Basic Cub Scout Phrase/Word Crash Course

 

BSA Mission Statement

The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

 

BSA aka "National"                          

Boy Scouts of America.  A nationwide organization founded February 8, 1910, and chartered by the U.S. Congress June 15, 1916.

 

Boys’ Life magazine

The magazine for all scouts, published by the Boy Scouts of America.

 

Council                   

BSA is divided into “Councils” throughout the Continental US and territories.  Some Councils cover various states. Other Councils cover various cities within a state.  Pack 964 is part of the National Capital Area Council (NCAC) and our Council Patch identifies us in national or world scouting events.

 

District                    

Every BSA Council is divided by Region and “Districts” throughout the country. NCAC has 22 Districts. https://www.ncacbsa.org/districts-2/  We are part of the Occoquan District in the Virginia South Region.

 

BSA Troop            

Local Scouting Unit within the BSA for boys ages 11-18 (grades 6-12) usually chartered by local community organization, church or school.

 

Cub Scouts                      

Local scouting organization within the BSA for boys ages 5-10 (grades K-5).

 

Pack                         

Local Cub Scout Unit, usually chartered by a local community organization,  church or school. It is composed of 6+ dens depending on Pack size: Lions,

Tigers, Wolves, Bears, Webelos. Our Pack unit is identified as: 964 in Dale City, Va.

 

Akela                                   

 “The Wise One”, an Indian word for a “great leader”.

 

Den                           

A group of 6-8 same-age (same grade) boys, who often attend school together and live near their Pack meeting location.  Dens are led by a Den Leader (DL) and Assistant Den Leader (ADL).  A ratio of 4 boys per adult is ideal, therefore a den of 12 should be broken to smaller dens or extra leaders need to step-in to assist DL in planning and executing activities.

 

Den Number        

Dens are assigned a den number. Example:  Tigers Den 1, Wolves Den 2, Bears Den 3, Webelos Den 4, AoL Den 5. This number stays with you until your den crosses over to Boy Scouts.

 

CO                            

Charter Organization: A religious, civic, fraternal, educational, or other community organization that has applied for and received a charter to operate a Scouting unit. Our CO is the VFW Post #1503 on Minnieville Road, Woodbridge, VA. 

 

COR                         

Charter Organization Representative.  A manager of Scouting in a chartered organization who also represents the organization in the local council and district.  This person oversees the operating activities and scouting aspects of its unit. Our COR is Mr. Michael Ford. Committee Chair reports to COR and/or CO.

 

Pack Leaders       

Key parent volunteer leaders who handle the “Scouting” aspects of running the Pack.  It is mainly composed of the following Key individuals: 

Cubmaster (CM), Asst. Cubmaster (ACM), Den Leaders (DL), Assistant Den Leaders (ADL), Advancement Chair (AC), Pack Trainer (PT), Outdoor Chair (OC), and other important scouting leaders make-up the Pack Leadership.  All Pack Leaders report to Cubmaster. See our organization chart in Pack 964 Parent Guide.

 

Pack Committee

Key parent volunteer leaders who handle the “Business” aspects of running  the Pack. It is mainly composed of the following Key Individuals:

Committee Chair (CC), Membership Chair (MC), Treasurer and Secretary. Other important committee positions also make-up this Committee.

Cubmaster reports to Committee Chair.  See our organization chart in Pack 964 Parent Guide.

 

Pack Meeting     

Monthly meeting where all dens and families come together to celebrate, sing, play and receive awards/recognition earned up to that month. Scouts appropriately wear their Class A uniform, participate in flag ceremony, skits, etc. A core value relating to the 12 points of the Scout Law is integrated in the meeting, as well as a “theme”. Sometimes a special guest is invited or a special activity takes place to add to the learning and fun.  Pack 964 is proud to have close to 100% participation at these monthly family events.

 

Den Meeting        

Weekly meetings where scouts gather to work together on adventures that satisfy rank requirements.  These adventures cover age-appropriate activities, games, experiments, discussion, presentations, etc., that add to the learning fun and expand on subjects already learned. Boys develop life-long skills through learned core values, practicing and working together with fellow scouts. Den Leaders work hard to plan and execute these activities, please make every effort to attend; and if you can’t be there, please notify DL.  It is the responsibility of the parents to make-up missed adventures.

