PACK 132 WELCOME PACKET

Welcome! Pack 132 has a lot of wonderful activities planned this year, and this packet is designed to help you and your scout get the most out of your scouting experience. In this packet you will find information regarding:

Membership Dues	Pack Structure	Teaching Methods
Scout Den Placement	Leadership Roster	Uniform Policy
Pack Communication	Volunteering Opportunities	Barriers to Abuse
Time Commitment	Fundraising Opportunities	Helpful Resources

Membership Dues:

Beginning August 1, 2023, all new youth and registered adult members who join Scouting will be enrolled in a 12-month membership cycle. Both youth and registered adults will pay the full annual membership fee and will renew their membership on the anniversary date of joining Scouting. Each registered member of the BSA will receive an email notice with a registration renewal link beginning 60 days before the anniversary date they joined Scouting. Unit leaders will receive a copy of the email and will stay engaged in the membership renewal process. It is important to note, existing members (prior to August 1, 2023) will renew their membership during their normal registration/rechartering period (December).

Dues Category	Youth Dues	Registered Adult Dues
National	$80	$60
Golden Empire Council	$80	$60
New-Member (one-time)	$25	$25
Scout Life Magazine (optional)	$15	$15

Time Commitment:

Activities are offered at the Pack and Den level. Cub Scouting revolves around the family, so many of the adventures can be done with the Den or your family. Attend what you can and we can help you cover what is missed.

	Meetings	Service Projects	Special Events (weekend day)	Overnights	District
Pack	1 per month	2-3 per year	2-3 per year	4-5 per year	4-5 per year
Den	1-2 per month	1 per year	1 per year

Cub/Scout Placement: Which Den Will Your Child Join?

Effective June 1, 2023, family packs that serve both girls and boys may now form dens with both girls and boys for dens with scouts in kindergarten through fourth grade. Fifth-grade Cub Scouts are to remain in gender-specific dens to prepare them for joining gender-specific Scouts BSA Troops. Ultimately this does not change Pack 132’s program. All current barriers to abuse policies apply. However, the family den option allows family packs to form family dens.

Kindergarten:	Lion Cubs	3rd-Grade:	Bear Scouts
1st-Grade:	Tiger Cubs	4th-Grade:	Webelos
2nd-Grade:	Wolf Scouts	5th-Grade:	Webelos (AOL)

Pack Organizational Structure:

Behind every Scouting unit, district, council, area, and region is a Key 3. These are the three top individuals within each segment of Scouting. At the top, BSA National Key 3 includes a national chair, Chief Scout Executive, and national commissioner. These three individuals – two volunteers and one professional – are responsible for guiding the entire organization. At each level, the Key 3 meet to discuss issues related to their particular level. Volunteers are essential to the BSA organization’s operations and at the unit level all operations are handled by volunteers. Pack 132’s Key 3 includes a committee chair, Cubmaster, and charter organization representative.

Leadership and Volunteers:

Cub Scouts is a family program. As such, the families who choose to join Pack 132 run Pack 132. The Pack works hard to be sure there are opportunities for all families to be involved in their child’s Scouting adventure.

It is important to note that the Scouting Experience is really for the whole family. There is a place for everyone in this organization. The Pack requires adults to fill roles necessary for the safe and effective function of the program. However, it is the hope that if adults join in on this Scouting Experience with their children sharing adventures and activities that generate memories that last a lifetime then the need to volunteer will become a want.

Many Hands Make Light Work

The Pack organizational structure is set up in a manner to spread the work over many volunteers. While the Key 3 are ultimately responsible for the Pack management, duties are broken into two divisions, Pack Planning (Committee Chair and Charter Organization Representative) and Pack Program (Cubmaster). In Pack Planning, a committee under the direction of the Committee Chair oversees the development of the annual calendar assigning committee members to execute the duties required to complete smaller categories within the annual calendar (Fundraising, Events, and Advancement and Awards) as well as maintain a balanced budget (Treasure); track Pack property and records (Secretary); promote recruitment, track membership retention, and ensure proper leadership training (Membership).

