Jamboree on the Trail LII of C of #100DaysofScouting

I missed this outing last year by mistake.   I already know that Elliot and many of the boys have AA Baseball.  I will be on the 2nd weekend of Wood Badge, so hopefully I can get the boys out on the trail while I am on course!  The one thing that I realized is that this counts as a JAMBOREE for the International Award Patch that can be earned by anyone.  Do not confuse that with the International Knot that a Adult Leader can earn. It’s not the same.

The date is Saturday May 14th.  Go here for more information!

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Customer Service LI of C of #100DaysofScouting

I live in the world of Customer Service for my living.  I have been in this world since the day I started my first job.  I was the popcorn guy at the movie theater, cook, dish washer, prep cook, call center rep & 2nd level rep, desktop support analyst, retail computer sales and now field service support.  I have seen and heard it all….

Within my position I go to several major accounts every day and they are all direct competitors of eachother.  My company sells to all of them.  What’s the difference?  Sure some of the equipment is different.  The knowledge of some of the CSR’s are different as well.  But all of that can be overcome.  The one thing that every company has that is the same is how they use Customer Service to their advantage.

What I mean by all this is, it is the Customer Service that will bring in and keep a customer for life.  It is also the reverse as well.  All too often we see BAD Customer Service.  We talk about it MORE than the GOOD Customer Service.  Here is my good experince:

Yesterday I went to McDonalds for dinner. Yes, it’s bad for me.  Now, everyone knows McDonald’s and their food and what to order.  I know that these people who work there do not make much.  They generally have two-three other jobs to make ends meet.  But tonight there was Sid.  Sid the General Manager.  Sid is an older gentleman who is bald and a interesting mustache and set of teeth.  His first word to me was “EUREKA”!  That’s because I was wearing a hooded sweatshirt from that town.  Broke the ice.  He took my order and as he did, he complimented me about the order, asked me how I was doing and made joked.  He made me feel at home.  At home in McDonald’s.  I smiled.

Did he know that I was going to come back to that store, no.  But he put it out there that his store was the best.  What I also noticed during my time there is his relationship with the staff. He talked to them, not yelling.  He was happy.  Also, when taking orders from smaller kids he got down on their level and asked them  questions directly too them. Not to the parents.  Made that kid feel like he was the most important person there.

Customer Service is what I am in with Cubscouts.  I am there for the boys.  I need to get down on their level and see what THEY want.  I need to talk at their level.  While I am not in the Boy Scout program, it’s also what I would need to do with them.  Talk with them, see what they wanted and make them special.

So, when your out there at a Troop meeting, Pack/Den meeting or an outing you need to be there for the boys making sure that your service is consistant and keeping them coming back for more.  Give them your guidence in the way they understand and need.  Make them feel appreciated.

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L of C of #100DaysofScouting

Do you ever have one of those days or Pack Meeting that you believe that is going to go well, but TANKS immediately?  I had one last year, and again this year.  It’s almost 12 months to the month.   As with this picture, you seem to be focused on what you want to do, but everyone else seems to think your unfocused.

Yes, I am beating myself up about this.  I know that the Den Leaders and those who come to the meetings know it was a bad night for the Cubmaster.  My Unit Commissioner was there along with a Den Chief & his Dad.  Ugh….. They (outside the Den Chief) know me as well.  I am not worried about them.  I am worried about the boys that I serve.  One Scout that I hardly know since he does not show up much started going into detail about what I was talking about.  He is a good Scout and meant well, but I was not ready for his in-depth description of how a Nuclear Reactor works.  Nor a discussion on why Portland is safe from a Tsumani.  I had to shut him down.  I did not get a chance to follow-up with him.  I was in the middle of loosing the crowd and did not need/want to spend 10 minutes on it.

Suffice to say, this meeting was not the way I wanted it to go.  However, I did accomplish three things I set out to do.

1)Get the boys thinking about what an Emergency can be.
2) Get the boys to do something at home for the family that included the family that could save their lives.
3) Get the whole Pack OUTSIDE of the Gym.  It was one thing during Pow-wow that found interesting.  I took a class that started inside a school and completed outside.  It proved a point that things happen and you can use the outside as a learning spot.

