Program draws Hispanic boys to Scouting through soccer
Cub Scout Pack 401 is not like other Cub Scout packs. Sure, they
have different ranks, wear uniforms and learn the fundamentals of
leadership and being good citizens, but all of this is done with an
emphasis on soccer.
Program draws Hispanic boys to Scouting through soccer
Cub Scout Pack 401 is not like other Cub Scout packs. Sure, they have different ranks, wear uniforms and learn the fundamentals of leadership and being good citizens, but all of this is done with an emphasis on soccer.
Pack 401 is San Benito County’s first pack under the Boy Scouts of America’s Soccer in Scouting program.
The program was started in an effort to reach out to Hispanic children who the Cub Scouts had not been able to previously reach. While exploring different ways to expand scouting membership, San Benito Boy Scout Commissioner Andy Anderson stumbled upon an article in the Scouting magazine about the Soccer in Scouting program.
The Boy Scouts of America launched the program as an outreach to Hispanic youth and families. It was designed to emphasize the philosophies of the Cub Scouts, while teaching the skills and foundations of soccer.
Anderson asked fellow board members Joe Paul Gonzalez and Tony Guaracha if they would be interested in organizing the effort to start a pack in January 2006.
Gonzalez and Guaracha said they had never had much interest in scouting from Hispanic kids, but felt they needed direction.
“We’d go out to the neighborhoods and try talking to the kids because their parents weren’t around since most of them were at work,” Gonzalez said. “The kids weren’t interested. Scouting is something that is perceived as uncool.”
But the men discovered that when they packaged the scouting program around soccer, there was an interest.
Guaracha and Gonzalez passed out flyers at Calaveras School and when they held an informational workshop, 60 kids and their parents showed up.
“We didn’t know whether there was going to be any interest,” Guaracha said. “So to get 60 kids, we were pretty surprised. When you get 60 kids at a signup that’s phenomenal.”
The pack is made up of kids between 1st and 5th grades. Different ages have different ranks within the pack and different ranks all play each other. So Tiger Cubs (1st-graders) play other Tiger Cubs and Webelos (5th graders) play other Webelos.
The program is designed to have four seasons, so there is a year-round commitment. Kids have practice two times a week and either a game or a meeting on Saturdays.
“During the summer, we had 80 to 90 kids,” Gonzalez said. “It was a very successful start.
The program emphasizes the importance of families and so far families have really supported Soccer in Scouting.
Parents have responded surprisingly well.
“The parents have really stepped up,” Guaracha said. “They’ve gotten involved as coaches, assistant coaches and referees.”
In addition to practice, scouts are also given homework. Each scout is given a family-time poster, so every week they follow a program, according to Gonzalez.
“It’s like homework for the families. The lessons are family-oriented,” Gonzalez said. “Every Saturday is a major family event as well because everyone in the family shows up for games.”
The program also benefits from having the guidance of coordinator Carlos Vargas, who has been involved with soccer throughout his life. Vargas was hired by the Boy Scout district to help keep the program organized.
There are traditional elements of the scouting program that have been incorporated into the soccer program, including the pinewood derby. In a few weeks scouts from pack 401 will design and build pinewood racecars and race them in San Juan.
“The idea is to get kids physically fit and mentally sharp while offering good values,” Gonzalez said. “But at the same time it has to be fun, otherwise kids won’t want to get involved.”
The program has been localized at Calaveras Elementary School, but if the program is successful Gonzalez and Guaracha want to introduce it elsewhere.
Hollister School District Superintendent Ron Crates is very supportive of the program and had high praises for the work that Guaracha and Gonzalez have done.
“[Gonzalez and Guaracha] came to see me at the beginning and I thought what they were proposing was wonderful,” Crates said. “There weren’t really any organized activities at all in that area at the time. And they’ve really created something that gets the kids and the families involved. It really promotes good values and work ethics.”
Executives with the Boy Scouts of America have indicated to this district council that they would like to take and expand the program into other districts, according to Gonzalez.
“This has turned out to be a tool to reach kids that traditional scouting would otherwise never have reached,” Gonzalez said. “That’s a great thing.”
