This will be my second post on this subject but it is very sensitive to me, especially since for as long as I can remember I have always struggled to keep a healthy weight. This is two fold I have a big bone structure and the fat that I do not always have the best diet. I am a carb and candy lover, which leads to me eating a lot of empty calories. I know carbs are a good thing but for me who overindulges in them it is a problem.
I weight myself tuesday evening and I ended up over the 200 lb mark, this poses a problem because my highest acceptable weight according to the chart the BSA uses for the Jamboree I cannot weight more than 195, I am hoping by this coming monday I will have reached 193 or 194, this will allow me to complete my physical sucessfully and probably get approved by Jamboree medical.
Even beyond this I plan on continuing to increase fitness level and losing weight, so this coming summer in the viriginia heat can be a sucessful and pleasant experience.
I know many scouters and even scouts struggle with their weight but I believe that if we were all truly dedicated to changing our lifestyle then we could loose the weight. This does not work for everyone but for a majority of people this will work. As staff we need to all be examples for the participants in this event. Being a example in regards to fitness is part of the Scout Oath and as leaders in the scouting movement we need to be following this to letter. Perfection is not possible but striving for perfection is.
If you are a unit leader or a youth participant then you should make sure you also maintain a high level of fitness especially since the Jamboree site is a very hot and humid place.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Friday, December 25, 2009
Update and Merry Christmas
Dear Loyal Readers and Visitors
I just wanted to take some time to say Merry Christmas. Hope all is well for you and your family. I am spending christmas with my mom, sister, my sister's boyfriend, and his family, so I should have a excellent time.
Thank you all for being loyal readers, I know that I do not always update my blog on a regular basis or blog on a regular basis. I just wanted to let you know why I haven't been able to blog on a regular basis for a while now.
The first reason is because for the last two weeks of school after thanksgiving break I did not have a lot of time because of homework, studying, and exams. Those two weeks are especially stressful for me because I have some test anxiety issues. I ended up with all As and Bs so that was excellent.
Next I have been on vacation and trying to catch up on sleep because the college schedule does not always allow for regular sleep patterns. That is definitely a lame excuse, so I will try to avoid using that one again.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
I just wanted to take some time to say Merry Christmas. Hope all is well for you and your family. I am spending christmas with my mom, sister, my sister's boyfriend, and his family, so I should have a excellent time.
Thank you all for being loyal readers, I know that I do not always update my blog on a regular basis or blog on a regular basis. I just wanted to let you know why I haven't been able to blog on a regular basis for a while now.
The first reason is because for the last two weeks of school after thanksgiving break I did not have a lot of time because of homework, studying, and exams. Those two weeks are especially stressful for me because I have some test anxiety issues. I ended up with all As and Bs so that was excellent.
Next I have been on vacation and trying to catch up on sleep because the college schedule does not always allow for regular sleep patterns. That is definitely a lame excuse, so I will try to avoid using that one again.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Friday, December 11, 2009
NSJ 2010 Online Training
National Council has come out and suggested three trainings that are avialable online for jamboree staff should complete. These courses include:
1. 2010 National Scout Jamboree Staff Orientation
This orientation course was developed to help you understand your role as a staff member, learn what you need to do to prepare for your jamboree experience, and to answer commonly asked questions. With your help, this will be the best, most exciting, fun-filled, safest jamboree ever! We highly recommend you view this orientation prior to attending the jamboree. You will need to log in to your MyScouting account. Within the E-Learning section, you will find it listed under Basic Training.
2. Physical Wellness
Physical Wellness Training was developed to help prepare attendees for the 2010 National Scout Jamboree. It is appropriate for leadership in all program areas and for Boy Scout and Venturing youth. The module focuses on Mind, Body and Spirit. Learning objectives include the ability to define physical wellness; identify ways to improve the wellness of the mind, body, and spirit; describe the role self-responsibility plays in wellness; and answer questions about nutrition. Completion is noted automatically in the BSA training records database if the module is experienced online. Estimated time to complete: 40 minutes.
3. Jamboree Youth Protection Policies
Completion of the BSA’s Youth Protection Training for Volunteer Leaders is required of each jamboree adult member. You are responsible for taking this training in your local council before coming to the jamboree. This training helps prepare you to fulfill the youth protection responsibilities of your jamboree position. It contains information to enable you to identify and report suspected child abuse. It also sets forth in detail the BSA’s Youth Protection policies.
Also I personally think that in addition Adult scouters should take Hazardous Weather Training.
