Webelos requirement #8

[EagerLeader 9]

Can someone suggest an age-appropriate "act of service" to fulfill requirement 8e for the Webelos badge? Both my son and I are unsure as to the direction we should head in, and we are at a loss.

 

 

[Bob White 20]

What did your religious leader suggest?

[Scoutndad 10]

Our Council has done a food drive for local food banks; our Pack has collected toys for the Toys for Tots campaign at Christmas time for the past 3 years and my Den has made cookies for the local community kitchen throughout the year.

 

But as BW suggests, if you are not sure, ask your religious leader and I am sure that he/she/they will have some great ideas.

 

Good luck!

[EagerLeader 9]

We do not have a religious leader, since we do not attend church. Can he fulfill this requirement under my husband's direction? The little he knows of organized religion has been passed on by my husband.

 

 

[acco40 95]

Eager leader, your religious leader and your husbands religious leader are irrelevant. What is important is your son's religious leader (perhaps you or your husband?) If that is you, why not something as simple as helping out a senior citizen in some small way? The purpose of the requirement is to introduce your son to service and to get him to experience the benefits that providing service to others can bring to him. For this reason, the requirement states service "for someone else." It does not say for a non-profit, a charitable organization, the Red Cross, a food bank, etc. The reason I believe is because at this young age, a Webelos Scout can get better feedback by providing service to a living breathing individual that he may actually know and be able to better comprehend the results of his actions. JMHO.

 

Let's look at the requirement (see below). Most of these can easily be done without membership in an "organized religion." In fact for the first one, why not have your son visit a house of worship that he is not familiar with, observe and complete the rest of the requirement?

 

8e) Do two of these:

Attend the mosque, church, synagogue, temple, or other religious organization of your choice, talk with your religious leader about your beliefs. Tell your family and your Webelos den leader what you learned.

 

Discuss with your family and Webelos den leader how your religious beliefs fit in with the Scout Oath and Scout Law, and what character-building traits your religious beliefs have in common with the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

 

With your religious leader, discuss and make a plan to do two things you think will help you draw nearer to God. Do these things for a month.

 

For at least a month, pray or meditate reverently each day as taught by your family, and by your church, temple, mosque, synagogue, or religious group.

 

Under the direction of your religious leader, do an act of service for someone else. Talk about your service with your family and Webelos den leader. Tell them how it made you feel.

 

List at least two ways you believe you have lived according to your religious beliefs.(This message has been edited by acco40)

[Scoutndad 10]

I keep forgetting how exact one needs to be in these forums...

 

Under direction of the religious leader (presumably your scouts leader - ie you or your spouse) find a need and fill it...whether it be locally or globally.

 

Sometimes rural settings don't lend the opportunities that suburban or city settings provide. And as mentioned, no it does not have to be for a non-profit/charitable group, but when you are looking for easy answers, these groups have an inordinate amount of resources to pool from for ideas.

 

For a more individual experience, the suggested help of an elderly neighbor is a great lesson and the scout gets to see and experience the reward of a good deed more quickly.

 

Whatever you choose (or your religious leader chooses) I am sure it will be a great opportunity for your scout.

 

[EagerLeader 9]

We did the first of the requirements for 8e, attending church and discussing it. He doesn't feel he can do any of the other choices except to perform an act of service, because he hasn't formed any concrete "religious beliefs" of his own to follow. We did Scouting for Food as a Pack in November; as a family we purchased and donated $100 of new toys for Toys for Tots at Christmastime; and with his school he collected Change for Children to help the American Red Cross after the tsunami disaster. I guess my question should have been, do any of these things qualify as an "act of service" to fulfill 8e?

 

 

[ScoutNut 147]

An "act of service" has you stumped?

 

This should not be so hard. Your husband, who is acting as his religious leader, needs to talk to him about what he considers to be "service to others" and then pick one & do it.

 

Help an elderly neighbor by pulling weeds, cutting grass, etc.

 

If his school participates in Market Day he can volunteer to carry boxes to cars.

 

He can volunteer to help watch younger children during PTO meetings.

 

Visit Senior's at your local Nursing Home.

 

Run errands for a neighbor who can't.

 

Volunteer to read to little kids at your local library.

 

Walk a young neighbor to school each day.

 

There are lots of ways to help other people.

 

[ScoutNut 147]

I suppose you could use Scouting for Food or Change for Children as he had some direct effect & input. I would not count his parents spending $100 towards HIS act of service.

 

IMHO, I would do something new, & hopefully more personal, that he himself has picked specificaly for this requirement. Remember, it is supposed to be under the direction of his religious leader (his dad).

[EagerLeader 9]

" An "act of service" has you stumped? "

 

ScoutNut, I have to apologise for seeming obtuse... :0)

 

I was unclear as to whether it was an implied religion-based act of service, or whether it was a "Good Turn" which he had no problem thinking up ideas for! Since I do not belong to an organized religion, I wasn't sure if this was something everyone else would know about and I didn't, like confession.

 

Apparently I was overthinking this. DUH! Thanks for the clarification.

 

 

[Scoutndad 10]

IMHO....Sounds as if the scout fulfilled his requirements in a couple of different ways and as long as those events were accomplished by the support of his Akela and/or religious leader (dad), you would only need to discuss with your family and Webelos leader to complete the requirement that you originally inquired about.

[FScouter 24]

In my opinion "religious leader" refers to the minister, pastor, priest, rabbi, Sunday school teacher, etc. If a family is not religious and doesn't attend church, they have no religious leader. That makes fulfilling the requirement problematic.

[Rixkidz 10]

FScouter says "In my opinion "religious leader" refers to the minister, pastor, priest, rabbi, Sunday school teacher, etc. If a family is not religious and doesn't attend church, they have no religious leader. That makes fulfilling the requirement problematic."

 

I have to second that...

 

Doesn't there need to be a true belief in "a God" to be a scout?

 

 

[msnowman 10]

Rixkids says "Doesn't there need to be a true belief in "a God" to be a scout?"

 

Rix - while I won't disagree that Scouting requires a true belief in "a God", who is to say that you have to go to an organized church to have a true belief? A parent is the leader of their family, why does that have to exclude the family's spiritual life? Home worship is an important part to many families.

 

Michelle

CM - Pack 102

[Bob White 20]

The issue of 'belief' is separate from the issue of attending a church. It is very possible to believe in God and not attend a religious service. While I would agree that making a committment to a religious community is a wonderful way to expand your understanding and deepen your commitment to your faith, it is not a requirement of the BSA, it is however a behavior that meshes nicely with the program Aims and Mission.

 

As others have pointed out, if the scout is unable to meet this requirement then there are others to choose from. I would recommend to the parents to seek guidance from a minister in their community.

 

(This message has been edited by Bob White)