Scout Sunday

It's been a while since I have submitted my thoughts.  This past Sunday our troop celebrated Scout Sunday, one of my favorite things to do with the troop.

As always, we want to thank our chartering institution for its ongoing support.  We are an outreach of the church, a point I remind everyone of from time to time.  The troop is an extension of the chartering institution and exist at its approval and support.   The scouts are a representation of the strong program Scouting provides As the leaders here today work to provide a program that empowers scouts to prepare themselves to become productive citizens and strong leaders, and bring joy to other people.

Scout Sunday is the day set aside for scouts in regard to the 12th scout law “Reverence”.  Baden-Powell, the father of the World Scouting Movement, believed this was very important in the life of a Boy Scout an wrote about it openly in the early handbooks for scouting 100 years ago.  The 12th scout law states:  “Reverent- A scout is reverent toward God.  He is faithful in his religious duties.  He respects the beliefs of others.”

My favorite part of the meetings is how we start and end them prayer.  A couple of years ago I noticed how the scouts tasked with this struggled when ask to provide a prayer in front of the who group.  Some probably never prayed before, or much, and especially not in front of people or peers.  So, I decided to do something about it.  I created the “Troop 56 Chaplains Aide Binder”.  Three versions:  one for our meetings, a personal copy to the Chaplains Aide, and a third stays on our trailer and is with us on all our outings.  It contains prayers, reflections, ceremonies, graces, organized so any scouts if asked and willing can pull a prayer appropriate for the moment from the binder and read without the anxiety of ad-libbing something on the fly.  I saw this used during my Woodbadge course and decided to bring it to our troop.  In addition – the Chaplains Aide must leave behind their own piece to add to the binder as their term expires to receive credit for the leadership position.  Since incorporating this, the comfort level has increased, and others who may have been tentative to try of the position now throw their name in the hat.

The prayer time at out meetings in my favorite time because for these few minutes everyone stops to reflect on the day God gives us, but at the end with prayer requests, acknowledging the needs of others and the courage to express those publicly and acknowledge a power greater than our own.

One of my favorite benedictions was taught by my Scoutmaster years ago.  He closed our meetings with this every week.  I was always touched by its reassurance.  We formed a friendship circle, claps hands left-over-right and shared a friendship squeeze that was passed scout to scout.  When the squeeze came back to him he would say, “May the Great Scoutmaster of all great scouts be with us until we meet again.”

No matter who we are, where we come from, God doesn’t want us to be silent.  Its easy to look around when we are outside camping or hiking and take in all He has created.  During our closing times we take just a minute to reflect on those in need on a personal level.  It takes courage (another point of the scout law) for one to ask or share a prayer publicly.  We may think our request is not big enough, or maybe I’ll do it next week.  No matter when, I will always be encouraged and filled in spirit each week as we close with reflection and reverence.

Proud Dad

Leave it to your children to teach you a lesson.  I continue to feel pride and delight in what my children have taught me this week.  Through Scouting and with the youth group at my church I try to stay in tune with what I see in other kids, but when your own cause you stop and reflect it is a cherished treat.  Both my children, through their recent actions, have strengthened my faith, made me realize I need to be more courageous, and continue to live up to the Scout Oath and Law.

I think all parents admit they hope their children make good decisions and eventually become people of influence.  That is a focus we all should consider.  No matter where we are in life we should always strive to be a positive influence to all we know and new friends we make.  This can be exhibited simply by saying hello to someone, or flash a smile to someone as you pass them on the street or in the hallway at school or work.  Who knows, that may be the first time that person has been acknowledged by anyone for a long time, and your seemingly trivial gesture may leave them feeling better about their day.

