Breaking the mold!

[Scoutfish 16]

Okay, we just had our pack campout this weekend and it was awesome!

 

I am not trying to brag, or toot my own horn. I just want to show what can happen if you persist!

 

So, as I was saying......this weekend was awesome!

 

I had alot of scouts and alot of parents say they had a blast! Everybody enjoyed it and many said it was the best campout ever!

 

Okay, It didn't start out easy either.

 

Last year was my first year as CM, and I wanted to stir things up a bit.

Not saying our pack was dying or anything like that, but ....well..the program was sorta going stale. Same thing over and over. Same camping, same crafts, same activities, same ole same ole.I figured I was a new CM, so time for new stuff and program.

 

Pack meetings were a bunch of announcements and then awards passed out. Passed out, but not really awarded. Think Ben Stien reading the attendance list : "Bueller.... Bueller.... Bueller....?

 

So, even though I sing as well as a deaf donkey in heat, I started getting the boys and parents to do group participaton songs. I got them to start doing skits. I got them to start laughing and having fun.

 

I acted silly, I told jokes...I acted like I was 9 years old!

 

We polay Simon Sez, We run around to burn off energy between awarding dens their awards.

 

I even went so far as to dress up like a ballerina( pink tutu , outfit and all - with necker, boots and hiking socks and scout hat) after losing a bet about wether they would finish the year and make rank or not.

 

They still remind me how funny that was.

 

I even changed our style of camping. Used to be nothing but advancement with breaks for meals during the day.

 

I brought footballs, badmitton ets, frisbees, and softballs to camps. I insisted that leaders cut back on ( but not completely drop ) advancement activities.

 

This year, I pushed it even further. I pushed out leaders and committee to change our camp menu from chicken quarters for lunch and boston butts for supper to hot dogs and chips for lunch and chicken nuggets and mac & cheese for scouts( or combination of) and cheeseburgers for adults.

 

We made stone soup which magicaly tasted just like a chicken brunswick stew.

 

I fought with the leaders to have our scouts build their own tomahawks out of 3/4 inch plywood. You fastened the head to the notch in the handle with twine lashing.

 

We built teepees out of 2X2 lumber and some sort of redish brown sub floor cardboard paper barrier stuff.

 

I set up a 5 station obstacle course and the scouts loved it. We did it over and over with scouts trading positions, Then we did it a couple more times with leaders and scouts and with parents and scouts. It was great! We played crab soccer too.

 

Then as a surprise to all the scouts and parents...Mohawk/Seneca Indian Chief Steve Silverhils came to our camp and gave a great presentation to our boys. He sang some songs, played the drum, brought a huge table full of indian artifacts to show and explain to the boys.

 

WE went on a night hake and we made and ate smores AFTER the hike instead of right after dinner.

 

And we did it about a month later than we normally do...which ws nice since it was a little bit chilly ( more like crispy) instead of hot and muggy. Okay, other factors caused us to camp when we did...but I had pushed for that same timeframe without luck.

 

Okay, while it sounds like I am patting myself on my back, I really ain't! It is not my intention at all. My point is to tell you about an amazing thing that happened last night at our leaders meeting.

 

Used to be, our long time leaders always did what they did ( in den meetings and camping) because that is always what they did. They did it before, it worked, it was safe, blah blah blah...

 

Our new leaders did itthat way because that's how they saw the longtime leaders doing and figured that was how it was supposed to be done.

 

After seeing all the fun that the scouys and parents had, seeing all the smiles, hearing all the laughter and having better sessions when they were working on rank advancement and requirements...the leaders started having more fun too. They smiled more, had more fun and it was less work.

 

 

So, last night at out leaders meeting, every leader and most of the committee members had at least 1 new idea they wanted to try out. Some had two or three ideas.

 

And they were excited about it too!

 

Some leaders already started checking around for new activities and projects.

 

My thing has always been this: while there is nothing wrong with tradition in rememberance of something - IE: religion, holidays, national or military rememberance or family...I hate to do something only for traditions sake.

 

Know what I mean? I don't want to do something just because it's what we always did before.

 

B&G has a reason behind it. PWD has a reason behind it. Eating a certain food just because that is what we always did in the past is stupid. Doing the same activity over and over again during every rank of scouting will cause you to loose scouts.

 

Anyways, at the meeting, my leaders looked just as excited as the scouts did at the campout.

 

I am excited for them too. I am proud and can't help but smiling like a jackass!

 

THIS IS GOING TO BE AN AWESOME YEAR OF SCOUTING!!!!