What happened to Scouting? I've got it figured out!

[Mrjeff]

I was traveling on I-75 and my mind drifted back to the days when I was a Boy Scout.  We climbed, went swimming, chopped down trees, built campsite gateways and lashed together camp gadgets.  We built fires, carved things including our fingers, slept in old canvas rents, played in the rain and snow and even went swimming in our skivies. If we got hurt someone fixed us up and we went back to what we were doing.  We stayed up all night and chased each other through the woods, and most of the time the only adult there was the ole Scoutmaster.  I also remember that our adult leaders were all part of "The Greatest Generation", sure there were a few very young baby boomers around who were JASMs but thats it.  Well, most of the greatest generation have moved on to their final reward and the boomers are all getting long in the teeth and after a while we'll all be gone to.  This leaves the job to X,Y, and Melinianials.   As such Scouting will reflect the values, ideas, social norms and opinions of those who are left to carry on and there's nothing that anyone can do about it.

[Jameson76]

11 hours ago, Mrjeff said:

I was traveling on I-75 and my mind drifted back to the days when I was a Boy Scout.  We climbed, went swimming, chopped down trees, built campsite gateways and lashed together camp gadgets.  We built fires, carved things including our fingers, slept in old canvas rents, played in the rain and snow and even went swimming in our skivies. If we got hurt someone fixed us up and we went back to what we were doing.  We stayed up all night and chased each other through the woods, and most of the time the only adult there was the ole Scoutmaster.  I also remember that our adult leaders were all part of "The Greatest Generation", sure there were a few very young baby boomers around who were JASMs but thats it.  Well, most of the greatest generation have moved on to their final reward and the boomers are all getting long in the teeth and after a while we'll all be gone to.  This leaves the job to X,Y, and Melinianials.   As such Scouting will reflect the values, ideas, social norms and opinions of those who are left to carry on and there's nothing that anyone can do about it.

Interesting thoughts.  Our unit would be considered an "old school" traditional unit.  Camping, hiking, Scouts playing games in the woods, youth led, etc. etc.  Many families are opting for the units that are perhaps more new wave.  What Scout units are becoming is reflective of what the families EXPECT a Scout unit to be now.  That would be a unit that has evolved into Cub Scouts next level.  Dare I say AOL III.  Rather than adventures and challenges to overcome and the Scouts becoming more self assured, the expectations are that the unit will be more like a supervised classroom and leaders sort of run things.  Can't have anything to upset a youth.

While this may work for the 5th - 7th graders, as they may still be able to be sent to Scouts, as the youths get older and want some independence, they just leave Scouts.  Mainly because due to the program not fulfilling expectations of adventure.  For out unit majority of Scouts stay well into High School because they run it and they have fun.  Over 1/2 attain Eagle.  For some of the new wave units, they have a goodly number of 5th - 7th graders, but no real older youth leadership cadre.  Once the Scouts leave they do not go to other units, they leave the program.

Many parents now see the Scouts (the 11 -17 program) not as a 6 to 7 year program that a youth grows into, perhaps a longer term commitment that can be rewarding down the road through the challenges they encounter.  They want a managed club for a couple of a couple of years.  Move in lock step, more check the boxes, some campouts that are safe and heavily supervised and managed.  Can't have any confrontations or demanding situations impede the youth.

Not sure what Scouts BSA will look like in 5 years.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Jameson76

[skeptic]

Sadly, too true today, though we still have the units that do NOT fit that picture.  But, too often, those units are dependent on too few adults that know how to sit in the background with occasional prods.  And that is because they were not allowed to function in that manner.  Add the modern issues with which we have now struggled for more than two decades, and it truly makes it harder.  Yet, the program survives, and on occasion the public actually recognized it for its overall worth, rather than the image too often propagandized by the media and others.  

I recently have thought how fortunate I have been that few of the negatives have largely affected my century+ unit, but as I have aged, and the needed YP guides have come into play, I also recognize how lucky I was in a few instances.  When I first took over the unit, still in my thirties, two deep was NOT absolute.  And some of my earliest adventures were with me and a few older youth that were traiining me in some respects.  But we dodged a couple of bullets a few times, and it made me insist that I have at least one other adult with me at all times, not just for transport.  I can pleasantly look back though and honestly boast that I have had a few exceptional men come out of the melee, and many more simply "solid" men with the keen focus.  And that is what we still can do, even though often challenged by the guidelines taken too often to extremes, perhaps.  Balance, one of myu favorite concepts.  But I am soon to enter my last year of my seventies, and maybe my perspective is clouded. ????

[DuctTape]

Those of us in GenX often refer to the boomers as having ignored us, or as latch-key kids needing to raise ourselves. We learned quickly to be independent, and to do things for ourselves. 

Sadly our generation swung the pendulum too far. Not wanting to have the Milennials and Z to "suffer our fate", we overscheduled, hyper-supervised, and bubble-wrapped them.

The lack of youth initiative, letting adults plan/control, etc.. Scouts is a reflection of the greater society. We did it to ourselves.

[Mrjeff]

Unfortunately, another major issue is how people have embraced theidea of suing one another.  If I went on a Scout trip and fell down and broke my arm I went home, explained what happened, got fussed at for doing something stupid and went back with a cast on my arm.  Unfortunatly today the supervising adults could face a law suit, not just to pay the repair bills, but to make the unfortunate youth who was subjected to needless danger and negligent supervision in an environment that should have been known was dangerous and was devoid of any warning labels or cautions that should have been clearly visible in order to protect the poor, uneducated, inexperienced and innocent victim of each and every hazard that could be found and without signing the proper hold harmless and release of liability form, and should therefore be made whole..  For Christmas sake, the kid ran through the woods and fell, breaking his arm, but a lot of people don't think like that and everything is someone's fault, other then their own.   ☹☹☹☹

[BetterWithCheddar]

On 3/13/2023 at 8:46 PM, Mrjeff said:

Unfortunately, another major issue is how people have embraced the idea of suing one another. 

This has to be a big part of it. I'm in my late 30s, having returned to Scouting as a Den Leader. I still put program first, but reducing liability is a close second.