Encouragement to take the plunge!

 

"Many hands make the work light". Nothing can be more true, especially in Scouting.  Join any Youth organization today, and before your child can participate, you might have to be a volunteer, first and foremost. Non-profits are always seeking exceptional people to  help them run their program, and with just cause. It's all for the benefit of your own child.  In scouting, you'll be having just as much fun as your scout! 

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The ideals & training of Scouting distributes the volunteer "work load" across the members of a unit, in our case, Pack 964 parents of each registered scout.  Any extra-curricular activity we register our sons into, that organization is looking for parent leaders, otherwise your son will probably might be wait-listed. Good thing Cub Scouts doesn't practice that rigid rule, but oftentimes current leaders do take on too much due to a lack of interest from members, perhaps time conflicts and other juggling acts keep them from joining the fun.  

 

The goal is that not one person should do the job of 2 or 3 or more other people, just because no one "has the time" or the "experience". We teach our scouts to "Be Helpful & Brave", therefore we must show what "being Helpful & Brave" looks like, especially when we jump to try something completely new.  Every unit has different needs, not all units are the same size, or are as active; therefore they might get by with a few key roles filled. A Pack our size with year-round activity calls for many posts to be filled, and continuously refreshed.  It's good because a fresh mind coming into a post, brings new and fun ideas. Two years down the road, it's good to refresh and/or rotate, until it's time to leave the Pack, leaving behind trained leaders who will continue to create leaders. 

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The last thing a Pack needs are drained leaders. The scouts will not receive the same fun & adventure the program promises to deliver, when the leaders are tired & overwhelmed because they've also taken the other jobs that no one else wants, but must be done. 

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People of all walks of life and abilities and backgrounds volunteer to help a unit advance, that's what makes scouting fun. We teach our scouts to be BRAVE when trying something new, yet we struggle take a step to stein in because we don't know "HOW". In a way, each of us, becomes a SCOUT and we begin to evolve alongside our sons when we take that plunge to help. It is they who often launch us into the "unknown" when we become parents, and through their interests and experiences, we also learn. Isn't parenting fun? 

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None of the current leaders today ever thought they'd be leading a Cub Scout Pack, yet, here they are, rocking it. The Pack Committee and Pack Leaders don't know everything, and are always welcoming new brave members. We all learn from each other, from mistakes and from successful outcomes in our events and activities.  When you take a leadership role, you're never alone, someone in the Pack may have done it before you, and often, if that person is still with the Pack or transitioned to Boy Scouts, but remains in contact with the Pack, that person will be more than willing to orient you in the right direction.

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Endless ideas and articles are also found in many outlets thanks to the wonderful technology we enjoy today. Person-to-Person training is always taking place around our immediate area. Opportunities to learn abide at Monthly Roundtables, where other new & seasoned Scouters gather to share ideas and obtain answers to their questions.  The only questions that go unanswered, are the ones we don't ask. 

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Take the challenge, look for the position that calls for your abilities and/or interests. There's something for everyone. Youth Protection Training (follow YPT link on Resources tab) is also the first step to begin the process of helping 'The Pack Go'.  Submit a BSA Adult Membership Application to our Membership Chair (or Committee Chair).  Specific Training for your post might be available online for you to begin the training process.  The local NCAC (www.ncacbsa.org) offers training for many other positions, check their website and look for calendar, dates, information and details on upcoming training events. Pack 964 reimburses new leaders for training expenses incurred in this process. You can bring your application to our monthly committee meeting and welcome aboard!