troopmom257

I know what you are saying, but have you seen the girl scouts lately? There official uniform consists of a vest or sash. They can choose to wear a GS shirt or pants, but you usually can only tell if they are girl scouts or not if you can spot there vest or sash under all the patches.

The uniforms may be the same as years before, but they are recognizable by most of the population. It also gives most boys a sense of belonging and pride. I agree that the cost is imposing and I wish something could be done about that, but I feel that the design is fine.

This issue does need to be addressed within the unit, but I would suggest you start at the committee meeting.

Bring up your concerns along with the rules from the Guide to Safe Scouting. Mention that you don't feel this is setting a good example for the boys, and you feel it should be stopped. Volunteer to be the one to make the copies. You may even want to call a parents meeting, without the boys present.

If you don't get any response from the leadership at the committee meeting, I would take it above theirs heads. Try the unit commissioner or the Unit Serving Executive. They should be willing to address the committee with you.

This is a serious matter, but it could tear the unit apart. Use tact in your approach or it could blow up.

Good Luck, and I hope they are willing to listen.

Our pack would meet once a month from Sept. to June, with at least 3 summer activities other than camp.

Den meetings were left to the individual dens. Some met every week, some met only twice a month. One den met during the summer as well, but most did not.

The troop meets every week year round on Sunday nights. We don't have meetings when we have activities, such as camp-outs, where we come back on a Sunday. We also have an activity/community event each month. We do not have meetings too close to holidays, and we take a week off after summer camp. Summer time attendance is way down, but we have the meetings for those who can attend.

Basically, the unit can set up whatever meeting schedule works best for them as the committee sees fit, and still following the basic BSA guidelines. If you would like a different meeting schedule without changing units, bring it up at the next committee meeting along with any reasons/concerns you have for the change.

Hope this helps!

Hi and Welcome!

You mentioned that the den leader doesn't seem to have much control over the boys. As mentioned before, training is the key. Some tips to help until you get trained:

Have a plan for the meeting and stick to it.

Have a gathering activity for the boys to do as they assemble. This will eliminate the "free for all" as you wait for everyone.

Have snack/game time at the end of meetings. If you run out of time because of bad behavior, you don't have snack or game. Let the boys know this is how it will be. They will change quickly.

Another great tool to control behavior is a behavior candle. At the beginning of the meeting, you light 3 candles. You tell the boys that whenever someone misbehaves, a candle will be blown out. When the last candle is blown out, no snack.

I got these ideas from training and roundtable meetings. Great forums for information and ideas.

I also liked the above idea about both of you going to training together. That's how my son's DL and I did it (I was the ADL).

Good Luck!

One of the units in our district in Central Wisconsin is going to the Porcupine Mts. in the upper Peninsula of Michigan. If you go north of Sault St. Marie, this wouldn't be too much further. It borders Lake Superior, and has very good hiking trails, etc., so I'm told. Not sure if that is what your looking for?

We start asking our boys what events they would like to do at summer camp when we are around the campfire. We brainstorm ideas and write them all down, even the crazy ones. We compile a list and present it at our fall annual planning meeting, which we hold after our district Fall kick-off event in August and before school starts for the year.

We map out our troop meetings for the year, district events, school events,and see what we can feasably use from the boys list. Things like a trip to Disney World have to wait (we live in Wisconsin), but we can definately do more camping and hiking, etc. We try to make sure that we have at least one troop or community event each month. We do leave enough room in the calendar for uncharted events, and we reveiw the upcoming 2 months calendar at our monthly committee meetings. We also use the Packs calendar so we can factor in combined events such as Blue & Gold (where the Webelos cross-over) and the Pinewood Derby (the troop runs the races).

Too much info? Sorry if I get too windy. Hope some of it helps!

I came from a pack that had more boys than yours, but bad leadership. We went from a Cubmaster that just wanted out, to one that flew to both the east and west coast for work, and planned pack meetings in the hour he arrived home before hand. I wanted better for my son, so I took over when he realised he couldn't keep up.

I would see if one of your troop could become the CC, then I would have a real committee meeting. Find out what the leadership of the Pack really want to do, whether quit or make it stronger. Then, go to the parents. Set aside time during a pack meeting just for this, have some of your boyscouts play a game or do a craft elsewhere with the cubs so you have the parents undivided attention. Lay it out for them, either you get more involvement or the unit dies.

Show the fast start training video before you start so they know that it isn't as hard as it may sound. Show them the program helps that has the program all planned out for them. KISMIF(keep it simple,make it fun) Have a list of district training events so they can be trained quickly, and have another planning meeting for the year if there wasn't one already. Once you get more involvement, have a "bring a friend" night and plan some fun events. Give each boy who brings someone a special prize. This might be more effective than regular recruiting.

Do you have a unit commissioner? If not, ask someone from a more successful pack to come in and talk to the parents. Your DE doesn't sound like he would be much help.

Good Luck, and I hope some of this helps!

Hi!

I'm too new to have done any high-adventure stuff, but have you considered contacting the councils in Alaska? They may be a great resource.

Sorry I couldn't be more help!

Hi All!

Awesome info! Here is my 2 cents:

1. We don't let the SPL at our comm. mtg.

2. We schedule the event, and those who have other plans, don't attend. They decide on an individual basis whether to change their other plans or not, the troop doesn't reschedule for a few. The annual planning calendar is the best defence for this. If you plan ahead, less conflicts.

3. We have 100 % at some activities, and 40% at others, also with a small troop (12 active boys). YP guidelines are always followed.

We are also trying to become a boy-led troop. Former leadership did it all, boys had to follow. SPL position was a figure head who did what SM wanted. Only 5 boys left in troop when my son crossed over. We are making baby steps. Thanks for all the info posted here!

Troopmom

At the Den level, you can probably get better results by withholding snack. Have you ever tried a behavior candle? You light 3 candles at the beginning of a meeting. You tell the boys that if anyone is naughty/disruptive, a candle will be blown out. If all 3 candles get blown out, no one gets snack for that meeting. You would be suprised what peer pressure does!

At the troop level, we tell them that if we need to stop and wait for there cooperation, we won't have time to play the game that was planned for the night. One or two reminders, or games missed, and you get a different attitude.

Give these a try. You will be surprised how well they work!

I agree with Wishboat. Some television stations will do non-profit advertising, our local paper also does, and our Chamber of Commerce has an ad board that they post events on. I also like the idea of handing out flyers at a sports event. Are there any coaches who have been involved in scouts in the past? Ask if they could hand them out at practice, such as Flag Football, soccer, etc. Especially if they are run by other groups, such as the YMCA, etc. How about checking with your Chartered Organization? Maybe they will have some ideas or can help with some more costly options.

Church bulletins are also a wonderful way to go.

Hope these help!

Hi!

I am also from WI and new to Boyscouts. I would start with the "Fast Start" video. You can get a copy from your scoutmaster or your local council office. Your scoutmaster may also know when the training events in your area will be held. If not, your local council can put you in touch with your district exec, who should know. Youth Protection training is also a must and can be completed on-line. See your council for details, or email me back. I have them.

I commend you for wanting to go to the training. I had a blast at mine, and enjoy all the adventures with my son!