Youth should take the physical wellness training course which is avialable through e-learning or the Online Learning center which is avialable through a myscouting accout.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
1. 2010 National Scout Jamboree Staff Orientation
This orientation course was developed to help you understand your role as a staff member, learn what you need to do to prepare for your jamboree experience, and to answer commonly asked questions. With your help, this will be the best, most exciting, fun-filled, safest jamboree ever! We highly recommend you view this orientation prior to attending the jamboree. You will need to log in to your MyScouting account. Within the E-Learning section, you will find it listed under Basic Training.
2. Physical Wellness
Physical Wellness Training was developed to help prepare attendees for the 2010 National Scout Jamboree. It is appropriate for leadership in all program areas and for Boy Scout and Venturing youth. The module focuses on Mind, Body and Spirit. Learning objectives include the ability to define physical wellness; identify ways to improve the wellness of the mind, body, and spirit; describe the role self-responsibility plays in wellness; and answer questions about nutrition. Completion is noted automatically in the BSA training records database if the module is experienced online. Estimated time to complete: 40 minutes.
3. Jamboree Youth Protection Policies
Completion of the BSA’s Youth Protection Training for Volunteer Leaders is required of each jamboree adult member. You are responsible for taking this training in your local council before coming to the jamboree. This training helps prepare you to fulfill the youth protection responsibilities of your jamboree position. It contains information to enable you to identify and report suspected child abuse. It also sets forth in detail the BSA’s Youth Protection policies.
Also I personally think that in addition Adult scouters should take Hazardous Weather Training.
Youth should take the physical wellness training course which is avialable through e-learning or the Online Learning center which is avialable through a myscouting accout.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
100th Anniversary Kickoff
I missed the podcast last night, because I had a Scout function and dinner come up at the last minute. This is most unfortunate but I want to get the opinion of scouters and youth alike on how they think the audiocast went.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Cell phones, technology and Scout
Here is a post I recently made on the 2010 National Jamboree Group. The group was debating the whether or not youth should bring cell phones to the jamboree. I personally believe we should but then again many scouts are against it. I will leave it to you to decide. Please comment and share your side of the story it is very important.
All
As a new adult leader, just became a adult leader this april, I have seen how important it is for adults to allow electronic communications between scouts to occur for several reasons.
One it allows parents to keep update to date in regards to activities and what is going on in their scouting life. For many scouts this will be the longest time they have been away from home. Think about the parents wanting to call their son but not being able to because they had to wait for a phone booth call from the scout. For me personally at the 2005 jamboree, I probably called my mom over the 18 day trip, twice. Lets just say that was not very good for my parents but it all worked out. Lets now look to the world jamboree in the United Kingdom, I called her once but e-mailed her at least three times. This was only possible because a corporate sponsor, sponsored wifi cafe's. Obviously parents want to talk to their boys. Another type campout like philmont does not really require everyone to have cell phones because they barely work anywhere anyway. So, I believe that for back country trips or trips with limited cell phone coverage then the scouts should leave the cell phone bringing to the adults for emergencies and coordinating logistics.
Next, lets talk about in Troop communications. Personally for me I check my e-nail 2 to 3 times a day on a normal day, and if I am expecting something important this will increase. A fair amount of my email is scouting related whether it is just e-mail lists, in unit communications, out of unit communications, council information and events, training, Jamboree related communication or any other scout related communication is included. So obviously for me it is important to stay connected in scouts to keep up to date on the ongoings of this organization. I believe that instead of always relying on phone calls for communication a text message or e-mail may work better. Especially text messages, more and more teens have cell phones and use them habitually. These text messages/emails could be used to keep track of scouts, sending out activity changes, sending out updates, cancellations, or rescheduling, or just keeping people informed. We as the BSA need to recognize the importance of this technology and not fight it because when we do we LOOS MEMBERS. This is not okay, we should not be loosing members just because we can't keep up in regards to technology.
I want some day the BSA to become fully digital, what I mean by this is that instead of just Professionals having access at the council office to scouting reccords, there should be a Scoutnet for Scout volunteers and youth. This should improve efficiency and reduce the amount of errors. Of course there would have to be many levels of access depending on your position or role but this different access levels would allow scouts and leaders to have the most current information about the program and the requirements. This would also allow for efficient distribution of information. It would in the long run reduce costs for councils and reduce the amount of tedious work on professional staff has to do. Also more blogs, more webcasts, more virtual meetings, and more audiocasts, would reduce the gap between the professionals and the non-pprofessionals. These are only a few of the ideas that I have for increasing the digital communications with our units and councils.
