ScoutNut

The basic prizes this year in our council are all from the scout shop, so they all do have some relationship to scouting and most are outdoor-oriented. The Trails End rep at training said that they have left the prize business entirely as it wasn't a strength for them so National is in charge of prize fulfillment, something like that. The special prizes are all experiences, tickets to sports games and things like that, which I also like over more trinkets. The hokiest prize is a plastic crossbow as a bonus prize.

We sell popcorn. Sometimes I feel like we're the "Selling Stuff Scouts" instead of Cub Scouts. We make just enough to run the program. Thankfully, our Council is changing vendors, (from Trail's End to Camp Master). Rumor has it there will be more low end items, which would help our kids. Many of them live in low income areas and have a hard time selling $25-50 items. If there were extra money, I'm pretty sure we could find good ways to spend it , but it still probably wouldn't be on belt loops.

Per BSA, the Pack determines how to include the Academic and Sports program, into their Pack program. The Pack also determines how the program is funded.

There are many different ways to fund the program. Some Packs pay for everything but multiples of the same loop (our Pack). Some Packs will include a belt loop fee in their annual Scout dues. Some will pay for only the first loop with any multiples of the same loop being paid for by the Scout's family. Some will only pay for a specific number of loops per year, with anything over that amount paid for by the Scout's family. Some, like yours, pay for only those earned by Webelos, or those earned at council functions.

ScoutNut' date=' I understand that that pack at Day Camp was wrong. I'll drop the very, very, because their boys were awesome Scouts, never complained, always did their best, and were super contributors. [/quote']

I never said that the BOYS were NOT "awesome Scouts". However, Cub Scouts is all about age appropriate activities. Having Tigers doing Wolf activities rather defeats that whole thing. Also, as you noticed, it kinds of mucks up the program for the following year.

 

Not a good thing as you end up with bored Wolf Cubs.

 

While the Tiger Cub might not read well, their Adult Partner can. The Adult Partner should be doing everything right alongside their Tiger. Also, there is not a lot of "reading" involved in the Tiger activities (achievements or electives), more simply doing fun stuff.

Doing fun stuff is the same for many of the other electives in Wolf and Bear. Also, there are some electives that the boys are completing without ever realizing it. Include stuff done at school, after school, and with their family. It can add up.

There are LOTS of FUN Wolf electives. Some are very easy to slip into a den meeting where an additional activity is needed.

E-1 (Its a Secret) While 1-a might be better waiting until the boys are better at spelling/writing (although it can be great practice), 1-b making a note with "invisible" ink is quick, fun, and takes minimal equipment.

E-2 (Be an Actor) Our Pack does a Vaudeville Night for the March or April Pack meeting where each den puts together a skit/song/etc and performs it in front of the Pack. This was always a great time to work on these type of electives, and achievements. However, your den can do a den skit during a regular Pack meeting too, or just for themselves, or their parents. Paper bag masks (2-e) are great fun for Halloween!

E-3 (Make it Yourself) Great for making a gift for Christmas, Hanukkah, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, etc. This works well later in the school year (April/May) when you can allocate an entire meeting (or two) to it. 3-b can be done anywhere, at any time, as long as you have a ruler. You can even make it into a game to see who has the largest/smallest/longest/shortest hands.

E-4 (Play a Game) can be done at least once a week at every den meeting!

E-5 (Spare Time Fun) The boys LOVE making/flying kites! Combine this with E-18 (Outdoor Adventure) a (picnic). Have a great picnic den outing with kite making competitions, and game playing. Of course 5-g-h-i is aimed specifically at the various Cub Scout derbies, however, a paper airplane competition using templates off of the Web works too! I did that with my Tiger Teams and they had a blast!

There are lots more fun things that you can have your Wolf Cubs do with the electives.

My guys loved making Indian rain sticks (E-10-b) out of old paper towel tubes, and story sticks (E-10-f) with flat craft sticks and crayons. The story sticks are quick, and easy to fit into a dead spot in a meeting.

