Questions For Webelos Troop Visits

[Stosh 3452]

@@Stosh - this reply doesn't seem to fit in this discussion.  Maybe in the SPL/PL for Small Troop thread?

Or maybe one could just let it pass assuming that it got posted in the wrong thread seeing how both topics are current threads.  

 

Your friend will swallow your mistakes; your enemy will present them on a plate. ~ Arabian Proverbs

[Eagledad 2777]

Ken was being helpful, he is not your enemy.

 

What does the bible say about pride and humility?

 

Barry

[Eagle94-A1 2687]

I admit, my troop growing up had "ringer" meetings for when we knew Webelos were coming.

 

First 2 years with a feeder pack we would have the SWAT team come out for a visit. It worked the first year, and we did it again the 2nd year.

 

However, after the SWAT team visit, and before the Webelos overniter, we found out the nite before that our gear was destroyed. We adapted and turned the overniter into a "wilderness survival" camp out. Webelos ate it up. Scouts had fun too, and it became an annual event. So much fun that we had ASMs in college driving in to attend.

 

After the first "wilderness survival" weekend, our "ringer" meeting was knots, pioneering, and shelter building. Skills they would need for their overniter.

 

Prior to having a feeder pack, we were a "word of mouth" troop. So we had to be prepared to work with invidivuals visiting. Heck that was how I got involved with them. Cousin was having an ECOH, and as a Webelos, they put me right in with a patrol, gave me  small part in the ceremony ( thank you index cards ) and I felt very accepted.  While I did join the troop the rest of my den was joining, after 6 months, I transfered. same thing happened when I visited them with an interest in joining; they buddied me up with someone and placed me in a patrol.

[fred johnson 936]

As much as everyone wants to know if it's boy led or not, it's not really a yes/no answer. It's usually how much. If you want a crude answer than just watch, there's no point in asking.

 

So true !!!!    It's an ever moving goal.  ... Boy led ... Over the years, I've grown to despise the term as it is used way too much to compare troops with a better-than-thou attitude.  Boy led is absolutely a key goal, but using the term to compare troops is almost always more destructive than helpful.

 

 

 

If you really want to find out what a troop is about ask if you can go camping with them. 

 

I fully agree.  It parallels the marriage joke about trying to hang wall paper to see if you and your future spouse are a good match.

 

You can ask all the questions you like, but I really don't think you learn much from the answers other than the hard facts:  meeting nights, cost, schedule, etc.  The rest is the smoke and mirrors of marketing.  

Edited August 18, 2015 by fred johnson

[blw2 433]

lots of great discussion, thanks!

 

... and so true that many of these questions are things that could, or perhaps should be observed.... I'll amend my stated goal to make this a list of things to look for in a troop AND tips on how to observe a troop.

 

I sure am really going to need to take some time to compile this somehow, eliminate duplicates, etc.... and boil it down into something easier to grasp.  this is great!

 

About the ringer meetings.  At first jerk of the knee, I might say that i don't want the boys to see a ringer meeting.... but there's something to be said for the troop to make effort and make the young boys feel welcome and have fun.

Some things, like that OOA ceremony, may very well not be understood and might complicate things.

 

and after thinking of it more, I wouldn't want to do an unannounced visit as the first meeting I think.  

Maybe as a more casual follow-up visit.

and maybe with a call to the SM just a couple hours prior to confirm that its ok....

[Eagledad 2777]

and maybe with a call to the SM just a couple hours prior to confirm that its ok....

If you really want to impress the scouts, call the SM to ask for the SPLs number so you can ask him if it is ok. 

[Stosh 3452]

And as a SM, I would never give out such information to anyone about any of my scouts.

[Eagle94-A1 2687]

In regards to "ringer meetings," I admit I thought the SWAT team was AWESOME! Who doesn't like putting on kevlar and a crowd control shield, looking and hearing about the 40mm grenade launcher that they have for smoke grenades, or the unit's sniper who uses both a rifle and a BB gun ( taking out lights and breaking glass.)

 

 But in retrospect it may have been over the top. FUN, but over the top.

 

Now the "wilderness survival" ringer meeting I can see as valid. We went over skills they would need for the upcoming camp out with us. Only thing we did differently than a standard meeting was more one-on-one teaching. The Boy Scouts would be working on the skills and practicing in the meetings before the Cubs showed up. We would then buddy up with the Cubs, and work with them. 

[blw2 433]

yeah, I would agree with that

in fact the swat team seems more like a cub meeting.

Fun?  of course!!!

 

If i'm a boy or parent visiting, I'm there to see how the troop operates, ask questions, maybe hear some stories, maybe just sit quietly in the back and watch, maybe join in.... but I'm not there to learn about the swat team.  

What does that tell me about the troop?

[Gone 435]

We used to do archery and hawks. Can't do hawks anymore so we stick to archery. Since we do this a lot it is not a ringer meeting. Cooking demos (where you can eat AND help cook) are good, but again, we do those all the time. Our "swat" team guys are just as prepared as our regular guys.

[blw2 433]

reviving an old thread here....

After much thought on the suggestions here, as well as in other threads and elsewhere..... I put this all aside to digest a bit.

