Scoutmaster Podcast 22

And now, for you, Scoutmaster.

Here we are, we're at camp. It's the first night at summer camp. Seeing patrolers kind of looking around, checking out to make sure everybody's okay, and the scouts are doing well, and he notices one of the guys is having a little trouble walking and wondering if maybe he hurt himself or something like that. The guy goes over and talks to him and says, hey, I noticed that you, did you hurt your foot or something? And the boy says, oh, no, no, no, I'm fine. But it looks like you're having trouble walking. He says, well, it's kind of hard to wear all these socks at first, but I'll get used to it. And the senior patrol leader says, what do you mean wear all these socks? He says, well, the list of equipment for summer camp said we needed seven pairs of socks. And the senior patrol leader answered him and said, well, yeah, but you're not supposed to wear them all at once. And the scout said, well, what my plan is, is if I put on all seven pairs, I'll just take one pair off every day, and that way I won't have to worry about changing my socks. Yeah. Yeah. It's amazing the way they think, isn't it? But what an efficient plan. Hey, this is podcast number 22. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hi. Hi. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Recruiting is definitely the hardest part of a scoutmaster's job and the one I was least prepared for. There's just not much training in the BSA for it, as if no one has figured it out. I think you might be right there. I asked, where do I find recruits? The only answer was Weeblos. And then I asked, can I go to their meeting and make a pitch for our troop? And I was answered, all the Weeblos have crossed over by now. So yeah, it's kind of like duck hunting. If you're not there when the ducks are migrating, forget about it, right? This is a daunting task for a troop of 10 scouts and three adults. I have talked to boys who did not have a scouting background from church, youth groups, and sports teams and have not seen any new scouts from these activities. I would like to talk to the parents and explain how our program can help their children. My question is, how do I get in front of them? Well, Alan, I'm not too sure you want to be in front of them. Because one of the points I'm trying to make about recruiting and the variable successes that you have with different recruiting methods is that the wholesale methods don't seem to work real well. And again, I don't have this all figured out, but I'm just going off the top of my head. The wholesale methods, you talking in front of groups, don't seem to work too well. You want retail. Retail method, which is one-on-one, anytime that you possibly can. So this is what I'm going to suggest to you. How about this? You have 10 scouts in the troop. You say you have three leaders, but with 10 scouts, you have somewhere between 10 and 20 adults who are some way associated with the troop. That includes the scouts' parents. Now, can you motivate them to each talk to, you know, 5 or 10 other families within a given period of time about scouting? If you do that, well, there's between 50 and 100 families, you know, 50 and 100 boys that you've approached about scouting. I can almost guarantee, I can't positively guarantee, but I can almost guarantee if you do those numbers, you're going to get somewhere between 2 to 10 scouts out of it. If you get 10, you have double drew numbers. If you get 2, that's 2 more than you've got now. I mean, it's kind of hard work. Naturally, the best thing to have is what I'm sure you already have, which is an engaging, interesting, and wonderful program that advertises itself and draws boys in like a magnet. But if you can motivate the folks to do that, and how would you do that? Well, make up an invitation that has a series of dates on it. Set aside one troop meeting every month as an open house meeting. You don't have to change the program radically or anything like that. Just, you know, note in your head that it's an open house, and you're going to spend some time talking to whatever parents show up. And make that an invitation. Give it to all the parents in the troop. You know, give them 10 copies apiece or whatever and say, hey, this is the way we're going to build our troop up. It's going to be great. Go ahead and give these to 10 families with a scout age boy and encourage them to come around to one of our open houses. And you'll have, sometimes you'll have an open house and nobody will show up. You'll have an open house and two people will show up. And it will be alternatively encouraging and discouraging. But that's basically the way of the world with this. I would really like to hear from any of you listening out there about effective recruiting methods. Maybe events or plans that you've tried that have worked out real well so we can share them with everybody else. Well, moving along. Today's podcast is a special about summer camp. And in Scout Mastership, in seven minutes or less, we're going to be talking about how to have a good week at summer camp as scout leaders. And then in the second part of the show, we're going to talk a little bit about homesickness. Homesickness. It's a real thing. And it's something to deal with. We got a full slate. So let's get started, shall we? Scout Mastership in seven minutes or less.