Singing a grace before a meal (E-11-e) is a fun way to remind the boys about their "duty to God".

Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count and complete E-13-a.

Visit a local pet rescue, or shelter, and learn about E-14-b-d.

Depending on your Charter Organization, E-15 might be the perfect way to do a service project and spruce up around your CO.

E-17-b, a great way to help the boys learn to tie their shoes! Knot tying competitions are also lots of fun! The first one done might get a "special" (turks head) necker slide.

Use the resources available, and have FUN!

Tigers (and Wolves/Bears) don't cross over to their new Cub levels until the END of the SCHOOL YEAR. When/if they finish their current rank award has nothing to do with it. That Day Camp Pack is very, very, wrong.

My Tigers each year always complete enough electives to get a handful of beads. All of our ranks end up with a number of arrow points, along with belt loops, and other stuff.

It is not an either/or situation for electives vs belt loops. Electives are great fun for filling in time in a den meeting! I generally did at least 1-3 per month.

You are the COR, not the IH of the CO. Who is on the books as the head of the Charter Organization? Who does the IRS paperwork each year?

This is a call that should be made by the Charter Organization, not just one person.

Your CO, fortunately, or unfortunately, is the parents of the Scouts. Do they know that they "own" the unit? I would get all of the parents together in one room and talk to them about the reality of the situation. Then let the owners of the unit decide what they want to do, or not do, for the Scouts in THEIR Pack.

The Pack is self-chartered by the parents of the Scouts.

If there are no Scouts, and the parents you do have no longer care, why should you?

GSUSA is council/leader oriented. No leader, no program. Leader wants cookies and fashion, GSTroop has cookies and fashion. Leader wants hikes and camping, GSTroop has hiking and camping. Leaders want male leaders, male leaders are welcomed. My good friend Ted formed a Daisy Troop for his daughter, they got dirty, looked for crawfish. Folks flocked to his Daisies....

While a CM, I approached the GS leaders at our elementary school to offer a joint "Join Scouting " night, their response was, "no thank you, we have enough girl scouts, don't want any more (Scout's honor, what they said)". Ever hear a BSA leader say they have enough boys, don't want any more?? Not even to form another Troop??

GSTroop traditionally dissapears when the girls age out. BScout Troop/Pack continues while there is a CO and leaders to make it happen. Ever see a GSTroop 50 years old? Yes, there are GSTroops "experimenting" with multi-age units, but that is not the "official" way things are supposed to operate.

 

The GS program (such as it is) depends on the Leader, not the defined program. There is no program, but what the leader wants to do. There is nothing to MEET, except the leader wants to. In BSA, there is a standard to live up to, and it is encouraged (?enforced?) by a cadre of pros. Never seen or heard of a GSUSA pro doing the same. GSUSA camps are few and far between, yes, with many a tradition, but not the same as a BSA camp (never mind the mass selling off of camps. Another issue.).

 

Venture program is good, but like anything else, it depends on promotion and the leaders attitude, but the BSA at least has a program that the adult leader can use and be trained for.

As with BSA, a lot of what GSUSA groups/troops do for activities depends on the comfort level of the leaders. However there IS a GSUSA program, and GSUSA leaders are required to report to their council at the end of each year exactly how they have met that program. They are also required to turn in a yearly financial report stating how much money has come in, and where it was spent, and if it was not spent, why it was not. No BSA unit has ever been required to report anything to anyone.

GSUSA camps are NOT "few and far between". With the current restructuring, and the consolidating of councils, some underused camps have been sold (BSA has done the same). However there is generally more than one camp property in each council.

No, GSUSA camps are NOT the same as BSA camps. GSUSA camps are not focused on week long badge earning marathons. Most are theme based. There are camps that feature acting, art, horses, music, outdoor adventure, travel, and more. Camps are not generally attended by entire troops. Individual girls sign up for the specific camp program that interests them. One of my daughters GSUSA summer camps was spent hiking at surrounding state parks. Another at a horse ranch learning to care for, and riding, horses. Another year she did archery, and canoeing.

