I got this Scouting thing all wrong

[ozemu]

I may be one of those who pushes hard for some Scouts to reach for the highest award available to them.

 

That is because if just one Scout is looking to Eagle the rest get dragged along to a whole raft of stuff that they would otherwise ignore as 'too hard, not fun or a bit embarrassing'. But with the 'one' they get involved, expand their circle of comfort and become a bit more experienced in all sorts of things.

 

Without an emphasis on getting to 'Eagle' (or equivilant high awards) the Troop/Unit will often opt for 'fun' as the default and that does not really help them grow. In fact 'fun' becomes boring and there is not much point in turning up because no particular meeting or camp contributes to anything but 'fun' and that's not really much 'fun' in the long run. Sitting around listening to music and chatting about stuff is what I see many Troops/Units doing without a spark of energy in the middle somewhere.

 

Without a minority going for Eagle, Scouting becomes really hard work for the rest of us. ie adults who lead and guide and Scouts who don't want to get awards.

 

Apart from that single reason for encouraging award work I agree with the other posters here.

 

Many of the Scouts I have walked with have decided not to pursue awards. Some because they were really committed elsewhere and some because home was not good and at Scouts they could relax in a safe place.

 

But...

 

I have watched one young man - a really nice bloke actually who I see often and and am friends with. I watched him influence others to not do things because he was basically a good natured lazy mummy's boy who didn't apply himself to anything. But as the longest serving and almost oldest he had influence. The Troop avoided opportunities to do things, other Scouts became frustrated at the lack of progress and activity and numbers dropped with the Troop's morale. I couldn't figure out what was happening because the influence was exerted when I was absent and he is a really nice young bloke. By the time I found out the root cause the Troop was pretty sick.

 

The point of that story is that there was an emphasis on not trying for Eagle and that was way more a problem than an emphasis on going for Eagle. It's not as if we need 100% Eagles but without the 5% it doesn't work for the 95%.

 

 

[ozemu]

Thinking about my previous post I realise that the youth culture around here and probably in the rest of Australia is all about not trying. Young people are encouraged by peers to not achieve. It is not cool to try hard.

 

I work every day with secondary school aged kids from all over the region. It is a worryingly consistent attitude.

 

I hope it is a passing Australian thing and that my previous post does not reflect the state of young Americans or BSA.

 

Hops - in no way was I criticising you or your reasoning.

 

We, here, need to emphasise the earning of Eagle/Grey Wolf/Adventurer level/Queens Scout/BP Award to support the young people who want to break the mould of the dominant youth culture.

 

This may only apply to northern NSW and Brisbane or, as I suspect, anywhere there is a surf culture.

[hops_scout]

Well it's been over a month since I posted this. I had to release a little bit of frustration because at the moment, the Scouting I get to experience is online. I'm registered back home as an ASM, but not involved with any troop or crew down here at school.

 

Many of you know me on here. Some know me off of here as well. I have had the opportunity to meet Eamonn in person (dang accent made it hard to understand him:)) and I've had the opportunity to correspond back and forth with mk9750. I think they can both tell you if you can't see it in my posts that I don't care what other people think of me. There's one person's opinion that holds any water-- MINE. I listen to others, but I take it all with a grain of salt. I understand one person's values are going to be different than another's.

 

Eagledad, I'll sign off with it right now because I already have had numerous experiences that just thrilled me.. I'll look and if I didn't already tell that story, I'll do so here soon..

 

Here you go.. I LOVE this Scouting stuff.

[Eamonn]

Hops,

You young whippersnapper!!

You can't speak English with an English accent!!

Might I be so bold as to mention that you are the one speaking English with an American accent.

Anyway!!

Talking as an old codger!!

Scouts and Scouting does have its high points and there are low points as well.

We play this game in real time.

Like most things we love, there are times when something or someone will cause you to cry. Be it because they are gone, because they have touched your heart or maybe because they have been harmed or hurt.

I feel blessed that Scouting has given me so very much. So many good and true friends, so many Scouts who have shared their youth with me.

I don't look back or dwell on the lows!!

The joy and laughter far outweighs the lows.

When I'm in "Preaching Mode" I remind the Scouts in the Ship that they will only ever get out of anything what they put in!

Soon I'll be put out to pasture and will join the other old codgers who sit around talking about the good old days. I'm happy to go knowing that people like you and OJ will take my place.

Keep the faith, look for opportunities to have fun, share the fun with others and tell everyone else to go pound salt!!

Eamonn.

(I'll see you in 2010!!)

[Herms]

Keep your chin up Hops and remember the good times in Scouts. I today's society you see too many parents trying to live out their own "preceived" failures through their children. All you have to do is attend a local youth sports event to witness this.

 

Just like you learned in Scouts, take the experience, grow from it and teach it to someone else. It is obvious from your first post that you are headed down the right path in life.

 

Keep Scouting!

[Crew21_Adv]

Hops and fellow Scouters,

 

Greetings!

 

My hats off to the Eagles out there.. But what about Venturing Silver Award Recipients? That is equally hard earned.

 

For our younger crowd, what about the Arrow of Light? I'm glad my boys are all thru that, I just grin and laugh at my Webelos Den Leader buddies. They're Scouting every weekend for nearly two years (and I thought Mrs Crew21 Adv complained that I was never at home on the weekend)

 

I often tell friends during NLE, That Arrow of Light, Venturing Silver Award, and Eagle Scout are by-products of preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law (or Venturing Oath).

 

Now every Scout deserves to earn Eagle Scout. It is hard work thru various achievements of many educational and scouting skills to obtain AOL, Eagle or Silver. But I do not believe it needs to be a "Mountain Everest" extreme challenge. I'm not saying that we should set the bar so low that maybe our Scouts will stumble and trip over it. But reasonable, with as much support (not verbal encouragement, but actual support) to accomplish these tasks.

 

It should be an achievement and an accomplishment. All Scouts should achieve Eagle, every Troop should have a huge flock of Eagles and be proud of it. But any rank that our Scouts walk out the door with; these are all tremendous achievements.

 

At NLE, I give my fellow Scouts my own opinion or "Crew21_Adv'ism". There are quiet a few professionals, executives, doctors and lawyers that were juvenile delinquents. There are maybe just a very small handful of criminals which earned Eagle Scout in their youth. We have no idea what path our Scouts (or even the non-Scouts, all those youth in the community, schools, churches, etc), but hopefully the do grow up to be good people. Ideally, when all our Scouts grow up. They will be physically fit, and they will make good moral choice, they will have a positive character, and fulfill their roles of citizenship.

 

My bottom line, we should encourage our Scouts to set their goal on Eagle, but we all shouldn't loose focus on the way.

 

The focus of preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes.

 

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21_Adv