Now lets get back to the subject, one argument against youth members having cell phones is that they will be used during the wrong time or inappropriately. The only reason scouts do this, is because we as the adult leadership have not set firm guidelines on when it is appropriate and when it is not appropriate to use our cell phones. In order to solve this problem we as a teaching organization which goods back to the fundamental methods of scouting, in case you forgot maybe this would be a good chance to review, need to teach them this important skill. This skill will teach our scouts skills that they can end up using the rest of their life. We also need to ourselves learn how to use this technology in scouting. A fair amount of leaders in the program, don't know how to use it, so we also need to teach them as well. I think that a new training course about implementing technology or incorporating it into basic leader training is essential if we are to continue to gain instead of losing members.
Technology is not the enemy here, it is people who are misinformed about what technology can do for our units. This will only happen if the leaders are willing too. We are going to have to learn ourselves and then teach our scouts of to use this technology efficiently and appropriate. Or maybe we should just listen to the youth and get back to want Boy Scouts in all about.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
As a new adult leader, just became a adult leader this april, I have seen how important it is for adults to allow electronic communications between scouts to occur for several reasons.
One it allows parents to keep update to date in regards to activities and what is going on in their scouting life. For many scouts this will be the longest time they have been away from home. Think about the parents wanting to call their son but not being able to because they had to wait for a phone booth call from the scout. For me personally at the 2005 jamboree, I probably called my mom over the 18 day trip, twice. Lets just say that was not very good for my parents but it all worked out. Lets now look to the world jamboree in the United Kingdom, I called her once but e-mailed her at least three times. This was only possible because a corporate sponsor, sponsored wifi cafe's. Obviously parents want to talk to their boys. Another type campout like philmont does not really require everyone to have cell phones because they barely work anywhere anyway. So, I believe that for back country trips or trips with limited cell phone coverage then the scouts should leave the cell phone bringing to the adults for emergencies and coordinating logistics.
Next, lets talk about in Troop communications. Personally for me I check my e-nail 2 to 3 times a day on a normal day, and if I am expecting something important this will increase. A fair amount of my email is scouting related whether it is just e-mail lists, in unit communications, out of unit communications, council information and events, training, Jamboree related communication or any other scout related communication is included. So obviously for me it is important to stay connected in scouts to keep up to date on the ongoings of this organization. I believe that instead of always relying on phone calls for communication a text message or e-mail may work better. Especially text messages, more and more teens have cell phones and use them habitually. These text messages/emails could be used to keep track of scouts, sending out activity changes, sending out updates, cancellations, or rescheduling, or just keeping people informed. We as the BSA need to recognize the importance of this technology and not fight it because when we do we LOOS MEMBERS. This is not okay, we should not be loosing members just because we can't keep up in regards to technology.
I want some day the BSA to become fully digital, what I mean by this is that instead of just Professionals having access at the council office to scouting reccords, there should be a Scoutnet for Scout volunteers and youth. This should improve efficiency and reduce the amount of errors. Of course there would have to be many levels of access depending on your position or role but this different access levels would allow scouts and leaders to have the most current information about the program and the requirements. This would also allow for efficient distribution of information. It would in the long run reduce costs for councils and reduce the amount of tedious work on professional staff has to do. Also more blogs, more webcasts, more virtual meetings, and more audiocasts, would reduce the gap between the professionals and the non-pprofessionals. These are only a few of the ideas that I have for increasing the digital communications with our units and councils.
Now lets get back to the subject, one argument against youth members having cell phones is that they will be used during the wrong time or inappropriately. The only reason scouts do this, is because we as the adult leadership have not set firm guidelines on when it is appropriate and when it is not appropriate to use our cell phones. In order to solve this problem we as a teaching organization which goods back to the fundamental methods of scouting, in case you forgot maybe this would be a good chance to review, need to teach them this important skill. This skill will teach our scouts skills that they can end up using the rest of their life. We also need to ourselves learn how to use this technology in scouting. A fair amount of leaders in the program, don't know how to use it, so we also need to teach them as well. I think that a new training course about implementing technology or incorporating it into basic leader training is essential if we are to continue to gain instead of losing members.
