msnowman

Late to the party as usual. Ask them if they want to go. If they say yes, take it as a chance to bring the scout back. If not, give the opppurtunity to someone else.

On a different note - our pack did Battleship Cove last February and had a fabulous time. I hope you do too.

Michelle

Cubmaster

Pack 102

Orland, ME

Our SNFS turned out great. We got 6 new boys, 4 1st graders and 2 2nd graders. I know that doesn't sound like much to some of you, but that number doubles our Pack size. With the existing boys we have 5 Tigers (registered one last spring), 2 Wolves, 3 Web I's and 2 Web II's. Wooooot!!.

One of our incoming Web I's just lost his mom on Saturday. The Pack didn't know the mother (non-custodial, blah, blah), but the boy and his father are well liked by all. I have seen the boy and extended my condolences on a personal level but wondered what other Packs do on a Pack level. I figured a card and?? A fruit basket to his home? The family did not want flowers at the funeral. Suggestions?

/agree with CMF.

Our pack is small but in no way are we in it "just for numbers". This will be our second consecutive summer of earning National Summertime Pack Award, something this pack had never done in the past. We still went to camp as a Pack and the boys still brought in more food (total item number) than our neighboring, larger town with a bigger Pack. Pack size isn't what makes the program, the people (boys and adults) are. This is the same town that rejected sending their 6-8th graders to the neighboring town with their brand new, state of the art Middle school. We like to keep things in our little town.

In a perfect world there wouldn't be a need for Den Leaders to be part of the committee. However, regardless of how National feels about it, there are times that your den leaders are your committee. Our pack has 6 boys, 2 Web II's, 3 Web I's and 1 Tiger. Every single parent is registered as something. Our CC doesn't even have a boy in the Pack any longer. This means there is no seperate "parent committee" from the den leaders for us. We make due as best we can and continue on.

I'm working on a project with a major national publication which has regional editions (it's not a done deal yet so I can't mention the publicaton) to publicize youth group service projects on a local basis. The idea is that members of a given community like to know what good is being done there and by what groups. Also, some projects, esp. Eagle projects, require assistance and/or donations of money and/or goods from members of the community. Those in a position to help simply need the information. We will give it to them.

I have added some forums to my website (http://www.dutyandhonor.com) where Scouting and other youth organizations can post information about service projects *in progress or upcoming* to aid in gathering information for the column which has a working title of "At Your Service." (I'm sure that will change.) Please don't post projects you have already completed. Use http://www.goodturnforamerica.org for that (Boy Scouts only).

I am asking Scout and other youth group leaders to please post enough details so that I can determine the state, city and community where the project is going to be done and details of each project. I will be able to elaborate in each column about a few projects and list the rest, and interested readers can visit the website for more details.

Over time I hope this will become a valuable resource for youth organizations but it's nothing right now...I needScouters to start using it and pass this message on to others that might be interested. If you have contacts at your Council that can pass it on to other units, that would be great too.

You will find some writings on the site that you may or may not agree with...the basic premise of the site is that Scouting grows better kids. I try to stay away from most politics but sometimes fail. Whether you agree or not, please post on the blog or forums and *please* use the service project forums.

Eamonn - thanks for your reply. Many of the things you suggested we have tried, with little success.....but, as one of my Cubmaster minutes said, you only fail if you try and fail...and fail to try again, so we'll keep at it.

You asked if our charter org would be any help. That would be a big negatory. It is a church with a very, very OLD population. In and of itself that shouldn't be a problem. But this particular population a)doesn't care that they have a Cub Scout Pack & Boy Scout troop b)fights us tooth and nail (well, their deacon or whatever the layperson below the pastor is called) if we want to hang pictures of activities on one of the bulletin boards in the church, etc. They have no Sunday School because they have no children that belong to the church. Seriously, there are no families with school age children who attend this church. Said state of affairs for the church as well as the Pack/Troop.

Our boys will be marching in the town's Riverdays Parade in June, as well as the Riverside Festival in the neighboring town in July. August will be a "Bring a Friend Ice Cream Social" which I'll also put in our local paper (along with pics of Cub Camp). Keep trying new things til something works.

