Scoutmaster Podcast 342

I'm Brian Bluyn and I am a cup master with PAC 3285 out of Rockford, Michigan. This edition of the Scoutmaster podcast is sponsored by backers like me.

And now for you, Scoutmaster. Hey, we were out orienteering recently with you know how that works: maps, encompasses and everything. One of the Scouts was a little overbearing and we needled him about it, but it's fine, He has a magnetic personality. Yes, indeed,

This is podcast number 342.. Yes, it's podcast number 342.. Welcome back to the Scoutmaster podcast. This is Clark Greene. Let's look in the mailbag. Doug Wheeler commented on Facebook about last week's podcast, podcast 241, where we're talking about asking and telling and the way that that works with youth leader development, And Doug said very simply and succinctly: excellent podcast.

Well, thank you so much. I heard from Aaron, who's a scoutmaster in Fresno California, said: thanks much for doing this. Your insight into scouting has been a tremendous help for me trying to figure out how to be a scoutmaster. I just began this role recently, after about a year of transition. It's nice to see that I was on the right path in some ways and also ways to prevent going down some of the paths I was about to go down.

Well, we're always happy to help, Aaron, Hopefully you're not just listening to the podcast, though. Right, Everybody should be reading all the resources and talking to people and doing their best to be good scouts. That's what we ought to be doing.

I think most of you are. I got to speak to.

Well, not speak to, but chat on the computer with some nice folks last week. Now, if you'll keep an eye on our Facebook feed and our Twitter feed, look on that on Tuesday morning, because around eight o'clock Eastern time, we'll be on with a live chat, And there's plenty of folks who come around just about every single week sign in to say hello. But this past week I was happy to hear for the first time from Chris Spratlin, who's a scoutmaster with Troop 27 in Bartlett, Tennessee. From Miguel Ciflentes, who's a scouter in Costa Rica, signed in, as did Sheldon Lehman, who's with the first Waterloo Scout Group in Ontario, Canada, Edward Steele, who's a scoutmaster with Troop 73 in Bolton, Connecticut, Brett Bolton, who is a scoutmaster for Troop 508 in Irving, Texas, And Ted, who's a scoutmaster of Troop 45 in Glen Ellen, Illinois. They all signed in for the first time on the live chat this week. Make sure to come and join us.

We have a lot of fun and discuss incredibly serious and useful things, like the weather, for instance. Before we get rolling, I want to make sure to thank all the folks who are scoutmastercgcom backers and patrons. They're the ones who lend some financial support to all this madness to keep it all up and running. We sure do appreciate you. You can become a backer or a patron too. Look in this episode's podcast notes or go to scoutmastercgcom.

Just about every page has a link in the upper right-hand corner where you can learn about the different varieties of support that you can lend us, And it's easy to get in touch with me. I'll remind you how at the end of the podcast, but I'll tell you right now. I'm always at Clark at scoutmastercgcom. C-L-A-R-K-E at scoutmastercgcom.

Well, I have been combing through email. I think I've got three pretty good email questions to answer, So let's get started. Shall we Rhyme your letter, send it by name Email, that is, folks.

And here's an answer to one of your emails. OK, here we are. Let's jump into the first email, which- and the sender will remain anonymous. At their request- And they sent this- The parents of our troupe are not happy with our district or council. They feel we're kind of outsiders because two powerhouse troops in the area get more help from the district and council, because the district and council level volunteers are largely coming from those troops. This apparent nepotism contributes to the distrust of things that the council and the district do.

I am interested in changing this and I wonder if you could tell me the benefits of working with the district and the council. Well, that's a really interesting question.

And I will say this For my role as a Scoutmaster, because that's all I do, That's the only thing I volunteer for is I'm a Scoutmaster, So district and council stuff kind of plays a relatively small role in that. I understand the support that we get from our scout district and our scout council, But as far as the way that I have a relationship there, it's pretty minor. My focus is making scouting possible for my scouts and developing youth leaders and things like that.

So the troop committee in my instance takes on the district and council relationships From my standpoint. I'm being a little cynical, but it seems to amount to a lot of frustratingly over complicated paperwork.

But I'm not a big paperwork guy if you haven't already figured that out, So take that with a green assault. I guess our highest profile interaction with our district and council is our summer camp, because we attend our council summer camp every summer and getting eagle projects approved and eagle boards of review, that sort of thing.

Now, years ago I was more involved at the district and nominally at the council level. I helped by planning and running some Weebelows weekends And I believe, if I remember correctly, a camperee or two for our district. My wife and I ran an after-school Cub Scout program for a couple of years that had some council and district connections. I worked at our summer camp on the camp staff for about a dozen years, with a couple of those years being as the camp director.

So I was an actual council employee. I've run training sessions. I guess it's been a long time though It's been at least three or four or five years- since I've run a training session.

I think that our Scouts, outside of our participation in summer camp, I'm pretty sure they go to events like a Marripad something or other. They haven't chosen to go to a camperee or any kind of district event like that in a long time. We do have Scouts who are involved in the order of the arrow and that's probably the highest profile active program that our Scouts participate in above the troop level. That just gives you a little bit of context for what I'm about to say, because I do know what you're talking about. When you mentioned that other troops seemingly benefit from a closer connection with the district and the council, I'm not exactly sure what advantages they would have. Maybe- I don't know- first in line at the banquet.

