Church statement on the BSA

If you haven't yet, head on over to the Church website to read the official statement made this week about the BSA.

Does that sound to you like they are saying the Church has plans to stay with the BSA, regardless of how the vote turns out?

It would be nice if that were enough to turn the doubt of those who have only been half-way been doing a job, due to the conviction the relationship was only temporary. However, deep down, I know those same people will merely find other excuses for treating Scouting as something less than a “real” Church program.

(If I sound a little bitter, it is because I had a bitter conversation with someone in our ward last week. In actuality, I am very excited by the statement.)

Teaching in the Savior's Way

I admit, as I am not currently a teacher of youth, I have not paid a whole lot of attention to the new curriculum. However, I was on the Church website this morning reading about it, and I felt the Spirit so strongly, I wanted to share my testimony of this teaching method with you.

This is not a new method, but it can be very difficult to get the hang of for those of us who have spent our lives in the classroom model of education. Obviously, the Savior used this teaching method in His time, but there have been examples of it in recent times as well. Neil Flinders called it, "Agency Education." BYUI calls it their, "Learning Model." Baden-Powell called it, "Scouting."

Is that an exageration? I really do not think it is too far from the truth. As I read through the points in the outline here, it struck me how similar they are to the points made in Trails to Testimony. I believe as Scout leaders and other leaders of youth combine what they learn in training and what we can learn from this teaching method, as it is being given to us by Church leaders, they will see how well the two compliment each other, how they share many aspects, as well as how they can enhance each other.

These are some of the thoughts I had as I read through the points summarizing the way the Savior taught, as they relate to Scouting:

"He loved them, prayed for them, and continually served them... He knew who they were and who they could become." It really does make all the difference in the world when you think of each boy individually, what his needs are, what his strengths are. And we should always be focused on helping the boys "become." My favorite thing about the "Capturing the Vision of Scouting" Ensign article last year was the pictures. There were three or four pictures of young men in outdoor experiences having their pictures taken. On the camera each time was a picture of the missionary the boy could become.

"He prepared Himself." Leaders of youth need constant spiritual and temporal preparation to be successful. I noticed throughout the church website an emphasis on leaders nurturing their own habits of daily prayer and scripture study. Remember the most important of the "four T's" is Testimony. How can we expect to be good examples and mentors without a strong foundation in the gospel? The second most important T is Training. Being well prepared includes ongoing training, as well as carefully preparing for each class, lesson or activity.

"He used the scriptures..." Do we find opportunities to use the scriptures in Scouting activities? Why not? Draw on the experiences of Nephi and Moses. Help the boys "liken them" to their own lives. Help them see how the courage of Abinidi, Ammon and Moroni relates to them.

"He shared simple stories, parables and real-life examples... He asked questions that caused them to think and feel deeply." Scout leaders have the opportunity to share real-life experiences with their boys, then use reflections to help the boys learn to glean eternal truths from those experiences. A few good questions after an activity can help the boys learn to feel and think deeply.

"He trusted them, prepared them, and gave them important responsibilities to teach, bless and serve others... He invited them to act in faith and live the truths He taught... In every setting, He was their example and mentor." If those three sentences do not perfectly describe the role of a Scoutmaster, I do not know what would.

What I Should Have Said

We all have those, "what I wish I'd said" moments. Mine last week happened when I was doing my unit commissioner duty, visiting another pack's committee meeting.

This summer's Wood Badge course came up. I did not expect anyone would be jumping at the chance to go, all of them being women and Cub Scouters, but when one of them started giving those same excuses, I had to counter her arguments.

"But that's not for us; it's for the men. I mean, we just do Cub Scouts. They don't go camping."

"Nope, it's for us too," I told her. "I'm going."

The conversation went on, but later, as I thought it over, that is where I think I could have said more. It occurs to me now that she was probably thinking, since this training is a week long camping experience, that it is all about learning camping skills. I wish I had mentioned that outdoor skills may be part of it (having not been, I do not know for sure, but I am assuming that since that is what IOLS, OWLS, and BALOO are for, that is not the main point of Wood Badge), but the focus is leadership and cooperation.

I forget sometimes that most people think of Scouting as learning scoutcraft skills, and that is it. I wish I had taken this as an opportunity to point out that what Scouting is really about is teaching leadership and self-reliance. It is about spirituality and citizenship as much as it is about life skills. I cannot think of any better way to teach all those things to young men than sticking them out in the wilderness for a week, where they have to eat the meals that they planned, prepared, cooked and cleaned up after themselves. They have to rely on themselves and each other for many things; food is just one example.

