Help! I'm loosing a boy - Part 2

[ozemu]

Just an update on a previous topic of several weeks ago by the same name.

 

My Troop had 9 Scouts 2 leaders and my wife as parent helper go to Vanuatu for seven days. 5 in accomodation and 2 under tents with the local Scouts. My original post was about a Scout who was fighting the establishement on may different fronts and is going through a negative adolescent period. He was so unpleasent that I was concerned that he would disrupt our trip and that he was not going to return to the Troop after the trip (would have been a blessing really).

 

Following advice from this forum I talked to him and his mother, without pulling any punches, on several occassions prior to departure. While there we held a meeting each night discussing the day, what we learned, how we felt about it all and how we were getting on.

 

The result is that he settled down on day 2 and was reasonable for the remainder of the trip. He has also returned to the Troop ready to take up a soon to be vacant PL slot.

 

Factors that helped:

 

he got on well with an older respected Scout who previously described the problem Scout as an idiot etc

 

he got on well with the ASM who started with us about the time of my original post

 

he was in a very strange place where his only friends were us

 

he was not ridiculed by peers or adults (he never is at Scouts but he may be elsewhere and reacts to any criticism as if we are trying to make him look a fool)

 

he accepted some leadership roles (unpredictable normally)

 

I suspect that being away from mum and dad allowed him to finally bond with us

 

Anyway here's hoping the change is permanent. If so it will be one of very few times that I can say the Scouting ALONE has definately had a significant positive effect. Normally it is not as clear cut.

 

Thanks to all who offered advice to my previous topic - it helped a lot.(This message has been edited by ozemu)

[eisely]

Good for you and good for your scout. An extended outing away from other pressures can work wonders. BP was right.

[yarrow]

Congrats.......looks like he may stay after all. I think in part BP in pert designed the program to support just this kind of boy with a character building influences.

[red feather]

Many hats off to you. This is the perfect example of what adult scouters can do for a young man who needs a different example to follow. Easy scouts are easy, the others are what we volunteer for and are the ones that we will remember and in the big book of scouting Ozemu you just earned a big KACHING!

 

YIS

[ozemu]

Thanks fella's,

 

certainly the experience helped. I'm not sure that it is the panacea that will solve all his problems though. The work done can be undone by his sensitivity to criticism from peers about Scouts, family stuff etc.

 

He is now a PL and loves the importance and is at least accepting the responsibilities. And the journey continues...