.

After the Little Sioux tornado, our properties committee evaluated all of our camps. As new buildings are added, they are built with storm shelter capabilities - generally concrete basements. In some areas of the camp, section of 8' sewer pipe have been installed (some nested in berms, others freestanding), to serve as shelter areas.

Two years ago, our pack was camping at a nearby camp property, which is typically used for weekend camping (no long-term camp programs are conducted at this facility). The weather was threatening, and we were in a building preparing for our pack graduation ceremony. The campmaster was alerted to a tornado warning by the weather radio. We were evacuated to the storm shelter (even though we were already inside). The weather passed us by, but did strike adjacent areas in the county.

I have heard of similar experiences from other local units. I know that local units participating in long-term camping at other properties have reported being evacuated to shelters when warnings are issued.

So, AFAIK, no training goes on for participants/users. However, staff is trained as to procedures and when necessary, supervises/requires evacuations when necessary.

I've found that creating a culture that _expects_ leaders to be trained rather that offering it as an option is the key. I know that its hard when info is released late, but remember that you don't have to attend your district's training. If another near by district offers sessions that are convenient, you can attend.

Start checking with your district/council trainers now for next fall's training. In most cases, they have set those dates, because the council expects it. Even if locations aren't known, if you get the dates on your unit calendars, your leaders can plan ahead. Keep checking your council web site for info and nagging the district training chair for dates.

This page has a full list of all trainings for all programs: http://scouting.org/training/adult.aspx

"What makes a trained leader?"

http://scouting.org/filestore/training/pdf/What_makes_a_trained_leader.pdf

The Cub Scout Leader How To Book has a section on this event. There are suggestions on games and activities. Remember, helmets are *required* for all riders at Scout cycling activities.

Here are some links to resources:

http://www.bicyclinglife.com/safetyskills/bicyclerodeo.htm

http://www.bike.cornell.edu/pdfs/Bike_Rodeo_404.2.pdf

http://bicycling.about.com/od/organizedbikeevents/a/bikerodeo_event.htm

http://www.cbcef.org/pdf/bike_rodeo06.pdf

I am in a very large council. Back when money was more available, this didn't happen in our council. We had pros in charge of camping (who were not DEs), but they did administrative stuff, mainly at the office, and generally hired seasonal employees to be program directors at camp.

Money has tightened up considerably, and the council is now tasking district executives to take on council level positions, and doubling up other staff members with additional responsibilities. For instance, the director of camping and properties left the council, and the staff member in charge of one of our two Boy Scout resident camps was promoted to be director of camping and properties. He is still the director of the Boy Scout camp, and will do both jobs. The director of Cub camping is now also in charge of our newest camp - http://www.explorebasecamp.org/

I know from attending National Camp School, that in councils smaller than ours, using professional staff members to be camp directors or program directors is fairly common. The rationale is that for DEs, summer is less busy (no popcorn, litlle recruiting or FOS activity), camp is usually over in August, just in time to rev up again in September. The down side is that if the individual wearing both hats isn't a "program person", the job may not be done as well as it would by a seasonally hired staffer with a passion for presenting a great program.

bylaw   /ˈbaɪˌlɔ/

[bahy-law]

noun

1. a standing rule governing the regulation of a corporation's or society's internal affairs.

A Scout unit is not a corporation. Bylaws generally state who can be a member (the BSA tells us that). They state who can vote (In general the only voting that gets done in the BSA is by Chartered Organization Representatives at District and Council meetings). They state how often officers are elected (BSA leaders aren't elected - they are appointed by the Chartered Organization). They define the officers and their duties (the BSA has already defined our leadership positions and responsibilities).

Very often unit "bylaws" restate, break and/or mangle BSA policies. Most of what a unit needs to operate is defined by the BSA in its literature. Duplicating that just wastes time and paper.

The biggest problem with "bylaws" is that parents/leaders think that because they contain the word 'law', somehow they are enforceable (generally by the council/district). They're not. In fact, if what's in the "bylaw" is contrary to BSA policy, the BSA policy is going to prevail. And if the Chartered Organization Representative or Institution Head says otherwise, all the "bylaws" in the world will do no good.

Units need policies, generally about handling money. The simpler and shorter your policies are the better. And call them policies or procedures - not bylaws.