GSUSA is NOT the same as BSA. Comparing the two is like comparing a tomato to an apple. They are both red, they are both fruit, but comparing them is down right silly!

Actually, there was no "animosity" between Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low, and Baden-Powell at all. In fact Daisy was great friends with B-P, and his sister, Agnes Baden-Powell. She worked with Agnes, and B-P, on the newly created Girl Guides, and even organized Girl Guide troops in Scotland, and England. It was her work with the Girl Guides, and seeing the affect it had on the girls involved, that caused her to decide to bring the program to the USA.

Daisy included girls from all backgrounds in her program, including girls that were disabled (she herself was deaf).

Juliette Gordon Low, Agnes Baden-Powell (President of the Girl Guides), and Olave, Lady Baden-Powell (wife of B-P, and Chief Guide), were all non-traditional women who were ahead of their times.

Speaking of Activity Badge counselors - a great place to find those are your council's list of Boy Scout Merit Badge Counselors.

There are many Merit Badges that are similar to Cub Scout Activity Badges.

Art

Athletics

Camping

Chess

Citizenship in the Community/Nation

Communications

Engineering

Family Life

First Aid

Forestry

Geology

Music

Nature

Personal Fitness

Swimming

Theatre

And more

Contact your Boy Scout Troop's Scoutmaster, and ask about Merit Badge Counselors. If he is no help, contact your District Commissioner, or District Executive. Heck, even the council Secretary might be able to get you a list.

[h=1]Webelos Den Leaders

Qualifications: Is at least 21 years old, subscribes to the Declaration of Religious Principle, and agrees to abide by the Scout Oath or Promise and the Scout Law. Possesses the moral, educational, and emotional qualities that the Boy Scouts of America deems necessary to afford positive leadership to youth. Should be interested in and enjoy working with boys and able to work with adults. May be a parent or guardian of one of the boys in the den. Recommended by the Cubmaster after consultation with parents or guardians of the Webelos Scouts involved, and approved by the pack committee and chartered organization. Registered as an adult leader of the BSA. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Leaders/About/ThePack/webdl.aspx[/h] [h=2]Youth Protection

Required Training[/h]

• Youth Protection training is required for all BSA registered volunteers.
  
• 
  
• Minimum two-deep leadership on all outings required. Two registered adult leaders, or one registered leader and a parent of a participating Scout or other adult, one of whom must be 21 years of age or older, are required for all trips and outings. Appropriate adult leadership must be present for all overnight Scouting activities; coed overnight activities – even those including parent and child – require male and female adult leaders, both of whom must be 21 years of age or older, and one of whom must be a registered member of the BSA.
  

A den meeting is not considered to be an "outing". Two-deep does not apply (although a very good idea). The major YP rule to be followed is no one-on-one.

Thought you would all get a chuckle out of this. I found it on the BSA website:

 

"There's no guarantee that you will be selected for a leadership position right away. The selection process is fairly competitive, and you may be competing with a large number of candidates for a small number of positions. But packs and councils are always grateful for volunteers and should be able to find a place where you can help out until the exact position you're interested in comes open."

 

Seriously?!?

Another year I had 4 Tigers. Every single parent wanted to be involved with the den. For the Wolf year we had 3 registered as leaders with the others helping. That group was a recruiting machine! By Webelos they were up to 10 Scouts in their den!

If you can get two parents to work with the Webelos that would be GREAT! One does NOT have to be a registered leader. It is not even required that they take Youth Protection, although it would be HIGHLY recommended.

If I remember correctly, all of your Pack's Cubs meet at the same time/place. If you are on premises for the Webelos parents to call on if necessary that should be sufficient. I would do a combined start of meeting flag ceremony, then have the 2 parents take the 5 Webelos off to do their own thing.

