CNYScouter

Have the PL assign another patrol member go with the Grubmaster to shop for food. It takes some of the burden off of the Grubmaster and because most Scouts don’t drive, the Scouts need to coordinate with the parents on when to go shopping. Having two scouts (and their parents) helps to eliminate the "I forgot" Syndrome

When do your patrol create their menus? Last year we moved to making them two meetings before a campout (we meet on Monday nights) with money due the Monday before a campout. This gives the Scouts plenty of time to figure out when to meet to go shopping.

You can also assign an ASM to the patrol to periodically “check up†on them or if needed tag along when they go shopping. Some Scouts just need more mentoring than others.

I am with fred johnson with the idea that packs and troops need to be one unit. A few years ago when I was DC we had a pack that was down to 4 W2's and was ready to fold. I was contacted by a Troop about it as this was their primary feeder Pack and didn't want to see this fold. I suggested that Troop Committee take over the Pack and get things going again. They didn't actually do this but got an ASM to become Cubmaster and the SM's wife became the CC and they began to rebuild the Pack. When I ended up joining the Pack 2 years later it had grown to 25+ and it has grown every year since doing this.

during my "speach" I reminded everyone that Cub Scouts is a volunteer organization and those volunteers come from the parents. Explain that the only way to make the Pack better is to have more people help. make sure to offer that you are available to assist with the planing but will not be able to actually do the work. If no one signs up pick the one or two activities you want to do and cancel the rest.

With your son as a W2 make sure his den is doing things. As WEBELOS they can do things as a den, like camping, that the other dens can't do. There is nothing wrong with you concentrating on doing things with son's den and not the Pack.

I was my son’s W2 Den Leader. I was also heading up 90%-95% of the Pack activities. At the January meeting before crossover I made up large signup sheets for every event on the calendar for the rest of the year.

I made an announcement that after the B&G I was moving up to the Troop and if these activities where going happen parents had to sign up to plan and run them. Any event that didn’t have a parent to run it won’t happen.

All but one event had a parent sign up for it. That event didn’t happen.

I have had quite the discussions about summer camp the last couple of weeks.

There were big problems at our council’s summer camp this year and a lot of troops are considering different camps for next year.

I think a lot depends on the camp

My son’s troop has been going OOC for the last 12 or 13 years and has had people asking us about where we go.

We had 29 out of 33 Scouts attend camp this summer and for 2 Scouts it was their 8th summer going.

I think we would switch in a heartbeat if the Troop wasn't seeing this kind of participation

One SM I talked with told me how much his Scouts loved our councils summer camp and they went every year.

He had 4 out of 21 Scouts go to summer camp this year.

As I said, It depends on the camp.

Thanks for the answers

I sounds like someone in our council didn't read the memo fully before speaking

One of the people who helps at our event is the NE Area 3 Representative on the National Jewish Committee on Scouting.

I just saw them last Saturday and they haven't said a word about this.

I am going to their son's Eagle COH in a couple of weeks and will have to ask them about this

The Pack I help with hosts a Cub event the first weekend in Oct. that is falling on Yom Kipper this year.

We were told that after this year we could not hold any Scouting events on Yom Kipper.

This came through a DE and he said that our SE had a call from National telling him this

Has anyone else heard of this?

We have both of these types scheduled

Some weekends we are taking popcorn and selling door-to-door.

Other weekends we are sitting in front of a business selling it.

I was wondering which way sells more popcorn (or any product)

After a couple of years of not doing popcorn my son’s Troop is selling it again this year.

I am wondering which way does better.

Having product and selling Door-to-Door or setting up a table and selling in front of a business?

What does your experience show?

Here's a link to the Cascade Pacific Council's Tomahawk and Knife Throwing Policy

http://www.pdxt120.com/library/training/Knife%20&%20Tomahawk%20Throwing%20Policies.pdf

When I purchased a set of throwing Tomahawks and throwing knives it came with a guide book that had safety and range instructions

I don't remember where I got them but it was a set make for Scouts

My son's Troop goes OOC for summer Camp. They offer IOLS and other training. There are usually 20 to 25 taking IOLS which includes an overnight away from the Troop. Our council tried offer IOLS at summer camp, no one signed up to take it.

Austinole - What are the signs that you can check out like? What do they do for Fall Fest?

Does your council or district do anything (hold events, advertise, flyers, etc.) to help your unit recruit new members?

What do they do to help recruit Cub Scouts?

Do they do anything for Troops or Crews?

Does your District have a written membership plan? Do they share it with you?

From our district/council every unit gets a packet with recruitment tips and the council supplies yard signs. All of this is geared towards Cub Scout recruiting.

Troops and crews are pretty much on their own to recruit.