It is not my impression that Wood Badge is a survival course, but I can see where someome might think that. Hopefully, next time I can do a better job dispelling the notion.

Happy Birthday BSA

I have no doubt that Baden-Powell was inspired, as were those who founded the BSA, in creating and bringing this program to our boys.

This year also marks the 100 year anniversary of the LDS Church becoming the first nationally chartered orginization with the BSA.

Putting the Fun in Scouting

To follow-up on my post last week, I just finished a great book called, I Thought Scout Uniforms Were Fireproof: Putting the Fun in Scouting.

The first thing I liked about it was that it was not a big book. It was a quick and easy read that I could pick up and read a chapter in whenever I had a free minute.

Despite the size, however, it contained tons of ideas and tips for making Scouting activities more exciting and enjoyable for everyone involved. The book was arranged by topic - for example, there was a chapter on cooking, one on the patrol method, one on winter camping, etc. Each chapter had some humorous anecdotes to illustrate the point and leave the reader wishing he/she were in the troop that was having so much fun.

The book was written by an LDS Scouter and was based on Boy Scouting experiences. However, LDS terms only came up a few times and were not related to the points made, and those points could be applied to other levels of Scouting. I found myself thinking of many ways the ideas could be utilized in a den or pack. This book would be useful to any Scouter on any level.

In fact, I felt like I had gotten more out of reading this small volume than other longer books which focused more on the nuts and bolts of the program.

One thing that did not sit right with me was that there did not seem to be an emphasis on letting the boys run the troop. The book made it sound like the leaders were doing all of the planning. It would have been nice to have some clues about training your patrol leaders to do this stuff. (On the other hand, this could just be due to my lack of experience in Boy Scouting. Obviously, as a Cub Scout leader I do get to plan all of my activities.)

As always, this book is no replacement for training, but I think it is a must-have for anyone who wants to be a better Scout leader.

(It's also available in Kindle version.)

A Quick Pinewood Derby Story

As a family who has been involved in Cub Scouting a long time, we have been involved in a lot of pinewood derbies. One memorable one was a pinewood derby we put on for the local Boys and Girls Club a couple of years ago as part of the ScoutReach program. Over two or three months' time we showed up at the club's meeting place once a week and helped any of the kids who wanted to make a car. Then we had a day where we brought the church's track, and they could show up and race their cars.

My husband, of course, could not resist making a car for himself. He also helped our oldest, who was five at the time, make a car, and he cut a quick car for our toddler. Something happened at the race that made my son angry, and he was upset about it for quite a long time.

This week our oldest will be racing in his first pinewood derby as a Cub Scout. As we worked on his car, we ended up talking about previous cars he has made, and the race at the Boys and Girls Club came up. He said something like, "I was upset about ____, but now I know that I was a winner, because I did my best."

I know even in the short time he has been a scout, it has helped him develop such a mature attitude. I have heard him say more than once, "A scout wouldn't do that." I am thankful to have a program that will help all my boys do their best and aim high, and I am thankful I get to be involved in helping other boys do the same.

Fun With A Purpose

I got a call from someone in our stake asking whether I know who it is who teaches the Cubs about archery and BB guns at Day Camp. She is planning girls' camp and wanted something fun and different for the girls to do. She told me, "I thought, if the Cub Scouts can do it, why can't the Young Women?"

In a meeting with our ward primary president recently, she asked whether we could turn Pinewood Derby into a ward activity. "As long as the boys have a chance to race just with each other," I told her, "You can do whatever else you want with it." I have always thought Pinewood Derby would make a great ward activity.

People know scouts have a lot of fun. When I was a young woman, I know we wanted to do the kinds of activities the boys were doing. Lord Baden-Powell designed Scouting to be a "game with purpose," and we still use the phrase "fun with a purpose."

If so many people want to have fun like the scouts are having, why are people so reluctant to accept callings in scouts or work with the scouts?

I think one reason is that people are scared of being in charge of a group of boys. I like this post about the stigma associated with groups of boys, and more specifically scouts. I admit, being good with boys does take practice, but in my experience, it is a lot easier when you allow yourself to have fun with the boys.

I have also found it helps when you understand the purpose. When you really understand the potential Scouting has to affect young men, when you understand Scouting's purposes and goals, when you remember this is the program the Lord has chosen to prepare boys for the priesthood, to prepare young men to be missionaries, husbands and fathers, you will be a more effective leader.

How do you get to that point? Prayer, study and time. And loosen up. Let yourself have fun with it.