Scout who leave scouting

[Mafaking]

 

Boy scouts who leave scouting at the first class and star ranks, what are the odds that they will come back to scouting? 1-100, 1-50, 1-20, 1-5, 1-2?

[Liz]

I don't know about boys who leave Scouting entirely. I have never seen one of those come back, but I don't have a ton of experience. I HAVE seen boys lose interest and be frequently absent for a while, only to regain interest later. My own son is one of these. He wanted to quit scouting, and I told him he couldn't -- but that he didn't have to go to meetings or outings if he didn't want to. Well, I didn't exactly tell him he couldn't, I just reminded him that he couldn't stay in OA if he quit scouting (for reasons I don't fully understand, he didn't lose interest in OA). After about 6 months he started going to meetings again, and shortly after that he started going on outings again. He just finished a year as PL and was voted in as Troop Guide last week, and is starting to take inventory of his merit badge requirements and forming a plan to start moving along in ranks again.

 

I don't have such detailed information about other boys, but I HAVE seen boys in our troop go through "cold" periods where they just seem to disappear for a while, and then they come back again. I haven't seen any yet who have kind of faded away who haven't come back -- but the ones who come right out and say they're quitting have not come back.

 

-Liz

[frank10]

I'll take 1 in 20.

[BulldogBlitz]

how is "come back to scouting" defined? come back as a scout? 1-100. come back as an adult? i'll take 1-50. coming back as an adult depends greatly upon their son's involvement though, I'm not sure i've met anyone who got bored with the program at first class who came back without a vested interest.

[Charlie13]

Mostly depends on "deepness" of scouting experiences and their friends in scouting as well as a time of being in unit. Aproximately 1-10.

[allangr1024]

I see two groups represented here: boys who drop out but remain registered, and boys who drop out and do not re-register.

 

Of the first group, boys 15 or under may leave for other activities such as sports or other youth programs (4H, ROTC, marching band, church youth group) and they may come back when the season is over for the other program.

 

Boys over 15 may come back to finish Eagle rank before their 18th birthday, eyeing college admissions, scholarships, and higher ranks in military service, where Eagle would be helpful. I think this group would consist of boys very active at age 13, and got to star or life rank.

 

Of the second group, I think these are boys who never took to scouting, and left when their parents said they could. I think these are the most unlikely to return.

 

I have 3 boys, 21, 19, and 16. The first dropped out at 16 and never came back. The second droped out at 16, but came back at 17 and earned Eagle on the day before he turned 18. The third droped out, I did not register him again, and he is asking if it would be a good idea to come back and get Eagle, for Scholarships for college. Each of my kids gave it 3 to 4 years, and I did scouting with them. I would not keep them in if they did not want to be there. I have fond memories of scouting as a kid, and I want them to remember scouting as a fun thing, not a drag.

 

I bet that if a scoutmaster talked to the boys who are dropped out, from both groups, he may persuade some to come back. It depends on whether he had good repore with them then, and on their goals for the future.

 

 

[AvidSM]

I've had a few boys at star rank leave and come back. I'd say 1 in 10 odds.

[ScoutMomSD]

I think it depends on the cool factor, your location and the leader.

 

At my daughter's middle school, they cant even say they have Walmart clothes without being looked down on. She has Girl Scout shirts (very COOL GS tshirts) and wont wear THOSE to school.

 

Having been to a roundtable, there are scout leaders who seem to have the boys "vibe" and others that are really bordering on pencil neck geeks.

 

Parents are NEVER cool to kids. But the leader affect I am sure if a factor.

[Kudu]

In the past about half of the Boy Scouts that I recruited in the public schools dropped out of Cub Scouts because they hate the scissors and paste. Last year I increased that percentage by convincing the parents of potential recruits that my Troop is NOTHING like Cub Scouts. See:

 

http://inquiry.net/adult/recruiting.htm

 

Boys do not drop out of Scouts because of their peers' opinions. They drop out when adults dumb Boy Scouts down to the Cub Scout level. Some of that is structural, when adults conform to the adult peer-pressure of trainers, Wood Badge experts, and BSA professionals who think it is "cool" to dumb down the Patrol Method to teach business manger work-group theory:

 

"You can teach a kid about character and leadership using aerospace and computers. The secret is to get them side by side with adults of character...We've had CEOs on our board say they want to send their people to Wood Badge, our adult leader training program, because we use state-of-the-art techniques" (Chief Scout Executive Robert Mazzuca on the future of Scouting).

 

Kudu

(This message has been edited by kudu)