Information, Observation, and Inspiration for Scouters
“In the stake bucket, on the trailer.”
What’s wrong with this transaction?
Here’s a clue. A Scout, most likely a new recruit, setting up his tent with his bunk partner, asks an adult where the tent stakes are. Because a Scout is helpful, the adult answers that they are in a bucket on board the troop trailer and sends the Scout on his way. Continue reading ““Where are the tent stakes?””
Like the Scouts of nearly every troop, our boys recite the Scout Oath and Scout Law at the beginning of troop meetings.
How often do they – or you – stop to ponder what those words mean?
They are the essence of our movement, reduced to forty words in the Oath and twelve points of the Law: Duty to God and country. Help others. Be trustworthy, helpful, courteous, reverent… you know these things.
What do Boy Scouts do, mostly, though? They hold meetings and they go camping. That makes up, I’d say, 80 percent of their time and efforts. Continue reading “So where does camping fit in?”
One of the hallmarks of Scouting that sets it apart from other youth activities is its emphasis on youth leadership. Boys form their own patrols and hold elections, govern themselves within the framework of Scouting, decide and plan their own activities, and are generally supposed to be running the show, with adults in the background.
Of course, there are very few boys who are completely capable  of doing all this in a vacuum, let alone an entire troop’s worth. Scouting has always had adult supervision to coach and mentor the youth leaders, all the way from Baden-Powell’s vision, through “Green Bar” Bill Hillcourt’s patrol method resources, to today’s youth leadership training. Continue reading “Who’s steering the ship?”
I’m about to date myself. Seriously date myself.
One of my fondest childhood memories was sitting down in front of the Zenith black & white television set in the living room with a glass of milk and a cookie and watching The Mickey Mouse Club. When the theme song would come on, I’d jump up out of my little chair and march around in a circle, just like Mickey Mouse did, and sing along “Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me?” I can still see Jiminy Cricket dealing out the cards that spelled M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E, and Donald Duck trying to steal the limelight. Continue reading “Who’s the leader of the club?”
I came across a really insightful post to the Harvard Business Review faculty blog by Teresa Amabile and Steve Kramer called Declaring Independence in the Workplace. The post deals mainly with problems that ensue when upper management micromanages their teams, and how team professionals deserve a “Declaration of Independence” of their own – independence to do their work without undue interference from above.
I began to draw many Scouting allegories from this, going back to the “Green Bar” Bill Hillcourt advice to train ’em, trust ’em and let ’em lead as we must do with our Scouts. However, one of the comments jumped off the page at me, full of meaning for the adult role in Boy Scouting. Continue reading “The waterline test”