Musing while chain sawing...

[OldGreyEagle]

So, while I was operating the chain saw today clearing downed trees, I was thinking. What if the BSA got Steven Spielberg (ok, its a fantasy and lets assume he would do it) to do a 60-minute documentary entitled THE BSA TODAY. Commentators in it would include (for fantasy purposes) 5 of your most admired public figures that would explain the BSA Mission statement. Then they would present the goals, and the methods.

 

Now, as hard as it is to believe, part of this fantasy is making all this interesting to the target audience (male 11-13, the Venture edition comes out next year). For this part, Hollywood magic makes it possible. John Williams composes a wondrous soul stirring theme that the youth are humming as they leave the theatre and stream in droves to join the BSA.

 

Existing troops are deluged by applications and boys wanting to be scouts. Parents want to be sure their children are presented with the best possible program. They ask how many of your leaders are trained. They want to know if Boards of Review are done like in the movie, if their kids can actually elect their own leaders, if everything that is presented in the movies, whose script of course was based on the The Book, is the way you do it. Some people here would have to say no, we dont do it by the book because here at Troop XXX, we have a better way. We dont let scouts earn merit badges until some adult who knows nothing about your child decides its time, we dont have scouts elect their own leaders because our SM is too much on a power trip to allow that. Other scouts join because the leaders say the words the parents want to hear, but about 2 months of boring program, and remember that giant sucking sound Ross Perot talked about? Its the sound of youth leaving the program because National made a promise that local units cant provide. The BSA loses all credibility for those parents, the kids and those kids kids.

 

Until we can assure ourselves that the BSA program is offered on a consistent basis, I am not so sure a national publicity program would work. Look at your Troop, look at neighboring Troops, Think of an ad that national might run and think if you could meet the expectaions of the youth who would be influenced by that ad. If we have anyone out there I think they would agree a whiz-bang media campaign is great, but if you have a problem offering a consistent quality product, you are in deep trouble

(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[Prairie_Scouter]

OGE,

Among the many things that BSA does well is training. The training materials are first rate, and most instructors do a decent job of explaining the material to the new leaders. The first thing I always do when we get new leaders is get them signed up for the 1st available training. In addition to that, I make efforts to make sure that new leaders have mentors among the more experienced adults to help them learn their way. We do similar things with our new junior leaders. The hardest thing for some Cub leaders to do when they become Boy Scout leaders to learn to step back and let the boys charge forward, while keeping a loose hand on the reigns. It's a delicate balance that takes awhile to learn, and it usually has to be adjusted from Scout to Scout.

 

Regardless of what the adults might think, in the eyes of the Scouts, Boy Scouts is about camping and outdoor leadership. In that area, I think that there is a lot of continuity across the local units. The teaching of outdoor skills is basic to Scouting, and while some skills, such as lashing, have become more interesting highlights than skills that actually have valuable everyday use, for the most part, the program does a good job of teaching the use of the most modern tools. And, I am always impressed by the importance placed on safety. Visit the rifle range and you'll spend 20 minutes learning safety and 10 minutes shooting. Very well done.

 

So, depending on what part of Scouting you look at, I think there is a good deal of continuity, especially if you look at those parts of the program that are most visible to the Scouts.

[dsteele]

OGE -- While I applaud the results of your musing, may I respectfully suggest that full attention be paid to the chain saw while it is in use? Musing is one thing. Musing with a chain saw in hand is dangerous work at best.

 

I don't disagree that BSA training is excellent on many levels. I do think that we're in danger of becoming as known for our outdoor skills as Girl Scouts are known for selling cookies. BTW -- this isn't a slam against the GSUSA. I'm married to a woman who earned the Gold Award and hold it parallel to the Eagle of the BSA.

 

To me, a Scout who has benefited from the program and benefited societs is the guy who returns the $2.00 over-change given him by a clerk at the store. That demonstrates what we're truly trying to teach . . . the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

 

Anyone can build a fire and many programs teach you how to do it in many different ways.

 

Outdoor skills are important, IMHO, but the values in the Scout Oath and Law are our mission . . . when we have developed those in youth, we have done our job.

 

Fire by friction is cool, but trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent are the pillars of what we do. They are right up there with Duty to God, Duty to Country, and Duty to Others.

