What, precisely, is the promise of Scouting? No one would know better than William Hillcourt: Your Life as a Scout You are an American boy. Before long you will be an American man. It is important to America and to yourself that you become a citizen of fine character, physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight. Boy Scouting will help you become that kind of citizen. but also, Scouting will give you fellowship and fun....
These key Scouter skills are offered for your enjoyment (and commiseration). Every Scouter sometimes feels like they are constantly spinning plates or herding cats! Sure it can be frustrating at times, but so can all worthy work, right? Scouters are extraordinary people Get this and over 40 other infographics and helpful PDF documents here If you’d like to print this infographic download the PDF file below formatted for 8 1/2 x 11 paper....
The Bridge Builder An old man, going a lone highway, Came, at the evening, cold and gray, To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide, Through which was flowing a sullen tide. The old man crossed in the twilight dim; The sullen stream had no fear for him; But he turned, when safe on the other side, And built a bridge to span the tide. “Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim, near,...
During our camp retreat ceremony we fire a 12 gauge signal cannon as the colors are lowered. I asked why we did this (was it some tradition in American history, a military observance?) . I learned that we used to have a flag flying at the highest point of camp and the signal cannon let a group of Scouts stationed their to strike the colors while the rest of the camp saluted in a field far below....
There’s no way to compel Scouts to respect you (or anything else for that matter). We can make them act respectful towards us or the things we say but acting respectful towards someone or something and having respect for someone or something are two very different things. You’ll earn respect from your Scouts by being who you are, not some idealized concept of what you think you should be. Scouts can spot a hypocrite at a hundred yards....
To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labor. Robert Louis Stevenson Why should you be a Scouting volunteer? Through three decades of guiding my Scouts as a volunteer Scouter I’ve camped and hiked and canoed my way through some beautiful places, shared a thousand campfires and grown older (perhaps even wiser) in the company of many great Scouts and Scouters....
After it’s founding Scouting quickly and spontaneously spread around the world. Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of this burgeoning worldwide movement, would look back at those years and recall*: Scouting was not a year old before other countries had formed their branches. In twenty-one short years the Scout and Guide training has spread to forty-two different countries about the world, and has proved its potentiality as a factor in world peace....
After reviewing this BSA Membership Standards Review Information on Thursday, May 23, approximately 1400 voting members representing 265 local councils will vote on a resolution that, in short, removes the stipulation that boys can be excluded from membership in the BSA based on sexual orientation alone. The BSA has prepared a Voting Member Information Packet (PDF file) that describes the voting process and includes the findings of the membership standards review....
Frank Maynard is a troop committee chairman writes the blog Bobwhite Blather. In a recent article Frank discusses three things that Scouters should never do for their Scouts; As Scouters, though, we really need to put… parenting instincts aside in order to make sure that we not only deliver the Scouting program as promised, but also to help our kids do their best by not helping them directly. Don’t teach Scout skills– If adults take over the teaching of Scout skills, such as knot tying, first aid, plant identification or compass skills, the skills will get taught – and probably very well – but we miss a golden opportunity for the Scouts to teach these skills themselves....
Before the ceremony a couple of weeks ago I asked the Eagle candidates and their parents to step into a side room for a minute. I hand each family a velvet covered box. “We’ll have mom practice pinning the Eagle medal on their son’s left pocket flap first” I announce. Three moms pick up an Eagle medal and pin it on their son. “It’s not as easy as it looks, is it?...
How do we inspire initiative in Scout Youth Leaders? The idea of connecting initiative to authority starts with this post by Dan Rockwell, Ineffective leaders seize and hoard authority; successful leaders give it. Those who cling to authority lose it. Those who give authority gain authority. Authority is permission to act without permission. Control freaks never inspire initiative. The more they control the less initiative – acting without permission – others take....
Here’s three handy phrases for Scoutmasters from an interview on next week’s podcast. You may find these useful in any number of situations. How would you use these phrases?
On April 19 the B.S.A. released the Membership Standards Study Initiative Executive Summary and the Membership Standards Resolution to be voted on in our May national meeting. Like many people on both sides of the question my first impression of the membership standards resolution was disappointment and frustration. (My opinion of the question of inclusion is explained here). As someone who supports inclusiveness I was disappointed that the resolution did not end the policy of excluding adults based on sexual orientation but I was heartened to see that the resolution removed the ban for youth members....
Via Curious, Useless, or Simply Interesting Scout Knowledge What is authentic Scouting? 52 Scout leaders from 16 countries in the European Scout Region replied to a survey about the retention of young people in Scouting conducted by the World Organization of the Scouting Movement (WOSM) during the World Scout Jamboree in Sweden. Their responses indicate that Scouting everywhere shares common challenges. Here’s some key thoughts offered in answer to one survey question that I think are particularly important;...
This email about one Webelos crossover to a troop needs little introduction or explanation, but one part bears repeating; Meetings don’t cut it, selling the parents on how great a troop is doesn’t cut it, your “reputation” of being a strong troop doesn’t cut it. What does? Read on; Clarke – I recently stumbled across your podcast and blog. I have been listening my way through the podcast archive. I just listened to one show about visiting Webelos....
It takes a few years but that gawky 11-year-old becomes a responsible young man when Scout parents cooperate with the process. I received this email from a Scout parent: I am new to the Boy Scout Program and I am not getting answers to questions . For instance my son is to bring a blue card to a merit badge event for the counselor to sign. I got a blue card from the Scoutmaster....
These leadership questions were part of our annual leadership challenge event this past weekend. Scouts were asked to evaluate their leadership skills at the beginning and the end of the weekend by rating themselves on how well the understood and applied these concepts. These evaluations were done for the Scouts themselves, we did not collect them or read them; they did have a chance to discuss these leadership questions and where they thought they improved over the weekend....
Here’s the latest ScoutCircle presentation on the troop committee. Every month the virtual round table at ScoutCircle.org features a presentation and question and answer period. This month our guest was Frank Maynard , committee chairman who maintains a blog at *Bobwhite Blather.*Frank touches on many important troop committee issues in this presentation including setting up the committee, finances, working with micro-managers, resolving disputes and much more.
Our guest is Frank Maynard, a long-serving Committee Chair for a troop of 65+ boys in Michigan who also serves committees at the Cub Scout and District levels. Here are some links to material he referenced in the webcast – “So, what is it that you do?” that Clarke quoted in a recent article on his blog “The captain of the ship” talking about committee chair responsibilities “Which lane are you in?...
Yesterday a Boy Scouts of America review of ‘Values and Membership Polices’ was announced on the Scouting Magazine Blog where a link to this B.S.A. website with comprehensive information about the review is available. I’d suggest reading the information available there for a pretty thorough understanding of how the membership policy of excluding people based on sexual orientation is being addressed. Here’s my summary of the information on the site:...