Scouting must continue to offer an attractive program 'that is relevant to kids today.'"

[brianbuf]

The new president of the BSA, on page 36 of this months Scouting magazine, was quoted as saying "Scouting must continue to offer an attractive program 'that is relevant to kids today.'"

 

What changes do you think he is going to make to keep scouting relevant to kids today, if any?

 

 

[kraut-60]

I could see them adding merit badges in the subject areas of video gaming and game design. These are the two areas I see my own son the most involved in if the opportunity were there.

 

I think the program has constantly underwent changes, more than a few MB's are no longer offered as they are no longer relevant or popular in todays society.

 

However I caution you not to reinvent the wheel. In my days as a Scout, no one then a scout would wear his uniform to school, except as a 2nd or 3rd grader on picture day. No other school sports/band/etc groups have their members wear their uniforms EXCEPT when required for PARTICIPATING in their respective activities.

 

As a boy, I was proud of the BSA uniforms, even though they were very different from the popular styles of the day. If we were to change the uniform for every new generation we'd be getting new styles nearly every other year. Thrifty it would not be!

 

Perhaps lifting the ban on paint-ball, or motorsports would increase participation, but I believe these issues are connected to the insurance and liability aspect and that the BSA wont place itself in that particular jeopardy considering the tort-happy legal environment we have let flourish... money for nothing!

 

BP wrote a book on scouting, it wasnt originally intended for boys, but after he returned to England and found it was very popular with the boys of that time, he then went on to title it as Scouting for Boys.

 

Lets not forget that the time scouting was born into was not one where children had the distractions and the lack of parenting we find all too prevalent today here in the good old USA. Those boys then grabbed onto BP's ideas as something interesting to do. Much the same as boys today will.

 

The BSA really isnt broken, so lets watch what we fix. Scouting had enough of a black eye when they tossed Bill Hillcourts ways out in an ill-advised attempt to attract urban youth, and it failed.

 

Scouting would best to follow the Scout oath and law as its guideposts. Tell the truth in regards to numbers and avoid starting new units when combing existing ones would be a better option.

[Fuzzy Bear]

I can see them adding go-carting and amusement parking. These would be relevant and exciting. Kids could camp out on Tom Sawyer's island as an adventure and then ride the "river boat". Next, they could ride the big round boat down the dangerous river with lots of water splashing all over them. Don't forget the runaway Mine Train either. One MB could be offered with each ride. A weekend pass would include fun and plenty of hotdogs, a staple kids love. Enough can't be said about Go-carting. They could ride and race them all weekend long. The parents could come out for a Tail-gate party with lots of hotdogs all around.

 

What about soccer teams instead of Troops. They could simply wear their uniforms to the meeting and then go straight over to their regular soccer Team practice without even changing or maybe having the meeting on the same practice field. I can see band practice instead of Patrol meetings. There would be a symphony every other month. It would be cheaper because they would only have to pay for lessons one time.

 

We need to do away with Tenderfoot Second class Eagle, etc. These terms are outmoded and unnecessary because it shows that there are distinctions between people. Kids would just simply be called kids and having fun would be the goal.

 

When kids are out of school, they do not want to burdened with learning things. Meetings would be planned by parents over email. They would just show up at whatever activity that the group thinks will draw the biggest crowd and everyone will then have a blast.

 

The D.E. would be expected to scout-out any activity that kids may find interesting such as Mall walking or driving around town and eating at the D.Q. I can think of plenty of things kids love to do. Right now, Scouting keeps them restricted and they can't cell-phone enough. By the way that could be a great new badge. It would have a picture of one of the fancy ones with fake diamonds and that takes pictures of people in compromising positions which might be a great idea for a National website for the "Kids".

 

Dont get me started.

 

[GernBlansten]

BSA has historically adapted to current social norms. In the 1970s, they abolish segregated troops by race. It was due to the public perception that racism was wrong, and any group that allowed it was bad. Smart move in my mind.

[FScouter]

"Dont get me started. "

Sheesh, what would you be like full bore?!

 

I can't help but think that those that want to "fix" Scouting, and those that quit, and those that decline to join, just don't understand the Aims of Scouting, and the Mission of Scouting. It is not an indication of the irrelevance of Scouting today, but rather a clear reflection of the degradation of the values of today's society.

[Eamonn]

I don't see the President making any changes, that's not his job, we have a lot of volunteers serving on the National Council that do that.

If we the adults are serving the youth by treating them as individuals and tailoring the program to suit each individual, I fail to see how the the program wouldn't be attractive and relevant?

I think if I thought what I was doing with the Scouts was irrelevant I'd be wasting my time and wouldn't do it anymore.

If the program was not attractive the Scouts would see it as a waste of time and wouldn't participate in it.

Can new things be added? Of course. Can some things be changed? Of course.

Do I need a 100 page memo to add new activities or change the way that I do things? I don't think so.

Scouting is like cooking an omelet, the eggs are the basics found in the Oath and Law, but the filling can be what ever you want.

