Cubmaster 101 Presented by Bill Mulvihill Vice Chairman, Programs – Huguenot Trail District, Heart of VA

Who am I ? Involved in BSA for over 30 years (Eagle Scout) Presently serving on Huguenot Trail District Staff 6 years as a Cubmaster: Pack 861, Bon Air Presbyterian Church in Heart of VA Council and Pack 184 Transatlantic Council Former Den Leader, ASM Have planned over 60 Pack meetings Dad of a Eagle Scout and Life Scout

What this presentation is not… Short! (We will run out of time…) The “right way” to be a Cubmaster Learning how to manage conflict The presentation of your dreams! (Well, I guess maybe…)

What this presentation is… What I believe the basics are Nothing more than tips and suggestions Situations and experiences that I learned from A pointer to good online resources Hopefully, a time where we can share ideas

Agenda Intro What is the Cubmaster’s job? What is a Pack Meeting? The Pack Meeting Plan (Agenda) Den Duties (Assignments) Do you know what your dens are doing? Do you have a monthly leader meeting? Working with the Pack Committee Working with the Charter Organization Recruiting (Scouts and Leaders) Event Planning Diplomacy and Crisis Management Who is your Unit Commissioner or DE? Leader Training WebelosCommunication

Who is the Cubmaster? The Ruler of the Pack (no, but many will think you are) The Glue that holds everyone together The energy that keep the pack running The grease the keeps things smooth The face of the pack The one everyone blames The chief evangelist!

Cubmaster’s Job Read The Cub Scout Leader Book Responsible for Pack Program (not by yourself) Chief Goofball and Crisis Negotiator Plan the Monthly Pack Meeting Cultivate a strong Webelos program Have your finger on The Pulse of the pack Have a regular leader/planning meeting Build and cultivate relationships (scouts, families, schools, charter organization and more) Work with your Committee Chair, Charter Rep, District Executive (DE) and Unit Commissioner

Use Your Resources Can’t sing? Find it hard to be silly? Bad at planning? Don’t think you are very creative? Use Your Leaders and Families!!!! But… Leave your comfort zone and Have Fun!!!

What is a Pack Meeting? (Oh my, soooo many words….) The monthly pack meeting brings together boys from every den, their leaders, and their families, to participate in a large-scale event that serves as a showcase for everything the boys have learned and done in their individual den meetings. The pack meeting gives the boys a larger experience beyond their own den, and helps them to connect their individual activities to the entire Cub Scouting program.

Meetings are boooooring! A monthly show for your pack families!!! (Cub Fest, The Big Show, Cub Theatre) There should be: SongsSkitsJokesAwards Rank advancement Short announcements (use a newsletter) FUN!!!!! Mix it up! Some families have been there for years!

You NEED an agenda!!! Consistency is good; but change is also okay (find a balance) Keep it simple Keep it as short as possible (75 min in my book) Be flexible! Have a copy on hand Get every den involved Get parents and leaders involved Cubmaster is the Ringmaster not the star of the show!

Pack Meeting Tips Always have a Plan B Did you confirm the guest (or verify that they had been confirmed)? Always have an agenda! (Did I already say that?) Set expectations (Stage Area, Behavior for scouts AND guests) Does every boy get something? (Bead program) Do adults get something? (Bead program, thank you gift) Do you have a treasure/goodie box?

Den Duties (Assignments) This is what I use: Gathering & Setup OpeningPrayerSongSkit Spotlight Den Den Choice (Song, Skit, Cheer) Jokes or Run-ons Closing & Cleanup

Monthly Den Duties Publish the duties ahead of time Remind leaders at your leader meeting Come up with an easy rotation Send reminders! Be ready to fill/change as needed I give my dens 5 minutes each (they can use less) Get every den involved!! Public speaking is an important life skill! Keep what works, change what doesn’t!

What Are Your Dens Doing? Where and When do they meet? Do you ever visit them? What Go See It trips are they going on? Have they filed a Tour Plan? Are the scouts earning awards and advancing? Have you asked about any problems? Do Den Leaders have assistants? Den Chiefs?

