“Philmont does something to people—it is not something that can be put into words easily. Something ‘‘gets into your blood.’’ A love for the land, the atmosphere, the people—all these work together in you to make Philmont an experience that you can never forget. The base of that experience is the presence of God—an awareness that all we have and all we offer to others comes from God. The brotherhood that we share as God’s children and as Scouts brings us to a sense of peace, a feeling that in some strange way, everything is all right. In that sense, we can call Philmont a ‘‘Scouting Paradise,’’ a glimpse of that ‘‘Paradise’’ all of us are called to and will one day experience.”
This passage is taken from the Chaplains Aide booklet “Eagles Soaring High”. It is the passage that leads to the Day 9 relection. Since we were on a Short Trek, our Chaplains aid skipped around a bit, so that the reflections matched up with the places that we were on the trail.
The title of the relection is “Country that I love”. So for those of you playing along at home. The reflections center around the Philmont grace and the Philmont Hymn.
What I found impressive at Philmont was the never-ending use of the theme. A love of Philmont. It echoed in every part of the trek. The Wilderness Pledge not only reinforced the ideas of Leave No Trace and Good Stewardship, but a willingness to protect Philmont. The Tour of the Philmont Villa tells the story of Waite Phillips and his generosity to the Scouts. It concludes with the question, although never spoken, but what will you leave behind? How will your generosity manifest? The Philmont grace reminds us of the good things that we have in life and that we need to be thankful for everything that has been given to us. The conservation project leaves not only our mark on Philmont, but makes it better for Scouts that will one day pass on the trail that we lay before them, just as Scouts before us groomed the trail so that our Philmont experience was just that much better. And the daily devotions led by the Chaplains Aide remind us as we sit among the Aspen and Purple Mountains that Philmont is greater than ourselves and truly is Scouting’s Paradise.
So when the passage tells us that “Philmont does something to people”… it certainly does.
I can honestly say that I have left Philmont, but Philmont has not left me. Now it’s back to the daily grind and loving being back home with my family, but the Whispering of the pines still echo in my mind.
So what does Philmont do to people? It changes them in many ways. Some of the changes may not happen for a while, some came home different, but everyone changed. They all tested themselves in one way or another. They all found strength on the trail. They all learned a skill or sharpened one. They all found peace in the mountain. They all had a great adventure.
Some fell in love with Philmont right away, while others took the whole trek, some are even still reflecting on how Philmont has made a change in their lives. And yep, some still resist the whisper, but it’s there.
I am fortunate to have been able to go to Philmont, I am fortunate to be a Scoutmaster, and I am lucky to have walked the Country that I love. Some of the Scouts find it hard to think beyond the next climb, they find it difficult to open their eyes and ears to what is around them. The ‘coolest’ of Scouts will hear the whisper of the pines… it’s just a matter of time. For the seven Scouts of 810-N2 and the other Advisor, I know we changed. I find myself whistling the Philmont hymn and I catch myself singing ‘the Tooth of time’s been chewin’ on me’ as I go about my daily life. I have relived the climb up to Shaefers peak and laugh to myself when I think about our Burro racing team at Harlan. The walk in the rain from Ute Gulch into Cimarroncito and the bear sighting just outside of Hunting lodge all bring a smile to my face. But I knew we had changed when I watched the crew as they sang the Philmont hymn at the closing campfire. The mood was somber, but the look of satisfaction as they all sang together for the last time as a crew. The next morning as they proudly wore their Arrowhead award, being marked among the Scouts that have completed a Philmont trek! Yep, they changed.
I look forward to watching these Scouts grow and take what they learned at Philmont and use it in life and in our Troop. They are better people for the experience and I know that Philmont is a part of them.
If you have never been.. go… if you have been.. you know what I mean.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Category Archives: Values
The Mountain
“Once in a while you find a place on earth that becomes your very own. A place undefined. Waiting for you to bring your color, your self. A place untouched, unspoiled, undeveloped. Raw, honest, and haunting. No one, nothing is telling you how to feel or who to be. Let the mountains have you for a day…” Sundance
The night before we headed out into the back country of Philmont, we sat with our Ranger and talked about the trek. She introduced us to Roses, Thorns, and Buds and we shared our expectations of the trek. I feel that this was a great way to set the tone for the trek as it got our collective minds off the weight of our packs, the miles we would walk, and the challenges we would face. What I really thought touched me the most was how the Scouts in our crew opened up. Now, it is fair to say that for many of the members of our crew opening up may have meant that they had no idea what to expect and that they looked forward to having fun on the trail. But none the less, it was in the context of a nice discussion about what they wanted from Philmont.
