Lost to Scouting

[SMT376Richmond KY 10]

Our District is completing roundups (school nights) for cubs. Having done many of these as a Cubmaster I know from experience that we never seem to recruit many 4th or 5th graders into Webelos.

 

Our new DE mentioned at roundtable (when I asked when he planned the roundups for Troops) that Troops would have roundups in the spring and only at the Elementary schools to recruit 5th graders prior to their going into 6th "Cause once they are at Middle and High School you lose them."

 

Here's my thought if they do not join in the Fall what makes em consider joining in the Spring? If it's because the DE is selling a different program then why not let them (5th graders)join the Troops in the fall. If they aren't joining in the Fall because they (boys)are thinking Cub Scouts are too lame (previous 5th graders told me this when I was Cubmaster last year). Aren't they being lost to Scouting prior to the Spring? Interesting what the man of steele as a professional has to say on this one.

[Fat Old Guy 11]

If you look at the sports side of life, you'll hear (is that a mixed metaphor?) many people saying, "If he doesn't start Sport X by the third grade he'll never be any good." There are enough examples to put the lie to this belief but many still believe it.

 

I think that the natural extension of that is that parents don't believe that their kid can join Scouting at anytime other than the first year or if he does join late, he won't "do as well."

 

FWIW, most 5th graders couldn't join Boy Scouts in the fall because they haven't turned 11 yet.

[Twocubdad 665]

If the kid meets the age requirement, why not? FOG, you'd be surprised how many Sr. Webelos are all ready 11. I always tell parents who have an option of which program (or even den) to join based on age vs. grade to keep their son with his buddies.

 

We just registered three new Sr. Webelos. My advice to them is to sit down with their parents and their handbook and decide what they want to do. If they want to make the commitment to earn the Bobcat, Webelos and AOL in six months, go for it. If they want chill out on the advancement and look at the time as a chance to get ready for Boy Scouts in the spring, that's okay too. In the past we've had boys take both approaches and do well.(This message has been edited by Twocubdad)

[OldGreyEagle 5]

Sounds like this guy thinks its all over once they get to middle school, and I say, it's not over until we say its over, was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Its not over until We (thats the collective "we") say its over)

[Overtrained 10]

I have seen leaders set tents up outside the entrance of school as kids came walking in they would strike up a conversation.

 

This works anytime of year. Perhaps up here we'd have to do igloos though.

 

Just because one time of year is better, doesn't mean we can't recruit year around.

[LovetoCamp 9]

"Germans?"

 

"Don't stop him, he's on a roll!"

[Fat Old Guy 11]

Arrrrrrmy Training, Sir!

 

If the kid is 11, let him go into Boy Scouts. The only problem that I could see is that he would have that grade disparity with other boys.

[LauraT7 13]

maybe you need to change your recruiting tactics.

 

I was always a 'helper' in our cub pack and den - because we had plenty of leaders - until fall of 5th grade. We got so many NEW 5th graders recruited from the fun stuff we invited them to, we had to start another den - and i took it. Three of the 5 new boys were school friends of my son - friends we had taken with us on scout and family outings over the summer. My son was the ONLY prior cub scout - and I have never had so much fun as I did with those boys! They were the most enthusiastic scouts i ever worked with!

 

From that cub experience and with our Boy Scout troop - i have come to realize that recruitment has very little to do with recruiting 'drives'. In fact - i'd say they are almost detrimental - because people get the mind-set that they can put on a 1 time effort and accomplish something with it! They may GET recruits - but they don't KEEP them - they often let the ball (the individual boy) drop after they get that application form - because they don't make an ongoing effort.

 

except in the case of 1st and 2nd grade cubs when they ALL are starting out - and the PARENTS make all of the decision to have the boys join - recruitment drives are a waste of time, IMHO.

 

After that, and even at that grade - your recruitment should be more of a constant - we're doing something fun, - want to come along? For recruiting - you have to think of it less as "doing a membership drive to raise the numbers for an organization" - and more like what you do when your kid brings a friend home with him from school.

 

When your kid brings a new friend home - what happens? how do they build their friendship? Their friendship isn't motivated by earning awards or wearing a costume - it's motivated by common interests and fun activities. At first, they want to spend every waking moment together (and you start to feel like you've adopted another kid!) They 'grow' their friendship by exploring together; each other's habits and preferences, they explore each other's toys and homes, they work out rules of favorite games, to compete against each other in a friendly way - or WITH each other against the "outsiders" - all of which cements the 'exclusiveness' of their friendship. They may pull others into their tight little circle, and have others that are 'marginal' friends, making that circle like ripples on water.

 

there are critical periods where they have to either support the friendship, or let it die. sometimes it takes an adult to guide if the friendship is to survive.

 

That's the way scouting recruitment should work. from age 6 to 18.

 

i don't know a single kid who got into scouting because it was their goal to be a SCOUT - instead, either their parents sent them and they became part of the group - or they came with a friend and their personal interest grew from there. the only exception to that is where kids moved in from another area and either they or their prents recognised that scouting was a good bridge to making friends and feeling a part of something.

 

But they return, and STAY - because they have friends, they feel secure and they are having fun. later, they start to recognise other values of being a scout - but by then, they are hooked, anyway.

 

If your scouts talk to non-scouts, and invite them, and SHOW them friendship, safety (non-judgemental and secure), and FUN - they will come. And stay.

 

[scoutdad 10]

"Germans?"

 

"Don't stop him, he's on a roll!"