So, what I am going to do about this?  Several things & something I already planned.

First, I sent out an email to the Den/Pack Committee about what I want to impliment for next year.  It contained a PDF of what I think we need to do.  It will be covered on this month’s Pack Meeting.

Second, I need to setup Pack Meetings 2-3  months ahead of time.  This will allow the Den Leaders time to plan their Den Meetings.  This year I started providing agenda’s a month a head.  Now, it will be 2-3.  I started out this year using the Pack Meeting Plans from National. They worked great.  However, I stopped because of Pinewood, Blue & Gold and Arrow of Light.  Now, I need to get back on track.

This next month’s Pack Meeting will be all about GAMES.  I will be working up a few games to play after Flag, Awards and such.  Again, my quick Twitter-Shout-Out to my Scouter friends that I follow game me a lot of great ideas.  Which also leads me to think that the Den Leaders need to do Flag.   Guess we will need to practice this….;)

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One year later: XLIX of C of #100DaysofScouting

Today is my one year anniversary of getting my Wood Badge Beads.  My fellow Beaver Kent also got his Beads a the same time.  He invited me to his Troop’s Court of Honor to have the Ceremony.  All but one us got their Beads.  Kent and I went to all but one of our Patrol mates Beading ceremony.  Not a bad track record overall.

Here is a blog about the Beading event.  To me, it is pretty amazing that it happened.  I am very grateful to all who were there and helped me accomplish the goals within my ticket.

I started my journey in September 2009 and I am now on staff for W1-492-11 as a Troop Guide.  I have grown and learned a lot.  Am I smarter?  I could be.  I just understand more about Scouting and understand more about the game. I am very excited when I hear and see other friends who are going to, signing up, coming back from Wood Badge and working their ticket.  I have had the pleasure in helping one person complete a ticket item.  I know that when the Patrol starts theirs, I get to see them accomplish their dreams and affect the lives of those who they serve.

Here’s to eight more beadings in the next 18 months!

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Got caught Monologuing

mon·o·logue also mon·o·log (mn-lôg, -lg)

n. 

1.  

a. A dramatic soliloquy.

b. A literary composition in the form of a soliloquy.

2. A continuous series of jokes or comic stories delivered by one comedian.

3. A long speech made by one person, often monopolizing a conversation.

v. mon·o·logued also mon·o·logged, mon·o·logu·ing also mon·o·log·ging, mon·o·logues also mon·o·logs

Remind me to stop when I am doing it.  I got caught tonight doing it.  Trying to make a point about “Being Prepared” and they ate my lunch with it.  My whole thing about being Cubmaster is to make sure the boys have fun.  That did not happen tonight.  Gotta find the fun and make it happen.  However, I did get the whole Pack outside and did something different.

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Two Dads XLVIII of C of #100Daysofscouting

Well, it’s not like that!  If your old enough to have lived in the 80′s then you remember this TV Show.  If you don’t, look up “My Two Dads”.

This weekend was Spring Break in Oregon.  My family and another went off to the Oregon Coast to get away from it all.  Oddly enough the town is called ….OCEANSIDE!  It is right in the perfect area that NO CELL PHONES WORK!  Pretty nice.

So, my friend Nathan and I got tired of hanging out in the house at one point and wanted to get everyone out.  No takers.  Our boys are in Scouts.  Mine is a Bear, his is a Wolf.  Still no takers.  So, we took off by ourselves.  We had a simple simple hike all planned.  The fun this is that his wife is the Wolf Den Leader in another section of town.  She tells me what’s what in her Den/Pack and I tell her how messed up it is.   Her husband is the Treasurer and agrees with me.
Anyway, we got to talking about taking the boys camping and now have it somewhat planned.  It’s not a BSA event, but we have the Two-Deep Leadership thing covered.  What he has done with his son and daughter is make them earn their Backpacks.  They have to go on an overnight with him and camp.  Now, they have a daypack with their stuff.  But once they get through the process of how to camp, how to hike and all the things of what to do and not, they get to pick-out their first Backpack.

I find that really really fun.   It will get us out there and as Nathan puts it “Watching Caveman TV”!  You know, a Fire!