 

In the adult world I've seen, "He's a regular Boy Scout" does not refer to lighting a fire on a desk by rubbing the ruler against the stapler. It refers to living the Scout Oath and Law.

 

Unc.

[DugNevius]

Interesting idea, but in a country of... how many millions? is it all that feasable to have a program that is totally universal? There may be a level of continuity to achieve for but total collective of all things seems to be a pipedream. After all, every school doesnt have the same cirriculum, every state doesnt have the same laws, every family doesnt have the same principals and every child doesnt have the same needs, etc etc... As we all know, you cant please anyone and people will all disagree (This website's Issues and Politics not evidence of that?) and so by and large there needs to be flexability with a core as a focus.

[OldGreyEagle]

SO then, Dug, are you saying that a national publciity campaign o n scouting would be a bad idea?

[DugNevius]

No, publicity is always a good thing. Especially since the only national publicity is when guys like Douglas Smith gets into the news. What is publicised would need to be thought out first.

 

Interesting musing to have while cutting wood. When im using a chainsaw im usually thinking "Dont cut off a leg, that will totally cramp your dancing."(This message has been edited by DugNevius)

[Eamonn]

Sad to say I feel that most of the Troops in the District I serve do not live up to the promise made in the Boy Scout Handbook.

I don't think what we do in Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting is rocket science. Venturing might be or could be??

Training is great, training should be the answer, we however have a lot of guys who seem to have adapted the program, adapted the uniform, decided that the methods are good on paper,work at training but are not for them. What I don't understand is how these "Free Thinkers

[Trevorum]

For an organization that is 99% volunteers, I think we do a pretty darn good job of following the book. Think of the tens of thousands of individual units that are spread across every county in every state of the country. While standardized training sets the direction and parameters, there will be an inevitable amount of program wandering by units here and there. Hopefully not too serious, or the Unit Commish and the DE will step in and bring them back to center.

[DugNevius]

Eamon- "I feel that most of the Troops in the District I serve do not live up to the promise made in the Boy Scout Handbook."

 

How so?

 

 

Personally, i think some variety is good. Have a core and build upon it. Not every boy10-18 is the same and having different programs that all teach the same morals and skills allows for more appeal throughout the community. Some troops love to attend Camperees, Jamberees and Winter Klondikes. Our troop would rather do more hard core backpacking, play more sports and be a little bit more competitive then some troops. Another troop in our area never backpacks at all but rather hgead south to the florida keys. Some troops are merit badge mills. Some troops like to eat in a mess hall at summer camp some dont. You will never catch me wearing a red beret but if you like it then thats fine with me. Vareity is the spice of life. Broaden the appeal but keep the core and heart of scouting.

[Laurie]

(This message has been edited by Laurie)

[Fuzzy Bear]

OGE,

 

I have just finished the winter wood cutting myself and will need to sharpen the saw teeth, change the oil and make a few repairs to the saw. I had just dropped one fairly large dead tree and it landed into a nearby tree. I cut it again about four feet off the ground and it swung a little closer to the other tree. I cut it again and again each time trying to get it to fall. It just kept getting closer. Finally I saw that one good push would bring it down, so I laid the saw on the ground and pushed. Sure enough it fell and, of course, it fell right on top of the saw breaking the bar from the bottom housing. It is still usable but my pride in preparedness was broken.

 

I decided it was time for a break so I sat on a large rock and began musing about the BSA, much like you. Sometimes, I think that things are really bad because I am so much more aware and skeptical as an adult than as a youth. I also find individual Scouts all of the time that just need that little extra attention that makes them take off in the program. I find that so many excel in spite of what we do or what we think we should be doing.

 

I recently sat on an Eagle BOR and listened to three Scouts that were the best examples of an Eagle that anybody could possibly find. I was amazed by their intelligence, insight, and adventurous spirit. All these Scouts were so industrious and each had worked right up until they were almost 18

 

I am not trying to say that all is well but things are never all well. Steven S. could make a movie right here today and find so much material to work with and it would all be true. I doubt kids would then march into the arms of Scouting even if it won all of the academy awards for the next year. I know that some kids would find some programs to be less than what they should be but then there are some programs that are more than we could believe. We might even capture the imagination of a number of Scouts that would grow up and become adult Scouters.