Find out if any of your Pack's families (not just the Webelos) have a talent/interest/job that would tie into a Webelos Activity Badge, and ask them if they would be willing to share their knowledge/love with the Webelos. BSA has a Family Talent Survey that might be helpful -

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/CubScoutMeetingGuide/PDF/Appendix/34362.pdf

4.1.0.4 is not really new. While it has not been spelled out in the Advancement Guide before, it has been mentioned in the Cub Scout Leader Book, and has been a rule for many years now.

 

The only stipulations have been that the Cub can not work in two levels at the same time, and that the extension is for the rank award only.

This is why newly graduated kindergarteners can not be registered as Tiger Cub Scouts until June 1. The system does not see them as eligible until then.

Cub Scouts is flexible, and the Cubs love "bling". However "bling" is not the focus of the program, and the boy also love new, more interesting things.

Of all of the times (maybe 5-6 in 15 years) that I have offered Cubs more time past our end of May Cub Graduation in which to complete their current rank award I have been taken up on it exactly 0 times. The boys prefer to move on to newer activities.

If what you need is ADULT volunteers for your Pack, having Boy Scout YOUTH work with the Cub Scouts is not going to save your Pack.

You need to get your Pack families off of their dead ends. Your first priority should be to find a Cubmaster. If none of the Pack families will step up, how about talking to non-Scouting members of your CO?

You are the IH, is there a COR? How about a Pack CC? As IH you should be working with your COR, and your Pack, and Troop, Committee Chairs, to make, and keep, your Scouting programs healthy. To few doing to much - you, as IH, should NOT be doing everything.

BTW - The ONLY time that BSA stipulates that service can NOT be done for BSA, is for the Eagle project. As others have stated it the SM's call, not the Troop Committee's.

4.1.0.4 is not really new. While it has not been spelled out in the Advancement Guide before, it has been mentioned in the Cub Scout Leader Book, and has been a rule for many years now.

The only stipulations have been that the Cub can not work in two levels at the same time, and that the extension is for the rank award only.

Good Grief!

The more they try to slice, and dice, things every which possible way, and the more they try to cover their back sides, the more convoluted it becomes, and the more opportunities for abuse there are.

Unit leaders, and committees across the country will read ONLY that they can now deny a signed off merit badge.

I can hear the crazed cackles of glee already!

Have the rules changed recently for running a pack? Used to be a requirement of the charter to have a separate Tiger DL if you had Tiger-aged boys; a separate Cub DL if you had Wolf and Bear-aged boys and a separate Webelos DL if you had Webelos. The only allowed combined dens were Wolf and Bear and Webelos I and II. How are you getting away with one DL running the ENTIRE program?

5 paid youth

1 Charter Organization Rep (who can also double as a Committee Chair, or Committee Member)

1 Committee Chair

2 Non-Chair Committee Members

1 unit leader

and only

1 den leader

This was done so that small Packs would still be able to charter.

You need to have a good talk with your other (tardy) adult. Is this adult a leader, or just a parent? Do they at least help out during the meeting, or sit on the sidelines imitating a piece of furniture?

You need HELP!

If this other adult will not step up to the plate, and you can not get any parents to help, you need to contact your Bishop, and make it VERY clear to him that you can NOT do it all by yourself. He needs to call some help up for you - as soon as possible. The boys are not getting the most out of the program the way it is now.

BTW - for a combined meeting, with no ability (lack of adults) to split off into dens, I would increase the length of the meeting to 1.5 hours. This gives you time to do a quick flag ceremony to start the meeting (with whoever is there - START ON TIME- or CANCEL the meeting) then split into two groups. FORCE your other adult to pick one group - Wolf/Bear, or Webelos, and be responsible for them. You can do all of the pre-planning and simply hand her an instruction packet. But, she MUST be in charge of "her" group.

Don't back track for late Scouts. If they miss something, they can finish at home, or not at all. Their choice.

