Encouraging Scouts to Participate in Leadership

[Bob White]

Well then let's get rid of merit badges because BP didn't have those. And lets get rid of the Star, Life, and Eagle ranks because BP hated those.

Like that is really gonna happen. And lets not instruct scouts on camping technology, B-P had them lash pack frames out of sticks and rope. How dare we sleep in nylon tents.

 

Even the UK program isn't the same as it was in B-P's day. Isn't that correct?

 

How long have we been electing patrol leaders in the BSA Kudu?

 

 

 

[Stosh]

While it is not very practical to go back in time and start running the scout program as it was 100 years ago, there is a lot one can learn from knowing the past.

 

First of all, in order to develop the youth in terms of character and leadership, BP has some pretty good ideas. Well, good enough for the program to maintain itself for 100 years. What he had to say seems to make sense.

 

However, on the other hand, everything evolves, changes, adapts to the changing world in which it exists. That's a good thing too. But one must always be making the same decision each day...do the changes improve the situation?, are they adapting to the needs of the youth?, are they still relevant to the boys?, does the assistance being offered our young boys exist in a vacuum?

 

Scouting has, in some way changed some of it's basic core beliefs and attitudes just enough to cause some to be concerned. Has one made changes to meet the needs of the boys, or have these changes been to be expedient to the world around him? That's always a legitimate question that every generation needs to address. Would going back rekindle some of the original intents, goals, aims that we may have dropped along the way be apropriate? Again, every generation has to address that issue. There will always be those will speak out against such questions who will insist it is only the future is important and the past has nothing to offer. My only premise is: that past is what made the present what it is, and if it's ignored, there is no future.

 

There are those on the forum that seem to draw from previous resources which are often discounted by others. Yet when I look, they make perfect sense because after 19 year, I have seen them work over and over again. It's hard to argue with success. BP had an awful lot to offer this world with his basics for life, it would truly be ashame to ignore them just because we have moved on to the bigger and better of today. I'm not all that sure we are bigger and better than yesterday. The jury's still out.

 

I make opportunities for my boys, it's up to them whether or not they want to be tomorrow's leaders. No matter how much milk get's spilt over the years the cream will always rise to the top. Not everyone will be a leader, and only the individual knows which way they will go.

 

Stosh

 

 

 

[hotdesk]

So after discussing the importance of having a Senior Patrol Leader again as a troop and letting them know of the two options if we don't have an elected Senior Patrol Leader (1) we will cancel troop campouts because there will be no boy leader to plan the program or (2) the Patrol Leaders---3---will serve two month terms as Senior Patrol Leader

 

and pulling a few of our scouts to the side we finally got one, our current ASPL, to run for the position of SPL.

 

With our older scouts we created a High Adventure Patrol for them. The PLC has placed 2 guidelines on this patrol (1) they take more initive in planning the High Adventure activities and (2) they either plan 4 of their own activities during the year or add components for their patrol to our troop activities.

 

The older scouts were more than receptive to the idea.