So if you're fortunate enough to be able to spend a week at summer camp as a Scout Master, I want to give you a few ideas and reflections as a former camp director. And I've got to tell you something. Most of the difficulties we encountered were not caused by Scouts. A lot of times where we ran into problems was with the leaders that the Scouts brought along with them. I want to acknowledge something very important, especially with the things that we're going to talk about here about camp. I'm no perfect guy. I've been around long enough to see a few things and to acknowledge a few things, especially about myself. So when I'm giving you this advice and these reflections, it's not about me talking down to anybody or being whiny and complaining about things. You know, some of you have told me that these things help. So I'm going to keep after it. The first thing that I'll suggest, don't overdo it. Personally, don't overdo it. And don't make yourself into a time bomb. Listen, if you get hot and tired and hungry and thirsty, get cool and rested and fed and hydrated. I tend to be really cranky if I don't look after myself. And as the years go by, you know, I tend to get crankier a lot easier. So years of observation prove that, you know, not only myself, but some of my fellow leaders can have the same problem. So don't wear yourself to a frazzle. You know, look after yourself. And in doing that, you'll be looking after the interests of your scouts because you won't be a cranky, mean monster to them. I've done it. I've done it. So, you know, watch out for that one. Camp staff members are totally dedicated to making your stay worthwhile. Believe it or not. Younger staffers are learning at the same rate as your scouts. And you need to be considerate and supportive of them. Don't berate, criticize, or argue, or yell at a staff member or a youth leader or a fellow adult leader in the presence of scouts, no matter how much you think they might deserve it. A quiet talk at an appropriate distance will usually solve the problem. And the problem could turn out to be yours. Don't pull rank while you're at camp. Do you know what I'm saying? You're a scoutmaster. You're not a general or an admiral. So there really isn't any rank to pull. Right? You know, most people instantly respect your position. Members of staff are told to respect your position. Don't make a big deal out of it. Don't ask for special privileges or try to impress staff members with your own sense of self-importance. I've been there before. It's ugly. Join in the program and encourage your scouts to do so, even if the program, in your humble opinion, isn't all that good. Now, I know, you know, maybe you are a scout troop that goes back to the same camp year after year. That's my troop. We've been going to the same camp for probably, I would guess, since the troop was founded 65 years ago. Or maybe you're a visiting troop that circulates amongst different camps. You know, both are great options. I don't have an opinion as to which one is better. But you're going to circulate through a camp or you're going to go back to your camp. And there's going to be one of those summers that's going to come along where it just seems like things are a little lackluster and they're not doing things as well as they did last year or at the other camp. And, okay, so you recognize that and then you live with it and you say that you're going to go ahead and join in whatever program there is and make the best of it because a lively audience does more than anything to enliven and energize a camp staff. So when you get happy and involved, you'll see a commensurate response from the staff. You know, participate in all the ceremonies and traditions and practices of the camp, even if they're unfamiliar to you. Camps and camp staffs are proud of their traditions. Imposing our way of doing things on the program as a scout leader is as rude as imposing your way of doing things in somebody else's home. I mean, to a certain extent, you're a guest at your camp and the staff is working hard to do things for you and it's a good idea to play along with them. Carefully monitor any inner troop rivalries that may develop. Now, as I said, we've been going back to the same camp for ages and there are troops that show up there at the same time and over time, sometimes a little rivalry can develop and that can be healthy, but it also can be an unhealthy thing to have happen during a week at camp. Remember, scout age boys are hyper-competitive and they often need to be reminded about fairness and courtesy and sportsmanship. So set the tone of gentlemanly competition and then require it of your scouts. Give your youth leaders all the responsibility for success that week. See that they understand what needs to be done and how and why and then observe from a comfortable distance. Check in with them every evening, ask lots of questions and only put your oar in when it's asked or, you know, it's a matter of safety or propriety. Be proud of your scouts. Encourage them. Congratulate them. Admire them. Don't try to be one of them because you're not and you won't be. When the rare opportunity to join at the boy level presents itself, when you get invited to do that, jump in and have fun. But don't interfere with their fun. What is a successful week at