DannyG

This is what I was looking for. Thinking of Committee and COR training... Positions held by older folks who don't have access to the technology as easily. Try to find some way to offer YPT and position specific training in a low-tech way. Otherwise, I'll just set up a computer lab and help them click through all the online modules. IOLS/BALOO is offered by district twice a year in fall/spring. So those folks just have to wait until it comes around again.

I have seen it offered as classroom training. Does anybody know what it takes to become a trainer? I'd like to offer training to the unit at a committee meeting.

Unless your Pack had some agreement to send money with crossovers, then no. My Pack has never contributed any money to a Troop. Registered Cub Scouts can be transferred over to the Troop charter for the remainder of the year, so there is no additional charter fee. If the Troop needs funds to cover their own expenses, then they should be collecting dues from those scouts. When my Cub Scout transferred, he was assessed prorated dues we had to pay to the Troop. We never assumed the Pack was going to pay this.

After you consider the bankruptcy and what transpired in the past to bring BSA to that point, you can understand why units don't want unknown adults around their scouts. I'd think you were sketchy if you walked in the door asking to help. But with your experience you would be a great asset to teach adults to become new leaders and help their units. Talk to the council and district. Our council always has a need for commissioners. See if you can volunteer at the local BSA camp. You need to find a way in, build your network, meet other scout leaders in your area to earn their trust. Since y

Actually, the rule for Cub Scouts is council "approved" camps. They don't have to be council owned. My council has approved the state park our unit camps in, and some privately owned (church groups) camps. Check with your unit commissioner. They may be able to help get your camp approved.

Too bad. I know our Cubs can only shoot during Summer Day camp, or every once in a while when they schedule a special event.

Meaning your Cubs must camp at a council staffed camp in order to stay more than one night. It doesn't apply if you find your own campsite outside BSA. So the council adds some honey to attract the Cubs into the local camp... Win-win? Unintended consequences? Better than nothing I suppose.

The existence of God is a belief. All you must have to complete the requirements is a belief in something. It does not matter if you pray to God, Yahweh, Allah... Buddhists do not believe in a singular god, yet Buddhist scouts have been recognized for decades and can earn a religious emblem. The emblems are off-limits unless you belong to an established faith, but there other activities that can be done to complete the requirements . I had a conversation with a Cub Scout parent who does not follow any established religion. I wondered how they were able to complete the Duty to God require

Congratulations. I have felt the Cubmaster position is like the cheerleader of the Pack. Bring a lot of energy and make it fun! You set the example for the Pack, for better or worse. I found Roundtables to be informative, at least for networking with other leaders. Share ideas, find out what works, what doesn't, etc. Our Pack committee is active. Our unit rebuilt it specifically after COVID so that workload could be shared amongst many; so not all of the jobs fall under Cubmaster and Committee Chair. I find we get better attendance at virtual meetings, but in-person meetings are more engaging.

It seems to me a Western-style religious practice to gather for worship, share stories, songs, and prayers. Scouters accustomed to this type of service may use the time to meditate or prayer. It is about being a part of community devoting time for god. I think it is part diversity -- by incorporating stories, songs, and prayers from different faiths. But to be truly honest, most of my scouts look bored during the Scouts' Own service, wondering when they can go back out in the woods and play! Practicing patience is certainly part of it too! It is what you make of it. As an adult leader I w

Yes, and you should feel comfortable doing that. I hope that you are in a unit that supports your belief system. To me, that is what it means "A scout is reverent." But it is really up to you and your faith how you want to practice. I know we have scouts that bring prayer rugs and other religious items on outings in order to practice their faith. A few leave the group at certain times to fulfill their duty to God, then rejoin us later. Never once was a problem.

When my child started as a Cub Scout, the Pack was one of the few units in the area NOT chartered at a church. So it attracted a secular group of families and scouts. Unfortunately a few years after we joined the charter organization folded. But the Pack remained and we found a new charter org. at a local church that didn't have scouts. We lost a few families uncomfortable with the arrangement but it remains an overall secular group. Duty to God is mostly done at home with families, under each families' belief system. The church pastor occasionally joins us for a prayer, like saying grace at t

I come from a similar Pack where the focus was awarding scouts for their own achievements. Adult awards were not really considered. Many of the leaders I know wear knots for awards they completed as youth: Arrow of Light, Eagle, Youth Religious emblem, etc. A few years ago some of the square knot awards were combined. For instance, in the past you could earn different knots for Tiger, Cub Scouts, and Webelos den leader. Today it is combined into one den leader award, even if you are awarded it each year for each den. There are old-timers in my unit covered in square knots that no longe

Our unit is attached to food pantry who collects our Scouting for Food donations. Short answer: They always need food. It doesn't matter when. Long answer: They conduct their own drive in November-December to stock up for the holidays/winter. Our council runs Scouting for Food in March, so it helps them restock. They are happy if we do it whenever!

