Eagledad

Us to, but we found the 15 an older scouts are getting serious about Eagle and go more for the MBs. Not that they don't have fun, we plan a lot of troop activities within the summer camp program like our own campfire and shooting sports or something. And we usually do something fun on the way home like river rafting, Six Flags or something between camp and home. 90% of our 15 and older scouts keep going to summer camp. Barry

Yep, agree. I would say the majority of our Eagles don't get serious about it until at least 15. They are having too much fun. We have a lot of 17 year old ECOHs. Barry

😂

Things may have changed in the last 20 years with the technology, but inaccurate training records, as well as scout advancement records, was not unusual. Barry

Scouting is supposed to be a bucket list of activities. It was in our troop. The problem with that is the list is only as long as the adults allow. That has to be fixed. funny thing about the “Mission”, most people know what it is. Character building. The problem there is that they don’t understand how the process of scouting builds character. And that starts from the top. We knew National was lost when the added “Leadership” as a fourth Aim. Scouting is an outdoor program, but it is more than that. But how? Scouting needs to get back to making sense. Both in Cubs and Troops. Barry

It’s really about the motivation of the heart. If the act is selfless, it is pleasing to God. Barry

Don’t we already have this? Barry

I don’t believe scouting is risky. I believe scouting is meaningfully save. So, maybe the discussion should start there. Barry

Yep, don’t get me started. As I watch the challenges my adult kids are facing in today’s politically correct culture, I believe the Scout Oath will have to be heavily modified because it is the moral pillar of character building. I’ve seen it happen in other countries. Barry

Great post SSScout. We also learned about making the birthday party less official and more fun. We moved our cross overs and Webelos/AOL ceremonies to other meetings. That gave more room for fun and made those ceremonies more special for the scouts. Families today struggle to find opportunities for fun family nights out. Give your families that opportunity. Barry

Our troop wore the solid olive drab BDUs. The color was so close to the scout pants back then that one would have to look closely to see they weren’t the official scout pants. The BDUs were half the price of official scout pants, adjustable through 4 sizes for growing scouts and they were much more durable for rough scouting activities. Most surprisingly was the BDUs were popular at school. A scout wouldn’t be caught dead wearing official scout pants, but they wore the BDUs with pride. The PLC didn’t accept or push any official troop camo, but some of the patrols wore military camo boony hats. The boony hat came from our pack were the Webelos had a tradition of getting the hats when they became Webelos. The hats come in a dozen different color patterns, so each year Webelos den could be identified. They keep the sun and rain off the face and ears and are extremely durable. My 35 and 38 year old sons and I still have our hats. The BDU pants were a bit political. I was holding the PLC accountable for the official uniform in their handbook when they wanted to make jeans the official pant. The PLC came back and presented the OD BDUs. They asked me if I would accept the BDUs if council would allow them to use them. I said of course. I was impressed with their proposal, but I also didn’t think council would allow the BDUs. I was wrong. Barry

The main skill I worked on with my SPLs is delegating. Sometimes I actually stood next to the SPL to keep him from moving to do something. You just haven’t practiced it yet. I know what you’re thinking, the scouts don’t know how to do it. Ok, teach it instead of doing it. It will feel awkward at first, but as the scouts start having fun doing that stuff you were doing, you can stand back and smile. Barry

Loppers is probably my most used yard tool. Perfect for car camping. But, many of the saw injuries we tended to occur on back packing treks where minimal equipment weight is priority. Even hatchets are considered to Harvey, so the small backpacking saw is the tool of choice. Sadly, light backpacking saws are particularly difficult to use safely without much practice. Over the years we’ve come to depend on safety equipment to reduce accidents and have found one pair of heavy garden gloves are our equipment of choice for back woods treks. First off, they protect hands from the wildy saw. But they are also wonderful around the fire for moving hot pots, burning pieces of wood that shifted to close to the edge of the ring, and readjusting hot fire ring rocks. In fact, the more one uses them, the more uses they found for many applications. Barry

A surgeon once re-attached two parts of my hand because I used a saw unsafely. Because of that experience, not taking wood-shop class wasn’t an option for my sons. I was counting on the Oldscout448’s to teach my sons how to use shop power tools safely. I started my adult leaders wood-tools training class by explaining that the worst damaging flesh injuries in scouts came from saws. Not from not knives, not hatchets, and not the really scary axe. When a scout runs the teeth of a saw across his knuckles, it leaves a scar for life. You’re not only afraid of the wrong tools; your fear is dangerous because it makes you spend too little time teaching the proper safe use of all woods tools. Accidents will always happen, but they occur a lot less after proper training. Barry

