Ok so im not a scouter....

[climberslacker 10]

Ok so I am actually the SPL of my troop, but I come seeking wisdom. some of the scouts in my troop do not understand the uniform, or when to wear different levels of it. For example, they will wear the uniform to the meeting and have it look horrible. The problem is that it is only a select few, and they have been in the movement for about a year. I have had 10 minute long sections in the beginning of meetings were I printed out copies of "Scouting for Boys" and read sections pertaining to the uniform, which some scouts afterword told me seemed like it had a great impact (I take theater) and nothing changes. All my other scouts do follow the uniform, almost to the letter, but these few scouts make the entire troop look horrible. Any help would be appreciated.

 

-CS

PS: I wear a BSA beret to all meetings and campout

[Beavah 205]

Yah, hey climberslacker. Welcome to da forums, eh!

 

I understand that you're one of the important people not one of us silly old scouters! Yah, good, we get borin' after a while . And we're here to help.

 

I think you're runnin' into the same thing we adults eventually learn, eh? Just because we've told somebody something doesn't mean that they listened, or understood, or care! "Telling" by itself - even good theatrical telling - doesn't really get us very far.

 

So my question to yeh back is what can you do that doesn't involve "telling?"

 

Demonstrate or help 'em sew?

 

Take digital photos to show 'em they look bad (or good)?

 

Have patrol competitions or such that involve proper uniformin' as a component, so they lose points or somethin' else they want, and start to make da connection?

 

Have them do a uniform inspection on the older scouts or adults, so they think it's fun and learn at da same time?

 

Find the young fellow who at least makes an effort and give him a lot of positive older scout attention so the others start to get the hint that the uniform makes you part of da cool guys?

 

Be creative, eh!! Only thing you're not allowed to do is to yell at 'em or give 'em a lecture or anything else that has to do with "telling."

 

Beavah

 

[Eagle92 110]

Welcome to the forums. A few ideas.

 

1) Do you have weekly uniform inspections? My old troop did, and the points went towards a patrol of the year award.

 

2) Do the PLs, troop youth leadership, and SPL enforce uniforming? Do you constantly remind them to "tuck in the shirt," or "if you are going to be a Scout, you need to look like a Scout," etc.

 

3) Does your troop have uniform expectations or policies? In my old troop there were expectations given from the first day a scout joined the troop. It was reiterated at his Investiture, and every Scout Investiture we did. Also it was expected that scouts have the Field Uniform: socks, shorts/pants, belt, shirt, necker, woggle, troop totem, and a scout hat, on when we left to go on any trip. (Yes we gave scouts some slack, i.e. dark socks with long pants, any green shorts/pants).

 

As for different levels of uniform, that's up to you and your troop. here is how my troop classifed them

 

Class A was the Field uniform described above was worn going to and from trips, meetings from October through April, service projects, etc.

 

A Full Class A uniform was field uniform above plus medals, MB sash, and OA sash (no two sashes at the same time), and was worn at COHs and BORs.

 

A Class B was the troop or any scout t-shirt in the place of the khaki shirt. Worn at meetings from May to Sept., and once we got to the campground.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

 

[climberslacker 10]

I like the ideas. I know that me and some of my other leaders are always pushing the uniform. The problem is that some of the pls dont even always wear the uniform, but the one that doesnt is going to be replaced. We will start holdong weekly uniform inspections. I like the patrol points idea because then I can also encourage patrol pride and also have my patrols showing up

 

Thanks a ton guys!

[Lisabob 13]

Probably the best thing you can do is use positive reinforcement from the older scouts. 10-11-12 year olds seem to think that 16-17-18 year olds walk on water. If your older scouts are acting as good role models and are willing to play the role of friendly big brother giving advice and encouragement to some of the younger guys, a lot of those younger scouts will probably come around. And if, for some reason, you can't get through to the guys who have been with the troop for a year or so, start focusing on the newest guys. If the older and younger scouts are always in uniform and looking sharp, those 12 year olds will quickly find themselves isolated and may start changing their behavior.

