Re: LDS Scouts????
(no name) ((no email))
Mon, 1 May 1995 13:18:32 -0700
Claudia,
All the answers I have seen so far are good. Like John Oaks, I am not LDS,
but live in an area where 2/3 of the districts troops are LDS. Just like
John indicated, there are good and bad, just like there are good and bad
everywhere.
They use the BSA programs and that is not what is really different. It's
their implimentation which is different. Here are some of the issues which
I have noticed which I would look into. Some of these issues could apply
to any troop, it jut that they stand out with an LDS group.
The scoutmaster in an LDS group is assigned the job as his calling. This
means the church picks the person and tells him to do it. Most do it out
of loyalty for the church, even if they do not want to or are not right for
the job. This dose vary somewhat, I have know LDS scoutmasters WHO WILL
NOT GIVE UP THE JOB, and some which have been excellent Scoutmasters and I
have known those who are just marking time. This person will change in
many churches each year, when the new callings are assigned.
As mentioned, they are almost always back from campouts Saturday night, in
order to be in church on Sunday. This is one less night camping, every
weekend they go out.
Because everyone in each group of the church is to have a calling, this
causes churches to split when they start running out of jobs. This also
causes a split in the units. In our area this usually means most LDS units
are small. They futher divide up their groups by using the Varsity and
Explorer programs (4 units to a church Cubs, Scouts, Varsity, Explorers).
Think about how this affects the program. BSA recomments troops of 24-32
for good patrol development. We have some of our LDS churches
experiementing with joint meetins to get that big troop feeling. Also your
son may not want to go onto Varsity, depending on the program. Some LDS
varsity groups are nothing more than basketball, and more basketball. He
could feel out of place as an older scout in a group where everyone is 13
or younger.
When the callings are handed out, unit committees are usually overlook and
this can sometimes mean that they are weak in their adult support from the
committee point of view (SCM and ASM doing all the work with Committee
Chairman.)
I am sure they exists, but I have yet to see a female SCM or ASM for an
LDS troop (except for first year scouts and that has to do with their
priesthood breakdown by age). If you wanted to become a leader in the unit,
you or they might feel uncompfortable (but I am sure they would love help
with their committee!)
Do non-LDS youth join LDS units, yes they do. In one of our cities of
about 10,000, they were the only scouts in town until about 1.5 years ago.
Is this troop near you right for you and your son? Check them out. An
ative troop in our area was big in backpacking. My younger son did not
like backpacking. This was not the right troop for us. What your son
wants out of scouting and how you fit in are questions you have to ask
before you join any troop. I hope this helps and I am sure there will be
more.
Chris Haggerty, District Advancement Chairman,
Cochise District, Catalina Council, Sierra Vista, Arizona
Bitnet: CHAGGERTY@ARIZBPA.BITNET (TCP/IP is Internet)
TCP/IP: CHAGGERTY@BPA.ARIZONA.EDU or CHAGGERTY%UABPA@CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU
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