Re: Peer Pressure on Scouts
David Edward 'Byrdman' Byrd, II (DEB3291@TNTECH.BITNET)
Thu, 18 Nov 1993 20:39:10 -0600
[Commercial ideas deleted, but liked very much!]
>playing ball). They might even be tremendously bold with the ads
>and show a boy coming into the locker room with his team (basketball,
>baseball, hockey)...he starts taking off his team uniform...he opens
>the locker...and he takes out and puts on his Boy Scout uniform
>shirt! Wow...what a concept...this boy plays sports AND is a Boy
>Scout too!!!! ;-))))
I think Joan has hit the jackpot here! I grew up in a town that was
sports-crazy. Various boys would have to be out due to sports practice
during school. However, the dam broke when Little League started! Parents
in my town were flaming idiots where this was concerned. They would spend
countless hours and dollars to make sure little Johnny could pitch a
baseball, but they had no money or time to give little Johnny something that
would outlast his ability to play baseball: the values of Scouting.
I recall one boy who was in my Troop at the same time I was. He had
some learning disabilities, including what seemed to be an EXTREMELY short
short-term memory. Being in Scouts helped him start to overcome some of
that. Unfortunately, he entered high school and aimed high for the ultimate
goal of most boys in our town: a starting position on the high school
football team. His parents told him it would have to be Scouts or football.
Unfortunately, this boy traded his khaki and green for blue and white, and
he played football. As I recall, he never started a game. Recently, I
heard he was in jail on some charge.
>What is really needed for such an ad campaign is some direct
>input from scouts -- 11 to 18...after all, they are the ones who
>watch all sorts of ads on TV, they are the ones who know what
>works in the ads with themselves and their friends when it comes
>to "buying" a product.
You could not be more right! I wonder how many of our program
changes were made on the basis of the *boy's* opinions, not the adults, or some
membership statistics. It seems to me we *should* be asking the boys in the
program what interests them and their peers. After all, Scouting is for the
boys, not the adults, or some polling firm.
Adults--and I include myself in this group--often have NO idea what
can attract the attention of an adolescent. When I was a Scout, break
dancing was the craze, rap held a small share of the pop chart, parachute pants
were in style, and so forth. These things are regarded by current Scouts
similarly to how I regarded bell-bottom jeans and platform shoes at that age:
ANCIENT HISTORY!!!!!!!(Keep in mind this was the mid-80's). To get the
attention of Scouts, we need to find some prominent celebrities who were
Scouts, and get them to do ads for Scouting. One that comes to mind is
Jonathan Frakes, who plays William T. Riker on Star Trek: The Next
Generation. I recall seeing his picture in the National Museum, with the
caption stating he had been a Scout. I'm sure there are others.
My point is, we need to grab the attention of the youth of America
and let them know where Scouting could carry them. Start at the local
level. Obtain permission(if needed)from the council to run ads on the local
public access TV channel. Maybe for added impact, an entire show could be
recorded. Of course, if we resort to the infomercial format, we need to
heavily disguise it, or we could find ourselves zapped. If it works, the
ideas could spread, and before long, maybe the Powers-that-be will get the
hint.
Whew! My soapbox is getting a workout today!
In Scouting,
David Byrd Bitnet: deb3291@tntech.bitnet
Eagle Scout(1987) Internet: deb3291@tntech.edu
Brotherhood OA member Freenet: cn521@cleveland.Freenet.Edu
Alumnus of Troop 63, Erwin, TN (Sequoyah Council)
Tau Epsilon Chapter, Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity
No current unit
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
