Webelos Awards..What to do?

[Locust Fork Leader 10]

I am a Webelos I leader. Our boys have been working hard on their pins since June (They moved up in May). I have not awarded any pins this year. We were getting the other requirements done that are required for the pins. Last month I was going to award a few a the Nov pack meeting but it wasn't held because of work we had to do for a parade. They also wanted to hold the awards for the Christmas party. I have 4 boys in my den and they have on average about 16 awards a piece. These aren't all pins. They each have about 4 belt loops (2 that was supposed to awarded last month and 2 this month). Then there is the Webelos patch and colors. Some have earned the compass point emblem. My question is, should I wait and award some of these awards for the January pack meeting? We have been told not to give the boys tons of awards at one time or they might expect it each time. My boys haven't really gotten any awards this year except for the belt loops they have earned (we are allowed to work on 2 a month). What do you think? Thanks for your suggestions!

 

Tracy

[SemperParatus 1]

The boys should get the awards as they earn them (e.g., at the next available pack meeting). No one should space them out so as not to create unreasonable expectations or offend others who may be lagging. While the CM may not prefer giving out too many awards at one time, what can he/she expect when a pack meeting is skipped for a month. It is certainly not necessary to bring the boy up to the front 16 different times for each award, bring him up once to present him with all the awards he has earned. That will take all of 30 seconds (2 minutes for your den max). To make it easy, pre-attach the boy's pins and belt loops to a piece of decorative cardboard (fleur de lis cutout) so they are all handed over at one time and no one is up there fumbling around for the pins. If the CM has a problem with that, then something is definitely wrong. If he/she refuses, you should offer to do the award presentation for your den.

[FScouter 24]

Get the Cub Scout Leader book and read what it says about awards and immediate recognition. And ask yourself what good purpose is served by withholding an award from a boy.

[NJCubScouter 1389]

We have been told not to give the boys tons of awards at one time or they might expect it each time.

 

This may be true, but that is one of the reasons you give out the awards at the next meeting after they are earned. But in this case, the "damage" is done, and the only way it can be corrected is to give out all the awards, no matter what they are, at the next meeting or other opportunity. Then start giving out future awards when earned, and what the boys learn to "expect" will be what they are supposed to get.

[EagleInKY 14]

Ditto and ditto.

 

Give the awards out as soon as possible, and use this as a learning experience to try to do it more promptly than this. I remember once having a boy who missed several pack meetings due to sports or other conflicts. When he finally made it, he got a ton of awards. A little awkward, maybe. But it's the right thing to do.

[Eagledad 2781]

HI all

 

I gave my pins to the scouts at the end of each Den meeting. We had a couple of situations where the scouts had to wait two and three months for their pins and I found they weren't nearly as special after waiting so long. So I started presenting the them their pins at the end of each den meeting It became special for the parents as well. They showed up five minutes before the end of the meeting for our awards presentation.

 

The CM still recrognized my Webelos at the Pack meeting by presenting them with the cards. So everyone got what they wanted and my 16 guys never had to wait.

 

Barry

[Locust Fork Leader 10]

Thanks for your input. I'm going to go ahead and give the boys the awards. I like the idea of the scout emblem with the awards on it.

 

Tracy

[Bob58 10]

G'day,

 

By way of observation I would give the awards out asap, next Pack meeting. And while I'm not sure exactly what I would say I would address this at the next Cub CoH. Blue /Gold, Scout Sunday , whenever. Explain that in the future the boys will be receiving Immediate Recognition whenever reqs are met, and while some awards will require a trip to the Scout Shop they will also be presented by or at the next Pack meeting.

 

Our unit holds the mothers pins / cards until quarterly COH's so that all boys have a chance to rec. with their parents present. When I came into the pack I was told that while its nice to be recognized, it might be hard if a young man never has a parent there to see him step up...

 

I really do write out my comments on things like this because I want to be sure that I will say what I mean.... With the text before me I don't hesitate to review what I've just said before I give bad info off the cuff (in response to a parents question for example.)

 

Just some thoughts.

 

Bob

[Locust Fork Leader 10]

Bob58:

 

Thanks for your input. I can learn for all of you. I had been waiting for the boys to complete the requirements for the Webelos Badge requirements. I was under the impression that they had to complete that before the could actually earn the pins. I'm going to give the boys the pins they earned at the next meeting, of course that's if the Scout shop has them in stock. We have the same problems at times getting awards for the boys (them being out of stock).

 

Tracy