(Webelos stands for "WE'll BE LOyal Scouts")

The Webelos Program is a two year program for Fourth and Fifth Grade Boys and Girls. Fourth Grade Boys and Girls work toward the Webelos Rank, while Fifth Graders work toward the Arrow of Light (AOL) award. Being the oldest Scouts in the pack they carry the responsibility of being good role models to the younger Cub Scouts. It falls upon the Webelos/AOL to help explain what exciting activities await the younger Cubs and to help the Cubs during pack activities.

Webelos/AOL take more responsibility for the running of their den. And they do more things as a den. The emphasis shifts from home-centered activities to group-centered activities similar to those they will encounter in Boy Scouting. There should be a gradual change from being an 'Adult-run' den to being a 'Scout-run' patrol ready to fit right into an adventurous Scouting troop. This migration requires the parents and den leaders to give the Scouts more and more control, decision-making power, and responsibility as they progress in skills, abilities, and maturity. Parents and den leaders play a new, more supportive, and less directive role with Webelos.

The major goal of Webelos/AOL is to give the Scouts a taste of what it is like to be a Boy Scout and to get them used to how Boy Scouting is structured. They learn that it is their responsibility to earn their adventures.

It is in Webelos/AOL that the world of outdoor Scouting begins to open up. With their parents, the Scouts are able to camp and go on other outdoor activities with their den or local Boy Scout troop. They also may participate in Boy Scout Troop meetings and some other Scouting events.

In short, Webelos/AOL is the transitional program between Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting. The Scouts are still under the direction of the Cubmaster, but hold their own activities and do many things too advanced for younger scouts.

At the end of the program, the Scouts truly have a taste for what Boy Scouting is all about and have a head start in proceeding through the Boy Scout program.

Uniforms

Webelos/AOL may continue to wear either the blue Cub Scout uniform or transition to the Boy Scout uniform with blue shoulder loops. When switching to the Boy Scout uniform, do not transfer the rank badges (Tiger, Bobcat, Wolf, and Bear). The only badge that will go on the left shirt pocket will be the Webelos badge, once earned.

Note: It is up to the individual families to choose when they wish to change to khaki. Many families purchase the Boy Scout uniform when the blue one is either out grown or damaged.

The following uniform parts are worn with both uniforms:

• Neckerchief – Official Webelos neckerchief-triangular; blue, green, gold, and red plaid, with Webelos emblem.

• Neckerchief Slide – Official Webelos neckerchief slide-gold colored metal with Webelos emblem. Handmade slides may also be worn.

• Cap – Official Webelos baseball-style cap. Olive color with Webelos plaid front panel sporting oval Webelos emblem.

Camping

It is in Webelos/AOL that the world of outdoor Scouting begins to open up. The Scouts are able to camp and go on other outdoor activities. Most of these activities are not with the pack, but with their den, other Webelos/AOL dens and with Boy Scout troops. At the end of the program, the Scouts should have a taste for what Boy Scouting is all about and have a head start in proceeding through the Boy Scout program.

As a Webelos some simple parent-and-son overnight campouts should be planned, with emphasis on learning the basic skills of outdoor living and having fun outdoors. The guidelines in the Cub Scout Leader Book, NO. 3220A, should be followed closely to ensure that the camping experience is comfortable and fulfilling. The Webelos den and parents should cook meals as a group, not as parent/son meals.

During the Arrow of Light year, camping skills can be expanded, although they should not exceed those taught at the entry level of Boy Scouting. The concept of participation together by the boy and his parent (or responsible adult partner) must be maintained. Use improved camping BSA facilities accessible to transportation, rather than wilderness sites. Fire-building, basic cooking, camp sanitation, tent-pitching, making a comfortable ground bed, nature study, and conservation are skills that could be included in camp programs. Also cover the division of jobs (cook, fireman, KP) using a duty roster that rotates for each campout and even at each meal. Start allowing the AOL Patrol (without parents) to cook some meals together as a group. Let the parents eat separately.

There are three things to understand about Webelos/Arrow of Light overnight experiences:

• They are parent and son events. BSA policy states that camping is a one-on-one activity with a responsible adult partner present for each scout. Responsible adult partners must be at least 21 years of age.
  

• It is not a Scout pioneering adventure. The campsite should be located well isolated from the rest of Scout camp or on private property that is easily accessible by car. More than likely, family type camping equipment will be used which, often, is heavy and difficult to carry any distance.
  

• It requires protection from the weather and also materials necessary for the preparation of food and program items to suit the area where the overnight is being held. Tents will be required for protection.
  
  Parent and son experiences may be carried on with troops assisting and participating. However, District and/or Council camping, as it is conducted for Boy Scouts, is not permitted for Webelos/AOL dens (Note: The District’s Webelos-o-ree is an event conducted for Webelos, with Boy Scouts as staff so it does not fall in this exclusion). What does District or Council camping for Scouts mean? It is the pioneering type of camping that Scouts do when they backpack into a campsite without modern conveniences, cook their own meals and are totally self-reliant. Few Webelos/AOL Scouts have the maturity or experience for this type of camping. Even fewer Den Leaders are ready to cope with 7 or 8 young and inexperienced campers.
  
  Notes: There are certain activities specified for each phase of Scouting. Cubs do certain things in the outdoors, but not others. The same is true of activities Webelos/AOL will and will not do. It isn’t that they can’t do them, it’s just that within the total program Scouting for boys, which is designed to be part of their experience for several years, there must always be something ahead for them to look forward to. Avoid exhausting your Scouts by pushing too much too fast and too soon.
  
  In order to camp the adult leader is required to have Youth Protection training and should also take Outdoor Leader Skills for Webelos Leaders (OLSWL) training (though this is not yet required). BALOO (Basic Adult Level Outdoor Orientation) training is not required since this is the training for Cub Scout family camping.