As to the leader. If your Committee Chair and Chartered Organization Representative are unhappy with behavior of this individual, they should ask him/her to step down. They can do that at any time. It doesn't take a vote or lots of discussion. If the individual isn't performing effectively as a leader, then they shouldn't BE a leader. The CC and COR need to exert their authority and end the individuals term, and find a replacement.

Since districts don't exist as legal entities, your district doesn't have funds of its own. It has a line or lines in the council's operating budget for its annual activities (recruiting, camporees, etc.). Those funds are really the property of the council, and allocated to the district for its use during a fiscal year.

Often, camperships are funded from your council's endowment funds. The capital of the endowment is rarely if ever spent. The interest earned is set aside for various uses, including camp improvements and camperships.

Sometimes camperships are funded through dedicated gifts from volunteers or local foundations. However, soliciting annually can lead to varying degrees of funding. An endowment fund can return a relatively stable stream of income, barring a long string of poor investment performance.

I know in our council that individuals have funded restricted endowments to fund camperships for the Scouts of particular districts.

You should be able to see the size of the council's endowment fund(s) in their annual report or IRS 990 form. However, details about the use of the proceeds, etc. generally aren't in those documents.

Ask to see a copy of the operating budget. You probably will find the gross amount allocated to camperships in that document.

Our local Girl Scout council must be unusual. We don't do joint recruiting, but if you visit their web site in the fall, you'll get referred to ours to join Cub Scouts. If you visit our Unit finder - www.adventureiscalling.org - and enter that you have a girl under 13, you get referred to the local GSUSA web site.

We have slips that we distribute at recruiting events to girls about Girl Scouting. We use their camps for our events. We do Scouting for Food jointly.

The core values will repeat. My undertanding is that the suggested meetings will not be revised. Its up to us to make the content new and fresh, I guess.

That information is at odds with what was published in the Training Update in Jan 2010:

"Introduction to Outdoor Skills for Boy Scout leaders is being revised. The new outdoor course will be a one-size-fits-all for Webelos leaders, Boy Scout leaders, and Venturing leaders. Once a person completes the training, it is not necessary to repeat it when they move to another program. BALOO will remain as a training aid as it focuses more on safety than on outdoor skills."

At one time, I believe that was the plan, but it has been re-evaluated, I believe. I'll believe the new syllabus exists when I see it (it has been more than a year since it was initially announced!)

Ours is a breakfast, instead of a dinner. I like the family style serving idea. We end up in long a buffet line and food is sometimes cold. Big attraction is the silent auction for various critter related items.

We introduce the Course Directors and staffs for next three or four upcoming courses (we hold three courses a year in our council), rather than doing any beadings. Those are encouraged to be held at RT or a unit event.

A couple ideas I've found useful.

Scale the meeting space to the size of the den. So, if you have six boys, meet in a classroom not the cafeteria. If you give them lots of room to run, they will take it. If you must meet in a larger room, use tables and chairs to create a smaller space within the larger room.

Don't allow "down time" between activities. Plan out your meeting, and arrange of the the materials/equipment so that you can move seamlessly from one activity to another. Unsupervised transitions are one of the biggest opportunities for misbehavior - since they're not being engaged they're going to find something to do on their own.

Use the code of conduct. Have them help you write a set of rules and the consequences for breaking them.

Not all councils record attendance at Pow Wow or University of Scouting. I have attended numerous of these events. No individual classes show up on my training record. The whole day Roundtable Conference I attended as part of the College of Commissioner Science is recorded, but no other codes have been entered.

Mr. Boyce - earlier you posted that you wanted an oval bumper sticker - the European style one. Well, today at the Scout Shop, I picked one up. It's not quite as you described - doesn't have a fleur-de-lis, just the letters BSA in the oval. Can't find it online yet, but was able to find one. Item #330010 $1.99.

Bring back the woman's hat.

http://www.scoutinsignia.com/hats/cubhat2.jpg

http://www.scoutinsignia.com/hats/womenhat.jpg

I have the Cub Scout one, but despite years of searching, cannot find the green one.

