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Eagledad

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Everything posted by Eagledad

  1. I disagree. Almost anyone in the world can identify a Boy Scout uniform. It represents character and integrity. Even after the Girl Scouts did away from their traditional uniform, it was still the uniform used in movies because it identifies with the organization worldwide. I understand that the GSUSA is moving back toward that uniform. Barry
  2. Success comes from implementing a program that works toward a successful vision. The BSA lacks leadership that believes, much less understands the vision of developing moral and ethical decision makers. I get it, I struggled convincing many parents that giving scouts the independence to learn from their decisions in an outdoors environment is a successful path for building citizens of character and leaders of integrity. But, if organization leaders don’t believe it, how can the users believe in it. Barry
  3. Unfortunately, I've seen many heavy handed non-religious adult troops decompose. Sadly, one does not have to be religious to be zealot. Barry
  4. Anyone heard of LDS troops? There are a lot of COs that require church membership because the units are part of their youth program. I know of one Troop that only registered home schoolers because the Troop was the socializing part of their program. I think it's a benefit for the BSA that Scouting can be a tool for programs that need an organize youth program. We are likely to see more of it since girls can be member now. Barry
  5. I remember someone from National in the early 90's saying the majority of scout abuse complaints were filed against the MB Counselors. This might be an approach to addressing that issue. Barry
  6. Yes, true. But often the adults expect action quicker than the scouts maturity allows. They just go a little slower because they don't yet have the life skills of acting on discovery. Or the scouts may not yet feel enabled to act freely. That happens a lot and youth learning to trust adults takes a while. Adults can say it all day long, but it's their actions that take to the scouts. Mentoring is the skill of guiding the mentored to discover the problem and create and action. Those kinds of mentoring skills take a lot of practice and risks because human nature doesn't change until annoyan
  7. Good question. The short answer is that the boys perform enough of these skills in their normal fun everyday routine activities to demonstrate the troop average level of skill proficiency. Now, obviously including exercises in activities that require these is skills can be challenging. But, just one activity will demonstrate many skills from tying knots to leadership, and even living the Scout Law. Program activities provide the senior leaders and adults a wide view of troops skills proficiency. Skills proficiency, or lack there of, should be obvious to everyone. The program is maturing when
  8. I find SM conferences are fine for random sampling and quality checks. The SM only needs to check a few Scout Books to see a trend. More than that has the appearance of checking up on the scouts. Barry
  9. Hmm, yes, well! There are a whole of things wrong even before starting with "If you work..........". I'm trying to imagine one of the scouts talking to a neighbor friend at home saying; "Hey, you want to come to our troop meeting tonight? We are spending an hour and a half working on (listening to an adult) the Citizenship in the Nation merit badge". If a scout misses one of those meetings, is his life better or worse? I'm betting even the adults are dreading it. Barry
  10. I once asked a scout if the choice of not wearing the uniform as expected was a right or wrong choice. He knew it was wrong. I agree there are circumstances when the scout doesn't have a choice to wear the uniform, but often it is just an excuse. One scout walks in from baseball practice and joins in the activities because he didn't have time to change. Another goes strait to the bathroom and changes and arrives a couple minutes later. Which sets the better example? I had the same situation with adults. You may not be evaluating the scouts attire, but you should be evaluating his cho
  11. I believe that the scout program is separate from the adult program of supporting the scouts. That being said, the scouts have been raised to respect the adults as their guardians since they were born. For most scouts, the troop is their first experience to true independence of making decisions that effect their experience in the immediate environment, and the experience of others in the immediate environment. In fact, it is a perception that interrupts the intentions of the patrol method and is hard to elevate from the program. Scouts DO watch the adults and note hypocrisy. Hypocrisy does di
  12. I don't think the thread got off track, it just went directions that we struggle with. You said it best, ""This is an axample of a young man who stands firm on his beliefs no matter how hard others try to change his mind."" I think most of us struggle with the BSA either standing to firm or not standing firm enough in the morals, values and beliefs of this culture. Scouting provides the scouts with a set parameter's in the Oath and Law to reflect a process for acting selfless toward others. But, even with those given parameters, each scout comes from a personal experience that directs mor
  13. I once read from a Scoutmaster back in the 1930's say: "Finding an annoyance that trumps self-righteous satisfaction is a constant challenge for the Scoutmaster". I have enough experience now to agree. Barry
