Teaching self-reliance

[frankj 10]

I think there is more to be gained by following the patrol method in planning the meals and rotating the duties of grubmaster than by going shopping on your own (for what, PopTarts, Snickers and Mountain Dew?). I'm assuming here if they supply their own cooking gear they are also on their own to plan individual menus.

 

If the Troop can afford tents, they should supply them I think and not require boys to get their own. Too much of a burden on families. Imagine scraping together the money to buy the full uniform and then being told you need to get a tent too! What is this leader thinking? Self-reliance will come simply by following the program, taking part in activities and advancing through the ranks.

 

[madkins007 10]

Self-reliance means many things to many people, from a good knowledge of outdoor skills (the ability to survive being lost, for example), to the ability to take care of yourself in a basic urban setting. I think it refers more to the confidence and awareness that you know how to take care of yourself on many levels, and having a library of basic skills you can draw from to accomplish this.

 

Scouting offers great opportunities for people to learn self-reliance, and we also sometimes ignore other chances.

 

For example, we do indeed teach cooking and some other basic life skills, but we have a great opportunity to teach sewing, mending, etc. as well. I've always thought it a bit odd that with all of our patches, we did not have some sort of sewing requirements.

 

Fund-raising can teach many skills, from basic salesmanship to dogged perseverence, yet many units encourage parents to do at least some of the work. (Frankly, the top sellers in many units are obviously the parents networking. One local boy got a huge prize when his dad made arrangements for his medium-sized company to give popcorn to all employees as a Christmas gift.)

 

Merit badge classes in meetings (as well as merit badge workshops and merit badges at camp) means that Scouts do not meet new people- experts in various areas, or work with these people to accomplish new things. They often do not get the full benefit of the experience since the agenda is often compressed to accomodate numbers of boys or short time periods, etc.

 

Using troop equipment does not in and of itself interfere with self-reliance, but it often reduces the individual's responsibilities to care for the gear, his pride in ownership/fabrication, and his desire to try new things. Sure new tents can cost a lot, but there is a great pride and fun in making your own shelters. A cook kit from the local camping supply costs a ton, but a kit put together from a local garage sale or thrift shop only costs a bit and is probably significantly higher quality!

 

A well-run, boy-run program is all we need to teach a great deal about self-reliance... but you can always toss in a survival campout or so to reinforce the lessons!