The Pack Program occurs when the annual calendar is passed to the Cubmaster, and under the direction of the Cubmaster, a Den Council is set up to execute a Pack Program in a manner that is in line with this annual calendar and upholds the ideals of the Scouting experience. Den Council members are Den Leaders, Assistant Den Leaders, and Den Chiefs under the direction of the Cubmaster and Assistant Cubmaster(s). The Cubmaster and Assistant Cubmaster(s) are also advisory members on the Pack Planning Committee making recommendations to Planning Committee members on how to execute an annual calendar plan in a manner that is consistent with the ideals of Scouting. In this regard, the Assistant Cubmasters (Overnights and Events) are assigned to work within the Events Committee to ensure that special Pack events are planned with the Scouts in mind.

Pack Planning Committee: Headed by the Committee Chair

Committee Chair - Oversee and delegate committee duties; responsible for recharter, interdistrict interactions, and communication with the Charter Organization
Secretary - Oversees advancement and awards, oversees the Quartermaster duties
Membership - Responsible for recruitment, membership records, and promoting leadership training
Treasurer - Maintains Pack finances, tracks Scout Bucks and campership applications
Fundraising - Responsible for fundraising activities, delegates individual fundraising events to different volunteers, determines if additional resources are needed to complete fundraising responsibilities
Events - Responsible for special events (overnights, pinewood derby, Blue and Gold Banquet, bike rodeo), delegates individual events to a different volunteer or committee of volunteers, determines if additional resources are needed for a special event

Pack Program Den Council: Headed by the Cubmaster

Cubmaster - Responsible for the Pack Program
Assistant Cubmaster(s) - Help the Cubmaster and work with the Event committee member
Den Leader(s) - Responsible for the Den-specific program(s) within the Pack Program
Den Chief(s) - Help Den Leaders from the perspective of a BSA Scout (Troop, Crew, Ship)

Communications:

Gmail: committeechairpack132@gmail.com

This is the Committee Chair’s email address. It serves as the primary way for Pack leadership to communicate with the Pack about upcoming events and requests. Also, if you ever find yourself confused about terminology or generally what’s going on, you are always welcome to email the Committee Chair. The first year of scouting can be really confusing!

Google Calendars:

The Committee Chair will add you to your specific Den Google calendar. You can get the most up to date event information via our Pack 132 Google Calendar or from your specific den calendar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DavisPack132

We post information on our Facebook about upcoming events

Website: https://davis-cub-scout-pack-132.netlify.app/

We are working on a website that will be up to date on upcoming pack events. By logging in with a Google email address, you will be able to access a members only section, giving you access to a visualization of the calendars as well as an interface with Pack 132’s shared Google Drive.

Pack Google Drive:

The Committee Chair maintains a designated folder for all Pack access (00 - Pack 132 Shared Folder) within this shared folder members have access to:

1 - Pack Information - within each calendar year folder, members have access to committee meeting notes, pack announcements, pack meeting summaries, and the pack calendar for each year
2 - Den Information - within a Den specific folder, members have access to the Den calendar, Den contact list, adventure workbooks, and leader guides. Den Leaders can use the calendar year specific folder to populate information for Den members throughout the year.
3 - Pack Resources - Populated with a growing range of resources that Cubmasters, Den Leaders, or any adult can use for Pack meetings and Den meetings. It is designed for adults to continue populating with new or improved ideas. Build projects, camp sites, fishing, games, hiking, knife safety, knots, leave no trace, skits, songs, run-ons, and stories.
4 - Adult Leadership Training - Adult leader position descriptions, training requirements, and additional training resources. Every Scout deserves a trained leader.
5 - Event Photos - A place to collect photos from activities throughout the year. It really pays off when we do a slideshow at the Blue and Gold Banquet.
6 - Medical & Consent Forms - templates for forms required for certain Scout activities.

Slack: Pack-132.slack.com

The Pack uses a free account on slack offering an area for members of the Pack to communicate on a Den or Pack level. Ideal for planning specific events, general questions to the Pack, and communication between other Pack members. Since it is free, information is only logged and available for a 3 month time frame.