Referenced items in this thread can be found here:

Selecting Quality Leaders Supplemental Training Module:

http://scouting.org/Training/Adult/Supplemental/SelectingQualityLeaders.aspx

Selecting Quality Leaders pamphlet

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/18-981.pdf

From the previous version of the Cub Scout Leader Book: "Various other types of Cub Scout garments are available,

such as official activity Tiger Cub T-shirts, sweatshirts, and

red patch vests. These items are for casual wear and are not

considered part of the official uniform."

We are unclear about Scoutmaster Bucky's relationship with the council. Some of the sessions are advertised on the council web site.

We are in the process of asking for clarification on the program from the advancement committee.

To be fair, they do not sign off on requirements which are impossible to complete in a single session. Scouts are still expected to MC Courts of Honor or campfires for example.

However, we have had a report that a Scout from another troop slept through a session and still got his blue card signed. It is one of the issues which has us concerned.

I recently participated in a discussion of FOS presentations on another forum.

A poster on that forum described his troop's method of soliciting FOS donations. The committee members divide up the parents/historical donors list and make individual phone calls or personal appeals to the donors. This is similar to the way in which some community FOS campaigns are conducted. I thought it was brilliant. BUT he has a 75 year old troop at a well established (some say legendary) church, with lots of support.

Now - take your typical Cub Scout pack or Boy Scout troop, which barely has enough committee members to go around. If you offer them the choice of how to conduct their FOS campaign, what would it be? Working the donors individually? Or a group presentation?

Our council doesn't require that FOS presentations be at Blue & Golds or Courts of Honor. But the *unit leaders* schedule them that way. They are asked to schedule a date at which a presentation can be made. They are incentivized by the council's reward scheme to choose a date at which many potential donors will be present. (100% participation incentive; meeting the goal incentive; and meeting the stretch goal incentive. Two of three are financially advantageous to the unit).

They choose how to conduct their unit FOS. Most of them choose to use these opportunities.

1/ How skilled in Scout-Craft were you before you took the course?

Moderately. But irrelevant - we slept in cabins & did no hiking or camping (But lots of singing)

2/ What skills did you learn on /from the course

Planning and conducting GREAT Cub Scout training opportunities

3/How much time was spent cooking meals and clearing up each day?

None - all meals were catered.

NOTE - I earned my beads as a member of the Bear Den of C-CS-3 Cub Scout Trainer Wood Badge.

Some we publicize and provide transport. Others, we're not so hot on and don't make a big deal of. We have real reservation about a group of Scouters in our council and this program:

http://www.scoutmasterbucky.com/

Unfortunately PARENTS seek out these opportunities. Since the SM is supposed to assign the Merit Badge Counselor, we have made it a requirement that before the Scout attends OR REGISTERS for an event like this, he *must* seek a blue card from the Scoutmaster. If the Scout has been overusing the clinic setting the SM may strongly suggest he use an individual counselor, not the class setting.

We give them camping gear. A compass, a headlamp, a good water bottle, a good mess kit (not the metal kind - but something like this: http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?i=437279&pdesc=GSI_Outdoors_Cascadian_1_Person_Table_Set&aID=505C4D&merchID=4006

Our Council holds a Coordinated Committee meeting three or four times a year. In addition, some other council operating committees hold stand alone meetings - sometimes monthly, depending on need. The advancement committee is one that meets monthly to deal with the topics you mention.

Other committees which meet frequently include the Camping committee, the Relationships committee, the Shooting sports committee (which is a sub committee of the activities & civic service committee), the finance committee (duh), and a couple others, I think.

Here's a site devoted to rocketry and Scouts, which has some useful info:

http://www.bsarocketry.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=50&layout=blog&Itemid=2

You sound as if you're enthusiastic and dedicated about leading. That's great for you, your Scouts and their parents.

Remember though, its easy to take on too many roles. Sometimes, parents (especially new ones) see a Den Leader being the Popcorn Kernel or Outings Chair, and the Cubmaster running the Pinewood Derby, and the Committee Chair doing recruiting and think "Oh, they don't really _need_ me - everything is getting done". In reality all of those people are wearing extra hats and tearing out their hair, complaining that none of the parents will help!

The best things you can do for the Scouts in your den (and your son) is the be the really best organized, prepared, and informed Den Leader you can be, and get to know the parents in your den really well. That way you can help recruit *them* to be committee members and spread the wealth among all the adults in the pack.

Speaks the voice of someone wearing too many hats.