Technology is not the enemy here, it is people who are misinformed about what technology can do for our units. This will only happen if the leaders are willing too. We are going to have to learn ourselves and then teach our scouts of to use this technology efficiently and appropriate. Or maybe we should just listen to the youth and get back to want Boy Scouts in all about.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Saturday, December 05, 2009
WSJ 2011 Bulletin
Here is a link to the official first 2011 World Jamboree Bulletin: click here.
Some of the highlights of this Bulletin include:
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Some of the highlights of this Bulletin include:
- Theme: the Jamboree THeme and the three areas that will help accomplish the Jamboree theme which is "Simply Scouting"
- BSA Contingent Emblem
- Who Qualifies for the Jamboree: Again here are the age ranges which include Scouts and Venturers between the ages of 14 and 17 on July 27, 2011 that is, specifically those born
between July 25, 1993, and July 27, 1997 may take part in the 22nd World Scout Jamboree. There can be no exceptions. This is a world Scouting requirement and cannot be adjusted by the BSA. Those over 18 are encouraged to apply to be members of the International Service Team. - Concept of the Gateway City and Reasons not to include a Tour of Sweden
- Application Process, Fees, and refund policies
- Site Location Basics
- Some New swedish Terms
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
100th Anniversary Kickoff
On December 10, 2009 the BSA has put together a online live audiocast that will include presenters such as Randall Stephenson, AT&T President, CEO and Chairman and 100th Anniversary Chair, John Gottschalk, BSA National President, Tico Perez, BSA National Commissioner, and Bob Mazzuca, Chief Scout Executive. The times for this audiocast will be:
8:00 to 8:30 Eastern
7:00 to 7:30 Central
6:00 to 6:30 Mountain
5:00 to 5:30 Pacific
4:00 to 4:30 Alaska
3:00 to 3:30 Hawaiian Islands
Another reason besides being interested in hearing about the planned activities of the 100th aniversary is to be able to be entered in a 100th Anniversary Scout Giveaway, which could include the following prizes:
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
8:00 to 8:30 Eastern
7:00 to 7:30 Central
6:00 to 6:30 Mountain
5:00 to 5:30 Pacific
4:00 to 4:30 Alaska
3:00 to 3:30 Hawaiian Islands
Another reason besides being interested in hearing about the planned activities of the 100th aniversary is to be able to be entered in a 100th Anniversary Scout Giveaway, which could include the following prizes:
- Two tickets to Gala Twenty-Ten, a very special and elegant 100th Anniversary event in Washington, D.C. on February 9, 2010. (One night's hotel stay is included.)
- A signed, limited and special edition print of Joseph Csatari's 100th Anniversary painting.
- A specially packaged, limited edition U.S. Mint commemorative coin honoring BSA's 100 years.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Scouting Stamp
Here is a picture of the Scouting Stamp that is going to used by the USPS to help the BSA Celebrate 100 years:
I am not totally impressed by this Stamp because it does not clearly show that it is supposed to be promoting the BSA. I know that there would be problems with a government organization looking like the endorse a organization like the Scouts but I wish they would have made it a little more clear. All in all it is fabulous design.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
I am not totally impressed by this Stamp because it does not clearly show that it is supposed to be promoting the BSA. I know that there would be problems with a government organization looking like the endorse a organization like the Scouts but I wish they would have made it a little more clear. All in all it is fabulous design.Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
4th National High Adventure Base
It is official the BSA, has released a Press Release about a 50 million dollar endowment to develop and build a National High Adventure Base in West Virginia. This facility is expected to be the home of future National Jamborees after the year 2010. Also if the BSA bids for a upcoming World Jamboree, then this will be the location of the event. This has not been confirmed but has be rumored at for a while now, a a few semireliable sources, we will probably not have a definite answer to this for a while. Also it is suppose to complement Florida Seabase, Philmont, and Northern Tier as another National High Adventure Base Option for Scouts to Attend. It is also going to be another National Training Center.
Here is a map of the area:
Here is a link to the Press Release from the BSA:
Click Here.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Here is a map of the area:
Here is a link to the Press Release from the BSA:
Click Here.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
NSJ 2010 Fitness
Been working on achieving a higher level of fitness for the Jamboree. Even without losing weight I would still qualify for the Jamboree but I personally believe that I need to lose weight and achieve a higher level of fitness for the Jamboree, in order to be prepared for the event and set the example for all the youth attending the Jamboree. I will keep you posted as a work towards achieving this goal.
