Oxford American Article: "Scout's Honor"

[LeCastor 641]

Recently we've been debating themes and comparing the BSA to GSUSA in an attempt to decide if Scouting is still relevant. Personally, I definitely think it is; however, it seems that certain aspects of what I knew as Scouting just shy of 30 years ago is perhaps not as relevant today.

 

Several weeks ago a friend sent me this article from the Oxford American:

 

http://www.oxfordamerican.org/articles/2014/jun/11/issue-85-scouts-honor/

 

It's a very interesting read and, while it's lengthy, I recommend that you power though to the end. The language isn't always exactly, ahem, clean and reverent. However, it makes you think and perhaps re-evaluate your thoughts on Scouting today. It's definitely BSA-centric--only briefly mentioning GSUSA and Trail Life USA.

 

We've bantered back-and-forth about STEM and whether or not to integrate it into our program. We've debated membership policies and how that affects our program. We've lamented the fact that some newer Scouts don't like to camp like we did back in the good ol' days.

 

Fact is, this isn't really a new discussion. Things are always changing around us but it seems lately that things are changing at a much more rapid pace...

[King Ding Dong 540]

Excellent. Lots to think about. Very Jambo focused, but touches on all the hot button issues that our much of the adults focus but shouldn't be.