1. Cubmaster 101 Presented by Bill Bates Cubmaster, Pack 374 – Santa Clara County Council

2. Who am I ? (Okay, a bit of a brag page) Involved in BSA for almost 25 years (Eagle Scout) 3 rd Year as Cubmaster of Pack 374 – Sana Clara County Council Have planned 35 Pack meetings (been at 45, as an adult more as a scout) Dad of a Webelos I and Wolf Scout

3. What this presentation is not… Lots of slides The “right way” to be a Cubmaster Learning how to manage conflict The presentation of your dreams! (Well, I guess maybe…)

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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!

7. Cubmaster’s Job Read The Cub Scout Leader Book Check out the New Cubmaster Brochure 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 and more) Work with your Committee Chair, Charter Rep, District Executive (DE) and Unit Commissioner

8. 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!!!

9. 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.

10. 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!

11. You NEED an agenda!!! Consistency is good; but change is also okay (find a balance) Keep it simple Keep it as short as possible (90 min in my world 70 boys and 9 dens – soon to be 10) 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!

12. Pack Meeting Tips Always have a Plan B Did you confirm the guest (or verify that they had been confirmed)? Always have an agenda! 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?

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

14. Monthly Den Duties Publish the duties ahead of time Remind leaders at your leader meeting Come up with an easy rotation Send email 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!

15. 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 files a Tour Permit? Are the scouts earning awards and advancing? Have you asked about any problems? Do Den Leaders have assistants? Den Chiefs?

16. 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 Gather feedback for the Pack Committee

17. 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

18. 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

19. Recruiting Make sure you have a recruiting program for new scouts Have you been assigned a school or two? Know your territory! Help identify potential leaders and event hosts Can you help in leader recruitment? Make families feel welcome! Return phone calls and email!!!

20. 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!

21. 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!

22. 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!

23. 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) Invite them to pack functions Is your Unit Commissioner on your email list?

24. Leader Training Your goal is to encourage EVERY leader to be trained You NEED to be trained Mandatory training for direct contact leaders is coming… 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!

25. 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?

26. Communication Do you have an email 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?

27. 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!

28. Everyone needs help and ideas! Great Resources!

29. Resources Complete your Training!!! Wood Badge Monthly District Roundtable Pow-Wow/University of Scouting (duh…) Cub Scout Talk Yahoo! Group Cubmaster Chat Yahoo! Group Scouting.org Website Your Counsel Website (and possible email list)

30. Great online Resources Pack Meeting Info from BSA: http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Activities/pack.aspx Simple Pack Meeting Planning Document: http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34-37.pdf Some of my examples: http://leaders.cubpack374.org/powwow/ My website for Pack 374 Leaders http://leaders.cubpack374.org/

31. Major Helps Baloo’s Bugle (my secret sauce) http://www.usscouts.org/bbugle.asp Cub Scout Program Helps (will be going away) http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Leaders/CubScoutHelps.aspx MacScouter http://www.macscouter.com/ The Virtual Cub Scout Leader’s Handbook http://webspace.webring.com/people/wu/um_10831/home.html

32. Thank You! cubmaster@batescentral.com