Michelle

I am the CM for a tiny pack. We started in September with 8 boys in the whole Pack. Well 2 weeks ago two of my Tiger parents tell me they won't be back because "Scouts isn't high on our list of priorities". The 3rd Tiger (and family) has disappeared off the face of the earth. Now for most Packs, losing 3 wouldn't be a problem, but for us that is nearly half. We did spring recruiting Magic Show and only had 2 kindergarteners show up and one of those was a brother of a Bear. We sent flyers home in the k-4th grade classrooms (our CC distributed them, so we can't blame it on the teachers not handing them out), we put it in the School newletter and local paper, as well as put posters all over town.

I'm very frustrated because I don't know what else to try. We have had recruiting nights at the school during school open houses with ZERO sign up. We had a game night at the school, the only people that showed up were the Cub Scouts we brought with us. If you can't get the parents to show up, how can you sell them on the program? It doesn't seem to be just Scouts that is dying here. The rec dept's baseball program (serving 2 towns, the school serves one) is down from 4 baseball and 2 softballs teams last year to just 2 baseball and 1 softball team this year.

So, short of driving to everybody's house and dragging them out to a recruiting event what else is there to try? At the rate we are going, our Pack will dry up and blow away in another couple of years. The boys we have enjoy Scouts, talk to people about it (including their friends), but it just seems that most of the parents aren't willing to show up to find out anything about the program.

Sorry this got so long, I just don't want to see the Pack die.

Michelle

I am a female CM for my nephew's Pack. I have been raising him for 5 years and we have been in Scouts together for 4 of those 5 years. He is finishing his 1st year of Webelos (where I also function as assistant leader). I have already told him that I will not bridge over with him when he goes on to Boy Scouts. I have reassured him that for as long as he desires to be in Scouting, I will always make sure he has everything he needs, I just will not be part of Troop.

I see nothing wrong with women who are in positions of leadership in Boy Scouts going on an overnight, its just not for me, my idea of camping is having to use dial up instead of cable internet access. Male role models are very important in young men's lives. Nephew's father has little interest in spending time with his son, so Scouts is the only real source of men in his life. However, I also think its important for him to see that women and men are equals and deserve respect for the person that they are. However, limiting a woman's right (permission? Pick a better word) to camp with her Troop, if she is a registered leader, is wrong if the sole determining factor is gender. Keeping her from camping because she is disruptive of the Boy Led ideals or otherwise undermines the purpose of the campout? Fair enough, if a male leader with the undesirable behavior is also kept from camping. Boy Scout campouts (if I understand correctly) are for BOYS to learn and enjoy on their way to becoming MEN, not to be mothered, fathered, nagged, and babied to death.

We have an exceptionally small Webelos den (just 2 boys), so there is very little we can do as far as "competitions" go. However, we have played several games to review what they've learned and such and there is a winner and there is a loser. Both of the boys play sports, one wrestles (definatly a win/lose event) so losing is part of their lives. The only complaint is when (one specific boy) gets too "braggy" about winning (you know, the "in your face" type comments). However, that opens up discussion for sportsmanship. Competition is good, sportsmanship is essential and the best way to learn sportsmanship is to be able to win and lose.

Last year our bridging over was a cookout/games day and was a huge success in spite of (or maybe because of....these are young boys after all) 35 mph winds and torrential rains. We had erected tarps and canopies the day before and still had the cookout outside.

This year we are doing our Bridging in June in the woods with a real wooden bridge over actual water (not rainwater). However, it has been already decided that if the weather is against us, we will move it inside.

July finds our Pack taking part in our first parade in many years(at least the 4 I've been involved) as our area celebrates its Bay Festival.

August is still being planned, either an Ice cream social or Water slides.

Last year was the first time our Pack had earned the summertime award, and everybody seemed to really have a good time.

I thought Tigers remained Tigers and continued to wear the Orange t-shirt until the end of first grade or the Pack's bridging ceremony where everybody is moved up to their next rank. Earning Bobcat isn't the same as bridging over because Wolf is the rank for 2nd graders, whereas Bobcat is for everybody. Then he would be a Wolf and would wear the blue shirt to the Summertime activies as that is the proper uniform for his new status.

To quote Trail Pounder : "80% of the Catholic priests who sexually assaulted children were homosexual."

Sexual assault is less about sexuality and more about power. For a sexual predator (either of children or adults) a large part of the attraction (not quite the right word) is from the taking of power from someone else. Perhaps the priests in question were/are gay, I don't know and won't debate that issue. Personally I believe any sexual predator should be shot, drawn & quartered, boiled in oil and then stomped on until more horrible can be found to do to them. I'm just trying to point out that no all sexual predators are gay any more than all gays are sexual predators.