Our District is looking for ideas for recruiting.

Tahawk - please post the document you are quoting from. I have organized events at both the Districxt and council level in the past and have never seen this form nor asked to sign anything.

I actually do head up other events for Cubs in my District and help out at the District Pinewood Derby every year.

...and these are organized the same way as our event - a few people from a couple units get together and hold the events with no District involvment.

I am in the same boat as ghermanno – our district does not have a program/activities chair or program/activities committee. My district hasn’t run its own Camporee/Klondike in 3 or 4 years – they are done jointly with other Districts.

When we took this event over 3 years ago we asked our respective District Committees for help in running this but got no response. So we went put it on without them.

Tahawk – There are no written guidelines on what makes an event a district/council event. It’s a judgment call on whoever is making the decision.

I contacted a Scouter friend in a council just south of me. In his council if a pack wants to shoot BB Guns they can. They require that the range be approved and someone from their shooting sports committee run the range. They consider this a council run event.

What you’re missing is that for that last 6 years we have had shooting sports at our event. Council has used our event as an example of activities it holds in its corporate fundraiser literature.

This year our council has a new shooting sports chair that is helping to run a competing event opposite ours and is now saying our event is not a district event.

Our event organizing committee has decided to find activities to replace shooting sports.

We feel that one of the reasons our event has been so successful is that council has had minimal involvement.

I thought councils existed to help units put on a good program and not stand in their way.

I have been in email contact with the new chair of our councils shooting sports committee.

He doesn't consider our event a District/Council event so he won't approve a range.

I just found out that it's another district holding the event opposite ours and it is the district where the new chair is from

hmmmm...I wonder if that has anything to do with it

Thanks for all the great answers and suggestions

Why the competing events? Especially if they are similar, and Cub level?

We found out about the competing event “thru the grapevineâ€Â. It was confirmed by the council Shooting Sports Chair when I asked about theBB Gun trailer and having shooting at our event this year .

Was there not enough notice to all involved of the prospective dates for each event?

I can only answer for our event. We put out flyers with this year’s event dates on it the Monday after our event last year

Is it possible to combine events? Or move one to a different date?

We have tried to contact the other events organizer but so far we have gotten no response.

Is your event a fundraiser for your Pack (or any of the Packs involved)?

Are we doing this to make money? No. Are we in the black? Yes.

We put money aside from last year’s event to pay for items like patches and other program expenses

We gave money to the council for use of the BB Gun Trailer and money to be used as camperships to one of the districts on our organizing committee.

How about an archery course instead?

We have the same issue as BB Guns. New, as of Jan. 1, all ranges on private property need to approved by a council approved RSO and the SE. (and of course there is a new form that needs to be filled out and signed).

Up until last year we were working with a DE.

Before last year’s event the DE was told by council “management†that they could no longer help us in any way because Cubs are attending this event and not the council event at one of our camps two weeks after.

I took my son to this event when he was a Tiger. It wasn’t very well run.

I just found out that the reason we can’t get the BB Gun trailer is that the council is doing a similar event on the same weekend as our event and it will be there

Our event was also talked about in the program for our corporate fundraising dinner

So I guess it’s OK to use this as a council event to solicit donations from corporate sponsors but not when the council has a competing event going.

The person who is giving us a hard time is the new council shooting sports committee chair. As of Jan. 1 all ranges have to be approved by them and the SE.

Last year the DE’s were told that they could not assist us because we are doing this on our own.

This event is insured.

Not only do we have liability insurance from our council but additional insurance through BSA National to meet the insurance requirements for where this is being held

The reason I asked what defines a District run event is that all of us on the event organizing committee are registered on the District level in some capacity across multiple Districts and all of us are on various council committees.

Helping out at this event is the Council Training chair, the Council Membership chair, A couple of District Membership chairs, A District Activities chair and other who I know are registered at a District level but I am not sure in what position.

What this really comes down to is $$$$$. When this event was small nobody wanted anything to do with it. Now we have grown this to a major event we are getting all the flack.

The Pack I am in hosts a fall Cub Scout sleep over event every year

This event was started by another pack 6 or 7 years ago because our District offered very little Cub programing.

When the living history museum where this was held closed we offered to take it over.

We’ve grown this event into something that last year drew over 1000 people from every district in our council.

Our council owns a trailer that was converted into a portable BB Gun range.

This trailer has been at this event every year since the beginning.

This year we have been told that the trailer is not available.

So we are looking at putting up a temporary range ourselves.

We have people with the required training to run this and the room to safely have a shooting range

Our council shooting sports committee is now telling us that we can’t have shooting sports because it’s not a district/council event.