When it was my turn to share my thoughts on expectations, hopes, and desires for the trek, I shared a simple thought about hiking. A while ago I either read or heard an old-time backpacker talk about hiking. He said that when you hike or backpack, you are either hiking to something or away from something. People hike for many reasons and deep in our hearts and minds there is a deeper purpose for why we put on a backpack and wander into the wilderness. Sometimes, we are doing both, hiking to find something and hiking to get away from something. That was my Philmont experience.
I was hiking to get away from the hustle of everything that the daily grind has to offer. I was hiking away from stress and drama. I was hiking to find me. Now that is pretty deep, and in all honesty I don’t think that I ever really lost me, but deep inside I wanted to search for some parts of me that I thought were absent. The wilderness of Philmont was my hope in finding an absent spiritual self, an absent happiness, and a test of my physical abilities to push myself with these young men.
On the second day of the trek we were backpacking from Anasazi to Dean Cow. We woke up and broke camp, ate breakfast and hit the trail. The route took us up and over a few canyons. At one point we had been climbing for miles. Our Ranger suggested to the crew leader that at the top of this next ridge would be a great place to stop and take a ‘packs off’ break. So we continued to climb and reached the top of the ridge. Jackie, our Ranger, asked that we all follow her out to this great vista. It over looked the route that we had just traveled and the vast expanse of land looking into the North country of Philmont. The sun was shining bright and the sky was clear. We all took up places among the rocks on the bluff and Jackie began to talk about the Philmont Wilderness pledge. During that discussion she also talked about Philmont and what it meant to her. She shared her personal story about Philmont and to summarize, Philmont is a special place to her and is a part of her. She warned that it would also become a part of us and we would all find a special place in our lives for Philmont.
Then she read a quote from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; ”One in a while you find a place on earth that becomes your very own. A place undefined. Waiting for you to bring your color, yourself. A place untouched, unspoiled, undeveloped. Raw, honest, and haunting. No one, nothing is telling you how to feel or who to be. Let the mountains have you for a day” After she shared this quote with us she asked that we separate for 5 minutes. Go to a place where we could not see or hear one another and think about what that meant to us.
After five minutes we returned and shared out thoughts on the quote. It was then that I found what I was hiking for and Philmont took its place in my heart. It was on that bluff that I saw the beauty of Philmont and would later see more. It was at that moment that my Philmont experience started to really take shape.
At the opening camp fire and member of the Philmont Staff got up and talked about Philmont and asked that we try not to ‘define’ it. I got it sitting on the bluff. Philmont can’t be defined because it is something special, beautiful. majestic, challenging, breath-taking, fun, in many ways to everyone. We all see it differently and as the week went on and we shared Roses and Thorns each night the Philmont story for crew 810-N2 took shape in each of us. Each one of us had a shared experience and experienced individual triumphs, challenges, and emotions. Each of us found something spiritual in the mountains, each of us found laughter and fellowship in the crew, each of us found a piece of ourselves that can never be found in the noise of the city. Letting the Mountain have us for a day we found what we were hiking for.
For me and our crew it seemed that our Philmont trek was less about backpacking, but more about letting Philmont have us. After day two on the trail I gave myself to the mountain and as a result the mountain gave back.
I think it is true that when you hike you are either hiking to or away from something, I am glad that I found what I was looking for at Philmont.
And yep.. I wanna go back to Philmont!
Silver on the sage,
Starlit skies above,
Aspen covered hills,
Country that I love.
Philmont Here’s thee,
Scouting Paradise,
Out in God’s country, tonight
Wind in whispering pines,
Eagles soaring high,
Purple mountains rise,
Against an azure sky.
Philmont here’s to the,
Scouting Paradise,
Out in God’s country Tonight.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Going All in
Our Scouts like to play card games. In their tents.. on picnic tables.. when ever we stop for an extended period of time, it seems that a deck of cards come out. Now, they are not gambling, no money exchanges hands, and for the most part they are simple games. But as I watched a recent game I realized that had this been a real hand of poker and they were playing with some skin in the game.. it would be a great metaphor for the Scout Oath and Law and more importantly.. a Life of Character.
