Mike Rowe: Death of Boy Scouts?

[qwazse]

59 minutes ago, NJCubScouter said:

Actually, I think I would rather hear that one.  Someone(s) might be getting kicked out of the troop (or not), but at least everyone is going home in one piece.  I have sometimes half-jokingly said that the main role of the adult leaders on a camping trip is to make sure that when we arrive back at the church parking lot on Sunday, we have the same number of kids as when we left.

When I teach scouting safety to youth or or adults, I explain we're trying to bring them as close to their Creator as we can without making it a permanent stay.

Edited May 18, 2018 by qwazse

[Oldscout448]

1 hour ago, mashmaster said:

OMG, my son's first troop the troop guides wouldn't let them cook or light the stoves.   We switched troops.

Well I can understand not letting the new crossovers hook up or light the stoves until they are shown how to do it safely.    

It should also be done on their very first campout.

[mashmaster]

29 minutes ago, Oldscout448 said:

Well I can understand not letting the new crossovers hook up or light the stoves until they are shown how to do it safely.    

It should also be done on their very first campout.

agreed, it was 6 months until they were allowed

 

[SSScout]

Yep. Times and opportunities change.   At age twelve, I was driving a Ford 8N with a scraper blade on the highway to my dad's landscape job..... Nice Saturday morning, ducks, birds, folks expected farm traffic.   Wait for the horn, now... and no twelve year olds driving those combines and tractors around Beltwayland now. 

 

[Gwaihir]

I wonder when we'll take our safe space hysterics to the point where London is, where the mayor is stating publicly no one ever has a need to carry a knife and people get arrested for carrying scissors and screw drivers around in public... 

[Eagledad]

One of the older scout’s teaches woods tools safety on the first new scout camp out each year so the new Scouts can use their knife. We require all new adults attend the class as well, mostly so they see boy run in action.

I remember one new adult was a little perplexed about how the older scout instructor taught knife sharpening. The technique was different from how he learned when he was a scout. He very politely asked the instructor about it and the instructor responded by giving the adult a page number reference in the scout handbook.

You never know how some adults react to these classes, but this adult told me later that he knew his son was in the right troop simply by the way the instructor responded to his question. He said, “I’m an Eagle Scout and I thought I knew everything about scouting and camping. The instructor, on several levels, politely showed me that I still have a lot to learn.”

I didn’t watch the Scouts teach the course because I wanted the new adults to see that I trusted them even in teaching safety. But I sure was proud of him.

Barry

Edited May 18, 2018 by Eagledad

[FireStone]

9 minutes ago, Eagledad said:

One of the older scout’s teaches woods tools safety on the first new scout camp out each year so the new Scouts can use their knife. We require all new adults attend the class as well, mostly so they see boy run in action.

I remember one new adult was a little perplexed about how the older scout instructor taught knife sharpening. The technique was different from how he learned when he was a scout. He very politely asked the instructor about it and the instructor responded by giving the adult a page number reference in the scout handbook.

You never know how some adults react to these classes, but this adult told me later that he knew his son was in the right troop simply by the way the instructor responded to his question. He said, “I’m an Eagle Scout and I thought I knew everything about scouting and camping. The instructor, on several levels, politely showed me that I still have a lot to learn.”

I didn’t watch the Scouts teach the course because I wanted the new adults to see that I trusted them even in teaching safety. But I sure was proud of him.

Barry

I'm learning this same lesson on a regular basis as a new Den Leader. It's amazing how much things change. I just got CPR certified, it's been 20 years since I last did it. I couldn't believe how much has changed even with that.

I am sure that I'm in for many more surprises along the way, finding out that the way I learned things is now quite different. 

[ValleyBoy]

24 minutes ago, Eagledad said:

One of the older scout’s teaches woods tools safety on the first new scout camp out each year so the new Scouts can use their knife. We require all new adults attend the class as well, mostly so they see boy run in action.

I remember one new adult was a little perplexed about how the older scout instructor taught knife sharpening. The technique was different from how he learned when he was a scout. He very politely asked the instructor about it and the instructor responded by giving the adult a page number reference in the scout handbook.

