A Bit of Scouting Philosophy

Hi all,

I want to present a bit of understanding/ philosophy I have finally w=
orked
through to resolve questions I had when I was SM for a Troop of 55+ S=
couts and
28 adult Leaders. I think it may underlie many of the questions I ha=
ve seen
recently on uniforming and attendance. I think we all have to ask o=
urselves
whether we are promoting something for the appearance of the program =
or for
the
greater good of the Scout - maybe this will help you think through yo=
ur
position.

One posting recently described a youth coming from a team sport in hi=
s team
uniform to the Troop meeting. The comment was made that he should hav=
e changed
and maybe even wear his Scout uniform to the next team practice to ge=
t the
full
understanding of what uniforming means. I admit I have had these fee=
lings and
I thank that person for causing me to make a break through a wall of =
my own
frustrations. I have been frustrated when Scouts stopped wearing the=
ir
uniforms for whatever reason, when only two of six patrols were repre=
sented at
the PLC and when Scouts were unable to attend important campouts or s=
ervice
projects because of conflicts with band or sports activities. I ofte=
n
wished I
could force the priorities so Scouting came FIRST and these other act=
ivities
would be forced to bend a little. =20

However, late last night I received what we in Aikido call a satori, =
a
flash of
understanding. Band, chorus, plays, sports and other similar activit=
ies are
designed and structured to optimize the performance of the group. Th=
e group
may have stars, but it is the group and the group=92s performance tha=
t
subordinates everything else. Individuals and their lives are secon=
dary to
the needs and requirements of the whole. =20

Scouting is different. As SM, my jobs were to mentor and train the l=
eaders of
the Troop, ensure the safety of Scouts in the program, promote a bala=
nced set
of activities which used all 8 of the Methods of Scouting, and perfor=
m SM
conferences with each of the Scouts in my unit. My over-riding calli=
ng was to
optimize the growth and experiences of each and every Scout to produc=
e the
best
and most self-reliant individual possible with respect to the Aims of
Scouting. That is the important difference - it is my responsibilit=
y to
optimize the experience of the Scout, not the Patrol or the Troop.

This makes the SM=92s job very difficult. We can not ignore the othe=
r parts of
the Scout=92s life and subordinate them to the Troop program. We hav=
e to be
flexible and adaptive to absences and dress and conflicts. Do we ign=
ore the 8
Methods? Absolutely not, but we have to apply them individually and =
apply
them
with the object of leading a Scout to the Aims in a way that he will =
follow
because he sees this is the right and honorable way. When we succeed=
, that
Scout will be a =93Baden Powell=94 Scout for the rest of his life. T=
he 3 and the
12 will be the foundation of his character. Regardless of his rank h=
e will be
a man we will all be proud of. When the Scouts and Leaders of the T=
roop
understand this and seek these results, the rest will take care of it=
self.

I would be interested in whether this crude description of my vision =
has any
relevance to anyone else=92s experience and understanding of how to s=
tructure
our
expectations. Please email me directly.=20
Dale Karweik

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