 

I also like the idea of patrol competitions & uniform inspections, as long as you keep it fun. By itself, all the talk and "lecturing" in the world probably won't make much difference though, so don't get tempted to go down that road.

 

 

 

Good luck!

[climberslacker 10]

that may be part of our problem. I am going to turn 15 in about a week, and I am the SPL we have 2 other scouts who are 16, and barly, if ever show up. Also the oldest leader below me would be a 13 year old patrol leader. But I do know that my scouts look up to me. When we had the OA elections, and they said what and arrowman is about half my troop, in unison said "Like {climbeslacker}" and the other half asked why im not running (The answer is I'm brotherhood).

 

You don't know how good that felt.

 

-CS

[Hal_Crawford 15]

Welcome to the campfire.

 

Do you have an active PLC? It will probably be easier to convince a small group. Convince them that it is important to wear the uniforms correctly. Get their "buy in". As a group, decide how to encourage and reward uniform use. These things always (repeat, always) work better when it starts with a group of scouts, not adults and not a single scout. When older scouts set the he tone the younger ones will usually follow. Peer pressure can be used for good sometimes. If you get your patrol leaders behind you there is a very good chance you will be successful.

 

Sounds like you're doing a great job. Good luck.

[desertrat77 1144]

How about a demo and contest on how not to wear the uniform?

 

Have a volunteer scout wear a uniform that has every mistake in the book...patches in the wrong place, etc. Several write ups, if you will.

 

Then have the patrols compile a list of the errors they find. The patrol with the most findings wins. Afterwards, have the whole troops discuss the errors they found.

 

The cool thing is you can incorporate some of the common errors you see each week into this little drill. The scouts will then make the association between the demo uniform errors and their own.

 

This also works in a related manner with how not pack a pack...bring out a pack with a cast iron skillet swinging from a loop, pull out a glass jars, aerosol cans, heavy stuff at the bottom of the pack, etc.

 

Climberslacker, best wishes...SPL is the toughest yet most rewarding scout leadership role.

 

 

 

 

[Twocubdad 665]

Some of the guys -- typically the older ones -- are going to buck the system for the sake of bucking the system. That's just what teenagers go. Welcome to our world. As a leader, you need to learn to pick your battles, change the things you can control and move beyond the others. Pushing to hard with those guys probably won't be too effective and likely more trouble than it's worth. Sooner or later they will outgrow their need to buck the system or not.

 

The opportunity you have is to cement the tradition and feeling of pride the younger Scouts have in their uniforms. The absolutely best thing you can do in that regard is exactly what you are doing -- set a good example. If the younger guys only see the bozos who don't wear their uniforms properly, they will want to copy what the older, "cool" guys are doing. But if you set a counter example, the younger guys will at least have a someone they can look to.

 

We've gone through exactly the same process in our troop. Among the older guys (age 15+, a total of about eight guys), probably half will be in full uniform on any given night. The leaders -- SPL, troop guides and most PLs, are the ones in uniform, setting the pace. Of the younger guys (the majority of the troop, about 35 Scouts) nearly all will be in uniform.

 

As far a practical advice, first decide what "in uniform" means for your troop and push that. For us, we push for "all six parts" -- that is troop cap, troop neckerchief, scout shirt, scout pants, belt and socks. That's a full uniform to us.

 

Every once and a while, we'll have a surprise prize for everyone in uniform. Sometimes an adult will bring a couple boxes of ice cream bars to troop meetings. Everyone in full uniform gets one. A couple months ago we were loading out from a campout and the adults had a couple bottles of soft drinks and a few bags of chips left over. Everyone in full uniform was invited to divide what was left.

 

Keep it up man, you are doing a great job and serving your troop well.

[NeilLup 13]

Hello climberslacker,

 

Welcome to the forum. We hope we can be some help to you.

 

You have gotten some great advice.

- setting the example

- occasionally giving "goodies" for people in uniform

- giving nice opportunities to Scouts in uniform

 

I would add being sure to praise the younger Scouts when they are in perfect uniform. Compliments like "your uniform really looks sharp" from you will really make a difference particularly if they are being put down by some of the non-uniform wearers.

