For Leaders

CT Rivers Council Training Home Page

Welcome to training! The Boy Scouts of America, the Connecticut Rivers Council and Pack 203 strongly believes that every youth deserves a trained leader. To assist you in determining what training course would be helpful to you or your unit, the Council Training Committee presents the following descriptions of courses and programs that are offered by either a district training committee or by the Council Training Committee. What is a tleader?

Help deliver the promise by being a better trained leader.

Frequently Asked Questions:

· Why training? - To help you in your new position with the Cub Scout den and pack. The minimum training required for volunteer leaders is shown below.

· How do they work? Training for Cub Scout leaders follows this format:

1. Fast Start Training (Required for all leaders in Pack 203) – available online or from a video provided by your pack Fast Start training is the first step for any new volunteer and is to be viewed immediately after a new leader registers and before he or she meets with any youth member. -

2. Youth Protection Training - (Required for all leaders in Pack 203) – available online and presented periodically. Youth Protection Training accomplishes the following objectives:

· Informs leaders and parents of BSA's Youth Protection policies and materials, including It Happened to Me, a video for Cub Scout-age boys and their parents, and A Time to Tell, a video for Boy Scout-age boys.

· Increases the protection of children by discussing the procedures for prompt reporting of suspected abuse.

· Enables Scouting's leaders and parents to recognize indicators of abuse.

3. New Leader Essentials – -- (Required for all leaders in Pack 203), available online -An overview of the Scouting program of BSA (Half-day program). New Leader Essentials covers all adult leaders serving youth in the Boy Scouts of America. The course presents an overview of Scouting, including the organization's mission, aims, and methods. It also provides new leaders with a look at the resources available to them through the Boy Scouts of America, and a clear understanding of Scouting's expectations of its adult leadership. All new adult leaders in all Scouting programs should participate in this course as soon as possible upon volunteering.

4. Cub Leader Specific Training - (Required for all leaders in Pack 203) – specific to your position in the pack. (Half-day program).

Following New Leader Essentials training, this course is the next phase of a new Cub Scout leader's introduction to the Boy Scouts of America and the responsibilities, opportunities, and resources that will ensure a successful pack leadership experience. This course is intended for every adult leader in every Cub Scout pack. Participants receive instructions in their specific leadership position. Topics include:

· Pack Organization

· The Role of the Leader

· Advancement

· Den and Pack Program Planning

· Webelos-to-Scout Transition

If a Cub Scout leader changes positions (for example, if a Tiger Cub den leader becomes a Webelos Den Leader), the leader would take that position of training related to the new position.

Other & Advance Training

5. BALOO (Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation)
The goal of BALOO is to provide the inexperienced leader with the skills and confidence necessary to venture into the great outdoors with his or her Cub Scouts and provide them with a great first-time experience. The course focuses on program planning and health and safety issues, and some basic outdoor skills.– the outdoor training required for individuals who will give leadership to a pack overnighter. - Optional

6. Webelos Leader Outdoor Training (WLOT)
This course provides the outdoor knowledge and skills necessary to successfully run the Webelos outdoor program. It is designed for Webelos den leaders, assistant Webelos den leaders and other leaders working with the Webelos program. Bear den leaders who will be moving into the Webelos program should take this course before the end of the Bear year. Training for Webelos leaders focusing on the outdoor group of activity pins. - Optional

7. In addition to these, the monthly Roundtable (Second Tuesday of each month) is presented with information on next month’s theme and a dedicated staff of volunteers to help you with your questions or concerns about your den or pack. This monthly gathering is held at East Granby Congregational Church, start time: 7:30 p.m., September-June. Please see calendar on council web site for updated information.

8. Pow-Wow: The biggest show of the Cub Scout training year. Pow-Wow is an all day event for all Cub Scout leaders. There are many different learning opportunities covering nearly every aspect of the Cub Scouting Program including pack administration, finance, den and pack tips, crafts, skits, advancements, songs, games and cooking - basically everything from "soup to nuts".

9. Wood Badge:

Wood Badge is designed to meet the advanced training needs of all Scouting leaders regardless of their position in Scouting.

· Wood badge is for leaders from Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Varsity and Venture programs as well as District and Council Volunteers and Professionals.

· The 'new' Wood Badge is training for leadership skills - not outdoors skills. Outdoor skills may be learned in a new series of program specific course being offered by BSA and Connecticut Rivers Council.

· Wood Badge is a total immersion learning experience. It is challenging, interesting, enriching and a great deal of fun!

· There are nearly 600 Wood Badge Trained Scouters in Connecticut Rivers Council. They are now applying these skills in their Scouting positions in the unit, district or Council level.

Am I Qualified to Attend?

· The course is open to all qualified men and women including those with special needs.

· Each Scouter must complete Basic Leaser Training one of the programs - Cubs, Boys Scouting or Venturing prior to the start of Wood Badge.

· There is no tenure requirement.

· Scouters attend Wood Badge by invitation from the council upon recommendation of the District.

· Where are they held? Locations vary and are identified with each training.

· When? A schedule for the year is at CT Rivers Council Training Courses. New course dates are added on a regular basis.

Pack 203 will try to host a New Leader Essentials & Leader Specific Training at First Church in the fall of each year during 2 evenings over two consecutive weeks.

ANYWAY

by Kent Keith

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down

by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.

Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you have anyway.

Do You Carry a Big Stick?

