In Marin, Scouting is . . . LEADERSHIP!
Den Chiefs are Junior Leaders in Cub Scouts!
My name is Evie D. from Troop 1015 in San Anselmo. For the past 18 months I’ve been helping out as a Den Chief in Pack 59. I had bridged over from Pack 59 and was familiar with the leaders and the Dens. I work with both the Tiger and Wolf dens. It’s pretty easy and tons of fun to work with the younger Scouts!

During meetings I help set-up and carry gear for the Pack. Sometimes I organize the gathering games or just start random games myself with all the Cubbies. I usually just keep the 1st and 2nd graders in line. In Den meetings, especially early in the year, I spend time with the Scouts going through their Bobcat rank requirements. I talk about what is important about being a Scout, what all the words mean and how to behave. But most of all, we play games and have fun!
In Pack 59, we have 3-to-5 Den Chiefs in a typical year, but with CoVid we’ve only had 2 or 3. We assign Den Chiefs to each of the dens, and like to pair older Den Chiefs with the Webelos. A 4-year age gap seems to work best, and we invite the Den Chiefs to den meetings and Pack assemblies. These include any activities the Cub Scouts are participating in like day hikes, field trips and even campouts. Often, the Den Chiefs stay for the day since we’re usually up at Tamarancho.

The Den Chief Program by Roger Dickerson, Cub Roundtable Commissioner:
Den Chiefs are really helpful in providing expectations for the Cub Scouts. The Den Chiefs show the Cubs how they can grow with Scouting and become leaders. Our Scouts from Troop 59 talk about what goes on in the Troops. The past couple of years, we’ve used female Den Chiefs also. Having that leadership represented from Troop 1015 has helped us grow our girl membership in Pack 59.

While the Den Chiefs are another set of hands and eyes for the Den/Pack Leadership, we want to make sure they are having fun as well. It’s great when the Den Chiefs and the Cub Scouts bond and become silly together. When it’s time to calm down and get to work after burning off some energy the Den Chiefs are great at refocusing the Scouts. The Den Chiefs are really valuable and provide a sense that our Pack is part of a larger Scout community. All of our Den Chiefs have been incredible ambassadors for their Troops and Scouting in Marin Council.
Leadership Beyond Your Scouts BSA Troop!
The Scouting program is designed to help youth develop leadership traits, learn life skills, and to help find passions/interests in careers. I'm Joshua Holzer, an Eagle Scout from Troop 1 in Mill Valley and former OA Talako Lodge Chief, and that’s exactly what happened to me! I developed an interest in Sailing and Emergency Medicine, and both have become significant parts of my life and future pursuits. It was the Small-Boat Sailing merit badge program at Camp Emerald Bay on Catalina Island that helped spark an interest in sailing and gave me the motivation to join the Tamalpais High School Sailing Team my Freshman year. This would mark the start of a passion for Sailing that continues to this day. I sailed for all 4 years on the Tam High team, and served as team captain. Eventually I became a certified sailing instructor, teaching youth sailors out of Sausalito, and returning to help coach the Tam High team.
Scouting also kindled my interest in Emergency Medicine. From the beginning of my Scouting journey, I was exposed to First Aid through activities like the First Aid merit badge and the Code RED First Aid meet. I became more interested in using First Aid to help others. When the pandemic hit, I decided to take a gap year, and enrolled in classes at College of Marin.

Over the year that followed, I learned and practiced my medical and First Aid skills to become a certified EMT. From ambulance ride-a-longs and shadowing staff at the Kaiser San Rafael emergency room, to joining the Marin Sierra staff as the 2021 Camp Health Officer, the year we re-opened during CoViD. Being hired to work on the Marin Sierra Staff had been a personal dream since my first summer camp week there in 2014. This was a fantastic opportunity that combined my love of Scouting and the outdoors, first-aid skills and leadership all in one package. I’m glad I was able to help all those campers with splinters, homesickness, and other minor injuries and ailments.

I’m now studying Physiology at the University of Colorado-Boulder and hope to pursue a career in a healthcare-related field. Scouting is a fantastic program filled with many opportunities to learn leadership and life skills, but for me it really gave me the opportunity to help find my passions and hopefully the direction of my future career.
The Mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

The Marin Council, BSA recognizes the many dedicated volunteer adult leaders who invest countless hours of unselfish service in support of our Scouting programs for youth, as well as the exceptional character of the young men and women in Marin Scouting who are the direct result of that influence. If you would like to submit good works your unit or your Scouts are participating in that might be shared in future editions of our Dispatch, please contact District Director Trish Ferenz by email here.
Marin Council, BSA
415-454-1081