[Vision2020] Fw: [Spam 5.86] BE OUTSIDE!

[Kai Eiselein, Editor]

I liked the uniform, it told you a lot about another Scout; rank, troop and 
state, patrol name or whether he was a Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader 
and such. The easiest to spot were members of Leadership Corps, because in 
addition to a red shoulder patch, we were the only ones allowed to wear a 
red beret.
Within a few seconds, you could "read" a uniform and either find something 
in common or something you might be curious about. Either way, it gave you a 
chance to talk and make friends.
One thing have have noticed of late, is how some troops seem to churn out 
Eagle Scouts. It used to be that you couldn't expect to attain that rank 
until you were 16 or 17, now I've seen 14 year olds. We had to really work 
for merit badges, most instructors made us go far beyond the requirements 
laid out in the merit badge book.
I think quite a few people got started on their career paths by earning 
merit badges, since Scouts choose what interests them, aside from badges 
required for rank advancement. It allows boys a chance to try out things 
they might not otherwise do.
As for rank, in my case anyway, I had wanted to reach Eagle. When I was 
tapped into Leadership Corps, I got much more involved in helping younger 
scouts and found I enjoyed it. Instead of going after merit badges, I 
focused on helping and teaching them.
I really enjoyed Scouting, I have a lot of good memories from the 
experience.

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From: "Darrell Keim" <keim153 at gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 1:54 PM
To: "Chasuk" <chasuk at gmail.com>
Cc: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Fw: [Spam 5.86] BE OUTSIDE!

> You can add me to the list  that dislikes the uniform.  As to the
> merit badges and rank advancement-we disagree there.  As an adult I
> like being able to see the experiences a young man has had by looking
> at his patches.  And, as a youth, I enjoyed the recognition I got for
> earning the badges.  As a former professional I'll add that, while I
> think it is often over emphasized, the rank advancement system gives
> Scouting volunteers a good framework around which to build the program
> they want their youth to have.  The merit badge activities themselves
> can be great or poor, depending on instructor.  Scouting secularity-I
> can see some folks having an issue with a requirement of belief in
> God.  Beyond that-they are non-secular.  They don't care which god you
> worship.  In real life how religous each troop is varies widely.  Here
> in the M-P area we have some groups that pray during every meeting,
> and others that don't deal with religion at all-preferring to let
> families deal with that topic.
>
> As you said-YMMV!!!
>
> 2009/1/29 Chasuk <chasuk at gmail.com>:
>> On Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 12:52, Darrell Keim <keim153 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I really like what the CiNN network is all about-getting kids into
>>> nature.  But, speaking as a former professional Scout coordinator, it
>>> seems a bit redundant.  We've had Girl and Boy Scouts for almost 100
>>> years doing just this.  The program is in place, the support network
>>> has already been built, 100s of thousands of kids are participating
>>> with the assistance of numerous volunteers, and many great camps
>>> exist.  Why not support and grow what we already have?
>>
>> When I was a kid, my parents tried to involve me in Scouts many times,
>> but I hated it.  I disliked then, and I dislike now, anything
>> resembling merit badges.  If something is worth doing, it is worth
>> doing for itself, and the ribbons and medals are condescending.
>> Further, most of the merit-badge-earning activities I found pointless
>> and tedious.
>>
>> I dislike that the Boy Scouts are not entirely secular, although the
>> Girl Scouts gets this right.  I also think that the uniforms should
>> go.  I know a couple of Boy Scouts, and they all look embarrassed by
>> the uniforms.
>>
>> Anyway, those are my objections to Scouting.  Your mileage may vary
>> (and probably will).
>>
>
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Kai Eiselein
Editor, Latah Eagle