We have a boy in our pack' date=' who has not earned his bobcat, wolf, or bear ranks. He is now a webelos. He was signed up for webelos' camp, but did not attend. All the other webelos attended camp. At camp, they earned readyman and quite a bit of outdoorsman. There were many others, but these are the only two they did that are required for arrow of light. Am I obligated to do these activity badges again for the boy who missed them? Also, we have to make plans for the webelos to go on a hike, do an outdoor activity with the boy scouts and attend a boy scout meeting together as a den. What if one boy misses? Do we have to do it all again? Can they do it on their own as a "make-up"?[/quote']

Well, if the boy has not earned his Bobcat, than, even if all other rank award requirements were met, he still would not be able to earn Wolf, Bear, Webelos, or AOL. Bobcat MUST be completed BEFORE any other Cub rank award can be issued.

 

Since you are an LDS Pack, this boy will be a Webelos Cub Scout until his 11th birthday. At that time he will automatically leave the Pack, and cross into an 11 Year Old Boy Scout program.

 

This will happen even if he never completes ANY Cub Scout awards at all.

 

I would not go to any extraordinary lengths to get him his Webelos, or AOL awards. If you want to concentrate on anything, concentrate on getting him his Bobcat.

 

After that, provide him the opportunities to complete Webelos requirements. Give him (and his parents) information about completing missed activities on their own (including the requirement that the Scout must document his work to be approved by you or someone you assign). If you have any new Webelos you can start them off with some of the activities this Webelos has missed, and include him.

 

Bottom line is that if he has the opportunities to complete the work, and chooses not to, that is his choice. Let him enjoy his last year as a Cub Scout having fun his own way.

 

 

The annual cardboard box vehicle derby is always a big hit. We do it in March, or April, after the big push to finish up the rank award requirements is over.

It is a relay race where we pit den against den racing a cardboard vehicle thru various stations. The first den to have each member finish the race wins that race We usually race Tiger vs Wolf, Bear vs Webelos (usually only 4th grade are left at that point). If one den has less members they get to pick which of their Scouts runs a second lap so that both dens run the same number of laps. The two winning dens race against each other to determine the final winner.

We pick a theme. Every den works during the race month to create a cardboard den vehicle to match that theme. The vehicle is "worn" by a Scout, and carried thru the race stations, so it can't be too big, or unwieldy.

We set up stations (4-5) around our meeting space. The racing dens start at the front of the room, and go in opposite directions thu the stations. We have den parents at the start spot helping each Scout into, and out of, the den vehicle.

Some themes we have done are -

Space - Each den created a space ship of some kind. Some stations were refueling (drink a small cup of water), meteor maze (we made a mini maze out of tables, and tarps, and had parents/siblings toss wads of paper meteors over the top at the ships going thru), and black hole/time warp (alternated between "warping" them back to the previous station, and sucking them past the next one).

Water - Boat type vehicle. Some stations were pit stop - get out of boat, go behind "bush", get back in boat. portage - get out of boat and carry it to the next station.

Race Car - Race car type of vehicle. Stations - tire change (shoes get taken off and put on opposite feet), refuel (drink small cup water), clean windshield (drivers safety glasses get sprayed with water and wiped off)

Air - Anything that can fly - Stations - inflight refuel (must bite off a hanging cookie), turbulence ( maze) .

Construction - Any construction type of a vehicle - Stations - various moving things from one spot to another, refueling, knocking things over, detour.

Armed Forces - Any type of Army/Navy/Air Force vehicle - Stations - target practice, refuel, transport (parents slide Scout/vehicle to next station on plastic tarp).

The boys are all very proud of the den vehicle they have created together. A great team building experience. Lots of creativity, and imagination used to come up with a cool design that works (I will never forget the helicopter, or the tropical raft complete with palm tree).

Everyone gets a participation certificate. The winning den members also each get a ribbon (Cub Scout, party store, $1 store, etc).

There is no rule that a den of Webelos must cross to Boy Scouts together. There is also no rule that they must all go to the same Boy Scout Troop.

When your son has met all of the requirements to join Boy Scouts, and it is what HE wants to do, then there is no reason to hold him back.

