Cub Scout Messenger of Peace

In September 2011, the BSA launched a new award program called Messenger of Peace.  I'm going to offer the opportunity to our pack this year, and have been spending a lot of time searching for an organization that would benefit from our service.  Taken directly from the BSA website:

Program Overview

Launched in September 2011, Messengers of Peace is a global initiative designed to inspire millions of young men and women in more than 220 countries and territories to work toward peace. Using state-of-the-art social media, the initiative lets Scouts from around the world share what they’ve done and inspire fellow Scouts to undertake similar efforts in their own communities. The initiative is inspired by the World Scout Committee, administered by the World Scout Bureau, and driven by youth volunteers worldwide.

Defining Peace

In terms of the MOP initiative, peace encompasses three dimensions:

1. The personal dimension: harmony, justice, and equality
2. The community dimension: peace as opposed to hostility or violent conflict
3. Relationships between humankind and its environment: security, social and economic welfare, and relationship with the environment

Any Scout or Scouter who participates in a project that has had a significant impact on the community in any one of the three dimensions above can qualify as a Messenger of Peace.

Submitting Projects

Submitting MOP-related projects is easy for BSA units. All they need to do is check the Messengers of Peace box when entering a service project through the Journey to Excellence website (www.scouting.org/Awards/JourneyToExcellence). Doing so will add the project to the map on the Messengers of Peace website (http://scoutmessengers.com) and will generate a unit certificate.

Recognition Item

Any Scout or Scouter who participates in a qualifying project is eligible to wear a Messengers of Peace ring patch around the World Crest on his or her uniform. To purchase these ring patches, a unit representative should take the unit certificate to the local Scout shop or council service center.

The MOP site has a nice list of service project ideas, which can be found here.  I'm looking for a project that won't seem bigger than my scouts.  Something they can do to make an impact, and know that their part in it will make a difference to someone else, preferably another child.  I think I may have come across something that even Tigers can participate in meaningfully, and that is The Pencil Project.  The Pencil Project will match you up with a school, either domestic or international, that is in need of pencils.  You simply collect the pencils, and ship them to The Pencil Project for distribution.  This is the perfect time of year to start; how simple is it to pick up an extra pack of pencils when doing your back to school supply shopping?  A scout can do some small chores around the house, with each chore being worth a pack of pencils to donate.  

Here is a picture of the award, which is worn around the World Crest emblem on the uniform.  

How cool is that?  The green will really stand out against the uniform.  I am excited to give the boys an opportunity to earn this award, as well as an opportunity to serve others.


Until next time,


CubMom

Awards, Awards, Awards

If your Scouts are anything like mine, they LOVE to earn their awards every month!  At the Pack Meeting each month we have a nice little ceremony where each boy is called up individually and his awards for the month are announced to everyone.  We only had 9 scouts last year (our first year of charter, very small school), and were easily spending upwards of $100 a month on awards, especially belt loops which are $1.79 each.

Since many of our cubs have earned a LOT of the available belt loops in their first year, I was looking for something else.  Cubs are allowed to earn belt loops more than once in their Cub Scout years, but who wants to do the work all over again only to get the same award at the end of the month?  Enter the Activity Segment.  The great folks over at Ideal Emblem have little activity patches for just $0.49 each!  These little guys go around a 3" center patch, which is only $0.99.  Inexpensive, adorable, and different.  What more can you ask for?

Here's a shot of my first order for the boys that went to day camp, as well as the ranks they have earned.

Note that these activity segments are NOT a BSA item.  Some council shops carry them, others do not, and they are not to be worn on the uniform.  I'll be using these for my second and third year scouts who are earning belt loops for a second time.  I'm a Cubmaster...Now What, has taken the time to make activity segment award cards, and was kind enough to share the files.  Definitely check out the entire blog for really great ideas!

My own son loves earning belt loops, but doesn't like wearing the belt.  Now that he's in his third year of scouting, he has more belt loops than space on the belt!  Scout Stuff has this great little frame with cut outs for the belt loops that's fairly inexpensive.  He loves having them on display instead of sitting in the closet on the belt he doesn't wear.

For our next scouting year, we are bringing in the BSA Family Program, as well as the Messenger of Peace program to give the boys more opportunities to earn patches and pins.    More on both of those later.  What do you do when your scouts have earned belt loops for the second time?  Who pays for the duplicate?  Do you think activity segments would work for your group?

Until next time,

CubMom