I don't think that there's really a giant advantage there. Personally, because I've seen that in the past and as a younger man I might have been jealous of some of those associations and things like that.

But now, having traveled the path for several miles, if you happen to have a troop with a lot of district or council volunteers involved with the troop, I guess that's nice. I don't see a lot of advantage in it and I certainly don't see anything unfair.

So I guess I would challenge that assumption because most of the time that perceived benefit really amounts to the fact that you just have to have a number of adults involved with the given troop filling a district or council volunteer role and they end up having a whole higher profile at district or council events and it could look like they benefit from them more than others. But I've never really found that to be the case.

So in the end, I'm probably not being much help with that- with your particular question- but I don't think I'm missing out on anything from the district or the council and, more importantly, I don't think my scouts are missing out on anything either. We've had occasions where we've had district volunteers who are also adults involved with our troop and we've had council level volunteers who are adults involved with our troop. Didn't seem to make a whole lot of difference one way or the other.

Now I'm not trying to actively discourage you from finding out what goes on at the district or the council level. There's likely some good for you Personally, and maybe even your scouts, beyond the kind of administrative connection that you have to the district and the council. Is there anything to be gained that these other troops are getting that you're not.

Probably not, And I think this is a good opportunity for me to say this. I'm a one role kind of guy. There are a lot of people that wear many different hats. Maybe they're a unit level volunteer and a district level volunteer and a council level volunteer, and maybe they're involved in three things at each level. I'm not into that personally. Let's wear one hat, occupy one role and do it well.

So, anyway, hope that helps with that particular question. I don't know if it did, but perhaps it does. Here's another email, again anonymous at the sender's request. I'm a new Wolf Den leader and a professional engineer. I had completed wood badge and part of my ticket is incorporating STEM into Wolf Den leader training And STEM- S-T-E-M- an abbreviated way of saying science, technology, engineering and mathematics- and educational category that you hear a great deal about anymore.

I- and the person asked this question goes on to say I also ran a successful STEM event for our Cubs, but at a district round table when I wanted to speak about it, I was told: well, that's Cub stuff, it's not for scouts, so we'll have that done during the Cub presentation. So my question to you is: why is STEM so hot right now, yet considered- quote- Cub stuff, unquote.

Well, thanks for getting in touch and let me see if I can answer your question, because I'm- and I should take the opportunity to say here that I am- not a scouting official of any kind. I'm just a volunteer scouter.

So I don't speak for anyone other than myself, and it's been a while since I've been to a round table or a district or council event. So I really don't have a handle on what people are saying about STEM. I don't know if it's hot or cold, I don't know why it's being characterized as something just for Cub scouts. All I know is what I've seen about the program and what I've concluded about it myself.

So I'm happy to hear that you, as a Wolf Den leader, are particularly motivated about STEM and it has a connection to your profession. I think that's great and I'm glad that you've been working with successful programs and I'm sure that your Cubs and their families are very appreciative. My own take on STEM is: I don't see how it fits scouting. I see it as another attempt to try to lend relevance to scouting programs. Perhaps from those who believe that sort of thing is needed. I don't particularly see the need.

Now the scouts that I work with, the scouts in my troop, seem to be perfectly happy with. Camping is the emphasis and center of the program.

I don't think we have lost relevance or connection with our scouts and they don't seem to be missing the whole STEM thing at all. I know that they are interested in those merit badges and they do them. We don't do merit badges as a part of the troop program and I know that they're interested in those subjects. But my simple take on scouting at any age level is that we develop character through the application of the patrol method and I see my work as a scouter providing opportunities for scouts to go camping with their friends and work the patrol method.

I know it sounds simplistic and I'm sure in some ways, that it is, but there's an awful lot of complex things that go underneath the surface when you go camping and I've talked about them at great length in the past, so I won't go into it here and I'm not trying to be negative. All I wanna say is: look, labs and classrooms and workshops are some of my favorite places. They have been all my life.

I love learning new skills, I love learning how to work with things, I love learning the science of things and I think that's a wonderful pursuit. I just don't see it as being particularly relevant to the focus of scouting. To my mind, it's as discordant as setting up a tent and going camping in a laboratory or workshop or a classroom.

You know, I don't say that these two things are totally divorced. I'm just saying the important word here is focus right, Because there are plenty of STEM things that happen in the course of a camp out. There are plenty of STEM things that happen in the course of a scout advancing in rank.

You know, look at the requirements, look at the things that they have to do. These have to do with science, technology, engineering and mathematics. I'm just saying I don't see a particular need to focus on those in isolation.

I think they're a great part of the overall package. You know, the BSA has had many things, many kinds of programs like this that have been tried and they gain a lot of interest for a few years and then they kind of fade away. Maybe the whole STEM emphasis has a more staying power. I prefer to stick with what I see as best serving young people who become scouts, and that's working the patrol method and going camping and building character. And once again, I'm not being negative, I'm just saying I don't see a whole lot of value in that particular focus. And, all that being said, I'm always happy when I hear that scouts of any age are happy themselves and engaged in learning, no matter what the program, no matter what the focus.