  14. My hope is that character is such a natural part of the tradition of scouting that parents just assume it's part of scouting without rationalizing how its there. They unconsciously know scouting and character are synonymous. Because they don't think about the process of developing character is why the program struggles with adults stewarding it to the youths best advantage. That's OK, we on the forum will enlighten their path. That is my hope anyway. Barry
  15. I'm not convinced blue families are wanting the program to the degree claimed. In fact, I haven't really seen that many families that are obviously blue. The ones I know of wanting to join aren't concerned about the wokeness changes of the program because they simply don't know. The general public hasn't been watching intently to the BSA drama's as most think. The BSA has been and still is the clean strait character building youth association it was 50 years ago. That is what most new families I've talked to think they are joining. I have seen a lot of Scouting families move on. They have watc
  16. I agree. Many folks here struggle with a pragmatic discussion of facts because it points to an exclusive program, at least for the adults. And as we are watching, whats going on now isn't working. Maybe the culture can't handle a values development youth program anymore. and we just have to let go. Barry
  17. My experience is youth respond to the adults. That is why a trusting environment where scouts feel free to make their own decisions is so hard to develop and nurture. The scouting program is an adult program intended to develop youth. The BSA gives pretty clear instructions for delivering the program. But, it's not simple, which is why the adults more often than not screw it up. And, why so many adults selfishly push their own agenda. Voluntary organizations are by their nature open to manipulation when the group doesn't understand the mission or the methods toward the mission. I use
  18. All adults who unselfishly desire to further the development and growth of youth making ethical and moral decisions based from the Scout Law and Oath are welcome. Barry
  19. Dear Friend I have worked with a lot of adults who have worked many challenging scouts in many situations. Rarely, in fact I can't recall any, adult being kicked out because their personal situation was contrary to the membership requirements. So, for those leaders, and most leaders through the times, give them praise. Rarely, and I can't recall one, are discussions about kicking out scouts due to behavior. The discussions are about adults and what they role model to the youth. This should be one place where the youth are not used to prop up an opinion righteously over other opinion
  20. Exactly! I worked with several respected gay and atheist volunteers. One atheist is an Eagle. The program works well imitating real life for the scouts until adults take advantage and push the program toward their self serving dreams. BSA Membership has taken a dip every time National has tried to appear more culturally inclusive. Honestly, I'm not sure anyone understands what just and fair mean anymore because inclusiveness has watered down the servant lifestyle that scouting promotes. Barry
  21. And, pay his camp fees. We pay our SPL's camp fees because they work hard and are exhausted by the end. Barry
  22. Look at it from the perspective of growth from the position. Who will grow more from the positions. From my experience, 14 is the minimum age, and really 15, for scouts to have the maturity to grow from true leadership. Puberty is a good indicator. Which is why our senior leaders (including troop guides) were usually 15 and older. I understand if your troop doesn’t have enough older scouts for an older scout PLC. I was mentioning the ideal situation. You need to determine if the maturity of your scouts are ready to take on and learn from the responsibilities of their positions,
  23. Our patrols always yelled their cheer when their patrol name was called. Then the PL would answer the question. It's fun when the patrols try to out yell each other. We did this at Wood Badge. The Patrols also yelled their patrol yell (or something clever) when they were the color guard during the opening and closing flag Ceremonies. ---"Troop Attention!, Color Guard Attention! "LEAD FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY!". Present Colors!". Something like that. It always got everyones attention at summer camp when it was our turn to be the Color Guard. And some troops would follow with the
  24. Strange, I just gave a similar example of our experience. We also had several atheist Eagle dads who gave their time without a uniform. Scouting is about teaching the values that lead to character and integrity. Character and integrity are earned by the actions given towards other people, not actions received. Fit? What is that? Strange you pick out one behavior. Unit leaders are challenged with many. Our unit asked several adults to step back because of their alcoholism. Safety as much as anything, but the scouts knew what they were doing. We had to asked several known abusers
  25. What many folks don't understand about the LDS is that scouting is part of their youth program. For them, the doctrine of scouting is an official doctrine of their church. Or so I'm told. So, they had no option but to back out. We had several LDS familes in our troop. Many churches are struggling with the gay issue for the same reason. It's one thing to accept homosexuality as a sin among sins and still love and respect your neighbor, but to accept the sin as a doctrine of normalcy challenges how they can accept one part of God's doctrine of sin, but not others. In that context, it's not
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