Remember Scouting is a Safe Haven...

One thing to keep in mind whenever you are dealing with violent or abusive
youth involved in Scouting, is that by design, Scouting is a Safe Haven for
our kids. This means not only providing safe activities, and safe emotional
and physical enviroments (eg, why hazing is illegal), but also removing unsafe
boys from the activities and then from the troop if necessary - regardless of
the reason they are unsafe.

I will do this without regret or undue personal emotional stress. If the boy
is not right for Scouting, I'll not be the one to convert him.

Flame away if you must, but I will not put 10 boys in danger for one who "if I
had only spent a little more quality time with him..." might continue in
Scouting. The extra effort required to make the attempt will deny the majority
of the boys a good Scouting program. I want to keep the majority, not one who
doesn't want to be here in the first place.

In order for me to keep sane and provide an environment and program that will
help the majority of the boys in the troop to become better citizens, the
occasional problem child has to be kicked out.

I'm not a social worker, I'm a Scoutmaster. I'm willing to bet that not many
of you are trained in social work and counceling either. We get by the best we
can, but it's not our job. I'll work with anyone who will work hard to uphold
the ideals of Scouting. I'm not here to babysit, provide social or counceling
services, or to act as a distraction to someone who has to be medicated in
order to "fit in" to our society.

I'll deliver the Promise of Scouting to boys who are willing to work within
the Scout Oath and Law. I won't try to convert those who are not interested.
Nationally there is a 63% annual retention rate. In my District, the number is
something like 75%. We are proud of that. If I can keep 10 boys involved by
asking one to leave, that's worth it, if by keeping the one, 4 others would
eventually quit because the program and their experience suffers.

It's a game of numbers. How do we help the most number of kids get the most
out of Scouting. I'll not reduce the quality of the program down to the lowest
common denominator to try to keep one problem kid interested.

I read with mock horror the statements that many of you make like, "I know
this kids needs Scouting more than anyone else in the Troop..." When you make
this statement, you are missing the point. We are not gods. We cannot work
miracles. If a child is not able to cope with the group dynamics of a Troop
environment, I'll work with him - but only to a point. At some point he needs
to become an active, contributing member of the Troop or he can go get his
babysitting services somewhere else.

Stepping down off soapbox. Flame away.

-Tim

--
Tim Hewitt, Scoutmaster
Troop 350, Old Orchard Beach, Maine

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