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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/14/23 in all areas

  1. I won't lie, participating in BSA events as a non-Christian can be uncomfortable at times. I remember as a youth being taken with the rest of my unit to Sunday-morning "non-denominational" (but still Christian / Protestant) services at camporees and also at Philmont. Though that was more than 20 years ago now, I imagine there are still districts and councils that put on similar programming today. I didn't get the impression from my unit leaders at the time that attending such things was optional. You would do well as a leader to make sure the non-Christian youth in your unit feel empowered to
    4 points
  2. Yes, and you should feel comfortable doing that. I hope that you are in a unit that supports your belief system. To me, that is what it means "A scout is reverent." But it is really up to you and your faith how you want to practice. I know we have scouts that bring prayer rugs and other religious items on outings in order to practice their faith. A few leave the group at certain times to fulfill their duty to God, then rejoin us later. Never once was a problem.
    3 points
  3. We have CO's here in MA that are Buddhist. You may even want to contact them for advice on handling interaction with other faith traditions in a Scouting context. https://sites.google.com/bliascouts.org/blia-scouts-boston I am a deist that doesn't believe that God is a metaphysical entity in the way that Abrahamic religions do, or that it is even possible for humans to ever comprehend such an entity, but respect the right of others to believe as they do. As such, I generally do not participate in Scout's Own services but I will stand in silence out of respect to others during
    3 points
  4. This is why participation is not required. Simply do not attend... no harm, no foul. If you choose to attend and you realize it is not your cup of tea, then leave. Again, if anyone ever requires participation, now we have a problem.
    2 points
  5. I do not believe you have to worry about this... For example, we have Hindus, Muslims, one Buddhist, Jews, Protestants, and Catholics (Roman and Eastern Orthodox) in our Troop. We all get along together 😜 The Scout Oath does have a phrase each Scout promises, "On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law,..." This is the first part of the Scout Oath. The 12th point of the Scout Law is, "A Scout is Reverent." At each rank milestone along his Scouting journey, your Scout will be asked to define what he believes to be his duty to G
    2 points
  6. Enough. This was a discussion about recognizing adults.
    2 points
  7. Illuminates purpose!! I have thought for a few days on this... and the article below points to the why. https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/teen-girls-struggling-mental-illness-record-levels-many-persistently-sad-data-reveals BTW, the points in this article specifically apply to males, as well. https://www.familyeducation.com/teens/values-responsibilities/helping-teens-find-purpose https://yourteenmag.com/health/teenager-mental-health/purposeful-lives https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_help_teens_find_purpose Read those three articles, and yo
    2 points
  8. You could contact the organizers and offer up an alternative of whatever flavor you want. If they turn you down, then you don't attend the event and report that to your SE. Become a part of the solution...
    1 point
  9. So, Little League websites, social posts, email blasts, electronic newsletters, "Annual Key Touchpoints", imagery, sponsoring searches, etc. etc. etc. are all aimed at the youth?? Who knew those kids were so savvy?? https://www.littleleague.org/downloads/annual-guide-marketing-assets/ If kids just wanted to play baseball, they'd go to the park, backyard, open field, sandlot, (like we did as kids) and hit the ball around.
    1 point
  10. Ask. Also, you are not required to attend any of these events. If any particular camp requires you to attend some event in order to qualify for some award or recognition, you can simply go off on your own and have your own "spiritual experience" according to the tenets of your beliefs, and count that. If anyone denied that opportunity to you, I'd gladly come and side with you to oppose them. And although I'm not going down the metaphysical rabbit hole again 😜 I'll simply say your beliefs are your business. And if you believe that any value system contortions are acceptable in
    1 point
  11. Yes., if the youth want to be a scout, then that is all that is necessary. There are other benefits for adults... parents, society etc, but in the end the only target audience that matters is the youth.
    1 point
  12. I like @InquisitiveScouter’s proposition. The Rev. Rick Warren tapped into something similar with the very well received Purpose Driven Life. It seems that it’s not just young people facing this particular existential crisis. But the problem remains that, although it may be true of scouting, it might not be unique to scouting. I just had a SM conference for a scout who was up for 2nd class rank. I asked him what requirement he found to be the hardest. He said the ones about financial management. I later asked him about the one he enjoyed the most. He thought a moment and said the same one
    1 point
  13. These are the two words for the youth! As I laid out earlier, there are several target audiences for Scouting, not just the youth. Any strategies to increase membership must identify and appeal to each of those audiences.
    1 point
  14. These are all great suggestions! I'll look up these options to see which cost the least. Thank you!
    1 point
  15. Mncaa, We found that renting two vehicles (1 minivan, 1 car) was less expensive than a 12 passenger van. You wouldn’t need to worry about the supplemental insurance then. You may want to compare your options.
    1 point
  16. My two words: "outdoor adventure"
    1 point
  17. I highly endorse these: https://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Backings-Keepers-Replacement-Uniform/dp/B07PGVCDVX/ref=asc_df_B07PGVCDVX?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80058245652837&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583657823895553&psc=1
    1 point
  18. Unfortunately, another major issue is how people have embraced theidea of suing one another. If I went on a Scout trip and fell down and broke my arm I went home, explained what happened, got fussed at for doing something stupid and went back with a cast on my arm. Unfortunatly today the supervising adults could face a law suit, not just to pay the repair bills, but to make the unfortunate youth who was subjected to needless danger and negligent supervision in an environment that should have been known was dangerous and was devoid of any warning labels or cautions that should have been clear
    0 points
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