Feb
2010
8
Posted by Aaron in Links | 3 Comments
On the BSA’s centennial, an Eagle Scout discusses the pros and cons of the organization. Interesting read.
After 100 Years, Are The Boy Scouts Still Relevant?
Bonus: Did you know Mike Rowe is an Eagle Scout? Awesome!
Tags: scouting
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#1 by Aaron on February 8, 2010 - 11:45 am
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I’ll jump into this conversation right away.
Even though my scouting experience wasn’t all that great, I can’t wait to get Dylan involved. I’ve seen the difference a strong “lodge” (?) can make.
#2 by DMAC on February 12, 2010 - 9:22 am
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The way I see it is this. All of the Pros are spot on. All of the Cons are not really an issue with the boys themselves. It’s really a program about the boys, not the politics of the adults.
One of the interesting facets of the scouting program is that each troop, can fit the needs and desires of it’s own community. One of the first comments is a guys who states he will not volunteer because he is atheist. I say screw that. volunteer because it’s what you want to do. Help kids; if that’s what you want to do. but don’t neglect them cause the adults in charge of the organization have made some political statement.
What makes scouting great is the adults involvement in their son’s lives. I volunteer because I believe I can add to the kids experience. is that always the case. No. But sometimes I have more fun then the kids do.
The values the program teaches are values you want your children to gain. These are not isolated values that are taught from a TV, like a tv preacher. The boys are out there with men, and they model themselves after the men they respect. If you insert yourself into the program, you insert your values into the program.
The Patrol is a unit of about 8 boys like a platoon.
The Troop is a unit of 1-15 patrols.
The lodge is a part of the order of the arrow, commonly referred to as the honor camping society. The Lodge my scouts are currently associated with is really weak. They gain very little from that portion of their program. For me, my lodge was strong, and so was my participation. Which resulted in me finding many like minded friends with whom I have forged lifelong friendships.
bottom line you get out of it what you put into it. If you don’t care. nobody else will.
#3 by Michelle on February 12, 2010 - 9:41 am
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My favorite part of the article is the statement that Scouting is one of the few group activities that kids participate in that is cooperative instead of competitive. I am very competitive but somewhere along the way I also learned that helping a peer that is struggling instead of rolling over them is a good thing. If my kids can learn both cooperation and competition I would consider that a tremendous success.