Hello 2014

Well it looks like 2014 is here and in full swing. Last year was pretty amazing for us as a Scouting family and especially for my son.

He started the year with his second spring term as the Troop SPL, helped is buddies complete several Eagle Projects, completed his own project which benefited our Charter Org, became an Eagle Scout, was SPL for one of the Council Jamboree Troops, and earned a bronze palm. Whew! Oh and he also turned 16 and got his first car.

Having a blast as Jambo ASM

It was one of those years that I do not think he will truly appreciate until he is much older.

Of course through all of these adventures I was there as well. I saw that he was far more effective during his second round as SPL since he was able to apply many of the lessons he had learned through trial and error the first time. I also so much of this experience go into action as Jamboree SPL which in his own words was the most difficult thing he had ever done. This was mostly due to the Troop dynamics of a Jamboree Troop not allowing a lot of Patrol level segmentation. This basically left him running everything which was difficult but a great learning experience.

His Eagle Project was great with him able to use his leadership skills and many of the skills he has been learning in school through his engineering academy. His Scoutmaster really challenged him to pull off a first class project.

Conner's Project: Donation boxes

Honestly, in my mind I thought he would be done with Scouting after Jamboree and Eagle. I am very thankful that instead he seems still very excited to be part of the Troop and to enjoy time as a leader and with his friends. I can certainly say that thanks to the great Scouts and adults in our Troop I am still as enthused as ever.

Upon reflection, it is just amazing to think of how much Scouting over the years has become part of who he is and who we are together as father and son. I know that many years from now we will look back and tell stories galore about these times. The years have shaped both of us into better people.

What does the future hold?  I am continuing as a Troop ASM and we both have one more adventure ahead with Northern Tier in June. Life is good indeed.

Stay tuned to the blog as I do plan to write from time to time about our Northern Tier planning and experience.

Welcome to Boy Scouts: An open letter to new parents

2/29/2008 (Yes it was leap day)

“Monday was Conner’s first Boy Scout Meeting and it was fun for him and hard on me. I felt pretty useless. Well it was only day one.I am just not ready for Conner to grow up and not want me around him as much anymore. I love spending time with and him that seems to not be point of Boy Scouts. It is just going to take some time to get used to it.”

This was my journal entry from five years ago as my son crossed over from Webelos to Boy Scouts.

Now is the season of crossovers as Scouts around the country leave the world of Cub Scouts and join the exciting and very different world of Boy Scouts. I was the Webelos Den Leader and very active with my son. I was also used to being the guy in charge and the person at the center of attention. Suddenly I found myself mostly wandering around the hall wondering what the heck I was to do now.

Thankfully, the adults of the Troop took some time to bring me in the fold and explain the world of the boy led Troop. They explained that now was the time to sit back, watch my son grow (from afar) and take some time to find my own niche in the Troop.

I admit it was hard at first but it did not take long to find myself very busy. Meanwhile, my son was off with his New Scout Patrol learning how to be independent and how to be a leader. Yes I did not see him much during campouts this first year. I did see the change in him as his confidence grew knowing he could learn and do great things without his dad hovering over him.

My separation pain truly helped him learn many wonderful lessons he would have never learned with me right at his side.

Since this time, I have seen many moms and dads with that same look and that same frustration that I felt those first few months. Some made the transition well and let the program be the program. They saw their sons grow and learn through the Patrol method and they found their own niche to help on the Troop committee, on campouts and in many other ways.

I have also seen parents that just could not make the transition. They failed to get plugged in and failed to let go. This almost always led to hard feelings, misunderstandings and Scouts either leaving Scouting or joining a Troop with “more parent involvement.”

If you are crossing with your Scout to a real boy led Troop do not fear! There is a place for you to plug in and get busy. Let the program work and your investment will reap rewards in the life of your son that you will see for many years to come.

