DannyG

I am interested to see how the new AOL requirements shakes out. Is it more of a full-year commitment? One gripe with the current AOL program is it is not a full-year program. It is a 6-month requirement, then get them ASAP into a troop. That's good for the Cubs who spent years learning about scouting. But is it enough for the kids who joined new in 5th-grade? They paid for a full-year program only to get rushed out the door to join a new unit. I believe Cub Scouts who want to transition to Scouts BSA should start meeting regularly with their troop before they earn AOL. Maybe not every wee

I live in the Northeast, so I am in the same boat as far as scheduling outdoor activities during den meetings. We have to load them in the beginning or sit on them until the end of the school year, before/after time change, to get any daylight outside. Our Pack strives to schedule one outing per month on a weekend to get the cubs outside; Non-mandatory, except for specific rank requirements, as there are always conflicts with sports -- But they get multiple chances to complete an outing since we are outside at least once a month.

An Eagle scout with that much experience would be a boon to a troop that is 95% new scouts. He'd make a great Troop Guide or JASM. But if he's outgrown the troop, looking to take the next step in adventure, look into Venturing or Sea Scouts. He has to belong to a scouting unit somewhere to continue OA.

There was nothing you could do to convince the parents otherwise. They refused to see it for themselves. It sounds as if they did not want to have any involvement in scouting. Too bad for the child, they were not going to be a good fit.

If you talk to your scouts and parents you might find it went better than you think. Sounds like you are going to do fine. You learn by making mistakes. You will also learn the personality of your den the more you meet with them. Sounds like you have a very active bunch, as I did when I led Cubs. We had to run out some energy before we could tackle something as serious as Bobcat. Luckily the rest of the Tiger requirements are more active so they will be having more fun soon. Good luck.

Hi! I like your idea. The rule is in YPT: You are required to be there, that's it. You can ask any number of adults to help lead a scout activity as long as you have at least 2 registered adults to supervise. I think it is a great idea to have the parents use their own expertise and lead those portions of the activity. Who knows, maybe the experience will lead them to become more involved and they register as a scout leader someday in the future? It seems wasteful to force them to register if they only lead one or two activities a year.

Now that you are aware of the problem, what can you do to teach these scouts about their behavior? A lot of scouting is perceiving your own mistakes and learn how to correct them. So the scouts that were involved in vandalizing the bathrooms, they might be given the task to inspect and clean the restrooms after every meeting for a month. Find a constructive way to let them see their mistakes and correct them. Hopefully one day these scouts will have a chance at leadership and they will have to put up with younger scouts talking back!

Break it down into chunks. Learn one or two requirements per den meeting and plan to do another activity in-between. There are some good ideas on the internet for playing Bobcat/Scout Law/Scout Oath type-games. Or substitute any fun game your den likes to play. My general flow goes like this: First meeting: Get to know you game + Cub Scout Motto + Cub Scout Sign Second meeting: Craft + Scout Law + Cub Scout Salute Third meeting: Outdoor game + Scout Oath + Cub Scout handshake Etc. If you are a new den leader, one tip you will quickly learn: Be flexible. If you have an outd

This is exactly how our district runs a Cubs event: It is required to register a minimum one adult volunteer per 5 cub scouts (+Lions and Tigers are required to attend with their adult partner). Pack/Den Leader is one of the volunteer positions. So if you register 5 or less youth, they will merge you with another small unit with 5 or less plus their adult volunteer, so you will be in a combined unit of roughly 10 scouts with 2 adult leaders. If your unit registers up to 10 youth, you must bring a minimum of two adult volunteers: so you have your one leader + one assistant. After you register m

YES! Mine too. They always add too much soap to the wash basin so the rinse water turns into soap , and they don't know how to measure sanitizer either. I am fascinated the scouts get it right most of the time but the parents never do.

I agree, tablets seem easier to deal with. Every scout eventually has a horror story from the latrine when they didn't sanitize. Like putting the rainfly on your tent, better to be safe than sorry.

I am curious what do your units typically use in the sanitizer bucket to clean your dishes? My current unit swears by the old liquid bleach bottles - add a few drops to the sanitize water. I have camped with a different unit who carries a bottle of Steramine tablets in their supplies. It is smaller, easier to pack and lighter to carry. It also seems easier to measure: add one tablet per gallon, instead of a few splashes of bleach and guessing if you got the correct amount. I suppose the only downside is cost; bleach is cheaper. What sanitizer do you prefer to wash your dishes and why?