What if what you believe is challenged?  How do you react?  Do you quietly say to yourself “No big deal, I am going to get on with the rest of my day”?  Do you react negatively and outwardly where you look bad and stress relationships, or do you become apathetic?  As I mentioned, this week has caused me to evaluate what I believe and why, and what I would do if was challenged.  Thanks to the actions of my daughter I have a renewed since of faith and pride about the direction I am headed.  Leaders must be passionate about what they are doing.  They have a strong vision and belief for what they think is right.  They can taste it because the vison is so clear.  Using these tools in a positive way can create change. My daughter recently had the opportunity to stand up for she believed in, express her concerns, and in the process, feel good about herself.  Even though she may have hoped for more, she took the initiative in what she did. Without input from me nor her mother she shared concerns she had in a positive way, expressing what she thought was inequality and disrespect…Proud Dad!

On the heels of her extraordinary profession, my son used an opportunity given to him recently.  Deep down to his fiber he is a scout through and through. I’ve known this since he was a Tiger Cub almost ten years ago. Baden Powell once said, “It’s the spirit within, not the veneer without, that makes a man.”  I always remind my scouts that what they learn and recite is more than just words one night a week.  I encourage them to move what they know in their heads to their hearts, and try to live like a scout every day, everywhere.  When our children do something like this unprompted, we parents are unware unless told by other leaders or mentors.  When this happens I mentally ring the tally bell of success.  Having the opportunity, my son reached out to a scout parent during an event recently sharing how he felt about this parent’s scout and hoped to see him again.  Because of this causal effort, and the brotherhood and kinship scouting provides, it appears renewal may be coming.  He could have chosen to stay silent in the presence of this parent, but instead, had the courage and leadership to reach out.  I was unaware of this until the parent told me the background story…Proud Dad!

Standing up for you believe and considering others before yourself go a long way towards being a successful leader.  Leaders strive to make an impression.  They cannot help themselves in doing so.  Good leaders…servant leaders, put self last for the sake of their relationships.  When leaving camp, we ensure we leave the place better than we found it.  Marvin J. Ashton a respected Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) was quoted, “Leave people better than you found them.” I think that is simple to digest.  Because of the relationship my son had and my daughter’s passion to stand for what is right, my children have exemplified this principle and hopefully left those they interacted with better than they found them.

Seeing The Big Picture And Making The Change

As a Scoutmaster, I cherish moments when I can sit back and observe at my own pace the progress
scouts are making.  These moments are powerful and etched into memory as those “ah-ha” moments of pride when things are going the right way.  Baden-Powell always emphasized the power of learning by doing.  Daniel Carter Beard, one of the Founding Fathers of the American Boy Scout movement said, “There is but one way to learn to do a thing and that is to do it.”  Scouts need to experience things to learn things.

We are now four months into a new patrol make up that resulted in mixing all ages to give the same average in all patrols.  There was much trepidation towards this major change that resulted separating scouts who were together since they were cub scouts.  Still in the forming stage, I had the opportunity to observe something that is a goal of the change up.  Scouts working together!  (What a concept).

The Patrol Leader Council (PLC) decided the focus for the last few meetings was going to be lashing because several scouts asked about building things on our next camping trip.  Separated into their new patrols, our Instructors and Guide, along with the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader showed each group how to do the lashing emphasizing their usefulness.  Their leadership and instruction was superb, everyone fully engaged in what they were doing.  If our previous patrol structure attempted this, the scene would look like this:  

Pull the curtain back to see four patrols set by age as they crossed over into the troop, lightly participating in the lashing activity.  The oldest patrol is seen seriously working to get the task done, then seen sitting around waiting for instruction on what to do next.  The youngest patrol comprised of scouts with less than a year of Boy Scout experience, is struggling with the task because none of them know enough to be able to lead the others in completing the task; they begin to lose focus, never completing the goal and never really learning how to do the lashing.  The other patrols in the middle want to participate, but instead they are talking about their play on a video game or whether or not Rey is Luke Skywalker’s daughter.  Activity over, task accomplished, move on to the next thing.

Instead, I witnessed three focused patrols sprawled out on the floor watching and learning from their instructors, helping each other learn and all completing the task put before them.  They were so engrossed with what they were doing, there was little side conversation, in fact eerily quiet because of their focus and work.

