Beyond the common positive physical effects gained from walking it may be that walking and talking heighten the effectiveness of counseling. Taking a short stroll (in plain sight of others) with a Scout and talking through a problem may be better than just sitting or standing while you talk. From an article on walk therapy: In some instances, physical activity can be as effective as medication for treating depression, he says, with none of the side effects....
The Scoutmaster Edgar R. Guest There isn’t any pay for you, you serve without reward, The boys who tramp the fields with you but little could afford. And yet your pay is richer far than those who toil for gold, For in a dozen different ways your service shall be told. You’ll read it in the faces of a Troop of growing boys, You’ll read it in the pleasure of a dozen manly joys,...
Imagine you are watching your favorite sporting event as the game begins and the players take the field. They make a few mistakes and a few good plays as the game unfolds. No matter what happens during the game the coaches don’t leave the sidelines and begin playing. The players take the field and the coaches stay on the sidelines. Now imagine Scouting as a game. We have players, (Scouts), coaches (Scouters), we wear uniforms, we learn skills and rules, (the Scout Oath and Law, camp craft, etc....
During my early years as a Scoutmaster fundraising for Scouts was a miserable task I dreaded. We tried selling stuff offered by fundraising companies with marginal success. What we finally hit on was a spaghetti dinner that has been a great money earner and event for the past decade or more. There is no ‘right’ fundraiser for Scouts. Some will find success where others fail; but here are a few guidelines that have served us well:...
My youth leadership sometimes plays a game of Scout Leadership Tag – for some sudden reason they cannot make a meeting or event and dump their responsibility on another youth leader; tag, you’re it! Most of the time they do this with a phone call or a quick word at school. They imagine that this is adequate – after all that’s how a game of tag works. Sometimes they just don’t show up; then we play another game called ‘talk to the Scoutmaster’....
During a visit from a Webelos Den at our last Troop meeting one of my Scouts was available to speak with the parents of the visiting boys. We were in our second week of disabilities awareness merit badge; the older scouts were leading a discussion with our younger scouts about the badge. One of the parents was impressed that the older boys were leading discussions on the subject and asked the older scout: “How do you get the older Scouts to lead a discussion with the younger ones on such an important subject?...
Scouting works in concert with the parents of our Scouts to achieve the main aim, and we rely on parents who become Scouters to support the Scout’s program. How do we define this role so the scouts are able to do what they need to accomplish with this much-needed support yet without undue interference? The “More September 2006” column at Ask Andy addresses the question of too many parents involved in troop camping....
Bullying is a tough nut to crack. Bullying behavior satisfies a bully’s needs on a primal, instinctual level; a level so basic that they often do not realize they are bullying. Bullies can’t necessarily be talked or shamed out of bullying, may not respond for long to regular disciplinary measures (denial of privileges or activities); in fact adult intervention can lead to even more bullying. What, then, is an appropriate response to bullying?...
Anyone who spends several years as a Scoutmaster will end up arguing with a fellow Scouter, committee member, or parent. While these conflicts aren’t inevitable they are unfortunately probable. What follows is plain-spoken advice from Ask Andy, a fantastic resource for Scouters with questions or difficulties. Having weathered several of these conflicts I can assure you that this is solid advice. Study it carefully and follow it faithfully – it will save you a great deal of heartache....
For most of us adolescence is a difficult, chaotic and confusing process. Whether we are going through it ourselves or watching it unfold in others relatively new research on adolescent brain growth sheds light on an otherwise mysterious set of circumstances. It is now understood that our brains undergo significant physical changes in adolescence that may have some bearing on the way we behave and develop. The Frontline documentary Inside the Teenage Brain is a concise and useful resource that presents the science of adolescent brain development and some practical direction for those working or living with teens....
Andy the net commissioner asks “Are we really that smart?” or are we smart enough to change scouting fundamentals? … before we start changing things around to suit ourselves, we’d better be asking ourselves, “Have we really come up with a better way of doing things, or have we just violated or depleted something that’s fundamental to why Scouting works in the first place?” In other words, are we really that smart, or have we merely found an easier (for us) way to do things?...
The Unit Leader Award of Merit may be earned by Cubmasters, Scoutmasters, Varsity Team Coaches, and Venturing Crew Advisors. Requirements1. Be a currently registered Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Coach, or Advisor who has served in that position at least 18 continuous months. Meet the training requirements for the registered position. Distribute a printed or electronic annual unit program plan and calendar to each family in the unit. Have a leader succession plan in place....
Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson’s bestselling book The One Minute Manager concentrates on brief, focused management through goal setting, encouragement and correction. One minute methods work well for Scoutmasters: (adapted from an essay by Winston R. Davis, author of Men of Schiff) There was a bright young man looking for a really good Scoutmaster. He wanted to work for one. He wanted to become one. He found some who said: “I keep my boys in line!...
We know about the Scout promise (or oath), but what about the promises made to Scouts? The 11th edition of he Scout Handbook begins with these promises: Scouting promises you the great outdoors. As a scout you can learn how to camp and hike without a trace and how to take care of the land. You’ll study wildlife up close and learn about nature all around you. There are plenty of skills for you to master and you can teach others what you have learned....
Scouters should maintain an ongoing awareness of how well they are applying the patrol method. The questions below, from the White Stag website is intended to evaluate how well we are doing our job. Give it an honest try, if you have more A’s than B’s your are headed in the right direction; otherwise it is time to work towards a stronger application of the patrol method. At troop meetings, do the patrol leaders- A....
Published in 1928 “Principles of Scoutmastership In Relation To Boy Development” begins by defining the development we seek for our Scouts, how Scouts think, how they develop, what Scouting does to effect that development and what the Scoutmaster can do to further the process. This nearly 80 year-old advice is a sound now as the day it was written; some things never change. I found the following excerpts particularly inspiring;...
Not the most efficient way to get the job done, but lot’s of fun! Strive to maintain the “inefficiency” of Scouting . It’s tempting to make things easier (for the adults, usually) and lose track of the goal. Patrol CookingIt is much more efficient to cook as a troop, but that denies a patrol an active and challenging opportunity for growth and learning. Make things less efficient, encourage patrol responsibility....
Scout troops are built on patrols, and patrols are built on the natural way boys for a gang of friends, that small group is where Scouting happens. We have categorized and complicated this simple principle with overlays of military discipline, management science, job descriptions and flow charts that put the Scoutmaster at the top and the boys on the bottom; opposite of the order intended. Turning the troop organization chart upside down better represents the roles of leadership and our central focus;...
We can all agree that Scouting is fun, right? What is Scouting fun, and what isn’t? Young people are in Scouting because they crave an honest challenge. They don’t need any more “bread and circuses” (benefits or entertainments intended to placate discontent or distract attention). Scouts love to learn, but don’t like to be educated; Scouts like to work hard, but dislike being driven; Scouts strive to achieve, but at their own speed....
One of the B.S.A.’s founders, Ernest Thompson-Seton, was visiting a camp he founded near his New Jersey home. Seton had invited several important local businessmen to join him on this particular visit to interest them in supporting the camp. During their stay they watched with great interest as some of the boys tried to light a fire by friction using the ancient bow and drill. Their efforts were great and the resulting fire was a victory won over may attempts....