Relevancy

[Eamonn]

I really have never had much dealings with the GSUSA.

I agree whole-heartedly with the statement:

" "prepare every youth in America to become responsible, participating citizens and leaders who are guided by the Scout Oath and Law." To recruit quality leadership, adequately fund programs, invite youth from all backgrounds to join, and offer a fun and exciting program, and to help ordinary young people become extraordinary adults."

Have to admit it kinda sounds very much like the BSA Mission statement.

I'm not going to try and answer:

" Should BSA, with their decline in membership, investigate what they could do to be MORE RELEVANT? "

In part because I don't agree that the relevance and membership are really linked.

The question of what is and what isn't relevant? To my mind can't be easily answered.

What might be relevant to me, might be totally ill-relevant to someone else to someone else.

Things, places, ideas that were once very relevant (important?) can change, even over a very short time span.

Isn't part of our job as Scouter's to help each individual Scout find what is relevant to him /her and come up with a program that holds the interest of the Scout and becomes more relevant.

Our Sea Scouts who are or have been Boy Scouts have said that knots and rope work seem far more important in Sea Scouting than they were in Boy Scouting.

I'm not a great lover of wearing neckerchiefs, but you bet I'm proud of my necker from the 17th, my world jamboree necker and my WB necker.

Watching TV, I bet the people on the Island wished they knew more about fire by friction?

I like to think that the core values of Scouting and the BSA will remain relevant.

Sure some Scouter's at times can't see the forest for the trees and dwell on the small stuff. Back when I was a Scout, it seemed the Scouts with long hair were going to lead us to some-place that defiantly wasn't the happy land! A great pal of mine is never going to forgive the team that put the new WB course together, because they use power point!!

At present the Sea Scouts in the Ship have a diverse area of interests, while we follow the Sea Scout program using the Sea Scout manual, the Scouts choose what is relevant to them and I see my role as helping them develop their interests and find new ones.

Eamonn.

 

[Gonzo1]

Eamonn,

I too haven't much to do with GSUSA except for buying Thin Mints from a girl at church.

 

I used to never really think much about the Character Development part of BSA until my oldest daughter got in trouble recently. Her mother and I have been divorced for 16 years - we're both married to different people now. I tried to get her into Brownies and Girls Scouts, but the ex-wife wouldn't have much to do with it, it took too much time I guess. About 7 or 8 months ago, my oldest girl, now 20, started running with the wrong crowd. She met a crack & meth smoking dirt bag, got pregnant and then married at the court house (only the ex was present) who eventually stole a large amount of money from the ex. They both got arrested 3 weeks ago. I bailed her out, but because the dirt bag has 3 prior felony convictions and was on 10 years probation, he's still in the county jail.

 

So in the end, I think the Character Development part of BSA (and hopefully GSUSA) is relevant, maybe now more than ever with all the bad things out there. I know that I have never been in trouble with the law, never taken illegal drugs, no DUI's, etc. due in large part to having been a Scout.

 

 

[SemperParatus]

The societal culture (relevancy) is a sine curve. Boy scouts is the x-axis. Often they are far apart, but inevitably they intersect again and again and again. The girl scouts always seem to be trying to follow the sine curve, but seem to be forever a step behind. That's it for today's math lesson.

[Eamonn]

I really wasn't talking about the Girl Scouts.

I was trying to say that what is relevant to someone might not be to someone else.

If we say that we are going to make something more relevant.

Are we in fact saying that something no longer has relevance?

This is the case in the Sea Scout manual where it talks about the Radio Operators Permit.

Back when I was a SM in London, Scouts had to know the locations of where public phones were. In this day and age with so many cell phones that is no longer as important as it once was.

Then we have to look at what is relevant to who/ whom?

Some things to my mind would always remain on the list: Citizenship, Physical fitness, Leadership, the Oath and Law.

I suppose there is a temptation to follow trends. This can be a big mistake as trends come and go.

Eamonn.