camp? That's largely for the troop to plan. Yeah, the staff is there planning programs and things like that, but you also have to be thinking. I would tell you that a week at camp is an unparalleled opportunity to encourage growth in your patrols. Encourage them to more esprit de corps, to more independent functioning. You place that responsibility on the patrol leaders. They should, they should, each patrol should sleep and eat and clean and work and play as a team. Now, if your camp doesn't incentivize patrol excellence with an award of some kind, you can initiate one yourself or you can even add to it. You know, inspire a little friendly, gentlemanly competition amongst the troop. It's also a fantastic opportunity to train your leaders. You can capitalize on the week as on-the-job training for your youth leaders. The difference between on-the-job training and a more formal training thing is that the scouts are exercising leadership skills in actual time and in an actual situation instead of an artificial one. Don't have instructional sessions that last a long time. Here's what you do. You get the guys together. You give them five minutes on what's going to happen next, the actions that they're going to need to take, the plans that they're going to need to do, and then let them go out and do it. Then later on, get them back together for another five minutes, five, F-I-V-E, not 10, not 15, not 20, another five minutes, and say, how did it go? What was unexpected that you encountered? How did everybody perform? And what can you improve on? And if you make a habit of that, and you do that once a day for the week, you're going to initiate a way of leadership training that is in that coaching mentoring model that we all want. How about advancement? Frankly, I wish my scouts were more interested in looking under rocks and climbing trees and going fishing than they were in sitting through merit badge sessions. Nonetheless, they really like to earn merit badges, and each scout should set an advancement goal for the week with the assistance of their patrol leader. That's a good way to prepare for camp. There's more experiences to have at camp than just working on the merit badge system. So there's some ideas, just some general ideas to throw out there to aid you in planning for camp and having a good experience once you get there. He's my favorite all-time Boy Scout. He's my favorite all-time Boy Scout. You're my favorite all-time Boy Scout. You're my favorite all-time Boy Scout. You were always on the beat, boy, beat, boy. Yeah, you were always on the beat, boy, beat, boy. I'm hanging in the street, boy, street, boy. He was dancing to the beat, boy, beat, boy. Yeah, you're my favorite all-time Boy Scout. You're my favorite all-time Boy Scout. He's my favorite all-time Boy Scout. Night falls on our first day at summer camp after we've checked in, after we've done our swim test, we've gone to retreat, we've gone to dinner, we've gone to the big opening campfire. I'm sitting at my picnic table. The Patrol Leaders' Council is meeting. And as we're meeting, at the outer perimeter of the lantern light from our table, I see a first-year Scout. He doesn't quite come into the light. He's just kind of orbiting out there. He looks at us every once in a while, kind of wistfully. I know exactly why he's there. He and his brethren have always been there. For 20-plus years, they've been there. He's a miniature, modern-day Odysseus in the throes of some heroic ennui. He is my homesick Scout. Now, homesickness is very real. It can be light and passing, or it can be very dark and difficult. A lot of people, when they're separated from familiar surroundings or their family for an extended period of time, can become homesick. They can have a sense of dread or helplessness. They can be depressed. They can be sad. They can be frustrated. They can be angry. Or they can just feel kind of hopeless. Extreme cases even cause physical symptoms like stomach pain and indigestion and headaches and nausea and tears. You have to understand homesickness as a Scoutmaster. It's relatively easy to cure the vast majority of cases. It's a very real problem, and we shouldn't trivialize it. I have to admit that I've been guilty of being less than sensitive in handling homesickness in the past, so let me share some successful strategies with you. To alleviate homesickness from the get-go, making sure that parents understand your expectations for camp can be very helpful. Here's a sample of what we put into the materials that we distribute to our families before summer camp. We say this. Parents are expected to support their Scout's commitment to spend a full week at camp. There is a full schedule of shared responsibilities that begins on the Sunday we arrive and continues unbroken until we leave a week later. If a Scout must arrive late, leave early, or spend time out of camp during the week, please let us know as early as possible so corresponding arrangements can be made. That being said, arriving late, leaving early, or spending time away from camp during the week is actively discouraged as it tends to compromise the experience not only for the individual Scout, but for the rest of his troop and patrol. A week of camp is often the longest time our first-year Scouts have spent away from home and