Also just as FYI, I was surprised at how fast i recieved my Health form. I did not expect it until mid December but I already have it, which is great because I have to complete this form as soon as possible in order to make sure I get it done, especially with my busy and hectic college schedule which does not allow for very much free time.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Also just as FYI, I was surprised at how fast i recieved my Health form. I did not expect it until mid December but I already have it, which is great because I have to complete this form as soon as possible in order to make sure I get it done, especially with my busy and hectic college schedule which does not allow for very much free time.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Pack 69 November 18 Meeting
Yesterday's meeting went okay. We worked on the Heritage Belt Loop, this went fairly well and we ended up completing three requirements. We did this as a pack wide activity because we only have 10 boys. I think we need to work on doing Activities in Dens or at least partial dens, maybe we could do a Webelos and then a younger scout group because we have almost enough webelos to make a full Den. Also dividing the ages this way will help the older and younger boys get more out of the program. I may sugggest this at the Pack planning meeting coming up this weekend. I think that this would help distribute the weight among all the leaders in the Pack. I believe that the Den leaders need to take a more active role but that is just me. I will discuss this with the other adults this weekend and see what they thhink.
I will keep posting weekly meeting updates for every meeting, in order to ensure I track my progress as leader.
Two important announcements though:
1) No meeting next week because of thanksgiving.
2) Leader Specific Training: I will almost have completed all of my basic training for my position again after December 5. The only thing I will have left to do is outdoor leader training which will occur in the spring.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
I will keep posting weekly meeting updates for every meeting, in order to ensure I track my progress as leader.
Two important announcements though:
1) No meeting next week because of thanksgiving.
2) Leader Specific Training: I will almost have completed all of my basic training for my position again after December 5. The only thing I will have left to do is outdoor leader training which will occur in the spring.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Signature Change 2
Final change to my signature, found out that I will be primarily working with Webelos Scouts, so I changed my position name again. Hopefully for the last time for a while but who knows it is hard to say what will stay current and what will not.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Pack 69 November 11 Meeting
Tonights meeting went really well, we talked about what is Veterans Day and why is it important. To sum up the group decided that Veterans day was more than just honoring those who have served but it also includes those who are currently serving.
We meet as one large group because we only have 10 boys. Me and the CM or Cubmaster talked about expanding the Unit by doubling or tripling numbers by this time next year, it is a hard goal to meet but if we both work diligently then every will end up working out. Also I found out that I will be taking on a group of Webelos Scouts as their Assistant Den Leader, so I guess i finally figured out my exact position.
Two major things that I need to do in the short term:
1. Uniform: Finish updating my uniform, hopefully I will have this done in a few weeks, I will have to figure out who is the best to contact about finishing putting together my uniform.
2. Leader Specific Training: Take the Webelos Den Leader and Assistant Den Leader Specific Training course, it is being offered at our council office on December 5 and I plan on attending the event.
3. Communication: Work on developing a better Pack Communication plan. Look into email, phone tree, newsletter via handouts, e-mail or snail mail, and quick emergency announcement procedures.
4. Day Camp/Summer Camp: Figure out a week that will work for Day Camp and Webelos Resident Camp. This should not be too hard of a task but I will have to get the approval of the Pack Committee before preceeding.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Webelos Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
We meet as one large group because we only have 10 boys. Me and the CM or Cubmaster talked about expanding the Unit by doubling or tripling numbers by this time next year, it is a hard goal to meet but if we both work diligently then every will end up working out. Also I found out that I will be taking on a group of Webelos Scouts as their Assistant Den Leader, so I guess i finally figured out my exact position.
Two major things that I need to do in the short term:
1. Uniform: Finish updating my uniform, hopefully I will have this done in a few weeks, I will have to figure out who is the best to contact about finishing putting together my uniform.
2. Leader Specific Training: Take the Webelos Den Leader and Assistant Den Leader Specific Training course, it is being offered at our council office on December 5 and I plan on attending the event.
3. Communication: Work on developing a better Pack Communication plan. Look into email, phone tree, newsletter via handouts, e-mail or snail mail, and quick emergency announcement procedures.
4. Day Camp/Summer Camp: Figure out a week that will work for Day Camp and Webelos Resident Camp. This should not be too hard of a task but I will have to get the approval of the Pack Committee before preceeding.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Webelos Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Veterans Day
Let us take a moment to remember all of the veterans out there who have served or are serving are country. Wish them the best of luck and be thankful to them for serving our country.
Let us also remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in doing their duty to their country. Many their souls rest in peace and their families be cared for.
Happy Veterans Day!
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Let us also remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in doing their duty to their country. Many their souls rest in peace and their families be cared for.
Happy Veterans Day!
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Monday, November 09, 2009
The Koolamunga Test
Long ago, somewhere in Africa, a little place called Koolamunga had a Scout troop but no Cub Pack. When the missionary, John Cristy, sent out word that he was going to start a pack, all the boys who were too young to be Scouts rushed over to join.
John looked out at rows and rows of faces - black, white, brown, yellow, and some so dirty you couldn't tell. It was impossible to start a pack with 40 or 50 Cubs ! "You can't be a Cub until you are eight," he said, "so would everybody younger please go home."
Nobody left. The six and seven-year-olds stood as tall as they could and tried to look tough. John realized he would have to sort them out some other way. So he told them the Cub Law. And then he said, "Next week, we will have an obstacle race. You can all come, but I shall start the pack with the 12 boys who do their best to keep the Law during the race."
A big crowd gathered on race day. The Scouts came along to help John pick his 12 Cubs. John designed an obstacle course so tough that it automatically eliminated the boys who were too young. The others had to run half a kilometer downhill to the river through prickles and a mangrove swamp with knee-deep mud. Then they had to swim across the river. On the other side, they had to climb a steep bank, go along the top, cross over the river again by a fallen tree bridge, and finally climb 300 m up the hill to the finish.
"This is not a race," John told them. "It's a test to see who can really do his best to keep the Cub Law." And he was already sorting them out. Some jabbered away and didn't listen to the rules. One put his foot over the starting line. "Ready, steady, GO!" John shouted, and off they went.
Very soon, some of them were yelling and swearing at the prickles. In the swamp, some gave up, pretending they were hurt. One boy thought he would be clever and sneak along the bank instead of swimming across the river.
A small boy caught his foot in a floating branch and thought it was a crocodile. John didn't blame him for yelling, but noticed a red-headed boy swim back to pull the branch free. Then he saw a white hand shoot out and duck a black head. That settled the white boy's chances, but the black face came up smiling and the boy swam on without complaint. On the tree bridge, there was a good deal of bumping, some by mistake and some by mistake-on- purpose.
Only 20 boys finished the race, and the first 12 home were sure they would be chosen. But the Scouts put aside those who had cheated or taken short cuts, those who had pretended to be hurt, and those who had sworn or lost their temper.
John chose only boys who had done their best to keep the Cub Law. There were 11 of them. For the 12th, he chose a boy named Peter who was watching but hadn't taken part in the race. John knew his mother was ill. She'd asked Peter to look after the younger children to make sure they didn't fall into the river, and he did it without a grumble.
And who do you think he asked to be his sixers ? He chose the red-haired boy who had turned back to help with the crocodile that wasn't a crocodile, and the black boy who came up smiling after being ducked.
And that's how the 1st Koolamunga Pack began. If you'd been there, would you have been one of the 12 chosen ?
-- Leader Magazine, January, 1989
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
The Power of a Cub Scout
Here is a short online story published by James Garner about a Cub Scout who joined a pretty much full Den already and taught the group the meaning of what it was to be a human and how everyone should be treated. So here it is how you enjoy it:
My Biggest Hero Was Nine Years Old.
By: James Garner
My Biggest Hero Was Nine Years Old.
By: James Garner
When my son was in second grade I was the leader of his Cub Scout Den. Before his third grade school year started, a Cub Scout Pack leader called and asked if I would take on another boy. We had a large group and I knew it wouldn't be easy, but so did everyone else in this age group.
The kicker of the deal was that Tray was a cancer patient and an amputee, one leg at the knee. I had a hard time making up my mind about exposing "my" boys to what I was almost positive would surely end in a lot of anguish and sadness for all of us. I finally decided to take him in, but before I said yes to our Pack leader I called all my parents to let them know what I planned to do and get their feedback.
To a person, they all supported my decision. Only one mother verbalized the fears I had for the emotional well being of my little charges, but she too supported my plan. We felt like it would help teach them compassion and generosity, it did and us too!
When Tray came to us I found out that not only did he have severe health and physical problems, his family was incredibly poor. But they wanted Tray to have all the experiences he could in what would most likely be a short life. His parents did their very best to provide it.
Tray was without a doubt the most enthusiastic member of my scout den. There wasn't anything he wouldn't try to do. When we did the things for all their little badges he was right in there with us, and most often excelling. ALL of my boys encouraged him and helped whenever they could, this carried over into their school life as well.