You see.. we have the Oath on one hand and we have the Law on the other. They are the cards that we are dealt and they are the cards we must play. The cards represent our values, the values that are found in the Scout Law. The chips we play with represent our character. As we live the Scout Oath, we promise to live the parts of the Scout Law that shape our character.. and so as we go through the poker game of life, we bet that we are going to keep those promises. When we have a Royal Flush.. that would be a great hand, we bet it all. We go all in.
The problem is that ‘going all in’ requires us not to lose. When we lose this hand, we lose our character.
Now I am willing to go all in. I have to, and so do you. You should not pick and choose which parts of the Law are important. You focus on what needs work and highlight the rest.. but the 12 points of the Scout Law are equally important.
I asked a Scout the other night about values. I asked him to tell me where he gets some of his values. The response was immediate. “Treat other people like you want to be treated” he said. I asked him if that sounded like the Scout Law. He did not see it at first, but then I asked if he wanted his friends to trust him.. he said yes.. How about Friendly.. yes.. and courteous.. yes.. we went through each part of the law. The answer was yes. So you want people to treat you like they were living the Scout law? Yes, he said. Then I told him that he should go all in to.
We all need to go all in. See the game with a purpose is a good game.. even when playing cards.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Honesty the best policy?
Well?
It appears that I am the one that loves to stir up the hornet’s nest on occasion.
This week I posted on a subject that has received mixed feelings. Most agree with what I said, some did not. I can live with that. I have since talked with parents and Scouters alike and got feedback on the “Skinny” issue.
Here is what I know for sure.
Honest is the best policy. If you are not good with that. Stop reading my blog today. I will not lie to you.
If the truth hurts your feelings. Stop reading my blog today. I will not sugar coat the issues.
As a Scoutmaster it is my duty to prepare young men for the world that is ahead of them. A partner with parents, clergy, teachers, sages, mentors, counselors, and yeah.. even the government. Life is tough and we only make it tougher when we don’t tell the truth to these young men.
Lets be honest. In my “Get skinny” post did I write anything untrue? Did I call anyone a name or abuse a Scout in any way, shape, or form? Nope. I simply pointed out that young people today are fat and its our fault.
Go ahead.. argue that point. They are not born fat. They are conditioned to be that way by the way they are raised. Eating habits, excercise habits etc.
But to some of the readers out there.. Honesty is not the best policy. They would rather keep their collective heads in the sand and the awful spinning of the world will just go away.
It is so much easier to take the easy way out, but then what do you accomplish? This rule applies in every part of your life.
When I was a kid.. OH NO! “When I was a Kid again!!!
Yes.. when I was a kid my Dad tought me that anything worth doing was worth doing right the first time. Yep, Dad had all the “Dadisms” down. But the truth is… they all work in life.
He also taught us that honest was the best policy and we grew up in a manner that we could not tolerate dishonesty. And to this day I can not tolerate it. I will never accept it. I will not accept those that think it is the best way to teach, train, coach, and mentor either. It is my business. And yep.. I am qualified to tell the truth. Who says so.. The Scout Oath and Law.. and that’s all I need to back me up.
So is Honesty your best policy?
Sometimes I am criticised because of my honest approach. At times, when I tell it like it is, people confuse that with me trying to be hurtful or rude. Not the case at all. When you break it down, it’s always just about the truth. The problem comes when we are talking with people who are not used to what we used to call Candor.
When they here the words come and it hits home or is not “PC” they cringe and find a good size hole to stick their heads in to. They come back with, “You can’t say that”. Why not?
I am not racist, sexist, or homophobic. I believe in live and let live and to each his own. But just do it honestly. I don’t have to agree with certain life styles, ways of life, political beliefs, religious convictions, or weird hair styles. Tolerance is all one can ask. Living the Golden Rule is the guide that should be applied. If I offer advice or coaching, then it is because I think that you need it. If you don’t, then move on. It was free and did not waste to much of your time. If it helped, you are welcome, the price is the same and I am glad I can help.
I am not an expert in much, but I know what I know and am a constant learner. I try to be the best man that I can be to my wife, my kids, the rest of my family, my Scouts, and the people who I make contact with daily.