For Cub Scouts, we typically keep it pretty easy: Hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. Webelos have a cooking requirement, so we keep it easy enough for them to participate on the outing. We pair them up, and put them with an adult leader supervising on the grills and clean-up. PB&J isn't bad as a back-up plan, but watch for food allergies. My kid was one of them. So we'd pack our own food with us just in case. One of my fondest memories: during a Webelos campout we planned to cook one-pot spaghetti for dinner. On our afternoon hike we found some hen of the woods growing on the side of the trai

Volun-tell an adult they should be den leader. Give them the application, tell them how to complete YPT. Our Pack pays for adult leaders registration in our dues. We figured at least our volunteers don't have to pay for the job. (Well, we used to do this with our recharter. Let's see how this new online registration works.) So what if they don't complete the registration process, if they are taking steps leading the den? They can always catch up. Baby steps...

The best way is assign somebody the job and watch them handle it. Volun-told, we call it. Then do nothing? If they don't have a den leader to plan a meeting, they don't meet. Sorry to say it. Unless current leadership steps up to fill the gaps, it sounds like a dying unit. If they refuse to run a den meeting now, who is going to lead the unit when the current leadership moves on? Our dens meet at the same time for this reason. If there isn't coverage, first it falls on the Cubmaster, then we will combine dens if we have to. Once the scouts earn the requirements, and still no paren

The $60 cost to BSA for adult leaders to register is for the background check and training (theoretically). They are throwing their money away if they don't do training. My unit told me I would not participate on overnight trips if I did not register, pay the fee, submit to the background check... And we are sponsored by a Catholic Church, which also has their own VIRTUS training and background check. Yet it seems your unit still has adults participating without registration... Can they register with BSA, forgo the Livescan, so they won't be fully registered in the state but at least

When I was a youth, my troop would schedule one or two camping trips per year as "family" events. It would be a fun trip: to the beach, an amusement park, something light and easy. As I remember the scouts would set up camp and operate separately from the parents and family, then we'd join together for the day trip. That's how we ran. My current troop doesn't schedule any family overnight campouts. With our litigious society, I can understand the danger. I know. Crazy how we got onto the subject legal settlements and abuse from family campouts and YPT.

BSA wants all of the adults registered and background checked before camping overnight with a scout troop. Unregistered parents are permitted to observe up to a point; they can attend day programs but must leave camp once scouts go to sleep.

Ok. Then I admit it's a regional difference. My Cub Scout Pack is a family pack that attracts entire families. That means there's a gaggle of cub scouts, parents, and siblings around at our meetings and events. The adults don't openly want to volunteer either. You have to ask.

So you are saying in response to @dangale, original post: Stop right there. Cancel the family campout entirely??? In other words, by conducting this event they are violating more than YPT guidelines? I understand your response. What I am saying is they need to conduct this campout outside of the scouting realm. Groups of friends and families can go camping together, especially at a public KOA campground. They need to be certain all attendees know this is not a scouting activity.

Maybe there is a generational difference. When I was a kid, parents just dropped their kids off at Cub scout meetings and left. I suppose they had hoped a few adults would stick around as volunteers. Today's parents want a program they can enjoy together as a family. Lions and Tigers work together with an adult partner. I find this acclimates parents into the program, especially if they were not scouts as children. By the time their kids are Wolf/Bear they are giving back to the Pack, and at Webelos/AOL they are leading. So these adults are ready for leadership roles if their kids decide to j

Agreed. But there are units that have a history of family campouts in their program. National should know. Their reqs don't seem to cover that. Except for Cub Scouts, who are strictly family-camping only. Should there be something in-between?

Would any of the moms on the camping trip like to become registered leaders? Please note, as @ToKindle96 posted: Parents cannot camp overnight on a scouting activity unless they are a registered volunteer. If this is an unofficial gathering of friends, that's different. Then everyone is just camping out as families. It is not a sanctioned scout event.

YES! Wouldn't it be great to have a program for these young adults with similar interests in the outdoors to mingle, to plan their own trips, and further develop leadership skills as an adult? The scouts aging out of the program have so much value to give back to the youth. Even more so than the adult leaders of these aging out scouts. Instead we just let them go, hopefully to find their way back years later with their own youth.

I feel your frustration. As a volunteer leader I feel like I have to shield my unit's parents from this negative part. Let's just focus on building the best program for our youth. The rest will work itself out. Kids will want to join if you are out having adventures, having fun! FWIW, new registration process was very unpopular at our latest Roundtable too.