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How well do Parents understand Scouting? Should we expect them to? Most of us didn’t understand it either for our first two or three laps around the track. There’s an understanding that comes with having things explained, and an understanding that comes from experience – two entirely different things. This week I’ll discuss how authentic Scouting provides […]

Do you have quarterly Scout parent meetings? I’ll answer an email question about parent’s meetings in this podcast. On our quarterly Scout parent meetings that include a court of honor. Everyone arrives at about 7PM, the Scouts go outside to play a game and the committee chair and whomever needs to (depending on what is going on, […]

It is our responsibility to assure there’s a shared expectation… … and our Scouts understand them. Scout aged children are not going to interpret gentle reminders, they’d prefer to have to have things clearly spelled out. They are literalists, they don’t take hints. You can be direct without being unpleasant. There has to be continual engagement and […]

We aren’t working to control the conduct of young people. We have a greater challenge; to form their character as defined in the Scout oath and law. Are the Scouting ideals in the Scout oath and law a code of conduct? Is it an ideology? Is it a religious text? No, it is none of these things. […]

A Scoutmaster is not… … the boss of a company and youth leadership are not employees we discipline or hire and fire. A Scoutmaster is not a commanding officer and Scouts are not soldiers who can be disciplined for “conduct unbecoming” a Scout, so let’s get that foolish idea out of our heads as well. In this podcast […]

There’s always more questions about merit badges… … then I have useful answers because the vast majority of problems with merit badges are structural rather than procedural. But I hate missing an opportunity for a good, old fashioned rant. Listen in while I climb on my soapbox and opine about what I think the problem […]

If things aren’t moving along the problem may be obvious… .. like our understanding of the relationship between the program, advancement, and positions of responsibility. The Scouting program is there, ready to go, but it can’t go on it’s own can it? It’s all words in books, it does not have muscles or lungs, or a […]

In an often pessimistic world Scouting’s future is inherently optimistic. Scouting is greater than a hedge against the perilous future, or a return to a storied past. We typically associate the future with technological advances. While technology will have a big role in shaping our future there are, perhaps, greater factors to consider. Scouting is a transformative journey following a guiding […]

Scout camp is a privilege, an opportunity, and an obligation. We get just so many great good places in life, and one of my favorites is our Scout camp. The history, names, stories and traditions are specific to our camp, but they share common threads with every Scout camp. This week I’ll share some snapshots of a […]

Scouting is something Scouts do for themselves … … rather than a program of activities presented for them. This week I’ll discuss the way Scouts should be engaged in leading one another, in making decisions affecting what they do and how it is done. Our ideal responsive leadership role as a barely perceptible influence empowering […]