Thinking of Scouters as coaches …

… can help us understand our role in the game. These are just analogies – we aren’t actually coaches, and Scouting isn’t actually a game.  Analogies are not exact copies, they only resemble what they represent. What a Scouter does may be similar to coaching, but Scouters hold an unique role in a young person’s life. We are part parent, part coach, part counsellor, part mentor, and part friend.

In this second installment of our fundamentals of Scouting series I’ll talk about our role, and the deceptively simple skills we need to master.  I may be able to explain observation, dialogue, discovery, and responsive application in a few minutes, but they take a lifetime to master.

Scouters as coaches apply these skills to an endlessly recursive process to facilitate the game of Scouting. Our game is not competitive, our game does not end in a zero-sum win or loss. Our game helping individual human beings to shape and define their lives.

Scouting is fascinating, fun, and sometimes frustrating work; but it is well worth our time.

Podcast Notes

Frank Maynard’s Blog Bobwhite Blather

Happy Wanderer Opening Music

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