This last email comes from Robert, who's a Scoutmaster in Massachusetts, and he says: I'm feeling a bit down. Right now. The scouts in our troop are aging out and our recruiting effort is kind of falling flat.

We are doing all we can to encourage Webelos who unfortunately keep choosing to go to a different troop. I'm starting to feel that the troop might be doomed. Oh, Robert, I know this feeling. I know the feeling because over the past 35,, 36 years as a Scoutmaster I've been through some very long dry periods with recruiting Webelos.

So I do know how this feels and it's not good. But before I give you any advice, I will tell you, as unsettling as it may sound, that units do have a lifespan. Troops and things like that do have a lifespan. We used to have five troops in town and that dwindled down to two- almost one- for a couple years.

Now we have three. The three troops are doing fine. They each have a slightly different way of doing business. The two troops that went away were around for years and years and years and things just happened And sometimes there's nothing that can be done about it.

You know it's a complex mixture of problems and changes and logistics and sometimes units go away And when that happens it's not likely it's because of one particular person's lack of effort or that a group of people have done something wrong or anything like that. Things just have a lifespan sometimes.

Now I don't say that to discourage anyone, because I know you're gonna keep on doing all that you can for your troop. I say it because you aren't alone in your frustration with the situation and all likelihood it's not your fault.

So just in case you're feeling a fault, don't put that on yourself. So here's my advice. I began to understand in one of these long, dry recruiting periods where all the Webelos everywhere seem to be joining over troops, that Webelos are not only or even the best source of new scouts.

I mean, our informal analysis of new scouts and how long they last over the past seven to 10 years tells us that the Webelos that we have gotten are much more likely to drop out than the boys who've joined the troop, who were never scouts. So at one point we kind of stopped chasing Webelos, mostly because we weren't getting any- So it's not like we were getting droves of Webelos- and we said, no, let's stop this. We just said that's not going to be our only emphasis anymore. We scaled back our efforts in that wise and we upped our efforts in recruiting all the time from anybody who was interested in being a scout.

Now we still have plenty of Webelos dens visit and we have some join now and again and I think we have three or four coming in this spring. But when Webelos come to visit we're very clear about the kind of troop we are and what our expectations are, and that there's another troop across town and you really should make sure to visit them and see what's going on there. We're interested in recruiting Webelos. We just don't put up a whole lot of fight.

So that was kind of. Step one was to say, okay, this is not the only way that you get new scouts.

Step two was understanding that there are two, and only two, ways to recruit scouts that seem to work on a consistent basis, And I think I've talked about this before but, at the risk of repeating myself, here are the two ways. One, scouts talk to their friends who are of scout age. Two, parents of scouts talk to parents of scout aged boys. Those are the two ways that work.

So, Robert, in your particular situation, here's what I would suggest you do: Get your scouts together and tell them their challenges to each identify at least five boys who they can invite to scouts. Get the families together. Tell parents you'd like them to talk to at least five other families about having their son join scouts.

Now you and I both know that not every scout and not every parent is going to come through on this, but don't pay attention to who doesn't come through as much as paying attention to who does. Give them a goal.

The parents need to find five, The scouts individually need to find five, And then give them a good call to action for those boys and parents that they talk to, and that is, invite them to go on a camping trip, Not to a meeting, necessarily, but a camping trip. And it's important to emphasize camping over meetings because, of course, if they want to go camping, they're going to have to make at least one meeting to find out what to bring in such. That's why I say emphasize camping. Meetings will follow. Then make it as easy as possible for all these possible new recruits to go camping. They can be guests.

They don't have to be registered. Just take them along with as little fuss and paperwork as possible. Don't even mention joining the troop. Wait until they or their parents ask how to join. I guarantee that the scouts and the parents of scouts will be talking to them about those particulars.

Anyway, I think our message as scouts is: come camping with us. We'd love to have you come as a guest and make that as simple as possible. I wouldn't try to have a big, special camping trip for visitors. Just go camping like you usually do and make having visitors a habit, something that happens as often as possible. See if you can get a visitor for every single trip you go on. Don't play too close attention to them.

Let them do what your scouts do And I'll bet you'll have some new scouts in pretty short order. That's a pretty simple approach And it's one that I know works. I've tried just about everything else: Special meetings, special trips, flyers, things in the school newsletter, school visits, putting up signs advertising. None of that has netted us one single new scout. But I can say pretty reliably: if a boy who is not a scout goes camping with us, they will join the next week about 9.9 out of 10 times.

So, Robert, I hope that helps. Again, it's not your fault. Sometimes these things have lifespans and things change, but I hope those ideas will gain some traction and make a difference for you. Hey, I'd love to hear from you if you have a question or a comment, and I'm pretty easy to get in touch with. I'm gonna tell you how to do that in just a moment. ["Band Warms Up with You"].

["Band Warms Up with You"].