getting more kids in my troop

[wcronk 10]

We just started up a troop in the state of washington in sept we started with 2 kids and now we have 2 more. I was just wondering what would be a good way to help get more kids in the troop i'm in and into the scouting program.If you have any ideas let me know please.

[Pack38Scouter 11]

Affiliate yourself with a Cub Scout Pack or two. Do things with them. Go to a campout with them. Help them with Pinewood Derby. Provide Den Chief (assuming that at least one of your four scouts are 1st Class or above). Basically, get your feeds from the Pack! If not actively recruit your local middle school.

 

Get your Disctrict Commissioner to help with locating a Pack or two! Good luck.

 

[LauraT7 13]

Ask the boys that Are in your troop to invite a friend anytime -

 

or have a special nite to invite a friend for a special activity -

 

We have 5 troops in our town and 3 packs - our troop is not affiliated with a particular pack. we have a variety of local boys, from all the packs, a few homeschoolers and some from out-of-town. Since our troop has not actively worked on recruitment in a few years - our membership is down. So we initiated a long-term program this year that will hopefully give us a steady flow of GOOD and varied recruits of all ages for all future years. We don't want a big influx - we want a steady flow.

 

we are planning one Webelos/scout/ invite event every quarter - and get invites out to the packs each time. This way there is no "rush" to get in that webelos AOL requirement of attending a BSA activity - they have a choice, and know there is always another opportunity. We also are targeting the 4th grade webelos - not just the 5th graders, with the idea that they can make multiple events with our troop and actually get to know our boys and make friends. We found that most of our current boys are joined our troop because they already knew, or had met and looked up to an older scout in our troop.

 

This summer, we had an outdoor "cooking meeting" were we tried all kinds of new camping recepies and different kinds of cooking (Dutch oven, cardboard box oven, cooking on sticks, cooking in foil, etc. Since our summer meetings are at the local park anyway - this was really easy to do - we just invited the webelos along.

 

In October the troop went to one of those big corn mazes - this was specifically intended as a webelos invitational - but served our boys as well - the maze was in sections - and totalled over 9 miles if you did the whole thing - so we took compasses and had the boys find their way with them - if they did at least two sections, they had their 5 mile compass hike for 2nd class! and the webelos got to pair up with them and learn to use a compass, too. Then we had a campfire there, and hot coco.

 

In December, we have a "pool party" at the local high school. The webelos will be working on their auquanaut pin, and our patrols will be running the stations of their different requirements. Afterwards we just have fun playing water volleyball.

 

Think of things to attract the boys, get the word out and watch it grow!

 

[firstpusk 10]

Talk to the boys you have. Let them tell you what they like about scouts. Get them dreaming about things they would like to do. Make it a boy run program that seeks challenging, exciting activities. Encourage the boys and they are the programs best salesmen. I have never seen a troop die because they ran good program that was geared to what the boys want.

 

The others ideas are great. Den chief is the best position to develop leadership in scouting. Working with your commissioner staff and the packs is certainly key. Just make sure that you have something tangible to offer a boy coming in. The program is what you bring to the table. And program is one of those food of love things Emeril talks about. It takes a good recipe a lot of love and time. But if you do it right there ain't nothing like it.

[redfox420 10]

I am also a leader in a smaller troop. Our biggest problem is that we have several troops very close to us and do not have a Cub Scout Pack available to affiliate ourselves with. But we have gained some membership in the past by making ourselves noticed, we participate in local Parades, we handle the raising and lowering of the flags every year at the Little League Baseball Season opener in our town. And the rest of these suggestions are right....get involved with a Cub Scout Pack, which we are in the process of...but also get yourself noticed, and get other kids interested that way.