Tag: Cub Scouting

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More on “sports parents” and Scouting

bsalax_200In February, we posted an article titled Signing Day in which we explored the high-profile world of high school athletes committing to play sports in college and how the “race to the top” ends up costing parents, families and youth dearly, often to grave disappointment. A few months later, Bryan Wendell of Scouting Magazine blogged about the phenomenon as well.

More continues to be written about the youth sports craze and how parents can best manage their children’s, and their own, experience and expectations.  Continue reading “More on “sports parents” and Scouting”

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What Cub Scout membership coordinators need to know

youthapp_200Cub Scout packs are making plans to get their programs going for the next year of fun and excitement. Join Scouting nights are getting scheduled and all the recruiting materials are being updated. But Scouting’s raw material is membership, for without the boys we don’t have a movement!

A pivotal committee function at this time of year is the membership coordinator, whose job is to register all of our new Scouts and re-register the returning boys for another year of fun. Often, though, we find that this important job is either being done by other committee members or by a new parent without a good understanding of the process. The responsibility for unit membership really is a separate task which calls for a dedicated individual to handle it.

When a new parent steps into the role, there’s usually a lot to learn about the membership process, and when it’s a parent new to Scouting they have to learn a little of everything! Continue reading “What Cub Scout membership coordinators need to know”

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What’s up with Cub leaders’ kids?

bo-01_200Cub Scout leaders are among the most committed of our adult leadership. They way overspend their “one hour a week” planning and conducting weekly den meetings and field trips, planning pack meeting participation, scheduling meeting rooms, sending out newsletters, wrangling parents to do stuff, recording and submitting advancement, collecting dues and fees, arranging snacks, purchasing craft supplies, and giving up the hope of using their dining room table for dining, for a few years anyway. They are dedicated to seeing their Scouts have fun, advance, and get the most out of the program.

Then why is it that their kids don’t seem as likely to cross over to Boy Scouts? Continue reading “What’s up with Cub leaders’ kids?”

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Don’t do it halfway!

denleaderhalfCommitting to become a den leader (or other adult leader in Scouting) means not doing it halfway, otherwise the boys don’t benefit as much, and the adults don’t have as much fun either.

Sure, accepting a leadership role is a big step, but it’s not usually something you can do just a little bit. It’s normally a one-year commitment (unless something unforeseen comes up, like moving out of town or changing jobs) and there are specific responsibilities of leaders in various positions. Sometimes, these can be shared with others, but it rests on you to ensure that they are taken care of.

The good thing is that once you get going in your position, you’ll establish a rhythm and things will fall into place, so you don’t have to keep figuring out how to do new things. Continue reading “Don’t do it halfway!”

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The 4-1-1 on big changes ahead

Say goodbye to the Law of the Pack.

By now, you may have heard about the BSA executive board’s approval of the resolution to have all programs – Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Venturing and Varsity Scouting – use the Boy Scout oath and law. The change, one of many on the horizon, was recommended by volunteers and adopted by the board this past week.

Gone will be The Cub Scout helps the pack GO and other familiar phrases that we pounded into our boys’ heads (and our own) for so many years, to be replaced by “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful…” at pack and den meetings. Cub Scouts will also be reciting the words “physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight” before they can even grasp what those words mean in some cases. Continue reading “The 4-1-1 on big changes ahead”