SeattlePioneer

No banner. Pack flag ---- which is hung from a bar so it's visible.

My Cub Scout Pack will be marching in a community 4th of July parade tomorrow --- this seems to be pretty popular with Cub Scouts. I'm encouraging Scouts to bring noisemakers and my plan is to form a "marching band."

So who is planning the next Scout year for their unit and what methods are you using to prepare for that task?

When I was a Scoutmaster, I had one Scout who was afraid of the water and a non swimmer. I asked his parents about this --- they said he had mild cerebral palsy but that his doctors thought it would be good for him to learn to swim. So for several years, when we went swimming he sat on shore or at the dock. He couldn't pass the swim test for Second Class. I never made a particular point of it, because it was a decision he had to make for himself. The last outing I was on before leaving the troop was to a swimming pool, and during the swim this boy popped up beside me in the pool with a big grin on his face! He's finally taken the swimming lessons he needed to overcome his fear and learn the skill.

I'm guessing that if they'd offered Basement a ride up the hill once in a while we wouldn't be hearing this complaining.....

My district has a critical need to find out how English speaking units can effectively recruit and reatin Hispanic youth and families. We have lots of schools that are 60% Hispanic and 10% white, and recruiting from the 10% folks isn't very effective. And the Hispanic demographic is continuing to grow ----rapidly. So I'm campaigning for our next DE to be Hispanic, or at least well qualified and capable of figuring out how we can do a much better job with Hispanic families. I e-mailed the District Chair, District Commissioner, the Director of Field Services and the Council Membership Vice President on this, since I understand they are interviewing new DEs now. If our district can figure out how to do this job right, the methods could be expanded to the good many other districts in the council that need to learn how to do this as well.

In the Cub Scouts, we do our best. Sometimes it leaves something to be desired....

I REALLY agree with DG98 --- you want to give boys choices over which den they are in as much as possible. I'd look for ways to let boys choose, and gradually establish new dens over time. The "Timber Wolves" would be on group with their own parent leading them and the "gray Wolves" another. The Den Leader starts by drawing up an activity plan for both groups, which each put on in their own way and adapt as needed. Gradually the parents becfome Assistant Den Leaders and the Den Leaders.

Well, we didn't misplace him. Another DE PROMOTED! This one will be supervising DEs in the two top districts in the council. An excellent young man who has done excellent work. I wouldn't be surprised if he winds up a Council Executive or similar senior position. But now we have to break in a new DE. Interviews are happening as I understand it --- although I'm not part of that. So what are the tricks and methods of welcoming and getting a new DE started?

Oops.... x(This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)

You mean it TOOK the report several times? I didn't see that, either! I finally got one acknowledgment which I supposed meant that the report had finally been accepted, once.

People never look on the bright side.... Those new green shoulder tabs for Boy Scouts for example..... think of all the RED TAPE that eliminated!

After submitting my second idea about fifty times, I finally got the COMPUTER PROGRAM to deign to accept it. Too picky about unimportant details, and not much guidance on how to correct the "flaws."

I entered two last night, although I don't think the best one wound up being accepted by the picky screening program.

Let's keep in mind that id a unit is well run, freeing Den Leaders or Assistant Scoutmasters from attending committee meeting would be saving an evening of their time. Ideally, the committee will be providing the resources needed for the program and there will be no real need for program related people other than CM or SM to attend.

So loading cannister would be frowned upon?

Hello Beavah, What you say is no doubt true. But frankly, I'm not trained in sifting the wheat from the chaff. If the Council Executive or his designee wants to approve someone with a felony conviction, they are welcome to do so. It's not something I would likely do. A man's gotta know his limitations.(This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)

Opening paragraph from an e-mail regarding our Pack camping trip last weekend: > The program is aimed at boys but Scouting requires that there be an appropriate program for siblings who come to meetings and activities. Not the same thing as having a program designed for your needs and interests of course.

I agree with ScoutMom. If you identify someone as a convicted felon and put them in contact with children you are inviting a huge punitive damage claim if something goes wrong. The whole purpose of the background check is to identify people with such convictions. If you were going to ignore them, why bother? People do dumb things when they are young? Yep ---and it can have lifetime consequences.

I haven't been informed of what I can expect my role to be at camp. Show up in uniform and we'll go from there. So I don't know what to expect. The DE/Camp Director is at camp beginning this week, so I don't expect more information. I can play it by ear, but I was thinking that being prepared with a Plan B like the seminar idea might be worth considering as a possibility. I'm expecting it to be interesting to be on the "management" side of summer camp, rather than being on the "customer" side of summer camp as a Scoutmaster or Troop Committee member attending summer camp with a troop. As a district committee person, I'm pretty used to that role on the district level, and have been pretty successful with it. And yes, this is a Boy Scout Camp. One thing occurs to me --- I'm going to see if I can get the information on the program that is sent out to Scoutmasters and bone up on the content of the program. I can be informed on that and make a list of any questions I see that might need an answer. (This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)

I'm highly motivated to train Cub Scouts in cooking, but I haven't been having a lot of success. We just completed an overnight camp this past weekend. Our dinner menue was baked potatoes with topping like hamburger in barbeque sauce, cheese and such. My theory is that wrapping potatoes to cook over coals would be easy for new Tiger Cubs, and Webelos Scouts could help browing off hamburger and such. Well, the Webelos helped get the charcoal lit and built a fire for our evening "smores desert. The potato wrapping went fine, but coralling the Webelos to help further with dinner preparation didn't work well. One new Bear Cub stayed and diligently turned the potatoes and did a fine job. Not much help with clean up either. Any ideas for better methods to focus the interest of boys on cooking skills ---the Webelos boys in particular. I'd like to see our new Webelos Den do some camping trips, but they need to start looking after themselves if that is going to happen.

From the comments offered, it doesn't sound like the usual demands of a Camp Commissioner are especially taxing. I'm always interested in things that will contribute to a quality program. And just what methods are going to allow you to stay in touch with Troop leaders during the week? "Weather looks good today" seems a bit trite. I'd rather chat with people about how their troops are doing and what kinds of things they do well or need help with. Recruiting new Scouts and recruiting new adult leaders are two of the most reliable issues in Scout units in my experience. Some do that job well and many need help with ideas. If you can identify troops that are in camp and do those things well and organize a seminar to discuss one of those issues, it would seem to be a worthwhile project. And of course it's something I would only do if the Camp Director were interested. The Camp Director is the District Executive in my district and we get on very well. I'm surprised at the lack of interest in this. But that's why I asked for opinions. Thanks for the comments.

Hey Ala-BAMA! My bias is that Philmont and other such bases are overpriced and not something I'd promote as part of a Scouting program. At least in areas surrounding Seattle, there are huge varieties of quality trips Troops can take. My aim is a quality Scouting program that can be run at low to moderate cost. What I see is that Philmont type programs typically involve a heavily adult led program to raise money and such. It just doesn't seem necessary, at least around here. Other areas might not have quite the same advantages for quality trips.

I was considering offering to lead a seminar for adult leaders on, say, Recruiting Scouts to Troops and/or methods of identifying and signing up adult troop leaders. I would envision this as an optional activity for interested adults for an hour. Anyone think something like this might be of interest to adult leaders at camp? If you think the idea of a seminar is worth considering, any topics you think might be attractive to adult leaders at camp? (This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)

I was recently recruited by my District Executive who also serves as Summer Camp Director to serve as a Camp Commissioner in August. What kinds of things would you like to see a Camp Commissioner do.... or not do?(This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)