Tag Archive for Circle Ten Council

November = Wring-Out and Re-Charter

November 2013 Blog, Circle Ten Council No comments

It seems like we just got done with School Night for Scouting (see earlier Rally and SNfS blogs) and it is time to start thinking about the next phases of the membership process – wring-out and re-charter. And while they are very different, one helps the other (and you):

Wring-Out

Wring-Out is the very simple process of ensuring that everyone that you (the Pack/Troop leadership) thinks is on your rolls are actually registered with BSA and vice versa. It should literally take you 5 minutes to do, because typically, the only request is that you email a copy of your unit roster to your Commissioner or District Executive. From there, someone at the Council office will compare your roster to what is in the BSA system. Inevitably, BSA will find someone on your roster that they don’t have paperwork on but is active in your unit (solution: fill out an app).

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How to rally boys during Cub Scout recruiting (video)

August 2013 Blog, Cub Scouts No comments

Most Boy Scouts begin as Cub Scouts … and most Cub Scouts first learn about the program from a School Night for Scouting (SNfS) or Join Scouting Night (JSN) recruitment event. While your Pack may already have a very effective recruiting mechanism, here are some ideas on how effectively recruit within your school.

1.  Meet with the Principal — reminding them of the value of Scouting in their school

During my five years as a Cubmaster, I was blessed to be in a school district that recognizes the value of Scouting within their student body, as an extracurricular activity and as a character building program for the students. As such, recruiting always starts with meeting with the Principal.

2. School Open House (optional)

If you are able to meet with the principal before your school’s fall Open House, then ask to set up a table – perhaps nearby the PTA sign-up table. Your only goal is to ask, “Can we send some information about Scouting to you?” with a sign-up page with email address, child and parents’ name and email and phone number. This will let you do an email blast when you are ready for recruitment night. Inevitably, someone will ask you about girl scouts, so have a second sign-up sheet so that you can pass their information to your peer (if you can find them).

3. Establish a 7-day countdown to your recruitment night

I personally like Thursday nights for recruiting. Fridays are tough for parents to commit to, when they are not yet enthusiastic about the program. Wednesdays are church nights for many. And Monday/Tuesday doesn’t give you enough consistency for message/momentum.

4. Send a letter to the Teachers … Thursday (7 days before SNfS)

Say something similar to what you evangelized to the principal, and in fact, consider recapping that conversation. Let the know that you are excited about the adventure for their kids and that you will be sending a letter home for all the parents on Thursday. Also, ask if they know of any kids in the class that they believe would especially benefit from the Scouting program, give them your email address or phone number. Let them know that next week, there

5. Send a letter home with every 1st thru 5th grader … Monday (3 days before SNfS)

Many schools send home packets on a Monday or Tuesday, which is great because the parents are used to looking through it for actionable information. The best option is to just be included in that stack. The letter/flyer should include the meeting time for your SNfS.

If your Council office is doing the printing, you will need to confirm the SNfS night — first with the principal, so that you can use their facility, and then with the Council, in case your District Exec is able to support the event

Note, while it is slightly more expensive, I highly encourage you to send with every child, not just the boys. While Johnny might have not received his flyer for some reason, his sister may have hers. A few extra dollars in printing vs. doubling the chance that a boy learns about Scouting, is worth it.

6. School Rally — during lunches or assembly … Tuesday (2 days before SNfS)

This is where you get them excited!!! This is not so much about putting out information/education as much as getting them totally jazzed for the fun of Scouting. Tell them that their parents received the informational brochure, but have lots of extras and send it with them again. Consider asking your existing cub scouts to wear their class-B t-shirts on the day of the rally.

Check out this video, as an example of how you amp them up. Your goal is simply to have them go home to tell their parents “I want to be a Cub Scout — did you read the flyer?”

 

7. School Night for Scouting (SNfS) … Thursday !!

This is it!! Consider asking two Cub Scouts, ideally a Cub and a Webelos (in Class-A uniform), to deliver the morning announcements, or at least encourage everyone to join the Scouts. Potentially, you might also offer for all existing scouts to wear their Class-A’s (possibly over other clothes, if they do recess). It is just one more way to get those new kids excited. Will post a second blog post on delivering SNfS itself.