At a recent Scouting event, each staff member was presented with a staff or hiking stick by the course director. In the opening session, participants were told if they had questions regarding the schedule or locations of events, just to ask one of the Scouters carrying a staff. It so happened that, as a courtesy to me being an out-of-town guest, I was given a staff, too. During a break in the program, I was standing off to the side leaning innocently against my staff, when participants began approaching me. Questions began coming at me from every direction. It was then I decided that if I was to be a leader and carry a “big stick”, I had better do more than just look like a leader. I got a copy of the program and began to ask some questions myself. Soon, I was an expert on telling people where to go.

One of the truths I try to share with new Scout leaders, is that their badge of office marks them as leaders. They are expected to know more, do more, and be more than the average adult volunteer. Theirs is not a badge of authority, but a badge of responsibility and service.

What badge to you wear in Scouting? Is it just a nice, polished staff to lean on or does it say to everyone who sees it, “Here is someone I can count on.” Your commitment is to caring and serving. If we wear the badge, we should not be surprised that more is expected of us.

-Author Unknown

Selfish Reasons to Be a Cub Scout Volunteer

Command the respect and admiration you don't get at home.

You can't threaten to transfer your family to another pack.
Look good in a uniform without fear of being drafted into a battle zone.

The epaulets! (Need we say more.)
Bribes and tributes from the other parents.

You think they want this job?

They will do anything to keep you happy and the position filled by someone other than themselves.

(Hint: Start small and work yourself up to a BMW over time.)
Khaki has always been your color.

You've just been looking for the right occasion.
A golden opportunity to clear your wallet or purse of those filthy germ laden $10 or $20 bills.

But Seriously Folks . . .
Feel really good about something you do.

Affect the future of our children (and perhaps the world) in a positive way.

It looks good on your resume.

Seriously... if you ever wanted a way to prepare yourself for a promotion to management, this is it.

Organizing - Plan and organize a program of meetings for a year.
Recruiting - Enlist other adults to assist you.
Recognition - Track achievement of cub scouts. Reward their efforts.
Management - Call a cub scout pack meeting to order.

Network with some really neat adults.

There are a lot of dedicated, talented adults in Scouting. Get to know them.

Make memories for you and your children. When they have grown up and left home, how will they remember you? What example will you have left them when they raise their kids? Build the character of our future leaders. It's a rough job, but somebody's got to do it.

But the best reason? IT'S FUN!

We Are Only Leaders

We are not experts. We're your next door neighbors. We're not perfect, we are just parents like you.

We don't have anymore spare time or energy than you do, we all work full time and juggle our families and our schedules and try to keep it all together as best we can.

The only difference between us is that we believe in what Boy Scouting has to offer. So much so, that we contribute our time, our miles, and our talents to help our sons and your sons grow in Scouting.

We complete authorization forms, budgets, and registrations, and fill our homes with boxes of paperwork that you will never see.

We are required to take 13-20 hours of training the first year, as well as attend Roundtable meetings every month, so that we can meet our greatest challenge -- providing a variety of programs which meet the needs and interests of very individual boys.

We try to involve parents who want us to understand that they don't have the time to drive on outings or help at meetings. We rejoice at the generosity of others.

Sometimes we find ourselves going in too many directions, We run out of steam. We have memory lapses. Communication lines break down. Time slips by. But that doesn't mean we don't care.

So many evenings we spend on the phone, seeking advice and support from other leaders when disappointments or problems occur. "How do I keep my boy's attention?" "What are your ideas for the ceremony?" "How do you work with boys in three different grades?"

Our dining tables are covered with bits of rope, menus, tour permits, and merit badge cards for each and every boy in the troop. A couple of them won't show up, and don't think to call and let us know. Sometimes we feel unappreciated.

Yet, these boys can fill us with pride at their determination and accomplishments. Their smiles light up a room; and when they say "Thank You" it makes it all worth it.

We help these boys build relationships. Some struggle more than others. Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly... is encouraged by the Scout Oath and Law. And sometimes we too must learn these lessons over and over again with the boys. But we are willing to keep learning.

Please be patient if we appear distracted or frustrated or overwhelmed at times. Forgive us if we are not the kind of Boy Scout Leader you would be if you had the time. Instead, provide us with encouragement or offer your help. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

We are, after all, only mentors...role models...leaders. Volunteers who have taken an oath to give these boys, your boys, the most precious gift we have to offer -- the gift of time.

- Author Unknown

Pack Meeting Den Sign-ups 2007-2008
Monthly Themes	Month	Opening	Closing	Song	Skit	Show &	Cheer	Setup	Cleanup
Monthly Themes	Month	Opening	Closing	Song	Skit	Tell	Cheer	Setup	Cleanup
Cub Scout Express	Sept.	1	2	3	4	5	9	5	9
Down On The Farm	Oct.	2	3	4	5	9	6	7	1
Indian Nations	Nov.	3	4	5	9	6	7	1	2
Celebrations Around The World	Dec.	4	5	9	6	7	1	2	3
Cub Scout Car Show	Jan.	5	9	6	7	1	2	3	4
Chinese New Year	Feb.	9	6	7	1	2	3	4	5
Litter To Glitter	Mar.	6	7	1	2	3	4	6	7
Abracadabra	Apr.	7	1	2	2	3	6	7	1
Leaf It To Cubs	May.	1	2	3	4	6	7	1	2

Rank	Bear	Wolf	W1	Wolf	W2	Tiger	Tiger		W2
Den	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9