And, just a note - although many see it as unimportant, the Cub Scout program only utilizes dens. Even if it is the Flaming Raptor Den. The Boy Scout program utilizes patrols. While it is true that Webelos are transitioning to Boy Scouts, they are still Cub Scouts. Dens, and patrols (other than both being able to have a cool name) are VERY different, and the terms should not be used interchangeably.

Dear KDD:

 

Re: the BSA policy about not requiring parents to help. I asked our district exec this by email earlier in the spring based on my contact with American Heritage Girls for my daughter, which does have a policy that every parent volunteer in some way. So does our church music group, and my kids' AWANA class. This was his reply:

 

"BSA does not require, or even ask, that parents commit a certain amount of volunteer time as a condition of their Scout joining the pack. I can easily see why that’s the case. Consider households where, because of family or work situations, parents simply cannot volunteer – that would mean their boys would be excluded from Scouts.

 

It’s also worth noting that BSA does not even accept all parents who do volunteer – it’s rare, of course, but that’s why the background checks are conducted. All volunteers with the Pack must be registered leaders, and all must take Youth Protection Training."

 

In other conversations, the general tone has been that our BSA Council is all about signing boys up. They truly don't seem to care if we have enough parents to put on a quality program, or if the small contingent of parents running our pack is totally burned out. The attitude seems to be: "all boys have a right to enjoy Scouting". It doesn't seem to matter if the parents drop and run, complain constantly, bounce checks, whatever.

 

I actually had one parent this year get mad at me as treasurer because I wouldn't accept a second check from her after she had failed to reimburse the pack for a prior bounced check for popcorn nor had she paid her dues. This was in March, after she always had time to waste my time at Scout events listening to her sob stories. Like I have time for this. I'm there to be with my son, lady, not listen to excuse after excuse from you, and certainly not to hear her anger when I couldn't take another check from her.

 

Our pack is a mess. The standard procedure all year has been to plan events, beg for volunteers 1-2 weeks before the event, not get any volunteers, and then kick the responsibility to one of the very few of us already volunteering so that we don't disappoint the kids. I volunteered to be treasurer only, but I've been caught up in almost every event we've done. Not because I have time or because I want to, but out of guilt. As a result, I have firmly told the pack leaders that for the upcoming year, I am webmaster only. Absolutely nothing else.

 

I volunteer on a total of five programs between school and church in which my kids are involved. BSA doesn't seem to get that. Their attitude is that volunteers are there no matter when, no matter what, for whatever the BSA and the boys need. No thanks.

 

I have never heard our pack leaders come out and even ask the dozens of parents that do absolutely nothing to volunteer their time. And yet, they will keep coming back to the same 5 or 6 people over and over and over again because we're all suckers, apparently. That's lazy leadership.

 

Our pack leader had the nerve to ask "someone" in our little pack committee to organize a pack activity promoting Earth Day and recycling, complete with materials, in April on two days notice. I didn't even bother to respond to the email. And then he complained when no one stepped up. Finally, our Bear den leader, who has four kids of her own, dropped everything, put together an activity with materials and led it herself. God Bless her, but I'm just sick of enabling our pack leaders this way.

 

The CM and CC started the pack so they could do great things with their kids. And they do. All the fun stuff like Pinewood, etc. While the 3-4 other leaders (almost all moms with small kids) do everything else. I'm tired of enabling these two. Maybe by putting a very firm boundary on my time this upcoming year, they will be forced to either insist that the other dozens of do-nothing parents step up, or do more themselves.

 

As an adult, I hate Scouting. There is no joy in it at all. I have spent practically no time with my son this year. During all events, I am stuck off at a table somewhere accepting payments, writing receipts, and trying to explain activities and signups to everyone. I barely saw my son's car race. The way they handle volunteering totally eliminates any opportunity to enjoy Scouting with my son.

 

So next year, I will be webmaster, and that's it. Whenever anyone has questions, payments, forms to hand in, whatever, I'm just going to smile and send them over to our CM. :-)

 

So, KDD, as much as I wish the BSA would support a policy like other groups use of requiring parents to volunteer, the BSA is evidently against it. I hope you work things out with your pack.

