Eagledad

Yep. If parents are waiting for more safety policies, I can't imagine what they would be other than reporting the incidents at higher levels so they don't get covered up. We had a lot of discussions here about safety improvements and nothing significant was brought up, mostly because BSA policies are pretty good. Funny, you don't hear parents being worried about schools when sexual abuse is report every week in the news. I will say I have observed parents of units hesitating to act on issues of adults making bad decisions. Not just abuses, but issues where adults need correction. I think

This is a really good suggestion. When I think back of the several troubled scouts we experienced, the parents were the key to our decisions, successes and failures. Some parents are the cause of the problem and cause further unforeseen complications (drama). Some parents are all-in for helping provide a positive environment to give their son positives role models and experiences of good behavior. It is remarkable to witness the change. A few become great adults. I taught in adult leadership that scouters HAVE to see themselves only as part of the parents team to develop their kids i

Folks always seem to revert to extremes when discussing the uniform. The uniform is part of scouting, so don’t make less than that. The uniform gives the youth identity and a tool for developing character. The community responds to the uniform with fondness, respect and support. The uniform is part of the romantic adventure to the image of scouting. Make the most of it and have fun. Barry

Piers and role models set the expectations. In cubs, our den leaders wore the uniform and encouraged unity. In the troop, the PLC set the expectation. of course it will never be perfect, but the uniform is part of the fun of scouting. Have fun. Barry

My high school teacher son said his experience of low quality schools to high quality schools come down to expectation from the faculty. My experience as a scout leader from cubs to council was the same. Scouts will make an effort if they are appreciated for it. You are not giving the scouts the opportunity to shine. Even a scout shirt and football pants shows willingness to show their pride of being a scout. Barry

Our town use to include the scouts in emergency prep drills, but then liability became an issue for a real emergency. Tornadoes are common around here. Leaving youth out of the process is safer and less risky for the community. Barry On a personal note, Albuquerque is home to me. I lived near the Sandia mountains as a youth.

But not to ready. The largest group of first year scouts that quit our troop in 6 months had experience camping every month during webelos. They were simply bored. Part of the adventure of being in a troop is learning scout skills from other scouts. A few scouts skills to get them wanting more is ok, but cubs with first class experience tend to leave because the troop program doesn’t live up to the hype. I used to teach webelos leaders that we would rather have scouts with no outdoors experience who are confident standing in front of groups and mingling with older scouts than trained camp

I respect what you are saying, but we will have to agree to disagree. Barry

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

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

Unfortunately, I've seen many heavy handed non-religious adult troops decompose. Sadly, one does not have to be religious to be zealot. Barry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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