Category Archives: Scouting

Meet him where he is…

Posted on by • Posted in Advancement, camp skills, Camping, Character, Citizenship, Leadership, Scouting, Summer Camp, Values • 1 Comment

What do you do when you have Scouts that do want to advance in rank?  What about not wanting to go to Summer camp?  What do you do when they just show up and hang out?
These are age old questions that I hear over and over again at Round table and in discussions with other Scoutmasters.  And the answers are about as clear as the questions.
First you need to ask yourself what is it about the Scout that makes him feel this way about advancement and camp.  I am certain that you are perfectly fine with the idea that he likes hanging out with his friends.
Is the Scout being disruptive?  If not, then what is it that bothers you as a Scoutmaster about his lack of “want to”?
Boys join Scouting for many reasons.  Maybe it’s because they enjoyed Cub Scouts and they are moving up with their buddies.  Maybe it is because their Dads were Scouts, way back when.  Maybe it’s because they are looking for something to do, an adventure, a place to belong and feel a part of a team.  There are as many reasons as there are Scouts and the answers will tell a lot about his motivation once he becomes a part of the Troop.  A lot of the time it has more to do with friends than it has to do with badges, rank, and camping.  Those three things drive the program for us in many ways.  They are a measurement of activity, achievement, and a healthy program in most cases.  But what about that Scout that could really care less?  A Scoutmaster once told me that they were going to drop a kid if he did not advance or go to camp that summer.  I asked him why he would do that?  His explanation got my head spinning.  He said that it was because that kid and kids like him bring down the numbers for the unit.  They hurt the Troop in the long run when it comes to Top Troop or Troop of the Year.
(INSERT RECORD SCRATCH SOUND HERE)
What about the boy?  I asked.  Is he having fun?  Is he learning something?  Is he hanging out with his friends?  Is he showing signs of good character, fitness, and citizenship?  Well?
Citizenship, Character, Fitness.  You can have all of that without a single badge, right?  YES, BUT.
I have a Scout in my Troop that has been in the unit for almost three years.  He attends meetings regularly, goes on a camp out here and there, and likes hanging out with his friends.  He still wears the last rank he earned on his shirt.. Scout.  Ask him if he enjoys Scouting and he will tell you yeah, but he likes it because of the friendships.  He helps with service projects and generally is a good boy, as good as most.  He gets good grades, has a friendly demeanor, and enjoys the company of his patrol.  So should I throw him out because he has not advanced?  Heck no!  He is getting out of Scouting what he wants. 
Now it is a fact that Scouts that attend Summer camp typically stay in Scouting longer and work their way through the ranks.  And it is a fact that those that make it to First Class in the first year have a better chance at earning their Eagle award.  BUT IF we look at the boy and not the score card I think that we can effectively save them all and in the end achieve our goals of creating men that can make ethical decisions throughout their life times.  Men of character that are good citizens.  Men that know how and keep themselves Physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

So what do you do that Scout?  Teach him, coach him, and mentor him to meet the aims of Scouting.  Take him for who and what he is and do your best to encourage him.
That simple.
Have a Great Scouting Day!

New G2SS – NO PATROL CAMPING!

Posted on by • Posted in Backpacking, blog, camp skills, Camping, Character, Just fun, Leadership, Patrol Method, Risk Management, Scouting, Scouts, training, Youth Protection • 6 Comments

In the new Guide to Safe Scouting there has been a rule change on allowing Patrols to camp alone.. without Adult supervision.  This was always a great part of my Scouting experience when I was a youth and it is a bit heart breaking to see that the BSA has changed this.  I know it is because of Lawyer’s and over protective parenting…  Boys are no longer allowed to be boys.

BUT Worry not Scouters that love the real Patrol method.  Your Patrols can still camp alone.. well kinda.. 2 Deep leadership does not mean holding their hand.  They can still camp in their own camp site.. away from adults.  Adult leadership need only be present.. but not on top of them. 

We do this all the time.  The Scouts take off down the trail.. they establish a camp site, we make one a couple hundred yards away.  That is still in range to provide the necessary “Leadership”.. and yes I use that in quotes.. we should not be providing “Leadership” at all.  We provide guidance, mentoring, coaching.. but not “Leadership”.  In fact it is not really leadership at all in the Boy Scout program.. the Safety Sandwich talks about Supervision and Discipline.  We adults provide adequate supervision.  And if you can accomplish that by being a fair distance away than you are well within the G2SS.  I am not saying buck the system.  I am saying allow Boys to be Boys.  Allow them to explore and seek adventure.  Allow them to be alone with their buddies, not having to look over their shoulder to see if an adult is going to jump in.  Never forsake safety or propriety… but let them go.  Supervise and train them to do what is right, and they will.  I have faith in them… just like my Scoutmaster had faith in me.