 

Committee Meetings  

These usually take place a week before each monthly Pack meeting. Present should be all members of the committee, the Cubmaster and his Assistants, the Den Leaders, Den Chiefs and the chairman of various special events. Pack parents are welcome to join.  Pack budget is discussed and updated if needed.  Plans for the next two or three Pack events and other matters are discussed and firmed up. Long- term plans and policies are discussed, debated, agreed, etc.

 

Annual Planning Meeting              

Pack Committee, along with Cub Master, Den Leaders and everyone involved in Pack leadership  attend this meeting to plan out the upcoming year of Cub scouting for the Pack.  Active Pack parents are welcome to join the meeting, bring ideas, etc. Meeting usually take place late May or early June.

 

YPT                           

Youth Protection Training.  This is available training for all leaders and parents participating in scouting. It is to be current and updated every two years.  Leaders who aren’t current with their training cannot be re-chartered per BSA regulations. YPT is available online via: www.my.scouting.org.  We

encourage parents to take YPT to be aware of the safety precautions we all must take to assure safety for our children and all scouts in our Pack.

           

B&G                          

Blue and Gold Banquet. Annual Cub Scouting event across the nation and the World of Scouting to celebrate The Anniversary of Scouting, which is  February 8. Pack 964 traditionally celebrates with a Pot Luck Luncheon, a themed décor and program, and often an “Arrow of Light” (AoL) and/or Order of the Arrow (OA) Ceremony for Webelos Scouts who are Crossing over to Boy Scouts. The latter is optional for Webelos families, as sometimes they choose to separate the event to make it more personal or intimate for their families.

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WeBeLoS               

Means: We’ll Be Loyal Scouts. Webelos is a scout who is 9 to 10 years old (fourth or fifth grade) and a member of the Pack. This scout is in transition between Cub Scouts and preparing to cross over into Boy Scouts. Note: there is no such thing as a WEBELO. The singular version of WEBELOS is WEBELOS.

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Webelos Den       

This Den is divided in two age groups. 4th grade and 5th grade. The 9-10 year old boys do more advanced work than the younger Cub Scouts.  Webelos is designed to be a two-year program, which some dens complete in 18 months.  First year (4th grade) works toward earning the Webelos rank.  The second year (5th grade) works towards achieving the AoL requirements and otherwise prepare themselves to be Boy Scouts. Webelos may go camping during the year. A-father or person acting as a substitute must accompany their Webelos on an overnight campout. Traditionally in our Pack, boys transition in February/March of their 5th grade year, but sometimes they transition earlier, sometimes later. 

 

AoL                           

Arrow of Light Award.  Highest rank in Cub Scouting. The AoL award is the only (non-Religious Award) Cub Scout badge that may be worn on the Boy Scout uniform.

 

OA Ceremony     

Order of the Arrow (OA) Scouts (OA is Scouting’s national honor society, the members of which have been chosen by their peers for their Scouting spirit and camping ability) hold a special ritual ceremony to welcome Webelos into Boy Scouts.

 

Crossover              

Special ceremony where WeBeLoS are publicly welcomed by their newly chosen Troop.  New Scoutmaster (SM) and/or Leaders present the new scout with

their Troop scarf, slide and Boy Scout handbook; and sometimes offer a brief presentation speech.

 

Boy Scout             

A registered youth member of a Boy Scout troop or one registered as a Lone Scout. Must have completed the fifth grade and be 11 years old, or have earned the Arrow of Light Award but not yet be 18 years old.

 

Buddy System     

One part of the Safe Swim Defense plan. Swimmers of like ability are paired, check in and out of the water together, and stay within 10 feet of each other during a swim. The buddy system is also used in other Scouting activities for safety reasons. Pack 964 enforces the Buddy System during all scouting events/activities. No scout should roam anywhere alone.

 

Online Training  

The BSA offers every new leader (new parent) the necessary tools to fill a den, committee or pack leadership role. It is always ideal to attend in-person training, but meanwhile, this online opportunity gets the essential training done today for those ready to do more. Visit https://my.scouting.org/ to get started. Set up a free account and begin training. Once you are assigned a membership ID, your online training will be linked/merged to your ID.