I had pretty much settled on the idea that

the boys, left to their own devices, will follow friends

and/or go to the troop that is the most fun &/or welcoming

 

They don't understand the ramifications of all of this, boy led, patrol, who does what mumbo jumbo.

 

So I've almost settled on a free and open approach to it all and see what happens.

 

 

But recently I received an invitation for our den to attend a fall festival thing a troop is putting on as a recruiting fair effort.

this wasn't a troop under consideration based on geography, but it is maybe doable

I would likely go regardless except my son and I have a schedule conflict....

But I got to thinking that this approach from a troop.... or ringer meeting as someone wrote here... is really a misdirect and in a way not good.

The boys might be enamored by it but nobody will likely get a real truthful feel for the troop.... the boys or us parents either.

 

     although it would I suppose be better than showing up on some random election night or other odd ball troop meeting.

 

I've also been thinking of the concept that I've seen many folks write about.... splitting the parents into one room and the boys in another with the scouts.

 

I think it was on a scoutmastercg podcast, It was suggested that we try to get an chance for open discussion with a few of the scouts.... and ask them questions....

I'm thinking this makes sense.

the WEBELOS get to ask questions and we adults get to hear them.  They also get to hear the questions we adults ask that might prompt them to think of follow-ups. And it gives us adults a better chance of finding out who really runs the show and such.... rather than our hearing the filtered answer that the troop adults want us to hear.

 

I think in a perfect world we could do this Q&A after being a fly on the will in a troop meeting.

and then after the Q&A, the WEBELOS could be allowed to hang with the scouts for their game time or whatever....

 

So, since one of the troops in question hasn't replied back to me, I think I'll plan on showing up to a meeting (I know the night and time they meet)

and introduce ourselves and tell them what we want to do.....

[Krampus 696]

@@blw2 we do something similar; we have a troop event where we do various things for the visiting boys. They get a chance to ask their questions of our scouts and our scouts answer straight up. We give the parents all of our troop info up front. Everything they want to know (based on years of frequently asked questions) is in that document. We have a parent meeting during the event, but we try to keep it very short. We want the parents to be able to ask our scouts (or adults) questions too; also to see their kids having fun.

 

We don't do the "ringer events" simply because they never work. Sure, you get guys to sign up, but if they end up not liking your troop they leave anyway. Who wants that?

 

We've found being open and honest up front, putting on a good event (but still allowing scouts to come to ANY meeting) they will see what we are about. We actually had a family visit a few years back to a meeting the SPL was totally unprepared for. The meeting was a logistical debacle and ended very early. The SPL took responsibility for being unprepared, apologized to the troop and guests and it ended. The family signed up right then and there; proving yet again that honesty was the best policy.

[gumbymaster 98]

As for a ringer event ...

 

Well, anyone when meeting someone new want's to put their best foot forward.  It's encumbant on the Webelos leaders and parents to follow up with what a more normal event would look like.

 

In my Son's case, he arrived at his decision based on the Troop's recruiting event.  They were teaching scout skills, and at a fire building station, my son and one other boy in the den were having great difficulty getting it.  Even after most the rest of the webelos and boy Scouts went off to play a game, one of the older Scouts stayed and very patiently worked with him until he got it, and understood why he wasn't getting it before.  We have been to troops that were larger, had more activities, were better organized.  My Son chose this troop because he felt that he would be lost in the larger group and here they took their time to make sure he got it. 

 

So even a promotional event can give you a good idea of what the troop itself would be like.

 

Most of the units we visited did some form of the split thing.  Parent want to know about logistics and policy.  What are the dues, fundraisers, expectations for attendance, expectations for the parent's, how many scouts make eagle - how do you help them.  I've never seen a parent who did not grow up in scouting themselves ask about the degree of boy vs. adult led.

 

The Boys just want to know that they are going to have fun - that it won't be School x2.

 

And just to be sure, we did "drop in" on a Troop meeting a few weeks later - to see what their normal was.

[blw2 433]

.....  I've never seen a parent who did not grow up in scouting themselves ask about the degree of boy vs. adult led.....

I had that exact thought too.

asking myself questions along the lines of how much over thinking I'm doing....

after all, The vast majority of scout candidates are going to be parents that are not at all knowledgeable or even involved

and like a very large fraction of the cub scouters wouldn't know either.... they being barely trained for their cub roles let alone anything to do with the troop.

 

I just figured it's better to "Be prepared" (hmmm where have I heard that before???)

and to make the most of the limited time we'll have.... considering they will likely try to drive us to do other things.... such as an adult meeting aside from the boys....

[Eagle94-A1 2687]

Well last nite was interesting.  We had two, unannounced visitors. One was a Webelos, the other was a Scout looking for a new troop.

 

Bad news was that things got changed on us by the CO at the last minute. Long story short, we had to do an impromptu service project for the church. I'm very happy we did it because the troop needed to do something to thank the church. We eventually got around to patrol corners and the work that really needed to be done for the camp out.

 

Good news is that the transferring Scout likes the fact that we camp 10 months of the year, do a lock in 1 month, and do summer camp the last month.