Acceptable Community Service

[Bob White]

Joe

An important skill that leaders should practice is reading the scout handbook beyond just the requirements pages.

 

When you follow the page referenced in the service requirement you find this.

 

"The requirements for the Ranks of Star and Life call upon you to give at least 6 hours of service to others. You may complete this requirement on your own or do it along with other members of your patrol, trrop, squad, or team. The project must be approved by the Scoutmaster."

 

The scouts service to his church as an altar boy and cantor is no more "routiune service" than his role as a Sunday School teacher. And besides that "routine labor" element ONLY relates to Eagle projects.

 

Bottom line is if a scout wants to do service for others it is better the scout choose to do it than choose not to do it. That kind of community involvement should be recocognized and encouraged rather than knitpick at what is a project and what isn't.

 

BW

 

[evmori]

I know I read the entire book. And I'd bet most of us do! I was pointing out that

 

1) It is up to the Scoutmaster to decided whether or not to approved the service hours.

 

2) It is up to the Scoutmaster to decided when that approval will take place - before or after.

 

Yeah John, I would hope there would be some consistency. And just as a note, when I was a Scoutmaster, the approval took place before the service hours were completed.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[thebigguy]

I think the reason it is left up to the discretion of the SM, is that there is a vary wide and sometimes differing opinion on exactly who "others" are.

 

 

I would hope that approval comes prior to the project so that we dont have to turn down already completed hours. however if a scout wants to use something he is doing anyway for service time, I would tend to think that maybe that falls under a diffrent catigory. but thats why its left to the scout master to deside, he knows the situation and the boy. the question he must ask is: is this a "project", or is the scout being lazy. we on here can not be the judge of that.

[Gonzo1]

I always like John-in-KC's reply's, he goes right to the chapter and verse!

 

I agree that the Sunday School service is more like a good turn, same for acolyte......

 

A project has a beginning and an end.

 

G

[Venividi]

bigguy wrote: "the question he must ask is: is this a "project", or is the scout being lazy."

 

my anecdote that parallels this: A number of years ago when I was a new scoutmatster, I had a scouts Mom come to me to ask that I accept hours that her son had spent listening to senior citizens tell stories. This was part of a program that a senior citizen center had scheduled to increase interaction between community residents and the center's seniors.

 

After talking with the scout, I did sign off on it, though didn't feel good about it. The scout really was being what could be considered "lazy", though I think it would be better stated as not motiviated.

 

 

[dave.424]

I found this thread very useful. I was looking for info on when volunteering at our District's Cub Scout Day Camp would be appropriate for 2C, Star or Life hours.

 

FYI, my son happens to be an acolyte at our church and it is an integral part of our service and a commitment that I think could be considered. Personally, I'd encourage him to find other ways to get the hours just to get him to do something new and different. However, I don't think it is akin to passing out papers for his Sunday School teacher.

 

Dave

 

 

[fgoodwin]

I would also urge that any Scout taking on a service project for purposes of satisfying rank advancement, not to assume that the SM will approve his hours of service. The Scout should secure his SM's approval before starting any service project.

 

I was at a district camporee a couple of years ago, when the DE asked several Scouts to help set up and put away chairs for an OA Dance Team show. To incent the boys, he said they'd get service credit for it. In total, the Scouts put in about an hour of work each (probably a dozen boys from various troops).

 

I know of at least one SM who refused to give credit to his boys for their work because he had not approved the service in advance, and in any event, it was not the DE's place to make that promise.

 

I thought the SM was being a bit horsey, but technically he was right, and those Scouts learned a lesson that day. Fortunately, it only cost them an hour -- but it could easily have been more.

 

Don't assume, because you know what they say about "assume" . . .