Honesty is the best policy. For me, and for you.
I consider myself a good person. I consider my life one of service. I love to serve and I love to see Scouts learn and grow. I love to watch as they master tasks, develop into good citizens, and see their character shine.
They can not do that if we are not honest with them. When they fail.. we need to tell them they failed. When they have success, we need to pat them on the back and tell them they are a success. Not everyone wins, and life does not hand out participation ribbons. Life is hard and they need to be ready.
OR-
You can take a stand offish role in their lives, be a once a week Scoutmaster and a chaperone on the next outing. To me that’s not enough and if you spent a weekend with my troop, you would see that this is the prevailing mind-set. The Assistant Scoutmasters and I all believe in delivering the promise and that means giving 100% to these young men.
I do not apologize for having passion for Scouting and understanding my role in it.
Once again. You have the option to stop reading the blog if Honesty is not the best policy.
I would love to know what you think. Leave a comment here on the blog or shoot me an email. Those of you that do know that I return the mail and love the discussion.. honestly.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
The Duke
Most, if not all of us have hero’s, idols, or sports figures that we are fans of. Now, I am not one to oogle over celebrities or go out of my way to get an autograph. In fact I am quite the opposite and continuously preach that we need to be careful of who we “worship” in regards to being fans.
Having said that…
Today is one of my favorite actors birthday’s. Marion Robert Morrison, also know as John Wayne was born this day in 1907. Now it can be debated that John Wayne may not be the best role model, but as an actor he always played the hero. He was an enduring American icon, he epitomized rugged masculinity and is famous for his demeanor, including his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height. He played Football at USC (not my favorite school… but at least it was Football).
John Wayne as a character and man symbolized American values and ideals. By the middle of his career, Wayne had developed a larger-than-life image, and as his career progressed, he selected roles that would not compromise his off-screen image. In his last film, the Shootist, he refused to allow his character to shoot a man in the back as was originally scripted, saying “I’ve made over 250 pictures and have never shot a guy in the back. Change it.”
John Wayne was and will always be a character that we can look to as a man! He treated women with respect, he understood the value of service, he lived through his characters a sense of duty. In his “real” life he believed in these things also. He raised his family that way and even toward the end of his life, he publically supported conservative causes and promoted a life of ideals and Values.
Now I know that you have all heard or seen this before, but I am going to post it here on my blog just in case you want to use it or be reminded of the great man who was John Wayne.. yep.. one of my hero’s.
So here is how it went. John Wayne was invited to speak at a fund-raising dinner for a Scout ranch. The ranch was to honor Mr. Wayne by naming the ranch the ‘John Wayne Outpost camp’.
At the dinner, John Wayne spoke reciting the Scout Law. He said during his speech that the” twelve points of the Scout Law are “nice words”. “Trouble is” he continued, “we learn them so young we sometimes don’t get all the understanding that goes with them. I take care of that in my family. As each boy reaches Scout age, I make sure he learns the Scout Law. Then I break it down for him, with a few things I have picked up in more than half a century since I learned it.”
Then be broke down the law like this:
“TRUSTWORTHY The badge of honesty. Having it lets you look at any man in the eye. Lacking it, he won’t look back. Keep this one at the top of your list.
LOYAL The very word is life itself; for without loyalty we have no love of person or country
HELPFUL Part sharing, part caring. By helping each other, we help ourselves; not to mention mankind. Be always full of help — the dying man’s last words.
FRIENDLY Brotherhood is part of that word. You can take it in a lot of directions – and do – but make sure and start with brotherhood.
COURTEOUS Allow each person his human dignity; which means a lot more than saying, “Yes, ma’am” and “Thank you, sir.” It reflects an attitude that later in life you wish you had honored more… earlier in life. Save yourself that problem. Do it now.
KIND This one word would stop wars and erase hatreds. But it’s like your bicycle, it’s just no good unless you get out and use it.
OBEDIENT Starts at home. Practice it in your family. Enlarge it in your friends. Share it with humanity.
CHEERFUL Anyone can put on a happy face when the going is good. The secret is to wear it as a mask for your problems. It might surprise you how many others do the same thing.
THRIFTY Means a lot more than putting pennies away; and it is the opposite of cheap. Common sense covers it just about as well as anything.