Anyway.  Let them camp alone.. just be near by.  The results are the same.  Patrol time.
Here is the link to the new Guide to Safe Scouting.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

>A moment of your time

Posted on by • Posted in Good Turn Daily, Scout Law, Scouting, Scoutmaster minute • 5 Comments

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The other day I was out and about and I ended up in the check out line at a local store.  There was an elderly gentleman in line ahead of me waiting patiently as the check out clerk seemed to be struggling a bit.
It was one of the weird situations where no one really talks, let alone makes eye contact.  I was thumbing through some notes on my iPhone when I looked up and there he was.. making eye contact with me, the elderly man was staring at me with a puzzled look on his face.  I smiled and said “Hey, how ya doing?”  He nodded his head and replied “very well, thank you for asking.”  He asked what I had there in my hand and why young people can’t seem to live without “all these devices”?  I told him it was my phone and it really has made my life more organized.  He told me that when he was a young man, he carried a little note book and it did the same thing at a tenth of the cost.  I laughed, as did he and then he asked what was so important that it had my attention in the check out line.  I told him I was reviewing the roster of my Scout Troop for the up coming camp out.  He said “Really?  You can do that?  I told him “Sure, would you like to see?”  We moved up a few steps in line and I showed him the roster, then some pictures from the National Jamboree, and then a few other cool apps, like the one you can see the stars and planets with.  He was amazed and a great conversation started.  He told me that he had been in Scouts back in the 40′s and 50′s and was a Scoutmaster till he had to go off to war in Korea.  He said that he had been to the Jamboree at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania in 1950.  “It was the biggest thing I ever did in Scouting” he said.  I shared with him my Jamboree experience of last year and told him it too was the biggest thing I have ever done in Scouting.  Well, the conversation went on till it was finally his turn to check out.  The clerk had a button on that read “IN TRAINING”.  She was very apologetic and fumbled to get everything in the mans bag.  He walked away and it was my turn to check out.  I smiled at her and told her that it was fine on about the fifth time she glanced at me and said “sorry”.  I assured her that she was not the first person to have worn a “IN TRAINING” button and that it was going to be ok.  She said thanks and gave me my change.
I walked out of the store to find the elderly man sitting on a bench.  I asked if everything was ok?  He said it was, and that he was just waiting on the bus to take him back to the retirement home.  I asked if he needed company.  He did not want to bother.. I told him I had nothing but time.  We sat and talked for about 20 minutes, he told me his wife had passed a few years back and now he just kinda wanders through his last days.  He shared some fond memories of his Scouting days and time he spent with his sons camping, he said he missed those days and wished he could go back in time.  He was all alone, yeah, the retirement home was nice and had a great staff, but most of the old folks just played cards and took naps.. I laughed.  And the bus arrived.  He shook my hand, smiled and got on the bus.  As he drove away, he looked out the window and gave me a Scout salute.  He had a big grin on his face.
Heading to my truck I could not help but smile and think about what a great guy that was.  Some ones Dad, Uncle, Grandpa.. A veteran, a Scout, a great guy.
You know, Doing a good turn each day might just mean giving someone a moment of your time.  It made his day I am sure… because it sure did make mine.
Have a Great Scouting Day!

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Aims, Methods, and …Fun!

Posted on by • Posted in Character, Citizenship, Ideals, Just fun, Leadership, Methods, Scouting, Scouts, Values • 2 Comments

While we constantly talk about the Aims and Methods of Scouting, I think it is important never to forget FUN!
Even though it is not listed as a specific Goal… if you are not having fun then you are not doing right.
I’ve been doing some Scoutmaster reflection lately and came to the understanding that 12 year old boys are 12 year old boys. By and large they joined Scouting to get out in the woods and do nothing but have fun. The leadership stuff develops as they grow and the values creep in as we teach, but at the end of the hike it was all about fun… not citizenship, being a good steward of the land, or development of character. While they got all of that, when you are 12 you just have fun.

I think BP said it best when he talked about “the game with a purpose”. It’s just a game, how we, the adult leaders, develop the values in the Scouts is less important to the Scouts than having fun. We need to do it throughout the program, but never loose sight of the 12 year mind. He’s thinking fun.

Last night at the Troop meeting, I took and informal poll. Sort of a Troop reflection. I did not require an answer, but if any Scout wished to speak up he was welcome.
I asked two questions: First. Since you have joined the Troop, have you learned anything?
That is a broad questions, but I wanted to give them plenty of room.
And second. Are you having fun? Pretty simple.
The answers were refreshing. More than half of the Troop raised their hands to comment. To a Scout they all answered Yes and Yes… most adding phrases like, Learned a ton!!! Some of the older Scouts talked about skills, some of the younger Scouts talked about doing something for the first time. I was glad to hear that they all were having fun. And to me that means we are doing it right. Learning while having fun.