Even the physical fitness segment of our program he did well in, better than most other boys save for the broad jump. Tray just couldn't get far enough to match the standards the Cub Scout Manual said had to be met to achieve this badge. I passed him on this one because I deduced that the skills were written for boys with two legs and since Tray only had one his goal should only be half that of the other boys. Tray acheived that half and a great deal more, in fact was only just a little short of the minimum anyway.
We all progressed along through Tiger, Wolf, Bear, and Lion ranks and went on to Webelos. Over the years our Pack's leadership made sure that somehow Tray had all the hats, uniform parts, etc. that was necessary for him to be just like everyone else. Most of the time I knew that some of the things required weren't in his folks budget but they found ways and when they couldn't we found ways to make sure it just happened.
We all suffered with Tray on days he had just come from chemo and was so sick he couldn't go 10 minutes without a trip to the bathroom. But he was in there with all of us and insisted on coming to meetings when any one of the rest of us, child or adult, would have been too ill to go.
Just before the end of the Cub Scout program I took them all to a Boy Scout meeting to see how it was and help them make the final yes or no decision to continue on in the Scouting program. Tray was ready. I helped him choose a Troop and introduced him to their leader and such to prepare him for the sixth grade year when he would move to Boy Scouts.
My proudest moment was to watch all my boys go through the Arrow of Light ceremony, Tray included. This ceremony marks the transition from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts if they choose to go on. All my other boys' interests had changed over the years and they were into sports, band and other things; not Tray, he would be my only Boy Scout.
The summer before sixth grade came and went and just before the next school year was to start Tray was taken from us. I like to think he was just asked to join another troop whose leader is far better than I could have ever hoped be.
We all learned a lot from Tray; "my" boys, their parents and me. Yes, there is a plan and purpose for us all and, I think, I am not the only one in my community who has a nine-year-old hero.
Now, when I am in difficult situations I often think of how Tray would have handled it. This makes the going a lot easier because I know he would have tackled the challenge with greater gusto and zeal than anyone else and finally succeed in the end.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Boy Scouts to Cub Scouts
Many of you may be wondering, if you are a regular reader of Scoutingmaniac why I would change from the Boy Scout Troop Level to the Cub Scout Pack Level. There are several different reasons, some of them personal, some of them based on logistics, and some of them based on units that are taking leaders where I live.
1. Personal: I knew that I wanted to stay involved with some sort of Scout Unit at all costs, I know I already joined a Explorer Post down here but still that is not a traditional Scout Unit and that is what I wanted to work with. Traditional Scout Units include Packs, Crews, Ships, Troops, and Teams. Each have a different purpose and age range but overall the message of developing citizens of high moral fiber is the same throughout the program. Also The opportunity to get to work with a Cub Scout Pack was given to me and I always wanted to work with a Cub Scout Pack as a adult leader, I definitely going to have a lot to learn in a short amount of time but learning more about my favorite activity just comes naturally to me.
2. Logistics: I am currently a college student but do not have a vehicle so the Troop or Pakc had to be close. In this case the Pack is with 9 blocks which makes it a little over a 1 mile from the University. The other Unit within the same distance was a Boy Scout Troop but they were currently not accepting new applications for adult leaders, I have never run into a issue like this, so it surprised me. This to me did not make sense because 99% of the units of I have had contact with needed more leaders to have a fully functioning committee or unit. Also I could have chosen a Troop within a differnet district that was only 25 minutes away by bus but I did not want to do this because of the logistics involved with making sure I have a ride to and from via public transportation. So this unit was my only option but I am most definitely glad that I choose this unit.
I went to my first meeting with the unit last week, they are a smaller unit with only about 15 boys in the unit but that is perfectly fine with me. I have finally gotten use to the idea of a smaller unit from my experience in Alaska. I do believe though that growth for this unit will be necessary to ensure its longterm success, so my plans while I am actively involved in the unit include helping make a better recruitment and keeping scheme for the unit. In this unit I will serve as a Assistant Den Leader, this position is a direct contact position which is definitely the type of position I wanted to have.
The meeting was a Pack Meeting that ended up being a Halloween Party and Pinewood Derby. Most units could not have gotten away with having these two events on the same night, which was exactly like the Cub Scout Pack I was involved with as a youth, but since it is a smaller unit, the combination of the two events ended up working out perfectly.
All the adult leaders had not problem with me and I hope I made a good impression and will be a good asset to the unit in the future.