The one other thing (we talked about a lot, but our wives read this blog and I want to keep our marriages happy & healthy!) is the need to take a Wilderness First Aid class.  So, we are now on the look-out for a class that we can take.  I already have First Aid/CPR.

While is was not a real Scouting day or weekend, I did get in some things about Scouting.

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PS: I figured out this new gallery thing on WordPress…interesting…

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Emergency Prepardness Pack Meeting #100Daysofscouting

So, this Monday is our monthly Pack Meeting.  I have sent out an email to all the Den Leaders and Committee explaining what I am going to do.  I think it’s going to work.  Just to recap: During basic Pack Meeting I will have a parent stage a fake power failure.  This will prompt me to start telling the Scouts to line up due to this unknown emergency and that we need to go to the covered area on the playground.  There we will talk more about what an Emergency is, what to do and reflect back on our First Aid Pack event.

During the research, I found a website from the County that I live in that had a handout to help in these situations.  I ordered 40 of them. They ARE FREE!  This completely saves me from printing out a bunch of paper that the boys would just toss.

I think that while teaching knots, how to camp, how to hike and how to cook among the many things that Scouts need to know one of the most important is what to do for when of an emergency.  There is even a Merit Badge for it.  Teaching these skills is vital for survival. (There is even a part for Nuclear Reactor disasters!) Camping just does not spontaneously happen.  Accidents do.  While camping, you prepare for it and then do it.  Emergency is the same thing. You prepare for it…then wait. Then it happens. Even 10-year-old Webelos can save lives.

Remember, training at any level will affect lives.  Maybe even your own.

Here are photos of the handout that I will be handing out on Monday.

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“42″ XLII of C of #100Daysofscouting

Today is the 42nd day of the #100daysofscouting that Scoutsigns started.  This is the second go around for it.  Do, I have anything PITHY to say? No, not really.  However, I did read Scoutmaster Jerry’s post today.  Now, that got me thinking.

First off people have to realize that both of us are on staff for our Council’s Wood Badge that starts in late April.  One of his ASM’s was in the same patrol as I was.  I had no clue as to who Jerry is.  I think that I barely had any idea about PTCMEDIA as well as it is today.  I had listened to several podcasts, but that’s it.

Jerry’s post today was about Leadership, with questions of “Who do you Serve”, “How best can you Serve?” and finally “Are you getting better everyday?”

My answers:
Who do I serve?
I serve the boys of the Pack.  I do not serve the parents or committee of the Pack.  Do I work with the parents and Committee?  Yes, I sure do.  However, the latter are not the ones who are earning rank, badges, segments & awards.

How best can I serve?
I took this position of Cubmaster because I knew no one else would.  It was something that I wanted to do. To make sure the boys had something to do.
I gave up being the incoming Wolf Den Leader. I thought that I would come back as the Webelos I & II Den Leader after two years.  I realized that being Cubmaster for a total of four years would best serve the boys.  The four year term would allow the boys and Pack have consistancy.  This would allow the program to grow.

Are you getting better everyday?
Yes, I am getting better.  I am not sure about everyday within Scouting since it is not my fulltime job.  However, when I am Scouting I do get better.    I get better in two ways.  First is being around other Scouters and training.  I learn more by listening to Scouters.  Just going to Wood Badge threw open the door.  Now, with being on Staff it’s getting clearer.  I know that I have a very long way to go.    However, the real learning is after finding out answers, I need to put them to work.  That happens on Pack Meeting nights and Pack Outings.  It’s there that I put everything that I learn to work.  That is when I know how my training paid off.  I will also say that the knowledge of the Cubscout program helps the Pack Committee and parents.  Through training, I am able to answer a lot of questions or look for them as needed.  That allows the Pack and Committee to move forward.

———-

So, the ultimate answer to the ultimate question to the life, the universe and everything else is……
DO YOUR BEST!  Doing your best will pay off dividends in ways that you may never know of.  You need to keep learning at whatever your position is, within and out of Scouting.

