Cubmaster 101
Presented by Brent Gear
Cubmaster, Pack 324
Grand Canyon Council
Who am I?
Dad of a Wolf, a Webelos, and 2 Boy
Scouts
Involved in BSA for about 40 years
Pack 441 Arrow of Light
Troop 441 Eagle Scout, Order of the
Arrow
US Army Medical Corps – 14 years
ER and Bariatrics Doctor
What Jobs Have I Done?
3rd Year as Cubmaster of Pack 324
Tiger Den Leader
Webelos Den Leader
Pack Trainer
Religious Emblems Coordinator
Chartered Org. Rep.
What Jobs Have I Done?
Asst. Director Winter Day Camp
Supernova Mentor
Camp Kaibab Counselor
Cub Scout Day Camp Counselor
Merit Badge Counselor
Medic!
What this presentation is not…
Short! (We will run out of time…)
The “right way” to be a Cubmaster
Learning how to manage conflict
The presentation of your dreams! (Well, I guess
maybe…)
What this presentation IS…
Some of the Basics if you’re a beginner
Tips and suggestions
My experience
A pointer to good online resources
Hopefully, a time where we can share
ideas
Agenda
Intro
What is the Cubmaster’s job?
What is a Pack Meeting?
The Pack Meeting Plan (Agenda)
Den Duties (Assignments)
Do you know what your dens are
doing?
Do you have a monthly leader
meeting?
Working with the Pack
Committee
Working with the Charter
Organization
Recruiting (Scouts and
Leaders)
Event Planning
Diplomacy and Crisis
Management
Who are your Unit
Commissioner and DE?
Leader Training
Webelos
Communication
Cubmaster…
The Ruler of the Pack (not really, but
many will think you are)
The Glue that holds everyone together
The Energy that keep the pack running
The Grease the keeps things smooth
The Face of the pack
The One Everyone Blames
The Chief Evangelist
Cubmaster’s Job
Get Trained!
Read The Cub Scout Leader Book
Responsible for Pack Program (not by
yourself)
Chief Goofball and Crisis Negotiator
Plan the Weekly or Monthly Pack Meetings
Cultivate a strong Webelos program and
Bridge
Cubmaster’s Job
Have your finger on The Pulse of
the pack
Have a regular leader/planning
meeting
Build and cultivate relationships
(scouts, families, schools, charter
organization and more)
Work with your Committee Chair,
Charter Rep, District Executive
(DE) and Unit Commissioner
Use Your Resources
Can’t sing?
Find it hard to be silly?
Bad at planning?
Don’t think you are very creative?
Use Your Leaders and Families!!!!
Leave your own comfort zone and
Have Fun!!! (Diversity)
What is a Pack Meeting?
Two Kinds:
Monthly
Weekly
What is a Monthly Pack Meeting?
(Oh my! Soooo many words….)
The monthly pack meeting model brings
together boys from every den, their leaders, and
their families, to participate in a large-scale
event that serves as a showcase for everything
the boys have learned and done in their
individual den meetings.
The pack meeting gives the boys a larger
experience beyond their own den, and helps
them to connect their individual activities to the
entire Cub Scouting program.
What is a Weekly Pack Meeting?
(The words are all running together….)
The Weekly pack meeting also brings together boys
from every den, their leaders, and their families.
Start and End with large formation of entire pack
Announcements and Updates for everyone
More chances for boys to display their projects
Den Meeting Breakouts.
Benefits
• Not at someone’s house
• All same night, same location
• Easier to help if leader absent or having trouble
Award Ceremonies are so
Boooooring!
This is a show for your pack families!!!
Cub Fest, The Big Show, Cub Theater
You are the Warm-Up Act
Mix it up! Some families have been
there for years!
Award Ceremonies are so
Boooooring!
There should be:
Songs
Skits
Jokes
Awards
Rank advancement
Short announcements
FUN!!!!!
Award Ceremonies are
Interesting and Fun!
You NEED an agenda!!!
Consistency is good - change is also okay
Keep it simple
Keep things short for young attention spans
Be flexible!
Have a copy on hand
Get every den involved
Get parents and leaders involved
Cubmaster is the Ringmaster not the star of the show!
Pack Meeting Tips
Always have a Plan B
Did you confirm the guest (or verify that they had
been confirmed)?
Always have an agenda (Plan)!
Set expectations (Behavior for scouts AND guests)
Does every boy get something?
Do adults get something? (Adult Awards)
Do you have a treasure box or goodie bag?
Den Duties (Assignments)
Gathering Game & Setup
Opening Ceremony Honor Guard - Flags
Prayer?
Songs? Skits? Jokes? Cheers? Run-Ons?
Closing Ceremony Honor Guard - Flags
Cleanup (before closing?)
Den Duties
Publish the duties ahead
of time
Remind leaders at your
leader meeting
Come up with an easy
rotation
Send email reminders!
Den Duties
Be ready to fill in or
change as needed
Have a time limit
Get every den involved!!
Public speaking is an
important life skill!
Keep what works, change
what doesn’t!
What Are Your Dens Doing?
Where and When do they meet?
Do you ever visit them?
What “Go See It trips” are they going on?
Have they filed a Tour Plan?
Are the scouts earning awards and
advancing?
Have you asked about any problems?
Do Den Leaders have assistants? Den
Chiefs?
Meetings?
Leaders
Pack Committee
Parents
Do You Have a Leader Meeting?
Make every den have a representative
Make it face-to-face rather than by
phone or e-mail
Get Den Leader feedback on recent
events
Plan for upcoming events
Get a report on den health (Andrew not
showing up, Reece being disruptive)
Do You Have a Leader Meeting?