If you are a veteran adult with parents joining you, take a moment to remember how you felt in those early days and get to know your new folks. They may not express it overtly but chances are that they are far more nervous than the kid about being a new Scout. Your friendly hello and happy advice will make them feel at home and perhaps just might save a future leader from leaving.

Welcome to Boy Scouts! You are in for many years of great fun!

Passing the test

I am going to have to be honest. The last several months have really tested my resolve and commitment as an Adult Scout volunteer. I have often heard that “Scouting would be fun if it were not for the adults”. We kind of expect conflict and issues with kids since that is part of the growing up process and failures are really an important part of maturing. When conflict and frustrations come from adults it can be heart breaking.

I am the FOS chair so of course all Council financial complaints come my way. I have always felt we should give our time and our finances to things we believe. Is it such a big deal to give even $20 bucks?

I am an ASM for the 2013 National Scout Jamboree and have been shocked to have so few Scoutmasters and unit leaders return phone calls or e-mails. Our signups are low and I am convinced it is mostly due to Unit leaders not passing along the information to their Scouts. Really is it all that difficult to return a phone call or reply to an e-mail?

I am an ASM of a wonderful Scout Troop and have been frustrated by adult to adult conflicts, people driven by egos and personal agendas. Can’t we all just get along and have fun?

There have been times when I have started to question why I spend so much of my time, my money and my heart on this program.

Sunday I attended the Troop Court of Honor and once again had a chance to be reminded of the why. I saw the Scouts dressed in full uniform enjoying each other as friends. I saw proud parents beam as their sons celebrated rank advancements. In the row in front of me, saw a grandma shed tears throughout her grandson’s Eagle speech. Best of all, I heard two Eagle Scouts tell what the program has come to mean to them as they have journeyed to Eagle. It was a wow moment for sure.

Scouting is not a hobby or just something fun to do in the outdoors. For me, it is a mission that God has given me. It is my chance to show His love through the Oath, Law and Motto. It is my chance to maybe in the slightest possible way have a positive influence on a youth and perhaps even his parent.

To my core, I know there is a kid that will be different and better as a result of this program. Even if the investment only pays off for one person and even if that payoff only comes many years from now it will all be worth it.

Yes we may never see these results in person and we may never know the difference we made. That does not matter if you know in your heart why you are here. “On my honor I will do my best”

So—Bring it on! I am not going anywhere as long as there is any Scout out there that in even the smallest way may benefit from my mission. I know why I am here.

Do you?

Wrapping up Woodbadge

My time as a Troop Guide for Woodbadge Course 1017 officially came to a close a couple of weeks ago. In some ways it seems like eons ago since the actual course and in some ways it seems just like yesterday. I am proud to have had the great privilege to be the Troop Guide for the Owl Patrol and to have seen them grow together as a team during the course. Next, I saw the Owls put their learning into practice through the implementation of their goals (Tickets).


In my non- Scouting life I am a Human Resource Development manager (training) for Sprint. I therefore speak from many years of training experience when I say that Woodbadge is a leadership development course on par or better than any course you will find in corporate America. I wish that during my tenure as a leadership trainer I would have had at my disposal courses that teach theory(weekend one), practice application(weekend two) and then had the participants show effective use of the training out in the real world(Tickets) with accountability for successful completion. Scouters get all of this and more with Woodbadge.

I wonder if any other non-profit organization has as great and effective training as does the Boy Scouts of America. We are fortunate indeed.

It is my hope that the Owls and others of SR 1017 will take the many lessons from Woodbadge and will continue to apply them in practice to benefit Scouting, their family, and their professional life. I know as a Troop guide, I personally took away experiences that have helped me grow. Truly life is a process of continual learning.

Good Luck Owls and all the participants of SR 1017. Thank you for taking such a commitment for to improve your effectiveness as Scout volunteers and as mentors to the next generation.

Strangers on a plane...

A Scout Twitter friend of mine recently wrote this article for her local paper in Panama City Beach. It is kind of preaching to the choir to share this with you but I thought I would anyway.


It got me thinking....