 

Whos with me! Lets go down to that middle school and show them what scouting is all about! Let s go AAAAAAAA! Whats wrong with you guys? Afraid? "but Bluto. theyll make fun of us in our scout uniforms" Guys when the going gets tough .The tough get going. Follow me! AAAAAAAAA! No! Blutos right, misguided but right. We cant let these boys get away. Oh sure, we could recruit them conventionally, but that would take years and cost billions of dollars. No what this requires is one single senseless act. As adults, well let the boys do fun stuff that they want to do.

 

YIS

Scoutdad

[hops_scout 9]

"If he doesn't start Sport X by the third grade he'll never be any good." That is most positively FALSE. FOG, I think you were saying it was false as well, but just backing you up if so.

 

I didnt start playing football until the 7th grade(we just got little league football the year before and I had been begging for a while;)) Now, two years later, I barely leave the field. And that is with 28 people on the team.

[ozemu 10]

Some of my best Scouts joined late and they worked like Trojans to advance to catch up. There is no doubt though that the program works best when we have years to rub some character into them.

 

On another thread I mentioned that my best recruiter is a great cub pack program and regular involvement with them. We get more than 50% from them. The others are a real mixed bag. Active recruitment is costly on time and energy while but produces few new Scouts. We might do better if we were a town Troop.

 

Our best new Scout recruiters are a very good program and encouraging existing Scouts to bring their school mates. We get them at all ages but still notice that the older ones have made up their minds. They are either with or against us. And too much tv and a poor street reputation means that Blutos buddy is right. They are disinclined by icons and image (uniform) and cannot see the forest for the trees.

 

In all I try to get them young. It is easier, helps the long view of the program. I leave the older ones to my existing Scouts. I run some bring a buddy nights and leave it at that. All I ever got out of active recruiting (and I did heaps of it using all media) is cubs. Not a bad thing but not very direct.

 

 

 

 

And Pearl Harbour was in Dec41 or so? The war was half over already. Well maybe not half but our blokes were beating up Japanese (or was it Germans) in Africa for some time already. Six months later our 9th Div started the German retreat at El Alamein and another six months saw a mixed Australian force stop the Japanese at Milne Bay. Your guys turned up at about that time - so I figure you arrived at half time.

 

(Ive got to get a reaction to this!)

[dsteele 20]

Professional opinions --

 

If someone wants to recruit Boy Scout age boys into a troop from sources other than former Webelos, it can be done.

 

Unlike Cub Scouts -- who join in clumps in the fall and pump up the numbers, Boy Scouts tend to come in ones and twos -- and usually in the spring because summer camp is just around the corner and the idea is pretty easy to sell.

 

But there's no good reason Boy Scouts can not be recruited in the fall. I've seen it happen very successfully on a few occasions when it's been tried.

 

It saddens me that there are DE's out there who don't believe it can be done. Perhaps this story will help convince them.

 

I worked with a great Scoutmaster in a small town who wanted to build up the troop's youth membership. There had recently been a leadership change and the troop was down to 5 boys.

 

The Scoutmaster talked to me about it and we arranged for the two of us to go into the local middle school and put on an assembly for all interested boys. Grades 6-8. Tough age group.

 

Fortunately, the principal scheduled us during a time period where all the boys had to either go to an exploratory class in music, art, home economics . . . or go listen to the Boy Scout guys. We had every male child in that school in the room. None had the slightest interest in joining.

 

I did the talking. I asked how many thought Boy Scouting was for sissies, whimps, etc. It took me a few minutes, but soon every hand was in the air.

 

The time of the year -- by the way was early December and there was a lot of snow and ice around.

 

I then asked how many were man enough to climb a forty-foot tower on the outside and rappel down . . . in the ice and snow. Just because it's there.

 

No one raised their hands. I rattled off a few other "wimpy" activities the troop had planned and promised them that if they joined, they would be on that rappelling tower by Saturday afternoon. If they were man enough.

 

That Thursday evening, 18 new Boy Scouts were "minted." And baptised in ice and snow by the end of the weekend.

 

National has just come out with a new video that helps troops put on successful join us nights -- Troop Open House. One copy per district was sent to each council over the summer.

 

Put the plan in place, execute each step, and you will be successful.

 

DS

[CharityAK 11]

My son joined scouting at age 14. He's just turned 16 and will most likely make Life in November. He says he was the only 6 foot Tenderfoot his first year of scout camp. He took a lot of ribbing for it, but the boys shut up after he passed them by. His second year of scout camp he was a Star scout and on camp staff as the cinematographer. He has several other extracurricular involvements as well - including well on his way towards a black belt. It's difficult for him to manage them all, but there is always time to do what is truly important to you. I see no reason why middle/highschool age boys can't remain a recruiting target.

 

Charity

[NWScouter 9]

The history major in me is going crazy. I know it is off topic but I have to do it.

The Second World War started with Germans invading Poland September 1, 1939. The British and the French then declared war on Germany . The Soviet Union invaded the eastern half of Poland and then the Baltic States. The USSR then tried to invade Finland and was fought to a stand still.

In the spring of 1940 Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. Then they invaded The Netherlands and Belgium on the way to France. Italy decided to declare war on France and Britain just as France was falling. Italy invaded Yugoslavia, Greece and Egypt where it couldnt hack it and had to be bailed out by the Germans. The British in Egypt were reinforced by the Australian and New Zealanders.

In June of 1940 the Germans along with the Italians Finns, the Hungarians, Bulgarians and Romanians invaded the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile for years the Japanese had been fighting the Chinese. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Sinking most of the United States Pacific Naval Fleet. They then invaded Hong Kong, Malay States, Singapore, Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), Philippines, Burma and almost clear south to New Guinea next to Australia and west to Indian.

The United States declared war on Japan on December 8 and the 10th Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S.

 

That is a very short summary of the first three years.

 

[LovetoCamp 9]

you Scouters who don't recognize the bit about the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor are now on "Double Secret Probation".