Aqua Academy is back! Following the wildly successful 2013 Aqua Academy we will be offering all the fun and excitment again on the weekend of September 19 – 21.

Courses that will be offered include Canoeing, Kayaking, Lifesaving, Small Boat Sailing, Rowing, Pioneering, Search and Rescue, Nature and First Aid along with the Snorkelling BSA badge.

Registration is available online only and must be done on a unit-by-unit basis. There is a leaders guide available online. Registration closes on September 4th but you are encouraged to book your place as soon as possible as experience last year suggests classes will fill quickly.

For more information, contact Theresa Ronayne or Julie Longen.

Ask each family to brainstorm other families they could personally call or email with an invitation to join.

The pack should provide each family with copies of the Pack Information Sheet, business card, and other items to help spread the excitement of Cub Scouting.

Pack leadership could also create an email “newsletter” or other promotional copy for families to forward to their brainstormed list.

Have an incentive for the family inviting the most new members.

This post is part of a series on recruiting ideas as we gear up for the fall recruitment season. For more information on this and other ideas for recruiting, check out Invitation Methods for Cub Scouting.

As a follow-up to a previous blog post on the new Digital Technology merit badge, we thought it might be useful to look at its companion award, the BSA Cyber Chip.

Kids spend more than 7.5 hours a day using some kind of electronic device, according to a 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation study.

In other words, if they’re awake and not at school, they’re probably online. Read more »

There will be a mandatory Day Camp training, Saturday, June 7th at 8am -3pm at the First United Methodist Church of Hudson, on US19 in Hudson.

Any Adult who has volunteered and any Boy Scout or Venture Scout who has volunteered must attend.

Registration begins at 8am, there will be refreshments. Opening will begin at 9am. Bring something to take notes.

Please bring a copy of your youth protection cards, and medical forms to give to Miss Iona. If you have a CPR, or are an EMT, LPN, or RN ,please bring a copy of those cards as well.  All range master trained, please bring a copy of your cards.

This training is needed to comply with our National Standards to run our day camp. Please plan to attend so we can ensure a safe and fun environment for our Cub Scouts. If you have signed up for any WCFC day camp, Camp Soule or James Grey Preserve, and have not attended a training, please plan to attend.

Questions, email Meralee Jett at ourgangathome3469@yahoo.com or call her at 727-862-8358.

Produce and email a letter to parents that they can customize as from their family, and then send to friends and acquaintances.

Include information on the benefits of Cub Scouting, your pack’s activities, and why your families are involved.

It is important that any letters invite families to a specific gathering, indicate how to learn more, and what to do if they cannot attend.

This post is part of a series on recruiting ideas as we gear up for the fall recruitment season. For more information on this and other ideas for recruiting, check out Invitation Methods for Cub Scouting.

Digital technology is part of almost everything we do these days. The new Digital Technology merit badge, launched in April, is all about using, understanding, and appreciating digital technology including computers, tablets, cell phones, and even computer-controlled coffeemakers. Scouts will also learn about digital technology rights and how to be environmentally friendly with digital technology.

This merit badge will replace the Computers merit badge, but Scouts may earn and wear both merit badges.

Read more »

Design and print attractive “business cards” for parents and Cub Scouts to distribute to friends and other families. The cards also work well as a “takeaway” at school, church, and community functions.

Perhaps use a child-oriented version—a “buddy card”—for the youth to use with their friends.

Think about creating a special version to pass out with candy on Halloween.

Include pack meeting date, time, and place; leadership contact information; and perhaps a catchy slogan that alludes to the fun new families will enjoy. Print upcoming activities on the reverse side.

You can use a business card template on your home computer or look at using one of the online print shops to keep the costs down for the unit!

This post is part of a series on recruiting ideas as we gear up for the fall recruitment season. For more information on this and other ideas for recruiting, check out Invitation Methods for Cub Scouting.

As many of you know, the BSA National Meeting has elected ex-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to the position of National President last week.

There is a very good article about his speech to the National Meeting on the Bryan on Scouting blog, entitled “New BSA President Gates: ‘Time for blunt talk’ in Scouting”.

You can also watch Gates speech or read a transcript of it at Scouting Newsroom (www.scoutingnewsroom.org).

Before school begins, schedule a face-to-face meeting with your chartered partner. This important meeting gives you the opportunity to thank the organization for its support, and to outline ideas and requests for your recruitment efforts.

Take your Unit Information Sheet and perhaps a yearbook-style photo album of activities. Be prepared to explain how Scouting benefits the organization.

A can of popcorn or other appropriate gift for the head of the chartered partner and his or her assistant, can go a long way!

For more information on this and other ideas for recruiting, check out Invitation Methods for Cub Scouting.