Cub Scout Program Updates Webinar on  

I know it’s a dead topic, but we don’t know anyone that like Belt Loops. Understand parents wants easy and belt loops are easy, but one wants to wear them. If not patches, suggest pins and more specific colored Adventure stripes for each rank.

Gone are some of the patch collections. 😢 I know patches will still be available for some things, but there's only so much waistline on the scouts to display their adventures. I recently found some old cub scout patches I had in my collection from 30 years ago that made me smile to see my son and daughter working on similar events.

Cubmaster here! I am LOVING everything I have seen over the last few months!

Here's what I'm most sad about with respect for the awards. They weren't attachable because they were not adventures, it was because they weren't in the handbook. I don't like that now they're just part of the rest of the stuff. The shirt bling showed everyone that this scout went above and beyond the "normal", and they get to show it off a bit. Lumping in the special awards with the other adventures takes that distinction away, so there's less incentive than there was before to work on them. IMO the right fix to that problem was to make the requirements more readily accessible to the cubs and families but keep them special.

At the 35 minute mark, summertime activities, this is an improvement however, incoming Lions offically join August 1st and could do 3 or 4 activities in that month. I would love to see them have a belt loop. They earn it while registered.

I am also disappointed that the naming of the adventures is so inconsistent. As a veteran camp director, I know that Stronger, Faster, Higher is a Fitness Webelos adventure, Bear Strong is Fitness and I spend time matching up all the adventures for my Fitness station. New Cubmasters, or new Den Leaders doing combined meetings for small dens, however, are not going to be great at aligning the handbooks for a Pack Meeting. The kids are not as into the names of the badges, as the developers may think. I would love for them all to be called Bear Safety, Webelos Safety, etc.

Looks like a great set of program improvements, thanks!

The den leader info looks great!

I have two questions. Currently the preventing child abuse information is part of Bobcat and the Protect Yourself Rules video. Will both of these be rolled into the personal safety adventure (as in not an elective adventure anymore) or will it continue to be in two different places? Also, if the AOL's are not required to wear a neckerchief can packs create a custom one for them, for example on Class B or as a den project for the scouts to design or tie die together, or is the official uniform just to avoid it?

I'm disappointed by the ability to tailor requirements to your den with choices is being removed. Options allow us to make things work well for our dens. Thats a valuable tool you are taking away.

Funny side note: why is the lion cartoony but the tiger, wold and bear are realistic on the book covers? Not a big deal, just an observation.

Too bad that the handbooks no longer share the cub scout trail on the covers like they did... it was fund to lay the tiger to webelos books on the counter and see where they were headed. Yeah I am old I got my 50 year pin in March 2023.

Some of these changes might be good but some just make no sense

Why no hat or neckerchief for AOL? Everyone else in scouts has a neckerchief.

If the pinewood derby is going to be an elective adventure does that mean there is no long going to be pinewood derby patches?

Why is this an hour and 15 minutes? I have been a member of BSA since 2006, and I consistently find that BSA does not value my time. If you want busy professionals to remain engaged, please cut to the chase. We are already cutting family time to fulfill our BSA responsibilities. I am so glad I can watch this later and speed it up, skip ahead. Also, there is obviously some reason why the program is not being released in the winter... the intro about the importance of communication is belied by the lack of info.

Is inclusive language like “walk” taking some of the adventure out of the program. Scouting started because kids crave outdoor adventure. How do we create safe ways to turn that adventure into life skills. Taking the “ scary” words out also is losing sight of what makes the Cub Scout program what it is. I offten have to explain what makes scouts bsa and Cub scouts different from Girl Scouts and it is that outdoor element in every adventure rather then being one of the things they might do. If your Girl wants to be outdoors and loves adventure then maybe cubs is better for them. This material seems to have lost that focus.