Do You Have a Leader Meeting? Having a regular leader meeting is worth it Make every den have a representative Make it face-to-face Get Den Leader feedback on recent events Plan for upcoming events Get a report on den health Help resolve issues Inform your leaders about additional awards (National Den Award, STEM NOVA, Emergency Preparedness and lots more...) Gather feedback for the Pack Committee

Working with the Pack Committee Attend the monthly Committee Meeting Give a Cubmaster Report Work hand-in-hand with your Committee Chair!!! Let them handle the Business of the Pack Help recruit new members Have a New Parent Welcome Program No, you should not feel like this...

Working with Your Charter Organization Build a relationship with your Institutional Head (IH), if possible Try to attend some Charter Org events Look into doing a yearly Service Project Build a relationship with your Charter Organization Representative Remember the Charter Organization basically owns the pack

Recruiting (Scouts & Adults) Market your pack year round Use the tools the council provides (flyers, lawn signs, posters, banners, business cards, and more!) Make sure you have a recruiting program for new scouts Have you been assigned a school or two? Have you tried to run a boy talk? (Huh? What's that?) Help identify potential leaders and event hosts Can you help in leader recruitment? Make families feel welcome! Return phone calls and !!!

Event Planning (and Attending) DO NOT do it all yourself!!! Don’t be afraid to let events fail Do you know who your event hosts are? You do NOT have to attend every pack event (there is only so much of you to go around) Spend some time with your own family while at events (even the Cubmaster gets to enjoy the event) Make sure you get some food!

Boy Behavior Become familiar with the normal behavior for each age group Do not be afraid to set expectations (make sure you are clear) Do not be afraid to reprimand (but be calm and fair) Make sure your leaders understand this as well Have you tried a Pack Theme of the Year? The boys CAN do it!

Diplomacy and Crisis Management As in any family, problems and tense situations can arise Be careful not to jump in too fast Try to listen as much as possible Folks WILL come to you looking for solutions People can get very nasty, do your best not to respond in kind Don’t be afraid to go to your Unit Commissioner, DE, Charter Organization Rep or others for help!

Your Unit Commissioner and DE Have you met them? You NEED to do that! You WANT your Council Office to know you (at least your name) Have you met your area's Program Impact Executive? Invite them to pack functions Is your Unit Commissioner on your list?

Leader Training Your goal is to encourage EVERY leader to be trained (trained standards have changed in 2012) You NEED to be trained Mandatory training for direct contact leaders Do you have a pack trainer? Do you have any training for parents? Know who has/has not been trained Look into Wood Badge… It is THAT good!

Webelos What are the Troops in your area? Do you know who the Scoutmasters are? Roundtable and Council/District events are good places to make contacts Where are your Webelos bridging to? Are you making sure that Webelos is a strong program? How many of your Webelos Bridge?

Communication Do you have an list? Do use use online groups? Do you have a website? You REALLY need a Pack Newsletter! Do you have a yearly calendar? How often do you communicate to your pack? How much face-to-face time do you have with pack families?

Have Fun Just an hour a week, right? (Yeah, a Scout Hour!) Don’t do this for your son, the boys or the pack… Do it for YOU! If you are not having fun, you need to change things If you do it right, you will be compensated more than you ever expected!

Everyone needs help and ideas! Great Resources!

Resources Complete your Training!!! Wood Badge Monthly District Roundtable University of Scouting (duh…) Cub Scout Talk Yahoo! Group Cubmaster Chat Yahoo! Group Scouting.org Website Our Counsel Website (and lists) Your District Website Your unit Website

Great Online Resources Pack Meeting Info from BSA: Simple Pack Meeting Planning Document: My University of Scouting Website:

Major Helps Baloo’s Bugle (my secret sauce) Cubmaster Resources from the BSA Den and Pack Meeting Resource Guides e.aspx e.aspxMacScouter The Virtual Cub Scout Leader’s Handbook The Scouter Mom

Thank You!