Working with older Scouts between the ages of 14-18 … … is both challenging and rewarding. What interests keep them involved? Simply turning up the ‘wow’ factor doesn’t do much to keep them engaged, because they are looking for much more than fun. Respecting and understanding what older Scouts need takes patient observation and an open dialogue. Our expectations of older Scouts are often very different than what they are looking for....
What’s the difference between Patrol system and Patrol method? I have never found any actual difference between those terms in Scouting literature, but I will share acouple of thoughts to differentiate between patrol system and patrol method in a way you may find helpful. Over the next three podcasts we’ll continue our foundations series by examining three main things about Scouting: Patrol System, Advancement, and Youth leadership. Scouters spend the most time working with these three key pieces of the game....
Some aspects of the Scouting game look like flaws… … but they are features we must not alter. Games restrict or constrain play through rules, the laws of physics, or human limitations and Scouting is no exception. We Scouters often expend lot of effort trying to fix things that don’t need to be fixed, or smooth over things that are intentionally challenging. When you get to know the game, the dynamics, and understand the field of play things become clearer and you become a better coach....
Thinking of Scouts as players … … fills out the analogy of Scouting as a game. Players volunteer to participate in the game. The most important volunteers in Scouting have more power and influence than the highest official. Without their participation, Scouting would come to a complete halt. They bring endless energy, resources, and real transformational power to their role. They are the only volunteers we simply cannot afford to lose....
What do I do now? A Scout misbehaves, makes a mistake, or even consciously does something wrong, and things spin out of control, now what? If you hang around long enough your Scouts misbehave, and you’ll will be confronted by this sort of incident, so what is your plan? I’ll discuss an incident shared with me some time ago to illustrate some core ideas about the crucial things a Scouter ought to know....
I did not start out as a believer in co-ed Scouting. For most of the last 35 years I’ve been a volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America the status quo worked fine for me, co-ed Scouting was a big unknown, and being unknown it was something to resist. Three Things That Changed My Mind. First – during a week-long international Scouting trip several years ago (and two more since) I watched co-ed Scouting at work....
Should gender define Scouting? This week I want to discuss responses to a post I published last week about gender in Scouting: Girls in the BSA. The post garnered lot’s of responses both for and against the idea of the BSA becoming a co-ed organization, and I’ll discuss some of the objections in this podcast. The question of gender and Scouting can be an explosive one since gender issues have caused much consternation and disagreement over the years....
Yes, girls in the BSA. I want the BSA to be a fully co-ed organization with no limitations on how girls participate. Before you lose it understand I don’t think girls in the BSA should be forced on anyone. More about that later. I think we can and must make this happen for one simple reason: it is the right thing to do. I can’t say I always thought this way....
I’ll be brief, well, kind of… … join me as I talk about two key ideas for Scouters I hope you find helpful . This podcast condenses into one talk the answers I wrote to several common email questions I had this summer. I want to share two key ideas I have talked about many times before, but I think are always important to emphasize. You can’t talk too much about these two ideas for Scouters, I hope!...
Hey! I’m still here, are you? My summer break stretched into the fall a little! Spend some time catching up with me in this briefer edition of the podcast, lots to talk about! We had a great trip to Kandersteg International Scout Center in Switzerland, the troop had a great week at summer camp and have laid the foundations for a great year of activities for our Scouts. The BSA began a listening campaign around the idea of “serving the whole family” and allowing girls to register in all of our age divisions, hooray!...
Some Scouting problems are just nettlesome… … they aren’t discipline problems, or particularly disruptive, just nettlesome, irritating, like stinging nettles. Everyone thinks it’s the Scoutmaster’s responsibility to fix nettlesome Scouting problems, truth is it isn’t, at least not directly. Most Scouters run into a situation like this, it bothers them, and then they create a rule thinking this will fix things. It doesn’t. Rules are powerless to change underlying attitudes, they can only compel compliance....
21 boys boarded a boat in Poole Harbor… … they had no way of knowing they were pioneering a movement for millions of young people around the world. Several lived well into old age to vividly recount their experiences decades later. Scouting’s pathways are now worn by travel, but each new Scout today has a “Brownsea Island Moment” when they encounter a new and unexplored land, just those boys did over a century ago....
How would you answer that question? Sure, we have the Scout law but would you add anything? Find out how one Eagle Scout just about to “age out” answered that question in this week’s podcast. In This Podcast Intro [1:05] ] Chris M’s Scout Law [6:45] Email question about Troop treasurer [9:45] ] This podcast is brought to you by our Patrons & Backers Podcast Notes Plandome Troop 71 History Display...
Apples and oranges – I love a good idiom! A lot of us get caught making “apples and oranges” comparisons between our Scouts. It may be useful to remember there are no comparisons in the Scout oath – only personal pronouns; on my honor I will do my best. Scouts are individuals, and we can only build character in individuals. Will there be similarities? Of course, but comparing one Scout to another is like… well you see where I am going, right?...
A lot of our Scouts are subject to many demands on their time… .. and some are under extreme pressure from their parents. What if one of our Scouts wants to quit because they say they have no time for Scouts? Scouting ought to be challenging, but not impossible, nor should it become something stressful – Scouting is about adventure, fun and spending time with your friends! In this podcast I’ll talk about how we can help Scouts manage their commitments and figure out how to continue to have the adventure and fun Scouting offers....
What do we do about outside influences in the lives of our Scouts? To begin with let’s figure out what’s “outside” and what is “inside”? Let’s interpret outside influences on our Scouts as something that is beyond our scope of control and inside influences as something within the scope of our control as Scouters. If you accept the premise that our Scouts are subject to a number of influences beyond the scope of our control, and this is part of the human condition what do we do?...
“Camp is… the real school of the out-of-doors, where all the best in the future man’s character can be brought out and developed” B-P This week’s podcast departs from our usual format (it’s a long holiday weekend!) to explore an idea that could revolutionize the way you approach your work as a Scouter. Dr. Sugutra Mitra is an educational researcher whose TED talk about his “hole in the wall” experiments launched a revolutionary educational idea that has many parallels to the foundations of Scouting....
Remember being young when the ground was constantly shifting under our feet? Remember wanting to be an adult but not wanting to be like the adults you knew? Remember how you wanted to change things? What an energizing, exciting, challenging, and sometimes confusing world we lived in! Our growing brains and bodies were in a constant state of change, every day was full of new ideas, new experiences, new people, new challenges....
Things can get tricky when you are both a Scouter and the parent of a Scout. In this week’s podcast I’ll answer email questions about occupying the role of parent and Scouter, how small troops work, and what qualifies as service for the ranks of Star and Life. The Big Three Resources every Scouter should read. Sponsored By ScoutmasterCG.com Backers Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS...
Scouts endure demands for their attention. In a classroom we listen for things that sound like they’ll be on the test, and strain out the rest. If someone asks a question everyone groans, because that makes the lesson longer. We learn not to interrupt, to run out the hour, and let the teacher talk. When it’s “time for instruction” do your Scouts switch into classroom mode and start looking for chairs?...