BRAVE You don’t have to fight to be brave. Millions of good, fine, decent folks show more bravery than heavyweight champs just by getting out of bed every morning, going out to do a good day’s work, and living the best life they know how against the law of odds. Keep the word handy every day of your life.
CLEAN Soap and water helps a lot on the outside. But it is the inside that counts, and don’t ever forget it.
REVERENT Believe in anything that you want to believe in, but keep God at the top of it. With Him, life can be a beautiful experience. Without Him, you are just biding time.”
John Wayne then thanked those at the dinner for putting his name on the outpost camp and said, “I would rather see it here than on all the theater marquees the world over.”
John Wayne is an American icon. I have been a fan for as long as I can remember.
I will close with my favorite quote from John Wayne:
“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Selfless Service
Selfless Service has been a main stay of the Scouting movement. It is the desire to serve others. It is the motivation to “So unto others…” It is essentially the Scouting way.
The value of Selfless service is important more than ever in our society. Today the world revolves around “Me”. Everything for “Me”. Self gratification, the need to be served, the entitlement that most people feel they deserve. Last week as I helped teach at the High School I saw this in many of the students. “What is the world going to do for me when I walk out of High School?” Instead of looking forward and seeing the opportunities to serve.
Service need not be in the military, it does not have to come in the form of social work or police and fire. Service comes from within each and every one of us to do good.
Volunteerism is a big thing right now in our country. Most major corporations have some sort of “Volunteer” opportunities to get out into the community and do good. UPS, the company I work for has a program called ‘Neighbor to Neighbor’. It is a program that goes out and does work on people’s houses, yards, and cleans up neighborhoods that are in dire need of a good scrubbing. UPS also asks that employees that do volunteer work on their own log those volunteer hours with the company. It probably gets the company an award or something at the end of the year, but the point is that the push is there to get out and do good. We see it on TV all the time, campaigns that call us to “Give an hour” or “Live United”.
In Scouting we just make a promise to “Help other people at all times” That’s all.
Yesterday as we placed all those flags I could not help but think of the great opportunity and habit that we are forming in our Scouts. Habits of service. To be selfless in the act of serving. The meaning rings true when placing a flag on the grave of a soldier. Not to get to overly dramatic, but that is the ultimate call to selflessly serve. The knowledge that one day you could pay in full for some one else.
At the top of the hill at Willamette National Cemetery is 4 head stones, much like the rest, but these are inlaid in gold and have a special marker above the name. These are the 4 individuals that understood selfless service above and beyond that of the average soldier. They may have just been in the wrong or right place at the wrong or right time, but either way, these for men were awarded the Medal of Honor. The act which earned them the highest award in our Nation comes down to this. They were in a situation that when faced with a choice, they chose to serve their buddy. It always comes down to this. Citation after citation for the Medal of Honor, it always reads the same. They stood out above and at the end of the day it was to help one of their own get out of a sticky situation, rescue their comrade, hold of the enemy till help could arrive, move fallen soldiers in the midst of hostile action. SELFLESS SERVICE.
Now I am sure that not one of the recipients of the Medal of Honor would tell you he wants it or tried to earn it. They will all tell you that they were just doing their job… they were just serving their buddy or doing their duty. And I am not suggesting that we strive to earn the Medal of Honor.
Building in our young people a love for service is what I am suggesting. The need to be of service is a great one and we need to instill in our young people a willingness to go above and beyond what the TV asks and corporations suggest as levels of service. To truly serve our neighbor, our community, our country.
Selfless Service is a must in our world today.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Flags
On a rainy Thursday evening the Thunderbird District of the Cascade Pacific Council converged on Willamette National Cemetery. If they didn’t come the 140,000 grave markers would go without a flag this Memorial Day. For 44 years the Thunderbird District has placed flags on the graves at Willamette. Over those 44 years the Scouts of the District have seen the number of flags increase. In 1968 when the District started placing the flags our Nation was burying young men killed in action in Vietnam. They were serving our community by honoring World War I veterans that were being interned at this hallowed ground. Then the Cold War saw routine burials of World War II Veterans followed by Korean War Veterans.
Today the grounds have swelled and expanded from 201 acres to 301 acres. A new section is filling with Veterans from the Vietnam era and new grave markers host men and women from Iraq and Afghanistan. I hope we will not have to expand the cemetery further.