 

GeorgiaMom

No, they don't really. They simply more fully utilize the Charter Organization concept than anyone else.

From the BSA Charter Agreement -

"The chartered organization agrees to

• Conduct the Scouting program according to its OWN POLICIES AND GUIDELINES as well as those of the Boy Scouts of America

"We can "set the expectation" that they participate, and highly encourage them to participate, but when push comes to shove we can not drop them for that reason alone. "

This is inaccurate. A Charter Organization OWNS ITS SCOUTING UNITS. They can drop any of their unit members (adult or youth) at any time, for any (or no) reason at all. The local BSA Council can NOT force a Charter Organization to accept, or keep any member.

The signature of the Unit Leader is required on any Youth Application. The signature of the Committee Chair, along with the signature of the Charter Organization Head, or Representative, is required on any Adult Application before it can even be sent into the local council.

From The Chartered Organization Representative (BSA # 33118) -

"THE UNITS BELONG TO YOUR ORGANIZATION"

"Your organization has the Scouting program on charter from the Boy Scouts of America, but the Scouting units and their leaders belong to your organization and are part of its ‘‘family.’’ It is most important that this relationship be understood. The BSA local council exists only to support your organization and to help it be successful."

Dear KDD:

 

Re: the BSA policy about not requiring parents to help. I asked our district exec this by email earlier in the spring based on my contact with American Heritage Girls for my daughter, which does have a policy that every parent volunteer in some way. So does our church music group, and my kids' AWANA class. This was his reply:

 

"BSA does not require, or even ask, that parents commit a certain amount of volunteer time as a condition of their Scout joining the pack. I can easily see why that’s the case. Consider households where, because of family or work situations, parents simply cannot volunteer – that would mean their boys would be excluded from Scouts.

 

It’s also worth noting that BSA does not even accept all parents who do volunteer – it’s rare, of course, but that’s why the background checks are conducted. All volunteers with the Pack must be registered leaders, and all must take Youth Protection Training."

 

In other conversations, the general tone has been that our BSA Council is all about signing boys up. They truly don't seem to care if we have enough parents to put on a quality program, or if the small contingent of parents running our pack is totally burned out. The attitude seems to be: "all boys have a right to enjoy Scouting". It doesn't seem to matter if the parents drop and run, complain constantly, bounce checks, whatever.

 

I actually had one parent this year get mad at me as treasurer because I wouldn't accept a second check from her after she had failed to reimburse the pack for a prior bounced check for popcorn nor had she paid her dues. This was in March, after she always had time to waste my time at Scout events listening to her sob stories. Like I have time for this. I'm there to be with my son, lady, not listen to excuse after excuse from you, and certainly not to hear her anger when I couldn't take another check from her.

 

Our pack is a mess. The standard procedure all year has been to plan events, beg for volunteers 1-2 weeks before the event, not get any volunteers, and then kick the responsibility to one of the very few of us already volunteering so that we don't disappoint the kids. I volunteered to be treasurer only, but I've been caught up in almost every event we've done. Not because I have time or because I want to, but out of guilt. As a result, I have firmly told the pack leaders that for the upcoming year, I am webmaster only. Absolutely nothing else.

 

I volunteer on a total of five programs between school and church in which my kids are involved. BSA doesn't seem to get that. Their attitude is that volunteers are there no matter when, no matter what, for whatever the BSA and the boys need. No thanks.

 

I have never heard our pack leaders come out and even ask the dozens of parents that do absolutely nothing to volunteer their time. And yet, they will keep coming back to the same 5 or 6 people over and over and over again because we're all suckers, apparently. That's lazy leadership.

 

Our pack leader had the nerve to ask "someone" in our little pack committee to organize a pack activity promoting Earth Day and recycling, complete with materials, in April on two days notice. I didn't even bother to respond to the email. And then he complained when no one stepped up. Finally, our Bear den leader, who has four kids of her own, dropped everything, put together an activity with materials and led it herself. God Bless her, but I'm just sick of enabling our pack leaders this way.

