Response to "Are People Afraid?"

This was sent in by a reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, after the post a few weeks ago called, "Are People Afraid?" It is definitely worth a read for everyone. Please remember to keep all your comments positive.

People are awesome. Here’s to you, my fellow Scout leaders. No matter where you fall on the time- and emotion-investment scale, you are wonderful for accepting your calling and helping the boys you have stewardship over. You are great for what you currently do. You are making my world a better place, and I personally thank you for it.

If you feel like you should do something different in your unit after reading this post, great. If not, okay: that's up to you. You make a difference for your boys, and that is wonderful.

I started three years ago in a very home-spun version of a den. We worked from the handbook and got the boys their ranks. But I’ve learned that there’s more to it than that. I’ve grown and learned about what the program can be, and my pack and den are evolving. 

But we're not perfect.

People are afraid, and it's partly the super-Scouter’s fault.

Three and a half years ago I received my first calling as a den leader, learning from square one and doing the minimum to make it work and help the boys progress. Then we had a super-Scouter pack trainer called, and she overwhelmed me. Once I got to know her, she exasperated me. Once I reluctantly started implementing her ideas, I saw the value in them, and some leaders started putting space between themselves and me. Not because I implemented her ideas, but because I started encouraging them to do the things she recommended. I had, unwittingly, 'joined her camp.'

People are afraid this will happen to them too. They might intentionally stave it off just to avoid the stigma that comes from raising a decisive voice in favor of the training, the way the national program runs, or any other super-Scouter 'agenda item.' I’m not saying the BSA is perfect. But the Church adopted their program, and when we use the program the way it is designed, it makes a difference.

But people are still afraid of us.

People are aloof or apathetic. Some leaders who have ‘been there, done that’ have no desire to change. The way they’ve run it in the past is good enough for them, and that’s what you’ll get. Instead of 'doing their best,' they get the job done. And it works, the job does get done – just not at the level it could be done.

As members of the LDS church, some of us think that we get to change the Scouting program to be what we want it to be. That’s not the plan. The BSA run organization is the foundation of what we do. We don’t change it – we add to it. We add the fact that these boys are a quorum. We add reproving with sharpness (clarity), then showing forth an increase of love. We add the priesthood. We add Christ. Yes, using the BSA program as a foundation, we take it far beyond it’s own power.

But it takes leaders with vision.

People can adapt. In came Sis. Jones. Oh my, this woman has a testimony of Scouting. Not super-knowledge or advice for everyone around her, but a testimony. She is a super-(Cub) Scouter from the opposite end of the spectrum, and her incredible dedication to her "future quorum" overwhelms me - but with humility. This woman has understanding. She has insight. She has vision. She sees power and potential in everyone and everything around her, but she encourages it by example. Our pack has been touched by her membership, from the newest Cub to the bishop. She's moving in a few weeks, and she has her transfer form filled out. Whatever callings she gets in her new location will be accepted and magnified, but she will also be a leader in their Scouting program.

Last Friday we had a pack meeting. The theme we chose was the Olympics. As leaders, we 'did our best' (not always the case with our pack, sorry to say), and it turned out amazing. The meeting culminated with three Arrows of Light and a crossing over. Every leader who was there now has a vision of what these ceremonies can be. Even better, so do the parents and boys. This was the second amazing pack meeting in three months, and it's going to have a positive effect on everything we do for the future priesthood holders we train and serve. Our pack leaders are slowly coming around.

And no one in my pack is afraid of Sis. Jones.

I love Cub Scouting. I love the impact I can have on the boy's lives. If I do the minimum, I still have an impact. But it can be so much more.

We need to ‘do our best’ to follow the BSA program and make it function as it should. To that, we add our love of the boys and our vision for their future as priesthood holders, missionaries, and fathers.

Who’s on the Lord’s Side? Who? I ask it fearlessly, and I pray that we each might do our part. We make a difference.

Until we meet again...

I debated whether to post this, because it is not inspirational or instructional. It is about Scouter camaraderie, though, and it's what's on my mind.

Yesterday there was going to be a Cub Scout Pow Wow in our district. It was to be the first ever in our area. Pow Wows are usually held on the other side of the state where the Council Headquarters are.