Help resolve issues
Inform your leaders about
additional awards (National Den
Award, STEM NOVA, Emergency
Preparedness, Religious
Emblems, Family Activity Awards,
and lots more...)
Gather feedback for the Pack
Committee
Working with the Pack Committee
Attend the monthly Committee Meeting
Give a Cubmaster Report
Work hand-in-hand with your
Committee Chair!!! (My wife)
Let them handle the Pack Business
Help recruit new members
Have a New Parent Welcome
Program
No, you should not feel
like this...
New Parent Welcome
New parents are LOST
Have a Handout
Fees or Dues
Uniform
Website
Contact phone number and e-mail
Calendar
Working with Your Charter Organization
Build a relationship with your Chartering
Organization Head
Try to attend some Charter Org events
Look into doing a yearly Service Project
Build a relationship with your Charter
Organization Representative
Remember the Charter Organization
owns the pack
Recruiting (Scouts & Adults)
Market your pack year-round
(Scouting apparel and uniforms)
Use the tools the council provides
(flyers, lawn signs, posters, banners,
business cards, and more!)
Recruiting Fall & Spring for new
scouts
Have the boys recruit (business
cards, invitations, Special Events)
Recruiting (Scouts & Adults)
Special Events:
Ice Cream Social
Red Ribbon Week
Bike Rodeo
Police or Fire Demonstration
Throw a Party
Recruiting (Scouts & Adults)
Help identify potential leaders and
event hosts
Make families feel welcome!
Remember Names!
Return phone calls and email
quickly!!!
Event Planning (and Attending)
DO NOT do it all yourself!!!
Don’t be afraid to let events fail.
You do NOT have to attend every pack event
(there is only so much of you to go around)
Spend some time with your own family while
at events (even the Cubmaster gets to enjoy
the event)
Make sure you get some food and water!
Boy Behavior
Sandwich Principle
Discipline and Qualified Supervision
Know the normal behavior for each age group
Set expectations (make sure you are clear)
Do not be afraid to reprimand (be calm and fair)
Make sure your leaders understand this as well
The boys CAN do it!
Diplomacy and Crisis Management
As in any family, problems and tense situations can
arise “Drama Happens”
Be careful not to jump in too fast
Try to listen as much as possible
Folks WILL come to you looking for solutions
People can get very nasty. Do your best not to
respond in kind. Be Nice.
Don’t be afraid to go to your Unit Commissioner, DE,
Charter Org. Rep. or others for help!
Your Unit Commissioner and
District Executive (DE)
Have you met them? You NEED to do that!
You WANT your Council Office to know you (at
least your name)
Have you met your other council reps?
Invite them to pack functions
Is your Pack’s Unit Commissioner on your
email list?
Leader Training
Your goal is to encourage EVERY leader to be trained
(trained standards changed in 2012)
Youth Protection is Mandatory for all direct contact
leaders
You NEED to be trained
Do you have a Pack Trainer?
Do you have any training for parents?
Know who has/has not been trained
All Leaders should attend Wood Badge !!!
Leader Training
Do you have a Pack Trainer?
Do you have any training for parents?
Know who has/has not been trained
All Leaders should attend :
Trainer’s EDGE
Wood Badge !!!
Leader Training in Our Pack
1st Meeting of the year
Youth Protection
2nd and 3rd Meetings of the year
Leader Specific Training – Committee
Members
4th Meeting of the year
We repeat the Youth Protection Training
for late joiners and anyone else who
missed it.
Webelos
What Troops are in your area?
Who are the Scoutmasters?
When can your Webelos visit or camp with
them?
Roundtable and Council and District events
are good places to make contacts
Are you making sure that Webelos is a strong
program with a Plan?
How many of your Webelos Bridge and where?
Communication
How often do you communicate with your
pack?
How much face-to-face time do you have with
your pack families?
Do you have an email list?
You REALLY need a monthly Pack Newsletter!
Communication
Do you use online records?
www.ScoutTrack.com
Do you have a website?
www.ScoutPack324.com
Do you have a yearly calendar?
Do you have online sign ups?
www.SignUpGenius.com
Have Fun
Just an hour a week, right? (Yeah, a Scout
Hour!)
Don’t do this for your son, the boys, or the
pack… Do it for YOU!
If you are not having fun, you need to
change things
If you do it right, you will be compensated
more than you ever expected!
Great Resources!
Everyone needs help and ideas!
Resources
Complete your Training online or in
person!!!
Go to Wood Badge!!!
Go to Trainer’s EDGE
Monthly District Roundtables
Cub Scout Leader Pow Wow (Got this!)
University of Scouting
Baden Powell University
Resources
Cub Scout Talk Yahoo! Group
Cubmaster Chat Yahoo! Group
Scouting.org Website
Our Counsel Website (and email lists)
Your District Website
Great Online Resources
Pack Meeting Info from BSA:
www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubSc
outs/Activities/pack.aspx
Simple Pack Meeting Planning Document:
www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/3437.pdf
My website for Pack 324
www.ScoutPack324.com
Major Helps
Baloo’s Bugle
www.usscouts.org/bbugle.asp
Cubmaster Resources from the BSA
www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/Cu
bScouts/Leaders/CubmasterResources.aspx
Den and Pack Meeting Resource Guides
www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/L
eaders/DenLeaderResources/DenandPackMe
etingResourceGuide.aspx
Major Helps
MacScouter
www.macscouter.com/
The Virtual Cub Scout Leader’s Handbook
webspace.webring.com/people/wu/um_1083
1/home.htm
The Scouter Mom
www.scoutermom.com/
Thank You!
cubmaster@batescentral.com
Thank You!
cubmaster@batescentral.com