 

The CM and CC started the pack so they could do great things with their kids. And they do. All the fun stuff like Pinewood, etc. While the 3-4 other leaders (almost all moms with small kids) do everything else. I'm tired of enabling these two. Maybe by putting a very firm boundary on my time this upcoming year, they will be forced to either insist that the other dozens of do-nothing parents step up, or do more themselves.

 

As an adult, I hate Scouting. There is no joy in it at all. I have spent practically no time with my son this year. During all events, I am stuck off at a table somewhere accepting payments, writing receipts, and trying to explain activities and signups to everyone. I barely saw my son's car race. The way they handle volunteering totally eliminates any opportunity to enjoy Scouting with my son.

 

So next year, I will be webmaster, and that's it. Whenever anyone has questions, payments, forms to hand in, whatever, I'm just going to smile and send them over to our CM. :-)

 

So, KDD, as much as I wish the BSA would support a policy like other groups use of requiring parents to volunteer, the BSA is evidently against it. I hope you work things out with your pack.

 

GeorgiaMom

You blame "BSA", your local council, and/or the national organization, for problems within your individual Pack.

BSA can NOT "REQUIRE" all parents to volunteer. BSA does NOT OWN their units. The individual Charter Organization owns their own units.

As long as it does not interfere with the BSA program, or harm BSA in any way, individual Charter Organizations can implement whatever extra requirements they want to on THEIR Scout units.

Some Charter Orgs DO require parents to volunteer their time. Heck, one of the largest Charter Orgs in the country has it's leaders "voluntold". The Charter Org itself calls up one of it's members (not necessarily a parent) and tells them that they will be doing this job for this Scout unit, and that is that.

The Pack leaders that you are so angry at, are also just volunteers. Volunteers that have the responsibility to put on a Scout program for a group of families that refuse to help. That puts THEM in the position of having to do it all or disappoint ALL of the boys. If my Pack's Charter Organization would/could not institute a mandatory volunteerism program, and I could not get any help from any of the Pack families, you can bet your bottom dollar that I would use every guilt trip, and trick I could come up with to pry the needed help out of the Pack's adults.

BTW, my family is a two income family. We both worked full time, and also managed to volunteer with BSA, and GSUSA (at both the district, and unit level), at church, at both my children's schools, with the school's Parent Associations, and with various other organizations.

Many of the families in my son's Pack had both parents working full time, and many of those working parents still managed to do quite a lot of volunteering in their community. I am sure that many of the working moms/dads (myself included) would have LOVED to be able to AFFORD to take a pay cut and be a work-at-home parent. However, unlike you, they could NOT afford to do that.

Have you ever considered that some of those double income families that you so like to look down your nose on, might feel a bit put off when you, a stay-at-home mom, who they (right or wrongly) felt had more available time/money, complained that they did not take what little time they DID have with THEIR kids, and spend it on YOURS.

You seem to make a habit of coming up with over-generalizations, and inaccuracies, to support your complaints.

Always tuck the ground cloth under the tent otherwise you end up with an indoor swimming pool every time! Every bit of rain that rolls off the tent will get caught in the ground cloth and go under the tent! Major mistake most newbies make. I was at Centennial Jambo and walked by a contingent that obvious tented seldom in the rain. Ground cloths sticking out all over the place. I talked to the SM about it making the tuck in suggestion. He was not very courteous, kind or cheerful about the comment. After the first rain, he came back and apologized. Then he went back and helped the boys dry their things out. The sad part of the whole thing was it wasn't even that heavy of a rain, but the tent collected up its fair share of the moisture and it all ran under the tents.

Even a heavy dew on the ground cloth can end up under the tent.

It does not matter if you are staking down your tent or not.If moisture gets between the ground cloth and the tent floor it will cause the inside of the tent to get anywhere from slightly damp to sopping wet.

I seems that you have just been very lucky.

If you want to protect something left outside, get a tent with a vestibule, and put down a cheap throw rug under it.