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

[brianbuf]

You guys are really thinking now! We could have a drooling and breaking wind merit badge, a chewing tobacco one, and surfing the net for those bad site mb... ya, you guys are leading this thread down a great road!

 

If some of you want to bury your head in the sand and keep scouting "the way YOU like it" you will watch it dry up around you. Someone above wrote "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. " Scouting is NOT about what we leaders like.

 

Now how about this:

 

I spoke to a staffer at the company that sells the ads in the scout magazine. He works in the ad office in Los Angeles. He said they recently had to rework their ad rates because of a decline in circulation. For Boys Life, it went from 650,000 to 450,000 monthly. All their magazines are down about 30%... they revise their circulation numbers every few years.

 

30% drop in magazine subscriptions! You can explain a 1 year drop as just cleaning up the rolls... but this is a multi-year trend.

 

Scouting is loosing kids... when we need scouting more. Burger King changed their uniform from the 1960's, scouting would be more effective if it updated itself. The numbers don't lie. Keeping things the way WE like is killing the program. But perhaps you think scouting is about what you like.

 

[madmike]

From my experience with scouting when i was "a kid"......

 

the thing that kept me coming to meetings, wasnt the uniform, the eagle rank(even though I did attain it), it was the things we did as a troop, We had a really good set of Adult leaders who kept us doing challenging things on our weekend outings, those alone kept kids coming back week after week.

 

I think boys can put up with some of the trivial issues like the cooking merit badges, and leatherwork class, if they know they are going to do some "fun/cool" stuff.

 

We went on a wild cave trip my 1st year in scouting, did lots of rapelling inside the cave, got very very dirty, and then i was hooked.

 

So I guess what I am trying to say is that the reason for the decline in scouting might not be scouting itself but the program being provided at certain troops might not be appealing, you can still fit in the BSA curriculum and challenge your kids along the way. There are not many groups set up where you can hike 15 miles into the back country of the App. Train one weekend, whitewater raft the next.

 

We had an adult who owned a large amount of land, he had built in a large shooting area in an embankment, we had a "rifle & shotgun" weekend, where we literally had a "blast" but a lot of parents might have a hissy about their son being around fire arms these days, so i dont even know if that allowable these days..

 

Mike

 

BSA Troop 750

[FireKat]

Brian,

Please stop comparing scouts to burger king.  That is a commerical place trying to make money.  Scouts is an origanization trying to build people.

Change to be "cool" or in style is just plain dumb. Have you noticed that disco is making a comeback?

An example of problems with trying to be in style:  Our hospital has been expanding a lot lately and the aparently want to be "stylish".  They have bought high priced picture to replace the inspiration ones that many people liked. But the worst thing, IMO, is their "stylish" furniture.  I have, unfortunatly, had to be in the emergency room a few time reciently and the chairs in the patient waiting area are so uncomfortable that I came close to laying on the floor.  Even people not in pain cannot sit in any comfort.  But, when VIPs tour the place they can show off their up-to-date style.

Focus on the kids not circulation and profits.

FK

P.S. most kids I have talk with do not want any major changes in scouting

[SR540Beaver]

Brian,

 

With all due respect, maybe you are looking for trouble where it doesn't exist rather than thinking that people are sticking their heads in the sand.

 

Scouting occurs at the unit level. The troop I serve is 45 years old. Last year, we had 40 to 45 scouts on the roster. In February/March, we crossed over 20 Webelos. Every single new boy went to summer camp and has already earned Tenderfoot and are well on their way to 2nd Class. I believe our current roster sets at 63. We just did Webelos Woods this past weekend and had 20 Webelos visit who are possibly interested in joining our troop.

 

Why are we successful? Well, we are boy led. We have some traditional outings such as our Turkey cookout in November where we dig a 30 foot long, 4 foot deep and 4 foot wide pit to cook an army of turkeys and invite all of our family members out for a Thanksgiving dinner. Beyond that, the boys choose their monthly activity and where it will be held. A boy is assigned along with an adult mentor to plan each outing down to the minute. We have attended the same outstanding out of council summer camp for the last 3 years. The boys expressed a desire to change camps. We obtained info on every summer camp from each surrounding state and gave it to the boys to use in choosing a new camp. They ended up choosing the same camp for a 4th year because it can't be beat.

 

Earlier this year, we had 4 adult leaders get BSA climbing training and purchased about $2,000 in climbing equipment. Why? The boys wanted to climb and they wanted to climb on more than the towers in camp. The climbing outings are some of the most popular we do....althought we have great attendance at all of our outings.