family. It's natural that some Scouts find this experience difficult to endure, as do their parents. Our experience with hundreds of Scouts and parents of all temperaments assures us that they not only endure but flourish and return home having gained a great deal from the experience. Now, what do the experts recommend? Because homesickness is not limited to Scouts. There is actually, you know, a reasonable amount of homesickness that happens when people go away to college and it can be kind of debilitating. So, you know, people study this and people try and alleviate the problem and counselors work on this quite a bit even with adults. So, here's what they recommend. Sometimes bringing a couple of mementos from home such as, you know, photos or something like that can serve as a transitional object that help relieve uncomfortable feelings. I've had boys bring a little stuffed animal with them and, you know, we're on notice as a troop and as adults. We don't make fun of that. We don't trivialize that. If they need to bring that little stuffed animal or a photo or something like that, that's fine. Now, you might be grimacing right now and saying, gee, that seems awfully namby-pamby for a boy who's 11 or 12 years old. Well, if it helps them get through, I think it's useful. It doesn't weaken them. It doesn't, you know, it doesn't impinge on the experience that they're having at camp. It helps them move through those uncomfortable feelings of homesickness. So, how do we treat it? How do we treat homesickness? Well, talking is usually a very strong way of treating homesickness. It involves, since there are feelings of dread and helplessness involved and they're mostly baseless. You know, talking can often make these, that particular case of homesickness dissolve. Staying active and involved is always important. Homesick scouts are often reluctant to participate in much of anything because they're kind of perseverating on the fact that they're homesick. So, we've got to make every effort to keep them active. staying engaged is also a very important cure to homesickness. Lots of group activities and shared responsibilities. You don't want scouts just to be off in a corner. Like I say, perseverating on the fact that I'm homesick and I miss mom and dad and I'd really rather be home than be here. They need to stay with other guys and they need to be involved with other guys. I often ask an older scout that has experienced homesickness in the past to go and engage with a newer scout who's feeling a little homesick and that usually does the trick. Writing or calling home. Now, I used to think that this was anathema. I used to think that this was the worst thing that you could do because once they called home they would, you know, arrange some way of making their parents feel so bad that they would come and pick them up. They would go away from camp and we'd probably never see them in scouts again. But writing or calling home can be very helpful. Actually, speaking to someone is probably one of the more helpful things that can happen. This is what I do. Before we make any calls home, I speak to parents first. And the first words out of my mouth is, hey, you know, this is Clark and I'm down at camp and everything is fine. He's not hurt. He's just feeling a little lowgy and I want you to be able to talk to him and encourage him to stick this out because, you know, he's going to be just fine. And parents can be as worried as the boys sometimes. So I like to talk to them first before the scout talks to them. You know, college counselors and chaplains, as I said, report that there are a lot of freshman students that experience homesickness serious enough to affect their studies. And if scouts can overcome homesickness during that week at summer camp at an earlier age, they'll be better prepared for those experiences. So we mustn't trivialize homesickness. We mustn't berate boys for being homesick, make them feel worse. If we do a little counseling, a little mentoring, a little coaching, it'll solve the vast majority of cases in just a couple of minutes and everything will be fine. Well, thank you for listening to another edition of the Scoutmaster podcast. You can read the Scoutmaster blog at scoutmaster.typepad.com And you can follow us at Scoutmaster blog on Facebook and Scoutmaster CG on Twitter.

Subscribe to the Scoutmaster podcast on iTunes and feel free and feel free to leave a comment or review or rating. You can email me Clark Green with your comments and questions at ClarkGreen at gmail.com That's C-L-A-R-K-E G-R-E-E-N at gmail.com The Scoutmaster blog and the Scoutmaster podcast are not official publications of the Boy Scouts of America nor are they endorsed or sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America. Nah, nope, it's just me talking into a microphone trying to lend a hand to Scout leaders and maybe have a bit of fun along the way. Well, we're off to summer camp in what will seem like an instant but I hope you enjoy your time at camp this summer. Always a lot of fun and we're going to we'll take off here after we've heard from the founder Sir Robert Baden-Powell. Sir Robert, what have you to say to everyone? Good luck to you and good camping. Why, thank you, Sir Robert. Until next time. next time. gratitude and ăn よ şob guitar solo guitar solo