Until my next report, have a great Scouting Week and good luck in all that you do. I definitely have a lot to learn but learning it will be easy with all of the resources I have at my disposal which include other leaders, A strong District staff and Commissioner, the internet, Scouts-L, and my regular readers of my blog.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
1. Personal: I knew that I wanted to stay involved with some sort of Scout Unit at all costs, I know I already joined a Explorer Post down here but still that is not a traditional Scout Unit and that is what I wanted to work with. Traditional Scout Units include Packs, Crews, Ships, Troops, and Teams. Each have a different purpose and age range but overall the message of developing citizens of high moral fiber is the same throughout the program. Also The opportunity to get to work with a Cub Scout Pack was given to me and I always wanted to work with a Cub Scout Pack as a adult leader, I definitely going to have a lot to learn in a short amount of time but learning more about my favorite activity just comes naturally to me.
2. Logistics: I am currently a college student but do not have a vehicle so the Troop or Pakc had to be close. In this case the Pack is with 9 blocks which makes it a little over a 1 mile from the University. The other Unit within the same distance was a Boy Scout Troop but they were currently not accepting new applications for adult leaders, I have never run into a issue like this, so it surprised me. This to me did not make sense because 99% of the units of I have had contact with needed more leaders to have a fully functioning committee or unit. Also I could have chosen a Troop within a differnet district that was only 25 minutes away by bus but I did not want to do this because of the logistics involved with making sure I have a ride to and from via public transportation. So this unit was my only option but I am most definitely glad that I choose this unit.
I went to my first meeting with the unit last week, they are a smaller unit with only about 15 boys in the unit but that is perfectly fine with me. I have finally gotten use to the idea of a smaller unit from my experience in Alaska. I do believe though that growth for this unit will be necessary to ensure its longterm success, so my plans while I am actively involved in the unit include helping make a better recruitment and keeping scheme for the unit. In this unit I will serve as a Assistant Den Leader, this position is a direct contact position which is definitely the type of position I wanted to have.
The meeting was a Pack Meeting that ended up being a Halloween Party and Pinewood Derby. Most units could not have gotten away with having these two events on the same night, which was exactly like the Cub Scout Pack I was involved with as a youth, but since it is a smaller unit, the combination of the two events ended up working out perfectly.
All the adult leaders had not problem with me and I hope I made a good impression and will be a good asset to the unit in the future.
Until my next report, have a great Scouting Week and good luck in all that you do. I definitely have a lot to learn but learning it will be easy with all of the resources I have at my disposal which include other leaders, A strong District staff and Commissioner, the internet, Scouts-L, and my regular readers of my blog.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Signature Change
You all may be wondering why there was such a drastic change in my signature after my posts. The reason behind this is that I am in the process of switching to a adult leadership role in Denver Area Council after my move to this area. My move lead me to having to change roles to the Cub Scout Level, but Scouting is Scouting at all levels. I am ready to learn a lot about this level and hopefully expand my knowledge and skills as a leader, which is my ultimate goal no matter which unit I choose to serve.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
NSJ 2010 Staff App Update the Last One
It is official, I am going to the 2010 National Jamboee as Staff on Subcamp Seven as one of there youth staff members. I am not exactly sure what I will be doing in regards to a specific assignment but I am sure it will be fun all around. This is a excellent opportunity for me and I in truth ever since I went to the National Jamboree in 2005 I knew I wanted to come back in 2010. In case you didn't know Subcamp 7 serves the following states:
Also I returned my LOA this morning, so hopefully by tomorrow I will recieve confirmation that National has received my LOA.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
WA/AK/ID/O
- Washington
- Alaska
- Idaho
- Oregon
Also I returned my LOA this morning, so hopefully by tomorrow I will recieve confirmation that National has received my LOA.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Den Leader Pack 69
Frontier District, Denver Area Council
NSJ '05 Youth Participant '10 Subcamp 7 Youth Staff
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
WA/AK/ID/O
Monday, November 02, 2009
NSJ 2010 Staff App Update
Recieved word from Subcamp 7 Cheif Dave and found out he still has spots avialable for staff. He said I could either be a dining, commissary, or environmental assistant. I responded that I would gladly take any of these three positions and I should receive confirmation and my LOA or Letter of Appointment in a about 1 day to 1 week, so probably by friday I will recieve the email with my LOA.
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Yours in Scouting Service
Mark W
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 1616
Great Alaska COuncil
Eagle Scout OA Brotherhood Member
NSJ '05 WSJ '07 '11 Philmont AA '08
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
BlogPatrol Free Counter