On our way back from Sea Base we had a young man sit with us on the plane. He was a second year student from OU that was traveling back to norman for the weekend from his home in Houston. We had our uniforms on and since it was a SWA flight he had specifically chosen to sit by us. Why? Turns out he was an Eagle Scout.

He told us over the next hour how he had never really got the value of Scouting until just that summer. He had applied for a summer internship with a Houston company that based upon his grades and work experience he really did not qualify for. To his suprise he was selected. Why? You guessed it! They told him that after seeing Eagle Scout on the application they had moved him to the top of the "pile" and did not consider any other candidate. What an awesome story.

He wanted us to hear this as a word of encouragement that what we do in Scouting does make a difference even if at times the Scouts don't realize it. Throughout that trip we had random people come up to us at the airport to share similiar stories.

There are so many distractions in the busy world of our youth and being a volunteer is a thankless job for sure. So...thank you for all you do and are doing. You make a difference.
 
What stories have you heard from strangers when traveling with the uniform? What about from former Scouts? 
 
Great stories to share this time of year as people consider joining Scouts and others consider quitting due to busy fall schedules.

Scouting Sucks

Being a Boy Scout is about as counter culture a program you will find for a 10 – 18 year old youth today. On purpose these guys do things others do not. They camp once every month from Friday night to Sunday afternoon --rain, shine, snow, heat, bugs, filth with no access to electronics or girls.


While on these outings they have complete responsibility to set up camp, plan/cook meals, clean up and deal with the interpersonal conflicts that naturally arise among teenagers of diverse backgrounds.

Yes there are adults but they keep to themselves and let the Scouts run the weekend.

Three or four Mondays a month they put on a uniform and attend a chaotic meeting planned and run by fellow Scouts that have been elected as their leaders. These meeting times are used to learn skills like first aid, pioneering, hiking, cold weather camping and more. Amazingly, these skills are taught not by adult “experts” but instead by an older Scout that has been assigned the task of teaching.

At the end of the meeting, the Scouts still have work to do by cleaning the meeting room by either vacuuming or sweeping.

Many times throughout the year they spend hours doing community service through projects that include building trails, gathering food for the food bank, doing projects that benefit local non-profits and other menial tasks that tend to totally blow personal time on a weekend.

Then there is the teasing. Chances are that at school their non-Scout friends give them a hard time about being a Scout. “What do you mean you can’t hang out this weekend?” “Scouts are dorks” “That uniform is gay” “You are in High School now, aren’t you a little old to be hanging out with 11 year olds playing campout?”

Scouts do hard things. Why?

First of all what other organization trusts youth to completely run a program and puts them in charge of adults? Second of all, as crazy as it sounds, community service and camping through hardships is actually a lot of fun.

The truth is that by doing hard things now that few others are willing to do they are learning to do the same throughout life.

Someday in their career they may be tasked to complete a complex project and think back to the planning skills they learned to pull off on that winter campout for 60 people. Someday they may be faced with an interpersonal conflict and think back to that time they successfully mediated between two younger Scouts that were arguing. Someday they may see a need to serve others and have the skill to organize a team to clean up after a great storm. Someday they may happen upon an injured person needing immediate medical help and find they are the only one that knows what to do. Someday they may find themselves trapped in a personal hardship, remember that day they hiked 16 miles in the rain at Philmont and know they can climb any mountain life sends their way. Someday they may be faced with an ethical issue and deep down remember the Oath and Law they recited so many times.

Most of all, when faced with a hard task that looks to be insurmountable they can look back and say “I am Prepared and I can do it”

The funny thing is that during all the learning of their youth, most will never know that the Boy Scouts of America purposely had them experience challenges as a Scout so they could conquer even more difficult ones as an adult.

No Scouting does not suck.

In our sterile world we need to raise a generation of people that are willing to do what is hard and learn to enjoy giving up the self for the betterment of others. I for one and glad to be part of an organization that for over 100 years now has been doing that.