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Cubscout Advancement

I am in the middle of writing up document of understanding/guidelines for the Pack to operate off of for the year.   It starts off like this:
—————–
Being a Den Leader, Cubmaster, Committee Chair, Treasurer or Committee Member within Pack221 is a great and rewarding position.  With it comes responsibility, not only to the Cubscouts but also to the Scout Parents and to eachother.   Our time as volunteers is greatly appreciated and is needed by the Pack as a whole to succeed at all levels.
Hence planning, communication and record keeping is vital to the overall success of the Cubscout advancement, Events, Den & Pack Meetings and the annual program.
Guidelines:
All polices, guidelines and rules of the Boy Scouts of America will be followed. This includes information from Scouting.org & the Cascade Pacific Council’s website CPCBSA.org and the Guide to Safe Scouting publication.

——

My goal is to have this document help in training and answering questions of all new and current Den Leader and Committee Members.  Today, in the Twitter-sphere I asked this question:

When is  last date a Cub in a calendar year may achive that rank. ie: Tiger. cub joins late in year, can they earn it before school starts.

What I got back from my followers (Yes, you techincally are since you followed me on Twitter…;)  ) is this:

1)depends on how you run your scout year. Our pack’s is 6/1 – 5/31.
2)Plenty of precedent to extending over the summer if needed, but officially 01 JUN.  Tiger is pretty easy though to knock out.
3)we run by age…so we have old Wolves and NEW wolves.. Run it year round using CS 2010 program and use all 33 den mtg
4)discretion of Pack I think. Key is can’t count anything for next rank til that completes. I’d let him work it through.
5)It’s for sake of camp. If he is working Tiger rank til 8/31, then he can’t go; he’s a Tiger. UC can’t have it both ways

I replied during this tweeting:

1)9/5-5/15 for academic Year.  UC told me she gives till 8/31 in her Pack. You said what I was thinking.
2)I am not going to short a cubscout a rank just because. But they have to show the effort.

I was asking this because I am looking at the Advancement & Recoginition Policies & Procedures Book from the BSA. (2010 Printing) and I cannot find that language in there.
I know that my former UC stated that she let a boy finish up his current rank by the end of summer (8/31) and then awarded that rank.  I am not out to re-create the whole book, but I need clarification since it has happened before and will happen again.

What I have garnered from this tweeting is: It’s up to the Pack and can be allowed but one rank is worked on at a time.  No work on Bear Requirements until Wolf  is completed (for example). What I can say about the requirements that are earned at Camp, is that I have left it up to the Den Leader to count them or not.  Some boys do not go to camp, hence they would not be able to use them.  For Tigers, Wolves Bears I see this as an easy thing since they can work through it during regular school year.  As for the Webelos I & II, it might be a tad tougher.  There might be a camp program that gets them the Pin they need or parts of it. (Think Partial Merit Badge here).  Not every Webelos is going to get the “Heavy Shoulder” award.  Webelos just need the basics to get their rank.

Overall, the message to the Scout and Parents is that there is work to be done to EARN their rank.  It’s not just GIVEN to them.  I am fairly flexible when good sound reasons are given.  But, then the Scout needs to live up to what they promise.

Hopefully that all makes sense.  Please leave comments to this post in the section provided.

Yours in Scouting.

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XXXXI of C of #100Daysofscouting

Realized late last night when scanning a really old email folder that I listed as Tigers 2009 that I was offered and had accepted the Cubmaster position.  It is a full month ahead of when I had thought it happened.  (I keep email in folders for a very long time.) So, I edited my paperwork and emailed it off to my Committee Chair and Unit Commissioner.  The latter signed and sent it to the District Advancement Chair.  My hope is to have the Knot confirmed for April’s Roundtable so I can wear during the first week of Wood Badge.  I had thought it would have been ready for the 2nd week of Wood Badge.
Other note worthy Scout thing that I worked on is the calendar for 2011-2012.  Putting down dates of Pack Meetings, Join Night, First Den Meetings, Pinewood Derby, Arrow of Light/Crossover, Blue & Gold and all Committee Meetings.

For the XXXXII day of Scouting, really trying to think of something pithy.  It’s 42 you know.  The Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question about Life, The Universe and Everything Else.  What is 6 x 9?

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