Beading Ceremony at a Pack Meeting - Yes or No?

[Mike_Fossler 10]

I'd be interested in hearing from all of you about whether it's appropriate to have a beading ceremony at a Pack Meeting. On one hand, I think it might take away from the kids, on the other, it may inspire other leaders and show the scouts that the leaders work hard to provide a good program for them.

 

I'm faced with this now, since my ticket was approved and I need to pick a time to have my ceremony. Thanks for your responses.

 

"I used to be a Bobwhite..."

 

Mike

[dan 10]

Yes, keep it short.

[theysawyoucomin' 10]

I'll get mine at a pack mtg on the 29th.

Yesterday I got the birch log.

We will keep it short I'm going to ask the course director to go through my goals one at a time and ask which cubsby show of hands participated in each of the goals to bring it home to them. When you are ten it's still ALL about you.

I also think that they'll like the axe in the log.

Then we'll have cake. who doesn't want cake?

 

I would also like to hear from others.

[theysawyoucomin' 10]

I'll get mine at a pack mtg on the 29th.

Yesterday I got the birch log.

We will keep it short I'm going to ask the course director to go through my goals one at a time and ask which cubs, by show of hands, participated in each of the goals to bring it home to them. When you are ten it's still ALL about you.

I also think that they'll like the axe in the log.

Then we'll have cake. who doesn't want cake?

 

I would also like to hear from others.

[theysawyoucomin' 10]

I'll get mine at a pack mtg on the 29th.

Yesterday I got the birch log.

We will keep it short I'm going to ask the course director to go through my goals one at a time and ask which cubs, by show of hands, participated in each of the goals to bring it home to them. When you are ten it's still ALL about you.

I also think that they'll like the axe in the log.

Then we'll have cake. who doesn't want cake?

 

I would also like to hear from others.

[theysawyoucomin' 10]

sorry for the triple posting. computer was acting up

[eagle-pete 11]

I was considering the same thing when I was planning my ceremony. At the time I was a Cubmaster.

 

Alot depends on your particular pack. How much adult recognition have you been presenting up to this time? How many boys/adults regularly attend your pack meetings? Are your boys acustome to a ceremony which is less flashy than the typical pack meeting ceremonies? Are the parents/leaders of your pack relatively enthusiastic about the Scouting program in general?

 

In my case I chose not to present a Wood Badge ceremony to my pack. I felt that neither the boys nor most of the adults would fully appreciate it. I did announce when and where the ceremony would be held and made a general invitation to the pack to attend so that anyone who truely was interested would make the effort to go to the ceremony. None showed... I was not surprised. Some of the Boy Scouts did attend and that was great.

 

IMHO, there is alot of meaning in a Wood Badge ceremony that is not really well understood by boys ages 7-10. I am in favor of presenting adult recognition to the Cubs, but this is typically for recognizing volunteers who go the extra mile or parents who helped out.

[KoreaScouter 13]

Personally, I'd recommend doing it at a Roundtable or some other "grownups" event. As others have mentioned, most in attendance at a Pack meeting will have no idea what WB is about, and a beading ceremony alone won't clear the fog for them. Plus, it is supposed to be about the boys -- when I was a Cubmaster, the farthest I'd stray from that is when a hard-working adult volunteer was graduating or moving on, we'd briefly recognize them at a crossover, B&G, or Pack meeting, but my rule of thumb was "no longer than you can hold your breath". Besides, the Scouts and their parents aren't the WB target audience -- the leaders are. And, they should be at Roundtable, in an adults-only environment, where the District staff can do some real arm-twisting and use you as an example. Just my opinion; I could be wrong.

 

BTW, congratulations on completing your ticket! I remember what a great feeling it was when I received my beads...

 

KS

[orennoah 11]

The first Wood Badge beading I ever saw (and the first time I heard of Wood Badge) was at a district Webelos Woods, held at the Council camp. The event was for Webelos to get a feel for what they would be doing as Boy Scouts, each troop demonstrating / teaching a specific Scout skill.

 

During the evening campfire, the Beading took place. I was impressed. Very impressed.

 

I was "just a Dad" accompanying my Webelos son at the time. But, shortly after my son crossed over, I crossed over: from "just a Dad" to ASM. I took all the training and when the SM left town, I became the SM. Would I have stepped up and taken on the challenge of adult leadership without having seen that Beading ceremony? Maybe. But the camaraderie and respect I saw, especially illustrated in the Back to Gilwell song, made it seem like I would be joining a group of people I had admiration for. And it looked like fun.

 

Now, my beading is set for our Troop's Court of Honor next month (a triple beading!) and I have invited many Scouters to participate.

 

Who knows? We may end up making a lasting impression on one or more of the "just a Dads" or "just a Moms" in the audience.

 

- Oren

Scoutmaster

Troop 14

Sebastopol, CA

WE3-41-03

"I used to be Bear."

WE3-41-05

I'm gonna be the QM