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The adult role at summer camp

campflagsSoon our troop heads off to summer camp, as does just about every troop. This week I sent out the following advice to our troop parents:

Summer camp is coming up in just a couple weeks. Summer camp is a critical time for our youth leaders to put the leadership they’ve been practicing into action. It’s what they’ve been working toward all year and looking forward to.

If you are planning to attend summer camp, please keep in mind that this is a time that the boys can manage their own affairs during the week. Continue reading “The adult role at summer camp”

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What you can’t get online

classroom_200From the beginning of our movement, it’s been clear that training is the key to success. Baden-Powell had a way with training, in that he believed that it was important to educate the soldiers he led in battle so they would learn to be aware of their surroundings. The philosophy carried over to Boy Scouting as he discovered that boys were using his military training manual to concoct their own games. He was known for saying that the most important object in Boy Scout training is to educate, not instruct, and eventually conducted the first Wood Badge course for training Scoutmasters in a practical manner.

Today we continue the training tradition. Continue reading “What you can’t get online”

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How Scouting helps identity development

seven_arrows_200Last week I attended an orientation session at the university my son is attending in the fall. There were separate sessions for the new students and for the soon-to-be parents of a college kid. Besides the expected talks on dorm life, financial aid and how to pay the bill, several university staffers presented segments on various aspects of adjusting to college life.

One of the most interesting talks was on the topic of student well-being. Going beyond adjusting to a roommate and using the health center and recreation facilities, the speaker enlightened us on the steps of identity development that our students would most likely go through during their years in college. Continue reading “How Scouting helps identity development”

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Professional education at a volunteer price

woodbadge_orangeWhere can you get professional quality leadership development training, worth many thousands of dollars, for a bargain price?

One of the perks of our serving as Scouting volunteers is the opportunity to learn and improve our own leadership skills as we mentor our boys to do the same. The BSA provides these opportunities so that we can see for ourselves what servant leadership and personal development is all about, and use that experience to set an example for, and help guide, the boys as they learn the beginnings of what it takes to be a leader. Continue reading “Professional education at a volunteer price”