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Was asked to help lead a brand new Cub Scout and I'm so, so lost.


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Greetings, Scouters. 

A couple of weeks ago I was approached by a friend who asked if I was interested in leading his 7-year-old in scouts. I know nothing about scouts but I wanted to help out and told him I would do some research on how to make that happen. Holy wow. What an information overload. I definitely see the incredible value of the program but it's very overwhelming for someone like me with little prior experience.

My main question revolves around something that might have appeared obvious: There is no den around here. I would have to become a Den Leader for this one child. This is because we are living overseas and there isn't any interest from the other American children around to have more than a one-person den. So many of the activities I see throughout the handbook seem like they'd be difficult/impossible to pull off due to our location and lack of numbers. Is this even possible? How would I go about facilitating this? I'm worried that we will get neck-deep in the program and realize we can't actually complete it. 

I'm still not even sure I understand the difference between a Cubmaster and Den Leader. I obviously don't have a uniform and getting an official one here would be tricky and significantly more expensive. 

Would anyone be able to give a few tips or pointers on where to go from here? This child really wants to be involved with the program but I'm at a bit of a loss. 

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@tripexistence welcome and thanks in advance for all you'll do for the youth?

First, resources. You say that you're short on American boys. How about English-speakers from other countries? Even non-English speakers?

You got the handbook. That's a good step one. Pick activities that would be fun for your scout to do on his own.

As far as uniform: Try starting with just the neckerchiefs. Those ship easily. Make slides with local materials. Wait until someone is coming from the States, then ask them for a favor to get shirts and slacks etc...

Oh, definitions, Cubmaster leads a pack which is comprised of multiple Dens, each with it's own den leader. Your situation is much different than that, and you will have to contact someone at BSA about how to register. Others here may have specific suggestions of who that should be.

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Bless you for your willingness to be involved! Here are a few guides that might help you get started:

https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/510-239.pdf

https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/512-735_WEB.pdf

And here's the link to a whole page full of forms, applications, awards and resources: https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/resources-forms-applications/

The Cub Scout Leader Book will be your best help; I would try to procure one as soon as possible. It has a very good, clear breakdown of the program: https://www.scoutshop.org/catalog/product/view/id/7906

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Thank you all for the quick responses and helpful info. 

I'm still slowly digging through all the material, but I think the best course of action would be to press on forward as a Lone Scout. I am located in Asia, and have contacted the local district about getting started. 

I will certainly be using this forum heavily as a resource in the future!

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@tripexistence, one more idea for you. Cub scouts is a fun program. Just because you can't find anyone to join now doesn't mean they won't later, after they see how much fun this new scout of yours has.

I have a friend that was in a troop in Singapore. They had to go international just to go camping.

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