Notes from parents meeting

Post date: Sep 12, 2013 3:53:17 AM

Thanks Kaa(Jeff) for the parents meeting. Akela.

Welcome and thank you for coming.

I’m jeff benna and my cub name is kaa

this is the parent meeting portion of tonites program

Our akela this year is simon edgett

We also have Rosanne, David, victor,

and I believe a few more who will be joining us as leaders this year.

Any of you who are interested in joining us

in a formal leader capacity are most welcome also.

One of the foundations of cubs is the “jungle book story”

this is where we get all our names and it is the basis for many of the things we do.

If you haven’t read it, it’s a lot of fun

and the Disney movie covers all the more salient points also.

We have a slightly smaller group of kids this year than last

with a heavier weighting towards the first years.

One of our challenges as leaders this year will be to ensure the program is accessible enough for the first years

and on target for the third years.

One of the ways we will work with that is to use

the older kids in positions of leadership and responsibility in delivering the program.

We break the cubs down from the larger group, the pack into smaller groups the sixes.

In each of the sixes there is a sixer and a second who are the leaders of that smaller group.

As part of our program

we are going to be concentrating on having the kids do some of the logistical work on their own,

attendance, bones (weekly dues) collection

and some minor presentation issues

like ensuring everyone has all the pieces of their uniform and it’s on and straight.

From time to time they break down into their sixes for activity

and it’s a nice safe place for them to try on the mantle of responsibility and leadership.

We have four cornerstones we like to think about when we are at cubs.

Leadership, responsibility, respect and community.

From these cornerstones we work on the kids working well and playing well with one another.

This should be a fun time for cubs and from these concepts it allows it to be even more so.

to that end we will develop a code of conduct with the cubs next week

to start them on personal ownership of these ideas

Our expectation as leaders is that there will be less management of the kidsthan there was in beavers

and that they will self correct by emulating the example of the others.

When someone is a bit chatty when they need to be listening

because they are particularly excited about something

we try to correct the group first,

then the individual,

then separation

and then a quick time out if required.

We find this works well on the cubs as well as the leaders.

Logistics:

Pick up and drop off: we start at 6:45 and we end at 8:15

We are thrilled to have you stay and chairs are available,

if you are wanting to join in a more formal leader capacity that’s great too.

Badges:

we have a badge oriented program

the cubs on many evenings will earn all or part of a badge at the meeting

and then follow up with home tasks to complete it.

We tend to do some of the more difficult badges or more unique ones at the meetings space exploration and the like

and leave the ones like the home helper at home where the parents can glean the most benefit from it.

Winter camping we do at winter camp for obvious reasons.

Stars:

in addition to the badges we work on stars at the meetings.

We concentrate on two stars per year

so that at the end of the 3 years the kids have all six.

Once they get all six this group has an award call the bradlee award

named for a lady who was a leader and great contributor to scouting in the area.

Her son came to the awards last year and had a chance to speak

and was really pleased to see all the work the cubs had done and how his mom was honoured.

Awards: for a combination of badges and stars is primarily individual efforts.

Camps:

3 camps per year normally.

The first camp is the weekend of oct 25^th in whonnock.

winter camp usually in jan...

byng which you may have attended as beavers...

Not really tent camping until we get to scouts.

Typically we have one adult per child for camps.

For the parents to attend there is a code of conduct to sign + child and youth safety

Apple day:

does everyone know what this is?

We sell apples at various locations around dunbar to raise money.

Coordination help with this is much appreciated.

Automated email: set up for everyone so that we can broadcast easily what’s happening within the pack.

Code of conduct papers: for people to sign off on.