   

With leadership there is always a big picture to be seen.  It’s easy to get caught up in the small things that can distract from the real goal that is desired.  It is lonely at the top for leaders who have a vision and make steps to make it happen knowing there will be pushback, and some who are not happy with those steps.  With that, it is easy to concede to those distractors, to avoid the conflict they may cause, just to keep balance and the status quo.  Why were patrols set the way they were?  Because it has always been that way.  Sometimes this is good, but I believe good leaders are willing to look at how things are done and at least ask the question, “Can we do it better?”  The answer to that question may not be the initiation of a change, but the question should be asked nonetheless.

So, amidst this small but yet landmark observation, I also continue to learn.  Baden Powell shared, “Look wide, beyond your immediate surroundings and limits, and you see things in their right proportion.  Look above the level of things around you and see a higher aim and possibility to your work.”  A plan with a focus is powerful tool. Mixing things up so that older experience can help and teach those with less experience, and despite what distractors say, stay the course.  For a better experience to use to teach those with less, we must look around and see the higher aim.  Those older scouts in the “senior” patrol with the experience were not using their talents and knowledge to make the others better.  The skills and knowledge scouts learn is not just for Tuesday nights.  They are things these boys will take with them beyond one night a week.  That is the level I see.  That is how I will leave things better than I found them, and that is an experience I can share with others.

Self-Reliance

During our recent backpacking trip, gathered around the campfire, I asked the scouts to

share one of their favorite things that have happened to them since they were a scout.  Many there have been in since a cub scout, but some of the boys are new, so I knew the answers would vary.  As they shared, the conversation evolved into what scouting has done for each of them.  One shared, scouting has helped him become more self-reliant, and strengthened his confidence.  A sentiment others echoed.  As I listened and shared with them, I still struggled to wrap my brain around what was happening.  In the middle of nowhere, in the woods, was a group of scouts, sitting around a roaring fire with no worry, sharing what the program has done for them.  Honestly as I looked at the other adult leaders who were there, a since of pride came over me, not that it was my doing that led them to share the things they did, but their willingness and comfort to share.  I just facilitated.

The scouting program, when applied correctly can have an impact on skills used later in life.  I still reminisce about my experience and understand how much I gained from what I learned.  Skills such as leadership, group dynamics, problem-solving, and self-reliance just to name a few.

The idea that youth must learn self-reliance, that they at some point must depend on themselves for their success, and that the world does not revolve around them are revelations many grownups never seem to grasp well into adulthood.  What I saw that night around the campfire was the realization that they might be a part of something bigger…  The world doesn’t owe them.

I remember when things clicked for me as a teenager, using skills I learned outside of scouts.  I started cooking for myself; much to my mother’s chagrin, because of course, the kitchen was her absolute territory.  But in time I proved myself and the barrier came down and I was allowed to do more as time went on.

Last week, Mike Brown and I were teaching some first aid to a few scouts and trying to convey how important these skills are, that it may be a scout, one of the leaders, or most likely someone in their family who may need the help some day.  In trying to convey the seriousness of the situation we were simulating, Mike was very animated trying to simulate the seriousness of the situation, and one of the scouts became emotional.  Our intent was not to scare, but to make clear, yes scouting is fun, but there is also seriousness to the things we teach we hope they can apply.

Lord Baden Powell shares a Canadian quote in his book, Rovering To Success.  The saying is, “Hump your pack!” meaning carry your load yourself.  A few pages later he encourages scouts to, “go forward with confidence – don’t be content merely to defend yourself and to ward off the worst of what you may be facing, but go at it with determination to defeat it and to get an advantage out of it somehow.”  To me Baden Powell is saying to scouts:

• Take what you are learning seriously. 

• Carry your own weight.

• Believe in yourself.

• Life is not easy, but with the right skills and attitude you can make it.

So to parents know that your scouts have the knowledge they need to be successful.  I challenge all of us as parents to hone those skills enabling each scout to be the success we know they can be.