April Cub Chat - Cub Leader Conundrums

Recruiting and training leaders are the two hardest parts of running a pack.  The gambit of reasons they don't get involved or trained runs from being afraid they aren't good enough to represent the ideals of Scouting to "I'm too busy". At the end of the day we still need to turn these reasons into action and get people on the registered and trained side of the "Do Your Best" ideal.

We won't claim to have all the answers, but if you join us this Thursday at 8 PM we can explore with you how to convert some of the no's into a "Yes" or "I will do my best".  We hope to see you Thursday night. Roundtable is held at 8 PM the second Thursday of each month at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) - 2727 Centreville Rd, Oak Hill, VA 20171-3509.

Check back here after Thursday night for handouts and more.  Join us and the copies are on us.

Spring Into Planning for Safety

March Madness is still upon us, but the Sweet Sixteen has come and gone.

Or has it? We are Cub Scout leaders not Basketball Coaches.  Did you know there is a Sweet Sixteen for Scouts?  They are are follows:

1. QUALIFIED SUPERVISION
2. PHYSICAL FITNESS
3. BUDDY SYSTEM
4. SAFE AREA OR COURSE
5. EQUIPMENT SELECTION AND MAINTENANCE
6. PERSONAL SAFETY EQUIPMENT
7. SAFETY PROCEDURES AND POLICIES
8. SKILL LEVEL LIMITS
9. WEATHER CHECK
10. PLANNING
11. COMMUNICATIONS
12. PLANS AND NOTICES
13. FIRST-AID RESOURCES
14. APPLICABLE LAWS
15. CPR RESOURCE
16. DISCIPLINE

Apply this Sweet Sixteen to your unit's program to insure you have a safe plan in place.

All of these are great, but if we don't take time to make sure that everyone is aware of the plan we can a less than desirable outcome. Scouting offers us suggestion for implement this in our units.  Does your unit do a Safety Moment?  A Safety Moment is a short briefing at the beginning of an event (meeting, outing or activity) that focuses the gathered participants on a safety issue that needs to be discussed before starting the days/events activities.  It can be lead by anyone who had has knowledge of the safety issue(s) and can inform others on how to make the most of the groups activity.  Check out this video on Safety Moments:



A great Safety Moment for your next leader or planning meeting would be on the topic of the "Safety PAUSE".  PAUSE is an acronym that stands for:

1. PAUSE before you start 
2. ASSESS possible hazards 
3. UNDERSTAND how to proceed safely 
4. SHARE your plan with others 
5. EXECUTE the activity safely

When used in conjunction with the Guide to Safe Scouting (www.scouting.org/
HealthandSafety/GSS.aspx), PAUSE can give your Unit a leg up on stay safe while having your Scouting fun. 

Want more on how to Scout Safely?  Start here:

• Event Safety Checklist, www.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/event_checklist.pdf
• Campout Safety Checklist, www.scouting.org/filestore/HealthSafety/pdf/campout_checklist.pdf
• Health and Safety newsletters, www.scouting.org/HealthandSafety.aspx