Scoutbook: https://scoutbook.scouting.org

Scoutbook is an internet-based tool used to help manage all aspects of Pack 132. It is used to document and track all advancement, communicate with Scout families and leaders, and serves as our official event calendar. All families are provided access to Scoutbook via the email address provided upon registration. Parents are required to complete a profile for themselves and their Scout. Please be sure to complete your profile in full including allowing texting. Additionally, it is helpful that both parents/guardians have an account within Scoutbook.

Camping:

Pack Campouts and Overnights are special events that require an additional cost per person attending. This additional cost is not covered by Pack dues and is the responsibility of the scout’s family. Scouts are encouraged to earn money for Campouts and Overnights by participating in Pack Fundraisers. There will also be additional forms as needed by the BSA and locations at which the Pack is staying. It is important to submit all the required forms completed and in a timely manner in order to attend Campouts and Overnights.

A note on forms:

There are many forms you’ll be expected to complete. Here is a list of some common ones….

Medical A/B form: BSA requires all scouts to have a completed A/B form annually. BSA requires all persons joining the Pack on Overnights to have completed ones as well (all submitted to the Committee Chair).
Medical C form: This BSA form is only required for more “high adventure” activities. For Cub Scouts, the only time we ask for it is when you attend Camp Lassen (a 3-day residence camp in July)
Activity Consent form: This is required for all individuals under 21 years old who attend an event. We’ll let you know when we need one. This is a BSA required form.
Registration Forms: These will be needed by the agencies/locations we work with. There may be several pages including redundant information requested. This is not a BSA requirement but one that is required from agencies like Oakland Zoo, USS Jeremiah O’Brien, etc.

Uniform:

The minimum uniform in Pack 132 is the Scouts BSA “Field” uniform shirt with all the patches, appropriate neckerchief for the age, and a neckerchief slide or woggle. Pack or BSA ranked hats are strongly encouraged, especially for outdoor activities. Additionally, BSA bottoms (pants, shorts, skorts) can be worn as well, but are not required. A blue adjustable belt is recommended (Lion - Bear) since all adventure awards are belt loops. Webelos adventure pins are attached to Webelos Rank Colors that hang on the sleeve. Expect to use the Field uniform for all Pack and Den meetings, service outings (exception being conservation projects), and arrival for Overnights. Religious and/or personal health will be taken into consideration when determining an appropriate uniform for a Scout.

Rank	Field Color	Neckerchief	Belt	Pants
Lions	“T-shirt”	Yellow	Blue	Blue
Tigers	Blue	Orange	Blue	Blue
Wolf	Blue	Red	Blue	Blue
Bear	Blue	Blue	Blue	Blue
Webelos	Tan	Tri-color	Olive	Olive

The Field uniform can be purchased at the River City Scout Shop (916-649-1800) or online at scoutstuff.org. At River City, the following patches are typically already sewed on: American Flag, Golden Empire Council, International Scouting Patch. Pack Number patches are available from the Pack Quartermaster. Supplies are available to make a woggle to hold the neckerchief.

The Pack Activity shirt (Class B uniform) can be purchased by talking to our Quartermaster.

EDGE Method: (Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable)

The Scouting learning model is called “experiential,” which means learning by doing, not just by listening but by studying and testing. After setting learning objectives, our goal is to teach according to the objective, give the person being trained time to practice, and then check their understanding and skill level.

In BSA Scouts, the goal is to find opportunities for the Scouts to become the teachers and by using the EDGE method Scouts are given the tools to pass on knowledge. In Cub Scouting, adults use the EDGE to help Cub Scouts learn something new. As adults, we hope our teachings will Enable our Cub Scouts so when they bridge to BSA Scouts they will have the tools needed to learn and teach others around them.

Behavior:

Members of Pack 132 agree to:

Conduct themselves according to the Scout Oath and Law.
Show up for Scouting events promptly and in the appropriate uniform for the event.
Exhibit leadership by following rules and asking others to do the same.
Respect Leaders and follow reasonable directives from Leaders.
Be respectful when the Cub Sign goes up by paying attention, stop talking, and raising the cub sign.
Respect others’ property.
Respect the feelings of others.