The Aims and Methods of Scouting are great tools to guide you and your Troop to developing strong young men, leaders, future Dads and citizens. When they look back on their days in Scouting and all they have achieved in life, I want them to remember how much fun they had.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Time for Scouting

Posted on by • Posted in Jamboree, Scouting • Leave a comment

When you break it down the 2010 National Jamboree is right around the corner. And like most Councils, the Cascade Pacific Council is in the process of selecting its Adult leaders and applications for youth positions are now available.

As I worked on the online applications for my two sons, I found it interesting that, one, the application was rather lengthy and two, it asked about information outside of Scouting.
I suppose neither one of those are surprising, but it struck me as odd that an event two years away would need that kind of information now.

But here is why, I think. There is always a great debate about Scouting and the time it consumes. We constantly hear about the struggles of parents trying to get from Soccer to Scouts, from Football practice to meetings on Mondays, from School work to Camp outs.
I had this discussion a couple nights ago with my own sons. While we all lead busy lives and our children have Palm Pilots and planners, Moms and Dads need to have Sync meetings on Sundays nights to coordinate the week, it seems that there is always time for Scouting.

There is time after School before a meeting to do homework and study. There is time to work on advancement and merit badges, the Scout has till he is 18. I think what is missing in most peoples lives is perspective. Putting all of the daily routine in perspective will give a clear picture of what you are really doing. Are busy to be busy? Are you active to be seen? Are you really getting the most out of your life?
I think, and of course I have a biased opinion, that Scouting is that activity that rounds it all out. Scouting is the activity that is values based that focuses on the good things in life and preparing young men to be their best and do their best. Their best in the class room, in Church, at home, and in life.

So as I filled out the applications and got to the questions about out of Scouting activities, we answered that we are busy with Football, Band, School, Church, Family and Friends like most families. But in my planner I wrote, “there is always time for Scouting”. In fact there is never a time that Scouting should not be a part of our lives. It is not always when we wear our uniforms, we are Scouts and Scouters daily. Living the motto and practicing the Slogan. Taking the Oath and Law to heart and keeping it a part of our daily lives.

The 2010 National Jamboree is going to be spectacular. It is our 100th Anniversary and sure to be a once in a life time experience. What a blessing it is to live in this time.

Happy Scouting!

You might be a Scout if…

Posted on by • Posted in Just fun, Scouting • Leave a comment

Yeah… it’s play on the Foxworthy hit.. but it is too fun not to do.

We had a great weekend of NYLT (JLT) this weekend followed up by a good night of Fun at our annual Troop lock in. I had no idea how bad I was at video games… but it was fun none the less.

So you might be a Scout/Scouter if….

You can turn Ramen into a 5 Star meal.
You wear a headlamp to bed.
You can sleep anywhere any time, and a foam pad is actually called a bed.
You can feed a family of 5 from one pot.
You take better care of your hiking boots than you do your car.
You have received camping gear at every Birthday and Christmas since you were a Tenderfoot.
Your favorite Lullaby is Vespers.
You always know were North is.
Its not a good vacation unless you can bring your hiking stick.
REI is not just a store… its a place of worship.
And finally…
There is no place you would rather be on a crisp morning than sitting in the vestibule of your tent, sipping a cup of coffee looking out over the the Wilderness that God has so graciously given Scouts to wander in.

Happy Scouting!

Scouting Blogs

Posted on by • Posted in Scouting • Leave a comment

There are many Scouting Blogs out there, and in the “Scouting Blog community” there are a bunch of really good folks sharing their Scouting experience, ideas, and stories.
I started this blog last year with the idea of sharing and using it as another method of communicating Scouting’s program, especially as it applies to our Troop.

Over the course the last 6 months or so, I have met some great Scouters via the blog network. They have helped me out with finding direction for the blog and of course sharing ideas.

Tonight, as I jumped on the net and checked a few of my favorites, I found a new one called the HalfEagle.com. This blog is a compilation of Scouting Blogs and a great way to get a “Shot gun” blast of whats happening in the world of Scouting Blogs.

Check it out, it is worth the look…. that and I am proud to say that the Scoutmaster Minute has made it among the company of other great Bloggers.

Happy Scouting!

Posted on by • Posted in Scouting • Leave a comment

This Christmas the youngt men of Troop 664 put together a gift box to send to the soldiers serving in Iraq. They sent candy, magazines, handy wipes, Christmas Cards, and other stuff the Troops like. They also put together this video and decided to share it on YouTube. A disk of the video went in the box to Iraq.

Merry Christmas to all our Soldiers serving at home and abroad.

And Merry Christmas to you!

Happy Scouting!