This evening in a steady rain my Troop placed flags in section F. That is our section, the area we place flags in every year. Each year, as the Troop grows, we cover the area a little faster, but not without reverence and a sense of thankfulness for the reason these men and women are buried at Willamette National Cemetery. They all served and so we in turn will continue to serve.
As a Veteran and Scoutmaster, I am so very proud of the Scouts of not only my Troop, but the Packs, Troops, and Crews from our District. The dedication of these Scouts and Scouters to place these flags is special to me and to the families that will be paying their respects, the visitors to loved ones, the children of a Veteran, and the passer-by that stops into Willamette to see what this is all about.
Tonight our Scouts practiced a very important part of being a citizen. Love for our Country and our fellow Countrymen.
Watching the Scouts tonight renewed my belief in our young people. Thank you Scouts!
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Methods- Personal Growth
Now don’t let the word personal get you. Yes we want each and every Scout to grow, but we want them to find this growth within the context of Scouting’s values (found in the Oath and Law). Personal growth is a tricky method in that it will sneak up on you as the Scout develops. Each Scout will grow at his own pace and so we use tools and watch and guide his growth. First and foremost, his family. Stay in touch with his family, develop friendship and a relationship with the family. They should be able to seek your input and you should be able to offer your suggestions also. You see the Scout outside of the family context on camp outs and other events. When you see a behavior change, talk with the young man or ask the family if they are seeing something different. This is the tricky part. If you are not comfortable getting into their lives, well then, you can’t assist with this.
I recently got a call from one of my Scouts Dad’s. He was concerned about a change in behavior and wanted to know if I saw it. We ended up talking for about an hour about different parts of this young man’s life. It was a great opportunity for me to share some of the things that I see and he was even open to hearing what I thought on the matter.
The second tool we use is the Scoutmaster conference. I have said this before, but it is always worth saying again… the Scoutmaster conference is not all about rank advancement. You, Mister Scoutmaster are a mentor, a role model, a friend, use the Scoutmaster conference to get to know these young men and what makes them tick. You can assist in the personal growth of each and every Scout by talking and listening. When they know you care and want to listen, they will talk to you. Sometimes, you are a better set of ears than their parents or teachers. You are the guy that goes camping with them, plays games, and teaches them skills. They trust you. Don’t take advantage of this, but keep in mind that if you want these young men to grow into good men, you need to take an interest in their lives [outside of Scouting also].
And finally, the last tool set we will discuss are the various programs in Scouting. The religious emblems program, doing a good turn, and being helpful at all times. These programs/values will shape the young man and develop good habits in him that will last. You will see growth in the character of the Scout as he serves others and learns about his spiritual world. But there probably is no device so successful in developing a basis for personal growth as the daily Good Turn.
Have a Great Scouting Day!
My Son, the Eagle Scout
Tonight my son was presented his Eagle Scout Award. I can not express in words how very proud I am of him. Over the past 11 years him and I have been on a great adventure. At times the trail was rocky and hard to navigate. At other times the trail was smooth and wonderful to pass.
Over the past couple days we have been gathering the memories of his Scouting career. He had a great experience in Scouting and I am glad that I was able to come along.
This video is the presentation that we showed at the Court of Honor tonight. After the video he was given the Eagle Challange and Charge and repeated the Eagle Oath. This was presented by my father, John’s Opa and our Troops Eagle Mentor. He was presented his Eagle Certificate by my father in law, an Eagle Scout. The voices you hear in the video are my wife (John’s mom), his twin sister, and me. John’s brother, currently a Life Scout was the master of ceremonies. There was a great crowd of Scouts, Scouters, family, and friends in attendance. I am a little biased, but it was one of the finest Eagle ceremonies I have seen. John delivered a wonderful speech about his Scouting experience and thanked many people for helping him along the way.
Enjoy the video. I am so proud of this young man, he’s the kind of young man you would love to have as your son… but he’s mine and I am proud.
Captain Obvious
Earlier today I received an email from a “fan of the blog and podcast”.. his email is certainly appreciated and I am glad that he took the time to express his thoughts, but…
I will not post the email here, but let me share with you the part that got me to write this post.
“OK Captain Obvious, we all know the ‘Methods of Scouting’ and use them, please tell us something we don’t know.. after all, if it isn’t broke we are not going to fix it”.
