Another questions is do we in scouting (whichever branch) want to promote "civic action" or "servant leadership"? Which focus do we think is more appropriate for training middle school kids?
This piece of Girl Scout advice has been around for a while, and it lowered my opinion of GSUSA. I feel that it is very important for kids to realize that even well-meaning adults are occasionally mistaken, and a kid needs to be able to (hopefully politely) correct a teacher in certain circumstances. (One circumstance that comes to mind is the kid with food allergies -- he knows what he can safely eat much better that the teacher does. ) But school dress codes are a terrible example. I am happy that our local high-school has at least a few rules (no spaghetti straps) that discourage the over-sexualizing of teenage girls. GSUSA suggesting that girls should lobby for the right to dress inappropriately seems really wrong-headed to me.
Not sure why, but this sponsored link kept popping up on my FB wall: Your Daughter vs. Her School Dress Code What I find interesting: Someone at GS/USA thinks this issue can be used to promote their brand. Appealing school restrictions on students is deemed a "civic action", but appealing the fashion industry's body-shaming arms race is not even a suggestion. At some point, any of us in BSA who've worked with young women come across this issue with our youth. In venturing, this is great fodder for ethical controversies. But, it's not something where I would tell parents that my advice is the reason they should trust their girls' personal growth to me. More importantly, if I were to present parent-facing material, I would present the multiple viewpoints of youths (both girls and boys) on the matter.
prof replied to scoutmaster759's topic in New to the Forum?
This is the kind of family you want to come back to when your scouts start wanting to earn merit badges. Does the father or mother have a job or hobby that would allow them to serve as a MB counselor, or maybe they can comprise your committee? Your pitch would be "You asked me if I would be around for your boy. Now I'm asking, will you be around for our scouts?"
All - thank you very much for all of the ideas and input. We are a large troop and have used a trailer for years but with 80 scouts in the troop and usually 50+ that attend summer camp, we needed a larger trailer for all the gear. I did see some great ideas on organizaion of trailers and will use some of what I found. I ordered a 7x14 trailer with dual axles, rounded front and seemless walls as we wrap our trailer with our Troop info. We also decided to go with a taller trailer (7' internal height) as we plan on building a false floor to store some of longer items that we currently hang on the walls. Hopefully it is delivered on time and we can do ur build out in time for summer camp. If anyone is interested in a 7x12 single axle trailer with a 6'6" intenal hieght, let me know, We will be sellting our current trailer once summer camp is over.
You know what.. that's a very good point. I know kids who have been in Scouts because they like to camp and have fun. I think if they get into Scouts and camp with us and have fun I can convince them that the badges are being completed just by having fun and that a bigger goal can do a lot of good for them in their lives.
We were preparing for a campout and I had a couple of Scouts load up a backpack with all of the gear we were taking with us. We went to the community center where we based the unit and as we walked in with the backpack a small crowd of kids followed us in wondering what we were doing. We sat down and showed them how to pack clothing, rolling it up, a first aid kit, water and the importance of water when hiking and camping. They stayed through the entire meeting. We are going to build a slide show and we will have a lot more chances to get their attention this summer. We based our unit at a community recreation center on purpose, because we knew the kids we wanted to reach out to were there. Now it's just getting them to convert. I was talking with my DE about inviting kids along on a campout without them being enrolled and were working through the issues of insurance, etc. They kind of frowned on it but the BSA has not been very successful in working in poor urban communities and doesn't alway get outside the box. We just had our first mulch sale and it covered the full costs of the boys going to summer camp so that's a hit. We talk to the kids and tell them that we can manage costs with fundraising and that they get to meet people in the community which is fun too. I will keep plying away at this one. I had one family ask me if I would be around for their son through the entire journey and I told them that I cannot guarantee anything but had no plans for leaving. Have lived in this community for 20 years and hoping to bring pride to community with the presence of Scouting and kids achieving and moving forward and taking on the adventures. Thanks for the ideas and support!
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Thanks all - I am looking for insights anyone might be able to share working with urban poor youth. My unit is located in a regentrifying neighborhood - if you are north on one side of a street - $650k home if you are south of that same street $100k homes (if that much). There is a big discrepancy there and the urban affluent are just having kids and the urban poor have younger and older kids. Any insights on how to approach an 11 year old boy about joining Scouts? It's a tough putt... I often see this kids without their parents, had one boy join Scouts and his mom signed him right up. I said I look forward to meeting your family. A campout came out and the mom had no idea she signed him up for Boy Scouts (despite the application saying Boy Scouts of America, that sometimes gives it away). He has not been back. I troll a neighborhood community center and the boys seem to have interest but their parents are never around to understand what the boys might be getting into. I have met some really great kids who were enthused about adventuring, camping, hiking, canoeing, but worried that when it comes to Merit Badges the enthusiasm drops. Any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated and thanks for the warm welcome!
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