Types of Troops

[resqman 108]

I too wondered about the scout tent discussions. I know that the discussions in the vehicles to an event are considerably different when the scouts are 11-12 vs 15-16. Having been a teenage boy, raising two teenage boys, and a scout leader for 7 years, boys are not that different. Fart jokes are always funny. Girls have kooties until middle school. As they approach high school, getting kooties is not such a bad thing.

 

Car camping can encourage people to bring "too much" gear. I think we need to look at the question being asked. Is Scouts about teaching a boy how to survive in the woods or it is about exposing him to a variety of new topics and forcing him to learn self confidence and basic life skills. We use the field as a classroom to get scouts outside of their normal environment and stretch them beyond their normal skill set.

 

As Lisa mentioned, how many 11-15 year boys can plan a balanced meal, buy the groceries, prep the food, cook the food, serve the food, and clean up the kitchen. In any environment! Cooking on a one burner backpacking stove tends to limit people to one pot meals. Being able to cook a meal over an open fire is a skill that most people never use again. Being able to plan, prep, cook, serve and clean up a meal is an everyday skill that everyone should be able to perform. I don't really care if it is over an open fire or a propane stove.

 

People outside of Scouting know only a few things about Scouts.

- They wear a uniform

- They know how to tie knots

- They know First Aid

- They help old ladies across the street

- Earning the rank of Eagle is the end all of everything

 

If you talk to people inside of scouting it is about leadership and personal growth through fun activities. High adventure and backpacking are tools to teach leadership and develop self confidence. Councils offer high adventures trips even if the local troops do not. If the troop adult leadership is not promoting high adventure, troop or council, then that is failing of the adults but does not prevent interested scouts in participating.

 

Leader capabilities regarding depth of woods skills and phyiscal challenges have been discussed. BSA does not offer advanced wilderness skills classes. I do not believe they even offer basic wilderness skills classes. IOLS introduces the topics to the adults with a single opportunity to practice. They do not offer classes in planning, preparing or managing high adventure outings. The national organization is not providing the level of support GAHB is seeking.

 

I believe the review of troops should more acurrately reflect the goals of the program vs. what the public expects. Which troops are teaching citizenship, leadership, LNT, and promoting self confidence through introduction to new topics in a fun environoment. The goal of scouting is not to produce a crop of wilderness survival experts. It is to produce leaders.

 

From what little I know about homeschooling parents, they are interested in controlling the environment they raise their children. They tend to have strong religous beliefs. Scouting promotes religious beliefs. The Guide to Safe Scouting certainly limits how scouts interact with their community and each other. Scouts advance at their own pace. It seems like the perfect environment for home schoolers.

 

Bullying and respect of adult leaders is the same issue. Respect for other people. Troops should not tolerate bullying or disrespectful scouts. Usually asking the scout in question which of the 12 points of the scout law he is demonstrating helps them to understand which behavior they should be demonstrating.

 

Troops are made of up of volunteers doing the best they can and know how. Some leaders have more training. Some leaders apply the training. Troop cultures are difficult to change when you are the only one with a different vision. I have seen troops change dramatically by the installation of a SM with a strong vision of Scouting. Those who understand and agree with the vision, stay and improve the troop. Those who do not agree with the vision, move on.