 

Our troop does a high adventure trip each year. This summer, we sent two crews to Northern Tier where they had a blast. I know because my 13 year old son was in one of the crews.

 

During our annual planning a few months ago, the boys asked to add a spring break ski trip into the mix in addition to summer camp and the annual high adventure trip. It will be considered as a troop activity rather than the monthly outing.

 

The boys decide and the adults facilitate and mentor. Everything we do is within the program delivered by the BSA and within the G2SS.

 

We are having a blast because we choose to follow the program. I'm not sure what it is you think needs to change. Any troop out there can duplicate what we are doing and get the same results. All they need to do is get trained, use the program as designed and get out of the boys way once they open the door for them.

[pargolf44067]

I posted this on another thread, but it seems more appropriate here:

 

I looked at brianbuf's website and there were some interesting ideas, especially regarding updating the merit badges.

 

However, the idea that people will jump to join Scouting because we reference the mammoth from Ice Age instead of Akela and that we make our uniforms look like athletic uniforms is a bit naive.

 

Somewhere else on this forum someone mentioned that they wouldn't wear their uniform to school 30 years ago, so this is not a phenomenon of today. One of the questions asked at the two Boards of Review for my last two Eagles was "Would you wear your uniform to school tomorrow and allow the principal to announce that you made Eagle?" Both of my Eagle Scouts, who are really into Scouting and are good scouts both said no. What this says to me is that even though they wouldn't wear the uniform to school they still want to be in scouts for the fun and the things it teaches them. My son won't wear his uniform to school, but he does wear "Class B" shirts from past summer camps.

 

The "problem" with Scouts today is a combination of things that updating MBs and changing references will do nothing to improve. If a troop or pack is providing an interesting program, the people who are interested in Scouts will participate. Scouts encourages family participation, especially at the Cub level. So many parents today just want to drop their kids off at an event (athletic practice) and then pick them up an hour later that Scouts just isn't conducive to that. Trust me, I coach soccer as well as am a SM and I have seen that.

 

In addition, a lot of parents nowadays, especially dads, look at sports as their child's way to glory as an adult. I appreciate the teamwork and skills that sports teaches. My younger son plays soccer and basketball and is really into both. My older son is into music and plays with the school band, and that teaches a great deal. There are just certain things that scouts teach that these other activities don't. But if a child and/or parent doesn't believe that then changing uniforms and references/icons are not going to change that.

 

Sorry I rambled on.

 

Bill

 

[txscoutdad]

Fuzzy Bear made the comment I believe with 'tounge in cheek" about Soccer Troops. Well I guess he hasn't heard about the "Soccer and Scouting" program tha BSA has launched to target the Hispanic community. Here's the web link for the program.

http://www.soccerandscouting.org/

 

Personally my son and I are active in a very conservative, thriving, large troop. I don't believe that change is enevitable for the continued life of BSA. Baden Powell had a rescipe for scouting and boys clammored for it. Do you think every boy back then thought the new program was the best thing since sliced bread. I doubt it, but the program grew. Just how far can the Scouting program change and still be reconized as somewhat of what BP started. I like using the analogy of the soda fountain machince. There are several BSA programs just like several soda flavors offered. But does every program have to change to make it relevent to the greatest mass of people, wether or not they would ever be interested in joining, just to build the largest BSA organization possible? How much of the core values and mentoring of adult men to boys, on how to be a man of honor and integrity, would have to be sacrificed to build that organization.

 

Also why is it that whenever the talk of boys wearing the uniform to school the focus is on the uniform and nothing about the state of society and schools where fear of being ridiculed for being a decent human being is that great.

 

I reject the often used phrase that "Change is enevitable and if you resit change then you are destined to become extinct".

 

I am not talking about the small changes that come along and past ones that dealt with race intergration. I just don't want to see this thing change so radically open and liberal that I could see our entire troop looking for some other program to offer our boys.

 

 

[kenk]

SR540Beaver said:

 

"The boys decide and the adults facilitate and mentor. Everything we do is within the program delivered by the BSA and within the G2SS."

 

What a great statement!! Especially the first sentence. I'm bringing that to my son's young troop.

 

My son's three-year old troop is going through some "birthing" pains. Rollover of older Scouts and a bit too much decision-making by some adult leaders. This thread has been very helpful to me in my attempt to help make the troop more boy-lead and boy-run. As an assistant scoutmaster I've taken the training and will do what I can to encourage our troop to follow the program.