Can "Scout Spirit" be instilled or are you just born with it?

[NickP412]

i was at one point a Senior Patrol Leader for my troop. i have since became both a OA rep and a Jr. Assistant Scoutmaster. one thing i always wondered was why some kids didnt like scouts, there are about 3-5 kids i can think of right now in my troop who dont like being in scouts but are forced to stay because of there mom and dad. now i know somethings arent for everyone, i for one hated playing baseball as a kid and i know some people will never like scouts. i just wonder if theres a way to sorta of make someone turn over a new leaf and get some scout spirit and participate more as well as come to more camp outs?

 

 

one kid who im talking about even came to philmont with me years ago and still dosent like it.

 

will some kids just tred through there years of scouting hating it or can we do something to make it more enjoyable?

[desertrat77]

Nick, that's a good question. The problem isn't only with scouts; you'll see adults with the same problem in the work place and in scouting.

 

After 25 years in the military, here's the best advice I can give: it's not solely up to you to solve a person's morale problem. Each scout has a responsibility too, namely, to get with the program and not just mope through life.

 

As long as you are being the best leader you can, and promoting the best scout program possible, you've done your 50 percent--and then some. The scouts, even as young people, have to meet the troop in the middle and do their 50 percent--being good scouts, with a good attitude, even if they'd rather be somewhere else.

 

Now, if the whole troop has poor scout spirit, then it's time to say "what should we be doing differently?"

 

If most of the scouts are happy, and you have a few that aren't, there isn't a need to jump through a bunch of hoops to make the few unhappy scouts happy. It's a tough lesson, but they've got to learn to adapt and overcome.

 

 

[NickP412]

well we have about 28 kids in our troop that pay dues and are "active" and of those 28 i can only think of about 5 kids who dont really enjoy scouts. so i guess as a troop were doing things ok, however theres always room for improvement.

 

thanks for the insight.

[Eamonn]

Most of the time we all can make a choice as to how we see the glass. Is it half full? Or half empty?

Some of my adult co-workers seem to have to struggle through each day. They count the years, months, days and hours till they can retire. I at times have to admit to teasing them, saying that they are in fact wishing their lives away! Of course this doesn't help and only adds gas to the fire.

I do really feel for people who get stuck doing or in things that they really don't want to do or like to do.

Most of us do spend some time doing things that we don't like to do.

For me this is when " A Scout is Cheerful" Comes into play.

We make the choice of how we go about dealing with this.

If what we are doing is really making us very unhappy and we have a way of getting away from it and doing something else. We need to work on that. This way out, may not be available immediately and at times does mean setting goals and working toward them.

I believe that we only ever get out of things what we put in.

I'm not sure how we go about selling that idea to others?

I do know that preaching or going on and on just doesn't work. In fact most times it only serves to make things worse.

 

There is a wonderful story about a BBC reporter interviewing three guys who were building the Liverpool R/C cathedral.

The reporter saw three men laying bricks...

He approached the first and asked, "What are you doing?"

Annoyed, the first man answered, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm laying bricks!"

He walked over to the second bricklayer and asked the same question.

The second man responded, "Oh, I'm making a living."

He asked the third bricklayer the same question, "What are you doing?"

The third looked up, smiled and said, "I'm building a cathedral."

While each of us has to make up our own minds about how we see what we are doing. I do think that each of us helps set the tone or the mood.

It's strange when I go to work in a bad mood full of doom and gloom, others around me seem to get infected by my bad mood. Likewise when I go in smiling and ready to get the most out of whatever the new day will bring. This is also infectious.

The adults in Scouting should be working toward having activities and programs that are fun and offer new and exciting challenges for the youth members. The youth do have a big say in what is going on and what will go on.

Things seem to have a way of maybe not always going as planned, but it has always struck me as being funny that the more things seem to go wrong the more memorable they become and over time become more and more funny as the story is told and retold.

The people who seem to have the most fun retelling it are those who were there.

I think this is because they in some ways have ownership of it.

Eamonn.

[Buffalo Skipper]

There is a wonderful story about a BBC reporter interviewing three guys who were building the Liverpool R/C cathedral. The reporter saw three men laying bricks... He approached the first and asked, "What are you doing?" Annoyed, the first man answered, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm laying bricks!" He walked over to the second bricklayer and asked the same question. The second man responded, "Oh, I'm making a living." He asked the third bricklayer the same question, "What are you doing?" The third looked up, smiled and said, "I'm building a cathedral." While each of us has to make up our own minds about how we see what we are doing. I do think that each of us helps set the tone or the mood.

There is a Scoutmaster minute in there somewhere, and I may even use it tonight. Nick's observation about scouts (and even the one who did the high adventure) is enlightening, especially when read in concert with my "young troop and high adventure" post. Thank you both for the inspiration.

[prairie]

Nick, I think you have one of the proablems identified, the boys feel forced to keep scouting, how long have they felt that way? Maybe I should feel lucky, I chose to join a Cub den in October of 3rd grade, only reason I remember was we made masks, it was my choice, nobody had mentioned I could do this, frankly the first big choice like that I had made in my life, and it would have been easy for my folks to say no, always grumping about all the extra trips to town from our farm.

 

So is the trick to let boys think it's their idea to be Scouts and stay in Scouting?

[boomerscout]

one of your ASMs needs to one-on-one with the disaffected. what do they think of Scouting so far? if they could change two things in the troop, or in Scouting, what would that be? Trying to please everyone all the time is a recipe for disaster.

[John-in-KC]

I'm going to use lower case scout spirit for this, because to me this is the "cheerleading" part of Scouting. Yes, the trail is supposed to be joyful, and have plenty of fun and laughter along the way. If meetings and outings do not have fun and laughter, then something isn't right; as boomer said, tackle those 1 or two bites at a time.

 

Now, if people are not living Scout Spirit (walking the walk all the time on the Oath and the Law), then there are bigger problems in the Troop, and the SM/CC/COR/UC need an adults "Thorns and Roses". The same folk then need to listen to the PLC in their own "Thorns and Roses", Finally, look to see what's common between the two sets of people. Those are the big problems which need work.

[fleetfootedfox]

Nick,

 

Good question. You will find in life that often what you get out of something depends greatly on what you put into it. If you look around at the people in scouting who are enjoying it the most, it is the people who are putting the most effort into it. If you have been SPL, you know that it can be fun to be in charge. If you aren't willing to do the job, though, you won't ever find out how much fun it can be.

 

The same is true of many things in life. You don't get to be a good musician or athlete without lots of practice. If you put in enough time to get good, that's when it gets really fun. You won't make good grades if you don't do your homework. If you don't make good grades, you don't get into a good college, etc.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of people never really figure out this kind of stuff. They don't understand delayed gratification. They don't understand sacrificing one thing to achieve something else that is better.

 

On the other hands, there are people who just like to complain. They don't seem like they are ever having a good time because they complain so much. So, what I'm saying is that some of these people may be having more fun than they are willing to admit.

[NickP412]

scouter760 i think your right! there were a few boys in my troop who said OA was over-rated and wasnt fun. however i decided to do it anyways and i love it, unlink the boys who didnt like it i volunteer for it and do all the events i can.

 

you all have offered some insight, ill talk with a scoutmaster and see if he will talk with these boys and get to the bottom of the problem.