"We must depend upon the Boy Scout Movement to produce the MEN of the future."

                                                                      Daniel Carter Beard

SCOUTERS!  We are well into our new year. Hopefully everyone has their recharter packages turned in, or at least close. I am going to shift gears and talk a little bit about spring recruitment. For the Boy Scouts, you should be looking at getting the newly crossed over Scouts engaged and excited for summer camp, also start to involve the new Webelos in the troop, not just the new Webelos II's but also the brand new Webelos I's.   I have found in the past that the earlier you get the Cub Scouts excited about Boy Scouts, the higher likelihood they will stay in Scouting when it comes time to cross over. On the Cub Scout side, spring time is a great time to get the new tigers and other boys who wished they joined last year excited about scouting. Make sure that you have the information out to the parents of perspective scouts on all the things your pack does during the summer months and the fun that can be had by the family. Don't forget to stress the core values of scouting. I've included some basic tips and resources available to help out, and as always you can talk with your Unit Commissioner or myself.

Take Care and Scout On!

Resources

Applications

Youth and Adult Applications are available from the Unit Commissioner, your District Executive or at the Glacier's Edge Council office. Make sure you have enough for each recruitment event or community event you attend. It is good practice for the Unit Leader to have some available at all Scout functions should a new Scout family ask for one.

Flyers and Stickers

Customize flyers are typically sent out to Cub Scout aged students in schools. Please see your district membership committee or district executive order these flyers for the schools in your area. Flyers can also be used as handouts at public events, distributed on pizza boxes or any effective way that is suggested. Stickers are given to each boy during the boy talk to remind them to show the flyer to their parent.

Boy Talks (in school recruiting)

While flyers and sticker have their place, they work much better when accompanied by personal communication. One method of achieving this is by arranging Boy Talks in local schools during the school day. Boy Talks are the opportunity for a scouting volunteer or staff to talk to students at their school as part of their daily program. You can contact your local principal directly to setup a Boy Talk. These events have the most impact when a local leader is available to be part of the Boy Talk as he or she can give more detailed information on Scouting in your area.

General Recruiting Tips & Guidelines

Once the application is complete, turn it into the Glacier's Edge Council as soon as you can.  If one of your unit leaders can't turn them in quickly, a Commissioner or member of the Field Staff will make arrangements to pick it up for you. This will ensure that the Scout is invited to all the summertime activities and covered under BSA's insurance should an incident should occur. It also allows for the Council to immediately being assisting the Pack with advancement tracking. 

Alternate Communication. Each community has its own unique ways of promoting community events. Make sure that your recruiting and other Scouting events are in your town's community bulletins, church bulletins or websites.

If there is a subject that you would like to have covered at roundtable that we have not done yet, please contact myself or Amanda to get the ball rolling. Nothing is out of the question.

The Wisconsin River District needs your Help in identifying great individuals who could serve as a unit commissioner.

All units need a Unit Commissioner.   A good unit commissioner has a love for Scouting and desire to help Packs and Troops work better together is all that is needed to be a UC. I also encourage you to contact me directly if you are interested.   Group UC meetings are one half hour, once a month prior to Roundtable. It really is not a lot of time for those already involved with the units - just come early to Roundtable.

I challenge all Cub Scout Packs/Boy Scout Troops to forward me one name of a person that fits the bill for being a unit commissioner.

Packs, Troops, and Crews, If you have not received a visit from a commissioner or do not know who your commissioner is, please give me a call, I will either get your assigned commish in touch with you or will schedule a time that I can come up and visit.

Other Notes:

-Unit Commissioners meet at 6:30 before each round table   St John's Lutheran Church, 100 Oak Street, in Prairie Du Sac.

www.wisconsinriver.org

YIS,

Bryan G. Anders

WR District Commissioner

dawg@bugnet.net608-574-0164