 

You need to change the culture of the Troop. That can be tough to do but you likely will need to chip away at it.

 

Does your SM always wear his/her uniform? How 'bout the ASMs? Can you get them to praise Scouts in uniform also?

 

Making that culture change can be difficult. Stay on it and let us know how it works.

[asichacker 10]

OK, so I'm a "scouting outsider". Which means I have a stepson in scouting, but I don't really participate because a) I get the impression that step-parents are unwelcome in the Scouting crowd, and b) I haven't liked camping/fishing/hiking since I was a kid; so there is basically no place for me.

 

Personally, I think there is a huge over-emphasis on the whole uniform. Unless the troop is on a parade or some public function, the uniform seems much ado about nothing.

 

Of course the expect that there are dozens of rules and regs in the scout manual, but doe sit really matter for a meeting?

 

Confused in AZ.

[Eagle92 110]

Just as the baseball uniform is important for baseball, the football uniform is for football, ad nauseum, so to is the scout uniform important to Scouting. The uniform symbolizes much. It shows the world that the Scout is a member of the largest youth organization in the world that has been around since 1907. It tells people that wearer si someone who has taken an oath to do their duty to God and Country, to other people, and to self. When people see the uniform, or know that soemone is a scout, they expect them to be prepared to handle any emergency. Trust me I had that happem twice as a scout.

 

The uniform is a equalizer in that scouts of all ethnicities and and socio-economic backgrounds wear the same uniform. Although an equalizer, the uniform also allows the scout and scouter to show his abilities and achievements in the form of advancement, training, and experience.

 

 

[SSScout 1616]

Thanks for restarting this thread. Proper uniform is important to me. The WHOLE uni is sometimes overwhelming. I invited an adult non Scout friend of mine to one of our Troop meetings (Troop CoH and picnic), and he reminded me that on a previous occassion I had called his Hawaiian shirt "garish" ( I also told him I liked it), and then he gestured toward my uni and said "now THERE"S garish for you!" I took his good natured jibe and smiled. We talked about the uniform's purpose and he smiled and said he knew all that, but it wasn't for everyday wear, was it?

Making the Scout aware of the uni's purpose and importance is important, but as been said, it is only one of the methods.

As our society has become more complex, more advanced (?), more rich (?), perhaps fancy clothes tend to become more important than they should be. Remember that 'in the beginning', a Scout was ENCOURAGED if not REQUIRED to earn the money to buy his own uni.

In many countries around the world, if the Scout has anything that visually sets him apart, it will be a neckerchief and perhaps a particular Tshirt.

It is the activities and skills and attitude that should really set the Scout apart from his peers, not just his clothing.

 

Neatly uniformed Unit? By all means, Encourage pride in dress , but make sure the reason behind that pride matches the symbolism in the uniform.

[asichacker 10]

All I know for certain is that I'll be spending a small fortune on a constant flow of uniforms that get outgrown every year.

 

Is it really necessary to wear the Class A at every evening dinner during a Scout Camp? That will be one messy uniform by the end of the week.

[desertrat77 1144]

Asichacker,

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

Interesting you got the impression that step parents aren't welcome...that's a shame because if there is a scouter sending that vibe to you, it's wrong. Kids are raised by aunts, grandparents, you name it, I think the key is the adult leadership appreciating that fact.

 

The uniform: your points are well taken. But the uniform is a vital part of scouting. No coach would let the players wear what they want on the field...it's part of being a team member.

 

Expense: yes, if you buy it all from the local scout shop or on line, it's pricey. But check the thrift stores, ebay, etc...you can scoop up some bargains.

 

No need to buy it all at once...a little at a time.

 

Best tip I could pass along is have two scout shirts: a nice one for meetings and ceremonies, and one you picked up at a yard sale that can be worn to camp and such. As long are both "clean, dry and serviceable" the two shirt theory has saved me money over the years.

 

Just last night I went to my pack's court of honor. It was outdoors, and I helped chop wood for the closing campfire. I was in full uniform but I was wearing my older outdoor shirt...my nice one is hanging up at home.

 

Best wishes to you and your son.