Re: Am I crazy?

Lisa,

Are you crazy? Of course not. Your instincts in trying to turn the
event into a productive learning event were on target. I like the idea
of turning the experience into sort of game to see who can do the best
comparision shopping, get the best bargains, etc. Scouting is about
preparing youth for the adult world they will face all too soon and this
activity certainly could do that.

I think that the other leaders are making a mistake in allowing the event
to turn into a self-gratifying shopping spree where some of the girls may
feel left out because they don't have the money to do what some of their
friends will do. I'm not sure that its a good idea for them to be
flashing a lot of cash around a mall either.

Seems like the best thing to do now is to salvage as much as you can of
the learning experience by selling the girls on the game part and trying
to make sure that the leaders are close enough to keep an eye on the
girls as they explore the depths of your mall. Sounds like you'll also
need a pair of comfortable shoes. :-)

Even if the thing turns upside down, don't forget that afterwards or at
lunch you can get up a discussion of how things are going or how they
went and see what can be learned. Evaluate! Perhaps here as much as on
a campout that has a bad turn, the mistakes can be just as valuable in
the learning process.

Speaking Only for Myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman
a/k/a Professor Beaver (WB), ASTA #2566, OA Vigil Honor '71, Eagle
Scout '67, Serving as Deputy District Commissioner for Training,
G.W.Dist., Nat. Capital Area Council, BSA - mfbowman@capaccess.org

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