Plan for Nephew to Earn Eagle Merit Badges

[Krampus]

@@UncleP, also be sure to check with the Cub Scout unit, or district or even council for "scholarships" that can help your nephew. Many units, districts and councils provide financial support for families who cannot afford uniforms or going to day camp/summer camp. When he hits Boy Scouts, may camps have financial aid for underprivileged scouts.

 

Of course, many units also have fund raising programs too, so the scouts can learn to pay their way through their own work.

 

Together both mechanisms can help teach your nephew valuable lessons on his trail through Scouting. Good luck!

[SSScout]

"Be There" for him,  call him up periodically, include the parents in your plans and such . They may even welcome your "in loco parentis" taking over , for whatever dynamic is involved.  Their loss.  

 

Be like Harry Truman, who was once asked his advice for parents for the success of their children. He reportedly advised that the parents should find out what the child likes to do and , so long as it was not life threatening, encourage them in it.

 

Buen Camino!

[UncleP]

I sure hope so!!!   When I first read it it was like the kid who walked the full length of the classroom with his fingernails on the chalk board!

 

Hedgehog was correct, I meant encouraging him when he thinks about quiting.  It will b his decision, but I can always ask him to give it another month or two for his uncle.

[UncleP]

@@UncleP, also be sure to check with the Cub Scout unit, or district or even council for "scholarships" that can help your nephew. Many units, districts and councils provide financial support for families who cannot afford uniforms or going to day camp/summer camp. When he hits Boy Scouts, may camps have financial aid for underprivileged scouts.

 

Of course, many units also have fund raising programs too, so the scouts can learn to pay their way through their own work.

 

Together both mechanisms can help teach your nephew valuable lessons on his trail through Scouting. Good luck!

 

Thank you for the suggestion.  I can meet his expenses for him, and I would not want to take funds away from someone else.  He has enough obstacles already, he does not need any more.

 

You did give me a good idea though.  To thank everyone for their help, I went to the San Francisco Bay Area Council webpage and made a donation.  In the comments, I requested that if possible the funds be used to pay the expenses of a boy who wants to be a scout, but cannot afford it.

 

PS - Speaking as a computer geek, they have a terrible website.

[UncleP]

"Be There" for him,  call him up periodically, include the parents in your plans and such . They may even welcome your "in loco parentis" taking over , for whatever dynamic is involved.  Their loss.  

 

Be like Harry Truman, who was once asked his advice for parents for the success of their children. He reportedly advised that the parents should find out what the child likes to do and , so long as it was not life threatening, encourage them in it.

 

Buen Camino!

 

Thank you I will be there for him.

[MattR]

@@UncleP, your nephew is fortunate to have you around.

 

I wouldn't wait until he's discouraged before you encourage him. You can encourage him greatly by taking an interest in what he's doing. If you want him to have fun then join him on a few campouts. Few scouts make it on their own. Ask him questions. Get him to talk. Be there at court of honors when he receives things. Just knowing that you care about his progress and fun and adventure, and that scouting is important to you will help him. If you know how he's doing then when he runs into problems, which he will, you might be able to ask the right questions to get him to solve his own problems. That's what scouts is about. BTW, all this showing interest and supporting someone is what leadership is about. I hope you stick around this forum and keep us up to date. Good luck.

[scoutldr]

Keep in mind...Scouting is about the journey, not the Eagle.  Advancement is a byproduct of the program.

[John-in-KC]

Welcome @@UncleP

 

I'm with others here.  If you are the man in your nephew's life, and I assume you are, focus him on the basics:  Learning to sleep under the stars, learning to hike, becoming physically fit, learning first aid, learning to cook.

 

To my mind, all of those are essential skills for adulthood.  Learning them in the grand game is a great way to develop them (BTW, last night I did steaks on the grill, a skill from my own Scouting time nearly a half century ago).

 

If I had to rank order the skills I learned as a youth, they'd be...

 

- Fieldcraft (cooking, camping, hiking).

- Aquatics (swimming and lifesaving).

- First Aid.

 

If he masters these three areas, and the unit does a lot of quality camping, he'll be hooked on Scouting for life.  Then, it's truly not a race, but a journey.

 

Let him find the main road, as well as all the byways.  Scouting has a lot of great byways.  They're worth exploring and enjoying.

[John-in-KC]

Weeeeellllllllllll.....

 

It is not a byproduct, it is a method, and it's the method the National Council places lots of resources onto.

