A letter from a Trainer

I received this message from a den-mate of mine from my
recently completed CSTWB. She had received it from a trainer
with whom she works. The trainer is not involved in
Scouting, but as you can see from the message clearly
believes in what we do.

Dan Hammond, Sr.
I used to be an Owl
(Working my ticket)

Subject:
A letter from a Trainer
Date:
Tue, 13 Jul 1999 09:50:00 -0700
From:
"Calderwood, Tami M" <tami.m.calderwood@intel.com>
To:
Dan <hammonddl@uswest.net>, David
<david.bedford@cwix.com>, DC Tom <TwiceEagle@aol.com>,
George <yee301zap@aol.com>, Karen
<kboardm@pacifier.com>, Linda <lnstar3@ix.netcom.com>

I received this from a woman I train with while I was at
Wood Badge.
Wouldn't this have been great to have while we were having
our
discussions.....

IS SCOUTING THE ANSWER?

I sat and listened to the statistics, of how boys
who had Cub or Boy
Scout experience faired against their peers. The picture
painted an image of
boys that were more likely to succeed, and became better
citizens. I thought
about it and wondered why? What are the contributing factors
that molded
these boys differently than the others? I thought I would
explore the
question, whether or not, Scouting is the answer. A boy can
be a Scout and
go to a few meetings and still end up on the wrong path. Why
were there a
higher number of success stories in Scouting families, than
non-scouting? Is
it just a coincidence?
If a boy goes into a pack or troop, he often gets swept up
into a
brotherhood and bonds with other boys and adult volunteers.
Even if he is
slipping through emotional cracks at home, he is caught up
in a net of
support when out Scouting. The boys create a code of conduct
to live by.
They create rules like not throwing up on your friends, and
not belching in
each other's faces, as well as don't run inside, and treat
others with
respect. Even a boy with no discipline at home, learns to
settle down for
the group he admires, because they admire him. They learn in
a safe
environment, having fun.
Boys are all on the same playing level when they are in
uniform. It doesn't
matter if a family is rich or poor; the boys are all the
same in the Safe
Haven of Scouts. They are able to accommodate each other and
build on their
relationships. A boy with a disability finds strengths among
friends, and
the boys help each other in weaknesses. They watch out for
each other in
peer groups and value the strength behind their uniforms.
When they wear a
uniform to school they are part of something stronger than
the temptations
that are facing them. Why?
The boys have adults that they feel safe with. Scout leaders
are willing to
look ridiculous for the boys. They make the boys have fun
with the leaders,
rather than just under the supervision of the leaders. The
boys are not
"kept under control" but they are lead into respectful
behavior, because
they want to have fun. As the leaders keep the boys safe and
set up
activities to keep the boys busy, they are able to control
themselves. Boys
from broken homes are influenced by role models from
different backgrounds.
They have a large field to choose from, wherein they take
the best of many
leaders. They are being taught right from wrong by their
fellow scouts, and
respect those lessons; learned from the team they are a part
of, more than
they do from anywhere else.
Then there are the adult volunteers. They are men and women
who come
together for their boys. They have a common driving goal;
they enjoy being a
part of their boy's life. They want to be there to see each
accomplishment.
They are proud of every goal accomplished. They care about
the friends that
their boy plays with, and they support each other and the
boys as a unit.
Adults form friendships as they realize the common threads
of concern they
feel for the boys. Even if adult politics rears its head,
the adults learn
to rise above it for the sake of the boys.
A boy who goes above and beyond is praised for his efforts.
Even a boy who
has little self-esteem learns that he is a great person when
he sees the
awards that he has earned. Accomplishments are tangible and
easy to show to
others, so others praise the boy more often. Leaders
celebrate little
victories and big ones with the same heartfelt compassion. A
boy who has
worked three months to achieve a goal is celebrated in front
of his peers
and a boy who earns and award for a new event tried in a day
is
congratulated with his team. They are a den, a pack, a unit,
a troop, they
are a family, a brotherhood, and they belong. There are many
people who are
proud of them. Not just the parents and leaders they know
well, but the
officer on the street, the doctor in the hospital, the
astronaut in space,
people to look up to for a boy. Heroes in a boy's eyes who
recognize the
uniform that they once wore, and give a special salute. A
salute that shows
a boy that that same hero is also part of the brotherhood,
and has hopes for
a boy he doesn't know, but by a name known as a Fellow
Scout.
Is scouting the answer? I don't know. Perhaps it is a common
gathering
place, where people of similar interests happen to cross
paths, like a
mountain lake that is a favorite campsite to thousands of
families. The only
difference is, the boy in a run down tent would not be
afraid to play with
the neighbor in an expensive camp rig. In scouting, the
boundaries of fear,
drop. The safe haven allows for bonding time between boys.
They learn to
care, and the statistics show that they become better
husbands and fathers.
They become better citizens and are unafraid to become
leaders in the
community. They are more likely to make good choices under
pressure, and
they have a community of adults who stand behind them and
support them.

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