Up to this point the only involvement from our District/Council has been that they brought the BB Gun trailer

Our council issues insurance for this event and even helped us get additional insurance from national to meet the insurance requirements for where the event is held.

So, what makes an event a District/Council run event?

No one can seem to tell or show me documentation what makes an event a District/Council run event.

Duplicate post(This message has been edited by CNYScouter)

The WEBELOS 1's in our Pack are using Scouting for Food for the Service project requirement for the Citizenship Belt Loop which is required for the Citizen Activity Badge

If your Unit posts the total service hours on the JTE web site this project qualifies for Messengers of Peace Ring Emblem Item: 615442

To participate, scouts simply need to go online and register their MOP-related community service projects (including Eagle Scout projects). Doing so adds pins to a global Messengers of Peace map, showing service projects around the world.

Make sure to check the Messengers of Peace box when entering a service project through the Journey to Excellence website

To purchase these ring patches, a unit representative should take the unit certificate to the local Scout shop or council service center.

For More information got: http://www.scouting.org/messengersofpeace.aspx

When we first started planning this we asked the Drive-In for a set fee to rent the place for the evening

According to the owner he couldn't do this due to his contact with the movie distributor

We actually have 3 Drive-n left in our council. The owner of this one is part owner of another one about an hour north of here. He may have to close this one because its so small they can't afford to upgrade it to show digital movies (by next year almost all movies will be in digital format)

The Drive-In had it on the radio in there adds but unfortunately the local media isn't very pro-scouting and publishes very little. i did send press releases to all the newspapers but none showed up.

It must be great to be in a council that will work with it's volunteers.

Ours micromanages things so much most volunteers only last working one or two events (or seasons for Cub Camp)

The last event I did my DE cut the program budget down to almost nothing and put it into "overhead"

District/council events are expected to have 50% "overhead" to go into the councils budget.

The same last event I headed up they screwed up registration. People called up and registered their units. When they paid they wrote them down again. I didn't find his out until after the event when we ended up with a bunch of extra supplies.

Because the council collects the money you need to buy supplies out of your pocket and submit a recept/PO. It took 4 or 5 months to get the money back.

So having our council involved is not a good thing

Sorry for the long post but one of the other posters on here (I wont mention his name) suggested that I should do some bragging and post something about the Cub event our Pack hosted last weekend. It worked out so well it might give others the idea to try something similar.

The pack I am with had been talking about hosting a Cub Scout overnight camping event for some time and last weekend we finally pulled it off. Our District has units host and plan most Cub Scout Events and Boy Scout Camp-o-rees. The last couple of years another pack hosted a fall Cub event at a local Living History Museum. The county closed the museum last winter, so I gave a call to the organizer asking what his plans were for this years event. He had no idea what he was going to do and I got his permission for us to use the event name and take over putting on the event.

There was an article about an overnight event at a Drive-In Theater in Scouting magazine last year and our Pack thought this was a good idea. Last spring the Pack Committee Chair contacted the owner of a local Drive-In about holding a Cub Scout overnight. He asked how many? 20 or 30 people? Our CC optimistically told him 500! Well he agreed so an event committee was put together which I was asked to Chair.

FYI- Putting this event together I used a whole bunch of things I learned at Woodbadge about team building, communication and setting goals. So for those who think Woodbadge is worthless I can say that after using what is taught it was well worth the time spent going.

Since the Drive-In is in another District the Cub Scout Activities person for that District was contacted and he agreed to be involved. The event was pushed as a recruitment tool as it fell right after recruiting and thought it might be a good event to have new cubs and parents attend.

The registration form was sent out and they slowly started coming in. When registrations got close to 600 it was decided to close registration. But the decision was made if anyone had already mailed in their registration it would be accepted by the day before the event they were 690 cubs, parents and siblings registered. This number did not include staff to run the events.

The day of the event didnt start real well. To handle the amount of people ports-johns had to be rented so I needed to be there at 9am the day of the event. It was a soaking downpour that had started at about 3am. The roads around the Drive-In were muddy and the high temp that day was only going to be 50 degrees. The owner said he would allow Campers and RVs if we put them in the back. One of the staff brought his RV and got stuck in the mud. At 11:00am no equipment for the activites had shown up yet. Not a good way to start things off.

Talk about getting lucky. About 11:30am the skies cleared, the sun came out and equipment for the activities starting showing up. The events ended up starting about half hour late due to the weather. As the afternoon wore on things just starting clicking and falling into place.