 

That said, advancement is designed to happen naturally, not as a forced march.

Keep in mind...Scouting is about the journey, not the Eagle.  Advancement is a byproduct of the program.

[Tampa Turtle]

If he goes to summer camp with a good first year program and participates with everything with a good Troop he'll advance quick enough. I'd recommend some of those 1st merit badges be of use for adventures--i.e. start of Camping and First Aid merit badges from the start.

[Beavah]

Yah, @@UncleP, welcome, eh?

 

Lots of folks serve as Scoutmasters on a lad's trail of life, eh?   Each of 'em a reflection of the Great Scoutmaster for all of us.   Thank yeh for bein' that for your nephew.   Uncles and grandparents are special people.

 

I think your short revised list is great, eh?  I'd add only one thing to it, perhaps... magazines.

 

The lad seems to be a reader, eh?  Readers are wonderful people, because they can learn from da stories and experiences of others.   Scoutin' should hopefully give him a set of folks to practice that learning and show it off in the real world, eh?  Friends to share stories with.

 

But yeh can help with an occasional book or magazine to help fuel the fire, eh?   Boys' Life is sorta rinky-dink.  Consider Outside, or Backpacker.  Along the way, maybe a different specialty one like Canoe & Kayak or Rock & Ice.   Keeps his interest up and gives him somethin' to share with other boys to help break down da social barriers.  

 

Welcome to the fun of Scoutin'.   I think your nephew should do fine.  I know a bunch of troops that would welcome him and where he'd be a good fit.  As @@Hedgehog says, Scouting is often full of bright, quirky kids and adults.    

 

For the first year, my only other advice is to keep him comin'.  Boys learn and make friends by doin' things together eh?   So da only way it works is if they actually come out a lot and do things together.   There'll be initial caution on his part, occasional reluctance, perhaps a hard incident or two that takes the wind out of his sails briefly.   That's kids, and that's life, eh?   Be there, and just keep him comin'.   If it gets to da point where that ain't workin', let the troop leaders know, eh?  Sometimes it's easier if they or the other scoutin' boys pull rather than have you push.

 

At some point, he'll make it his own and then yeh won't be able to keep him away.

 

Beavah

[meyerc13]

Lots of good advice here.  I was the quiet, shy kid growing up.  In one of my Freshman classes I was so anxious about giving a presentation that I became physically ill and couldn't go to school that day.  I loved to read, and if I wasn't reading I was probably playing around with my computers (back when they were still rare enough that there was one per classroom and most households didn't have one).  I didn't play sports, except for one year of Soccer where I most likely only made the team because they needed more bodies to fill the field.

 

For me, Scouting was my one extracurricular activity.  I liked camping and cooking, but more than that Scouting was about hanging around with other guys my age who also liked those things.  Looking back, a few of the athletic types crossed over from Webelos to Boy Scouts, but those guys didn't stick with it until they were 18.  The guys who stuck with the Troop were the oddballs like me.  So I suspect your nephew will fit right in if he likes the outdoors.

 

I didn't start Scouting with any plan other than to learn more about Scouting and being outdoors.  Along the way I learned a whole bunch of other stuff, some of it I didn't even realize I learned until years later when I looked back.  Somewhere along the way I checked off enough requirements to earn Eagle, and squeezed in my Board of Review right before I turned 18 (we're talking days).

 

As others have said, don't confuse management with leadership.  I know lots of people who think they are leaders, but most of the time if you think that you probably aren't.  Some people who have worked for me think I'm a good leader, and some of the more perceptive leaders in my organization also noticed that (although many of those who think they are leaders don't think I am because I'm not out there taking credit for what my team gets done, nor am I shouting my praises for all to hear, nor am I stabbing my peers in the back to get ahead.  Apparently some folks think those are good leadership qualities, but luckily most Scouts I've met would disagree.

 

You sound like a good Uncle, and I suspect some day your nephew will look back on you as a key mentor in his life.  Encourage him to give Scouting a try, but tell him to forget about Eagle.  If he wants to set a goal, make it something like "Go camping every month of the year" or something like that.  If he does that type of thing, the Eagle requirements will sneak in along the way.

[UncleP]

Yah, @@UncleP, welcome, eh?

 

Lots of folks serve as Scoutmasters on a lad's trail of life, eh?   Each of 'em a reflection of the Great Scoutmaster for all of us.   Thank yeh for bein' that for your nephew.   Uncles and grandparents are special people.

 

I think your short revised list is great, eh?  I'd add only one thing to it, perhaps... magazines.

