A question from a Facebook fan: My son just bridged over into Boy Scouts from Webelos. I feel he is losing interest, he keeps saying he doesn’t want to go to the meetings or camp. My son and I have been active in cub scouts since he was a tiger. How should I help get him and keep him motivated? There’s usually an adjustment period for any big change like this....
*This is the fourth in a series of articles about social media and Scouting; here’s the introduction, a post about youth protection issues, my guidelines for appropriate behavior and content.*Also be sure to read the B.S.A. Social Media Guidelines. Getting the word out is a constant challenge to all of us. We want to keep Scouts and their families informed, make records and administrative functions accessible and promote Scouting to potential Scouts....
… Our charge as volunteers in the movement is help to create tomorrow’s productive, responsible, happy citizens. We can’t do that if we don’t keep our doors and arms open to these young men, understanding that the “ultimate volunteer” isn’t us: It’s the Scout himself. If he gets sick and tired of our nagging him (instead of positive reinforcement of good habits) or “dinging” him, when it comes to rank advancement (even when he’s proven he can knock off the skill-set required without breaking a sweat), then he’s going to walk…and that’s the very last thing we want to have happen, because then we can no longer instill in him the ideals and values of the movement (yes, we’re a movement; not an “activity”)....
There’s nothing wrong with having a plan Plans are great. But missions are better. Missions survive when plans fail, and plans almost always fail. [Seth Godin](https://scoutmastercg.com/theres-nothing-wrong-with-having-a-plan/Seth's Blog: There’s nothing wrong with having a plan.) When first discussing plans with youth leaders they usually tell me the mission or goal they have in mind: “What do you have planned for the next Troop meeting?” “We’re going to prepare everyone for the backpacking trip....
Do your Scouts share your ambitions? You may be pulling in different directions if they don’t. How can we align the ambitions of our Scouts, our adult leadership and those of the Scouting program? One way to find out is to make three lists: List number one; adult leader ambitions Sit down and make a list of your ambitions. Not what you think they should be but what they are. Do a little soul searching and write down the ones that come to mind without editing and see what you come up with....
Reader Bill Macfarlane, Scoutmaster of Troop 8 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, writes: I was at Round Table the other day and overheard a rather heated discussion about “boy-led” troops. I heard one of the participants ask; “Where is it written that troops are boy-led?”. This got me wondering where this was written in BSA literature so I decided to look. Here’s what I found: “Training boy leaders to run their troop is the Scoutmaster’s most important job....
EDITORS NOTE – Here’s a something that should be in our minds every time we interact with our Scouts. I am often focused on problems and missing opportunities to support them positively. We all have a memory of a time when we were criticized. Do you remember a time when you were praised? I bet the negative comments stick in your mind. A blog post by Bob Sutton, a management professor at Stanford University, points out that negative interactions are far more powerful than positive ones....
Scout leaders are constantly called on to resolve conflicts, make decisions and provide direction. We do these things better when we are able to be calm, non-judgmental and unbiased. I can be easily upset and that leads to getting upset about being upset and that leads to being reactive, judgmental and unpleasant. I admire unflappable people, I aspire to be unflappable. Unflappable people are not easily perturbed or excited or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure; remain levelheaded; are unswayed by adversity or excitement; don’t get frustrated or irritated easily; are poised, calm, and self-controlled....
Volunteer Scouters often have to explain themselves and dispel persistent misconceptions. Here’s a few things I think people who don’t volunteer don’t get: I have already heard all of the jokes and impolite innuendos about Scouting and Scouters. I have a pretty good sense of humor, but how about you think a little more about what you’re saying. I don’t get paid to do this work yet I strive to be as professional, competent and thorough as possible....
Our central work, our focus, as Scout leaders is to create opportunities for Scouting: to create chances, approaches and advantages : OPPORTUNITY: A combination of circumstances favorable for the purpose; a good chance or occasion to advance oneself. Favorable circumstances: an opening, event, probability, possibility. A suitable time, occasion, moment. CHANCE: The happening of events without apparent cause, or the apparent absence of cause or design, an unpredictable event, a risk or gamble, an advantageous or opportune time or occasion, a possibility or probability....