Barriers to Abuse:

In Scouting, we will not compromise the safety of our youth, volunteers, and employees. Safety is a value that must be taught and reinforced at every opportunity. We are all responsible and must hold each other accountable to provide a safe environment for all participants. We are committed to abuse prevention by utilizing:

Mandatory youth protection training
Criminal background checks
Banning one-on-one adult and youth interactions
Mandatory reporting of suspected abuse to law enforcement
A volunteer screening database

We are committed to injury and illness prevention by integrating safety measures in our handbooks, literature, and training materials including the Guide to Safe Scouting. We expect leaders to use the four points of SAFE when delivering the program. SAFE Scouting measures include:

Youth are Supervised by qualified and trustworthy adults who set the example for safety.
Activities are Assessed risks
Pre-requisite Fitness and Skill levels are confirmed before participation
Appropriate Equipment is utilized, and Environmental conditions are monitored.

When incidents do occur, we expect a timely, clear, and complete incident report. We are committed to learning from the data and modifying program guidance for the prevention of future occurrence.

Fundraising:

It is important to recognize that our lives are busy and we are being asked to focus on several activities all at once (school, work, sport, social events, etc). Three questions that drive the fundraising decisions are:

What do Scouts gain from participating in fundraising activities?
What benefits do parents see for encouraging Scout participation in fundraising activities?
What benefits does the Pack and the Scouting organization receive from fundraising activities?

Belief in what the Scouts can accomplish

Encouraging Scouts to participate in fundraising activities is about helping them set goals and believing that they can accomplish them. In an ‘experiential’ environment we aim to explain to our Scouts the tools needed to meet the goals they set. As adults we can demonstrate the techniques necessary to give our Scouts more confidence, higher self-esteem, and a more positive attitude to accomplish the task. By participating and guiding them, our Scouts are given the opportunity to develop public speaking and leadership skills. Ultimately, we are enabling them to learn something new.

Incentivizing Participation

National and Council dues are expected to continue to rise annually. In addition to annual dues, the Pack requires funds necessary to run pack meetings, obtain adventure loops/pins, rank advancement awards, special awards, camperships, Adult Leader registration incentives, rentals for Pack events, and maintenance of Pack equipment. The aims of the fundraising program are:

Pack Fundraising – income generated goes to the Pack General Fund

Goal: To avoid the need for assessing an annual Pack fee on top of the annual national and council dues.
Plan: Host several small fundraisers throughout the year to generate revenue for the Pack General Fund. For example: Restaurant Take-overs, Pack Meeting Night Pizza Dinner, Pinewood Derby Breakfast and Lunch Bar. Additionally, a small percentage (~5%) of the large fundraisers (Trails End, See’s Candy) will be earmarked for the Pack General Fund.

Scout Fundraising – income generated goes primarily to the individual Scout (Scout Bucks) with a percentage earmarked for the Pack General Fund.

Goal: To incentivize participation in the major fundraising activities (Trail’s End Popcorn, See’s Candy), profits generated from these fundraisers will be allocated to individual Scout accounts at a rate proportional to the amount sold or level of participation.
Plan: Fundraising accomplished by an individual Scout can be tracked within the online ordering systems allowing the Pack allocate funds to an individual Scout Bucks account.

Scout Bucks - Within the Pack’s General Fund an sub-account is assigned to each Scout. The funds within this sub-account can be used to pay for:

Annual Dues
Overnight/twilight/resident/family camps or programs
Scout/Pack regalia
Transferred to a Bridging Troop

Beneficial for Scouting

Encouraging Pack participation in fundraising lowers the monetary threshold needed to join Scouting. Thus, promoting Scouting for All. Fundraisers like Trails End Popcorn are essential to BSA Councils, supporting several programs and facilities that offer adventure opportunities to our Scouts. Finally, these activities help get our Scouts out into the community offering them an opportunity to practice the ideals of Scouting.

Helpful Links and Sites:

Scoutbook.com: https://scoutbook.scouting.org/ Advancement, awards, and calendar information

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/DavisPack132/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/376215703037494/

Slack: https://davis-pack-132.slack.com/ A great coordination and planning tool.

Yolano District Homepage: https://www.gec-bsa.org/ For information on district events and resources.

Pack 132 Welcome Packet