 

The lad seems to be a reader, eh?  Readers are wonderful people, because they can learn from da stories and experiences of others.   Scoutin' should hopefully give him a set of folks to practice that learning and show it off in the real world, eh?  Friends to share stories with.

 

But yeh can help with an occasional book or magazine to help fuel the fire, eh?   Boys' Life is sorta rinky-dink.  Consider Outside, or Backpacker.  Along the way, maybe a different specialty one like Canoe & Kayak or Rock & Ice.   Keeps his interest up and gives him somethin' to share with other boys to help break down da social barriers.  

 

Welcome to the fun of Scoutin'.   I think your nephew should do fine.  I know a bunch of troops that would welcome him and where he'd be a good fit.  As @@Hedgehog says, Scouting is often full of bright, quirky kids and adults.    

 

For the first year, my only other advice is to keep him comin'.  Boys learn and make friends by doin' things together eh?   So da only way it works is if they actually come out a lot and do things together.   There'll be initial caution on his part, occasional reluctance, perhaps a hard incident or two that takes the wind out of his sails briefly.   That's kids, and that's life, eh?   Be there, and just keep him comin'.   If it gets to da point where that ain't workin', let the troop leaders know, eh?  Sometimes it's easier if they or the other scoutin' boys pull rather than have you push.

 

At some point, he'll make it his own and then yeh won't be able to keep him away.

 

Beavah

 

Thank you for the advise.  I was thinking about getting my nephew the book "Eagle on Ice" about Eagle Scout Paul Siple going with Admiral Byrd to the Antarctic.  I decided not to, because reading about an over achiever, like Siple, might feed the wrong fires. 

 

I have ordered the handbook from "Amazon", so he can start to look at it.

[UncleP]

Lots of good advice here.  I was the quiet, shy kid growing up.  In one of my Freshman classes I was so anxious about giving a presentation that I became physically ill and couldn't go to school that day.  I loved to read, and if I wasn't reading I was probably playing around with my computers (back when they were still rare enough that there was one per classroom and most households didn't have one).  I didn't play sports, except for one year of Soccer where I most likely only made the team because they needed more bodies to fill the field.

 

For me, Scouting was my one extracurricular activity.  I liked camping and cooking, but more than that Scouting was about hanging around with other guys my age who also liked those things.  Looking back, a few of the athletic types crossed over from Webelos to Boy Scouts, but those guys didn't stick with it until they were 18.  The guys who stuck with the Troop were the oddballs like me.  So I suspect your nephew will fit right in if he likes the outdoors.

 

I didn't start Scouting with any plan other than to learn more about Scouting and being outdoors.  Along the way I learned a whole bunch of other stuff, some of it I didn't even realize I learned until years later when I looked back.  Somewhere along the way I checked off enough requirements to earn Eagle, and squeezed in my Board of Review right before I turned 18 (we're talking days).

 

As others have said, don't confuse management with leadership.  I know lots of people who think they are leaders, but most of the time if you think that you probably aren't.  Some people who have worked for me think I'm a good leader, and some of the more perceptive leaders in my organization also noticed that (although many of those who think they are leaders don't think I am because I'm not out there taking credit for what my team gets done, nor am I shouting my praises for all to hear, nor am I stabbing my peers in the back to get ahead.  Apparently some folks think those are good leadership qualities, but luckily most Scouts I've met would disagree.

 

You sound like a good Uncle, and I suspect some day your nephew will look back on you as a key mentor in his life.  Encourage him to give Scouting a try, but tell him to forget about Eagle.  If he wants to set a goal, make it something like "Go camping every month of the year" or something like that.  If he does that type of thing, the Eagle requirements will sneak in along the way.

 

Thank you for your input.  I have told my nephew to do just as you say - to concentrate on the outdoors and fun.  He is worried about all the merit badges, but I told him they will come.

 

To tell the truth I do not see how camping and hiking will help him get all those citizenship badges, but you could fill libraries with all the material I do not understand.  In the long run all that matters is that he have fun.

[qwazse]

... To tell the truth I do not see how camping and hiking will help him get all those citizenship badges, but you could fill libraries with all the material I do not understand.  In the long run all that matters is that he have fun.

Those pencil and paper badges are not nearly as complicated as they seem ... especially for an avid reader. There is plenty of time between camping weekends to work on them.

As far as the outdoor activities themselves ... they give a boy a microcosm to practically work out what it means to be a good citizen.