The majority of our Cub Scouts skip the first night and campout on the 2nd night. If they get hurt on the Pack's 2nd night, does it go into the 2nd night column or 1st, since it's their official first night?

If I can elaborate: About 80% of the cub scouts on our camping trips stay one night; or only come for the day program anyway. It is essentially the Cubmaster, Den Leaders, and other adults setting up camp and the day program who campout on Friday night, and their families. Most of the families stay Saturday night after campfire. Some will opt for Friday night instead because of sports or rehearsals, etc. It helps us to have 2-night options because our cub scouts are in other programs like sports, dancing, karate, etc. It seems arbitrary to have BSA take options away from us.

I have been with the same Cub Pack for 6 years. It was always a 2-night camping trip, Friday and Saturday (with options of spending one night or the other; or coming only for the day program). 2-night prohibition seems arbitrary.

Our Pack does not meet regularly during the summer. It is too difficult to schedule regular meetings with family vacations and other summer plans. But we do plan a monthly activity to keep kids engaged: a hike, swimming, something. We are thinking of holding our yearly planning meeting at a park, to boost attendance and have something to keep kids engaged.

There is a subtle difference between AOL, Scout, and Tenderfoot knot requirements. AOL is ultimately "Do Your Best". Scout rank is "show" and "explain". Tenderfoot is "demonstrate" a practical use. Each step is a little harder and adds a proficiency. I think it makes sense for scouts to show the skill several times because it is something they are going to have to practice. Also once they bridge into a troop it shows them they need to work with other scouts to earn the rank. They aren't showing the skill to an adult den leader. If a scout earns AOL and is proficient with their skills, the

Totally agree. The biggest difference is in Cubs is the requirement for achievement is "Do Your Best". It doesn't mean you can actually tie a taut-line hitch; it means your tried and gave it your best shot. In order to fulfill the requirement for Scout rank, you have to show you have the ability to tie the knot. There is value in redundancy as these are basic skills every scout should practice over again and need to know. Also Scouts can wear the AOL patch on their uniform with the Scout rank. If a scout who earns AOL is automatically Scout rank, wouldn't that mean the patches are redunda

Our Pack's Lions are usually the younger sibling of an older Cub Scout. We recruit at Elementary schools in the beginning of the year. It's a tougher sell to Kindergarten parents, who are still figuring out the school stuff. They don't want another obligation. One tip I found out the hard way: Make sure you have an already trained leader to start the Lions. Once they begin meeting, then you can hit them that parents have to help deliver the program. If you start out with: We have a Lions program but we also need adult leaders to run it... They are not going to be as receptive to your prog

Our Pack took a big hit from 2020-2021. We lost Cubs due to transition to Scouts, and we were not able to recruit new scouts to replace them. Some families lost interest. They didn't like Zoom meets for the kids with short attention spans. Or they didn't want to meet in groups, even if we were only holding meetings outside. The Pack went from about 40 kids to 20. Then in Fall 2021 they all started coming back. All of our Lions, Tigers, and Wolves dens were new scouts. The Pack is still growing. Our Pack Committee puts real importance on having at least one monthly outing all 12-months of

1. Not enough adult help. Our pack stresses this from the beginning of Lions/Tigers, when the adult is required to join with the scout: Cub Scouts is not a drop your kid off and pick them up later activity. It requires family involvement. We have parents active in den activities from the start. And we welcome entire families into Pack activities. Bring the older kids, bring babies. It's kind of a zoo, but it works for us. I think it takes 2 or 3 years to fully acclimate a new parent into Pack. Roughly 50% of parents in the den will step up, lead activities, join committee, and the other

I was Webelos den leader during COVID years and it messed us up big time. We had no opportunity at all to camp from 2020 into 2021. There are only so many outdoor skills you can teach on a laptop. Then an abbreviated year from 2021-2022 so scouts would be ready to join their troops in the spring before summer camp. I was surprised the lack of skills required in the Webelos/AoL program, like there is no requirement to use a compass. I incorporated compass skills anyway. We did our best! And no, I recall there was no separate Webelos den leader training. Neither does our Pack have a link to

I had a similar situation when I was the AOL den leader. A brand new scout joined in 5th grade, while the rest of the den had been together since Tigers. He worked really hard to catch up, earning Bobcat, Whittle Chip, etc. But when the rest of the den was ready to bridge up, he wasn't. He wanted to stay in the Pack. So I made an agreement with his parents and the 4th grade Webelos den leader, that he could join their den for a month to finish AOL requirements and elective. I think it worked out for everybody. You just have to be flexible and do what's best for the scout.