As always, thanks for reading/watching.

A Coppell Venture Crew in 2014

July 2013 Blog, Circle Ten Council No comments

Over the past few months, there are have been more than a few small discussions (often 1:1) about starting a Venture Crew in Coppell. With that in mind, I am hopeful that we can gather those that are interested and consider launching a Coppell Venture Crew for 2014.

Here are a few topics to help start the conversation:

What is Venturing?

Venturing is an extension of the BSA program, often with a primary focus such as “shooting sports” as well as offering the ability to do consistently more “high adventure” activities than what might be feasible in a Boy Scout Troop. Venture Scouts can be between 14 and 21, including both young men and women.

What is a Venture Crew?

A Venture Crew is the unit equivalent to a Boy Scout Troop. In much the same way that a Boy Scout Troop is more youth-led than a Cub Scout Pack, a Venture Crew is even more youth-led than a Troop — with Venture adults actually being called Advisors.

Why create a Venture Crew for Coppell Scouts?

The primary reason is to offer a more diverse range of activities for older Scouts, who may not feel challenged by just their Troop’s outings. In addition, older Scouts often struggle to stay committed to their Eagle journey with the ever-broadening activities available to teenagers, such as year-round sports or church programs. A Venturing program brings diversity to those Scouts, as a compliment to their Boy Scout Troop experience — and extends their youth-experience from 18 (Boy Scouts) to 21 (Venturing).

Who should join the Coppell Venture Crew?

The ideal Coppell Venture Scout is a 15+ year old Life or Eagle Scout who is looking for more high adventure in order to retain them in the BSA program. Particularly for boys who may have already risen through the leadership ranks of their troop (e.g. former SPLs) or prefer mature activities over leading first-year scouts, again. In addition, for Boy Scouts who may have been through 4+ Summer Camps with their Troop, Venturing activities can provide the diversity to keep them committed to the overall BSA program (and finish their Eagle before the age of 17.5).

What will the Coppell Venture Crew do?

Whatever the Crew decides! (within BSA policy) Most of the adhoc meetings have discussed an interest in shooting sports and high-adventure outings – with secondary interest in supporting the athletic, music and media-arts programs that many of the Coppell teens are already involved in (often in competition with their Scouting participation).  The “theme” of the Crew will be one of the primary discussion areas when the Crew is being formed later this year.

Venturing membership vs. Troop membership?

There is no “versus” — the programs are complimentary. Boy Scouts registering with a Venture Crew will be dual-registered with BSA, and the activities (e.g. leadership service) that they perform within their Crew will count for their Troop advancement requirements. Certainly, there may be cases where a Scout may eventually shy away from his Troop, in deference to his Crew — but that Scout may likely have otherwise shied away from Scouting in general, if not for his Crew membership. One exception to this is for 18-year olds. Instead of transitioning to become an Assistant Scoutmaster (ASM) within the Troop, they can continue their youth-centric experience within the Crew until they are 21 — which can be ideal for college students.

Four more meetings and another weekend?

Definitely not. Venture Crews tend to be less structured than Boy Scout Troops, so they will define their own meeting schedule which will almost assuredly be far less frequently — such as perhaps one planning meeting per month plus a high adventure outing or a shooting-afternoon (or a movie-night) on a monthly basis.

Where do we get started?

While a Crew is typically less structured than a Troop, there is still some parent-led teamwork to create and then support the Crew. If you have a Scout who may be interested in eventually joining the Crew, or if you are other otherwise interested in helping form a Coppell Venture Crew, please email me.  Our next step is to gather the Scouts and parents that are interested — for an Informational Meeting, so that we can gauge interest and our capability to charter a new Scouting unit in Coppell. We will be gathering interested names in December and will then reach out in January to schedule at least one informational meeting.

If you or your Scout are potentially interested in Venturing within Coppell, please email me so that we can keep you informed on how the Crew is forming.

 
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