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The
Cub Scout Section
7 - 11 years - 24 members form a Pack
The boys and girls who belong to
a unit of the junior section are called Cub Scouts.
“The Jungle Story” by Rudyard Kipling serves as an
inspirational background for group life in the Pack which makes
Scouting’s proposal more attractive and effective and in turn forms
part of a wider symbolic framework which also includes stories, songs,
greetings, and all kinds of codes.
The Pack is run by adult volunteer Leaders who also take names from the
Jungle Story like Akela, Bagheera, Baloo and Kaa, among others.
The Pack lives in a den (meeting place), a hide-away for wolfs to gather
to plan their hunt and to share both the everyday and the remarkable.
The Den is the Pack’s own place, which the Cub Scouts decorate
as they like using things to which they attach value.
Cub Scouts greet and recognize each other by holding their index and
middle fingers up in a V, like the pricked ears of a wolf, with the
little and ring fingers touching the palm of the hand and covered by the
thumb.
This greeting which has been used as a sign both of peace and of
victory, reminds the Cub Scouts of their links with the free people and
symbolizes the protection that the older ones
must give to the younger ones
Cub Scouts often shake each other’s left hand - a custom begun by
Baden-Powell after meeting the African tribe of the Ashanti.
They use this as a sign of trust, since they had to put down
their shield in order to extend their left hand.
Cub Scouts wear a uniform which identifies them and which has been
designed for carrying out activities comfortably.
The uniform contains some symbols like the neckerchief, the
fleur-de-lys and the Group, Association, Promise and Progress badges.
The neckerchief or scarf, a triangular cloth in the Group’s colors
knotted around the neck, has been used to identify Scouts all over the
world since Scouting began, and also has a lot of practical uses.
The fleur-de-lys is a symbol from ancient maps in which it figured in
the compass rose pointing North. In the words of Baden-Powell, it represents “the good path
that all Scouts should follow.”
The badge which identifies the Pack’s Scout Group and the badge which
identifies our Association demonstrates that the Pack is both part of a
local community and of a nation-wide organization.
The Promise badge is worn by all Cub Scouts who have decided to promise
that they will always try to do their best, to love God and their
country and to keep the Pack Law.
The motto “Do Your Best” is closely linked to the Promise.
It is a shout, a cry of alertness, a reminder of the first words
of the Promise, which helps children to remember that they have
undertaken to keep the Pack Law.
The slogan “Do A Good Turn Daily” is closely linked to the Promise
and motto. The good turn is
an invitation to turn the commitment into concrete action.
The Progress badges of which there are four in succession, show the
stage each Cub Scout has reached in the path towards his personal
objectives, and the proficiency badges are witnesses to the specific
abilities that the Cub Scout has developed.
The red flower is the celebration of the fire, the ideal time for
singing and dancing around the campfire and giving full rein to the Cub
Scout’s expressive abilities and artistic talents.
The howling of the wolf is a rare beauty, and has awoken a sense of fear
by wonder since time began. The Grand Howl ceremony performed by Cub Scouts acknowledges
each other as equals and through a series of ceremonies, gestures and
shouts show their joy at being together.
Most Cub Scout Packs keep a log in which the Cub Scouts record their
many “hunts” and adventures, writing down their anecdotes and
impressions or sticking in photos, drawings and cut-outs.
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Welcome to Scouts of Belize