Never try to plan events in June

[Pack212Scouter]

CalicoPenn, I don't think you quite understand. We do give awards every meeting, and this takes about 20+ minutes every meeting. Also, our Pack size is 150+ boys, so your talking having an advancement cerimony for a significant number of boys at every meeting. We found that both the boys got very antsy and the parents got very annoyed at meeting lengths when we were trying to do this. It became "they go another 20 or 30 boys getting their rank" event and no one was happy with the pack meeting. Giving out the Ranks the way "it is supposed to be done" was doing nothing but making everyone frustrated and hating Pack meetings, it was not encouraging the boys at all. As a result, they get their ranks when earned, but there are only two big cerimonies of the year, and they take the whole meeting. Bobcat in October or November and Rank Advancement in May. We have even decided to move AOL to it's own cerimony on a seperate meeting night this year (with Bears and Webelos attending) because the significance of the achievement was being drowned out in the larger event.(This message has been edited by pack212scouter)

[Laure]

Is anyone else a little disappointed that it's so easy for families to drop scouts during baseball season, yet they're unable to miss a baseball game for a pack meeting? I find myself praying for rain just so that my den will show up for pack events...

[deerfieldmom]

laure: totally agree. they can miss a major scout meeting or event for sports but its never the other way around. hmmm... i'll miss sleeping on a battleship because i can't miss "a" basketball practice.

go figure.

 

our blue and gold is in march and despite 3/4 of the pack earning rank by that date, it is so poorly attended. we are going to re- think what and how we the b&g this year. our tradition for the past few years is a catering hall with a sit down dinner. what kid cares about a 5 course dinner? and what parent wants to pay $25. a head?

 

exactly, i'm scratching my head too!

 

BUT>>> the end of the year picnic, where the stragglers get their ranks and everyone recieves neckerchiefs for the next levels... super well attended and aways a sucess. truly the one event where kids miss their sport of the week to attend.

[Basementdweller]

I am confused by the sports being more important than scouting. They do it because we let them. I have scheduled things and the boys that participate in sports that miss did not receive the award. Their parents were pissed and the boys were upset. The parents voted and asked the meeting day be moved. I said fine, find a location cause the room in the church is booked. The day and time has not changed because no one is interested finding a new meeting place. It wasn't on purpose but it inadvertently sent a message.

 

To me scouting is infinity more important than baseball, soccer or football. BTW my son particpates in a youth soccer league that does not conflict with scouting.

[Pack212Scouter]

I think that a good part of the issue with sports being placed in priority is two fold. First, the parent is very sports oriented...probably very rarely misses a "big game." Second is the immediate reward. With sports, dad is there cheering, the girls are watching, and the crowd is yelling. Make them feel great. While

Scouting usually is much deeper, it also is more of an iternal reward.(This message has been edited by pack212scouter)

[Gold Winger]

Also coaches are far less tolerant of missed practices and games than Scouters. I coached basketball for a couple of years and one of my players would miss practice every other week because "he had more important things to do." Oddly, his mother was ticked because his time in the following game was reduced.

 

Parents are convinced that their kids will get sports scholarships. More bragging rights. It's hard to brag about your son making Tenderfoot when no one in the office knows what's involved.

[gcan]

I think it's important to realize that not everyone out there is that 'into' scouts. Some kids really love baseball, some really love drama camp. It's not our place to tell them that they need to chose between Scouting and the thing they REALLY love, even if scouts is a close second. I'm not sure I agree with Basementdwellers' "send a message, don't accomedate" theory- we will loose the 'on the fence' kids if we force them to chose.

for some families, scouting is a fun way to spend some time, but other things are more important. So be it! Accommedate when possible, encourage them to be more active, but accept the fact that some kids will chose a soccer tourney over a campout. Some kids will chose a den trip over a baseball game. They will spend thier time doing what they enjoy. If it doesn't happen to be scouting, well then at least we helped to 'round em out' a little.

[Gold Winger]

" but accept the fact that some kids will chose a soccer tourney over a campout."

 

Alas, the parents of those kids still want the same rewards as the kids who shows up for everything.

[DenZero]

I've found that soccer in the fall is easier to schedule around than baseball in the spring, as the baseball games go longer into the evening. The father of one of the boys in our pack was a cub in the same pack when he was a boy, and I've suggested that he should help out with the pack since it's struggling so, but he's afraid it would interfere with his baseball coaching. Oh well...

 

Since I started this thread, I should follow up. Baseball ended up conflicting with our originally scheduled blue and gold banquet, but since we are such a small pack, it took only a few phone calls to reschedule it on short notice, and all 4 of the boys who were getting badges were able to attend. All's well that ends well. If the pack continues next year, we'll get copies of everyone's baseball schedules and get everything scheduled and over with before the June playoffs.

 

[John-in-KC]

Sounds to me like:

 

1) Your Pack needs to recruit at the elementary school this fall!

 

2) You need to start looking at the National Program. Program helps come to direct contact unit serving leaders in each edition of Scouter Magazine. Further, your District Roundtable has the mission to prepare you to present the National Program!

[Nike]

B&G should be a party with balloons, skits, songs, and fun. Ditch the sit down catered food and do a spaghetti dinner or a bar-be-que, which will take some hardy folks on the grill in certain areas in February. Or, get rid of any pretense of real food and just have a big cake and a huge sundae bar.