Just because school classrooms go dark in the summer doesn’t mean Cub Scouting has to.
Extend the fun of Cub Scouting into the year’s hottest season by earning the National Summertime Pack Award. To be eligible, your pack must hold one activity per month in June, July and August. Do that, and you’ll get a streamer for your pack flag and a certificate suitable for framing. Youth who participate in all three events earn a nifty pin that can be worn on the right pocket flap of the uniform shirt. Dens that have at least 50 percent of their youth members at the three summertime events get a den participation ribbon.
Why you should earn this award
I can think of three reasons:
- Summer is the best time to enjoy the great outdoors.
- Kids often have more free time — and fewer scheduled activities — in the summer.
- Packs that offer a year-round program see higher retention numbers.
Things to keep in mind
Many families take long vacations in the summer. Some kids even spend a week or more at grandma’s house in another state. That’s why attendance at your summertime events shouldn’t be mandatory. And the summer isn’t a great time to get a jump start on the next program year’s adventures. Best not to start the fall with Cub Scouts who have fallen behind. Instead, plan activities that are optional but exciting. For example, this is a great time to earn a Nova Award. *
The Alamo Area Council 2022 Support
The AAC believes in Scouting all you can, which includes the National Summertime Pack Award. District events count toward the award, and in support of our members who wish to earn the award, download the 2022 Passport for Cub Scouts to record their progress this summer. As Scouts complete Council or Pack Events, they can mark the completion and present the completed Passport to their Unit’s Advancement Chair.
It’s not too late for your unit to make a plan
The award has three components–pack, den and individual. The application for the award is a bit unclear on how these three work. This makes the award somewhat confusing. I suspect that some packs who have actually earned the award aren’t applying for it because they think they didn’t meet the requirements. For a pack to earn the award, they simply need to hold at least one pack event or activity in each of the three months–June, July, and August. That’s it. There is no attendance requirement to earn the pack award.
Activities can be as simple or as elaborate as you want. They could be just for fun or could benefit your community. The point is to do something as a pack to keep the [sic] Scouts involved in Scouting over the summer break. Packs are awarded a certificate and a ribbon for their den flags.
National Summertime Pack Award for Dens
If 50% or more of the members of a den attend all three events, that den [may be eligible] for a den participation ribbon.
A Wolf den has 9 boys. In June, 6 of them attend. In July, 4 of them attend. In August, 8 of them attend. That’s a total of 18 “boy units” (for lack of a better term) who attended a summer pack event. If all boys had attended all events, there would have been 27 “[sic] scout units.” I divided 18 by 27 to get 66%.
So, the Wolf den is eligible for the den award.
Some people may interpret this to mean that each month, the den must have 50% of its members in attendance. This page on the BSA website says, “Dens with an average attendance of at least half their members at the three summer pack events are eligible for a colorful den participation ribbon.” Based on the way it’s worded, I think the correct way to calculate the average is by counting the “boy units.”
National Summertime Pack Award for Individuals
Cub Scouts who attend all three of the pack’s summer events earn the National Summertime Pack Award pin. They can earn one each summer. The color on the pin varies depending on rank.
Some packs conduct more than one event each month so that [sic] Scouts will have more than one opportunity to attend. If his family happens to be on vacation during one event, he’ll still have an opportunity to earn the award.
Our pack allows [sic] Scouts to count Scouting events beyond the pack events. For example, if a boy misses the pack’s June event, but he goes to Cub Scout day camp in June, we consider that as attending a June event.**
Check with your Unit Leaders for guidance
Your Unit Advancement Chair and Unit Committee may have specific expectations when it comes to fulfilling the requirements for this award. The opinions expressed in the passages above are for informational purposes only. See below for site notations. Please consult with your Cubmaster, Advancement Chair, or Committee Chair about earning this award, and as always, Do Your Best!
*Original Article Sourced from, “How to earn the National Summertime Pack Award,” published on https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org, Cub Scout National Summertime Pack Award,” published at CubScoutIdeas.com by Sherry.