Really now.. it isn’t broke. Well good timing my friend. Last night at the Top Team meeting our Scout Executive presented the 2011 Progress review to the District Chairman. I was floored by the results of the audit at both the National level and our Council. Let me tell you that we have work to do.. at both the National Level… and the Council level. Now our SE said we are going to “Celebrate our short comings.. and work to fixing the issues”.. I would suggest, strictly from “Captain Obvious’s” point of view that we need to work and work hard to get some of these things fixed. So, tell us something we don’t know he said. Let me tell you that the discussion on Methods is exactly what we don’t know.
Let me share some National numbers with you..
MEMBERSHIP- In my last post on the Outdoor program, I suggested that PROGRAM, PROGRAM, PROGRAM, and working the Outdoor program method was a key point in getting Scouts to join and stay in Scouting. It is what gets Webelos to cross over and invite their friends to join. When I was at the National Meetings last year in San Diego, Rex Tillerson the BSA President talked to us about “the Main thing”. that Main thing is delivering Scouting to young men. They can’t do Scouting if they are not in Scouting.
In our Council we are seeing a terrible trend in Cub Scout market share (market share is how the BSA measures growth). Our Council is pretty much average with the Nation, but here are the numbers from 2007 thru 2011. In 2007 we had 15,022 Cub Scouts in the program, 14,465 in 2008, 13, 902 and 13, 303 in the next two years and in 2011 we ended the year with only 12,600 Cub Scouts. That is a significant loss. The reason that I find this alarming is that without Cub Scouts you drastically reduce the ranks of Boy Scouts.
Boy Scout membership in 2007 in our Council was 11,960 and in 2011 it dropped to 11, 731. Now this may not seem significant but long term, the Cub Scout numbers will catch up. Boys are in the Boy Scout program longer than their Cub Scout years, so we have not felt the impact of the dropping number yet.
I would suggest that this is broke and the question first is why? Could it be programs? Could it be the lack of leaders not trained.. we will get into that in a second. Could it be that methods are not being followed? I wish I had the answer.. but Captain Obvious here knows broke when he sees it.
Now the good news is that our Retention numbers are looking pretty good.. but only pretty good. The National Average in retention is 70.6%. We have way too many Scouts going out the back door. Our Council’s retention rate is 76%.. still not a great number.. so why are they leaving? Is it that they don’t agree with our values? are they bored? are they not getting the bang for their buck?
The average size of a Boy Scout Troop in America is 21 Scouts and we recruit about 9 a year on average… so where are they?
Ok.. lets move on to Advancement.. yeah.. remember that’s one of the methods also.. How are we doing?
Only 39.8% of the Boy Scouts in the Nation advanced a rank last year. Need we say more? Captain Obvious says we need to work a little harder on this.
Now get ready to treat for shock.. TRAINING!
Only.. and I hope you are sitting down for this.. ONLY 34.4% of Direct Contact leaders, that’s Tiger Leaders, Den Leaders, Webelos Leaders, Cub Masters, Scoutmasters, and Venturing Advisors are Trained in their positions! As my daughter would say OMG! And we are taking these boys in the woods and asking parents to feel good about it. I would not allow my sons to be in a unit with untrained leaders. 34.4 % is the National Average of trained leaders and I would suggest this needs immediate fixing. There is no excuse what so ever for an adult to be un trained. NONE. In an age where the BSA has made Training easier than ever to access, District and Council training committees are holding multiple training events annually… why are we not trained? How do we have “Adult Association” and mentoring for “Leadership development”. How does an adult who is not trained teach, coach, train and mentor a Scout? Captain Obvious is shocked.
So once again, I would like to thank the reader for the email and suggest that we revisit the “Main thing” and the Methods of Scouting. maybe, just maybe we can fix some of these issues… nay.. we have to fix these issues and the methods will help you and your unit fix what you think is not broke. Here is what I think. Those that don’t know.. don’t know. Those that are untrained, will not know. There are no excuses for this. We all love Scouting and for the most part will do what ever it takes to deliver the promise of Scouting. Scouting is alive and well, but has some work to do to deliver that promise. It’s obvious what we need to do. ON MY HONOR I will do my part!
What are your thoughts? I am curious to know what you think. drop an email, leave a comment, or send me smoke signals.
Have a Great Scouting day!
