Communication

All pack, den, and parent committee announcements are sent by email through Scoutbook to the respective pack, den, or committee member lists.

If you aren’t receiving pack email notifications:

• Login to Scoutbook and check your profile to make sure the contact information is correct and that you have not opted-out communications

• Add Scoutbook.DoNotReply@scouting.org to your email address book so that the emails will not be discarded or sent to the Spam folder

• Contact the pack advancement chair or pack leaders at info@pack421austin.org for assistance

ONLINE Tools

Scoutbook
Our pack manages pack & den calendars, member rosters, and advancement in Scoutbook, an online website for managing Scouting groups. Your den leader may ask for your help with signing off advancement in Scoutbook, especially for any requirements completed at home. If you need help using Scoutbook, reach out to your den leader or the pack advancement chair.

Pack 421 Online Store
Pay for camping and overnight trips, registration, t-shirts, and more.

Youth Protection Resources

Youth Protection: A Parent's Guide
As a requirement for each Cub Scout rank, a parent must have a conversation with their scout about the five youth protection topics, which can be found midway through the pamphlet linked above. A typical conversation of all five topics lasts about 15 to 20 minutes and can be calibrated to the age and maturity of your scout when it is repeated each year. In the first year, we suggest you read through the exercise topics once on your own before beginning the conversation with your scout.

Protect Yourself (videos and adventures)
Also in every Cub Scout rank there is a requirement for the scout to watch the 15- to 20-minute Protect Yourself video for their grade level OR complete the Protect Yourself adventure with their den. Most dens in Pack 421 do not do the Protect Yourself adventures in den meetings, so it is normally up to the scout to watch the video at home with a parent.

Cyber Chip (obsolete)
Note that for the 2022-23 program year, Cyber Chip has been replaced by the Protect Yourself videos and adventures described above. However, the Cyber Chip training might still be required for participation in some Scout-run summer camps that focus on STEM activities.

Youth Protection Training (YPT)
Every parent who attends an overnight trip, must complete Youth Protection Training—an online course which takes approx. 72 minutes to complete.

Medical Form

BSA Medical Form (parts A, B1, B2)
A completed and signed copy of the BSA Medical form (parts A, B1, and B2) must be provided in hardcopy to the pack Committee Chair or the pack Medic before attending any campout, overnight trip, or summer camp. This form is good for 12 months. Click here for more information about BSA annual health and medical record requirements.

Pro Tip: It is possible to fill out the medical form PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader and save the completed file to be quickly updated and printed whenever needed.

Financial Resources

The cost of scouting shouldn’t be a barrier for your child or family. So, if they want to join our pack but finances are a problem, there are ways we can support you. Our parent organization, Capitol Area Council, offers registration assistance, uniform assistance, and camperships. Let us know if one of their financial help programs would be helpful for you.

Our pack can also support your scout and family by loaning you a tent, sleeping gear, and more for camping and reducing or waiving the cost of events, if money is a barrier to participation. We do ask scouts who receive assistance to be active in our fundraising efforts, as that is how our unit is able to help.

Please reach out to our treasurer with any questions or speak privately with our Cubmaster or Committee Chair about these options.

BSA Council FACILITIES

Frank Fickett Scout Training and Service Center
This is home to our Council and District offices, as well as the Steve Matthews Scout Shop where uniforms and handbooks can be purchased. The shop also offers sewing services. Many events are held at this BSA-owned facility.

Lost Pines Scout Reservation
A beautiful Council-owned camp with nearly 400 acres on north shore of Lake Bastrop is home to summer camps and many training programs. There is an area dedicated to Cub Scouts called Cub World or “Camp Tom Wooten”. Click here for a property map, including camp site names.

Uniform Patches

Not all patches come pre-sewn on the Scout uniform. Our local Scout Shop sells uniform shirts with several of the most common required patches already sewn on, but there are still some (such as our pack numbers) you’ll have to attach yourself.

Beware: The plastic backing on BSA patches is only for stiffening the patch, and not for attaching the patch onto the shirt. If ironed, the hot plastic backing might seem to hold the patch on for a while, but it won’t last more than one or two washes.

Here is a great post on the proper ways to adhere/sew patches to a uniform. Or if sewing is not your thing, then the local Scout Shop can sew the patches on for you, for a small fee, but you must leave the shirt and patches with them for a while; contact the Scout Shop for details.

The following video shows a simple way to sew on patches that have a merrowed edge: