Here's some Information about How Pack 631 will Welcome Girls and Kindergarten Kids this year -- some Questions and Answers:

Really?  Girls can be in Cub Scouts now?  I thought it was just for boys?  Yes, starting in 2018, Packs may welcome girls into Cub Scouting, and Pack 631 chartered by Woodward Academy is a Pack that welcomes the whole family to participate – boys and girls, kindergarten through 5th Grade.  This follows an October 2017 announcement by the BSA that “The Boy Scouts of America’s Board of Directors unanimously approved to welcome girls into its iconic Cub Scout program and to deliver a Scouting program for older girls that will enable them to advance and earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout.”  The program for older girls (11 to 18) officially launches in February, 2019, as there will be BSA Troops for girls – that program is called “Scouts BSA”, for both boys and girls, formerly called "Boy Scouts" (like "I'm in Boy Scouts" or “I’m in a Boy Scout Troop”).  The overall organization remains “Boy Scouts of America” or BSA. 

Will the Cub Scout program be different for girls?  No, except that with girls in the program, we need to have enough adult female leaders (more below on this), so that the girls have adult female role models.  But the activities, program, handbooks and advancement requirements for Cub Scouts are the same for boys and for girls – and Packs that welcomed girls in January of 2018 report that girls like Cub Scouting activity as much as boys.  (We’ve seen that in Pack 631 since many sisters of Scouts tagged along for years – now they can be Scouts.)  The ideals of the program apply as equally to both, as found in the “Scout Law”: A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.  

But what about Girl Scouts?  Shouldn’t girls be in Girl Scouts?  We sure encourage that, and applaud the strong Girl Scout programs in and around Woodward.  Our goal is that this adds a program to Woodward co-curricular offerings so that more kids participate in Scouting – either Girl Scouts or the BSA – and doesn’t cause a drop in either.  The BSA celebrates all youth-serving organizations that build character and feel the most important thing is to allow parents the ability to choose what program is best for their family.  For some, it is Girl Scouts.  For some, Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA.  For some, it will be both! 

How will girls be involved in Cub Scout activities?  Will they always be in separate “all girl” groups, or will they always just be mixed in with the boys?  The answers are: it’s a bit of both, and the actual application of this will depend on (1) the numbers of girls and boys at each grade level, (2) the involvement and preferences of participating families (more leaders makes more options available), and (3) the judgment and ability of your volunteer leaders (some will be more comfortable with both boys and girls, some might prefer to work with only one gender).  So, sometimes girls and boys will do things together, and sometimes they will be in single gender groups. 

Here’s some factors that will impact how the Pack and dens decide to handle that: 

• Technically, girls will be assigned to separate “dens” that will just have girls, and boys to dens that just have boys (for what a “den” is, see more in the general FAQs like “What’s a “Pack”? What’s a “Den”?”).  For each “girl only” den (ideally, at least one den at each grade level), there will need to be a registered female adult den leader or assistant, with currently valid “Youth Protection Training”. 

• The ideal is that those girl dens will do their own den activities, and that model works best with the right number of girls and enough engaged registered leaders from the parents.
• But there is no restriction on two dens – say a den of third grade girls and a den of third grade boys – doing the same activities at the same time and place …
• … just like there isn’t a restriction now on two dens of 8 or 9 boys doing the same activities at the same time and place. 
• Pack 631 sometimes has “mega” sized dens of 18 or 20, but with enough den leaders and assistants that allow them to split into small groups when needed.

• Ultimately, in Pack 631, it will be (as it always is) the parent volunteer leaders who determine how and when and where dens will meet … with enough girls and leaders, we’ll have some girl dens that operate independently, but also others that work closely with boy dens.

• And when two dens do meet at the same time and place and do the same activities, where “smaller group” activities makes sense (like small group chats or instruction), splitting off into boy den and girl den for that makes sense.    

• One other option for den formation is to create one or more single gender den across multiple grade levels, also known as a “mixed rank den”. 
• Often done where there aren’t enough Scouts at a grade level to have a full fun-sized den of 6 or 8 or so, if a Pack has, for example, 3 each at Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade, those 9 could form a “mixed rank” den of 9 Lions, Tigers and Wolves – it’s a bit complicated, since “advancement” and handbooks would be different, but a lot of activity in Cub Scouts is similar, with focus on hiking, camping, outdoors, service, first aid, healthy eating, games, etc.  
• So a group of 9 girls could form a mixed rank den, and meet sometimes just as the mixed rank girl den, and sometimes with their counterpart boy den, provided there’s always an adult female registered leader. 

So, if families want “all girl den activities”, the family volunteer registered leaders can make that happen, and if families want boy dens and girl dens doing activities together, that’s OK too …  

What about Pack Activities like campouts and hikes and such?  For those, we’ve always had a lot of girl family members attend, and it is anticipated that except for special den activities (like advancement work) put on by the family volunteer registered den leaders, everyone will participate as a big pack family.  As always, for tenting arrangements on campouts, adults can only tent with youth who are their own children.  

OK, but what’s all this then about Lions?  Lions is the kindergarten program for Cub Scouts.  Piloted during recent years (including a few who did Lions at Pack 631), it is the earliest a girl or boy can be in Scouting in the BSA.  Lion Scouts have their own handbook (new version expected in July 2018), and work toward the Lion Rank during the year – they can wear either a Lion T Shirt or the blue Cub Scout shirt. 

Do we have to do everything just like the Lion Guide says?  No.  While there will also be a new leader guide in July 2018, this can be a program where families will want to “Keep It Simple, Make It Fun!”  Lion Scouts and their families get to participate in all Pack activities like camping and field trips and Pinewood Derby, and since Lions are Scouts, you might consider it to be a monthly or every other week “play date with a purpose”.  Shared leadership is encouraged:  families might do a “tour of playgrounds” as their adventure locations, so that each family hosts the Lion den(s) at their favorite playground, where they can do Lion activities and have fun. 

See the "Event Registrations" on the right side of the Website and eBlast news, and if you are planning to go, or thinking about going, click on the event, hit "Register" and click "Attending" -- add a comment if you're a "maybe" or "just thinking about it" or want to say "we'd like to go, but would be happier if others went too".  But know this:  those Overnight Camps events and Twilight Camp events do not require that a den or some other group register -- individual signups are fine.  We've had parent and child attendees at Overnight Camp who had a blast.

Yes!  Signups are open for returning Scouts (those who were registered with the BSA in our Pack in the Spring) at https://atlanta631.mypack.us/node/2887, and for anyone else, girl or boy, rising K through 5th Grade, at https://atlanta631.mypack.us/node/2886.  If you have decided not to return, you can also register, and click "not attending" under either.  

Summer Camp is the most fun thing you and your child can do during Cub Scout Years.  See this Cub Scout Summer Camp information.  Updated information shows four 3 night options (a bit of a shift in dates: July 2-5, July 6-9, July 10-13, July 13-16).   To help see who wants to go when, complete this simple survey to note when you might go (this is not a commitment or payment, just an expression of interest).  At this point, other than Fifth Graders (who will go with the Boy Scout Troop to Boy Scout Summer Camp), we have only one response, a third grade family with interest for one of the two middle sessions -- let's get some other interest, and families can Talk n Text.  Scroll down the Pack Events Photo Gallery for some pix from Summer Camp past.  They grow up fast ... help 'em grow up good!  

Here's a new YouTube Video about Cub Scouting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skSD7y6fgB4 

It's here across the country.   See https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2018/04/30/what-cub-scouting-looks-like-now-5-stories-of-packs-that-have-welcomed-girls/  What do you think?  They (girls) like it.  Families too.