Arrow of Light Requirement

[tcherven 10]

I have a scout in my Webelos 2 den who has been quite active, and visited a troop meeting with us.

 

My question relates to the scoutmaster conference. This scout is not planning to continue on into Boy Scouts. I would like to award him the Arrow of Light, but I'm not sure if he has met all the requirements. Is continuing on to Boy Scouts necessary to receive the Arrow of Light?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Tom

[Gonzo1 10]

Is continuing on to Boy Scouts necessary to receive the Arrow of Light?

No, but a meeting with the Scoutmaster is a requirement.

[pargolf44067 57]

I would be curious to know why he is not continuing on. As a Scoutmaster on the Boy Scout side and a committee person on the Cub Scout side I always encourage our Webelos to at least try Boy Scouts for a while to see if they like it. I think by the time they get to the Webelos II year (and I know this is true for my younger son), they are getting bored with scouts because they are still meeting at pack meetings and such with the first graders.

 

My younger son sees what his older brother is doing in Boy Scouts and he is really looking forward to crossing next month, but if the boys don't know exactly what goes on in Boy Scouts, they might think it is more of the same.

 

I hope the boy changes his mind and at least gives Boy Scouts a try.

 

Bill

[tcherven 10]

Thanks for your quick replies. What would constitute a Scoutmaster conference?

 

He did visit a troop with us, and the scoutmaster as well as several other leaders did talk to the parents and also stopped to talk to the boys. Would that qualify?

 

I'm not sure why he doesn't want to continue. He enjoys camping and doing things with the other boys. I know his mother would like to see him continue as well - even she isn't sure what the reason is.

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

[Lisabob 13]

Tom,

 

A scoutmaster conference is usually a conversation between just the scout and the SM. It is generally held in plain view of other people (in keeping with youth protection rules) but it is a private conversation. I would not be inclined to "count" the SM stopping over to talk with your group of scouts as being the same as an SM conference because the dynamic and intent is different.

 

 

[pargolf44067 57]

Tom,

 

I would agree with Lisabob on this one as well. I have been talking individually with the scouts from our two packs that are trying to earn their AOL. I would not count the SM "stopping" to talk to the group of boys as a SM conference.

 

Bill

[Trevorum 24]

It's up to the SM whether or not he considered this conversation to be a "Scoutmaster Conference".

 

There is no requirement that a SM conference be a one-on-one dialogue, although that is the most common format.

 

In my opinion, a typical SM conference for AoL should be no more than 5 minutes. Occasionally where circumstances warranted, I have conducted SM conferences with small groups of Webelos. These generally were somewhat longer (15 minutes). I liked these because all of the boys are full of questions. Some are to shy to speak up much but they still get to hear the answers to the other fellows' questions.

[tcherven 10]

I appreciate everyone's responses - you've helped.

 

I sent his mother an email letting her know what the consensus was from a scout leader board - that joining Boy Scouts in NOT required, but the conference is.

 

I was able to provide her with the email address for the scoutmaster of the troop most of the boys in my den will be joining.

 

Maybe this scout will like what he hears enough to consider trying Boy Scouts out - I hope so. I asked him what he had enjoyed most about Cub Scouts and his reply was Camping.

[Lisabob 13]

Tom, no doubt you've already done this but make sure you give the SM a head's up on this too. If the boy particularly likes camping (or whatever else) then knowing this in advance might help the SM guide the conversation a bit.

[eagle-pete 11]

tchevren posted -

"I'm not sure why he doesn't want to continue. He enjoys camping and doing things with the other boys."

 

Boys at this age may be apprehensive of moving into a new environment. Many boys who move into the Boy Scout troop are following their brother(s) or older friends and so they feel more comfortable with the transition. He may feel alone or scared that the older boys may not accept him. On the other hand, he may have no rational reason for not wanting to go into the troop.

 

Whatever the reason behind his apprehension, there should be a plan in place which helps your boys transition from Webelos to Scouts.

 

Take a look at this site

http://www.geocities.com/~pack215/webelos-to-scout.html

 

One of the main goals of the Webelos den is to get the boy ready for Boy Scouting. You may have already been doing many of the things suggested in the Webelos-to-Scout plan. I would give the boy some time. Have him go on some activities with the Boy Scouts without making his transition "Official". You may want to discuss with the boy, his parents, and the Scoutmaster to make a trial period for the boy in Boy Scouts. I have a feeling that after he tries it out, makes some friends, and begins to feel more comfortable, he will most likely naturally accept the Boy Scouts. At the end of the trial, if the boy wants to stay with the troop have the troop make his membership official by having a special welcome for him. It should be an easy transition from there.

 

Lisa brought up camping... this would be your key to helping the boy to accept the Boy Scouts. If he already likes camping, this is an excellent way to get him to feel more comfortable in the troop. Webelos overnighters are fun, but nothing compares to Boy Scout camp.

 

Eagle Pete(This message has been edited by eagle-pete)

[pargolf44067 57]

As an FYI, there is a boy in my younger son's Web II den that I did a SM conference with who didn't want to join Boy Scouts. I had a 10 minute conversation with him about the differences between Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and mentioned that he might at least want to give it a chance. I told him about the different activities that the troop does and how much fun everyone has and he said he would think about it.

 

Well, I talked with the den leader last night and she had talked to his parents this week and he is now very excited and can't wait to join Boy Scouts. I mention this only because if the SM has a chance to talk with the boy about the things in Boy Scouts (as opposed to the den leader), the boy might change his mind.

 

Bill

[eagle-pete 11]

Good point Bill,

 

Often this is a simple matter of opening the boy's eyes to a bigger picture. Boys of that age do not have the perspective of us adults. Just a little bit of encouragement and talk often does the trick. I also agree that talking to another leader can make a difference. Good call, and congratz on helping another boy be a Boy Scout!

 

Eagle Pete