Redoing The Program?

[wagionvigil]

I was at Venture Quest this past weekend and a friend was telling me something about a total redo of the Cub Program. That it had been through the test stage and retention in those councils was way up. ANyone else hearing anything on this? I just hope they are not adding more "Boy Scout" activities to the Cub program.

[Nuts4Scouts]

The only thing that I can think they might be talking about is the trial where all Scout work (Achievement and Elective) is done in the den with family involvement pretty much taken out of the Cub program.

Basically they feel it is easier to do it all in the den, and make sure all boys earn their rank, than to work at getting the families involved, and possibly having a boy or two who does not get an award.

I have not heard that this is going national. Personally I hope it does not. Although, it probably has a better chance than Kindergarten Cubs.

[WVBeaver05]

I was in a District meeting last year when there was some discussion of potential pilot Cub Packs for a new program. There was some very general discussion about it and it could easily be the same that Nuts4Scouts describes. However, the rules were going to be very strict with participation kept quiet and leaders not allowed to discuss it.

YiS

[mhjacobson]

ACtually the redo of the Cub Scout program has been accomplished and it is not what was expected. There is a new Cub Scout training program that is now working it ways out to the field (District Training Chairs). There are some major differences in the program:

1) the first session (New leader essentials) has been revised to focus more on scouting leadership and structure

2) the second session (cub scout specific) has been focused (once again) on see, say and do with many more hands-on activities for each of the cub scout leadership positions. No longer will a trianing session consist of the participants being in the same room for 1/2 of CSS and then going into break-out sessions. The entire 1 1/2 hours will be in a specific training session.

[Nuts4Scouts]

That is a redo of the Cub Scout Leader TRAINING - NOT the Cub Scout PROGRAM.

Big difference.

The new training syllibi have been in the works for a while now. They were actually announced on a CubCast last year, but were not realeased until last month. If they are not at your local Scout Shop, you can call National Supply and order them direct (they are not on ScoutStuff yet).

[joat]

1) the first session (New leader essentials) has been revised to focus more on scouting leadership and structure

New Leader Essentials training is for leaders in all four programs: Cubs, Boy Scouts, Venturing, and Varsity. I have not seen or heard of any changes to NLE. Can you be more specific?

[Nuts4Scouts]

New Leader Essentials has not been integrated into the new Cub Specific training. It is an overview of the program, but not NLE.

From what I have been told, the only change to NLE is that it is no longer the FIRST part of the training. National's new progression is Cub Leader Specific first with NLE taken last.

[wagionvigil]

What I was hearing is it had nothing to do with training BUT the Cub Program itself

[WVBeaver05]

I know that last year or the year before there was a pilot of some new Cub Scouting structure. Never got the details of it as the info was tightly controlled.

For NLE the only change that I have heard was that it was supposed to be available on-line last fall.

YiS

[milominderbinder2]

So many things are changing.

The new type of Roundup program is rolling now.

- Craig

[mhjacobson]

NLE will NOT be on the web -- it will remain a classroom course. There are some changes to NLE that accompanied the CSS changes, but NLE will remain required for all positions. There have been no reported changes to the cub scout program other than the already announced:

Bobcat being required for all ranks including the tiger cub badge.

[cubbobwhite]

Fast Track - http://www.scouting.org/CubScouts/FastTracks.aspx

[cubbobwhite]

http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0805/d-news.html This link is to the article in Scouting Magazine that says that New Leader Essentials will become an online course starting in January, 2009.

A leadership guide revised
Find out how easy and fun Cub Scouting can be with the newly revised Cub Scout Leader Position-Specific Training guide. The guide offers exciting new features including a “see, say, and do” presentation with hands-on exercises that train leaders in skills such as running a den meeting, pack activities, and pack meetings.

“Recognizing how valuable our Cub Scout volunteer’s time is today,” said Jamie Shearer, associate national director of the Cub Scout Division, “we’ve bundled all the skills necessary for a position into two 45-minute introductory modules that every leader will take and a separate 90-minute session
for each of the specific positions.”

Those positions include Tiger Cub leaders, Wolf and Bear den leaders and assistants, Webelos den leaders and assistants, Cubmasters and assistant Cubmasters, pack committee chairs and committee members, and pack trainers.

This revised training is one of four basic courses for new leaders; the others are Fast Start, Youth Protection, and New Leader Essentials. Fast Start acquaints new leaders with basic information about their position. Youth Protection guides leaders in protecting children from abuse and drug abuse. New Leader Essentials highlights the values, aims, history, funding, and methods of Scouting.

As of Jan. 1, 2008, the BSA requires Cub Scout leaders to complete each of these courses to earn the Trained emblem to wear on their uniform. Cub Scout Leader Specific Training is the only one of the four modules that is still instructor-led, giving attendees the opportunity to meet other leaders and learn about available resources.

[VenturingL]

When I took Wood Badge (Jan-Feb, 2007), I heard Webelos was going to be made more distinct from the pack somehow - separate level like a troop? There were no details, & I haven't heard anything further so this could have just been rumor.