Best Practices - Indian Nations Council

Make Advancement Fun!!!!

Make sure it is part of program planning

All units should:

• Communication to parents at all levels of scouting
• Monthly parents meetings and/or newsletters
• Call them-phone trees
• E-mail them
• Mail out newsletters
• Internet web site communications
• Have an advancement chairman at all levels of scouting and all units
• Use an advancement book to track progress
• Use advancement charts/posters for tracking (peer review)

Retention:

• Units must have adult commitment
• Adults must commit to training
• TRAINING---TRAINING--TRAINING
• Emphasis on annual training helps
• Recognition
• ASAP-do not wait
• “Parent pull off “ let the boys do it
• Public Promotion (PR) efforts
• Let the Charter Organization know what going on
• Get in the papers at school or the local section of the newspaper.
• Use Commissioner service
• Use charter organization to elevate issues
• Roundtable programs joint offering with Cubs & Boy Scouts together
• Use the program helps for planning
• Use the Internet for ceremony ideas

TIGER CUB

Have program intact, full schedule for 1yr, at the beginning of the year.
Use sashes or totems for awards, beads for participation and recognition.
Door prizes at pack meetings for Tigers only.
Uniforming with Tiger paws etc. at events.
Get them at Pack events
Graduation Ceremony at last Pack Meeting or Special Event

CUB SCOUTS

Turn in paperwork for advancement. Units outside Tulsa need to fax or mail them. (Watch out for awards/badges without paperwork)
Use graduation ceremony at all levels
Use the advancement program as set up (by the book). Do not let Den leaders do their own thing on advancement.
Pack Committee must make advancement goals and make sure they are met.
Change Leaders if problems are not resolved.
Use den leader coaches
Award presentations—do not just hand them out. Make them fun with props or skits.

WEBELOS

Webelo to Scout transition
Identify Troop early
Camp with Troop
Use Den Chiefs from Potential Troops for the Pack
Boy Scouts and leaders to a meeting to teach the Webelos
Use the District merit badge counselors in specialized areas
Boy Scout merit badge counselors to teach activity badges
Adoption of patrol names, Boy Scout Uniform and methods early on.
Arrow of Light at a full Pack event-not just the Webelos and parents.
Arrow of Light at a district wide event

BOY SCOUTS

Use most experienced scouts as Patrol Leaders
Use of Troop resource survey---get parents involved.
Support Roundtable-every Troop needs to be there—brings leaders together as a support group
Boy Led program, let the boys mess up
Use scoutmaster conference at any time to check on or promote advancement.
Eagle Projects-
Eagle idea—use presentation as if Scout to a CEO of a major company
Make sure they are substantial in substance. Scoutmaster sets the standard by use of conference and approval steps.
Eagle ceremony must be done for the Eagle and for the younger scouts. Special!!
Challenge from the Eagle to a younger scout at ceremony can be very useful.
Eagle boards with civic leaders, CEO of local companies

Life stall out—
Use Eagle Advisor –mentoring program
Involve in OA
Use High Adventuring program
Asses status with peers when close to Eagle—positive peer group pressure
Personal adult interest-use positive pressure. Watch out for nagging
Go the extra mile as a leader
Older Scouts working with younger Scouts—whenever you can.
Strong support and use of JLT-Pine Tree
Use Philmont programs for both adults and boys
Use of adults as a resource matched up to a Troop leader (for all offices)
Use of computer tracking software with boys using it
(CAUTION—do not let the boys wait on the computer to tell them)
Use computerized list of non-advancement to encourage web sites
Use games in advancement /productive games like 12points of scout law
Troops involvement with feeder Packs
District merit badge counselor list
Merit Badge counselors set up (program planning) to take partials from summer
camp or fairs to work them at Troop meetings. Can re-enforce weak areas and get
them done.
Shared resources meetings and/or campouts for smaller Troops
Larger Troops Adopting smaller struggling ones.

VENTURING

Specialized training (use for older Scouts also) i.e.: rappelling
Teach others
Set up of specialized activity
Venture crew working with a Troop-Venture with lead at Troop activity