Recruiting Tricks

There are 6 troops in our town so Webelos have a nice choice of the type of troop they can join. In the fall, many of the troops offer events to help Webelos achieve their Arrow of Light requirements and show them how their troop operates. These events range from scouting campouts to video arcade nights, some promote scouting while others are specifically directed at luring scouts to the troop. We used to have a Lock-In which included a trip to a local video arcade, mini-golf, laser-tag place and that would attract tons of Webelos! But, it didn't really reflect what our troop does all year, so it's now a troop-only event and we invite Webelos to other activities. And, we don't do the laser tag any longer.

I've found that give-aways and prizes are quite an effective way to attract Webelos and make the event memorable. They are a low cost, high impact recruiting tool. An example is glow sticks which are always able to intrigue and interest young scouts. Just watch out for the inquisitive scout with his new pocket knife. These can be used in a lot of night-time games, probably the favorite of which is "throw the stick" - scouts just throw their sticks all over the place, obviously. :-)

With Halloween coming in a few weeks, your troop might even hand these out at a recruiting event and promote them as safety items for trick-or-treating cub scouts.

Scout On