Of course some people don't like eggs so they don't join. Some people are on special diets and we can make special omelets for them.

Eamonn.

[brianbuf]

 

Fuzzy Bear, sounds like you are having a bad day. Hope your posts are better in the future. But thanks for reading.

[Crew21_Adv]

Fellow Scouters,

 

Greetings!

 

I believe that Scouting is moving towards some of these new sports, hobbies and professions that interest our youth for today.

 

Just like many of our schools, school districts, the various states Dept of Education and the Federal Dept of Education.

They (and we) should not run head into a curriculum or sport without research the credentials and safety records. But only after observing the safety procedures of emerging sports and recreational events, and conducting risk assessments; then should proceed with creating newly established Belt Loops, Activity Pins, Merit Badges and Varisty Pins.

 

If you take a look within the Varsity Program Planning handbooks and the Venturing Handbook and Venturing Quest Award and also the G2SS Age Appropriate Activities, there are some sports that were considered high risk to injury years ago, but with safety procedures and equipment we can now recognize our youth with these accomplishments (i.e. Snorkeling, Scuba, Freestyle Bicycling, Caving, Whitewater Canoeing, Snowboarding, Surfing, Tubing, Rollerblades, and Motorized Off Road Bikes)

 

While I'm not excited over the Bee Keeping Merit Badge, I am happy that there is now Cinematography and Computers Merit Badges. I enjoy that the Climbing Merit Badge now has climbing towers and artificial climbing walls.

 

Talk about the new Composite Materials Merit Badge, my son can shape his own surf board, and get a Composite Material MB along the way!! I call that relevant!

 

The entire speech that Rick Cronk gave was pretty good.. "Scouting must continue to offer an attractive program...But we should be more stalwart than those proverbial reeds blowing in the wind ..."

 

Should we offer change.. yes, when it does benefit all our Scouts. We have constantly been changing for nearly 100 years already. Should we get rid of tradition. Heck no.. With respect to leave no trace, I just can imagine sitting around a flashlight drinking hot chocolate. (Besides, the Mrs likes the smell of wood smoke, or so she tells me)

 

Meanwhile, I am content to wait for the BSA legal, risk assessment, professional teachers, recreational specialist and the handbook and merit badge committees to review their programs and offer an attractive program that is relevant to kids today. I trust their judgement that the a good blend of new challenging programs and traditional programs will excite all our Scouts.

 

Finally, I believe at Walt Disney World Amusement Parks Scout Troops (BSA, GSUSA, and schools) can preregister for the Youth Education Series (teachers and merit badge counselors). While learning many of the Science and Agribusiness merit badges, they can learn and have fun in an attractive program. I can't wait to book our Troop there!!

 

While there is not quiet a RollerCoaster Merit Badge yet, Scouts can earn a Space Exploration Merit Badge and learn about physics while riding the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disney World. How attractive is that?

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv

 

 

[evmori]

Rename the ranks Elmo, Halo, Slipknot, Ozzie, Paris & Trump. Only need a couple of requirements for each one. Why make the boys actually do anything? Add Video Gaming as a MB & have the minimum hours required as 8 per day for 30 days. Might as well make watching TV a service project, too.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[Fuzzy Bear]

Brian,

I am having a great day! I am right there with you.

 

Ed,

TV watching, why didn't I think of that?

As a follow-up though, I think that knowing and singing TV jingles should be an added MB and all nursrey rhymes should be thrown out the window, out the window...

 

 

[SR540Beaver]

Can I see a show of hands for the Cellular MB to go with those Gaming and TV watching MB's?

 

I'm currently working on the curriculum for the Piercing and Tattooing MB's.

[gwd-scouter]

Don't need to make a new MB for TV jingles, just change the requirements for music MB.

 

Actually, I don't remember anything in the music MB that describes the type of music you must sing or play or describe. So, I guess we already have a video game tune/TV theme song area covered.

 

Instead of TV, cell phone, video game merit badges, let's just update the electronics merit badge. :-)

 

[evmori]

Add cell phones to the Communications MB. Have requirements to send & receive text messages, take & send pictures & send an entire text message without actually spelling out an entire word!

 

This is too much fun!

 

Instead of an Eagle Project, it could be a video game contest where a boy would have to score above a certain score on a video game without using any cheats!

 

Too cool!

 

Ed "Scouting, huh??" Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[GernBlansten]

Stellar idea Ed.

Amend the scout oath to say, "On my honor, I will not use cheats"

[msnowman]

Gern that would knock my Boy Scout out. One of the biggest pushes for him to want to learn to read was because nobody would read the cheats for him....(wow, was 4 really that long ago?) He gets a new game and immediately has to find every cheat he can for it.

 

As an aside - would adding Video Game Design or something along those lines really be such a bad merit badge? Not game playing, but the "writing and debugging" programming aspect? Okay - so perhaps it would be but right now I can't see how.

 

YiS

Michelle