After the troop matured a couple of years, we didn't see anymore of the SPLs who just wanted the cool experience because the scouts saw how demanding the job was. Only the most ambitious scouts ran for it. In fact, the troop paid for the SPL's summer camp fees because he worked so hard. The SPL is the first into camp to sign the troop in, and the last to leave to sign the troop out. He attends all the adult meetings and makes all the decisions that don't require an 18 or older person. I learned that the other SPLs in the camp recognize maturity because our SPLs were typically picked as the camp SPL. The SPLs are worn out by the end of camp. But, it is strangely an experience that is highly prized. One scout showed me his 18 month plan to be an SPL. And it was timed for the summer camp experience. Funny experience. The only time the troop ever left a scout behind at camp was the first summer camp of the new SM. He was just trying to be a good SM, but the SPL let him have it and taught the SM how to account for all scouts. If you were to ask me how the PLC accounted for all the scouts, I honestly couldn't tell you. They had a process tho. When scouts are given true responsibility, they take it very seriously. Barry

This is so good. Thanks. In general, scouts who are placed in leadership for credit generally don't learn or grow at all. In fact, they will more likely dispise leadership. And, a lot of scouts who don't show any desire for leadership in their younger years will all of a sudden thirst for it in their older years. We all mature at different rates. We just need to let them choose when they are ready. Oh, in our troop, past SPLs took on the Troop Guide role. I think it is because while they were ready for break from the very demanding SPL responsibilities, they still needed to lead and guide scouts. And, they are very good at it. Barry.

I'm wondering how to use the grabber to clean up after my dogs during walks? Barry

I agree with everything in elitts post. Still, there is also the risk of the SPL appoints a friend with no real desire to do the job. Giving young people the experience of responsibilities is tricky, and I found that whether they are elected, appointed or even volunteer, the real work of the SM is developing them to do the work. One of the reasons I don't like leadership as a requirement for advancement is that most people aren't leaders. That is my experience of life and Scoutmasting. So, what are we scouters to do? Well, I learned to encourage scouts to take the next step in their growth. If not the ASPL, how about taking care of the equipment. Or helping new scouts, or teaching or, or, or, and so on. I do not like to brag, I just hate it. But, for the sake of this discussion, I will brag that our troop developed a culture of giving scouts opportunities to take the next step. I remember after one of our SPL elections, watching from the corner in the room the SPL immediately picked his replacement to be the next ASPL. Those two sat down and started writting down names of scouts who showed an interested in taking on other duties or responsibilities. They weren't picking their friends, they were putting scouts in positions of opportunity for growth. That is the culture we developed, so the adult didn't need to be part of the process. So, the burden of the SM is to learn from the process to see if the scouts are growing from it because it will turn into a culture. Scouts hate change and what they start now won't change without an interjection. If the SM observes the scouts not growing from the experience, he must interject and change it. If the SM is working toward growth, then how the scouts get into positions of responsibility doesn't really matter all that much. One last thing, I used to not agree with the Baden Powel Scouts approach for picking the SPL. The SM picks the SPL and leaves him there for as long as he/she wants. It bothered me that the scouts didn't pick their leader. But, as I found, only a small percentage of the population have leadership qualities. So, why not put them where they will grow the most and skip the part of them trying to get elected. The SPL still has to fill the other positions of responsibility, so that doesn't change. Each scout will get their chance to test the waters of leadership if they want. I don't know, I would like to give style of selection a try and see how works. Barry

Not get elected can hurt feelings to, but that is another lesson I guess. I have no trouble with it. Barry

Correct, they guy with the cone hat is in a suit.

In my mind, not a biggie if the process enhances the objective of growth. Many times however, these changes are done to make the program easier for the adults to manage. Meaning, more adult led. Also, following published guides tends to prevent confusion down the road with big leadership changes. I once observed a program where the SPL was elected every year instead of every six months. I found the SPL's more mature because they had six months to learn and six months to use what they learned. I proposed that idea to our PLC and I was voted down. Why change a good thing was their response. Our older scouts tended to age out, so I put them in pretty responsible JASM positions to achieve continued growth from a different approach. But, I still like that 1 year SPL program. Barry

I didn't know about the LDS units, That makes a lot of sense. And, may also be why one year is used as the time limit. What I mean is I learned over the years that the majority of scouts who leave the program in their first year quit being active after summer camp. I started teaching that new scouts who stay active after their first summer camp will likely stay active for at least 3 years. But, I believe summer camp caps off the scouts impression of his scouting experience determines his future in the program. Of course they aren't officially dropped until the signup a year later. Barry

Thinking about the Chief Scout idea, I wonder if it should be a National authorization by an un-corruptible 3rd party. The scouter has to apply for it with a resume and proof of legitimacy. A national 3rd party could maintain quality control to hold the authorization's integrity. Maybe the authorization should only last while the scouter is registered. I would be interested in being part of something like that. Barry

Wonderful. I could see either a good idea. But the adult should get a really cool hat. Barry

Are we talking about youth or adult? Barry