 

Well, I could go on but it is time to pick up the pieces of my saw and get on home. The foliage has begun to green and thicken. My work here is done pretty much for the winter. I will get back out in the fall for more of the same. (*I love it.)

 

FB

[Eamonn]

I got cut off !!

Anyway as I was saying

I don't know why these "Free Thinkers" keep doing what they are doing. We do have a couple of really good Troops that do things by the book. These Troops are wearing the full uniform, using the Patrol method and the Scouts are having fun and participating in a program that offers them adventure. These Troops are growing,Lads want to join, meanwhile the "Free Thinkers" are complaining that sports and video games and TV and the kids of today and any other thing that they can think of is at fault.

DugNevius

I think the Welcome To The Boy Scouts Of America page ought to be used a lot more in training's at Roundtable meetings. We have made a promise to the Scouts that join.

We promise Adventure. Sad to say a lot of what some Troops do is about as adventurous as watching the Tellytubbies!! The Scouts never get the opportunity to put the skills they learned or were supposed to learn on the road to First Class to work, these skills are never or only rarely used and become rusty or forgotten. We promise these Scouts a challenge, yet we offer programs where one size fits all. So while there may be a challenge for the little fellow who has just joined, but the program just keeps being the same old same old. Merit Badges ought to be where a Scout challenges himself, yet I visit Troops where the weekly Merit Badge Class is in session, worse still is that the Merit Badges get forgot and are replaced with attendance at these classes being the only requirement. We promise responsibility and yet we have so many Troops that never ever have a PLC meeting. The SPL has standing up at the start of the meeting and doing a lack luster opening as his only responsibility. Troops never give the Scouts the opportunity to be responsible because it's easier not too.

I am in no way saying that we need to clone Scouting programs and have what each Troop does be the same as the one down the road. As long as the Scouts in the Troop (Not the adult leaders)want to go backpacking, thats fine. If however the Troop wants to not go backpacking and the Scouts would like to attend Camporees and that sort of thing, they should be able too.

A little while back I posted that my son was going to Philmont. He was unsure if he wanted to go and do the OA Trail Crew or go with a another Troop. The Troop is one that does Philmont a lot. The Leaders enjoy it. They seem to have forgot that there is more to Scouting than just going to Philmont and worse still they are a very cocky bunch. OJ, is doing the Trail-crew.

If Steven Spielberg were looking for ideas of where to start making the movie I would give him page one of the Boy Scout Handbook.

While I am not a violent fellow, there are a lot of Scoutmasters who would benefit with a couple of whacks from the same book.

Eamonn.

 

[Torveaux]

Applause, unc.

 

musing while chain-sawing does not sound safe

 

I think national publicity would help recruiting at the local level

 

With all of the focus on the 75th anniversary of Cub Scouting, I would expect that National would get some air time, both commercial and expositional (like news programs).

 

 

[Prairie_Scouter]

Eamonn,

I think that most of what you talk about in other troops can be attributed to lack of training and experience. I was fortunate that I had an older son in Boy Scouts, so that by the time my younger son bridged and I became SM, I was familiar with the program and how it differed from Cub Scouting. Many new leaders, I think, consider Boy Scouts to be an extension of Cub Scouts. Beyond that, I think it's just a lack of doing the hard work required to get all things you mention in place; some leaders are not interested in that much effort, or able to provide that much effort for whatever reason. It's very difficult to read into the minds of the Scouts what their interests are, and then fashion the program such that it suits all of them. We have both a "regular" camping program that all our Scouts attend, and a "high adventure" component that's just for the older Scouts. Sometimes that's a different kind of campout, sometimes it's a ski trip, etc, but it's something you earn by doing the work to earn 1st Class. There's a wide spread of interests between 12 year olds and 18 year olds; keeping them all interested is not something everyone is successful at. Add to this the challenge that we do let the Scouts run the troop in every way we possibly can. We provide guidance along the way, but what we do, how we do it, and when, is up to them. I try to set them up for success, but after that, the chips fall wherever they may, mostly.

[DugNevius]

Well Eamonn, how would you propose to fix those issues? And please be more specific then just saying "training", around here that seems to be the easy answer out of a lot of issues.