It was only going to be a smallish Pow Wow. After a big push, we managed to get 30 people signed up. (About a third of those were from our Quad Pack - yay us). I was excited we were going to get so many trained. I was excited about the class I was teaching. I was excited to be spending the day with my Scouting friends.

They had a good reason to cancel, though. One of the people running the Pow Wow - one of our district training chairs - died unexpectedly Wednesday night. They were going to proceed anyway, but the funeral was scheduled for Saturday, and since most of the training staff was going to be at the funeral, that wouldn't work.

We, unfortunately, weren't able to make it to the funeral due to sickness. It was held in the same building that the Pow Wow would have been in, because that was her ward house. I imagine she was the one who had arranged for the Pow Wow to be there. I heard all her Scouting friends were going in uniform (they asked the Stake President if it would be okay).

I first met Marilyn last year when she was in charge of a district training day we helped with. I liked her right away. She was the first person, besides my husband, that I told my idea about this blog. Then when I got it up and going I sent it to her before anyone else. I had to turn her down recently when she asked me to help with another district training. Then she was the one who gave me my assignment for Pow Wow.

Goodbye, Marilyn. We will get everyone trained another way. We will have another chance to try Pow Wow next year. And I am sure we will have you in our hearts as we do.

Scouting and Family History

An unexpected side effect of the Year of Celebration last year for me was family history research. I already knew that my dad was an Eagle Scout and that his dad earned the Silver Beaver, but as I worked on some of the requirements for my ribbons, I ended up learning quite a bit more, which led me to asking more questions and learning even more about the history of Scouting and how it related to my family and the Church.

One of the requirements I chose to do was to write an article about a Scouting leader who made a positive difference in my life. I decided to write about my granddad, because, even though he was not my Scouting leader, he was a Scouting leader, and he definitely had a big impact on my life. I asked my dad some questions, and in the course of writing the article, learned not only some fun things about both my dad and granddad, I realized a few things about leadership that I had not thought about before. You can read the full article here.

I also made a Scouting Family Tree. This involved asking my brothers and dad for a few details so that I could fill out the chart. Through this I learned things I didn't know about my brothers' differing exeriences and opinions about Scouting.

I even came across, through chance, some interesting information about the history of Scouting in the Church. You may know that the Church became the first official chartered organization of the BSA three years after Scouting came to the US. But did you know that the Church actually implemented Scouting as part of the YMMIA two years before that, and that it was Gordon B. Hinkley's father who made the motion to make the affiliation official? (source) I thought that was an interesting bit of trivia.

Scouting can provide a similar opportunity to open up some family history conversations with your relations. It might give you some common ground you never knew you had with fathers, grandfathers, uncles, cousins, etc. One leader I know has been enthusiastic and done great things ever since she was called. I was not surprised to learn that it was due in large part to her dad being an avid Scouter. It is certainly a worthy legacy to live up to.

I look forward to being able to pass on the things I learned to my boys, to be able to share with them their Scouting family history.

My Scout Hero

One of the items on my "To Do" list for the 100 Years of Scouting award is to "Think of a Scouting leader (youth or adult) who made a positive difference in your life. Write a letter to the editor of a local publication about how that individual taught you about leadership."

When I think of great scouters, of great scout leaders, a few people come to my mind. I think of the people I went through Wood Badge with; I think of my nephews, the oldest of whom have already earned their Eagles; I think of the leaders that taught my National Camping School course (best training ever!!!); but the one person who rises to the top, who has affected me personally the most, is Julee Hicks. Her dedication, devotion, organization and enthusiasm to get the job done always has me in awe. She personifies the statement "above and beyond" with respect to scouting. And yet, she doesn't do it for accolades or for personal gain.

She doesn't limit her volunteerism to her local area. (She volunteered to come over 1000 miles to assist me with our district's Day Camp. Of course, I couldn't let her put herself out like that, but she would have come if I'd said yes).

When I was involved with her unit several years ago, she was the grease that kept the unit running smoothly. All the "i"s were dotted and all the "t"s crossed. One of my loftiest Scouting goals is to become more like Julee.

During my military service I was stationed at an NROTC unit and one of the primary ideals was that as future officers we should lead from the front. Julee does that. She's in the fray, making a difference. Thanks for your fine example Julee. You have no idea how your example has benefited many scouts where I live now.