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New leader in California!


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Hey everybody! So, I was called on to be the Webelos leader for my local Pack, and to be the best leader possible I have spent the past 6 months reading everything I can about Scouting, including every edition of the handbook, all the Cub Scout books, every online resource I can find, and whatever books they have at the Scout Shop. I am a fast reader and love to do it, so I have had a BLAST eating up every policy and fact and discourse on Scouting I could find, and I am ALWAYS looking to learn more and find new ideas. I found this forum and have loved reading other people's ideas, thoughts, and opinions, and seeing how the world of Scouting manifests itself in the lives of leaders and kids everywhere. So ... who am I?

 

I am a 32 year old single guy living in South Orange County, CA, right in the place I grew up. I was a very active and proper boy scout as a kid, got my Eagle at 15, and now I am working with the same Pack/Troop that I was a part of, with is huge fun. (I found an old craft I made in our Scout closet! Which shows how rarely they clean that thing out) I am a teacher by profession, and I am as comfortable teaching preschool as I am high school, so I guess I was doomed to be thrust back into scouting from the start of college, ha ha. I ADORE working with kids and youth, and I am fortunate to have time enough in my life to devote a huge portion of my time and energy to them. I am a reader and a writer, am deeply invested in the arts, and I am the first to admit that I am not a major outdoorsman, but I have all the skills a Scout needs to survive in the wild. I am an avid birder and hobby naturalist, and I LOVE arts and crafts. I should show you all our Den Flag some time!

 

As far as my scouting background goes, my mother is from South America (the Latin part, from Bolivia) and my father is of British descent (the Scot part - Clan Ross). Dad earned his Life, but could never finish the lifesaving merit badge (he was a frail kid), so he wanted to make sure his sons got their Eagles. Mother came to the US as a girl, but as soon as my older brother turned 8 she threw herself into the Cub Scouting program and has been with it ever since. She is basically the Queen of Scouting now. Not only did her three sons all receive their Eagles before high school, but as the Life to Eagle Coordinator for our district she helped more than 200 scouts get their Eagles over the years, and she now oversees all new scout patrols in our chartered organization. As a surprise for her, I am currently trying to see that she gets proper recognition for her life of service by applying for her to get either District recognition or, if possible, the Silver Beaver. This November will be 30 years since she first registered as a Scouter!

 

I practically devour any new information I can find that will help make our program better. I am only the Webelos Den Leader for now, but I see the sorry state of our Wolf/Bear program, and look ahead to our weak Boy Scout troop, and I see I have a lot to do to help motivate our leaders to get the boys feeling ownership of a program they can be proud of. I will definitely be asking for help and ideas as I face up to the mountain of work that lies ahead of me! Thanks for being a great resource that I am eager to draw from!

 

 

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Welcome to the forum.  As I have mentioned, working with the Webelos boys for my WB ticket was a memorable time for me.  I got to go back this spring and work with the AOL boys that are now in my troop.  That age group is fantastic to work with!  Relax and Enjoy!

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Welcome!  It sounds like your Pack is lucky to have you volunteer for this role.  It also sounds like your mom is worthy of the Silver Beaver (with 30 years in as a leader, I'm surprised she was never selected before!!).  I would suggest also nominating her for the District Award of Merit.  We had one Scouter receive both this year - they are handled by separate committees, and neither knew the other was approving him. 

 

Scouting needs more families like yours.  I'm looking forward to more discussion down in the Cub Scouting section of the forum, so I'll see you there.

Edited by meyerc13
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