Every Scout parent struggles with letting go as their child grows up. From the Swedish Scouting is awesome! blog. Thoughts on how Scouting helps parents understand letting go so children can become adults: One of the aims of scouting is to make young people independent and self sufficiant. We do a great job for the most part, but it is so difficult to let go and let them try their wings and fly unsupervised....
When Apollo spacecraft passed to the far side of the moon there were some tense moments in mission control. During this part of the orbit radio communication with the earth was impossible. There was no way to know if everything was alright until the spacecraft reappeared. Imagine yourself sitting in mission control without being able to see or speak to the astronauts and not knowing if they were in trouble. It must have been a completely helpless feeling....
The three rules of Scouting leadership are simple: delegate delegate delegate I’m a Scoutmaster so I concentrate on the work I am supposed to be doing. I don’t do these jobs: Outdoor Coordinator – he takes care of ALL camping trip logistics, phone calls, online reservations to support the annual plan that the Scouts prepared. Committee Chairman – I go to committee meetings each month for about 10 minutes. Then I leave and return to the Scout meeting....
Cartoonist Charles Schultz brilliantly depicted adult speech in his animated ‘Peanuts’ cartoons as unintelligible honking. As a child I certainly understood what Schultz was aiming at. As an adult I recall the different ways that adults talked to me when I was young and how I heard them: Yelling, Hollering, Shouting Sometimes (and only sometimes) it’s an adult’s job to raise their voice and get attention. Use this tone too often and you are likely to be avoided or ignored....
The only alternative to making mistakes is for someone to make all your decisions for you, in which case you will make their mistakes instead of your own. Obviously that’s not a life of integrity. -Grace Llewellyn, Educator Scouting offers an unusually good opportunity for boys to live their own lives independently to develop integrity. Scouts should be able to honestly say: ‘we did it ourselves’. We do not have greater intelligence than the young; we simply have more experience....
Here’s an email that I get fairly regularly asking me to help resolve Scouting trouble: “My son’s (Pack, Troop, Crew) is having real difficulties with our (Scoutmaster, Cubmaster, Advisor, Committee Chair) and our program is (poor, indifferent, terrible). I’m only a (Den Leader, Assistant Scoutmaster, Committee Member, parent) but I want to try and fix this situation to benefit the (Cubs, Scouts, Venturers). What’s your advice?” I reply: Find another (Pack, Troop, Crew) that better matches the way you think Scouting ought to be as soon as possible....
Many Scouts will, at some point, resist going any further in Scouting. When does a parent intervene and make him stay in Scouts? Just about every boy will reach some impasse along the way that will make them reluctant or downright adamant about participating. If you are a Scouting parent it’s more than likely that this is going to happen to you; don’t be surprised. Your son is probably not much different than the millions of other Scouts who preceded him....
This post is a bit of a bait and switch. You think this is about term limits for Scouters and it is – kind of. Thing is I don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other. I can see good arguments for and against the idea of a limited term of service for a Scoutmaster, Cubmaster, or any key leadership position. It really depends on the person and the situation....
Our Troop Committee Chairman has stepped down and another parent has volunteered. This is fine and I look forward to working with her. The problem is with her husband is a military man used to having people answer to him. He’s already commented loudly when something displeased him at a meeting “there are going to be changes next year”. He called me the other night wanting to make changes to the program for our next Court of Honor and changes to our openings at troop meetings....
Our perception of learning shapes the way we instruct and lead. Here are four common models of learning and leadership: Learning Model – EMPTY VESSEL – BLANK STATE Students are empty vessels that are filled by learning new things. Additive learning assumes uniform voids are filled by uniform chunks of learning. Leading Method – PASSIVE STUDENT – ACTIVE TEACHER Classic classroom techniques of presenting blocks of material (lectures, repetition, etc.) with students in a passive role and teachers as presenters....