Requirement question - AOL

[pjstorer]

I think our CC is mixed up... He's not taking the webs into boy scouts because they have to wear their AOL for 6 months? Is that a requirement? I thought they had to be in their den for 6 months before earning it. I never heard they had to keep it on for a while before crossing over...

[kbandit]

Look up the requirements. Google Arrow of Light requirements, look in scout book. I think you will find the scout needs to have his Webelo badge for 6 months before he gets his AOL.

 

Our troop does an AOL ceremony, where the AOL is awarded and then later in the evening we do the troop crossover ceremony for the same scouts who are moving to the troop. We are doing one this coming Tuesday.

 

I think the wise thing to do is have a copy of the requirements with you when you talk to the CC. Can't add or take away from the requirements.

[GKlose]

I don't think it's so tricky, but I can see how some get confused.

 

Excerpted from Webelos Badge requirements:

# Be an active member of your Webelos den for 3 months (Active means having good attendance, paying den dues, working on den projects).

 

Excerpted from Arrow of Light requirements:

# Be active in your Webelos den for at least six months since completing the fourth grade (or for at least six months since becoming 10 years old), and earn the Webelos badge.

 

My thought is that the AoL requirement doesn't say: "earn the Webelos Badge and then be active for six months", it says "be active for six months and earn the Webelos Badge".

 

Boy Scout joining requirements do not say anything about having AoL for six months. What it does say, out of the three possible ways to qualify to join, is "have earned the Arrow of Light Award and be at least 10 years old" (the other two ways are "have completed 5th grade and be at least 10 years old", or "be 11 years old"). We know that in order to earn AoL at the earliest a Webelos would have had to turn 10 and then start the six-month clock running. So that would translate to a minimum Boy Scout age limit of 10-1/2. The other possible way would seem to be finishing 4th grade prior to turning 10, and then start the clock running (presumably with a den that is active over the summer).

 

I suppose there could be further argument about whether or not the 3-month period for Webelos Badge can run concurrently with the 6-month period for AoL, but there isn't anything in the above requirements that says that can or can't happen.

 

Guy

 

[Buffalo Skipper]

I have always read this as Guy suggests. We have a 2 boys who joined my son's Webelos den in August. In November they received their Webelos badge (3 months in the den), and this month will receive their AoL (3 months since earning the Webelos Badge). They will then cross to the troop.

 

Seems obvious to me, but I can see where the wording may be misread.

[Lisabob]

Nope your CC is incorrect. I've found over the years that, at the troop level, there are all kinds of myths about joining requirements and AoL requirements too. Maybe it has just been a long time since many troop leaders had kids in cub scouts and their memories are hazy, but it isn't that hard to actually read the requirements. Suggest to your CC that he do so - should clear up some myths.

[ScoutNut]

The requirements for AOL have nothing to do with your Troop, your CC, or the question here. AOL is a CUB SCOUT award, and a Boy Scout Troop has no say in how/when it is awarded.

 

The question here seems to be the Boy Scout joining requirements. The Youth application states -

 

"Your son can be a Scout if he has completed the fifth grade and is at least 10 years old, or is age 11, or has earned the

Arrow of Light Award and is at least 10 years old, but has not reached age 18."

 

Pretty cut and dried. Unless the Scouts in question are all 9.5 years old (in which case they DO have 6 months until they are 10 and can join a Troop), the CC is incorrect.

 

If he makes these Scouts wait 6 months for no reason, he will most likely loose them to another Troop, or to Scouting altogether. Hopefully their den leader will encourage them to seek out other Troops.

 

Considering your history with the CC, is it possible you are misconstruing what is going on here?

 

BTW - webs are things built by spiders. Cub Scouts in 4th and 5th grade are WEBELOS.

 

[DanKroh]

And CC is something you do in an email, and AOL is an internet service provider.

 

Why are some abbreviations ACCEPTABLE, but NOT others? I think we all knew what it meant...

[ScoutNut]

webs is not an abbreviation.

 

Neither is webelo.

 

WEBELOS, on the other hand IS ALREADY an abbreviation. It is an acronym.

 

I find abbreviating abbreviations rather irritating.

 

But, hey, that's just me.

[SSScout]

It is mprtnt to ndrstnd bbrvtns. ftn, thy r nt a prblm bt it tks sm mgntn to ndrstnd thm.

Jargon.

 

AoL is not a requirement to join Boy Scouts. But still, crossover when the Troop is ready to receive them. And get them into summer camp and involved.

 

YiS

[Buffalo Skipper]

AoL is not a requirement to join Boy Scouts.

Not exactly. A boy (or even a cub scout)need not earn the Arrow of Light to join Boy Scouts. He must be 11 years old orhave completed the 5th grade. Or he may have earned the Arrow of Light (reading between the line, he must be10.5 years old.) The AoL optionqualifies under 11 year old 5th graders (who have presumably been introduced tobasic scouting skills) to join a Boy Scout troop.

This again embodies the argument, if one has completed the AoL, why hang out with the cubbies when you are allowed and able to hang out with the Boy Scouts?