You never know how some adults react to these classes, but this adult told me later that he knew his son was in the right troop simply by the way the instructor responded to his question. He said, “I’m an Eagle Scout and I thought I knew everything about scouting and camping. The instructor, on several levels, politely showed me that I still have a lot to learn.”

I didn’t watch the Scouts teach the course because I wanted the new adults to see that I trusted them even in teaching safety. But I sure was proud of him.

Barry

This old Eagle Scout is still learning new skills inside scouting even after being back in the program for over 15 years.  Or it might be that I am so old now that I have just plain forgot stuff as I have grown older so it now seen new all over again.

[perdidochas]

18 hours ago, Chisos said:

I've never quite got the Swimming/Hiking/Cycling choice.  Swimming just seems so much easier than either of the other two...maybe require swimming for everyone, then a choice of Cycling, Hiking, or (Lifesaving + Mile Swim).

Well, if you can swim, swimming is much easier. If you can't,  it's almost impossible (well, very hard).  That said, I just think we need to get rid of half of the paper pushing MBs.  Anything else is good. 

[perdidochas]

22 hours ago, gblotter said:

Parallel Scout organizations are not what is being implemented. Local troops can remain single-gender, but everything else in BSA (every national, council, district event) is moving to co-ed. Where is the parallel organization?

To me, it's parallel troops which is the primary unit of organization.  The rest is just fluff. 

[perdidochas]

4 hours ago, Oldscout448 said:

Well I can understand not letting the new crossovers hook up or light the stoves until they are shown how to do it safely.    

It should also be done on their very first campout.

I agree with you totally.  They shouldn't be hooking up/lighting stoves and lanterns, until they can do it safely, and they should learn that on their first campout. My sons' troop pretty much did that. 

[perdidochas]

6 hours ago, Oldscout448 said:

Yep, there is a troop about 5 miles away from me that has banned axes,  walking sticks, and only adults are allowed to light stoves.  All in the name of " safety"

I was very much tempted to buy a giant roll of bubble wrap from Costco and hand it to the SM.    

Wow. Now, I do understand banning axes outside of the ax yard, but other than that, I think those leaders need to go to IOLS to learn the safe way to teach the Scouts those things.  As a parent, if that were the case, I would have yanked my boys out of that Troop in an instant, and would have found a real Scout Troop. 

[perdidochas]

22 hours ago, HashTagScouts said:

We need parents to unplug as much as we need the youth to. I have tried for 3 years to get any type of adventure Campout on our calendar (3 day canoe trek, two night backpacking trip, etc.) and I get nothing but pushback from the adults. Kids say they re all for it. For the adults, it is either not their cup of tea (it's so much easier to just sit on your but at a fire, or "big activity" would be to go cast some lines), or they don't want to have to give up their whole weekend (they cannot fathom getting home later than noon on Sunday). So, program devolves to become family oriented. Yes, we'll do a summer trip, where families are invited, and there will be a day of kayaking (flat water, guided, where any 8 year old and his parent can go)- hardly an actual adventure. 

Mike is so right. The wussification is the number one reason more youth are not into Scouting today. As much as the "political" issues bug us adults, the youth generally could care less.

It is hard to do.  When my oldest first joined the Troop,  they never backpacked or did anything but plop camp in the same 5 or 6 spots.  The older Scouts (the ones about to age out) would tell their higher adventure stories--backpacking, canoe camping, etc.  When I became an ASM with the Troop (along with my friend who became a new SM of the Troop), we remedied that.  We encouraged a backpacking trip, a caving trip, canoe trips, etc.  The thing is, it's not like I was experienced in all of those things, I just knew the boys needed more adventure.  The first night I ever backpacked was also the first night my sons had ever backpacked.  We ended up doing 4 backpacking trips in their tenure as Scouts.  Same with caving. I'm not particularly fond of tight spaces, but the boys needed the adventure.

[perdidochas]

5 hours ago, mashmaster said:

OMG, my son's first troop the troop guides wouldn't let them cook or light the stoves.   We switched troops.

I am happy to say that in my sons' troop, the troop guides taught them how to light campstoves and lanterns on their first campout, and how to cook on the campstoves. 

[perdidochas]

5 hours ago, ianwilkins said:

So if you lose one you have to find another?!?!

 

I've always just used the 90% rule. If I can bring 90% of them home, we're doing fine.