Unless I totally misunderstand things (which has been known to happen), the Catholic church seems to put boys in positions where they are accessable to sexual predators (ie altar boys, etc)in one on one situations. Perhaps they should take a page from Boy Scouts and require two deep leadership and the buddy system.

How about a Chocolate (or other favorite pudding flavor) cream pie? Instant pudding, Kool Whip, Keeble Graham Cracker pie crust.....mix, pour, chill, cut, eat, enjoy.

SC Pack - I like your idea of having the diamond patch overlap each in the center. Except for the sewing required it is no different than the suggestion made for putting the oval patch in the plastic hanger. A case could also be made for extending the size of the Diamond, leaving the center of the Diamond open for the Diamond Webelos badge as the 5th.

Scoutnut you are far luckier than I have been if you haven't had 10 year olds get upset because they don't have the same awards and badges as their peers.

Perhaps the program isn't "supposed" to be all about the awards, but as SC has pointed out, it frequently feels that way. Asking a uniforming question that will be on more and more minds as this years Bears earn their Webelos badge isn't focusing just on the badges....its trying to be prepared when hurt feelings and questions happen, which,as we all know, will happen sooner or later.

Just my 2 coppers. YMMV

Michelle

Our Pack (along with most others) will be facing a similar issue next year when this years Bears (the first to earn the Tiger Diamond Badge) move on to Webelos. The only reason my Web I's went to Tan shirts this year is that both boys outgrew their blues. Perhaps it is time for National to decide to require new Webelos to wear the tan shirt with the Oval badge instead of leaving the option up to the parents. Or, allow the Oval to be worn in the plastic protector over the other badges of rank on the blue shirt. I know there are some packs the "require" the Webelos to go tan. However, since there is nothing in the regulations (to my knowledge, at this time) to mandate a specific color, then I don't believe the packs have that right. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

acco said "... Not sure of exact dates but when the first class of Tigers who earned the Tiger diamond badge come (came?) around to the Webelos rank the option of Oval or Diamond for Webelos went away. The Oval was required and for the tan shirt."

Unless it is different in other Councils, our current Bears will be the first group to have potentially earned the Tiger Diamond. I have seen nothing to say the Oval and Tan shirt were required. Do you have a link Acco? I'd like to be able to pass that on to the rest of the Pack if it has been decreed as official. Perhaps it is part of a new uniforming code for Webelos effective with the next class? Not all boys join Cubs as Tigers, so many would still have room for a diamond badge.

Thanks everybody for the replies. Last year for Cub Camp I had stitched all of the arrow points on my Web I's tan shirt (badges of rank were already in place, thanks Ebay). Our packs former CM said they didn't go on the tan shirt, so I looked it up. Since I wasn't able to find anything to the contrary, I left them in place until this month when he moved to a new shirt and Webelos badge. As a pack we let the parents choose when to put their son in a tan shirt, most seem to do it as the need for a new shirt arises. We also keep a stock of used shirts, to help reduce the cost issue for parents who's son wants to make the change sooner than the parent can afford (lots of the boys want to go tan as soon as they can, in order to look like "THE BIG BOYS"). We only have one current Bear who was also a Tiger, so the blue shirt will still have a place for their diamond shape badges if that is the family choice. Unless National changes uniforming standards for Webelos Scouts.

your Webelos II's who have earned all 20 activity badges? I know some councils have a "Super Webelos" badge, or something similar. Our council apparently does not. So, as a Pack, do you do anything special to mark the occasion? Or does it just pass by with a "These boys have now earned all 20 of their activity pins"? We are a small pack (10 boys total, 8 after our 2 Web II's graduate next month. I was just wondering what other Packs did, if anything.

TiA

YIS

Michelle

edit by author, I changed my mind about wading into this debate(This message has been edited by msnowman)

This has been a great debate in our Pack and I'm looking for a definitive answer on it. When the previous badges of rank are worn in the diamond, on the tan shirt, are the arrow points earned as a Wolf and a Bear also worn? I do understand that if the Webelos badge worn is the Oval, the other badges of rank are not worn. Or perhaps I'm wrong about that as well (wouldn't be the first time, nor, I suspect, the last). The Uniform inspection sheets are (for me anyway) vague, saying that for the tan, its the same as for the blue. So, Uniform Police, please hear my plea and answer this nagging question that has been weighing heavy on me.

Michelle - (still learning) CM, Pack 102, Orland, ME