Activities were scheduled from 1pm to 5pm with about 15 activities overall. There was a station doing origami boats for a rain gutter regatta, a station giving out kazoos for Music, and a station doing First Aid training. Some of the other activities were Map and Compass, Whittlin Chip, tug-of-war, relay races and knot tying. A Sea Scout Ship helped with knots and the Skipper showed up in a pirate costume and handed out gold doubloons (gold covered chocolate), all unexpected. Our councils portable BB Gun range finally showed up. It is always a big draw and popular. Another very popular activity was fishing. There is a small pond at the far end of the Drive-in lot where Bass, Trout and pan fish were caught. Chess was going to be offered but I couldnt find anyone to run the event. One of the participants had brought 3 or 4 Chess boards with him set them up at a table and some of the Boy Scouts that had come to help setup were playing and teaching Chess to the Cubs.

The owner of the Drive-In said people could cook food as long as everything was picked up and put away by the time the Drive-In was open to the public. A small section of the Drive-In had to be roped off for his regular customers. The owner had agreed to open the concession stand during the day for us so if anyone did not want to cook they had an option for food. It was put out that the Drive-In didnt make a lot off of the movies but made most of his money off of concessions. Since the event went so well many of the Packs that had planned to cook didnt and went to the concession stand so the owner make enough money so he would be willing to have it again next year. The owner said to me later that he hadnt expected to be very busy during the day but the lines for food were out the door. He almost ran out of food. I can say that he was very happy with this event!

Each Cub was given a glow stick, not only because they like them but for safety reasons. They could be seen at night running around. At about 7:30pm three first run movies were shown then followed by some old cartoons. I would have to guess about 200 stayed the night. It was pretty chilly and down in the low 40s overnight.

On Sunday morning there was Coffee, Donuts, Fruit, Milk and juice for anyone staying over. After a Scouts Own Service, getting the tents down and policing the area I was on my way home by 10am. The owner was shocked that we picked up garbage for the entire Drive-In, even the area open to the public that was roped off. He was told Were Scouts. We leave a place better than we found it. His only complaint was his cleaning person now had nothing to do.

I think the most satisfying thing for me was all the smiling faces I saw. I had one Dad with his son come up to me and introduce themselves. He and his young son were totally new to Scouting and they were having a blast. This was exactly the type of response we had hoped this event would have. Not everything went as planned and there were a few glitches but these were expected with never having done something like this (or as big) before.

Two thumbs up having a great crew of people to work with to put this event together. It's great when everyone is working and making things happen. It really shows how smooth things can go if you take the time to plan it out in advance.

It has already been asked if the event will happen again next year. The owner of the Drive-in was willing to give a date before we left as he was so happy about how things went.

I dont know if the event is going to happen again next year. I got a call from one of the DEs at the council office. He asked for all the money made from this event to be given to the council. Our pack took all the risk. The Pack fronted all the money for printing and the patches. Someone from the Pack handled all the money and registration. The council did help with insurance and gave us the use of the BB gun trailer so making sure they are compensated for this is OK, but personally, I think asking for everything was way out of line.

It seems that they have a Family Halloween event at the council camp this week and very few have signed up. The council is saying this is because of our event. I have been to this event and its not very good. The DE said that the money for their event was going to help fund cub camp. I have to admit I dont have much sympathy for them because they canceled the week of Cub Camp last year that most of the Cubs in our Pack were going to attend.

There was also a rumor that council wants to take over and run this event as a fundraiser next year. Funny thing is we went into this thinking to end up with enough money left to start up next years event. We were not worried about making money and just putting on a good fun program. The council saw the overwhelming response and figured that we are making a bunch of money from this and they want it all.

There is a wrap up meeting in the next couple of weeks to figure out What Next

update: I wrote this before all the issues with this site earlier this week. Our council posted on it's Facebook page yesterday that 400 had signed up for this weekend....mmmm...20 to 400 in a weeks time? This is well over what they usually get for their event.

The council still wants to take this event over next year. They are under the impression that the Drive-In didn't charge us. Wait until they find out how much work this is. The Drive-In charged on a per person basis with different amounts for different ages (this was recorded as each car entered). We have decided to at least get a date for next year scheduled with the Drive-In. One of the organizing committee is going to the Drive-In tonight to see the new Clint Eastwood movie and talk with the owner. We figure if the event is already booked with the Drive-In it will be tougher for the council to come in and take over.

Our Assistant Council Commissioner for Venturing sent me a list of the new requirements from National to be considered "trained".

The only change I see is that Sea Scout Leaders no longer take Venturing Leader specific but take a new course - Sea Scout Adult Leader Basic Training (SSALBT) code P44

Having been a Skipper I was asked if I could teach this but haven't gotten a syllibus yet

Our council commissioner sent an email saying that they were changing the Venturing age requirments to being just 13 to join. I haven't seen this anywhere else.

I usually see things here on the forum months before our council sends things out and I haven't seen anything posted

Has anyone else heard of this?